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The National Medical Commission (NMC) has raised an alert against unauthorised medical colleges in the nation that are running in the absence of necessary approvals from NMC and making false claims to students and parents about recognition and accepting admissions in medical courses that are not legally approved.

The guidelines issued by NMC Secretary Raghav Langer to states stated they have put down some of the key points to be remembered by parents and students while admitting to a medical course in India and the rules to be adopted by the students who want to take medical education in foreign nations.

The NMC also identified two medical colleges - Singhania University in Rajasthan and Sanjiban Hospital and Medical College, Howrah, West Bengal - for providing MBBS courses without NMC approval.

In a second advisory, Sukh Kal Meena, Director, Under-Graduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB), stated, "The NMC has noted a couple of instances of unauthorized medical colleges functioning in the nation, without necessary approvals. These colleges are cheating students and parents by asserting recognition and accepting admissions in medical courses that are not legally approved."

It, however, did not specify any medical colleges which are violating the norms except those of Rajasthan and WB.

"Only those medical colleges shown on the official NMC website are legally entitled to offer MBBS and other medical degree courses in India. Those institutions that are not shown on NMC's official list are unauthorised and running in contravention of NMC norms," the advisory further said.

The NMC also provided regulations for students who wish to undertake medical studies in foreign nations. The NMC informed that the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate (FMGL) Regulations, 2021, clearly state the norms for foreign medical education to be eligible to practice medicine in India.

The main requirements are minimum 54 months of study in one institution; 12-month internship to be served at the same foreign university; clinical training cannot be done in segments or in different countries; medium of instruction should be English; completed the compulsory subjects enlisted in the Schedule-I; enrolled with the respective professional regulatory council or otherwise, authorized to issue license to practice medicine in their respective jurisdiction of the country from which the medical degree is granted and at par with the license to practice medicine issued to citizen of that country.

It further added that foreign medical graduates who do not meet these regulations can be disqualified from registration to practice medicine in India. The NMC also emphasized that students graduating from non-compliant colleges will be rendered ineligible for licensing exams - FMGE in India.

Ask any new copywriter what makes a great copy, and they'll likely answer: "a big idea." That breathtaking headline. That hook surprise. That flash of creativity that brings a person up short on the scroll.

But here's the secret that experienced copywriters know: amazing copy doesn't start with a big idea—it starts with clarity of intent.

Before you set a single word down, pause. Ask yourself: Why is the reader here? What are they really looking for—not on the surface, but in their hearts?

That is what writing without this understanding is like. Heart surgery without knowing where the pain is. You might have the skill, the gear, the panache. But you're still doing it blind.

Copywriting is not smart. Copywriting is transparent. And that transparency isn't in your head—it's in hearing out the reader's.

Is she tense? Hopeful? Surfing on boredom? Is she seeking a solution, or relieved that she's not isolated? If you haven't a clue what their purpose is, your copy will fail—no matter how beautiful it is.

Envision The Bourne Identity. Jason Bourne doesn't know who he is—still, his instincts kick in. He can fight, dodge, survive. But without context, he's just reacting.

That's what writing without reader intent feels like. Your instincts may be sharp, but your copy won't cut deep. It won't resonate. It won't touch.

So before you jump into headlines and hooks, ask:

In what state of mind is my reader?

What are they secretly hoping I'll provide?

What change do I want to effect by the end?

Intent is your creative GPS. It doesn't limit your creativity—it sharpens it. With intent, your ideas have purpose. Your words have force. Your copy resonates because it knows why it's there.

Master intent. Everything else—voice, style, even the big idea—follows from there.

Because clarity is not the enemy of creativity in copywriting. It's the foundation.

In a time when language is often wielded as a tool of division in political discourse, a young girl’s academic achievement offers a quiet yet powerful counterpoint. When D. Jiya Kumari, a Bihar-born student, topped the Tamil paper in the Class 10 state board exams of Tamil Nadu, she did more than just excel in school—she challenged a narrative. Her success has prompted Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to call it an "eye-opener" for those who seek to stoke linguistic divides.

In this insightful piece, we unpack how a single student’s journey can symbolize the deeper currents of national unity, cultural integration, and the potential of India's multilingual ethos. At the intersection of politics, policy, and identity, Jiya Kumari’s story reminds us that education has the power not just to bridge gaps—but to dissolve them entirely.

Speaking about the example of a student belonging to Bihar-origin topping the Class 10 Tamil examination in the southern state this year, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan remarked that her tale is an eye-opener for "those who are attempting to make divisions on the basis of language".

Pradhan was addressing a function on Monday to inaugurate a Bharatiya Bhasha Summer Camp, which is being organized in government schools this summer to introduce children to the study of Indian languages. He also inaugurated learning material like primers and special modules in Indian languages. He had dedicated the event to D Jiya Kumari, the Bihar student who achieved 93 out of 100 in the Tamil paper of the Tamil Nadu state board.

We have noticed this in the paper recently. She was born in Bihar, and her father came to Chennai to make a living 17 years ago. His three daughters have now learned Tamil in school. Jiya Kumari got 93 out of 100 in Tamil and 467 out of 500 total," Pradhan said.

Pradhan's remark comes after the Centre and Tamil Nadu had a confrontation over the State's refusal to adopt components of the National Education Policy 2020, including the three-language policy. The State, which has a two-language policy and students learn English and Tamil in school, had viewed the three-language policy as a move to implement Hindi.

In what is being hailed as a turning point in school health policy, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has sounded a national alert over the shocking escalation of Type 2 diabetes among children, a disease previously detected mostly among adults. As rates of childhood obesity and metabolic disorders rise throughout India, CBSE's reaction is at once urgent and prophetic: it has instructed schools to create "Sugar Boards" to inform children of the risks of excessive consumption of sugar.

As per the circular of CBSE, the increase in childhood Type 2 diabetes is closely related to unrestricted access to soft drinks, processed foods, and junk food—foods commonly available on or off school grounds. While sugar now accounts for 13%–15% of total child caloric intake, well above the recommended threshold of 5%, the board cautions that it poses a long-term risk to children's physical health, academic achievement, and general well-being.

These new Sugar Boards are not for show. They're being imagined as health education tools, bearing essential information including:

• Safe daily sugar allowances
• Sugar levels in popular foods and drinks
• The health effects of too much sugar
• Smart food swaps and healthier options

CBSE has also required schools to upload implementation reports and photos by July 15, and hold workshops and awareness seminars for children and parents.

The movement has received praise from high-profile figures such as Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath, a leading voice of India's wellness movement. Describing it as "a step in the right direction," Kamath stressed parental involvement and cultural sensitization concerning diet and health. "Now to work out how to make parents care about it," he posted on X, noting that this fight requires both institutional thrust and family-level change.

A lot of the motivation behind CBSE's shift comes from the bottom-up campaigns of health influencer Revant Himatsingka, commonly referred to as Foodpharmer, who initiated the Sugar Board Movement a mere 18 months ago. Himatsingka, who repeatedly alerted through viral videos and deconstructing food labels about sugar's underlying effect, referred to this as "India's largest step so far against childhood diabetes and obesity.

Speaking to Dr Amit Dias from Dept of Preventive and Social medicine, Goa Medical College, who was the Co Principal Investigator for the ICMR- INDIAB study on the epidemiology of Diabetes, we found that Goa has the highest proportion of diabetes in the country amounting to 26.4 % in adults. We need to take action right from childhood 

“In a nation grappling with both undernourishment in certain segments and lifestyle conditions in others, this directive might prove to be a game-changer. If done in earnest, CBSE's Sugar Board program can very well emerge as a national example for preventive health education among students.

This shift is now a reality driven by rising obesity, consumption of junk food, physical inactivity, and excessive screen time. I strongly believe that we must take proactive and creative steps to address this epidemic—starting with motivating children to embrace healthier lifestyles and activity, healthy food, and de-addicting them from mobile phones. Schools can play a pivotal role in this transformation by educating students about the risks of excessive sugar consumption and empowering them to make informed food and activity choices early in life - This will not only prevent diabetes but a whole range of non communicable diseases”

In a tragic but somber move, the Himachal Pradesh government is about to consolidate two of Dharamsala's most ancient schools—Government Senior Secondary School (GSSS) for Boys (established in 1926) and GSSS for Girls (established in 1932). Once gold standard institutions of learning in the hill station, these heritage schools are now suffering from dwindling enrollments, thus the state's first major step towards restructuring as part of its education reform agenda.

Underlying this decision is a harsh truth: students increasingly choose private schools over traditional government setups, making most old schools obsolete. "We need to rethink school education. It's time to renovate and rebuild for quality." This was declared bluntly by Education Minister Rohit Thakur after a review meeting with the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBOSE).

The merger, officials say, is not just about cutting cost—this is a strategic move to update old models into new centers of excellence. With pooled resources, the state aims to revitalize public education through improved infrastructure, technology-facilitated classrooms, and most effective faculty deployment. The merger could be replicated by other low-enrollment schools across the state.

But the emotional price is impossible to pay. They've educated generations and are more than structures—memory-saturated halls of learning, growth, and tradition. While the merger will provide a close to one chapter of Dharamsala's educational history, officials promise the legacy will be continued both in spirit and approach.

This transformation, which might be disconcerting for some, is the new face of Indian education—where tradition meets convergence with change, and longing is weighed against inevitable change. Within the quiet classrooms of these aged schools, a new chapter is about to be written—one honoring the past but preparing for the future.

Imagine this: A 12-year-old viewing TikTok sees a disturbing "news" video announcing a celebrity's passing. They repost without thinking to their friends, only to discover later that it was entirely fabricated. This has occurred daily in schools and homes around the globe, and it's precisely why educators are rushing to instruct media literacy—not as an elective, but as important as reading and math.

A few nations are taking the lead. Finland, which is regularly referred to as the "media literacy capital of the world," doesn't teach it as an independent subject. Rather, children are taught how to scrutinize sources, identify bias, and approach information critically in all classes—be it history, science, or even physical education. The payoff? Finnish adolescents are the least likely to be fooled by online hoaxes. Meanwhile, in the U.S., states like New Jersey and Delaware now require media literacy education, but many teachers admit they’re underprepared. "I was never trained to teach this," one middle school educator confessed. "I’m learning alongside my students."

So, what does media literacy really look like in the classroom? Not so much fact-checking. Students learn to ask some fundamental questions: Who made this? What's their agenda? What's not in this story? They practice "lateral reading"—a detective-like habit of checking claims against many sources before believing (or sharing) them. They talk about the emotional manipulations behind viral content: Why is this post making me so mad? Is that the goal?

But here's the catch: Experts maintain it's too late to wait until middle school. Children as young as six are on the internet, soaking up (and disseminating) misinformation. "By fifth grade, many already have ingrained habits," says one researcher. The answer? Begin early, properly train teachers, and provide them with interactive tools—such as games that mimic fake news or lessons analyzing memes.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. In a world where AI deepfakes and conspiracy theories spread faster than facts, media literacy isn’t just about grades—it’s about safeguarding democracy, mental health, and even public safety. As one high schooler put it: "If we’re old enough to be online, we’re old enough to learn how not to be fooled.