Gas Turbine Operating Characteristics

Continuing our series on gas turbines, in this issue, we discuss its characteristics and specifications in detail. Gas turbines are based on the Brayton or Joule cycle which consists of four processes: compression with no heat transfer, heating at constant pressure, expansion with no heat transfer, and in a closed cycle system, cooling at constant pressure.

In open cycle gas turbines, the fourth step does not exist since inlet air is taken from the atmosphere and the exhaust is dumped to atmosphere. Due to its higher temperature, there is more energy available from the expansion process than is expended in the compression. The network delivered to drive a generator is the difference between the two. The thermal efficiency of the gas turbine is a function of the pressure ratio of the compressor, the inlet temperature of the power turbine, and any parasitic losses (especially the efficiency of the compressor and power turbine).

Practical limitations on thermal efficiency due to losses and materials technology yield a maximum of about 40 percent at pressure ratios of 30 to 40 and temperatures of approximately 2,500F. These temperatures and pressure ratios are found only in recently developed, large gas turbines. Typically pressure ratios of 5 to 20 and turbine inlet temperatures from 1,400 to 2,000F are common in gas turbines for this application, resulting in efficiencies from 20 to 33 percent. As improved materials and cooling technologies are introduced to smaller units, the efficiencies can be expected to improve if the cost is not prohibitive.

Gas turbine system major components
Gas turbines can be divided into three major components or sections; these are the compressor, the combustor, and the power turbine. Air enters the compressor and is pressurized to a level from 10 to 50 times that of the entering air. The compressed air then passes into the combustor where fuel is introduced and ignited, producing temperatures in the range of 1,400 to 2,000F. The hot gases are then directed to the power turbine where they are expanded to atmospheric pressure and in turn provide power to drive both the compressor and the driven equipment such as a generator. Gas turbine auxiliary systems/components include starting, fuel supply, lubrication, governor/controls, speed reduction gear, inlet air, and engine exhaust.

a. Configuration
Gas turbines are lightweight in comparison to diesel engines, are very compact, and due to their small, well-balanced rotating mass are able to operate at very high speeds (from 10,000 to 25,000 rpm in sizes from 900 to 10,000 kW). Smaller gas turbines are usually single-shaft design that is the compressor and power turbine are mounted on the same shaft. Larger gas turbines are frequently two-shaft machines in which the power turbine is divided into two sections, one of which drives the compressor and the other which drives the generator. The two-shaft design allows the compressor section to be operated at a variable speed (within limits) thus varying the flow to the power turbine section as a function of load.

b. Starting system components
Gas turbines utilize a variety of starting systems based on size of the unit and other considerations. Common starting methods include compressed air, direct current (DC) electric motors with dedicated batteries, or a hydraulic pump driven by an alternating current (AC) motor, small gas turbine, or diesel engine, which in turn drives the hydraulic motor on the gas turbine. Where used, an auxiliary gas turbine or diesel engine also requires a starting system, usually a DC motor and batteries. Regardless of the equipment used, the starting system brings the unit up to a minimum speed at which the burners may be ignited and the turbine is then brought up to operating speed.

c. Fuel system components
Gas turbines are capable of burning either gas or liquid fuels, The following fuel system components are commonly provided as part of the gas turbine package: motor driven booster pump, low-pressure duplex fuel filter, main turbine driven fuel pump, high pressure filter, main fuel control valve (regulated by the governor), fuel manifold and injectors at the combustor and igniter.

d. Lubrication system components
Most gas turbines are provided with complete lubrication  systems which include a cooler (air cooled), filter, pre/post lube pumps, engine driven main lube oil pump, alarms, oil storage tank (located in engine skid), and heater. The system is usually packaged with the gas turbine and only the lube oil cooler is remotely located. The lube oil system may supply the speed reduction gear and generator in addition to the gas turbine.

e. Governor/control
The gas turbine speed and fuel flow are controlled by the governor in response to load changes. Typically two types of governors are used on gas turbines driving electric generators:
Self-contained mechanical-hydraulic type or remote electronic governor with separate engine mounted actuator. Electronic governor systems with load sharing capability are the usual choice for multiple engine plants. Plants with multiple engines must have compatible governors to ensure proper operation of engines in parallel.

f. Speed reduction gear
The high operating speeds of most gas turbines require that a speed reduction gear be installed to drive the generator at the appropriate synchronous speed, usually 1,200 to 1,800 rpm. The reduction gear is typically an epicyclical design that permits a straight-through shaft arrangement, thus simplifying alignment. A variety of epicyclical designs are used and depending on the speed of the gas turbine, a two-stage reduction may be required. Two common designs are the standard planetary system and the star compound system. The reduction gear is typically lubricated by the main lube oil system.

g. Inlet and exhaust components
Gas turbines require significantly more combustion air than diesel engines. Flows are typically four to five times as much as that required by a diesel engine of the same capacity. This leads to much larger air filters, intake ducts, and exhaust ducts. Proper air filtration is critical to gas turbine performance. Deposits on compressor and turbine blades can significantly reduce efficiency.

Gas turbine system interfaces

Gas turbines interface with the following supporting systems:

a. Generators
Generators are the primary driven equipment for gas turbines. The gas turbine and the generator must be properly aligned and coupled, either directly or by a flexible coupling. It is critical that the engine and generator are properly matched.

b. Fuel oil systems
The gas turbine is dependent on the fuel oil system to provide fuel to the engine skid. The fuel oil must have the proper characteristics required for the specific engine installation. In general, gas turbines can utilize a wider range of liquid fuels than diesel engines. Most facilities use kerosene, No. 1 fuel oil, or No. 1 diesel, but some use No. 2 fuel (if acceptable to the manufacturer) since it is less expensive than the lighter grades of fuel.

c. Lube oil systems
The proper lubrication of the moving parts inside a gas turbine is critical to obtain satisfactory operation of the engine and maximum life of its components. The lube oil must be approved by the engine manufacturer and analyzed on a regular basis to determine the optimum interval for changing the lube oil. Lube oil change intervals are much longer than those for diesel engines, since the oil does not become contaminated by products of combustion. Lube oil systems cool and filter the lube oil to provide both proper lubrication and cooling of critical components within the engine.

d. Engine air system
The engine intake and exhaust systems provide filtered air to the engine and remove products of combustion from the engine room. These systems may be very simple or relatively complex, incorporating such features as preheating or pre-cooling of the intake air, or hardened design. Restrictions or blockage of either the intake or exhaust systems will severely impact engine performance.

e. Engines starting system
Gas turbines installed in power plants may be started with compressed air, DC motors, or an engine driven hydraulic system. Dedicated compressors typically provide starting air at pressures from 150 to 500 psig, depending on the specific requirements of the gas turbine. The system must provide adequate storage of compressed air to allow multiple attempts to start the engines. DC motors are driven from batteries located at the engine skid, which are charged by a dedicated battery charger. Hydraulic systems are composed of a prime mover, usually a diesel engine or small gas turbine, hydraulic pump, drive motor and accessories, including hydraulic reservoir, air cooled heat exchanger and filter.
f. Engine control systems
The basic control of the engine is maintained by the governor during operation and the control is independent for each engine. The overall control of a multiple engine power plant can be relatively simple or very sophisticated. Possible control options range from local or manual starting and synchronization of each engine to automatic starting, synchronization, and load sharing of the engine generators.

g. Instrumentation
Collection of operating data is critical to planning maintenance and evaluating problems which may occur. In the past (and still the case at most facilities), all data was recorded by operating personnel from instrument panels at each engine. Many newer plants now have automated data logging systems that can also provide warnings for out-of-tolerance conditions and histories of unusual events which can improve the operation of the facility. Regardless of the type of system, data collection provides the basis for trend analysis that can indicate potential problems before they become severe.

h. Ventilation systems
Gas turbines operate at high temperatures and therefore reject large amounts of heat to the surrounding space. Power plants are typically ventilated to remove this heat and to maintain temperatures within acceptable limits for both personnel and equipment. Proper operation of ventilation systems is required to avoid excessive temperatures, reduced equipment capacity, and potential equipment failures.

3.1.2 Rotor
The compressor portion of the gas turbine rotor is an assembly of wheels, a speed ring, ties bolts, the compressor rotor blades, and a forward stub shaft. Each wheel has slots broached around its periphery. The rotor blades and spacers are inserted into these slots and held in axial position by staking at each end of the slot. The wheels are assembled to each other with mating rabbets for concentricity control and are held together with tie bolts. Selective positioning of the wheels is made during assembly to reduce balance correction.

After assembly, the rotor is dynamically balanced. The forward stub shaft is machined to provide the thrust collar which carries the forward and aft thrust loads. The stub shaft also provides the journal for the No. 1 bearing, the sealing surface for the No. 1 bearing oil seals and the compressor low-pressure air seal.

Of the many factors affecting the efficient working of a simple gas turbine, including unbalanced forces, vibrations are the prominent that lead to development of cyclic stresses which in turn results in fatigue failure.

Machines  in  the  best  of  operating  condition  will  have  some  vibration  because  of  small,  minor  defects. Therefore, each machine will have a level of vibration that may be regarded as normal or inherent. However, when machinery vibration increases or becomes excessive, some mechanical trouble is usually the reason. Vibration does not increase or become excessive for no reason at all. Something causes it - unbalance, misalignment, worn gears or bearings, looseness, etc.

6B Heavy Duty Gas Turbine
The 6B gas turbine features low-cost installation and maintenance requirements. It offers high availability and reliability in simple cycle and cogeneration applications and from barge-mounted to industrial installations. The 6B gas turbine can handle multiple start-ups required for peak load, accommodate a wide variety of gaseous and liquid fuels, including heavy fuel oils, drive a compressor, and be installed quickly for fast track projects.
   Features & Benefits
·    Fuel flexibility to burn wide range of alternative fuels from low calorific and synthetic gas to heavy fuel oil and bio-ethanol for lower operating costs, better efficiency and lower emissions than other technologies.
·    Flexible choice for cogeneration applications capable of producing a thermal output ranging from 200 to 400 GJ/hr (190 to380MBtu/hr) with supplementary firing with steam up to 110 bar (1600 psi).
·    High reliability and low emissions with a Dry Low NOx combustion system upgrade capable of achieving 5 ppm NOx on natural gas.
·    Advanced technology to extend the life of existing 6B gas turbine with higher availability, output, and efficiency.
·    Excellent fit for selective island grids, mechanical applications and barge mounted applications due to fuel flexibility, low cost per horsepower, and high horsepower per square meter.
Application
The 6B gas turbine can be utilized in a wide range of power generation applications with a wide range of gas and liquid fuels. With its lengthy industrial oil and gas experience, fuel flexibility, high exhaust energy to power ratio, and high reliability, the 6B gas turbine is an excellent fit for industrial and refinery cogenerations, providing electricity, and process steam and for decentralized power generation.
·    Local power generation involves remote areas and barge mounted or peaking applications. The 6B gas turbine has a compact simple-cycle arrangement with short delivery time and can be started quickly.
·    Industrial cogeneration is the simultaneous production of electricity and thermal energy from a common fuel source. Generated steam can be used for industrial processes or to power a steam turbine to generate electricity.
·    Mechanical drive involves upstream and midstream oil and gas, where the 6B gas turbine can deliver horsepower to drive a compressor in aggressive environments.
·    For remote areas with no access to natural gas, the 6B gas turbine is a robust solution to provide electricity with heavy fuel oil, naphtha, and bio-fuels.

Fly to India on proper Visa

India the land of Himalayas, Rishis (saints), Ganga, Taj Mahal, Mysore Dasara and many other historical monuments and beaches attracts thousands of visitors all through out the year from across the globe annually. Some of them come here to pursue education, take up employment, attend conferences/seminars, visit relatives, or for sightseeing or in search of eternal peace or even to learn yoga.

All foreigners, including foreigners of Indian origin, visiting India on long-term (more than 180 days) Student Visa, Medical Visa, Research Visa and Employment Visa are required to get themselves registered with the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO)/ Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) concerned having jurisdiction over the place where the foreigner intends to stay, within 14 days of arrival. However, Pakistan nationals are required to register within 24 hours of their arrival.

All Afghan nationals are required to register with the FRRO/FRO concerned within 14 days of arrival except those Afghan nationals who enter India on a visa valid for 30 days or less provided the Afghan national concerned gives his/her local address in India to the Indian Mission/FRRO/FRO. Those failing to register themselves will invite a penalty of US$ 30/-(Rs.1395/-). This fee can be revised from time to time.

Here below we take a look at some of the visas available to foreigners wishing to visit India.

Tourist Visa on Arrival
The Government of India has introduced Tourist Visa on Arrival (TVOA) scheme for the nationals of 11 countries, namely, Japan, Singapore, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Indonesia. The TVOA is allowed for a maximum validity of 30 days with single entry facility by the Immigration Officers at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata Airports on payment of a fee of US $ 60/- or equivalent amount in Indian rupees per passenger (including children). TVOA is allowed for a maximum of two times in a calendar year to a foreigner with a minimum gap of two months between two visits. TVOA shall be non-extendable and non-convertible. This visa can be availed for a period up to 30 days for tourism, medical treatment, and casual business or to visit friends/relatives, etc.

The visitors are required to fill a simple visa application form on arrival at the concerned airport. One passport size photograph is required with the application. However, the TVOA facility is not applicable to the holders of Diplomatic/Official Passports.

Tourist Visa: Tourist Visa can only be granted to a foreigner who does not have a residence or occupation in India and whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation, sightseeing, casual visit to meet friends and relatives etc. No other activity is permissible on a Tourist Visa. The visa is non-extendable and non-convertible. Foreign nationals holding Tourist Visas with multiple entry facility should ensure a gap of at least two months between two visits to the country. If any one wishes to visit again soon, he/she must obtain special permission from the concerned Mission/Post.

Employment Visa: An Employment Visa for multiple entry is issued for a period of two years after relevant documents like employment contract, including salary, designation, tenure of employment etc. are submitted. This visa is also extendable. Such workers must earn $25,000 per annum to qualify for this visa.
Under the Employment Visa, there is a Project Visa, which is issued to foreigners coming to India for execution of projects in power and steel sectors. Project Visa will be granted for specific project, wherein the name of the project and place would be mentioned. Under no circumstances would the person be allowed to be engaged in another project either of the same company or of a different company. The period of visa would be initially for a period of one year or for the actual duration of the project / contract, whichever is less, with multi-entry facility. The visa can be extended only with the approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs. This visa is only for skilled/highly skilled persons. However, a person coming on Project Visa will not be allowed to take up employment in the same Indian company for a period of two years from the date of commissioning of the project. In case of any urgent work, he/she can be granted a non-extendable Business Visa.

Business Visa: A Business Visa for multiple entry is issued for a maximum period of up to five years after documents to prove bonafide purpose on the company’s letter head, proof of financial standing has been submitted. This visa can be extended too. This visa is mainly meant to explore business prospects.  

Conference Visa: A Conference Visa is granted to a foreigner: (i) whose sole objective of visiting India is to attend a conference / seminar or workshop being held in the country; (ii) who holds a valid passport, and a re-entry permit if that is required under the law of the country of nationality of the applicant; (iii) who is not a persona-non-grata to the Government of India; (iv) who is not considered an undesirable person and is not the subject of a negative list or any warning circular or other restrictive list; and (v) who is a person of assured financial standing (the production of a return ticket and availability of sufficient money to spend during his stay in India may be considered sufficient for this purpose).

Research Visa: This visa is for professors and scholars wishing to visit the country for research related purposes. For this visa, an applicant must submit the subject/topic of the research project, details of places to be visited during the project period, details of earlier visits and letter of admission and Certificate of Affiliation in original from the recognized Indian University/Institution in token of having secured admission for the research purpose and also show proof of financial resources to meet expenses in the country.

Visa will be issued for a period of three years or for the duration of the research project, whichever is earlier. If required extension for an additional period of not more than six months as the last & final extension even after the completion of the project may be given to enable the scholar to complete the final formalities of the project.

Student Visa: A Student Visa is issued for a period of five years or the period of a course, whichever is less. The student can make three entries per academic year. The visa is granted after proof of admission in the Indian Institution, letter of support from parent/guardian accompanied by a bank guarantee/certificate regarding financial standing have been submitted. The visa is extendable. Under this visa there is also a special visa called Yoga Visa issued only to learn yoga.

Medical Visa: In case of registration on medical visa, letter from concerned hospital (must be reputed and recognized hospital) where treatment is being taken along with supportive medical documentary/diagnostic test reports with medical certificate bearing photo of the applicant attested and certified by the doctor must be provided.

Transit Visa: A Transit Visa for single entry is issued for 15 days after documents confirming onward journey are produced. 

Extension of Visas: Extensions are granted on different categories of visas as per requirements on case-to-case basis. The foreigner seeking extension must ensure that he/she submits application and the required supporting documents for extension well before the date of expiry of visa.

Return Visa Eligibility: There is also a visa called the return visa eligibility. This facility is only granted to students for returning to their home countries during vacations three times in an academic year and to those foreigners who are on employment and business visas and their cases have been referred to Ministry of Home affairs, New Delhi, for further extension and are under consideration. Return visa application should be processed before three days prior to the date of journey. Return visa is granted for a maximum period of 90 days.

Exit Permits: Exit Permits are granted if a person has to travel urgently and has lost his passport. All cases of Exit Permit would require minimum two working days for processing. This includes cases of Surrogacy and children born in India.

Secondary Education - Becoming the Primary Focus

Education is not just for economic benefits — it is required for young women. Educated women are better equipped to make decisions regarding marriage, bearing children, child health and education. An extra year of women education helps reduce fertility and maternal mortality by two per 1000 birth.
Our TCG readers may recall Dr Seshu Kumari’s (Director SCERT) comment in the Primary Education article about educating the girl child to reduce population. Taking a step further, it would be ideal to apply the same at the Secondary level too, because, this way we are educating the progeny bearers to use their discretion. Today experts have well-defined objectives in education. Primarily it would help them earn their daily bread and apart from that it should help fighting the global menaces like population. Up to some extent we have dealt with unemployment. But economic well-being is not the be all and end all of life. Bringing in the right awareness can happen through education.
Since the industrial revolution, the world’s population has grown by a factor of seven and each person’s impact on the environment is now, on average, seven times greater than it was two centuries ago. This means that the impact of the human population on the planet has grown by a factor of 50. Curbing population growth is the fastest way to reduce it.
 Giving children, especially girls, 10 to 12 years of quality education could well reduce fertility rates sufficiently to make a population scenario of 7.8 billion people by 2050 more likely than the 12 billion projected from current rate of growth. Women with secondary education have, on average, 1.5 fewer children than those with only primary schooling. A one-child difference per woman represents three billion more or fewer people on the planet by the middle of the century.
A second reason for its importance is that secondary education is essential for creating the pool of people with the cognitive skills to become the teachers, nurses and health workers on which society depends. Third, parents realize that primary schooling is only a foundation and that the real benefits to their children accrue from continuing their education at secondary level and beyond. There could even be a ‘knock-back’ effect if secondary education does not become available. Without the possibility of progression to that level, parents might be less keen to send their children to primary school, putting at risk the gains already made.
Secondary Education is a crucial stage in the educational hierarchy as it prepares the students for higher education and also for the world of work. With the liberalization and globalization of the Indian economy, the rapid changes witnessed in scientific and technological world and the general need to improve the quality of life and to reduce poverty, it is essential that school leavers acquire a higher level of knowledge and skills than what they are provided in the eight years of elementary education, particularly when the average earning of a secondary school certificate holder is significantly higher than that of a person who has studied only up to class VIII.   It is also necessary that besides general education up to secondary level, opportunities for improvement of vocational knowledge and skill should be provided at the higher secondary level to enable some students to be employable.
Universalizing access to secondary education
Following the Constitutional mandate to universalize elementary education, and success of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, it has become absolutely essential to push this vision forward to move towards universalisation of secondary education, which has already been achieved in a large number of developed countries and several developing countries. It is well recognized that eight years of education are insufficient to equip a child for the world of work as also to be a competent adult and citizen.
The Mid-Term Appraisal of the 10th Five Year Plan (June 2005) of the Planning Commission has suggested a new mission for secondary education on the lines of SSA (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan). The report of the Committee of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) on ‘Universalisation of Secondary Education’ (June 2005), which is the highest deliberative and advisory forum on Education in the country with Union Minister of Human Resource Development as Chairman and Education Ministers of all States and eminent educationists as its Members, had suggested urgent taking up of a programme on this behalf with certain norms. The CABE Committee on “Girls’ Education & Common School System” in its report of June 2005 had also, inter alia, recommended (i) making good quality education available to all students in all schools at affordable fees, (ii) investment in public schools system with standards, norms of Kendriya Vidyalayas.
While education is a concurrent subject, and secondary education primarily remains the responsibility of the State Governments, the Ministry of HRD has set its vision on making secondary education of good quality available, accessible & affordable to all young persons in the age group 15-16 years.
New initiatives launched in 2008-09
2008-09 has been a momentous year for secondary education and several major initiatives, including a new centrally sponsored scheme to universalize access to and improve quality of education at secondary stage, have been launched during the year. The impact of these schemes will begin to be felt during the current year.
The key issues relating to secondary education highlighted in the Tenth Plan are: greater focus on improving access; reducing disparities by emphasizing the Common School System; renewal of curricula with emphasis on vocationalisation and employment-oriented courses; expansion and diversification of the Open Learning System; reorganization of teacher training and greater use of ICT. The Tenth Plan objectives for secondary education are in consonance with the broad parameters and strategy of the National Policy on Education (NPE) of 1986 and the Programme of Action of 1992. These include:
·    Extending access in un-served areas and educationally backward areas with concentration of SC/ST population.
·    A uniform educational structure of 10+2+3, with the first 10 years envisaged as a stage of general education with undifferentiated courses providing basic knowledge in languages, science (including social and natural science) and mathematics.
·    The higher secondary stage to provide for diversified courses with emphasis on vocationalisation.
·    Vocational education is to become a distinct stream, intended to prepare students for identified occupations spanning several areas of activity, at the +2 stage.
The social, gender based and regional disparities need to be addressed. Educationally backward districts should receive greater support for school infrastructure. Besides providing new schools, need-based up-gradation of upper primary schools will have to be given greater priority. The quality of education needs to be improved with investments in teacher education, training laboratories, libraries and encouraging parents to invest in their children’s education. The State Boards of Secondary Education needs to be strengthened.
The approved outlay for secondary education (including vocational education) in the Central Sector in the Tenth Plan is Rs.4, 325.00 crore. The actual expenditure in 2003-04 was Rs.639.08 crore, which increased to Rs.653.60 crore in 2004-05. The approved outlay for 2005-06 & 2006-07 are Rs. 875.00 crore & Rs. 1067.00 crore respectively.
Importance of secondary education —
Secondary education plays a fundamental but complex role in preparing young people for the labour market, especially for people who leave secondary education for a job.

According to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, managing director, World Bank, the complexity in such cases is that an increasing number of young people in secondary education means increasingly diverse talent, diverse job interest and job opportunities. But an additional complexity is the shifting needs of employers, which are changing rapidly. Young people need to have the tools and knowledge to adapt to that change.
Iweala is of the opinion that governments are increasingly paying attention to secondary education for three main reasons:

First, the expansion of secondary education is (data shows that 79% of children in south Asia have completed secondary education), putting increasing pressure on the secondary school system by their sheer number.

Second, the link between secondary education and economic growth evidence suggests that having a critical mass of people with secondary education is key to shifting the basis of economic growth from a labour-intensive to a more knowledge-centric activity.

“The third reason,” Iweala said, “is beyond economic benefits — it is required for young women.” Educated women are better equipped to make decisions regarding marriage, bearing children, child health and education. An extra year of women education helps reduce fertility and maternal mortality by two per 1000 births.

“International experience teaches us that primarily, quality matters. It is no good if children attend school but do not learn anything. It is also very difficult to teach young people once they have left school with inadequate skills,” Iweala pointed out. In most developing countries, the proportion of adults who get some kind of training is below 10%, and in many countries, lesser. It is a vicious circle. Without basic skills there is no training, and without training many will remain without basic skills.

Better infrastructure and an increase in the number of teachers alone will not make a difference in students’ learning outcome. It is the behaviour of teachers in the classrooms and not merely the qualification or training of teachers that is central. When teachers see that their efforts are rewarded, they put in more, which has a dramatic effect on what children learn. This was established in the primary schools of Andhra Pradesh. The learning from this should be discussed and implemented in secondary schools too. Iweala also stressed that secondary education should be able to provide the basis for higher education and for the eventual job search for the youth graduating from them.

Mr. Vadrevu Chinaveerabhadrudu, Director, AP Tribal Welfare Department and Education Consultant says Andhra Pradesh has multiple models of secondary education. It has corporate education (techno/concept schools) and under Government, again residential pattern, schools run by School education Municipal Administration SW, TW and by Local bodies. Standards vary from management to management, urban to rural and residential to day schools and government to corporate. But there are certain general parameters such as syllabus content/load, quality of teacher training, pay scales of teachers, access to secondary education, school infrastructure, teacher-pupil ratio etc., and these parameters say that the status of secondary education in AP is fairly good. But, there has also been a downward trend in general performance due to
a) Over emphasis on SSC exams,
b) Mass copying at SSC exams,
c) Neglecting lower classes i.e. VIII and XI and low levels of academic performance at Class V thereby affecting performance of high schools etc.,

Asked if he thinks curriculum is learner friendly, He disagreed with that. But there has been awareness to this issue and a number of initiatives have been taken up by Government as well as private schools to make curriculum learner friendly. But the efforts are not as successful as in the case of primary education because the syllabus load is heavy and huge number of teacher vacancies makes any initiative absolutely difficult for replication. The teachers and students are hard pressed for time.

Are there any advantages of local education: Local education has two dimensions: One is undergoing schooling in one’s own location as part of the local community (learning), another is studying the land you live upon (this was mentioned by Mrs. Tulsi in the Primary Education overview last month) in today’s world, any body can study any subject sitting in any part of the world. So (b) is not an issue. But one should undergo his schooling as part of his community as peer group learning goes a long way in shaping one’s personality, ideology and ethical milieu.

Finally when we come to address the most important issue—do creative arts have any place in our education, he feels that Secondary schools in the State are in an extremely deplorable condition as far as co-curricular and extra-curricular aspects are concerned. There is no distinction among government and private schools in this respect. Even though the National Curriculum Frame Work suggests that at UP level, the school time should be distributed @ 70:30 among scholastic and non-scholastic subjects, and @75:25 at secondary level, virtually, no such thing takes place. The school time-table usually carries certain time slots for Creative activities, SUPW, Physical Education, Health Education and Value Education, the classes either go as leisure hours or extra classes taken by Math/Science teachers. In corporate schools even the time-table does not provide for such hours. The posts of drawing, music and manual training instructors remain vacant and unfilled.

This is the darkest area of secondary education in the State. There seems to be a tussle between creative and repetitive, apparently the latter wins, hence we find even the State syllabus books dry, monotonous and unaesthetic.

Coming to the current curricula, earlier it was CBSE, ICSE AND SSC (STATE), students (like us) had an option only between the three and they always took the safest route of rote learning, i.e. SSC. Not very application based this curriculum was (to some extent is even now) information-dumping, and has no means for the child/student to explore and experiment. Students are not required to think much as readymade answers are given away even before the lessons are discussed. Very few teachers out of their passion for teaching try to do some variations with the lessons and often these are the ones who earn the wrath of the management and are loved by the students.

Apart from ICSE and CBSE there is IB which is the new kid on the block when it comes to the Indian Sub-continent.
International Baccalaureate (IB) as the name suggests is more internationally accepted and follows a different teaching methodology altogether.
There are three programmes:
I. PYP: The Primary Years Programme (Kindergarten to Class 5).
II. MYP: The Middle Years Programme (Class 6 to Class 10).
III. DP: The Diploma Programme (Class 11 to Class 12).
IB syllabus is accepted world-wide which gives a definite edge to the students who aspire to go abroad for higher studies.
There are very few IB World Schools in India, clearly exhibiting its elitist status.
Comparative Case Study:
Armed with all the basic information about all the three well-known boards, it’s time for an exhaustive comparison on what’s good and what’s not-so-good about each of these education boards. This will help the parents in making a better decision for their little bundle of joy.
1. CBSE primarily focuses on a pre-defined curriculum where there is little room for kids to experiment. Some of the critics even say that it is heavily examination-based and promotes rote learning. ICSE, on the other hand offers a wide syllabus which is application-based and requires the students to think beyond the prescribed syllabi to excel. IB follows an altogether different approach where there are no prescribed textbooks and kids are free to explore the myriad world of books. The focus of the IB pedagogy is on ‘how to learn’ rather than ‘what to learn’.
2. CBSE students have a better footing in the Indian sub-continent as the syllabus is well aligned with most of the professional entrance examinations. As per statistics, CBSE students fare better in such exams while ICSE students have to often struggle and go an extra mile to prepare for the exams. IB students, however compete well in exams where there is little amount of rote learning and requires higher degree to analytical skills like CAT, SAT, GRE etc.
3. The subject of Environmental Education is compulsory in ICSE while it is optional in both CBSE and IB.
4. CBSE allows both regular and private students to appear in the exams while the same is not the case with IB and ICSE.
5. There are plethora of CBSE schools, both elite like DPS, Sri Ram, Modern School and affordable schools like Kendriya Vidyalaya for an average middle class Indian. ICSE schools are little less in number, again with a wide choice to choose from. However, IB schools are very few in number considering the high tuition fees and its late entry in Indian Education.
6. Internal assessments have been a prime component in ICSE and IB syllabus, while CBSE is slowly drifting towards this.
7. CBSE approves of both English and Hindi as mediums of instruction. On the contrary, Hindi is treated as a second optional language in IB and ICSE.

IB is generally regarded as the school for the kids of the elite. Moreover as IB students move from primary to secondary school –into IBDP (IB Diploma)—the fees get astronomical. Also will the students go through all this to pursue graduation in India? Is it mandatory to study abroad?

Whatever the curriculum might be, finally it’s the teachers who help the students to explore the subject and take them to depths of interesting facts. Are these ambassadors of knowledge empowered enough to make the difference? Ultimately all our doctors, engineers etc. have to go abroad and strive for a foreign degree though they have earned many degrees here. Does this mean our education is not of the International standard? Is this why IB and IGCSE are gaining popularity?
TCG had an interaction with Professor and Department Head of Curriculum SCERT Mr. Upendar. Invariably the first question was about the state of secondary education in our state. He says present day definition of education is focused information dissemination. As we all know there are languages and core subjects. These two are always viewed as arch rivals, with a common notion that all core subjects are always important than languages, which means languages are usually looked down upon as a property of not the very intellectual. While the fact is, it is on the canvas of the language that any core subject is painted/ projected.

But why is the scenario continuing for eons like this? It’s basically because of the huge number of recruitments. Almost 40,000 to 50,000 recruitments are happening every year and it is difficult to inject high quality on a mass level like this.

Does this mean we have to compromise on standards and settle down with mediocre education? Of late there is a huge overhauling that’s happening, which includes plans to reform the examination and evaluation systems. But whatever it might be, in our country a serious political will to change the system is yet to happen. Moreover many people choose teaching not for the love of it but for livelihood. Still in SCERT we are taking efforts to bring out changes in the assessments, curriculum redesigning, teaching methodologies.

What needs to be done to improve the teacher/trainer quality? As I said today teachers are givers and students are takers, and worse still, the focus is on dumping the students with information rather than unveiling the curiosity in the students. True nature of subject skills is missing. Math isn’t taught like Math i.e. to explore the logic and reasoning, Science doesn’t encourage observation and questions, so the true spirit of the subject is missing. We have to motivate the teachers, which is very challenging. We are positive it will happen.

Do you see IB as a threat to Indian Education system?

Not at all, because IB students are pursuing that course to study abroad and today’s students are well informed on things like these. Indian education has its own takers.

Be it IB or SSC or CBSE or ICSE education is all about how much space you provide students to think and assimilate.

I have never let my schooling interfere with my education…..Mark Twain

NATIONAL ELIGIBILITY CUM ENTRANCE TEST (NEET)- 2012

The National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admissions in to M.B.B.S  for the academic year 2012-2013 is planned to be held during May 2012. Though, this proposal was in the minds of our educational planners for past several years the announcement was made recently by Medical Council of India (M.C.I). As is the case with any reform particularly so in medical educational sector in India, many voices were raised and are continued to be raised about the step taken by M.C.I.  It is not uncommon but attracts the attention of every one as it relates to very important segment of education. Though, NEET has been designed with positive objectives, expecting favorable medical consequences; it has generated several doubts  in the minds of the people about the system’s capabilities and commitment with integrity in its implementation. Opinions are differing, some welcoming it and many others opposing it. The situation suggests that still some national debate and discussions are required to be made for getting acceptance by majority of the states in view of the fact that education without exception of medical education is in the concurrent list of programmes of the States and Centre.

An academic analysis favours the conduct of NEET as it would; definitely demolish the jeopardy happening in the country for medical admissions. This single system for medical entrance would solve the stress due to the complexities of numerous entrance tests. It would save time, energy and money of the students. This system is certainly a positive growth towards the quality enhancements of the medical education standards in India making it merit based insisting the same standard for the students admitted under management quota too. This apart, it may address the problems of; multiple entrance exams, students running to Courts requesting justice with complaints on biased admissions; flawed questions, discrimination and disparity etc.  However, there are still some unresolved disadvantages like; the medical competition becomes an open ground with the common entrance medical test controlled by the central board; inducing pressure into the minds of the students with doubts that the state level policies and regulations will not be well taken care and the purpose of creating management based seats  is getting lost. Since the students had many opportunities of writing the entrance tests, his/ her chances of getting admitted in any of the medical colleges/universities were high till now. In the proposed situation if a student loses in NEET, it would end up in shattering his/her dreams on medical field. With the exclusion of the AIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) the dreams of many medical students will be left unfulfilled.
State of Tamilnadu has been exempted by Supreme Court, Andhra Pradesh requested to postpone the implementation, and there is no support for NEET from the States of; Gujarat, Karnataka, Assam and few others. Maharashtra is planning to go to Supreme Court.
Diverse opinions have been expressed by the people ; some applauding it as a transparent measure; preventing ‘Munna Bhais and Shankar Dadas’  entering into medical line through multiple back door loop lines,  reducing the malpractices by politicians run deemed universities  etc.  Some stating that it is beneficial only to C.B.S.E students and detrimental to those who are pursuing state syllabi. In Andhra Pradesh, it is expressed by some that it is compounding the woes of intermediate Bi PC students seeking admission to dental, agriculture, veterinary, home science, pharmacy and bio-technology courses as NEET deals with only M.B.B.S. The Biology students therefore will have to  take up both NEET and EAMCET for seeking admission in to M.B.B.S  and other non M.B.B.S professional courses and that the short span of five months is insufficient for preparation of both. Public is of the view that the core syllabus released by MCI for NEET-UG laid heavy emphasis on Physics, while State based medical entrance exams rely on Biology for medical aspirants. Bengal and some other  states requested for the facility of writing the examination in their regional language.

Considering the above it would be wise to wait for the implementation of NEET till some more time to sort out the misapprehensions of the people in order to fulfill the agreed principles of Health Ministry to provide quality medical education without diluting the standards at the same time encouraging the underprivileged sections of the society to pursue medical education through the creation of enabling conditions. Bulldozing the initiative in a hurry may neither be feasible nor desirable.        M.C.I may Think it over.