Azim PremjiUniversity

Quarterly Issue 01 April 2015

Insights: Reaching Out  1

Events Update   2

University News 4 Students Reflections: What is special about ‘special’  6

Alumni Account:Method in the MADness  7

Faculty Feature: The Violence of the Victims  8

Research Round Up   9

Vibrant Discourses 10 Photo Frame 11 Quiz Time 11

Funny Side Up 12

Information Kiosk 12

Coming Up 12

In this issueInsights

Reaching Out Like most things in life, this newsletter too had a small and simple beginning. The

University’s first batch of 85 students had just enrolled in July 2011. A few weeks into the first semester, Dr. Patrick Oskarsson, a young professor who spent some time with us before going back to his native Sweden, suggested that he would like to start a university e-newsletter, primarily as a means of sharing news and events about the university amongst students and faculty of the University. That is how this newsletter began.

Now, four years on, come July 2015 we will have over 700 students. In addition to three Masters Programmes (in Education, Development and Public Policy & Governance) the new Undergraduate Programme will also commence. And we felt we have reached an appropriate point of time to introduce a new-look newsletter that should reach out to a wider group and serve as a useful and relevant means of communication with people with whom we should be sharing and conversing regularly. They would of course include our students and faculty and other members of the Foundation, as before, but also the parents of our students, colleges and schools which send us students to join our postgraduate and undergraduate programmes, functionaries in the education and social development departments of state and central governments, as well as relevant segments of the media.

We reckon such a newsletter would be more than just news and events update; so starting with this issue in your hands (or on your screen) the newsletter will also feature thoughts and expressions of our students, our alumni and our faculty. It is also an opportunity to present interesting perspectives on issues related to the subjects of study and research at the University. But all this accompanied by a slice of the lighter side of a vibrant campus - photography, quiz, cartoons etc. from our students and faculty. This newsletter will be a quarterly.

Your feedback and suggestions to improve the newsletter will be invaluable.

S.GiridharCOO and Registrar

Newsletter

Events Update

The Azim Premji University organizes an annual International conference on Philosophy of Education. The University is committed to fostering serious dialogue on issues in education and creating a platform for these discussions. The objective of this conference is to bring together educationists and philosophers of education from across the world to discuss various issues that demand philosophical analysis. The Conference is a means to reach out to people with an interest in this area and to create the much required space to encourage and nurture young scholars in philosophy of education.

Over the last three years, this annual International conference has become increasingly popular. We receive more than 100 papers every year, and more than three hundred people attend the conference. This year the Philosophy of Education International Conference was organized from the 19th to 21st January 2015.

The Conference addressed three themes – Notions of Public and Private in education, Ethics and Education and Human Nature and Education. As part of each theme keynote address, invited speakers from India and abroad addressed critical contemporary issues.

Speakers debated on privatization of schools which is considered a panacea to solve the problem of quality education. Professor James Tooley who is a known champion of private schooling particularly with reference to India joined on a video conference to present his arguments for privatization of education like any other market commodity. Prof. Rohit Dhankar, Director, School of Education at Azim Premji University and Prof. Harry Brighouse from University of Wisconsin-Madison pointed out some critical flaws in these arguments. Education of our children is not the same as other market commodities,

because it involves learning and the formation of a child into a human being, and cannot be changed like a mobile phone. Many problems with private schools like low teacher salaries or limited learning of children were being ignored in Tooley’s arguments. Brighouse warned that we need to think very carefully before handing over education to market forces, because taking it back would be difficult, if not impossible.

Other well-known speakers included Anthony O’Hear, from University of Buckingham, Nirmalangshu Mukherji, from Delhi University speaking on human nature and education; Randall Curren from University of Rochester, USA, and Susie Tharu EFLU, Hyderabad on Ethics and Education; and Harry Brighouse, University of Wisconsin- Madison, and Gurpreet Mahajan from JNU, New Delhi on Public-Private debate in education. Apart from these invited speakers, young scholars also presented papers on various issues in these themes.

The papers addressed questions like whether the purpose of education is pursuit of wisdom or about developing a productive workforce? Is good education becoming critical for the survival of the species? What can be assumed about human nature and what kind of human being should education aim for?

These days education is considered a tool to create a productive workforce. Are we doing injustice to the wide range of learning that human beings are capable of? If all human beings are capable of learning, this limited objective of education raises many ethical problems. Such a limited aim of education does violence to the idea of a democratic society.

Further details of the conference are available at:http://www.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/poe/

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Philosophy of Education International Conference

Unmukt: Annual Students Festival 20-21 February, 2015Unmukt, the annual students’ festival of Azim Premji University is about freedom, creativity and celebration of diversity. It is about showcasing your talent and learning new ways to express yourself. Over the last three years Unmukt has acquired a unique character, reflecting the social purpose of the University. The festival this year got off to a rousing start with a very graceful and beautiful dance by Prasashya, a first year student of MA Development. This was followed by a soulful recital of Kabir Vaani by the famous singer Shabnam Virmani.

Students and faculty conducted series of workshops, activities and performances all through the day: Theatre Workshop, Lamp Making, Flower Making, Clay Modelling, Meta Culture (talk and activity), Gender Workshop and a play in Hindi, Kichad. There were stalls selling everything from home-grown vegetables to knick-knacks, books and CDs as well as a variety of food stalls serving mouth-watering snacks from different regions of India. The next day started with a talk-cum-activity session on Social Entrepreneurship followed by Literary Club Quiz, Laughter Therapy, Newspaper Bag Making, Creating Papier Mache Objects and a Belly Dance Workshop. The two-day festival came to a close with a crescendo as the power-packed Drummer Workshop by Drum Events India made everyone join the frenzy of the rhythm. More on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/unmukt-apu-university

International Conference on Law, Public Policy and GovernanceThe third International conference on Law, Public Policy and Governance was organized on 09th- 10th January, 2015. Scholars from India, US and the UK presented and debated various aspects of governance and policy in the two day conference which focused on ‘Institutions, Public Policy & State Capacity: A Sub-National Approach to Governance in India’. This conference brought together new and original research on various issues employing rigorous comparative sub-national research to develop new insight and understanding into India’s governance and policy challenges.

Public Lecture SeriesFour public lectures were organized with eminent speakers: Arthur Eisenkraft (University of Massachusetts Boston), Harry Brighouse (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Ha Joon Chang (University of Cambridge) and Robert Wade (London School of Economics). 3

Science Day CelebrationWith the idea to bring ‘Science to All’, the University students and faculty celebrated ‘National Science Day’ to commemorate C.V. Raman’s confirmation of the discovery of the ‘Raman Effect’ on 28th February in 1928. Interesting stalls were organized hosting various fun activities based on the themes of sound, light, projectile motion, Newton’s law, centrifugal force, electric circuit (conductivity), pressure, center of gravity, etc. Over 150-plus students, faculty and other members got to engage with science experiments on their own. They crafted whistles out of straws and witnessed how longitudinal waves travel. They were mesmerized by magical ‘diver’, ‘crazy ball’ and experiments with dry ice. The centrifugal force was demonstrated with a couple of real life problems. Various puzzles and models pushed visitors to think through the ‘why’ by observing ‘what’ they observed instead of seeking readymade answers usually given in texts.More on: http://tinyurl.com/science-day-apu-university

University News

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AdmissionsAzim Premji University seeks to enroll students from diverse backgrounds aligned to the core values of the University. To meet this objective, the admissions process is designed to select interested candidates who show evidence of a deep desire to contribute towards education and development in India, demonstrate independence of thought and have a value orientation that is geared towards creating a just, equitable, humane and sustainable society.

The University currently offers Postgraduate Programmes in Education, Development and Public Policy and Governance. This year the National Entrance Test 2015-17 for Masters Programmes was held at 30 centers across India on February 15, 2015. About 1500 students took the test. The interviews were conducted between March 9 -20, 2015 and now the final admission offers process is currently underway. The University is also launching the Undergraduate Programme this year. We are offering a three-year, full-time, residential Bachelors Programme in Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities. The B.A and B.Sc. degrees provide a unique opportunity to explore diverse academic fields and students can take up additional research work to get an Honours degree as well. The early admissions for the Undergraduate Programme were announced and 79% students have accepted the offer. The regular admissions window for the Undergraduate Programme is open till May 25, 2015.

http://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/SitePages/admissions-programme-apply.aspx

Student ActivitiesThe University provides Student Support services helping to create an environment where students are supported in realizing their full potential. Some of the major activities organized are given below:

y Blood donation camp was conducted in coordination with an NGO, ‘Sanklap’. Many students, faculty and staff donated blood and 141 units of blood was collected.

y An “Emergency Response Training” was conducted to train people on the knowledge / skill required in emergencies. About 30 volunteers from among the students and faculty attended this.

y Sessions on awareness on Swine Flu were conducted by the campus doctor.

y A series of weekly interactions on the subject of self-empowerment, life skills and developing a growth mindset has been initiated with the first year PG students.

y The Sports Club organized Cricket, Badminton, Table Tennis and Chess tournaments in which students and staff participated.

y The Pahal Club organized ‘Get Wasted - the Waste Segregation Game’. This was to create awareness among all the members about segregation of waste.

PlacementsPlacement season kicked off in February with a dedicated placement week. As on date 90+ organizations have shown interest and 168 jobs have been offered. As part of the placement process several workshops and seminars have been organized to help students make informed choices. The placement process will continue until May 2015.

University Resource CentreThe University Resource Center (URC) is the Continuing Education wing of the University. It aims to develop and transform existing talent through its continuing education programmes for professionals and institutions in the fields of education and development. Major highlights of the Centre include:

Professional Development Programmes y Professional Effectiveness Programme (PEP) group facilitated the following programmes this month-

o A two-day programme- Rural Express for 35 participants at RGNIYD, Sriperumbudur. o A two-day workshop on Workshop Designs by an external facilitator with participants internal   and external to the Foundation.

y Professional Development Programmes (PDP)- Education group contributed to the following programmes and workshops-

o Perspective on Education Programme held during 10th- 23rd March at Jaipur. o A Consultative Workshop on Personal Effectiveness for senior academic faculty from DIETs, CTEs and

  SCERT Bihar was held in Bengaluru. Around 50 participants attended this programme. o A workshop for developing two-year B.Ed curriculum at SCERT Chattisgarh. o Seminars organized by DIET, CTEs and PTECs of Bihar.

Assessment and Accreditation y Drafted a set of recommendations for the National Policy of Education 2015 on the folowing themes-

o Ensuring Learning Outcomes in Elementary Education o Reforming School Examination Systems o School Standards, School Assessment and School Management Systems These were also shared with the School Education Committee in FICCI. y Pilots of the Teacher Assessment Study were conducted with teachers in Dhamtari district, Chhattisgarh. This included

classroom observations followed by conversational interviews with teachers in selected government schools. y Sessions on building perspective on assessments in language was facilitated in Tonk along with the

field team. This was part of a demonstration course on Bhasha and Asmita for government school teachers.

Field PracticeField engagements are integral to the curriculum of all programmes of the University. The opportunity for students to closely interact with the Field Institutions of the Azim Premji Foundation helps students to develop a deeper understanding of the practical implications of educational understanding gained through the academic programmes.

Shikshana Mela 2015 – ‘Explore, Experience, Enjoy’: M.A. Education and Development Students volunteered in the Shikshana Mela organized by the Karnataka State Institute. 500 children from 15+ school participated in this mela which helped students and teachers to explore the significance of maths and science concepts by observing their surrounding environment.

Education and Development: M.A. Education and Development students visited Yadgir/Gulbarga to do a case study on school students who had dropped out due to family and social issues.

M.A. Education Introduction to Research (ITR) visit: Students of M.A. Education visited the Foundation’s Field Institutes around the country and other partner organizations that comprises of NGOs and other Institutes working in the field of education. These visits had the objective of providing the students first-hand experience to the process of research.

M.A. Development Field Internship: Orientation meeting for Field Internship Project was conducted for M.A. Development second semester students.

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Student Reflections

What is special about ‘special’Suchaita Tenneti

With all the multifarious experiences I have had over the past two years, and all in breathless succession, it has been hard for me to reflect on how I have grown. But an archetype of my journey could be the evolution of an idea I had when I started the programme. My decision to pursue a Master’s in Education was driven by my interest in inclusive

education, implying the education of children with special needs in mainstream settings. My primary objective was to develop an understanding of “pedagogical methods” to prepare children with disabilities to study in regular schools.

But in my very first semester, I was persuaded to question my hitherto held assumptions about disability. I had never questioned who defines disability or how disability is characterized. Besides, while I have always been interested in feminism, it had never occurred to me to use disability as an analytical category to understand power relations in a way in which gender is employed. I also assumed that a degree in special education was crucial to achieving academic inclusion. Without conscious motivations, I held a conception of disability as a kind of “lack”, which could be compensated by giving children with disabilities the opportunity to study alongside their non-disabled peers.

Limited scholarship on inclusive education from the

perspective of human rights and within the framework of constructivist pedagogy, few models of successful inclusion, and general pessimism about the feasibility of inclusion had curtailed my own vision. But as I developed the ability to analyse an issue through multiple frameworks and disciplinary lenses and not lose sight of an aspiration, no matter how utopian, based exclusively on empirical realities, I developed a more informed and critical understanding of inclusive education. My fieldwork exposed me to a wide range of inclusive and special education settings where I had the opportunity to understand various interpretations/misinterpretations of disability that often result in the creation of exclusionary settings, inimical to children with special needs. While developing an English curriculum for a special school as a part of a field project, I began to question the “special” in special education and whether disabilities could be situated in the broader context of learner diversity and the uniqueness of every learner’s needs.

Despite the fact that I am yet to encounter a truly inclusive education setting, my learnings at the University have made me more optimistic about the possibilities of inclusive education. Today I feel more confident and equipped to work with children with special needs and am less intimated by my lack of formal training in special education. I believe that I have progressed far beyond my initial intention of grasping “methods” of inclusion and have learnt to analyse inclusive education not in isolation but within the broader discourses of education.

6Suchaita Tenneti is a student of M.A Education ( 2013-15)

Alumni Account

Method in the MADnessPradeep Agrahari

I am an alumnus of Azim Premji University and it took me two years (2012-14) to be recognized as MAD – Master of Arts in Development. Sometimes I think the acronym quite suits my current profession as a Gandhi fellow. I think in the present world where accumulation, selfishness and competition dominates society, one needs a bit of madness to swim

against the stream and attempt to make this world a little fairer. My fellowship journey has started from 1st of July, 2014

when I was assigned to work in 5 Government Schools and their local communities, dealing with 5 headmasters, 25 teachers and 350 children in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan. I think of my five schools and the attached communities as laboratories for me to conduct experiments to realize my vision. I am trying to implement my learnings from the university on the ground. Without any kind of authority, the impact I am trying create is not easy. But I am adding values on the ground thanks to my learning in the MAD course. MAD has developed my capacity for thoughtful and appropriate interventions as I am well informed about development policies. This lense to view institutions, communities and individuals gives me a larger perspective to understanding social problems.

The fellowship program gives me verities to critically analyze our education system and its relation with holistic

development of an individual and the society. My interaction with the diverse stakeholders (students, parents, teachers, head masters, government, non-government officials and community members) makes me more aware of the beliefs, mind sets and behaviour of rural north Indian populace. I feel I would have been clueless like some others I meet here had it not been for my learnings through MAD. After the academic course now the field experience in my fellowship enables me to find out the connections and gaps between theories of philosophers like Aristotle, Foucault, Marx, Gandhi, Wendy, Nandy, Illich and Guha and the realities on the ground. My first-hand experience offers me the opportunity to practice interventions critically and rationally and explore means of ensuring holistic development in our current society.

In the search for alternative systems I found decentralization or self-governance system, suggested by people like Mahatma Gandhi as Swaraj could be the right choice. But this kind of system needs leaders of high competence and ethical standards. In my two years of fellowship I am trying to work on both these components so that I can be more effective in working towards the vision of realizing a just, equitable, humane and sustainable society.

I am at my initial stage of my experiments with today’s version of ‘Swaraj’ and have met with some success. My 5 schools are heading towards a holistic learning environment and one of them has been awarded Design for Change’s “I Can” award, 2014 for its change story. But I know I have a long way to go.

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But I am ready. Let us run, Let us feel the pain,Let us grow up...We have many things to do, The sky is waiting for us,Let us fly... Let us touch the sky.

Pradeep Agrahari is an alumnus of the University, M.A. Development ( 2012-14)

Faculty Feature

The Violence of the VictimsBhupender Yadav

Shiny and I were generally happy as India had convincingly won a cricket match yesterday. Just then our gate opened. I went out to see who had come in. Hiding by the side of the gate was a boy. He looked at me and gestured that I keep quiet. I thought he was playing some hide and seek. The boy had clothes but no footwear. Light in build but dark in complexion,

the boy looked a little scared and disheveled.Just as I wanted to speak to the boy, I noticed three other

children coming into our compound. They looked better fed and clothed than the boy who came in first. Two of them were boys.

The eldest of these three intruders, who came in the second batch, was a girl. She asked me whether I had seen someone there. I did not want to betray my first guest, the terrified boy. So, I kept quiet.

The aggressive girl just barged deeper into our compound. She saw the terrified boy sitting by the side of the wall. He pretended to hide, like ostriches are known to, by looking some other way. But the girl menacingly held him. The elder of the two boys moved in as if to beat my first guest.

I asked them to stay apart and tell me why they were angry with that poor fellow. They spoke fluent Kannada which I can barely follow. They were gesticulating furiously as well. All that

I could make sense of is ‘phone’ and police.Their victim was in tears and he was now contradicting the

trio but a lot less aggressively. Was he wronged or was he the wrong-doer? More than such justice-related questions, I wanted peace at home. So, like a seemingly good elder, I decided to save the terrified boy as he was the first to seek shelter as a fugitive, had tears in his eyes and looked poorer also.

After the belligerents left, I brought the terrified boy in. I was happy that he knew some Hindi. He told me this group stole phones in the mall near our house. They were beating him and accusing him of pilfering some phone which had been picked by them. As if to prove his innocence, the terrified boy said, ‘Please check. I’ve no phone, Bhaiya.’ I was not interested in sitting on judgement. So, I asked him what we should do now. The boy could suggest nothing. Then, I offered to drop him home. He happily agreed to this proposal.

The boy told me his family was from Raichur (north Karnataka). They lived in a slum off the busy Bannerghatta Road in Bengaluru. There was his mother, two sisters and three brothers at home. But no father?

After we left, Shiny saw that the three belligerents returned in front of our house. So, the boy was rightly fearing a revengeful bashing.

After leaving the terrified boy to safety, I thought I have only temporarily rescued him from imminent danger. Who’s going to reform and rehabilitate the kids falling into a life of crime? Were they a part of a gang? Will it mean another day of stealing, scooting and beatings for these kids tomorrow?

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Bhupender Yadav is a faculty of the University and his interests are in Social and Cultural History

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Securing Property Titles through Biometric TechnologyNafis Hasan

This is an abridged version of the abstract of the paper titled ‘Securing Property Titles through Biometric Technology’ presented by Nafis Hasan at the ‘Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty 2015: Linking Land Tenure and Use for Shared Prosperity’, March 23-27, 2015 at Washington DC, USA.

This paper presents the findings of a study that analyzes the provisioning of property titles to slum dwellers in Bengaluru through the use of biometric technologies as proposed in the Karnataka Draft Housing and Habitat Policy 2009. This study is guided by two key questions pertaining to the implementation of policies – first, what significance do documents of varying legality linked to property rights have for tenure security and investments in slums of Bangalore? Second, can the use of biometrics to titling documents and other services lead to an increase in perceived tenure security among slum dwellers?

To investigate the first question the results from a pilot survey was used. The survey was conducted by the author in four slums of Bangalore with a group of slum dwellers receiving some form of titling documents and corresponding control group of slum dwellers with no such documents other things remaining constant. The results of the survey point to the conclusion that documents have an impact on threat of eviction, formal and informal loans, improvement in housing and investment in consumer durables, in short aspects related to perceived tenure security.

Further, semi-structured interviews with slum dwellers who have received biometric cards reveals that slum dwellers are confused about the nature of rights and tenure security associated with the bio metric card. In the implementation of the new housing policies in Bangalore, biometric technology does not always prevent ineligible beneficiaries from being included into the list. This is of concern as it has implications for the costs of the project and its long term sustainability in ensuring security of tenure. While biometric based identification systems have been shown to be superior to manual systems for delivery of public services and financial inclusion, focus on the socio-political environment in which the technology operates can help improve its value further.

The paper concludes by recommending that one way of reducing leakage because of person and path dependent procedures in the application of biometric technology, is through the introduction of Registrars and Enrolment agents within the level of the citizen and the biometric database. This is seen in biometric and demographic enrolment of citizens’ into the Unique Identification Number (UID) database, in which third party private or government agents act as registering bodies to carry out the enrolment on a pay per user model. Such an incentive model can reduce the incidence of corruption while creating a database of genuine beneficiaries for housing units linked to property titles in the slums of Bangalore. Such a strategy has the additional advantage of reducing the work load on an already beleaguered personnel of the urban local bodies and ensuring sustainability and scalability of implementing housing policies that lead to a strengthening of perceived tenure security.

Research Round Up

Nafis Hasan is a faculty of the University and his interests are in Social Theory, History and Anthropology of Bureaucracy and State

Vibrant Discourses

Published ArticlesOn Education• Indoctrination in Guise of Education: Rohit Dhankar, The Hindu, March 30, 2015• On Prioritizing Education Reforms: Anurag Behar, Live Mint, March 18, 2015• The Perils of School Choice: Anurag Behar, Live Mint, February 18, 2015• Education is Fourth Pillar of Development: Dileep Ranjekar, Times of India, January 26, 2015• Reform Teacher Education: Anurag Behar, Live Mint, January 21, 2015

On Development• Unplanned Urbanization: Anurag Behar, Live Mint, March 4, 2015• Swachh Bharat: What are we Missing?: Himanshu Upadhyay, India Together, February 25, 2015.• The Wild Beast as the Other: Framing of Urban Wildlife in Popular Imagination: Harini Nagendra, The Nature of Cities, February 15, 2015

On Public Policy and Governance• Devolution of Power is Key for BBMP Reforms: Sudhir Krishnaswamy and Mathew Idiculla, The Economic Times, March 17, 2015

On Science • Factors influencing the Local Scale Colonisation and Change in Density of a Widespread Invasive Plant Species, Lantana Camara, in South India: Bharath Sundaram, Ankila J. Hiremath, Jagdish Krishnaswamy: NeoBiota 25: 27-46, April 14, 2015

On Arts, Culture and Society• India is a State-Nation, not a Nation-State: Chandan Gowda, Bangalore Mirror, March 13, 2015• Sriniketan: Tagore’s Township Experiment: Chandan Gowda, Bangalore Mirror, March 9, 2015• Civil Disobedience before Mahatma Gandhi: Chandan Gowda, Bangalore Mirror, January 20, 2015

To read these and more published articles, please visit: http://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/SitePages/resources-newspaper-magazine-articles.aspx

Colloquiums • Relevance of Bhagat Singh’s Ideas in Our Times: Prof Chaman Lal, Former Chairperson of Centre of Indian Languages in Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi: March 23, 2015• On Philosophy and Economics: Frank Thomson,Lecturer Emeritus, University of Michigan: March 19, 2015• Radical Ecological Democracy: Towards a Sustainable and Equitable Future:Ashish Kothari, Founder Member, Kalpavriksh, Pune: February 19, 2015• What is Wrong with the Media and What Can Be Done About it: Hartosh Singh Bal, Political Editor, The Caravan Magazine: February 6, 2015To read about these and more colloquiums, please visit: http://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/SitePages/event-colloquium-list.aspx

ResearchSome of our ongoing research projects: • Land Governance Study• Legal System Reforms Study• Policy Lessons of and for Revitalization of Local Health

Traditions in India• An Evaluation of the Non-formal Pre-School Education

in Medak District • LiRIL: Literacy Research in Indian Languages • Multi-Species, Multi-Trophic Interactions in Ant

Mimetic Complexes

Conference Participations• Himanshu Upadhyaya participated in India WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene)summit, 16th to 18th February in New Delhi. For more details about summit: http://www.indiawashsummit.org/• Porag Shome participated in the 2nd national workshop on Livelihood Education “Co-creating new practice’ at XIMB on Feb 5-6th. He presented the LH Specialization structure and design of the University. A handbook of LH curriculum resources named “Livelihoods Education in India” was released in the workshop.

Publications & Resources• Teachers of India portal • At Right Angles• Learning Curve• Language and Language TeachingTeachers of India portal can be accessed at: http://www.teachersofindia.org/en and the publications can be accessed at: http://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/SitePages/resources-at-right-angles.aspx

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Little Flight, Huge Leap - Photo by Sangita Palod

Quiz Time 15011. Who is the only Indian Prime Minister whose signature has appeared on our currency notes?2. Introduced on 15th Aug 1972, each character of it denotes a region, sub-region, sorting district and individual offices of an Indian   institution whose speed and efficiency it aimed to improve. What are we talking about? 3. What do you arrive at by dividing a person’s mental age by his or her chronological age and expressing it as a percentage? 4. Which state in India is planning to amend its Panchayat Raj act to make toilets at home as one of the eligibility criteria for those   aiming to contest Panchayat Raj elections?5. Found mainly in villages of Gujarat and many other states of India, these specially designed towers are used to provide food and   shelter for birds. What are these structures called? 6. Name the official India-focused MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) platform launched in Aug, 2014 to provide access to   higher education resources to anyone with a computer and an internet connection. 7. Which dedicated bench of Supreme Court of India was recently set up to specifically deal with the issues troubling a common   man in everyday life and to hear cases pertaining to public interest and all new PIL’s?

Answers To Quiz Time 15011. Manmohan Singh (Also former RBI Governor)2. PIN Code3. IQ 4. Rajasthan5. Chabutra6. Swayam7. Social Justice Bench

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Every issue of the Newsletter will carry an outstanding photograph chosen by ‘Pixelz’, the Photography Club of Azim Premji University. ‘Pixelz’ was founded in November, 2013 by Ashutosh Mishra, Nishat Chavan, Nitu Bahal and Shrishtee Bajpai - students of batch 2012 and 2013. The idea was to unite passionate practitioners of photography in the University and enable them to share their ideas and skills. Pixelz aims to promote amateur photography among the students and faculty so that they can spend some time away from the books, in the natural world, capturing what they see.

Website : https://sites.google.com/a/apu.edu.in/pixelz

(Created by ‘Samvit’ the Quiz Club of Azim Premji University.‘Samvit’ was founded in September, 2013 by Ravi Krishna, Shrishtee Bajpai, Krithika Iyer and Bhushan - students of 2013 batch. The idea was to provide a platform for students and faculty of the University who were passionate about quizzing. Since its launch, Samvit and its members have participated in various state and national level quiz competitions and won many prizes.)

Photo Frame

Website: azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in YouTube: youtube.com/user/azimpremjiuniversity

Facebook: facebook.com/azimpremjiuniversity Twitter: twitter.com/azimpremjiunive

Access Academic documents (curriculum, course documents, class schedules, academic calendar, etc.) at: https://sites.google.com/a/apu.edu.in/regoffice (This requires an Azim Premji University e-mail ID - @apu.edu.in)

Employees Portal: ess.azimpremjifoundation.org (This requires an Azim Premji Foundation e-mail ID)

About Azim Premji University Azim Premji University was established in Karnataka by the Azim Premji University Act 2010 as a not-for-profit University and is recognized by The University Grants Commission (UGC) under Section 22F. The University has a clearly stated social purpose. As an institution, it exists to make significant contributions through education towards the building of a just, equitable, humane and sustainable society. This is an explicit commitment to the idea that education contributes to social change.

The beginnings of the University are in the learning and experience of a decade of work in school education by the Azim Premji Foundation. The University is a part of the Foundation and integral to its vision. The University currently offers Postgraduate Programmes in Education, Development and Public Policy and Governance, Undergraduate Programmes in Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities, and a range of Continuing Education Programmes.

Azim Premji University, PES Campus, Pixel Park, B Block, Electronics City, Hosur Road, Bangalore – 560100 India

Funny Side Up!

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Coming Up In The Next QuarterBidding goodbye to the Class of 2015Our students of M.A. Education and M.A. Development who are graduating in June this year will be leaving the University and moving into the next phase of their life. We wish them all the best.

Getting ready to welcome new facesThe admission process would have been over by June and the new batch of students would be joining us in July. Among them would be the students of Undergraduate Programme and M.A. in Public Policy and Governance, both being introduced this year.

Exciting Summer SchoolsWe have two exciting summer schools lined up : Summer School on Education, Theme: Changing nature of the Public and the Private in School Education, June 10-15, 2015 and Summer School in Philosophy of Education, Theme: Rationality and its Discontent, June 8-19, 2015. To know more please visit: azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in > Events> Conferences

Information KioskCartoons by : Asif Akhtar, an alumnus of the University and a member of the Uttarakhand Field Institute, Azim Premji Foundation

Editorial Team: Utkal Mohanty, Salma, Jayshree Misra. Please write to us at : newsletter@apu.edu.in