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The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Andhra Pradesh government urged to resolve pending issues of faculty in institutions of higher education
Members of Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh (ABRSM) Andhra Pradesh unit have urged the Department of Higher Education authorities to resolve the long-pending issues of the faculty working in public universities and other institutions of higher education. In a letter addressed to the Principal Secretary, Higher Education, Kona Sasidhar, on Sunday (June 1), the Mahasangh's State president Y.V. Rami Reddy and State general secretary D.S.V.S. Balasubramanyam urged Mr. Sasidhar to fill the 5,000 vacant posts in the universities, degree colleges and other institutions of higher education across the State, to abolish the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) and restore the Old Pension Scheme, to release the four pending DA arrears to the employees and to release the retirement benefits and other arrears to the retired employees. They also insisted for immediate appointment of the State Pay Revision Commission (PRC) and fixing of the Interim Relief, to restore the earlier timings of junior colleges from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., implementation of GO No. 110 in all State universities and higher educational institutions and implementation of transfers in the government degree colleges. Pointing out that though the government employees made monthly payments towards health insurance, they were denied the cashless claims facility by the hospitals, the Mahasangh leaders said the department should look into it and do the needful. They said the government had paid only 10% of the employees' dues and urged the authorities to push the redesignation file of the degree college faculty pending at the Secretariat. They also urged the government to appoint full-time Vice-Chancellors to the universities which did not have a regular V-C.
The Hindu
17-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
A.P. govt. urged to reintroduce Telugu medium in UG courses
The Andhra Pradesh chapter of Akhila Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh (ABRSM) on Saturday (May 17) appealed to Chairman of A.P. State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) K. Madhu Murthy to reintroduce Telugu as a medium of instruction in undergraduate courses. Members of the organisation said their demand aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP-2020) and would benefit students, especially those from rural areas. They also wanted the authorities to revive the 'three-major' degree course system, which, they said, offered greater academic flexibility besides meeting the diverse interests of students better than the current 'single-major' structure. In a detailed representation submitted to the APSCHE chief, the delegation also emphasised the urgency of releasing the admission notification for undergraduate programmes. They also raised serious concerns about the online admission process, calling it inconvenient and financially burdensome, especially due to the ₹500 non-refundable registration fee, which was not covered under fee reimbursement scheme. Citing the growing number of teaching vacancies in universities, they urged the government to expedite the recruitment and suggested that services of qualified faculty from government degree colleges should be utilised to temporarily address shortage.
Times
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Number of children playing recorder halves in a decade
The humble recorder has been a gentle introduction to musical performance for generations of primary school children. Now it risks going the way of the lute and the harpsichord as it falls out of favour among young musicians. A survey has found that the number of children playing the recorder has almost halved in a decade, from 28 per cent in 2014 to 16 per cent today. Instead, schools are using the ukulele or guitar for class music lessons. Parents may be spared squeaky renditions of London's Burning at school concerts but experts have said that the decline is part of a wider problem of pupils not spending enough time playing music, despite the benefits. Research by ABRSM, the music exam board, found that there are fewer people currently playing an instrument than in previous years. The survey of 1,000 children, 1,000 adults and 2,000 music teachers, published on Wednesday, revealed that the sharpest drop in pupils learning music came at the ages of 12 and 15. It found that 84 per cent of young people identified making, learning and engaging with music as key to their mental health, while 74 per cent said it benefited their social lives and 53 per cent that it was important for their career ambitions. Singing remained overwhelmingly popular at school, according to the research, as 54 per cent of children said they sang in music lessons. However this was a decrease from the 66 per cent who said they sang in 2014. The piano remained the most popular instrument taught by private music teachers, but there was a greater range than a decade earlier — with the ukulele, acoustic guitar, viola, cello, trumpet, electric guitar and drums all widely taught. The flute in particular saw a significant rise, increasing from about 5 per cent to 12 per cent of learners. Eighty-seven per cent of music teachers said that music was important to the wellbeing of their pupils, as did 80 per cent of people of all ages. Of those who did not learn an instrument, 29 per cent said the cost was a barrier. Fifteen per cent of people used their phone or tablet to make music and eight per cent uploaded videos of themselves performing to the internet. Chris Cobb, the chief executive of ABRSM, said: 'The mental health benefits of music are hugely important at a time when mental illness is so rife but there are so many other benefits too. The tragedy is that the same research shows how young people disengage from music learning, both when they shift to secondary school and when they start GCSEs.' Of the decline in recorder playing, he said: 'Children get to play an instrument for the first time in large classes. The recorder has been great for that but schools are now looking at other instruments that can be used — the ukulele and acoustic guitar among them.' The recorder dates back hundreds of years, according to the Society of Recorder Players, with Henry VIII owning 76 of the instruments. The first composer to specify the recorder in a composition was Giovanni Battista Riccio, from the late 16th century. The society's website says: 'By the 1690s, the recorder was played by amateurs and professionals, Handel, Bach and Telemann included it in orchestral works and chamber music. It was seen on the stage and in the pit in the theatres in London, tutor books were published regularly and recorder makers were kept busy.' It adds that Led Zeppelin used a recorder quartet in Stairway to Heaven, and the instrument was also used by the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix.
Metro
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Devastating news for 80s and 90s kids — this childhood staple is going extinct
Once a week, every week at primary school, we would gather cross-legged on the classroom floor in a circle, wielding a recorder. The ear-splitting sound of Three Blind Mice (or something akin to it) would fill the room for a good 20 minutes thereafter, until we were all out of puff from blowing into the plastic instrument. It's strange to think about now, but for many of us 80s and 90s kids, the humble recorder would've been our very first taste of music and it likely inspired some of our classmates to go on to play the trumpet, violin, or piano. But in a devastating turn of events, it seems the squeaky childhood staple is at risk of going extinct in schools. New research, by The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM), has found that the number of children playing the recorder at school has almost halved in the last decade. In 2014, 28% of primary school children played the recorder, while now that figure sits at just 16%, with one in six children learning to play it. Instead the youth of today are predominantly being taught to play bangers like London's Burning on ukuleles or guitars instead. The survey of 1,000 children aged between five and 17, also revealed that the number of students who sang at school has decreased over the last 10 years, going from 66% to 54%. While the recorder might not be a firm favourite anymore and has been declared one of the most 'given up' instruments, a number of others have seen a rise in popularity of late. Outside of school, for private music lessons the piano remains the most popular instrument choice, followed by the electric guitar, drums, flute and violin. The number of children playing electric guitar rose from 13% in 2014 to 17% today, while the number of kids playing the flute has more than doubled going from 7% to 15%. Overwhelmingly, 84% of young people said making, learning and engaging with music was key to their mental health, however there was found to be a sharp drop in pupils learning music between the age of 12 and 15 – which we all know can be an especially difficult time. For some this change was due to the cost of music lessons – which was found to be a 'barrier' preventing 29% of children from learning to play any instruments at all. This is something singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has recently been vocal about, writing to Prime Minister Keir Starmer asking him to create £250m of funding for music education in schools and youth groups. As part of the Ed Sheeran Foundation's Protect & Grow Music Education letter, he said: 'Learning an instrument and getting up on stage – whether in school or a community club – is now a luxury not every child can afford.' More Trending He then asked the government to provide funding for music in the same way that it's given for sports, and encouraged the training of more music teachers. Speaking about the research, ABRSM chief executive Chris Cobb said: 'Children get to play an instrument for the first time in large classes. The recorder has been great for that but schools are now looking at other instruments that can be used – the ukulele and acoustic guitar among them. Singing is also a key part of whole-class music-making.' He continued: 'The mental health benefits of music are hugely important at a time when mental illness is so rife but there are so many other benefits too. The tragedy is that the same research shows how young people disengage from music learning, both when they shift to secondary school and when they start GCSEs. 'The challenge facing us all is how we can support schools and the communities around them to help young people continue experiencing the benefits of music.' Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@
The Hindu
25-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Pahalgam attack: solidarity rallies, protest marches taken out across Rayalaseema
Solidarity rallies and protest marches were taken out across Rayalaseema region on Friday against the recent terrorist attack on tourists at Pahalgam in Jammu & Kashmir. In Kadapa, a protest rally was taken out by the Hindu JAC, which originated at Koti Reddy Circle and passed through the arterial roads of the city to conclude at Seven Roads junction. People joined in large numbers in the rally shouting slogans like 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'. Students, members of cultural outfits and religious institutions took part by flaunting national flags. 'Ex-servicemen are prepared' The Kadapa District Ex-Servicemen Association expressed its preparedness to take up any role assigned by the government to fight intrusion in the wake of heightened tension along the border. The members took out a candlelight march from Sivalayam centre in Proddatur town to express their resentment over the dastardly attack. The retired soldiers called it an attempt by the hostile neighbours to disturb peace in J&K and thus rattle its sprouting economy. They also saw a ploy to shatter the confidence of the soldiers guarding the border. The association president (Proddatur division) Netla Balaveera Reddy termed as an 'inhuman act' the pumping of bullets into the bodies of unarmed civilians, especially visiting tourists. They paid tributes to the newly-married naval officer Vinay Narwal and Kavali-based techie S. Madhusudhan. Vice-president A.P. Peeraiah and general secretary K. Sambasiva Reddy also took part. Teachers condemn attack Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Saikshik Mahasangh (ABRSM), a national body representing teachers in the domain of higher education, condemned the attack as 'a brutal murder based on religious grounds', thus targeting humanity itself. In Tirupati, ABRSM Andhra Pradesh unit president Prof. Y.V. Rami Reddy and general secretary D.S.V.S. Balasubramanyam stated that such violent attacks against innocents were a direct assault on the values of civilisation.
