Fareeha Iftikhar is a Special Correspondent with the national political bureau of the Hindustan Times. She tracks the education ministry, and covers the beat at the national level for the newspaper. She also writes on issues related to gender, human rights and different policy matters.
Articles by Fareeha Iftikhar
Amid row, over 100 academicians support revised NCERT textbooks
The development came two days after 33 academics wrote to NCERT saying that the recent rationalisation exercise of NCERT “jeopardised their creative collective effort” and asked for their names to be dropped from the books.
Updated on Jun 16, 2023 11:41 PM IST
Fareeha Iftikhar, New Delhi
AICTE may relax qualification norms for tech institute heads
“The issue was placed before a committee of experts constituted by this Council for deliberations,” AICTE member secretary Rajive Kumar said.
Updated on Jun 16, 2023 11:38 PM IST
Fareeha Iftikhar, New Delhi
NCERT textbook row: 73 academicians release statement; call it false propaganda
The academicians said that unlike the selection process of authors in the previous times, the selection process this time, during the rationalisaion exercise, was far more transparent and ethically justified
Updated on Jun 16, 2023 02:06 PM IST
33 more academicians ask NCERT to drop their names from ‘rationalised’ textbooks
This comes days after two former NCERT advisors, Yogendra Yadav and Suhas Palshikar, dissociated themselves from the ‘rationalised’ political science textbooks.
Updated on Jun 15, 2023 03:16 PM IST
NCERT rejects Yogendra Yadav, Suhas Palshikar request to drop names as advisers
Yadav and Palshikar were chief advisers for the political science books for classes 9 to 12 published in 2006-07
Updated on Jun 11, 2023 01:46 AM IST
Rationalisation has ‘mutilated’ books: Chief advisers to NCERT
NCERT officials have said the changes were made to “reduce content load on students” in view of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2022
Updated on Jun 10, 2023 01:17 AM IST
Fareeha Iftikhar, New Delhi:
IIT-M tops NIRF rankings, Miranda House best college
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has retained its top ranking for the fifth time in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), with IITs accounting for 35.17% of research papers published in 2021-22. The institutions were ranked under 13 categories and evaluated on five parameters, including perception and outreach. Retaining rankings indicated that Indian educational institutions had retained their brand equity while strengthening infrastructure. Top institutions included Delhi University's Miranda House, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, and the National Law School of India University Bengaluru. New entrants to the top 100 included the National Institute of Technology Calicut and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.
Updated on Jun 06, 2023 12:03 AM IST
Fareeha Iftikhar, New Delhi
NIRF rankings: IIT Madras remains India’s top-ranked institute for 5th time
Union minister of state for education Rajkumar Ranjan Singh released the eighth edition of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) on Monday
Updated on Jun 05, 2023 01:32 PM IST
Workshop for farmers on ancient agri knowledge, animal ayurveda
Over 200 farmers in India will be trained on traditional farming practices and animal Ayurveda, including using starch and animal urine to control pests, as part of a three-day event in June. The Bharatiya Paramparik Krishi Mela will be held at Tezpur University in Assam and will include a day-long workshop on krishi parashar, an ancient Sanskrit text on agriculture. The event aims to help farmers understand alternatives to chemical pesticides and fertilisers, said Ganti S Murthy, national coordinator of the Indian Knowledge System division. However, some experts have dismissed the measures as having no scientific basis.
Updated on Jun 04, 2023 12:15 AM IST
Centre seeks reports from Bihar, MP over ‘artificial, low’ midday meal coverage
In case of Bihar, PAB observed that the coverage of students at primary and upper primary level was “very low” at 57% and 58%, respectively in 2022-23.
Updated on May 27, 2023 08:00 AM IST
Fareeha Iftikhar, New Delhi
Centre approves Karnataka’s proposal to continue eggs in meals in 8 districts
The matter was discussed during a May 15 meeting between state authorities and the project approval board of the PM POSHAN scheme under the union education ministry
Updated on May 24, 2023 09:21 AM IST
Team to probe Kerala’s ‘highly improbable’ data on midday meal: Centre
Under the PM-Poshan scheme the Centre shares the cost with states and UTs in a 60:40 ratio, and contributes 100% of the funds in UTs without a legislature
Updated on May 23, 2023 01:14 AM IST
200K candidates appear for CUET, some hiccups logged
At the end of the day, officials said the NTA recorded an overall attendance of 76%. This was considerably higher than the overall CUET-UG attendance of 62% in 2022
Updated on May 22, 2023 12:30 AM IST
CUET-UG 2023 postponed in J&K, Manipur; New dates announced
NTA clarified that CUET UG will be held as per schedule in the remaining parts of the country.
Published on May 20, 2023 08:20 AM IST
Fareeha Iftikhar, New Delhi
Panel favours bringing IITs under ambit of new accreditation system
The panel suggested to include all HEIs and every programme in the newly proposed assessment and accreditation system under the NEP 2020.
Updated on May 20, 2023 02:09 AM IST
Fareeha Iftikhar, New Delhi
DM’s nod must for employing child artiste in showbiz: NCPCR directive
New Delhi: Participation of a child in a commercial audio-visual media production or event will need a clearance from concerned district magistrate (DM), the national child rights commission said on Thursday as it issued revised guidelines for involvement of minor artistes in the entertainment industry
Updated on May 19, 2023 02:15 PM IST
NTA faces shortage of centres in J&K, Jharkhand amid surge in CUET applications
According to NTA officials, nearly 1.5mn students have applied for the national common entrance test this year, as against around 990,000 students last year.
Updated on May 18, 2023 01:11 AM IST
Fareeha Iftikhar, New Delhi
UGC launches professors of practice portal to create pool of industry experts
The PoP portal will bridge the gap between academia and industry by facilitating the hiring of experienced professionals in different domains
Updated on May 16, 2023 01:36 PM IST
Teachers point to Covid-19 changes as reason for drop
Officials from CBSE and educationists attributed the variations in results to the changes in evaluation processes before and after the pandemic
Updated on May 12, 2023 11:37 PM IST
CBSE Class 10 results out; pass percentage at 93.12%, up from pre-pandemic year
The pass percentage increased by 2.11 percentage points this year in comparison to the pre-pandemic year 2019 when it stood at 91.1%
Updated on May 12, 2023 05:44 PM IST
Pass percentage dips as CBSE declares Class 12 exam results
The pass percentage remained higher than in the pre-pandemic year (2019) when the exams were held in a single term
Updated on May 12, 2023 12:31 PM IST
Why our IITs need SC/ST cells
Administrative will alone can bring discrimination in higher education institutions to light. A case study from IIT-Delhi
Published on May 11, 2023 04:42 PM IST
Start courses in heritage to attract foreign students: UGC to varsities
The commission has shared guidelines on the introduction of courses based on Indian heritage and culture, asking the institutions to take necessary steps to start offering them.
Updated on May 10, 2023 12:16 AM IST
Fareeha Iftikhar, New Delhi
79% jump in candidates scoring in 100 percentile of JEE (Main)
The topmost score was secured by 43 students, which included one woman, up from 24 in the JEE (Main) carried out last year.
Updated on Apr 30, 2023 04:38 AM IST
6,448 schools selected for upgrade under PM-SHRI scheme
In September last year, the Union Cabinet approved the ₹27,360-crore scheme for upgradation of 14,500 schools across the country over the next five years. The scheme is expected to benefit 1.8 million students and ensure that schools serve as model institutes and encapsulate the spirit of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020.
Updated on Apr 26, 2023 12:41 AM IST
The fine-print of the National Education Policy 2020
The major reforms introduced under the NEP 2020, include CUET, multiple entry-exits, and the ABC platform. HT explains
Updated on Apr 25, 2023 05:37 PM IST
IITs told to ensure zero discrimination on campus after spate of suicides by students
The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have been directed to ensure "zero tolerance" for discrimination and provide robust support systems, following a spate of student suicides. The IIT council, led by the country's education minister, met for the first time in two years to discuss the issue. The council also examined ways to help students overcome language barriers and discussed possible reasons behind students dropping out.
Updated on Apr 18, 2023 11:52 PM IST
Fareeha Iftikhar, New Delhi
UGC set to release rules, portal for foreign varsity campuses in May
In January, the higher education regulator had released draft regulations allowing foreign universities to operate in the country. The draft rules sought to provide autonomy in admissions and fees.
Updated on Apr 18, 2023 12:56 AM IST
Ramayana’s irrigation lessons among topics in UGC’s draft proposal
The draft guidelines are in accordance with National Education Policy 2020 that recommends induction of Indian Knowledge System at all levels of education.
Updated on Apr 15, 2023 04:25 AM IST
Fareeha Iftikhar, New Delhi
Appoint SC, ST, women reps in student redressal panels: UGC
The UGC has made it compulsory to include one ombudsman in the student redressal panels
Updated on Apr 15, 2023 12:02 AM IST
