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New Indian Express
12-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Parents raise concerns at Telangana Education Commission meet
HYDERABAD: Parents and other stakeholders raised numerous queries and concerns, particularly regarding steep fee hikes in private junior colleges, at the public hearing on Intermediate education, held by the Telangana Education Commission (TEC), on Wednesday. Participants flagged key issues such as the introduction of English medium instruction, lecturer absenteeism, poor infrastructure and unfilled teaching posts in government junior colleges (GJCs). Several parents shared their grievances over the annual fee hikes, which they claimed, rise by 30% to 40% every year. 'This is happening due to the absence of a proper fee regulation body,' said Suresh, a parent. They urged TEC to implement a regulatory framework without further delay. TEC members reviewed the challenges faced by GJCs and the growing commercialisation of intermediate education by private colleges. They stressed the need for stricter oversight and stronger government institutions. Suggestions included introducing English medium classes, engineering coaching, infrastructure upgrades, and immediate recruitment of lecturers. Meanwhile, private junior college representatives appealed to the commission to expedite pending fee reimbursement dues. TRSMA submits memo to Union education minister Hyderabad: The Telangana Recognised School Management Association (TRSMA) submitted a memorandum to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday and urged him to introduce annual in-service teacher training programmes through National Institute of Open Schooling. In the letter, the Union minister was apprised of key concerns and proposals for the development and financial empowerment of budget private schools, including provision of low-interest loans to help upgrade school infrastructure.
India Gazette
12-06-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
AI-Native Telecom Networks take centre stage at International Telecommunication Union Focus Group meeting
New Delhi [India], June 12 (ANI): As part of the ongoing efforts to explore the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) native in telecommunication network, the third meeting of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T) Focus Group on Artificial Intelligence Native for Telecommunication Networks (FG-AINN) was inaugurated in New Delhi on Wednesday, Ministry of Communications said in a press release. This ITU event is being organised by the Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), technical arm of Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Addressing at the inaugural session of the three-day event, Sanjeev Bidwai, Member (T), DCC, emphasised that AI-Native Networks (AI-NN) represent a fundamental shift in telecom design. He noted the growing role of AI in Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards, enabling intelligent orchestration across domains. Bidwai highlighted India's ongoing efforts in this space, including national initiatives like 'Bharat Gen'-India's first indigenously developed, government-funded, AI-based Multimodal Large Language Model (LLM) for Indian languages, as well as other projects led by IITs and CDOT in AI-based network automation and digital twins. He also emphasised the importance of deploying AI in an ethical, inclusive, and secure manner, highlighting the need for explainability, digital sovereignty, and the evolution of regulatory frameworks. In a video address, Seizo Onoe, Director of the Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau, ITU, underscored the potential of AI-native networks to deliver next-generation performance through intelligent automation, self-management, and real-time optimisation. Atsuo Okuda, ITU Regional Director for Asia-Pacific, highlighted the region's pivotal role as a digital innovation hub, emphasising that AI-native networks are essential to building smart, secure, and responsive communication systems. She drew attention to the need for collaborative frameworks to bridge the digital divide and power emerging use cases in smart cities, healthcare, and education. During the event, India sought support of ITU members for its bid to host the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2030 (PP-30), continued membership in the forthcoming ITU Council (2027-2031) and for Indian Nominee, M Revathi, as the first woman and first Regional candidate for Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau (2027-30). The event witnessed participation of Niraj Verma, Administrator (DBN), Rudra Narayan Palai, Member (Designate), DoT, Deb Kumar Chakrabarty, Member (Designate), DoT, Shubhendu Tiwari, Advisor (Technology), Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO, C-DOT, Tripti Saxena, Senior DDG, TEC and other senior officers of DoT, academicians, technologists, and industry representatives from India and abroad. This event marks a significant milestone in shaping the future of AI-native telecommunication networks, with the potential to revolutionise the global communications landscape. As AI continues to evolve, the work done by the Focus Group will be instrumental in laying the groundwork for more intelligent, adaptive, and efficient networks. (ANI)
The Hindu
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
TEC public hearing on Intermediate education in Telangana
Intermediate education in the State needs reforms with changes ranging from curricula, building trust among parents, making government junior colleges more accessible, including timely payment of scholarships and fee reimbursements to students and institutions, among others. Wide-ranging concerns were noted by various stakeholders at the public hearing organised by the Telangana Education Commission (TEC) here on Wednesday. TEC member P.L. Vishweshwar Rao, opening the session, stressed that the State has been witnessing lower enrolment numbers and there was also a need to diversify by looking beyond the four traditional streams of MPC, BiPC, MEC and CEC. No junior college For one girl who attended the hearing with her mother, the concern was even more basic. She hails from Kapra mandal in Medchal Malkajgiri district, home to over 1.60 lakh people, but with no government junior college. Her family cannot afford private college fees and is hesitant to send her away for higher education. Parents also highlighted the lack of awareness about Gurukula schools and called for fee regulation, career counselling and greater CSR involvement to improve infrastructure and services. Civil society members echoed these concerns, pointing to poor infrastructure, high dropout rates due to the distance to colleges, lack of career guidance and a shortage of lecturers. Strengthening colleges Domain experts, lecturers and union leaders spoke about the 'visible erosion of trust' in government colleges. Of 3,009 colleges in the State, only 400 are government-run, and over 90% of students are also enrolled in private institutions, they said. They called for a strict fee regulatory mechanism, and strengthening the colleges with sufficient funds, coaching and infrastructure. Participants also said that the government must reconsider the need for EAMCET, if Intermediate examination is made the basis for future streams. TEC chairperson Akunuri Murali said the main idea of the public hearing was to understand the concerns of parents and students. He also pointed to the stress level among students and the rapid commercialisation of Intermediate education. He assured that TEC will study the various aspects in depth, analyse and formulate suitable recommendations.
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Make Inter marks basis of undergrad admission to end coaching madness: TEC
1 2 Hyderabad: To counter commercialisation of education, the Telangana Education Commission (TEC) on Wednesday recommended that the state reconsider the need for competitive exams such as EAPCET for undergraduate admissions into engineering, pharmacy and agriculture courses. The TEC, which conducted a public hearing on Intermediate education, suggested that Intermediate marks be made the basis for admissions instead. "To reduce the craze for coaching and to end the commercialisation of education, the Intermediate exam should be strengthened further and made the basis for admissions. This model is working quite well in states such as Tamil Nadu," said PL Vishweshwar Rao, member, TEC. The commission, along with other stakeholders, also suggested strengthening public junior colleges with semi-residential models, English medium, nutritious meals, and career counselling. They also stressed on appointment of officers in mandals for monitoring and coordination, enforcing fee regulation, curbing misleading advertisements and unauthorised colleges, and reviving interest in arts and humanities to align Intermediate education with career pathways and higher education goals. At the hearing, various issues were highlighted including lack of transportation, infrastructure gaps, lack of teachers, health and safety, mobile addiction, dropouts due to distance and poverty among others. "One student aspiring to be a civil servant said that she had to drop out as there was no govt junior college nearby. We asked her if she would be interested in studying in a welfare residential school and even convinced her family to enrol her in a gurukul school," said commission chairman Akunuri Murali. Several students also shared stories of financial hardship, loss of parents and lack of access to affordable education even after scoring well in Class 10.
Mint
10-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
India prepares reporting standard as AI failures may hold clues to managing risks
India is framing guidelines for companies, developers and public institutions to report artificial intelligence-related incidents as the government seeks to create a database to understand and manage the risks AI poses to critical infrastructure. The proposed standard aims to record and classify problems such as AI system failures, unexpected results, or harmful effects of automated decisions, according to a new draft from the Telecommunications Engineering Centre (TEC). Mint has reviewed the document released by the technical arm of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The guidelines will ask stakeholders to report events such as telecom network outages, power grid failures, security breaches, and AI mismanagement, and document their impact, according to the draft. 'Consultations with stakeholders are going on pertaining to the draft standard to document such AI-related incidents. TEC's focus is primarily on the telecom and other critical digital infrastructure sectors such as energy and power,"said a government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. 'However, once a standard to record such incidents is framed, it can be used interoperably in other sectors as AI is being used everywhere." The plan is to create a central repository and pitch the standard globally to the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union, the official said. Recording and analysing AI incidents is important because system failures, bias, privacy breaches, and unexpected results have raised concerns about how the technology affects people and society. 'AI systems are now instrumental in making decisions that affect individuals and society at large," TEC said in the document proposing the draft standard. 'Despite their numerous benefits, these systems are not without risks and challenges." Queries emailed to TEC didn't elicit a response till press time. Also read | AI at war: Artificial intelligence is reshaping defence strategies Incidents similar to the recent Crowdstrike incident, the largest IT outage in history, can be reported under India's proposed standard. Any malfunction in chatbots, cyber breaches, telecom service quality degradation, IoT sensor failures, etc. will also be covered. The draft requires developers, companies, regulators, and other entities to report the name of the AI application involved in an incident, the cause, location, and industry/sector affected, as well as the severity and kind of harm it caused. Like OECD AI Monitor The TEC's proposal builds on a recommendation from a MeitY sub-committee of on 'AI Governance and Guidelines Development'. The panel's report in January had called for the creation of a national AI incident database to improve transparency, oversight, and accountability. MeitY is also engaged in developing a comprehensive governance framework for the country, with a focus on fostering innovation while ensuring responsible and ethical development and deployment of AI. According to the TEC, the draft defines a standardized scheme for AI incident databases in telecommunications and critical digital infrastructure. 'It also establishes a structured taxonomy for classifying AI incidents systematically. The schema ensures consistency in how incidents are recorded, making data collection and exchange more uniform across different systems," the draft document said. Also read | Apple quietly opens AI gates to developers at WWDC 2025 India's proposed framework is similar to the AI Incidents Monitor of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which documents incidents to help policymakers, AI practitioners, and all stakeholders worldwide gain valuable information about the real-world risks and harms posed by the technology. 'So far, most of the conversations have been primarily around first principles of ethical and responsible AI. However, there is a need to have domain and sector-specific discussions around AI safety," said Dhruv Garg, a tech policy lawyer and partner at Indian Governance and Policy Project (IGAP). 'We need domain specialist technical bodies like TEC for setting up a standardized approach to AI incidents and risks of AI for their own sectoral use cases," Garg said. 'Ideally, the sectoral approach may feed into the objective of the proposed AI Safety Institute at the national level and may also be discussed internationally through the network of AI Safety Institutes." Need for self-reglation In January, MeitY announced the IndiaAI Safety Institute under the ₹10,000 crore IndiaAI Mission to address AI risks and safety challenges. The institute focuses on risk assessment and management, ethical frameworks, deepfake detection tools, and stress testing tools. 'Standardisation is always beneficial as it has generic advantages," said Satya N. Gupta, former principal advisor at the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). 'Telecom and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) cuts across all sectors and, therefore, once standards to mitigate AI risks are formed here, then other sectors can also take a cue." Also read | AI hallucination spooks law firms, halts adoption According to Gupta, recording the AI issues should start with guidelines and self-regulation, as enforcing these norms will increase the compliance burden on telecom operators and other companies. The MeitY sub-committee had recommended that the AI incident database should not be started as an enforcement tool and its objective should not be to penalise people who report AI incidents. 'There is a clarity within the government that the plan is not to do fault finding with this exercise but help policy makers, researchers, AI practitioners, etc., learn from the incidents to minimize or prevent future AI harms," the official cited above said.
