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Sleep-deprived teenagers

 On September 6th and 7th high-school students in Syracuse, New York returned to classrooms at 7.25am, 25 minutes earlier than the year before. According to the National Centre for Education Statistics, most American public schools start a little after 8am; more than a quarter start even earlier. Students in the South are the earliest risers. In Louisiana instruction typically begins at 7.45am.

Such schedules, health experts say, are inappropriate for teenagers, whose internal clocks are wired for an 11pm bedtime and an 8am wake-up.Regularly not getting enough sleep leads to chronic sleep deprivation. This can have dramatic effects on a teenager's life, impacting their mental wellbeing, increasing their risk of depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. It can also affect academic performance at school.

 In 2014 the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8.30am. The Centres for Disease Control has concluded that, of all the policies aimed at boosting adolescents’ sleep, delaying school start-times could have the greatest impact. Data from the annual American Time Use Survey show that between 2003 and 2022 high-school students who started class after 8.30am logged 33 more minutes of sleep, on average, than those who started earlier.

A recent paper by Kevin Bastian and Sarah Fuller of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill finds that later start times lead to better attendance, fewer disciplinary problems and higher test scores. Some policymakers are getting the message. The latest data show that the share of American public schools starting after 8.30am rose in the 2020-21 school year. In 2019 California passed a law requiring public middle schools to start no earlier than 8am and high schools no earlier than 8.30am. In May Florida passed a similar law.

Eight other states are looking into such laws. The New York state Assembly is studying a bill that will require public schools to start no earlier than 8.30am. Relief may be on the way for Syracuse’s sleepy teens.

Article from The Economist (edited)

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India or Bharat?

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared at the G20 meeting behind a country tag that said Bharat, not India.

Suddenly the question was everywhere: Will the country of more than 1.4 billion people now be called by its ancient Sanskrit name?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ministers and his Hindu nationalist supporters believe India should officially be called Bharat. However, there is controversy with opposition leader Rahul Ghandi.

One country, three names

1.     Bharat: The name "Bharat" refers to the ancient name of India and has its roots in Indian mythology. Bharat was the name of an ancient king and is also associated with the legendary hero Bharata, a figure mentioned in ancient Indian texts two thousand years ago. Over time, the term "Bharat" came to be associated with the entire Indian subcontinent and is now one of the official names for the Republic of India in the Hindi language.

2.     Hindu: The term "Hindu" originally referred to the people living in the region near the Indus River, which flows in what is now modern-day Pakistan. This term was used by Persian and Greek travelers and historians as early as the 6th century BCE to describe the people of the Indian subcontinent. The Greeks, including Alexander the Great, came into contact with these people during their expeditions, and the term "Hindu" gradually became a broader term used to describe the religious, cultural, and geographical aspects of the Indian subcontinent.

3.     India: The name "India" is derived from the word "Indus," which is the name of a major river in the region. The ancient Greeks, including Alexander the Great in the 4th century BCE, referred to the region as "Indoi" or "Indika," which eventually evolved into "India" as it is known today. This name has been used for centuries to describe the entire Indian subcontinent and became more widely adopted over time.  The usage of "British India began in the mid-19th century, particularly after 1857 when formal British control was established over India.

Mr Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party believes that "India" is tied to colonialism and slavery.

Officially, the Indian government has made no decision and issued no statement, and one senior leader dismissed the speculations of a name change as "just rumors."

"Modi wants to change the name of the country. It is absurd…," opposition leader Mr Gandhi told Al Jazeera.

 

From Sky News (edited)