In news– Recently, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has announced two supernumerary seats per institute for gifted and talented students.
Who is a gifted child?
- According to the AICTE’s definition, a “gifted child” is one who is “curious in studies and discusses answers in detail beyond the scope of the question”, “(makes) careless mistakes in repetitive tasks”, is a “keen observer in new learning activities”, “enjoys non-structured and non-routine problems”, and “speaks his/her own mind”.
- It also says that there is a difference between a “bright child” and a “gifted child” — a “bright child” being someone who is more sincere in the classroom and well-versed with the syllabus, “scores high on well-practiced tasks”, and is “compliant to the classroom”.
What are the criteria for Gifted seats?
- Without the barriers of high scores in board and competitive exams, these high potential learners can seek a seat in a reputed college that is expected to provide a stimulating learning environment for their holistic development.
- But for a child to qualify as “gifted”, he/she will have to be:
- A prizewinner of at least one national/international level competition organised by a government or a recognised private body.
- Has received funding from a government agency for pursuing innovative projects.
- Is a candidate having high-quality original research article publications in peer-reviewed journals as the first author.
- Is primary holder of a patent granted by Indian or international patent office.
- Is the owner of an app on Google/Apple/Windows stores or has launched or is in process of launching a technology based innovative product in the market (with more than 10,000 downloads).
- Following the document scrutiny, the candidate may have to appear for the interview in front of a panel of experts appointed by the institutions to gauge their eligibility for admission.
Facilities/Benefits-
- Institutions admitting students under this scheme are committed to give a complete tuition waiver to the admitted students.
- However, institutions may charge students fees for examination, hostel, library, transportation, laboratory, and other activities as per the prevailing norms.
Source: The Print
