Latest news with #SATS
Time of India
a day ago
- General
- Time of India
Karnataka teachers criticise lesson-based assessment system, say promotes rote learning
Bengaluru: The school education department's lesson-based assessment kicked off in govt schools. However, teachers are not amused. Teachers across schools have called the system stifling, promoting rote learning and introducing excessive administrative work. As per the new system called lesson-based assessment (LBA), teachers are to conduct tests after every chapter. The tests will be out of 25 marks. After every test, the marks should be entered in the student achievement tracking system (SATS), and grades will be generated. This is applicable for classes 4-10 in Kannada medium and classes 1-10 in English medium classes. "This is a huge administrative task. For example, in social studies, there are around 30-40 chapters. Imagine the number of entries that need to be made by a teacher for a class of 30 students," said a teacher. Teachers also feel the system is stifling. "This is a rat race for teachers. They are just forced to teach one chapter after another, with no breathing space. The system is so rigid that you have to complete a fixed number of chapters within a given time in the same order given by the department. Where is the time and scope to step back and analyse results, create differentiation in classrooms to teach at the right level for different groups, bring engaging learning materials, leverage peer learning?" said another teacher from East Bengaluru. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Seniors Are Ditching Finger Pricks with This Breakthrough Monitor Thelifeh Undo You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru Educationists also point out that it is just promoting rote learning. "All that the department is now expecting from children is to learn the answers and score in the exams. There is no space for creative or critical thinking," said an educationist. "Repetitive, uniform tests result in assessment fatigue among students and teachers. The department should provide flexible guidelines, frameworks, and exemplar tools, not rigid prescriptions and formats. Teachers will be lost in marking scripts, making these entries as data entry operators. Teachers are not robots. They need time for lesson planning, process-oriented learning, engage in professional discussions and reflective practices," said a teacher trainer. "We have requested the department to reduce the number of questions for the assessments in the lower classes. The department has agreed and we hope to have an official order on this soon," said Chandrashekhar Nuggali, president, Karnataka State Primary School Teachers' Association. The department of school education and literacy said while the SATS website has been seeing some upgradation, the process of entering marks will be made smoother soon. "We have already provided them with a question bank with the questions for LBA. Further, with the Khan Academy's app, teachers will be able to use artificial intelligence to generate question papers. It will be easier for the teachers," said Rashmi Mahesh, principal secretary.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
7k govt primary schools may lose land due to poor records; dept launches drive
Hubballi: While 7,000 govt primary schools in state have fewer than 10 students and face the threat of closure, as many as 17,356 were at risk of losing land in Jan. The total number of govt primary schools in the state is 43,564. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Now, the department of school education (DSE) has launched a special three-month drive to officially register land in the names of govt schools. Prof Purushottam Bilimale, chairman of Kannada Development Authority, Bengaluru, told TOI he was informed about this issue during his visits to Bidar and Yadgir six months ago. "We were surprised to learn about an incident in Devanahalli, where a govt primary school was demolished overnight. We started addressing this issue in district review meetings and instructing all deputy commissioners. In turn, DCs started insisting DDPIs prioritise it. Now it is a good move that DSE has launched a special drive," he welcomed. KV Trilok Chandra, commissioner of DSE, stated that the number of such primary schools with poor land records was over 20,000 last year. "It stood at 17,356 six months ago. As our officials are working in this regard, it has now reduced to about 13,000. We have launched a special drive to get the land records of the remaining 7,000 schools registered in the next three months," he stated. He further said, "Many schools were built on donated plots, not registered under their names. There is a possibility of facing suits in courts. To address this, we have instructed DDPIs and BEOs to ensure all govt schools in their jurisdiction are equipped with land records. If there are any encroachments, we have insisted they coordinate with the district administration, revenue department, and other necessary departments. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Once the land records are registered, they will be uploaded on the department's SATS software." Sources in DSE said that the drive was launched following the instruction of V Rashmi Mahesh, principal secretary to the govt, department of school education and literacy. Chandrashekhar Nuggali, president of the Karnataka State Primary School Teachers Association, Bengaluru, noted that primary schools are threatened by land mafia, especially in urban and semi-urban areas, where land prices have skyrocketed. "Misusing the situation, successors of land donors started reclaiming their land rights, and cases are piling up in courts. Now the department's move is expected to save schools and students at large," he commented.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
SATS' (SGX:S58) Upcoming Dividend Will Be Larger Than Last Year's
SATS Ltd.'s (SGX:S58) dividend will be increasing from last year's payment of the same period to SGD0.035 on 15th of August. Although the dividend is now higher, the yield is only 2.1%, which is below the industry average. This technology could replace computers: discover the 20 stocks are working to make quantum computing a reality. SATS' Future Dividend Projections Appear Well Covered By Earnings The dividend yield is a little bit low, but sustainability of the payments is also an important part of evaluating an income stock. However, prior to this announcement, SATS' dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that most of what the business earns is being used to help it grow. Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 52.0% over the next year. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 18% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range. View our latest analysis for SATS Dividend Volatility The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. The dividend has gone from an annual total of SGD0.13 in 2015 to the most recent total annual payment of SGD0.07. This works out to be a decline of approximately 6.0% per year over that time. A company that decreases its dividend over time generally isn't what we are looking for. The Dividend's Growth Prospects Are Limited Given that the track record hasn't been stellar, we really want to see earnings per share growing over time. Although it's important to note that SATS' earnings per share has basically not grown from where it was five years ago, which could erode the purchasing power of the dividend over time. While EPS growth is quite low, SATS has the option to increase the payout ratio to return more cash to shareholders. In Summary In summary, it's great to see that the company can raise the dividend and keep it in a sustainable range. The payout ratio looks good, but unfortunately the company's dividend track record isn't stellar. The payment isn't stellar, but it could make a decent addition to a dividend portfolio. It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for SATS that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. Is SATS not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Be Sure To Check Out SATS Ltd. (SGX:S58) Before It Goes Ex-Dividend
Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that SATS Ltd. (SGX:S58) is about to go ex-dividend in just four days. The ex-dividend date is commonly two business days before the record date, which is the cut-off date for shareholders to be present on the company's books to be eligible for a dividend payment. It is important to be aware of the ex-dividend date because any trade on the stock needs to have been settled on or before the record date. Meaning, you will need to purchase SATS' shares before the 30th of July to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 15th of August. The company's next dividend payment will be S$0.035 per share, and in the last 12 months, the company paid a total of S$0.07 per share. Based on the last year's worth of payments, SATS has a trailing yield of 2.1% on the current stock price of S$3.40. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether SATS's dividend is reliable and sustainable. As a result, readers should always check whether SATS has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut. Trump has pledged to "unleash" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit. If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. SATS paid out a comfortable 31% of its profit last year. Yet cash flow is typically more important than profit for assessing dividend sustainability, so we should always check if the company generated enough cash to afford its dividend. What's good is that dividends were well covered by free cash flow, with the company paying out 6.7% of its cash flow last year. It's positive to see that SATS's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut. Check out our latest analysis for SATS Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Stocks with flat earnings can still be attractive dividend payers, but it is important to be more conservative with your approach and demand a greater margin for safety when it comes to dividend sustainability. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. It's not encouraging to see that SATS's earnings are effectively flat over the past five years. Better than seeing them fall off a cliff, for sure, but the best dividend stocks grow their earnings meaningfully over the long run. Recent growth has not been impressive. Yet there are several ways to grow the dividend, and one of them is simply that the company may choose to pay out more of its earnings as dividends. Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. SATS's dividend payments per share have declined at 6.0% per year on average over the past 10 years, which is uninspiring. To Sum It Up Is SATS an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? The company has barely grown earnings per share over this time, but at least it's paying out a decently low percentage of its earnings and cashflow as dividends. This could suggest management is reinvesting in future growth opportunities. We would prefer to see earnings growing faster, but the best dividend stocks over the long term typically combine strong earnings per share growth with a low payout ratio, and SATS is halfway there. It's a promising combination that should mark this company worthy of closer attention. On that note, you'll want to research what risks SATS is facing. For example, we've found 1 warning sign for SATS that we recommend you consider before investing in the business. If you're in the market for strong dividend payers, we recommend checking our selection of top dividend stocks. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Time of India
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Sports meets remain unscheduled as govt delays circular
Hubballi: Sports meets for primary and high school students, typically held in July, are yet to be scheduled this year. The delay is reportedly due to a transition from class-wise to age-wise grouping of students. Teachers and students are anxious, as education department has not issued the required circular, and officials are allegedly dragging their feet in implementing the new system. Many PE teachers in Dharwad dist said that every year, cluster-level sports meets used to be held in the first week of July, and taluk-level sports meets used to conclude by July-end. "However, sports meets are launched in some districts like Gadag. This apathy prevails across the state," they rued. Dr Basavaraj Dharwad, who was a member of LR Vaidyanathan expert committee on physical education, yoga and sport for govt of Karnataka, said that physical education became compulsory in 2007, and negligence towards it is not acceptable. "Many researches have proved that sports are a must to maintain physical and mental health, and it is a good life skill," he noted. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ready for a Glow-Up? [Get Your Reading Now] Undo Glow-Up Packages from $15 [Sign Up] Undo Affect Your Future Now! (Book Today) Undo Girish Naik, from Karnataka state govt grade-1 PE Teachers' asociation, said that the dept has decided to hold sports meets in age-wise groups instead of class-wise groups. "PE teachers were told to fill up formats in U-14 and U-17 groups. The data is being uploaded on student achievement tracking system (SATS) software. It is almost ready, and the office of the commissioner of public instruction (CPI) is expected to dispatch a circular within 1-2 days," he asserted. Dharwad DDPI SS Keladimath said that the sports meet schedule is issued as per the direction of CPI office. "We are unaware of the delay but are following instructions of the higher officials," he stated.
