Category: Education

Apr 17 (BNP): Paytm Foundation has launched its second “Wisdom on Wheels” mobile learning bus in Odisha, expanding its effort to bring digital and computer education directly to rural and school communities.

 Pic Credit: Pexel

The initiative is designed to reach students in remote areas where access to computer labs and digital infrastructure is limited. The specially equipped mobile bus will travel across villages and schools, offering hands-on training in basic computer skills, digital literacy, and financial awareness.

The bus functions as a fully functional mobile classroom, equipped with computers, internet connectivity, and learning tools, allowing students to practice real-world digital skills during sessions.

According to officials, the programme aims to:

• Improve digital literacy among government school students
• Bridge the urban–rural technology gap
• Promote basic coding and computer skills
• Support financial and internet awareness in rural communities

This is the second such bus in Odisha, indicating an expansion of the programme after earlier success in reaching students through mobile learning units.

The initiative was showcased at an event at VSS University of Technology (VSSUT), Burla, as part of broader collaborations between industry and educational institutions in the state.

Noida, April 17: Students from Global Indian International School, Noida delivered an outstanding performance in the recently announced CBSE Class 10 results with 80.00% of the cohort securing first division. “Also, 20% of the total cohort from GIIS Noida scored above 90%, underscoring its reputation for nurturing high achievers through a globally aligned curriculum.”

Shreya Dhiman topped the batch with 99.20%, while Aparajita Srivastava secured second rank with 97.80% and Chaitanya Goel secured third rank with 97.20%.

Congratulating the students, Mr. Ganesh Sharma, Principal, GIIS Noida, remarked,’’We are incredibly proud of our Class 10 students for their outstanding performance in the CBSE 2026 examinations. This achievement truly reflects the hard work of our students, the dedication of our teachers, and the constant support of our parents. Together, we have nurtured an environment where every child is encouraged to strive for excellence. Congratulations to all our achievers—your success makes us proud. We look forward to seeing you continue to grow, explore, and achieve even greater milestones ahead.’’

GIIS is one of the prominent CBSE school networks in India, with all eight campuses consistently recording strong academic outcomes. The institution is recognised for its skill based education, structured curriculum, focused pedagogy, and commitment to holistic student development.

Result Highlights

GIIS Noida 

·43.63% of the cohort scored above 80%

·20.00% of the cohort scored above 90%

Bhubaneswar, Apr 16 (BNP): Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has announced that the Odia language will be made compulsory in all schools across the state, reinforcing efforts to strengthen linguistic heritage and cultural identity.

The announcement was made during the concluding ceremony of the ‘Odia Paksha’ celebrations, highlighting the state government’s focus on promoting the mother tongue among students from an early age.

The Chief Minister stated that the directive will be implemented across all educational institutions in Odisha. As part of the initiative, more than 18,000 copies of Odia Barnabodha and Shishu Lekha Pustak will be distributed to students to deepen their understanding of the language and its cultural significance.

Officials said the move is aimed at strengthening students’ connection with Odia language, literature, and traditions, while ensuring its wider usage in academic learning.

The government also reiterated its commitment to expanding educational infrastructure and promoting inclusive learning through initiatives aligned with national education objectives.

New Delhi, Apr 15 (BNP): The British School New Delhi hosted the first CIS India Institute on International Admission and Guidance from April 10 to 12, 2026.

Organised in collaboration with the Council of International Schools (CIS), the event brought together representatives from over 60 universities across 14 countries, along with 20 schools from India.

The institute served as a platform for interaction between Indian schools and global universities, aiming to strengthen guidance systems and create clearer pathways for students seeking higher education abroad.

Participants discussed international admissions processes, student counselling strategies, and opportunities for expanding global academic collaboration.

Chandigarh, Apr 13 (BNP): EduBlock Pro, a blockchain-based examination management platform developed by Antier Solutions, has been honoured by the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) Incubation Center, Mohali, at TiECON Chandigarh 2026.

The award recognises the platform’s contribution to building secure and tamper-proof digital examination systems aimed at improving transparency and integrity in academic assessments.

The recognition was presented by the Chief Minister of Haryana, Nayab Singh Saini, and received by Vikram Raj Singh, CEO and Founder of Antier Solutions, during a formal ceremony.

EduBlock Pro is designed to strengthen examination infrastructure using blockchain technology, ensuring data security and reducing the risk of manipulation in digital testing systems.

Astronomers have sought to measure the expansion rate of the Universe using two fundamentally different approaches. One method relies on measuring distances to stars and galaxies in the nearby Universe. The other uses measurements of the cosmic microwave background to predict what the expansion rate would be today under the standard model of cosmology.

These two approaches are expected to yield the same result, but they don’t. Measurements based on the nearby Universe consistently indicate a higher expansion rate — around 73 kilometers per second per megaparsec — while predictions derived from the early Universe yield a lower value, closer to 67 or 68. Although the numerical difference is modest, it is far larger than can be explained by statistical uncertainty. This persistent disagreement, known as the Hubble tension, has now been observed across multiple independent studies and techniques.

By bringing together decades of independent observations into a single, unified framework, an international collaboration of astronomers has achieved the most precise direct measurement to date of the expansion rate of the nearby Universe. In a paper published on 10 April in Astronomy & Astrophysics, the H0 Distance Network (H0DN) Collaboration reports a value of the Hubble constant of 73.50 ± 0.81 kilometers per second per megaparsec, corresponding to a precision of just over 1%.

The study, “The Local Distance Network: a community consensus report on the measurement of the Hubble constant at ∼1% precision,” is the outcome of a broad community effort launched at the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) Breakthrough Workshop, “What’s under the H0od?”, held at ISSI in Bern, Switzerland, in March 2025.

“This isn’t just a new value of the Hubble constant,” the collaboration notes, “it’s a community-built framework that brings decades of independent distance measurements together, transparently and accessibly.”

NSF NOIRLab contributed both expertise and observational data to this effort. John Blakeslee, astronomer and Director of Research and Science Services at NSF NOIRLab, is a member of the collaboration. The study includes data from telescopes at NSF Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile and NSF Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) in Arizona, both Programs of NSF NOIRLab. Those data were incorporated into a broader, collaborative framework spanning both ground and space-based observatories, helping to strengthen the overall result.

Rather than relying on a single method, the team constructed a “distance network” that links many overlapping techniques for measuring distances across the local Universe. These include observations of pulsating Cepheid variable stars, red giant stars that shine with a known brightness, Type Ia supernovae, and certain types of galaxies. This approach enables multiple independent paths to the same final result, and allows for a critical test: is the discrepancy caused by an error within a single method? The results indicate that this is unlikely. Even when individual techniques are removed from the analysis, the overall result changes only minimally. Independent measurements remain consistent with one another, reinforcing the robustness of the locally measured expansion rate.

“This work effectively rules out explanations of the Hubble tension that rely on a single overlooked error in local distance measurements,” the authors conclude. “If the tension is real, as the growing body of evidence suggests, it may point to new physics beyond the standard cosmological model.”

The implications are significant. The lower expansion rate inferred from the early Universe depends on the standard model of cosmology, which describes how the Universe has evolved since the Big Bang. If that model is incomplete — for example, if it does not fully account for the behavior of dark energy, new particles, or modifications to gravity — its predictions for the present-day expansion rate would be affected.

In that case, the Hubble tension may not be the result of measurement error, but rather evidence that the current model of the Universe is missing a key component. The local distance network also establishes a framework for future investigations. By making its methods and data openly available, the collaboration has created a foundation that can be expanded with new observations. With next-generation observatories expected to provide even more precise measurements, astronomers aim to determine whether this discrepancy will ultimately be resolved or continue to point toward new physics.

One of the most prominent universities in Hungary focuses on Indian students

Apr 11: Europe’s higher education landscape is being quietly but decisively reshaped. As traditional study destinations face growing saturation and rising costs, an increasing number of Indian students are turning their attention towards Central Europe as a region offering strong academic ecosystems, internationally recognised qualifications, and expanding research opportunities. Within this evolving map of global student mobility, Hungary has begun to stand out with particular clarity, especially in engineering, applied sciences, and technology-driven disciplines.

The numbers reflect this momentum. Across Europe, around 90,000 Indian students are currently enrolled in higher education, a figure that has grown by nearly 80 per cent over the past five years. Hungary’s position within this broader trend is becoming increasingly visible: in 2023–24, approximately 1,127 Indian students were studying in Hungarian universities, placing India among the country’s top ten source nations for international enrolment. With English-taught programmes, EU-accredited degrees, comparatively moderate living costs, and a stable, secure environment, Hungary is emerging as a compelling destination for Indian families seeking both quality and value.

At the heart of this shift stands Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), Hungary’s leading institution for engineering and technology. The university continues to consolidate its standing internationally: BME came in 246th, improving its position by one place compared to the previous list, while maintaining its 12th place in the Eastern European region in the widely acknowledged latest QS European rankings, compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a global university ranking organisation.

The growth of the Indian student community at BME has been particularly striking. In the 2015/16 academic year, the university enrolled only 15 students from India; by 2024/25, this number had risen to 89 full-time Indian students – a nearly six-fold increase in less than a decade. The demographic profile mirrors global STEM patterns, with 77 per cent male and 23 per cent female students. Crucially, the expansion has been matched by strong academic outcomes: since 2016, 96 Indian students have graduated successfully from BME, including eight PhD recipients, underscoring the university’s ability not only to attract talent but also to support students through to high-level degree completion.

“My BME degree has given me a strong technical foundation, international exposure, and research experience, preparing me to work in global engineering environments and tackle sustainability, structural and infrastructure challenges,” says recent BME graduate Salman Ali.

BME’s appeal lies in its distinctive integration of education, research, and innovation. The university’s mission extends beyond classroom teaching into the full innovation chain, encompassing fundamental and applied research, technological development, and the real-world application of scientific results. Its academic strengths align closely with strategic global priorities shared by Europe and Asia alike: digital transformation, sustainable energy systems, industrial innovation, and the engineering foundations of the green transition. For Indian students, this translates into an environment where theoretical excellence is inseparable from hands-on research engagement and industry relevance.

As Vice Rector for Internationalisation András Nemeslaki notes, “Indian students contribute significantly to the academic and cultural life of our university. Their strong presence in engineering and technology programmes reflects BME’s strengths and the global relevance of our degrees.” This relevance is reinforced by the university’s expanding international profile: BME currently offers 13 bachelor’s, 24 master’s and 11 doctoral programmes in English, supported by Budapest’s vibrant innovation ecosystem and reputation as one of Europe’s safest capitals.

Among the programmes drawing the strongest interest from Indian applicants, the BSc and MSc in Computer Science Engineering stand out as particularly strategic choices. At undergraduate level, the Computer Science Engineer BSc is designed to train engineers capable of developing solutions across a wide spectrum – from advanced web services and artificial intelligence-based applications to high-reliability industrial software systems. With a rigorous theoretical foundation and early opportunities for specialisation in Software Engineering or Infocommunication, students graduate prepared for both high-impact employment and advanced academic pathways.

The MSc in Computer Engineering deepens this trajectory further. Structured around independent work, research and development projects, and a mandatory industrial or faculty-based placement, the programme reflects the expectations of a global technology labour market increasingly shaped by AI, data infrastructure, and complex software ecosystems. Graduates are positioned either to enter competitive international careers or to continue into doctoral research – a route already taken by a growing number of Indian alumni at BME.

Hungary’s strengthening ties with India provide an additional layer of strategic context. Economic cooperation has intensified, with bilateral trade exceeding one billion euros in 2023 and major Indian companies such as Tata Consultancy Services, Motherson, and Apollo establishing significant operations in Hungary. More than fifty Indian firms now employ over ten thousand people in the country, creating an industrial environment in which internationally trained engineers are in rising demand. Student interest is accelerating accordingly: in 2023, a record 2,400 Indian applicants competed for 200 Hungarian scholarships.

Against this backdrop, Hungary – and BME in particular – is increasingly recognised as a serious European hub for Indian talent: academically rigorous, research-driven, internationally connected, and positioned at the intersection of education and innovation. As Europe and India move toward deeper cooperation in trade, technology, and mobility, institutions such as BME are becoming platforms for long-term global engineering careers.