The Hindu Editorial (Letter and spirit) – Dec 28, 2024

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The Hindu Editorial (Letter and spirit) – Dec 28, 2024:

1. letter and spirit (phrase) – (to obey) both literal interpretation/wording and the intent/purpose of the law.
2. ‘No-detention’ policy (noun) – The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act of 2009 was meant to provide free and compulsory education to all children aged 6 to 14. Section 16 of the Act prohibited holding back or expelling a child. It said: “No child admitted in a school shall be held back in any class or expelled from school till the completion of elementary education,” meaning till Class 8.
3. “New detention’ policy (noun) – it means students in Classes V and VIII can be held back if they fail to meet the required academic standards.
4. address (verb) – tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out.
5. key (adjective) – crucial, fundamental, important, major.
6. institute (verb) – start/begin, set up, initiate, launch, introduce. 
7. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act or Right to Education (RTE) (noun) – an Act of the Parliament of India enacted on 4 August 2009, which describes the modalities of the importance of free and compulsory education for children between 6 and 14 in India under Article 21a of the Indian Constitution. India became one of 135 countries to make education a fundamental right of every child when the Act came into force on 1 April 2010.
8. Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) (noun) – it is a process of evaluating the child’s development in all the school-related activities. This proposal was directed under the Right to Education Act in 2009 by the Central Board of Secondary Education of India and the state governments in India.
9. sought past tense of seek (verb) – try, aim, attempt.
10. benign (adjective) – mild, favourable, agreeable, advantageous, beneficial, helpful.
11. environment (noun) – situation, condition, circumstances, backdrop, context, background.
12. discrete (adjective) – separate, distinct, individual, different.
13. scary (adjective) – frightening, terrifying, alarming, appalling.
14. curriculum (noun) – syllabus, course of studies, subjects. (curricula is the plural form of the curriculum).
15. numeracy (noun) – the ability to understand numbers and quantitative basics.
16. literacy (noun) – the ability to read and write.
17. catch up (phrasal verb) – reach, gain, get to, come to.
18. by the time (phrase) – at the time; when.
19. outcome (noun) – conclusion, development, result, aftermath, consequence, implication.
20. do away with (phrasal verb) – remove, discard, abolish, abandon, discontinue, eliminate, cancel, stop.
21. give up (phrasal verb) – stop, discontinue, abandon, forgo.
22. pandemic (noun) – the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.
23. intrude (verb) – force, introduce, impose, thrust.
24. detain (verb) – keep (back), hold back. 
25. discretion (noun) – choice, option, preference, disposition, volition.
26. mandate (verb) – instruct, direct, order, make necessary/mandatory.
27. competence (noun) – knowledge, ability, capability, aptitude.
28. competent (adjective) – capable, proficient, knowledgeable; sufficiently good, good enough, satisfactory.
29. expel (verb) – remove, dismiss, reject, oust, bar/ban, blacklist, get rid of.
30. consequence (noun) – result, effect, ramification, repercussion, reverberation.
31. arbiter (noun) – judge, referee, determiner; authority.
32. promotion (noun) – a student is moved up to the next grade level and is promoted if they pass their year-end exams.
33. detention (noun) – a student is held back from moving up to the next grade level and is detained if they don’t pass their year-end exams.
34. National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) (noun) – The National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) is conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) as a uniform entrance examination for admission to various undergraduate medical courses in approved/recognized Medical/Dental /AYUSH and other Colleges/ Deemed Universities /Institutes (AIIMS & JIPMER) in India, as per Section 14 of The National Medical Commission (NMC) Act, 2019 and relevant Graduate Medical Education Regulations (GMER) 1997, as amended from time to time.
35. Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) (noun) – The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) is a competitive examination required to enter some of India’s preeminent engineering universities, colleges, and institutions. This national engineering entrance examination is administered by NTA. 
36. regression (noun) – a return to a previous lower state; a return to a less developed condition; retrogression, reversion, backsliding, relapse.
37. National Education Policy (NEP) (noun) – The National Education Policy, 2020 proposes the revision and revamping of all aspects of the education structure, including its regulation and governance, to create a new system that is aligned with the aspirational goals of 21st century education, including Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), while building upon India’s traditions and value systems.  
38. for instance (phrase) – for example.
39. summative assessment (noun) – it is used to evaluate student learning progress and achievement at the conclusion of a specific instructional period – usually at the end of a project, unit, course, semester, program, or school year.
40. formative assessment (noun) – it refers to a wide variety of methods that teachers use to conduct in-process evaluations of student comprehension, learning needs, and academic progress during a lesson, unit, or course.
41. peer (noun) – equal; a person who is having the same age & social position/status.
42. holistic (adjective) – comprehensive, integrative, all-inclusive, universal.
43. multidimensional (adjective) – involving several dimensions (aspects/features).
44. reflect (verb) – indicate, show, display, demonstrate, reveal, exhibit.
45. spirit (noun) – real/true meaning, intention, essence, substance.

Note : 

1. 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/.

2. Definitions (elementary level) & Synonyms provided for the words above are my personal work and not that of Oxford University Press. Tentative definitions/meanings are provided for study purposes only and they may vary in a different context.  

3. This word list is for personal use only. Reproduction in any format and/or Commercial use of it is/are strictly prohibited.

The Hindu Editorial ​(Letter and spirit) – Dec 28, 2024: