I am one of these “unqualified” teachers (60% rise in unqualified teachers, says Labour, 26 July), although I have worked in education for 26 years, in a variety of sectors – higher education in the UK and overseas, secondary education (both co-ed boarding and single-sex day schools), adult education services, private tutoring. I have an Oxbridge degree, and an MA and PhD. I am a published author in the disciplines of both music and English literature. For 10 years I was a head of sixth form and then university tutor in an independent girls’ day school. And yet I am deemed…
Author: Loknath Das
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NEW DELHI: With rumours of the Centre planning a withdrawal of the newly-introduced Rs 2,000 note doing the rounds, Minister of State for Finance Santosh Kumar Gangwar has said there was no news of its scrapping, adding the Rs 200 note will be in circulation soon. “No news that Rs 2,000 will be scrapped,” Gangwar told IANS in an interview. “The reduction in printing of new Rs 2,000 notes is a separate issue. But that needs to be confirmed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). RBI will give information on Rs 2,000 notes,” he added. According to media reports, the government…
There is an ongoing battle in America to change the way children, particularly children from low-income families, a disproportionate number of whom are children of color, are able to access schooling. In this continuing saga, moments like the one that is now playing out in Illinois are extraordinarily rare. While the partisan brinkmanship now taking place in Springfield over the state’s education funding bill is actually quite common, the opportunity to transform the lives of low-income students across the state is actually quite unique. That’s because far too many of those in power across the country refuse to empower low-income and working-class parents…
Chief Justice Susan Denham said concerns over social media were “widespread and real” and that new laws were needed. Her comments follow concerns during the Jobstown trial over the use of social media by supporters of the seven defendants and the use of Twitter by defendant Paul Murphy TD, who even received a warning about his tweets from the Director of Public Prosecutions. Speaking at the launch of the Courts Service Annual Report 2016, Ms Justice Denham said the “fundamental” right to a fair trial needed to be protected. She is sending a draft discussion paper this week to the…
Think of the most impressive, memorable video games of the last 40 years and they tend to have one thing in common: unity of vision. From the sludgy corridors of Doom to the vast art deco chambers of Bioshock, great games take place in intricately realised worlds where every aspect – from armour to architecture – reflects a consistent visual theme. As in the movie industry, the creation of detailed virtual worlds often involves the production of concept art – reams of sketches and paintings, based on early script drafts and discussions, fashioned to provide a target look for designers, artists and coders.…
Twentieth Century Fox is teaming with the “Captain America” directing team of Joe and Anthony Russo for the studio to co-finance and distribute movies from the brothers’ unnamed production company. The production company will formally launch next year after the brothers complete their work directing Marvel-Disney’s “Avengers: Infinity War” and the untitled sequel. “Avengers: Infinity War” will open May 4, 2018, and the sequel is set for May 3, 2019. The Russo brothers directed 2014’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War” for Marvel-Disney. The team first gained notice for their work on the 2002 film “Welcome to Collinwood” and then turned…
Google parent Alphabet on Monday saw shares slide as the market reacted to a massive fine by the European Commission and word that success in mobile, cloud and YouTube is coming with higher costs. Alphabet reported a quarterly profit of $3.5 billion (roughly Rs. 22,532 crores), in a sharp decline from a year ago, with a $2.74 billion antitrust fine in Europe biting into earnings. The technology giant reported that revenue grew to $26 billion (roughly Rs. 1,67,384 crores) in the recently ended quarter, and that profit would have tallied nearly $6.3 billion if it were not for the fine levied on search engine Google by the European Commission. Earnings…
YouTube unveiled its latest weapon in its effort to combat terrorist propaganda on its site: redirection. Users who search for such content will now be directed to videos that show victims of terrorism and clerics refuting violent religious narratives. Social media giants such as Facebook, Twitter and Google have been rushing to respond to the wave of hate speech and terrorist propaganda flooding their platforms where it can be accessed by people with a penchant for violent behavior. “When people search for certain keywords on YouTube, we will display a playlist of videos debunking violent extremist recruiting narratives,” YouTube announced in a blog post last week explaining the…
Alphabet said it appointed chief executive of its Google unit, Sundar Pichai, to its board. The company’s board also includes founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. In a statement, Alphabet CEO Page said, “Sundar has been doing a great job as Google’s CEO, driving strong growth, partnerships, and tremendous product innovation. I really enjoy working with him and I’m excited that he is joining the Alphabet board.” The company reported a 21 percent jump in quarterly revenue on Monday, maintaining a growth rate that is rarely seen among companies its size and suggesting the big sales gains enjoyed recently by the other Internet firms are not done yet.…
A major Pokemon Go festival in Chicago Saturday to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the virtual game went badly awry when technical glitches prevented many fans from logging on. The problems forced Niantic Inc., the developer of the wildly popular augmented reality game, to issue a statement saying everyone who registered for the event would get a full refund for the $20 (roughly Rs. 1,290) tickets and $100 (roughly Rs. 6,450) in credits for use of the app. Niantic CEO John Hanke was booed when he took the stage at Chicago’s Grant Park to address the thousands of frustrated Pokemon enthusiasts. Some in attendance…