School Stars – The Hindu (July 10, 2016)

School Stars – The Hindu (July 10, 2016)

Sixty-nine years after Independence, 282.6 million people aged seven and above are non-literate in India, making it the largest such segment in the world. The recent report from the Human Resource Development Ministry, which lays down inputs for the Draft National Education Policy 2016, reveals a high gender gap in youth literacy and low retention rates, with four in every 10 children leaving school before Class VIII. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”.

Today’s Words:

1. Appalling (adjective) – very bad, awful, poor, inferior, substandard.
2. Mediocrity (noun) – ordinariness, lack of inspiration, inferiority, adequacy.
3. Lay down (phrasal verb) – pronounce, announce, proclaim.
4. Gender gap (noun) – the difference between men and women in terms of (cultural, social, political & etc) values, attitudes, status, (educational, job) opportunities, etc,.
5. Retention rate (noun) – the percentage of a school’s first-time students continue at that school the next year.
6. Against odds (noun) – likelihood, probability, chances.
7. Grapple with (verb) – deal with, tackle, confront, face.
8. Yardstick (noun) – standard, measure, gauge, scale.
9. Rote (noun) – without thinking, unthinking, from memory, mechanically.
10. Bleak (adjective) – (of situation) unpromising, unfavourable, discouraging, disheartening, adverse.
11. Raise the bar (idiom) –  to raise standards to excel.
12. Nurture (verb) – bring up, support, raise, foster; encourage,boost, help, assist.
13. On course for (phrase) – on track, on target to achieve something.
14. Philanthropist (noun) – benefactor, humanitarian, patron, donor, good Samaritan.
15. Blueprint for (noun) – model, plan, template, framework, pattern.
16. Recite (verb) – repeat from memory, say aloud, read aloud, deliver.
17. Slushy (adjective) – covered with  slush (watery mud).
18. Inhabitants (noun) – population, populace, people, public.
19. The limelight (noun) – the focus of attention, public attention, public notice; public recognition, publicity.
20. ABL – Activity-Based Learning.
21. Pilot (noun) – experimental, exploratory, trial, model, preliminary.
22. Flashcard (noun) – a card (learning aid) with some information for student to learn a subject.
23. The norm (noun) – standard, usual, normal, typical,
24. Traverse (verb) – travel/journey over/across, cross, go across, pass over.
25. Means (noun) – money, wealth, income, resources.
26. with flying colours (idiom) – with distinction.
27. Tony (adjective) – fashionable, expensive.
28. Impart (verb) – provide, bestow, give, offer.
29. Sprawl (verb) – spread, stretch, straggle.
30. Be shorn-off (phrasal verb) – cut off.
31. Dilapidated (adjective) – run down, in disrepair, decayed.
32. Making a beeline (idiom) – go directly/straight to.
33. Benefactor (noun) – patron, sponsor, donor; philanthropist, good Samaritan.
34. Dormitory (noun) – a large (bed) room (in a school hostel).
35. Luminary (noun) –  inspiration, leader, expert, master; notable, public figure, legend, great.
36. Pioneer (noun) – developer, innovator, groundbreaker, front runner, pathfinder, founder.
37. Inclusive policy – provides all students with access to quality schooling that is free from all discrimination (gender, language, sexual orientation, pregnancy, culture, ethnicity, religion, health or disability, socioeconomic background or geographic location).

Note:

• Click each one of the words above for their definition, more synonyms, pronunciation, example sentences, phrases, derivatives, origin and etc from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/ .
• Definitions (elementary level)  & Synonyms provided for the words above are my personal work and not that of Oxford University Press.