Cleft born children are perceived differently by different people in the society. Therefore, these children find them in difficult situations. Hence, the paper made an attempt to understand the perception of family members about the causes of cleft birth and the problems faced by the cleft children. For the study, thirty families of cleft born children who have undergone cleft surgery from comprehensive cleft care centre, Guwahati has been selected conveniently. Structured interview schedule as a primary tool of data collection was used when secondary sources were like journals, reports, and websites. The study found that the causes held responsible for cleft birth by the family members are associated with superstitious belief which was debarring cleft children to receive proper treatment from the family. The study also found that the same cleft lip children are treated differently by the families after surgery. The family members feel surprised and happy seeing the cleft child like normal child. The lack of awareness about the genuine causes responsible for cleft birth among family members is creating mental stress among the parents of cleft children. Hence, the study suggested that there is a need to have proper awareness of the problems and the treatment procedures so that more and more people can get acquainted with cleft and treat it as a “birth disorder” which is curable.

According to a United Nations report (2014) with 356 million 10-24 year-olds, India has the world’s largest youth population and China is second with 269 million young people, followed by Indonesia (67 million), the US (65 million), and Pakistan (59 million). The United Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs (2019) Central and Southern Asia was home to the largest number of youth (361 million), followed by Eastern and South-Eastern Asia (307 million). It is revealed that the Asian continent is the only region that shares the world-heist youth population. It is fortunate and provides good hops that can utilize the youth power for economic development by converting as skilled human resources by providing higher education. But, unfortunately, the contemporary unhealthy issues in higher education, most of the Asian region failed to effectively utilize the enormous youth power. Especially, India is one of the inevitable countries in the Asian region but it is the 78th place in corrupt nations out of 175 countries which affects higher education also. Keeping as background this article reveals various issues in higher education in India.

The purpose of this study was to examine parental and teachers’ anxiety regarding actual learning getting transacted through online teaching-learning mode among school children during COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 pandemic brought about an immediate closedown of schools. In effect, it was not closedown; rather, it was digitalization of education. Conventional school teaching was changed into online platform. School education was not stopped but it continued with the help of different technology in online or distance education forms. However, there have been apprehensions among parents and teachers alike regarding how much the school children are actually learning through this novel online teaching learning mode. To examine this aspect, the study was conducted with parents and teachers as participants. The sample was identified using the snowball method for selecting the respondents, and focussed interview method was used for data collection. Data was analysed using thematic grouping of responses. A total 53 respondents were selected of which 25 respondents were teachers and 28 respondents were parents from Himachal Pradesh, India. In-depth interview was held telephonically after developing rapport, and fixing up interview time. Both parents and teachers reported that sudden transfer of school education to home created problems for both teachers as well as parents. Teachers were expected to teach using online mode and learn technology for teaching-learning on the job. Parents of school children were expected to take up the role of a teacher at home, provide internet network, provide devices for online education from home and learn their usage. All the teachers and parents reported concern regarding the school children’s actual learning through the online teaching-learning process. It was reported that in this crucial time, where teachers had not been able to teach in actual classroom set-up, and parents were involved in teaching children as suggested by teachers in the online class, some of the parents reported that they felt incompetent to teach their child; especially the older children. A few parents also reported that teaching children and doing their own job in work from home mode resulted at times into a lot of stress for themselves. Both parents and teachers reported feeling anxiety and concern about students’ actual learning. This paper concludes with suggestions to improve actual learning among school children and methods to reduce parental and teachers’ anxiety.

Purpose: The Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system has been integrating technology to reach the students since the inception of technology. The efforts to integrate technology in the education sector have always been to bring about quality enhancements and outreach of education to learners at a distance. The ODL system in the context of India has grown from past six decades leading to the changing paradigms with the integration of technology with respect to pedagogy and the use of technology in it. The ODL system has benefitted India in contributing to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio of the country. Thus, the present research intends to study the evolution of distance education from merely technology mediated to the blended learning approach; the potential of blended learning in leveraging the teaching-learning process; and the role of the new National Education Policy (NEP, 2020) of India has laid emphasis on the promotion and implementation of blended learning in the Indian higher education institutions. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study employs document analysis to study how the evolution of distance education took place; and the role of the National Education Policy (2020) in leveraging blended learning in the Indian higher education Institutions. Findings: The 21st century world of ever developing science and technology requires a robust and upgraded educational system to cope with the advancements and challenges. This study finds blended learning as a mode of teaching-learning that can be relied for teaching-learning process. Further, the paper observes how the various factors that include the technological and pedagogical advancements of ODL system which includes online and blended learning, National Education Policy (2020), and the COVID-19 pandemic have a mixed impact in promoting and implementation blended learning in the Indian higher education institutions. Originality/Value: This paper is an original work that reviews and discusses the changing paradigms of ODL from correspondence education to online and blended learning. And, highlights the major thrust areas of blended learning in Indian new National Education Policy (NEP 2020), through which India foresees to achieve sustainability in the education system through ODL, as it thrusts largely for blended learning.

Programme Evaluation is a very important aspect of Open and Distance Learning (ODL)institutions. Programme evaluation is considered an essential part for quality assurance. This paper focuses on the programme evaluation study of Post Graduate Certificate in Endodontics (PGCE) programme offered bySchool of Health Sciences of Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi, India. Dental education with passage of time has achieved greater salience in the present times. The programme evaluation of study Post Graduate Certificate in Endodontics programme of Indira Gandhi National Open University was conducted as a felt need to analyze the academic, and operational aspects of this unique programme and for further policy making related to suchdental programmes. Mixed method was used to collect data from learners. Both primary data and secondary data was collected and analyzed. The findings showed that the self-learning material (SLMs) of PGCE were found to be of a high quality. Learners agreed that the face-to-face academic counseling for practical work through the study centres located in reputed dentalcolleges had to be a mandatory requirement. The need for recognition of the programme by the statutory body ie Dental Council of India was also considered the‘most important’’ factor for their enrolment in such a programme. It was felt by the participants that the PGCE programme through openand distance learning (ODL) provided an opportunity for dentist to upgrade their knowledge and skills while continuing to pursue their practice. The participation of learners in the PGCE programme them more confident in handling endodontic cases.

This study attempts to compare the life style of the college going students of rural and urban area in relation to their level of modernization. The objective of the study was to find the difference in the different kinds of lifestyle of rural and urban area in relation to their level of modernization. The researcher has used normative survey method in this study. Disproportionate stratified random sampling technique has been used to select 600 students from the degree colleges of rural and urban area of district Haridwar. A significant difference has been found in the health conscious lifestyle, academic oriented lifestyle, career oriented lifestyle, socially oriented lifestyle, trend seeking lifestyle, family oriented lifestyle as well as overall lifestyle of the college going students of rural and urban area. There has been found a significant difference in the health conscious lifestyle, academic oriented lifestyle, career oriented lifestyle, socially oriented lifestyle, trend seeking lifestyle, family oriented lifestyle as well as overall lifestyle of the college going students in relation to modernization.