Reports
Vocationalisation of School Education: Prospects and Challenges (NIAS/SSc/ED/U/RR/18/2023)
The paper is a comprehensive policy review with a focus on secondary school education in India. The study provides the status of provisioning of vocational education at the school level, the success models in Indian states implementing this provision, the history and summaries of various policy trajectories culminating with the Prime Minister’s National Council on Skill Development.
Moon Missions:The Way Ahead
The lunar missions gained impetus in the 21st century after decades of lull. The newer sprite in lunar missions began with orbiter and impact missions, which included India’s moon -impact probe onboard the Chandrayaan 1, in 2008. Subsequent robotic missions included orbiters, landers and rovers as well as sample collection missions. The Lunar south polar regions which is under permanent shadow is expected to have reserves of water-ice, essential for lunar habitation and as a source for future deep space missions(space) operating from lunar surface.
Inter-ecosystem variation in the food-collection behaviour in climbing perch Anabas testudineus, a freshwater fish
A unique piscine behaviour—collection and temporary storage of food materials inside the mouth during times of availability and particularly in response to starvation—has been reported in a single species, the climbing perch Anabas testudineus. In this study, we documented a significant variation in the amount of food collected by populations of climbing perch inhabiting different ecological regimes, kole paddy fields, canals and water channels in coconut plantations, after experiencing starvation for two different periods of 24 and 48 h.
Learning For/Towards Sustainable Development: Reimagining Education and Learning as a Key Vertical Across the SDGs
In many parts of the world, there is uncertainty about the diminishing quality of higher education systems. Concurrent crises have negatively impacted the well-charted policy trajectories in education (i.e., what is being taught), learning (i.e., what is being learned and how), and knowledge (i.e., what ought to be taught). Existing policy interventions primarily focus on formal spaces of learning, despite the growing recognition of informal learning, and long-standing commitments to lifelong learning.