{"id":3262,"date":"2024-12-18T11:50:58","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T11:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lawentranceindia.com\/blogs\/?p=3262"},"modified":"2024-12-18T11:50:58","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T11:50:58","slug":"mlc-daily-current-affairs-18-december-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lawentranceindia.com\/blogs\/mlc-daily-current-affairs-18-december-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"MLC Daily Current Affairs – 18 December 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today in History (December 18th<\/sup>,1992)<\/h1>\n

December 18 is celebrated as Minorities Rights Day in India. The day is celebrated to mark the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious, and Linguistic Minorities on December 18, 1992. India began officially recognizing Minorities Rights Day in 2013.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s Revise<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

1. Who is the current President of Sri Lanka (as of 2024)?<\/strong>
\na) Mahinda Rajapaksa
\nb) Ranil Wickremesinghe
\nc) Gotabaya Rajapaksa
\nd) Anura Kumara Dissanayake
\nAnswer: d)<\/strong>
\nExplanation:<\/strong> Anura Kumara Dissanayake is the current President of Sri Lanka as of 2024.<\/p>\n

2. What is the official language of Sri Lanka?<\/strong>
\na) Hindi
\nb) Tamil
\nc) Sinhala
\nd) English
\nAnswer: c)<\/strong>
\nExplanation:<\/strong> Sinhala and Tamil are the official languages of Sri Lanka, while English is widely used for official and commercial purposes.<\/p>\n

3. Which ocean surrounds Sri Lanka?<\/strong>
\na) Atlantic Ocean
\nb) Indian Ocean
\nc) Pacific Ocean
\nd) Arctic Ocean
\nAnswer: b)<\/strong>
\nExplanation:<\/strong> Sri Lanka is an island country located in the Indian Ocean.<\/p>\n

4. What is the official currency of Sri Lanka?<\/strong>
\na) Rupee
\nb) Dollar
\nc) Yen
\nd) Euro
\nAnswer: a)<\/strong>
\nExplanation:<\/strong> The official currency of Sri Lanka is the Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR).<\/p>\n

5. What instrument is Ustad Zakir Hussain renowned for playing?<\/strong>
\na) Sitar
\nb) Tabla
\nc) Violin
\nd) Flute
\nAnswer: b)<\/strong>
\nExplanation:<\/strong> Ustad Zakir Hussain was a renowned tabla virtuoso, known for his incredible speed, dexterity, and creativity on the instrument.<\/p>\n

6. At what age did Ustad Zakir Hussain pass away?<\/strong>
\na) 63
\nb) 68
\nc) 73
\nd) 78
\nAnswer: c)<\/strong>
\nExplanation:<\/strong> Ustad Zakir Hussain passed away at the age of 73 in a San Francisco hospital after a brief illness.<\/p>\n

7. Which Indian Prime Minister described Ustad Zakir Hussain as a \u201ctrue genius\u201d?<\/strong>
\na) Manmohan Singh
\nb) Indira Gandhi
\nc) Atal Bihari Vajpayee
\nd) Narendra Modi
\nAnswer: d)<\/strong>
\nExplanation:<\/strong> Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Hussain as a \u201ctrue genius\u201d who revolutionized Indian classical music and brought the tabla to the global stage.<\/p>\n

8. How many Grammy Awards did Ustad Zakir Hussain win during his lifetime?<\/strong>
\na) Two
\nb) Three
\nc) Four
\nd) Five
\nAnswer: c)<\/strong>
\nExplanation:<\/strong> Ustad Zakir Hussain was a four-time Grammy Award winner, recognizing his contributions to music.<\/p>\n

9. What prestigious Indian award was Ustad Zakir Hussain honored with?<\/strong>
\na) Bharat Ratna
\nb) Padma Shri
\nc) Padma Bhushan
\nd) Padma Vibhushan
\nAnswer: d)<\/strong>
\nExplanation:<\/strong> Ustad Zakir Hussain received the Padma Vibhushan, one of India’s highest civilian honors, for his exceptional contributions to music.<\/p>\n

Summary of Today’s News<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Delhi Remains India’s Most Polluted City<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Current Situation<\/strong>
\n\u2022\tAir Quality Index (AQI): Delhi recorded an AQI of 433 at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, falling in the ‘severe’ category.
\n\u2022\tPollution Levels: Hazardous particulate matter concentration was over 16 times the permissible limit set by the World Health Organization.
\nPredictions and Warnings<\/strong>
\n\u2022\tContinued Severe Air Quality: The Central government’s Air Quality Early Warning System forecasts that Delhi will continue to experience severe air pollution on Wednesday due to a significant drop in wind speed.
\n\u2022\tHealth Impact: Severe air pollution affects healthy individuals and severely impacts those with pre-existing health conditions.
\nMeasures and Reactions<\/strong>
\n\u2022\tRecent Deterioration: After nearly two weeks of relief, Delhi’s air quality plummeted on Monday.
\n\u2022\tStringent Curbs Re-imposed: The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas re-imposed stringent measures.
\n\u2022\tHybrid Teaching Mode: Schools in Delhi and four neighboring districts (Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddha Nagar) were ordered to switch to a hybrid mode of teaching, except for Classes 10 and 12.<\/p>\n

Doval in Beijing for India-China Special Representatives\u2019 Talks<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Context<\/strong>
\n\u2022\tNational Security Adviser Ajit Doval arrived in Beijing to participate in the India-China Special Representatives\u2019 talks aimed at restoring bilateral ties stalled for over four years due to the military stand-off in eastern Ladakh.
\nKey Discussions<\/strong>
\n\u2022\t23rd Round of Talks: Mr. Doval will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, focusing on rebuilding bilateral ties following the October 21 disengagement agreement in eastern Ladakh.
\n\u2022\tCommitment to Cooperation: China has expressed readiness to honor commitments based on understandings reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping during the BRICS summit on October 24.
\nStatements<\/strong>
\n\u2022\tChinese Foreign Ministry: Spokesman Lin Jian emphasized enhancing mutual trust and promoting bilateral relations through dialogue and communication.
\n\u2022\tIndian External Affairs Ministry: The talks will focus on managing peace and tranquility in border areas and finding a fair and reasonable solution to the boundary question.<\/p>\n

Stuck in the Classroom \u2014 Students, Teachers, NEP 2020: Classroom Time and Academic Impact<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Excessive Classroom Time:<\/strong>
\n\u2022\tIndian students in Higher Education (HE) spend significantly more time in the classroom compared to their European Union (EU) and North American counterparts.
\n\u2022\tIndian students take five courses per semester with four hours of lectures per course each week, totaling 20 hours of classroom time weekly.
\n\u2022\tIn contrast, EU and North American students take four courses per semester with three hours of lectures per course each week, totaling 12 hours of classroom time weekly.
\nImpact on Learning:<\/strong>
\n\u2022\tThe additional eight hours of classroom time limit essential academic activities outside the classroom, such as self-study, reading, and working on assignments, leading to exhaustion and reduced learning.
\n\u2022\tIncreased classroom time reduces the feasibility of continuous assessments, leading to fewer assessments per course and potentially privileging easily graded multiple-choice questions over more complex assessments like term papers or reflective essays.
\nContinuous Assessment<\/strong>
\nNEP 2020 Emphasis:<\/strong>
\n\u2022\tNEP 2020 emphasizes continuous assessment, which allows a mix of low and high stakes assessments spread over the semester to incentivize continuous effort and learning.
\n\u2022\tContinuous assessment provides flexibility for faculty to tailor assessments to meet course learning outcomes and allows for continuous feedback for both faculty and students.
\nImpact on Teaching Quality<\/strong>
\nTeacher’s Time:<\/strong>
\n\u2022\tThe extra classroom hours for Indian teachers reduce the time available for research, course revisions, development of new courses, and cross-disciplinary collaborations.
\n\u2022\tIn EU and North American universities, the typical university teacher has a weekly classroom teaching load of nine hours, compared to 14-16 hours for Indian faculty.
\nResponsibilities:<\/strong>
\n\u2022\tTeaching a course under NEP 2020 includes designing the course, selecting reading materials, developing and administering assessments, and grading, contrasting the earlier model where teachers were mainly responsible for classroom lectures.
\nCenters of Learning<\/strong>
\nElite Institutions:<\/strong>
\n\u2022\tElite institutions like central universities, IITs, and IIMs may have fewer than eight hours a week of classroom teaching per faculty with higher resources.
\n\u2022\tThe bulk of teaching and learning happens in public universities and colleges, not in these elite institutions.
\nRecommendations<\/strong>
\nReconsider Classroom Time:<\/strong>
\n\u2022\tTo fully realize the vision of NEP 2020, it is necessary to reconsider the number of courses and classroom time in the new four-year undergraduate programs across India.
\n\u2022\tReducing classroom time will improve teaching and learning outcomes, reduce rote learning, enhance self-learning skills, and prepare students for higher-level educational pursuits.
\nConclusion<\/strong>
\n\u2022\tIncreased classroom time risks students becoming passive recipients, affecting the vision of NEP 2020.
\n\u2022\tAddressing these issues is crucial for improving the educational experience and outcomes for Indian students, bringing them on par with their global counterparts.<\/p>\n