Page 54 - PR Communication Age January-June2020

Both of these approaches are mistaken. PR agencies are This way, you will show that you care for what they think.
there to help you with those issues you find complicated And also, that you appreciate their feedback and will take
and need help or advice about. If you rely on them for ev- action to solve problems.
erything, it could be very expensive. And, if you do not con-
sider asking for their help, it could be disasters too. 8. Using the same tone for every channel
Depending on the channel where you are going to distrib-
Indeed, the best approach would be to count on them ute your message, you should use one tone or another. It is
whenever it is necessary. So, you will need to find a bal- not the same when you create a press release for a news-
ance that works for your brand. paper than when you pretend to share news on social

media.
7. Not knowing how to manage bad comments
Failing to know what to do when you receive bad comments These days it is preferable to use a conversational style and
could be fatal for your brand. Sooner or later you will re- you should try to avoid using the passive voice.
ceive negative comments and it is mandatory to know how
to manage this situation. I hope all the above mentioned has been useful for you. Now,
you are ready to run a successful PR campaign.
Obviously, you should not ignore them. Neither should you
lose manners. But, what you should do is to apologize if It is critical to be familiar with PR pitfalls, but also you need
to know how to create your own PR strategy and how to
appropriate. Then give an explanation of why you think
reach out to your target audience. Now, you can do all that!
there has been a problem. And finally, try to provide a so-
lution to the problem. Courtesy Carlos Trillo EVENEX

10+2 system to go, flexible degree plan coming

After 34 years, the country is set to adopt a new National Education Policy (NEP), heralding large-scale, transforma-
tional reforms in both school and higher education sectors, with the Union Cabinet giving its assent to the policy.
“This is the first education policy of the 21st century and replaces the 34 year-old National Policy on Education (NPE),
1986. Built on the foundational pillars of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability and Accountability, this policy is aligned
to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” read an official statement. However, according to education ex-
perts, the key will be in the implementation.
After the Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: “I wholeheartedly welcome the approval of the
National Education Policy 2020. This was a long due and much awaited reform in the education sector, which will
transform millions of lives in the times to come. Framing of NEP 2020 will be remembered as a shining example of
participative governance...”
In June 2017, a ‘ Committee for the Draft National Education Policy’ was constituted under the chairmanship of eminent
scientist KKasturirangan, which submitted the Draft National Education Policy, 2019 to the Human Resource Develop-
ment Minister on May 31, 2019. According to NEP 2020, board exams for Classes X and XII will be made easier by
redesigning them with the aim of ensuring holistic development of students. Boards will test primarily core capaci-
ties/competencies rather than months of coaching and memorisation.
The 10+2 structure of school curricula is to be replaced by a 5+3+3+4 curricular structure corresponding to ages 3-8,
8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 years respectively. This will bring the hitherto uncovered age group of 3-6 years under the
school curriculum, which has been recognised globally as the crucial stage for the development of the mental faculties
of a child. The new system will have 12 years of schooling with three years of anganwadi/pre-schooling.
The policy emphasises mother tongue/local/regional language as the medium of instruction at least till Class V, but
preferably till Class VIII. Sanskrit is proposed to be offered at all levels of school and higher education as an option,
including in the three-language formula. The report card will be a comprehensive report on skills and capabilities
instead of just marks. The new policy sees every child coming out of school adept in at least one skill.

54 PR COMMUNICATION AGE January - June 2020