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The government of India has done remarkable work on commissioning a government funded prehospital emergency ambulance service in India. This has both public health implications and an economic impact on the nation. With the establishment of these services, there is an acute need for standardization of education and quality assurance regarding prehospital care provided. The International Joint Working Group has been actively involved in designing guidelines and establishing a comprehensive framework for ensuring high-quality education and clinical standards of care for prehospital services in India. This paper provides an independent expert opinion and a proposed framework for general operations and administration of a standardized, national prehospital emergency medical systems program. Program implementation, operational details, and regulations will require close collaboration between key stakeholders, including local, regional, and national governmental agencies of India.

As universities shifted to online education with the onset of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, both pedagogy and assessment patterns across disciplines underwent a change, with a shift towards collaborative digital assessments. In this context, using qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection from an assessment conducted for 55 students who worked in groups to create YouTube videos on pre-selected modules, our analysis reveals that this assessment tool had a significant impact on peer learning, motivation and group dynamics. Students were more motivated to learn and share their learning, and they could also successfully engage in recognising and addressing group dynamics, thereby cultivating more than just subject knowledge. This finding aligns with existing scholarship and the paper adds to research about pedagogy and assessment via digital education in the Indian context, which is still upcoming.

This paper reviews a two-day workshop held in the eastern part of Assam, India in 2020, aimed at enhancing English communication skills among rural school teachers in India. The workshop was facilitated by experienced educators and a Global Teacher Grant recipient. The workshop facilitators collaborated with language specialists to deliver comprehensive English as a Second Language (ESL) training for teaching emergent bilingual students (EBs) and using innovative strategies and technology to overcome geographical barriers. This review presents a contextual background, literature review, observation tools for evaluating workshop activities, and findings. It highlights the necessity for continuous teacher support and professional development for literacy teachers. Insights from the review contribute to a professional development program for ESL and English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) teachers in Texas, with an emphasis on improving students' language proficiency through innovative instructional approaches.

Open educational resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials that are either in the public domain or published on an open licence which permits various forms of redistribution, reuse and repurposing. Many organisations and higher education institutions around the world are using such resources, and anecdotally many believe this is supporting innovations in practice. However, there is scant research into how such innovations should be understood or evaluated conceptually. In this paper, we present a conceptual framework that can describe and evaluate innovative practice as well as results from a study of 44 cases using this framework in the context of the ENCORE+ (European Network for Catalysing Open Resources in Education) project (2021-2023). This conceptual framework provides a rich qualitative description for instances of innovation which use OER. Our examples cover many countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, UK, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Kenya, the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, USA, and Zanzibar. The sample includes organisations of all sizes and maturities of implementation. This allowed us to differentiate OER value propositions for a range of stakeholders at different levels of maturity of OER use. We explore whether variables such as the size and maturity of an organisation influences innovation strategies and the perception of stakeholder relationships. Our data indicates four elements to the development of OER value propositions as innovation vectors. Firstly, OER value propositions tend to be transformative, and focused on modifying or redefining pedagogical activity. Secondly, they are practical, targeting users/providers and influencing behaviour in direct and achievable ways. Thirdly, OER users and advocates emphasise observability, simplicity and compatibility as key aspects for communicating OER value propositions. Fourthly, OER innovation is aspirational in that greater maturity of organisations using OER sees the OER value proposition widened to include more stakeholder types.

Recent studies have indicated that digital platforms cannot amalgamate learning solutions for students with learning disabilities. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive overview of the literature on the topic and methods to elaborate on earlier studies on learning disabilities. These findings can help new researchers develop effective techniques to improve learning skills, and cognitive development and motivate teachers toward remediation programs to overcome the problem of learning disability.

In this paper, we examined the relationship between social networking sites (SNSs) and the coping strategies international students adopt amidst cultural shocks in India, particularly in the vibrant locale of Chandigarh. The study scrutinizes pivotal factors that influence international students' SNS use and creates and validates an instrument that measures this relationship. Grounded in the uses and gratifications theory (UGT), this research introduces an instrument -- the Social Capital Assessment Scale and Inventory (SCASI), which was developed via exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The research concludes that SNSs play a pivotal role in the globalization of information, encompassing education, knowledge dissemination, interactivity, and cultural exchange in geographically diverse countries such as India.

This paper examines the gendered experiences of female students in Indian law schools, highlighting the influence of societal norms and patriarchal expectations on their education and career choices. Despite the growing presence of national universities offering legal education, women continue to face significant challenges rooted in traditional gender roles. These societal pressures often dictate the professions deemed appropriate for women, reinforcing male-dominated norms and limiting their professional autonomy. Through an analysis of the experiences of female law students, this study sheds light on the structural barriers they encounter both within educational institutions and in broader society. The findings emphasize the need for systemic changes at the home, workplace, and societal levels to create a more equitable environment for women pursuing careers in law.

The pandemic has affected the social, economic, political, and psychological as well as physiological well-being of an individual. Due to technological advancements, it was comparatively easy to adapt to these clouds of change, and the education field was not an exception. The researchers have observed this not only in letter but in spirit during the pandemic through the new way of teaching and learning, that is, the Online Learning Mode. This paper aims to study the impact of place of residence on English language acquisition and the social and psychological health of engineering students in Online learning mode. A structured questionnaire was designed for this study. A total of 245 participants who are presently pursuing engineering in online learning mode participated in the research. The study revealed that the place of residence had no influence on English language acquisition but significantly impacted engineering students' social and psychological health.

This paper reports the findings from a pre- and post-survey of participants and interviews with a small number of course members. A three-day course of training in qualitative research methods was delivered to a cohort of inexperienced researchers, all of whom were working in the field of special educational needs and disability, in Kolkata, India. The study examines the effectiveness of the training, taking into account the teaching methods used and the structure of the workshop. The findings suggest that emerging researchers prefer a hands-on workshop approach to more traditional lecture delivery of research training. The levels of support provided by tutors and the interaction with practical activities using bespoke resources found favour with participants. Following the training workshop, members expressed greater confidence in their ability to use qualitative research methods and understood the relation of this approach to quantitative studies. Some who completed the course have begun to conduct independent research investigations using the methods taught.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 of India reframed the present structure of higher education such as syllabi, examinations, and assessments. Due to the pandemic, many educational and research institutions are building a knowledge and skill-based curriculum and designing new credit-based courses, while encouraging students to attend online courses as a way to meet the recommendations of NEP. Any e-learning platform or online course has four basic components: Videos, Activities, Additional Reading Material, and Discussions, with Additional Reading Material being a more important component. Online courses that are open to everyone (MOOCs) can be adopted irrespective of the students' specialization or area. The instructor provides the reading material to the learners as a fixed, recommended list irrespective of the learner's interest or specialization. Instructors are finding it difficult to cater to the diversity of learners' interests and learning styles. In this paper, I have focused and analyzed the additional reading material and digital reading patterns of learners in various MOOC platforms by conducting online surveys. I concluded that there is a need to use learning eXtension Trajectories (LxT) in the learner-centric MOOC model where an instructor can identify various supportive domains and provide a shortened list of resources comprising various media to the learners.

The review article presents an analysis of the literature on environmental literacy in sustainable development. By utilizing techniques to examine multiple documents published between 2013 and 2023, including citation analysis, co-authorship analysis, subject area analysis, and keyword analysis, this study aims to provide valuable information and insights into the research landscape surrounding environmental literacy and its contribution to promoting sustainable development. A systematic search was conducted to gather several scientific articles, conference papers, and publications from the Scopus database from 2013 to 2023. The findings of this analysis shed light on authors, influential institutions, and active research groups that contributed to the study of environmental literacy and sustainable development. This comprehensive review offers an understanding of the state of research in this field while identifying areas for further exploration and research gaps. The insights gained from this study can be highly beneficial for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners seeking to advance knowledge and take action toward promoting literacy's role in sustainable development. This analysis is a foundation for advancing our understanding of literacy's significance while emphasizing its vital role in sustainable development efforts.

This paper examines new forms of study-abroad expertise on social media and their role in mediating Indian student mobility to Germany. Firstly, it explores how mutual-support Facebook and WhatsApp groups—used by prospective international students in India to support each other through the process of applying to German universities—have contributed to the emergence of new forms of education consultancy, offered by Indian students or graduates of German universities, whom I call 'Student Guides'. In addition, it shows how some Indians studying in Germany have started 'Study in Germany' YouTube channels, aimed at aspirant student migrants, and have become important 'study-abroad influencers'. The paper analyses how these new forms of study-abroad expertise offer prospective international students social and cultural capital important for successful student migration, apart from shaping their imaginative geographies of Germany, and embedding them in cultures of mobility. Furthermore, the paper highlights how these new forms of study-abroad expertise intersect with, and critique, a more 'traditional' study-abroad expert: the professional education consultant. The paper draws on a digital ethnography of 'Study in Germany' Facebook and WhatsApp groups and YouTube channels, as well as interviews with the YouTubers, Student Guides, and Indian students in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Learning losses does not mean forgetting only curricular learning but slipping back of fundamental learning abilities that learner would have acquired during schooling. School closures in India have severely disrupted learning processes of children resulting in learning losses and social gaps in academic outcomes. Though school closure is a global phenomenon, its adverse effects on learning outcomes are unevenly distributed in the society. Purpose: The paper aims to trace the phenomenon of learning losses resulting from a prolonged school closures during COVID 19 pandemic at the national level since march 2020.The study further is directed to trace accessibilities and uses of digital resources in India. Method: The study used secondary sources of data mainly of Bihar to ascertain the trend of learning losses. The data were regenerated to measure the emerging trend. Results: Learning loss was unevenly distributed in the society. Those who were digitally equipped had compensated their learning losses during school closures. The Bihar had mere 5 per cent computer and 15 internet facilities. The rural households had only 3 per cent computer and 13 per cent internet facilities. Primary grade children especially of disadvantaged groups in Bihar suffered more because they have very limited home learning resources. Learning crisis was more prominent at elementary school level where both the home resources and digital tools were inadequate. They spent hours in surfing social media for private purposes. The phenomenon of cyber loafing was widely seen among young students, showing a serious problem of internet abuse by secondary school students. Conclusion: Despite constraints Bihar managed to continue school learning programme during COVID 19. It had a largest force of digitally-equipped teachers (about 1.25 lakh) known as Potential Learning Community (PLC) who were ready to deliver e-contents to beneficiaries. Teachers established connectivity with parents and learners who had no android mobile. They started running Schools on Mobile (SOM) classes. The paper discusses learning recovery plan such as engaging community, reallocating resources for schools, etc.

Indian paper industry depends on natural resources for its raw material supply, hence it has to balance both paper production and natural resource consumption for its survival and sustenance. Any imbalance in this regard can pose threat to this industry's survival on one hand and put adverse impact of this industry upon environment on the other. The present paper analyses how some of the paper industries falling under the ambit of CSR clause 135 are taking initiatives for CSR and sustainability in order to have responsible and sustained existence in the corporate world. This study tries to probe into the areas where there is more requirement of CSR expenditure and scalability/replicability of CSR projects. Gap analysis has also been done to see the gaps between the amount allocated for CSR initiatives and the amount actually spent. The paper proposes a logical framework for CSR that is based on Bertelsmann's iooi method with certain modifications by inclusion of moderators like ethics, values, legal obligations, knowledge and skills that influence decision on CSR initiatives. The various efforts taken by paper industries for CSR projects, their monitoring and evaluation shall stand as an answer to CSR clause 135. Though the clause is in its initial phase, but the study shall help analyse if organisations are living up to the spirit of the clause and contributing for the benefit of environment and community. The study concludes that with the coming up of the clause, the focus on CSR has increased. Also, there have been efforts on the part of industries to comply with the clause but standard planning and evaluation frameworks have to be followed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transnational surrogacy—the carrying of a child by a woman in one country on behalf of persons in another—is strongly shaped by documents. Of these, identity documents are particularly crucial as they establish the belonging of a child born through such an arrangement both to its parents (birth certificate) and to a country (passport). However, the acquisition of these documents is subject to national laws that may contradict one another in transnational settings where citizens of more than one country are involved. As a result, in the last few years, there have been several cases of children stuck in legal limbo without clear parenthood and citizenship. Based on ethnographic research in India and Germany, we analyze how in such a transnational setting, documents and documentation become part of the making and unmaking of persons and belonging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to understand the foremost challenges in the transition to online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study adopts the PRISMA approach to screening the selection of journal articles and review papers according to the research aims and the inclusion criteria. The journal articles and review papers were extracted and stored in Microsoft Excel and Google Scholar, Academic. Microsoft, Semantic Scholar, Elsevier, and Emerald Insight databases searched relevant documents using formulated keywords. A statistical technique was applied using the M.S. Excel analysis tool (PivotTable and an independent t-Test) to analyze data and determine the differences between teachers and students. The review revealed the evidence that the majority of the studies were primarily focused on the individual developing countries and results from other developing countries were not considered. In addition, the foremost challenges in the transition to online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic were inadequate skills and training, inadequate Internet/Infrastructure, lack of supporting resources and lack of online student engagement and feedback. Finally, the independent t-test reveals there is no statistically significant difference in challenges in the transition to online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both teachers and students encounter similar challenges. The systematic review raised concerns that higher learning needs to effectively implement long term strategies and support teachers and students in getting into online teaching and learning.

The higher education efficiency evaluation model using the data envelopment analysis method has interested many researchers. This paper uses bibliometric analysis on publications extracted from the Scopus database to provide a comprehensive overview of research publications on the measurement of higher education efficiency based on data envelopment analysis: its growth rate, major collaboration networks, the most important and popular research topic. A total of 169 related publications were collected and analyzed from 1988 to 2021. The analysis results show that: Publications published every year have increased sharply in the last six years; The quality of publications is relatively high as publications tend to be published in journals with high-ranking indexes; Countries with the most influence in studies on this topic are: Italy, China, Spain, the USA, and the United Kingdom; Authors with the most influence in this research direction are Agasisti T., Abbott M., Doucouliagos C., Avkiran N.K., and Johnes J.; The research cooperation among countries and among affiliations is not strong. Finally, the paper has provided recommendations for future studies based on the findings.

This paper analyses the issues and challenges of linguistically diverse English Language Teaching (ELT) classrooms in India. In India, the English language is not the first language; the majority of them speak Hindi or their state languages. Due to this concern, numerous questions are arising for teachers, such as (a) How many languages and which specific language should be used as a mode of classroom communication to convey the message/instruction effectively? (b) What should be the number of students in a particular class? and (c) Does the teacher have competency in the native language? Most of the local schools in Tribal areas do not teach in native or "Adivasi" language in ELT classrooms. Indian speaking now many languages, they are multilingual but for communicating, we have to speak in a single language. So, the question is arising for how to tackle with this multilingual classroom to teach the English language? This is a challenge for India in the twenty-first century. Thus, we need to have some ways to accept the challenge and to increase the level of students in India. This paper suggests some solutions to those challenges and seeks the answer to such problems to enhance the quality of multilingual in ELT classrooms.

This article is based on a case study conducted at a government (state-run), girls' secondary school in a low-income neighbourhood in New Delhi that was conducted in March, 2012, two years after the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE) came into force. The study examined how RTE and its related reforms were being implemented, with the objective of gaining insights into how education objectives and the curriculum were being implemented at the school and how its teachers approached the implementation of the curriculum. Findings of this investigation are presented here in relation to the systemic issues of "teacher professionalism" and "high teacher-pupil ratio". The findings present some insights into the effects of a significantly high teacher-pupil ratio on educational outcomes and on the professionalism of teachers.