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1,500 scholarships for disabled students

(19/11/2011) ToI,
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-19/news/30418978_1_scholarships-graduate-courses-professional-post-graduate

The National Handicapped Finance & Development Corporation (NHFDC) has announced 1,500 scholarships for persons with disabilities.

Announcing the scholarships at the 26th Foundation Day of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Harsh Bhal, Chairman & MD, NHFDC said that under this scheme, a student with visual or hearing disability will also be provided one time facility of aids and appliances.
This scholarship scheme which is being implemented from the current academic year, includes a total fee reimbursement, books and stationery allowance and maintenance allowance. It is also applicable to distance education universities like IGNOU. Students who are pursuing PhD or MPhil degrees can also avail of this scholarship.

The scholarships will be offered under the scholarship schemes run by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. Nine differently abled students of IGNOU were awarded the scholarships.

Two scholarship schemes have been launched viz, trust fund and national fund.
Under the Trust fund, scholarships will be awarded on a quarterly basis. Maintenance allowance will be paid to the students for 10 months at Rs 2,500 pm for professional graduate courses and Rs 3,000 pm for professional post graduate courses in one academic year.

Students pursuing professional graduate courses will receive Books / stationery allowance of Rs 6,000 pa. Those pursuing professional post graduate courses will be paid Rs 10,000 pa.

Under the National Fund scheme, a scholarship of Rs 1,000 pm for hostellers and Rs 700 pm for day scholars studying in professional courses at graduate and above level, and Rs 700 pm for hostellers and Rs 400 pm for day scholars pursuing diploma/ certificate level professional courses has been announced.

Tags: Scholarship, National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation, NHFDC, Indira Gandhi National Open University, IGNOU, Trust Fund, National Fund

Delink education loan from parents’ income: Plan panel

(21/11/2011) HT,
www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/BusinessBankingInsurance/Delink-education-loan-from-parents-income-Plan-panel/Article1-771873.aspx

A plan panel sub-committee on Student Financial Aid has recommended an easy and effective loan scheme for students irrespective of community and economic status i.e. not linking with parents’ income.

It has also suggested that the central government should provide full guarantee with a credit guarantee trust. The rate of interest should be slightly more than the yield on 10-year government securities, thus bringing it down from over 13% as charged now to about 8%. The period of repayment should be 12 years for general category and 15 years for SC, ST, OBCs and minorities.

The committee asked the government to continue to provide the block grants to educational institutions as part of its share in the total cost of education, " to ensure that the entire cost of education is not shifted to the students and the levels of tuition fees are reasonable".

To ease the pressure on students going for post graduate courses, it even suggested that those particularly in professional courses like engineering, should be encouraged to work for a few years before their Master's.

"This will help them pay off whole or part of existing loan or save up some amount to pay for graduate education," the committee said.

The proposals are apart from an unprecedented number of scholarships proposed for meritorious students.

Signalling a shift in funding of higher education, the proposals come at a time when there is pressure on the educational institutions to generate more funds through fees. Recently, the IIT council had proposed a four-fold increase in tuition fees— from R50,000 to over R2 lakh pa.

The committee also proposed a work-study programme — popular in western countries —to allow students to work for 20 hours per week in labs and research projects to provide income avenues.

Though reliance on state funding has been increasing, the expenditure per student fell by 28% between 1990-91 and 2002-03.

‘Issue admission forms for EWS in Hindi'

(30/12/2011) Hindu,
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/article2760320.ece

Social Jurist, a group of practising lawyers and social activists dedicated to the cause of the common man, has written to the Delhi Education Department to issue the common application form in Hindi for the Delhi school admissions under the freeship quota.

In the letter, the group noted that most of the parents belonging to economically weaker section and disadvantaged group category do not read, write or understand English.

“Therefore, to make the economically weaker section admissions effective and purposeful, it is necessary that the Directorate of Education use Hindi, '' said Social Jurist advocate Ashok Agarwal.

“The Directorate of Education has devised a Common Admission Form for admission under economically weaker section and disadvantaged group category and the same is uploaded on the official website of Directorate of Education — www.edudel.nic.in — for the benefit of the schools as well as the applicants. All schools are directed to use the same format by downloading the application form or by using a printed application form. The amendment should be brought about immediately to ensure that people are able to use it effectively,” said Mr. Agarwal.

Tags: School, Delhi Education Department, Economically Weaker Section, Admission Forms, Hindi

After Gujarat, chess compulsory in TN schools

(4/1/2012) ToI,
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/After-Gujarat-TN-makes-chess-compulsory-in-schools/articleshow/11357522.cms

Tamil Nadu has adopted Gujarat's strategy of introducing chess in all schools in an apparent bid to improve cognitive skills of students. The unique initiative, to be launched next academic year, is aimed at exposing students, especially those from "educationally backward" districts, to the rudiments of the game.

A senior education department official said the state was following up on the announcement made by chief minister J Jayalalithaa in August 2011 to start the practice in government and aided schools. The inspiration was the "chess in schools" programme run by the World Chess Federation, whose president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov had met Jayalalithaa earlier in the year.

"It (the chess programme) will give children in the seven to 17 age group an opportunity to test their skills. Training will be given to physical education teachers and one or two others in each school so they can train the children," said additional chief secretary T S Sridhar. Tamil Nadu has adopted Gujarat's strategy of introducing chess in all schools in an apparent bid to improve cognitive skills of students. The unique initiative, to be launched next academic year, is aimed at exposing students, especially those from "educationally backward" districts, to the rudiments of the game.

A senior education department official said the state was following up on the announcement made by chief minister J Jayalalithaa in August 2011 to start the practice in government and aided schools. The inspiration was the "chess in schools" programme run by the World Chess Federation, whose president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov had met Jayalalithaa earlier in the year.

"It (the chess programme) will give children in the seven to 17 age group an opportunity to test their skills. Training will be given to physical education teachers and one or two others in each school so they can train the children," said additional chief secretary T S Sridhar.

Tags: School, Tamil Nadu, Chess, Compulsory, World Chess Federation

Assam CM promises NASA trip to Class X toppers

(1/1/2011) Tribune,
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120102/nation.htm#14

From this year onward, the top three rank holders in the High School Leaving Certification Examination (Xth standard) in Assam will be taken on a study tour to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the US as per a special scheme announced by Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on the New Year’s Day.

Gogoi said it was aimed at triggering healthy competition among students as well as to reward the most successful ones with an exposure trip to the NASA. The government will also provide a desk-top computer to all the students securing 50-59.9 per cent marks in the HSLC examination, while the ongoing scheme to provide laptop computers to all the students securing 60 per cent and above in the HSLC examination will be continued.

He said bicycles would be provided to students from all the BPL families in the state, while one lakh meritorious students from primary level would be provided with scholarship worth Rs 5,000 each in the form of fixed deposits. Gogoi said Rs 50 crore will be spent over the next five years to provide medical support to children below 14 years of age.

He announced Rs 5,000 crore special fund to implement number of social welfare schemes in addition to the ongoing government schemes. He said these schemes will be implemented over the next five years by spending Rs 1,000 crore per year and pledged to mount pressure on the Central government to help the state set up special mechanism to check alarming erosion of the river banks areas. He added that each of the erosion-hit families in the state will be provided with Rs 5,000 and two bundles of CGI sheets.

The state will have a computerised archive of films and photographs to be named after late musician and singer Bhupen Hazarika, while a chair will be set up in Gauhati University on Ramayani studies after the name of writer Indira (Mamoni) Raisom Goswami who died recently.

Tags: School, Assam CM, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, High School Leaving Certification Examination, Topper

CBSE considering elective in mass media

(28/12/2011) Hindu,
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article2753520.ece

The Central Board of School Education (CBSE) is considering introducing an academic elective in mass media for Class XI and XII from the next academic year. It is likely to be introduced as a vocational stream and an elective.

The course was introduced on a pilot basis in certain schools in Mumbai, Delhi and Pune last year and it will help students understand the history of mass media and make them media-literate, which means students can analyse the messages carried in the media, said Chaitanya Chinchilkar, vice-president, business development, Whistling Woods International (WWI) that has partnered with CBSE in training and offering the course.

Language teachers of Class XI and XII will be given a training programme at Whistling Woods, said Vineet Joshi, Chairman, CBSE.

On the infrastructure that would be required in schools to conduct the programme, Mr. Chinchilkar said that besides the trained faculty members, schools would need certain basic facilities. “Classes would be held in the computer labs that your schools would already have. Besides this, schools also need to be equipped with a handycam,” he said. On the prospectus for students of this course Subhash Ghai, founder and chairman, WWI said that students go on to take up careers in films, journalism and animation. It will also help students develop their aesthetic sense and become ideators, he added.

Tags: School, CBSE, Whistling Woods International, WWI, Mass Media

CBSE Exam dates out, exam fever grips city students

(5/1/2012) ToI<
Http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Dates-out-exam-fever-grips-city-students/articleshow/11370811.cms

Class 10 and 12 students of schools affiliated to CBSE are set to take the board exams from March 1.

About 7.5 lakh students will take the Class 12 board exams this year, compared to 6.84 last year and 6.81 lakh in 2010.

In the Chennai zone 69,825 students, including regular and private candidates, will take the senior school board exam this year -- a significant improvement from 61,753 last year and 56,697 in 2010.

The Chennai zone comprises CBSE schools in TN, Kerala, AP, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Daman & Diu.

Principals of CBSE schools in Chennai said that many of their Class 10 students had opted for school-based assessment than the board exam this year. "Now there is much more awareness among students about the fact that there is not much difference between opting for the school exam and the board exam in Class 10," said director of Paavai Vidyashram CSatish.

Last year's experience had given Class 10 students the confidence to opt for school-based assessment in 2012 schools said.

"93% of students in our school have opted for school-based assessment this year. The TN government was the first to issue guidelines to schools affiliated to other boards of education on admitting children from CBSE schools in higher secondary classes. So, students had no problems in gaining admission in higher secondary classes elsewhere," said senior principal of Bhavan's Rajaji Vidyashram’s Ajit Prasath Jain.

However, the number of Class 10 students in schools in the Chennai zone opting for board exams this year is96,959 compared to the 55,366 students who have opted for the school-based exam.

This is because students in other states like Maharashtra, which is also part of Chennai zone, continued to prefer board exams, while students in TN preferred school-based assessments.
CBSE gave Class 10 students the option of choosing between school-based assessment and board exams last year in an attempt to reduce exam-related stress in students.
The CBSE has released the date sheet of Class X and Class XII board exam on Tuesday.

Both the exams will begin on March 1. While Class X boards end on March 26, the exams for Class XII will end on April 13.

the major exams for Class X have been spread out.
For Class XII, the schedule is a little tougher. English on March 1 is followed by physics paper on March 5.

An even balance has been chartered out for all branches. Between physics and chemistry papers, there’s an eight-day break.
For commerce students, the paper on business studies is on March 6 and accountancy is on March 15.

For complete date sheet for class X & XII, log on to http://cbse.nic.in/dsht1012.pdf and
http://cbse.nic.in/dsht1212.pdf respectively

Tags: School, CBSE, Board Exam, 7.5 Lakh Students, Assessment

Don't misuse fee concession rules: HC

(26/12/2011) HT,
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Don-t-misuse-fee-concession-rules-HC/Article1-787136.aspx

The Delhi High Court has warned well-off parents against trying to evade fees by misusing concession rules meant for students from the economically weaker sections in unaided private schools. "Today, education is empowerment and with a view that the poor and the disadvantaged groups are not left behind, a duty has been cast upon private schools to provide fee concession to the deserving students, but this does not mean that parents responsible to provide education to their children put the burden on the school," said Justice Kailash Gambhir.

"Parents cannot shirk away from their duty in the garb of belonging to the weaker sections of society and as a matter of right demand concessions from schools," the court said.

The court's remarks came as it dismissed a plea by the father of a student of Mahavir Senior Model School, who wanted a direction to grant his daughter a fee concession. He claimed he belonged to the economically weaker sections and had a monthly income of Rs 4,000.

But the school produced proof that the father — a music and painting teacher — had a monthly income of Rs 10,000 per month and owned a house in a prime Delhi locality.

"This is classic example of a parent, who is educated and a professional, does not wish to pay for the education of his child, and falsely claims to be a man of no means and wants to realize the education of his child through the portals of law. It is nothing but an exploitation of the beneficial social legislations and an abuse of the court of law, besides an assault on the opportunities of the ones truly deserving these concessions," said Justice Gambhir.

The court directed the man to immediately pay fee arrears of Rs 59,574 and allowed the school to action against the student if it is not paid.

Tags: School, Fee Hike, High Court, Economically Weaker Sections, EWS, Unaided Private Schools

Many of India’s Poor Turn to Private Schools

(30/12/2011) ToI

For more than two decades, M. A. Hakeem has arguably done the job of the Indian government. His private Holy Town High School has educated thousands of poor students, squeezing them into cramped classrooms where, when the electricity goes out, the children simply learn in the dark.

Parents in Holy Town’s low-income, predominantly Muslim neighborhood don’t mind the bare-bones conditions. They like the modest tuition (as low as $2 pm), the English-language curriculum and the success rate on standardized tests. Indeed, low-cost schools like Holy Town are part of an ad hoc network that now dominates education in this south Indian city, where an estimated two-thirds of all students attend private institutions.

“The responsibility that the government should shoulder,” Mr. Hakeem said with both pride and contempt, “we are shouldering it.”

In India, the choice to live outside the faltering grid of government services is usually reserved for the rich or middle class, who can afford private housing compounds, private hospitals and private schools. But as India’s economy has expanded during the past two decades, an increasing number of India’s poor parents are now scraping together money to send their children to low-cost private schools in hopes of helping them escape poverty.

Nationally, a large majority of students still attend government schools, but the expansion of private institutions has created parallel educational systems — systems that are now colliding. Faced with sharp criticism of the woeful state of government schools, Indian policy makers have enacted a sweeping law intended to reverse their decline. But skeptics say the litany of new requirements could also wipe out many of the private schools now educating millions of students.

“It’s impossible to fulfil all these things,” said Mohammed Anwar, who runs a chain of private schools in Hyderabad and is trying to organize a nationwide lobbying campaign to alter the requirements. Referring to the law, he said, “If you follow the Right to Education, nobody can run a school.”

Education is one of India’s most pressing challenges. Half of India’s 1.2 billion people are 25 or younger, and literacy levels, while improving, could cripple the country’s long-term prospects. In many states, government education is in severe disarray, with teachers often failing to show up. Rote drilling still predominates. English, considered a prerequisite for most white-collar employment in India, is usually not the medium of instruction.

When it took effect in April 2010, the Right to Education Act enshrined, for the first time, a constitutional right to schooling, promising that every child from 6 to 14 would be provided with it. For a nation that had never properly financed education for the masses, the law was a major milestone.

“If we nurture our children and young people with the right education,” said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, commemorating the act with a televised address, “India’s future as a strong and prosperous country is secure.”

Few disagree with the law’s broad, egalitarian goals or that government schools need a fundamental overhaul. But the law also enacted new regulations on teacher-student ratios, classroom size and parental involvement in school administration that are being applied to government and private schools. The result is a clash between an ideal and the reality on the ground, with a deadline: Any school that fails to comply by 2013 could be closed.

Kapil Sibal, the minister overseeing Indian education,  scoffs at claims that the law will cause mass closings of private schools. Yet in Hyderabad, education officials are preparing for exactly that outcome. They’re constructing new buildings and expanding old ones, partly to comply with the new regulations, partly anticipating that students will be forced to return from closing private institutions.

“Fifty percent will be closed down as per the RTE,” predicted E. Bala Kasaiah, a top education official in Hyderabad.

As a boy, M. A. Hakeem listened as his father bemoaned the slow progress of his fellow Muslims in India. “Son,” he recalls his father’s saying, “when you grow up, you should provide education to our community.”

A few months after he completed the 10th grade, his father died. A year later, in 1986, Hakeem opened a small preparatory school with nursery classes. He was 15 years old.

Not yet old enough to vote, Hakeem held classes in his family’s home and enlisted his two sisters to handle administrative tasks. By the mid-1990s, Mr. Hakeem had opened Holy Town. The school has since produced students who have gone into engineering, commerce and other fields.

“I’m fulfilling my father’s dream,” Mr. Hakeem said.

When Holy Town opened, Mr. Hakeem’s neighbourhood had one private school, a Catholic one. Today, there are seven private schools within a half-mile of Holy Town, each charging a few dollars a month and catering to Muslim students with a largely secular education in English.

Their emergence roughly coincided with the economic liberalization that began in 1991. For decades, government officials had blamed rural apathy for India’s high illiteracy rates, saying that families preferred sending their children into the fields, not the classroom. But as the economy started taking off, public aspirations changed, especially among low-income families.

“In India today, demand is not really a constraint for education — it’s the supply,” said Karthik Muralidharan, an assistant professor at the University of California, San Diego, who has studied Indian education. “Parents see education as the passport out of poverty.”

The rising demand created a new market for private schools, and entrepreneurs big and small have jumped at the chance to profit from it. Corporate educational chains opened schools tailored to higher-income families, especially in the expanding cities. Low-cost schools like Holy Town proliferated in poorer neighborhoods, a trend evident in most major cities and spreading into rural India.

Estimating the precise enrollment of private schools is tricky. Government officials say more than 90 percent of all primary schools are run by or financed by the government. Yet one government survey found that 30 percent of the 187 million students in grades 1 through 8 now attend private schools. Some academic studies have suggested that more than half of all urban students now attend private academies.

In Mumbai, so many parents have pulled their children out of government schools that officials have started renting empty classrooms to charities and labor unions — and even to private schools. In recent years, Indian officials have increased spending on government education, dedicating far more money for new schools, hiring teachers and providing free lunches to students. Still, more and more parents are choosing to go private.

“What does it say about the quality of your product that you can’t even give it away for free?” he said.

Most low-cost private schools also follow rote-teaching methods because their students have to take standardized tests approved by the government. But some studies suggest that teachers in government schools are absent up to 25 percent of the time. Poor children who attended private schools scored higher on reading and math tests, according to a study by Sonalde Desai, a professor of sociology at the University of Maryland, and other scholars.

“There is not much teaching that happens in the government schools,” said Raju Bhosla, 32, whose children attend one of Hyderabad’s low-cost private schools. “I never even thought about putting my kids in government schools.”

Across Hyderabad, work crews in 58 locations are expanding government schools or constructing new ones. To education officials, the building spree signals a rebirth of the government system, part of an $800 million statewide program to bring government schools into compliance with the new law.

For Sibal, the national education minister, government schools had atrophied because of a lack of money. Under Right to Education, states can qualify for more than $2 billion to improve facilities, hire new teachers and improve curricula, he said.

“All these changes are going to transform the schools system in the next five years,” Mr. Sibal predicted. As for the tens of thousands of private schools opened during the past 15 years to satisfy the public’s growing hunger for education, Mr. Sibal said, “We’ve given them three years time,” referring to the 2013 compliance deadline. “We hope that is enough.”

Skepticism abounds. Elite private schools, already struggling with requirements that they reserve slots for poor and minority students, have filed lawsuits. But the bigger question is what will happen to the tens of thousands of low-cost private schools already serving the poor.

James Tooley, a British scholar who has studied private education in India, said government statistics grossly underestimate private schooling — partly because so many private institutions are not formally registered. In a recent survey of the eastern city of Patna, he found 1,224 private schools, even though government records listed only about 40.

In Hyderabad, principals at several private schools said inspectors regularly threatened them with closings unless they paid bribes. Now, the principals say, the inspectors are wielding the threat of the Right to Education requirements and seeking even bigger bribes.

Anwar, the private school entrepreneur trying to organize a lobbying campaign, estimated that roughly 5,000 private schools operated in Hyderabad.

“Can the government close 5,000 schools?” he asked. “If they close, how can the government accommodate all these students?”

Tags: School, Holy Town High School, Private Schools, Right to Education

Class X: Many students still prefer boards

(6/1/2012) HT,
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Many-students-still-prefer-board-exams-in-Class-X/Article1-791853.aspx

While the Central Board for Secondary Examinations (CBSE) and schools may be promoting the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE), there are still lakhs of students in the country who swear by board exams in Class 10. Around 4.10 lakh students have opted for the board-based exams over in-house assessment that are part of CCE this year. There are an estimated 11 lakh students under CBSE who will appear in the class 10 exams —either in-house or boards — this academic year.

Class 10 boards examinations were made optional for students in the 2010-11 academic session. Every student who is currently studying in class 10 is given an option to go for either the summative assessment II (in-house exams) or board exams.

And while many students are still opting for the board examinations, their number is dropping. Last year, 4.45 lakh students had opted for the board exams.

"The number is down from last year. We are expecting it to go down further in the coming two years as we hope the popularity of CCE method will grow and students will have more faith in it," said a senior CBSE official, who did not want to be named.

But those who do opt for the board exams have clear reasons for doing so.

"I want to judge my potential at the national level before I choose a stream in classes 11 and 12. While board exams will not comprehensively tell me where I stand, it will still give me an idea," said Abhishek Sharma, a student at New Green Fields, Saket.

For many, carrying on the tradition is the reason for opting for the exams.

"Ever since class 6, we were repeatedly told to study keeping in mind that we will have to give board exams in class 10. I just want to see what the whole hullabaloo was about," said Kirti Malik, a student at Bal Bharati School, Pusa Road.

Meanwhile, principals of city schools said they give full freedom to students in the matter.

"The boards still hold a perception of credibility among many. Parents want their children to sit for the exams as they want them to prepare for the class 12 exams," said Ashok Pandey, principal, Ahlcon International School, Mayur Vihar.

"Also, parents who have transferable jobs prefer that their students take board exams as they think admission for their class 11 will be easier this way," he added.

Tags: School, CBSE, Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation, CCE, Class 10 Boards Examinations, Bal Bharati School

MCD students to train in arts

(4/1/2011) HT,
www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/MCD-students-to-train-in-arts/Article1-790841.aspx

For students studying in various schools run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), seeking training in the fine arts will no longer be a dream. The civic agency has set aside Rs 60 lakh, to be utilised for all its 1,729 schools, to train students in music, dance and drawing and lay out an all-round training base.

"These are very poor children. So we have set aside the planned budgetary allocation and are waiting for the standing committee to clear it," said Mahender Nagpal, chairman, MCD's education committee.

The civic agency has decided to employ 577 teachers each for music, dance and drawing. The entire onus of furthering the extra curricular activities of the students is being shouldered by the MCD. Students will not be charged anything for this.

"We provide a lot of facilities to students free of charge. Also, it is not enough to just train the students. We also need to invest in the relevant equipment. We need to buy musical instruments which will also be used along with vocal music lessons for the children," added Nagpal.

Tags: School, MCD Students, Civic Agency, Extra Curricular Activities, 577 Teachers

Nursery admissions: Sale of forms begins

(2/01/2012) ToI,
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Nursery-admissions-Sale-of-forms-begins/articleshow/11331697.cms

The sale of application forms for nursery admissions in the upcoming session started on Jan 02 2012. The application deadline is January 16.

Some schools have divided the 15-day window into two parts - one for sale and the other for submission of forms. While January 2 - 9 is reserved for sale of forms, the rest is meant for submission of the applications.

To avoid rush, parents have been asked not to panic as admissions are not on a first-come-first-served basis. Forms will be available over the counter for the entire period. Many schools also accept online forms.

DoE has directed that the admission process be wound up by March 31. Schools must declare the first list of selected students, including the waiting list, by February 1. They can bring out the list earlier as well. The second list must be displayed by February 29.

While most schools are likely to follow the tried-and-tested point system for selection, some will hold a draw of lots even for the general category. The latter will have categories like sibling, alumni and first child and will select students on the basis of a separate draw for each category.

A common admission form has been introduced for admissions in the economically weaker section (EWS) category. The form can be downloaded from DoE's official website. Parents need not visit any specific school for the forms as these can be submitted in all schools.

Tags: School, Nursery Admission, Forms, Directorate of Education, DoE, Economically Weaker Section, EWS

Nursery seats: 4-year-olds stranded

(5/01/2012) ToI,
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Nursery-seats-4-year-olds-stranded/articleshow/11369072.cms

Children unable to secure admission to nursery last year still have nowhere to go. As four-year-olds now, they are eligible for admission to KG (pre-primary). However, most schools have not opened admission in KG this year citing zero vacancy. Schools say their class is full with the nursery batch getting promoted to KG.

Though Ganguly Committee recommended KG as the entry level, almost all schools treat nursery as an official start to schooling leaving little scope for fresh admissions in KG. The HC is now likely to decide on the matter on January 06.

"My son will be four years old now so I was planning to apply in KG this year. But I was shocked after going through the admission notice of various schools. They are just not admitting students in KG. I have only one option to apply in nursery again," said Arti Jain, who lives in the CP area and had applied to more than 20 schools for her son's admission last year. Arti is not hopeful about nursery either. "I will have to waste my son's academic year. Last year, several schools could not fill up all the reserved seats for the economically weaker section. So where did all of them go?" she wondered. "I have made a list of 22 schools I was keen on applying to. But only two of them have opened admissions in KG," she said.

Another parent, Aneesh Kapur, did not try for admission last year when his son was a three-year-old, thinking he was too young to go to school. "With my child aged four years now, I am left with no options. Only few convent schools admit students directly in KG. However, it seems quite unlikely to get through them as they have a quota for Christian candidates," he said.

Be it DPS, Springdales, Mother's International School or Vasant Valley School -- none has opened admissions in KG yet. Some schools may have a seat or two in this class only if the existing students in nursery withdraw.

"For us, the entry level is nursery. We may have two to three seats, but we will come to know of that only towards the end of this session if any student withdraws," said M I Hussain, principal, DPS Mathura Road.

Suman Nath, principal, Tagore International School at East of Kailash, said, "We don’t have any vacant seat in KG. Parents of four-year-olds can take a chance and apply in nursery as there’s no upper age limit. But then the probability of admission will be low for them as most other applicants will be 3-year-olds."

Though many schools give priority to three-year-olds in nursery, few like The Shri Ram School and The Indian School prefer older children at this level. Tania Joshi, vice-principal, The India School, said, "We encourage a little older children in nursery. Often parents of four-year-olds also don’t mind repeating nursery after play school."

Tags: School, Nursery Seats, 4-Year Old, Eligibility, Admission

Nursery: Govt says present procedure should continue

(6/1/2012) ToI,
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Nursery-Govt-says-present-procedure-should-continue/Article1-791843.aspx

A day before the Delhi High Court is expected to pronounce its crucial judgment on the nursery admission issue, the Delhi Government on Thursday filed an affidavit, saying it was in favour of schools following the present procedure till it framed proper guidelines. "The necessary guidelines/ rules will be worked out by the government after detailed discussions and consultations with experts and stakeholders," said an affidavit filed by Shashi Kaushal, a senior Directorate of Education official.

"That in pursuance to the decision taken by the cabinet on the recommendation of the Ashok Ganguly Committee, the department had issued the Recognised Schools (Admission Procedure for Pre-primary Classes) Order 2007, wherein it is clearly mentioned that schools which are already providing pre-school education may continue to do so till the framing of guidelines," the affidavit said.

"The government affidavit is a complete U-turn. Till now they have been saying that the Ganguly committee recommendations will be followed. Now they say let the schools have their way till they frame guidelines," said Ashok Agarwal, lawyer for Social Jurist, the NGO representing parents.

A bench headed by acting Chief Justice AK Sikri had been repeatedly asking the government to come out with some guidelines to end the confusion amongst parents. The court is hearing a plea for stopping various private schools from admitting children below four years of age in their pre-primary (nursery) classes.

The lawyer also accused the government of not enforcing the court's September 2007 order, which directed the government to implement the Ganguly Committee recommendations, fixing four years as the minimum age for admission to pre-primary classes.

Tags: School, Nursery Admission, Government, Admission Procedure for Pre-primary Classes,

Open category for school entry shrinks further

(6/1/2012) ToI,
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Open-category-for-school-entry-shrinks-further/articleshow/11381426.cms

If you are not an alumnus of a city school, don't have an elder child studying somewhere and have no connections in the right places, your kid's chances of getting a nursery seat in a reputed school are very slim. In some schools this year, the number of seats in the general category is as low as 30% of the total.

With 25% quota for poor students kicking in this year and schools reserving seats under various heads, including a discretionary quota for the management, open category seats have shrunk .

For instance, out of 368 seats at Bal Bharati Public School, Ganga Ram Hospital Marg, only 110 seats (30%) arein the general category. Of the rest, 25% seats are reserved for economically weaker sections, 20% seats each for school's discretionary quota and siblings, and 5% seats for alumni.

If the number of applications received is more than the number of seats in a category, the school will conduct a draw of lots.

In schools following a 100-point system, alumni and sibling are part of the general category. At Springdales School, Pusa Road, where a 100-point system is in place, there are only 47 seats open to the general category out of a total of 102. Alumni and sibling categories take away a large chunk of these general seats due to high points awarded to them. The school allots 30 points to siblings and 25 to wards of alumni followed by 20 points to children in the neighbourhood.

Similarly, DPS Mathura Road has 240 nursery seats. Only 120 are in the open category, including alumni and sibling. The school gives 30 points each to neighbourhood and sibling and 20 points to alumni.

"My husband is from Haryana and I studied in Lucknow. And we have only one daughter. I had made a list of the best schools in the city where I wanted to apply for her admission. But I am so disappointed to see that her chances of getting through are so slim," said Ridhi Saxena, who lives in Safdarjung Enclave.

"Schools following the point system seem to prefer alumni and sibling. And those going for a draw of lots have separate categories for them, leaving little room for people like us. The only saviour can be the neighbourhood criteria but then I do not have many good schools close by," Ridhi said, adding that the points awarded to a girl child or a first-born child are too less to brighten her child's chances.

Seats started shrinking when the EWS quota in city schools was increased from 15% to 25% under the Right to Education. Delhi government also allowed schools to reserve up to 20% under the management quota to acknowledge their autonomy. Further, schools were also allowed to reserve seats for different categories based on their philosophy and objectives. So, instead of being clubbed as general, alumni and sibling became special categories.

"How can private schools be questioned on having special points for alumni and sibling or creating a management quota? We are autonomous institutions. Shouldn't we have a right to decide the composition of children we want in the school?" said a principal from a central Delhi school.

D K Bedi, principal, Apeejay School at Pitampura that follows the category system, added, "We are all for educating the disadvantaged. But it is being done at the cost of general category children. Neither is the government setting up new schools nor have private schools been allotted land in last few years. This is a serious problem as we have only a fixed number of seats."

Ameeta Mulla Wattal, principal, Springdales School at Pusa Road, says making categories at least ensures there are some seats reserved for those who do not fall in any category. "However, when we have nearly 4,000 applications to select from, a draw of lots is not feasible. Unless the government improves the standard of its schools in the city, the scramble for seats will continue," she said.

Tags: School, 25% Quota, Bal Bharati Public School, Admission

Pay a fee to see your CBSE examination sheets

(28/12/2011) Mail Today,

Students appearing for the CBSE Class X and XII examinations next year will be the first batch to be able to access their evaluated answer scripts.

Though the Supreme Court verdict on August 9 permitted students to do so through the Right to Information Act, a committee set up by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has recommended that the examinees should be able to retrieve a copy of their answer sheets after filling up an application form along with a fee.

However, this decision, which will affect close to 18 lakh students taking the Board exams next year, awaits the final approval of the governing body (GB) of the Board. The next meeting of the GB is scheduled in January next year.

"Students will be allowed to apply for their answer scripts only after the re-verification period is over," said CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi, who did not disclose how much a student would have to pay to get a copy of his or her answer booklet. Currently, Class X and XII students are allowed to seek re-totalling (re-verification) of their marks within 15 to 20 days after their results are declared.

"We do not want to run the risk of misplacing any answer script by first providing a copy to them (students).So, our priority is to complete the reverification process and then entertain applicants who wish to see their answer booklets," Joshi added.

Currently, only a few universities in the country allow students to see their answer sheets on the payment of a fixed fee.

According to JOSH (a group working to usher in transparency through the RTI Act), the universities of Pune, Mumbai, Kerala, Panjab and IGNOU allow students to see their evaluated answer scripts.

The Karnataka State Education Board too follows this practice.

The CBSE's effort to allow access to answer scripts comes in the wake of a Supreme Court verdict earlier this year, in which a bench of justices R. V. Raveendran and A. K. Patnaik upheld a Calcutta High Court order permitting students to inspect and photocopy their answer sheets of any educational or professional examination.

Though the CBSE, which was a party to the case, has decided against seeking a review of the judgment, it will not entertain any requests for reevaluation.

"The copy of the answer sheets will not reveal who the examiner is or at which centre the booklet was evaluated.That apart, we will not allow the re- evaluation or re- checking of the paper. If the student spots a mistake in the addition of marks, that will be corrected," Joshi said.

Tags: School, CBSE Class X and XII, CBSE, Right to Information Act, Governing Body, GD

School asks for parents' qualifications, releases forms

(28/12/2011) HT,
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/School-asks-for-parents-qualifications-releases-forms/Article1-788043.aspx

While asking parents about their educational qualifications and profession is strictly disallowed under the Delhi Government's nursery admission guidelines, a school has gone ahead and done just that.   In its nursery admission form, Amrita Vidyalayam, Pushp Vihar in Saket, has not only flouted one but two norms.

The guidelines clearly state that schools cannot come out with forms before January 2 but Amrita Vidyalayam has already released online admission forms with an option to submit forms as well.

The school is also asking for details of parents' profession, the name of pre-school attended and any help — cultural/professional/academic/sports — that the parents can offer.

The school authorities did not respond to calls despite repeated attempts. A copy of the form is with the Hindustan Times.

"I have submitted the form online and when I asked on what basis they will give admission, the school's answer was very ambiguous. They asked me to submit the form, the rest would be decided later, I was told," said a parent who did not want to be named.

The nursery admission guidelines clearly state that schools have to submit the guidelines to the Directorate of Education before releasing forms. The date for the release of forms has been set as January 2.

Various other schools, meanwhile, have come out with their points system for admission.

While Springdales Schools have 30 points for sibling, 25 for alumni, 20 for neighbourhood and 10 for first born child among other criteria, Ahlcon International School in Mayur Vihar is awarding points for neighbourhood (30), Siblings (25), Single parent (10) and children with special needs (10).

Bloom Public School in Vasant Kunj is gining 50 points for neighbourhood and 50 to Alumni/Sibling.

This time around, more schools are awarding points to first born children and children with varied cultural backgrounds. The complete points can be viewed at the schools' websites.

Tags: School, Educational Qualifications, Nursery Admission Guidelines, Springdales Schools

KU teachers quit additional responsibilities

(21/11/2011) Tribune, www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111122/haryana.htm#2

Implementing their threat to resign all additional responsibilities, 53 of the 75 agitating Kurukshetra University teachers have submitted their resignations.

These included deans, heads of departments, wardens and others holding additional responsibilities. The remaining teachers would resign tomorrow, Dr Pradeep Chauhan, president of the Kurukshetra University Teachers Association (KUTA), said.

Holding the university authorities responsible for the “deadlock”, Dr Chauhan said the authorities were delaying acceptance of its demands.

Saying that the university would be responsible for disruption of teaching work if KUTA was compelled to intensify the agitation, Chauhan said after boycotting the Ph.D entrance test yesterday, the teachers were determined to boycott examination duty and evaluation work which would derail the examination system.

The teachers have been holding a relay fast since November 16 to press their demand for implementing the revised UGC scales and recommendations in toto.

The All-India Federation of University & College Teachers organisations (AIFUCTO) and the Haryana Federation of University & College Teachers Organisation (HFUCTO) have extended full support to KUTA and urged the authorities to accept its demands.

Meanwhile, Lt-Gen (Dr) DD Sandhu, Kurukshetra University V-C, said all demands of the teachers except for two had been accepted and appealed to the striking teachers to resume their duties.

Tags: Teaching, Kurukshetra University, All-India Federation of University and College Teachers Organizations, UGC Scales

Punj raises Retirement age of medical teachers

(19/11/2011) Tribune, http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111120/main6.htm

The Punjab cabinet on Saturday evening raised the retirement age for teachers in government medical, dental and ayurvedic colleges from 60 to 62 years in order “to retain qualified medical teaching faculty in the state”. It also increased the age for re-employment for faculty members of these colleges from 65 years to 70 years . Teachers opting for re-employment would be entitled to their last pay drawn plus pension.

The cabinet meeting presided over by the Chief Minister also approved a solatium of Rupees three lakh per family for all labourers who have lost their livelihood because of the land acquired in Mansa for the Peona thermal plant. The labourers, who were left high and dry, have been agitating.

The cabinet approved the proposal to offer ‘a government job’ to the next of kin of those killed during the agitation against the land acquisition and also waive off their cooperative loans. The cabinet also cleared the proposal to amend the land acquisition policy in order to ensure that landless labourers are also compensated whenever land is acquired.

The cabinet also approved the recruitment of 31 posts of faculty in the Government Ayurvedic College Patiala including 6 Professors and Associate Professors, 4 Assistant Professors, Lecturers and Readers and 21 Demonstrators and Lecturers as per the norms of Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM).

The Cabinet decided to upgrade the Banga sub-tehsil as a subdivision in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district besides Village Cheema in Sangrur and Hajipur in Hoshiarpur district as Sub-Tehsils and also aprproved creation of requisite staff for them. It also approved enhancement of non-official members of Punjab Gau Sewa Board from four to ten.

It approved appointment of rifle shooter Ms. Ruby Tomar, as Sub Inspector in the pay scale Rs.10300-34800+ 3600 GP with basic pay of Rs.14430 instead of Assistant Sub Inspector. It approved creation of 34 posts of Information Technology Assistants besides regularising services of 337 employees working in the Punjab Health System Corporation on contract basis.

Tags: Teaching, Punjab, Government Medical, Dental, Ayurvedic Colleges, Retirement, Faculty Members, Job Trend