All govt schools in T to get free tech-enabled coaching
Hyderabad: The Telangana govt on Sunday signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with six NGOs, including Nandan Nilekani's EkStep Foundation and Alakh Pandey's Physics Wallah, to provide govt school students across the state free AI-powered learning platform and coaching for competitive exams such as NEET, JEE and CLAT.
The MoUs were signed between the department of education and the NGOs in the presence of chief minister A Revanth Reddy. Apart from EkStep Foundation and Physics Wallah the govt will collaborate with Sunitha Krishnan's Prajwala Foundation, Khan Academy, Shoaib Dar's Pi Jam Foundation and Safina Hussain's Educate Girls.
CM Revanth Reddy said the MoU aims to introduce technology-enabled teaching solutions, entirely free of cost.
"This initiative is part of the state govt's vision to enhance access to quality education for underprivileged students. By partnering with reputed organisations, we hope to bring about transformative change in education. We are laying the foundation for a knowledge-driven future," he said.
"These partnerships reflect our commitment to ensuring that no child is left behind in this digital age. The govt firmly believes that collaborating with India's leading educational organisations will bring about a revolutionary improvement in educational standards both within the state and across the country," he added.
Under the agreement, the EkStep Foundation will expand its AI-driven learning platform from 540 schools to more than 5,000 primary schools across all 33 districts. The platform offers multilingual foundational learning in Telugu, English and Mathematics for pupils in Classes 3 to 5.
Physics Wallah will provide free, high-quality coaching for competitive examinations including NEET, JEE, and CLAT to govt students at the Intermediate level, with an emphasis on early preparation during school years.
Khan Academy will deliver curriculum-aligned, video-based instruction in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects for classes 6 to 10, enabling students to learn at their own pace.
The Prajwala Foundation will implement comprehensive child safety and protection programmes aimed at students from classes 6 to 12.
The Pi Jam Foundation will offer training in coding and computational thinking for students in classes 1 to 10, fostering digital literacy and problem-solving skills from an early age.
Educate Girls, which has already facilitated the enrolment of over 16,000 out-of-school children in Telangana, will continue to focus on improving literacy among girls.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
43 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Andhra's dismal performance in NEET causes concern
VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh's dismal performance in the NEET 2025 results has triggered widespread concern, with the State contributing just 36,776 qualified candidates — a mere 2.79% of the 13.15 lakh qualifiers nationwide. This places AP among the lowest-performing large States in the country. As per data released by the National Testing Agency (NTA), 59,219 students from Andhra Pradesh registered for NEET this year. Of them, 57,934 appeared for the exam and only 36,776 cleared it. In stark contrast, Uttar Pradesh produced 1,70,684 qualifiers, Rajasthan 1,19,865, and Bihar 80,954 — numbers that dwarf Andhra Pradesh's outcome. The State's share of national NEET qualifiers has seen a steady drop — from 4.89% in 2019 to 4.38% in 2020, further slipping to 4.06% in 2023, 3.33% in 2024, and now just 2.79% in 2025. Amid this concerning trend, corporate educational institutions in the State have launched aggressive advertisement campaigns, promoting individual high scores while concealing national ranks. Experts call this a deliberate attempt to mislead the public. 'This is a blatant cover-up of systemic failures in an education system hijacked by corporate coaching centres,' said Dr Ambati Naga Radhakrishna Yadav, Chairman of the YSRCP NTR District Doctors Wing.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Row over Telangana Film Awards named after Gaddar as BJP, Cong trade fireworks
In the inaugural edition of the Telangana Gaddar Film Awards (TGFA) event held by the A Revanth Reddy-led Congress government in Hyderabad on June 14, Allu Arjun was named the best actor for his role in the movie 'Pushpa: The Rise' and Nivetha Thomas won the best actress award for her performance in '35 Chinna Katha Kaadu'. However, the event has sparked a row between the Congress and the Opposition BJP. Some BJP leaders are unhappy with the state film awards being named after famed Telugu poet and balladeer late Gaddar, who was also a former Maoist ideologue. Before Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, these awards were given as the Nandi Awards in the undivided state. This is not the first instance of the BJP expressing its opposition to Gaddar, who passed away in August 2023. In February this year, when the Revanth Reddy government suggested Gaddar's name for a Padma Shri award, Union Minister of State and former Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar said the Centre would never confer this civilian honour on 'Gaddar and his Naxalite comrades, who had caused the deaths of hundreds of BJP, Congress and TDP workers'. At the time, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had lashed out at Kumar without naming him. 'If you insult Gaddar one more time, we will name the street on which the BJP office stands (in Hyderabad) after Gaddar. How will you go about without naming Gaddar anna (brother) in your address, we would like to see,' the CM had then said. Now, on the TGFA event, state BJP spokesperson Krishna Sagar Rao told The Indian Express, 'It (naming the awards after Gaddar) sets a bad precedent. Our question is simple: How is Gaddar, who followed a path of violence against elected governments, related to the film industry and its artistes? Why will actors and technicians be proud to hold on to an award that is named after such a person,' he asked. The Congress has, however, strongly defended its government's decision to name the film awards after the revolutionary poet. 'Gaddar is a cultural icon. Telangana's history is richer by his name and his contribution. Only the BJP can have a problem with him and our CM has said that Gaddar cannot be dispensed with,' a Congress leader said. Telangana Congress spokesperson Syed Nizamuddin said, 'The BJP is raising some baseless allegations. The awards reflect the true spirit of inclusion.' Born as Gummadi Vittal Rao, Gaddar was studying engineering when he was drawn to the Dalit Panthers and the Naxalite movements in the 1980s. He went underground and joined the People's War Group, a Naxal outfit that was later banned in Andhra Pradesh. He also toured Chhattisgarh and Odisha. He, however, distanced himself from the Maoists in the 2000s. Known as a fiery singer and the 'people's balladeer', Gaddar had returned to prominence during the Telangana statehood agitation beginning in 2009 and penned several songs for this movement. Once only seen in a dhoti, red shawl and a wooden staff, Gaddar had transformed by then, wearing full-sleeve shirts and pants. He also wrote songs for the mainstream film industry, including 'Bandenaka Bandi Katti' in the 1979 film 'Maa Bhoomi'. Amid the current face-off between the Congress and the BJP, some Telangana activists pointed out that three Gaddar awards – for best feature film on history, best music director, and best make-up artist – were also given to the film 'Razakar: The Silent Genocide of Hyderabad', which was produced by Telangana BJP leader Gudur Narayana Reddy. 'A propaganda film by BJP leaders targeting and spreading hate against Hyderabadi Muslims under the guise of the Razakar movie, has been awarded best film. Shockingly, the Telangana Congress and CM Revanth Reddy are endorsing the director's views,' Hyderabad-based civil rights activist S Q Masood alleged in a post on X.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Married? You just lost 40 points; How Canada's immigration system is rewarding singles and punishing families
Canada 's immigration system, which was long praised for its meritocratic and transparent points-based approach, is now drawing criticism for unintentionally putting married applicants at a disadvantage. The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) used to evaluate skilled worker candidates under Express Entry awards significantly more points to those who are single, or who declare their spouse as "non-accompanying." Under the CRS, a candidate without an accompanying spouse can gain up to 40 extra points out of a possible 600. These points can make or break a candidate's success in receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villa For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Villas in Dubai | Search ads Learn More Undo With immigration targets tightening and the minimum cutoff scores rising, most recently reaching 529 points on June 12, 2025, this loophole is becoming increasingly consequential. Immigration lawyer Matthew Jeffery explains that the system only favors married applicants when their spouse is highly educated, fluent in English or French, and has relevant work experience. 'If the spouse does not have these things, it can result in a lower score for the primary applicant,' he says. Live Events Declaring spouse as non-accompanying To preserve their chances, applicants may legally declare their spouse as non-accompanying, essentially postponing their spouse's immigration and allowing the principal applicant to retain a higher score. 'This is not manipulation,' says Calgary-based immigration consultant Mandeep Lidher. 'It is a lawful and system-sanctioned pathway for applicants who may otherwise be disadvantaged by their spouse's limited language scores, education, or lack of Canadian work experience.' Procedural fairness letters Ottawa is aware of the practice and has begun issuing procedural fairness letters (PFLs) to applicants suspected of using the rule deceptively. In one letter, an immigration officer expressed 'serious concerns' over a married applicant declaring their spouse as non-accompanying, despite both individuals already living in Canada. 'It appears that you have decided to include your spouse as 'non-accompanying' to meet the minimum required score,' the officer wrote, adding that the applicant would not have qualified if the spouse had been listed as accompanying. Misrepresentation can lead to refusal and ban While it is legal to declare a spouse as non-accompanying if done transparently, experts warn that misrepresentation, such as hiding marital status or falsely claiming a spouse will remain abroad, can lead to application refusal and even a five-year ban from reapplying. 'Honesty is paramount,' Toronto-based immigration consultant Kubeir Kamal told CTV News . The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) emphasized its zero-tolerance stance on misrepresentation: 'If a spouse is declared as not accompanying while the intent is for the spouse to come with the principal applicant, an officer may find that the applicant misrepresented themselves.' Canada prepares to lower its annual immigration targets, dropping from 500,000 in 2024 to 395,000 in 2025, and further still in 2026 and 2027, but the margin for error has narrowed.
