– Paromita Sengupta with bureau inputs

Punjab: Exam reforms
Chandigarh, June 9. Education minister Harjyot Singh Bains introduced a major examinations reform announcing that students securing identical marks in board examinations will now be awarded the same rank, rescinding the long-standing practice of using date of birth as a tie-breaker. This decision followed a meeting of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB).
PSEB has also cleared sweeping changes to question paper design to curb cheating and end rote learning. This initiative comes after students informed the chief minister during the event that question papers rewarded memorisation over comprehension.
“We will soon shift to competency-based question papers set by subject experts. The focus will be to test students’ understanding, analytical ability and reasoning, not on how well they can memorise. Better question papers mean fewer chances to cheat. When questions test thinking, not recall, paper leaks and copying lose their value,” added Bains.

Delhi: 611 ITIs shutdown
Delhi, june 8. The Union government has disaffiliated 611 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) — 22 government-run and 589 private institutions — after a report revealed that they had recorded zero student admissions between 2022-25.
The decision followed a review by the Directorate General of Training (DGT) under the Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. ITIs which failed to implement a third shift under the dual system of training (DST) despite repeated opportunities, were also disaffiliated.
According to DGT sources, the intent is to enhance vocational education quality, improve resource utilisation and promote future-oriented courses. India hosts 14,600 ITIs including 11,300 private and 3,300 government institutions.
“This will not reduce training capacity as 2 million seats remain available against an average annual enrolment of 1.4 million trainees. DGT also approves nearly 50,000 new seats every year,” said an official communique.

Haryana: Ashoka’s new VC
Sonipat, june 15. The high-ranked privately promoted Ashoka University, Sonipat (Haryana) announced the appointment of Prof. Rishikesha T. Krishnan as its new Vice Chancellor for an initial three-year term, with effect from August 1. He succeeds Prof. Somak Raychaudhury.
An alum of IIT-Kanpur, Stanford University (USA) and IIM-Ahmedabad, Prof. Krishnan was hitherto Director of IIM-Bangalore and brings a wealth of experience spanning decades of academic leadership, scholarly inquiry, and transformative institutional change to his new assignment.
“Prof. Krishnan’s distinguished record as a scholar and institution builder makes him ideally suited to lead Ashoka U at this important juncture in its journey. We are delighted to welcome him to the Ashoka family and look forward to the vision and energy he will bring to this role,” says Rudrangshu Mukherjee, Chancellor, Ashoka University.

Meghalaya: PGI ranking drive
Shillong, june 23. Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has directed the state’s education ministry to expedite reforms to improve the state’s low ranking in the Performance Grading Index (PGI) of the Union ministry of education’s Department of School Education & Literacy (DSEL). Meghalaya is ranked among the country’s lowest-performing states in DSEL’s 2022-23 assessment.
“The state’s low ranking does not accurately reflect the progress made in the education sector. Several shortcomings stemmed from weak monitoring and incomplete data rather than a lack of initiatives,” said the chief minister, who directed education ministry officials to strengthen monitoring mechanisms through greater use of technology and data analytics.

Odisha: AICW launch
Bhubaneswar, june 7. The state government has launched a free-of-charge Artificial Intelligence Careers for Women (AICW) programme to equip women undergrads with advanced skills in AI and emerging technologies. Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the state’s higher education department and the Gurgaon-based Edunet Foundation, the initiative will be implemented across higher education institutions in Odisha.
“The initiative aims to enhance women’s employability and prepare them for the digital economy. Offered free-of-charge, the programme is expected to bridge the gender gap in STEM and expand access to high-value technology careers,” said higher education minister Suryabanshi Suraj, speaking on the occasion.
“In its first phase, the programme will train 1,000 women this academic year, with a target of reaching 5,000 students by 2028. Participants will receive industry-focused training in AI, machine learning, and data science. Rama Devi Women’s University, Bhubaneswar will serve as the hub institution, supported by nearby colleges under a hub-and-spoke model,” added the minister.