Excellence by Saikat Sir: 10/15/20

The third International E-Waste Day will be held on the 14th October 2020 to promote the correct disposal of e-waste throughout the world.
This year a particular focus will be given to educating children and youth about the ways to tackle the growing e-waste problem.
International E-Waste Day has been developed by the WEEE Forum, an international association of electronic waste collection schemes.

World Students’ Day is observed on 15 October annually to mark the birth anniversary of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
In 2010, the United Nations Organization (UNO) declaredOctober 15 as the World Students’ Day to honour his efforts on promoting education.
This day honours and pays respect to him and his efforts in the field of science and technology and also the role of the teacher that he played throughout his scientific and political careers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release a commemorative coin of Rs 75 denomination on the 75th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to mark India’s long-standing relations with the UN agency.
Modi will also dedicate to the nation 17 recently developed biofortified varieties of eight crops.
India’s proposals for declaring 2016 as the International Year of Pulses and 2023 as the International Year of Millets have also been endorsed by the FAO.
Indian civil service officer Binay Ranjan Sen was the Director General of FAO during 1956-1967. The World Food Programme, which has won the Nobel Peace Prize 2020, was established during his time.

According to the recent World Bank report titled ‘Beaten or Broken? Informality and Covid-19 in South Asia’, the prolonged closure of schools in India could cost the country over $400 billion in future earnings.
For the continent, the estimated loss, in an optimistic scenario, stands at $622 billion, while for the pessimistic scenario, this could stand at $880 billion. The report added that this continental loss is largely driven by India.
The report further estimated that the South Asian region is going to witness its worst-ever recession this year, exacerbated by the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The report noted: “Temporary school closures in all South Asian countries have had major implications for students. They have kept 391 million students out of school in primary and secondary education, further complicating efforts to resolve the learning crisis.”
It added: “While most governments have made enormous efforts to mitigate the impact of school closures, it has been difficult to engage children through remote learning initiatives.”
The report stated that around 55 lakh students may drop out of the education system that can have a lifetime impact on them.

About World Bank:

The Union Cabinet has approved World Bank supported Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States -STARS project. The Project seeks to support States in developing, implementing, evaluating and improving interventions with direct linkages to improved education outcomes. Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar stated that the total project cost is 5 thousand 718 crore rupees with the financial support of World Bank amounting to 500 million US dollar.
Mr Javadekar stated, STARS project would be implemented as a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme under Department of School Education and Literacy. He stated, it will cover six States, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Odisha. The Minister stated, this is an important milestone and the beginning of the New Education Policy.

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