The Buddha's pilgrimage sites have been growing for millennia and continue to change in the current era. Buddhists visit these locations, revered as holy spaces, to pay respects, reaffirm their beliefs, and seek enlightenment. According to Buddhism, the pilgrimage sites in India and Nepal include Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar, and Lumbini. Regional cultures, resources, and historical events have influenced the evolution of these places. The process has frequently involved building temples, monasteries, and other buildings and producing Buddhist-related cultural and artistic works. India and Nepal are corporate organizations that have invested heavily in promotion. Festivals related to Buddha's relics are as follows: 1. Buddha Tooth Relic Festival (Sri Lanka), 2. Shwedagon Pagoda Festival (Myanmar), 3. Maha Stupa Festival (India), 4. Parinirvana Day (Various Countries), 5. Relic Processions in Thailand. These festivals are celebrated around the world.

The Present investigation aims at studying the socio-emotional and educational problems of Transgender persons in Odisha. A sample of twenty Transgender persons were selected from four districts of Odisha through the method of purposive sampling for the study. The study revealed that 30 per cent of Transgender had Graduation and more than 20 per cent had elementary and secondary pass qualification. About 60 per cent of Transgender persons were earning between 3 to 5 thousand rupees per month. Majority of Transgender persons depended on begging. About 35 per cent of Transgender persons reported that parental pressure and humiliation were the main reasons for the Transgender Persons to leave home. Community pressure was also an important reason for 55 per cent of Transgender Persons to leave home. Discrimination, anxiety and depression were the major emotional issues of Transgender persons. It was observed that discrimination by teachers and physical violence by teachers and friends in the educational institutions were the major challenges for the Transgender Students.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 represents a watershed moment in the Indian pedagogical landscape, fundamentally redefining the role of physical activity within the formal schooling system. This article provides a comprehensive exploration of the transition from a traditional, peripheral physical education model to a robust Competency-Based Sports Education (CBSE) framework. Central to this shift is the concept of sports-integrated pedagogy, an innovative approach that utilizes physical activity as a cross-curricular tool to enhance cognitive understanding and academic engagement.

            The study identifies and analyzes critical challenges hindering this transition, most notably the "infrastructure-divide" across rural and urban institutions, the persistent socio-cultural bias favoring rote academic performance, and the significant gap in professional training required for educators to implement complex, rubric-based competency assessments. Conversely, the article highlights transformative opportunities afforded by the policy, including the formalization of Indigenous Knowledge Systems through traditional Indian games, the creation of diverse vocational pathways aligned with the global sports economy, and the use of digital analytics for early talent identification and holistic health tracking.

            By synthesizing policy objectives with ground-level realities, this paper argues that the success of NEP 2020’s sports mandate relies on a multi-stakeholder approach—integrating technology, community resources, and inclusive "Adaptive Physical Education" for Divyangjan students. Ultimately, the article posits that a well-implemented competency-based model will not only improve national fitness indices but will also cultivate essential 21st-century life skills, such as resilience, teamwork, and ethical leadership, thereby fulfilling the policy's vision of creating holistic and well-rounded global citizens.

The growing emphasis on holistic and competency-based education has highlighted the importance of 360-degree student assessment in school settings. This study investigates the implementation of 360-degree assessment practices by examining assessed domains, tools and techniques, stakeholder involvement, documentation methods, frequency of use, and challenges faced by schools. The objectives were to analyze principals’ perceptions about holistic assessment, identify commonly used assessment tools, assess stakeholder participation, and explore barriers to effective implementation.

A survey research design was employed, and data were collected from 25 school principals using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis, and principals’ responses were presented through bar graphs to facilitate clear interpretation. Assessment records were primarily maintained through a combination of written documentation and digital platforms. However, schools faced challenges such as lack of time, heavy teaching workload, limited professional training, passive parental response, and ambiguity in guidelines.

Education plays a vital role in shaping individuals and promoting social development and in recent years, the concept of inclusive classroom practices has gained importance, especially at the secondary level, where learners come from diverse backgrounds with varied abilities and needs. National Education Policy 2020 emphasizes inclusive classroom practices through provisions such as flexible curriculum, learner-centered pedagogy, differentiated instruction, and support for diverse learners. However, despite these provisions, a gap exists between the theoretical framework and actual classroom practices. This study is theoretical in nature and is based on a review of relevant literature and policy documents. It aims to analyse inclusive classroom practices at the secondary level and examine the gap between policy recommendations and their implementation. The analysis indicates that although inclusive classroom practices are clearly outlined in policy, their implementation remains uneven due to systemic challenges such as limited teacher preparedness, rigid assessment patterns, and resource constraints so the study suggests that without addressing these issues, inclusion may remain theoretical. Therefore, there is a need for improved teacher training, flexible assessment practices, and better resource support to ensure effective alignment between policy and classroom practice.

The present study examined the professional growth of teachers working in higher education institutions in Odisha. The study aimed to assess the level of professional growth among teachers and compare it with respect to gender, qualification, experience, age, and stream of study. A quantitative research design with the survey method was adopted. The sample consisted of 150 teachers selected from ten autonomous colleges in Odisha through random and stratified random sampling techniques. A self-developed questionnaire was used to collect data on teachers’ professional growth. The tool was validated by experts from universities and government colleges, and its reliability coefficient was found to be 0.84, indicating high reliability. The Shapiro–Wilk test revealed that the data were not normally distributed; therefore, frequency, percentage, and non-parametric tests such as Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis were used for data analysis. The findings revealed that teachers showed a high level of professional growth through active participation in professional activities, academic contributions, institutional responsibilities, and innovative teaching practices. The study also revealed that professional growth did not differ significantly with respect to gender, but significant differences were found with respect to qualification, experience, age, and stream of study. The study implies that higher education institutions should provide equal and suitable opportunities for teachers’ professional growth based on their professional needs to improve the quality of higher education.

Since Independence India has consistently emphasized on scientific temper, and science laboratories play a significant role in achieving it. However there is a lack of science laboratories in the Indian schools as revealed by NCFSE 2023 and therefore virtual laboratories act as an alternative to develop scientific temper by providing opportunities to the students to practice experiments that would have been done typically in a physical practical laboratory. Therefore, this study analyses the evolution of National educational policies,  curriculum framework, educational reports and initiatives taken by the Government of India which paved the way for the emergence of technology in general and virtual laboratories in specific and to understand how these policies and initiatives support inclusiveness. Finding reveals that the quality of science education has been enhanced by the use of education technology by each of these policies by implementing it for the masses. Finding also reveals that all the policies and initiatives since independence promoted a sustainable development goal for quality education with the judicious use of ICT in education, making education reach the unreachable students across the country. Several ways have been suggested by these policies to catalyse and achieve inclusive education like ICT software and tools to facilitate access to persons with disabilities, like screen readers, Braille printers, etc. as  part of the ICT infrastructure in all schools. Each policy and commissions from secondary education commission (1952-53) to NEP 2020 acted as a milestone in the pathway of the emergence of virtual laboratories that we are implementing now and the advancement in the field of technology that will be in pace in the future years. Virtual laboratories are therefore an effort of decades which enable us in the path of achieving SDG4 in terms of equity, access and quality in science education and in other subjects as well.