The 61st Meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), the highest decision making body in the field of education. The meeting will commence at 11.00 a.m. Earlier, the HRD Ministry had prepared an agenda to get considered while providing the framework of the national policy to address the needs and challenges of the education system in the 21st century. Union HRD Minister MM Pallam Raju is also likely to consult CABE regarding suggestions from the states on third Education Commission. He would consult CABE, which includes state representations, on the Education Commission, to improve implementation of the suggested policy guidelines by the states. The highlights of the agenda for CABE meeting tomorrow to be addressed by the HRD Minister are: 1. National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF)-Considering the exigency and need for a national framework for higher education, it is proposed to set up a CABE Committee to consider the proposal and make recommendations for evolving the National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF). The CABE Committee may constitute Sub-Committees comprising the experts drawn from academics and representatives of the national level regulatory bodies and state government. It may study and examine the global initiatives taken during the last two decades for evolving national higher education qualification framework in other countries of the world and the specific issues faced by the country in this regard. The report of the Sub-Committee may provide valuable input to the CABE Committee in formulating its views and recommendations for prescribing the NHEQF. 2. Proposal to initiate action for evolving All India Survey on Higher Education- The uploading of data for AISHE 2010-11 has been closed and uploading of data by the institutions for AISHE 2011-12 has commenced from 21st March, 2013. 3. National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (ICT)- The Mission has two major components: (a) providing connectivity, along with provision for access devices, to institutions and learners; (b) Content generation. It seeks to bridge the digital divide, i.e. the gap in the skills to use computing devices for the purpose of teaching and learning among urban and rural teachers/learners in Higher Education domain and empower those, who have hitherto remained untouched by the digital revolution and have not been able to join the mainstream of the knowledge economy. SAKSHAT is one stop education portal (www.sakshat.ac.in) to facilitate lifelong learning of the students, teachers and those in employments or in pursuit of knowledge free of cost to them. The portal would be main delivery portal for the contents developed under the National Mission on Education through ICT. 4. The focus under this agenda point to be taken up is the development of Ultra Low Cost Computing Devices to enable students, wherever they may be, access to education content. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay is doing a project pertaining to (a) Acquisition and Testing of Low Cost Access-cum-Computing Device and (b) Hardware and software optimisation LCAD-Low Cost Access-cum-Computing Devices. In the first phase 1, 00,000 tablets being procured are for the purpose of testing by users all over India in different climatic and usage conditions. The advanced version of low cost tablet called Aakash-2 was launched by the President of India on the occasion of National Education Day i.e. 11thNovember, 2012. As compared with Aakash-1 launched in October 2011, this advanced version has a processor which is about 3 times faster, memory which is twice as large, and capacitive touch screen as compared to resistive touch screen. IIT Bombay is procuring it under a project from MHRD, at a price of Rs 2263/-.. Inclusion of NCC as an elective subject in schools and colleges -The XII Five Year Plan too, has documented that a National Initiative to foster Social Responsibility in Higher Education would be launched. Several ongoing activities, such as, the National Social Service, National Cadet Corps, Voluntary Service, promotion of culture, arts, music, youth development initiatives will be captured in the proposed new National Initiative aimed at deepening and enhancing community engagement in our colleges and universities. 6. Proposed Education Commission -The new Education Commission will be tasked with providing the framework of a national policy that would address the needs and challenges of the education system in the 21st century. It is expected to re-orient the education system, as well as set out goals and parameters for an education system that addresses the changed socio-economic and technological realities. Some other issues on the agenda are best practices in implementation of school sanitation and hygiene education; Elimination of gender and social gaps in school enrolment and retention, Review of implementation of RTE, etc. From: News Track India