Online teaching was perhaps the most preferred mode (of the policymakers) for imparting education to school children in the last two years when schools faced closures thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was promoted by both the Central and State Governments when mobility almost came to a standstill (or got restricted in comparison to normal times) during the last two years. However, various studies (a list of those studies is...

-TheWire.in The queries pertain to the safeguards in place to check state surveillance, the extent to which state surveillance is justified and seek suggestions on how to strengthen cyber security and balance individual rights with national security interests. New Delhi: The expert committee appointed by the Supreme Court to probe the alleged use of Pegasus spyware against journalists, opposition politicians, judges and others, has sought comments from the public on 11 queries...

-The Wire Science There is reason to celebrate the drop of India’s maternal mortality rate: the decline is consistent and continuous, indicating that the reproductive health of India’s women is getting better. However, a closer look at the state-level MMR data reveals that the all-India three-year average of maternal deaths camouflages the performance of some states. We can predict that the Empowered Action Group states and Assam will have to redouble their...

-The New Indian Express Officials dispute findings of UDISE+ report; Kerala and Puducherry fare much better CHENNAI: Only 18% of government schools in Tamil Nadu have internet facility, according to the Unified district Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report 2020-21.The latest UDISE+ report, which was released recently by the Union Ministry of Education, reveals that 32.03 per cent of schools (government, government-aided, private, and others) in the State have internet facility...

-The Wire Science New Delhi: India’s maternal mortality ratio (MMR) has improved to 103 for the period between 2017 and 2019. However, despite an overall improvement, the ratio has remained the same for some states, according to the Sample Registration System’s (SRS) estimate released by the Registrar General of India. In some states, like West Bengal, Haryana and Uttarakhand, the ratio has worsened. As per the 2020 data, during the period of...