Newsroom

Right to Education campaign from tomorrow

Thiruvananthapuram: The school-level campaign programme on the Union Government’s Right to Education Act would begin on Wednesday.

The programme is aimed at making people aware of the Act, which ensures compulsory and free education to children between the age group of six and 14.

The state-level inauguration of the 15-day campaign would be held at the Ambalathara UP school in the city on Wednesday, an official release here said.

The campaign would be led by 4,770 volunteers across the state, the release said.

NDTV
September 25, 2012

Private School Chains in Chile: Do Better Schools Scale Up?

by Humberto Santos, Dante Contreras, Felipe Salazar and Gregory Elacqua, CATO Institute

Experts want ‘no-detention’ policy under RTE Act reviewed

The Indian Express, 18 September 2012

Experts and academicians in the state have sought a review of the ‘no-detention’ policy under Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.

A sub-committee of Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) under HRD Ministry had isued a notification recently calling for suggestions from the public by September 20 for effective implementation of the ‘no-detention’ provision.

‘Teachers should be trained to implement RTE’

Daily News & Analysis, 07 September 2012

In order to make inclusive education and the Right to Education Act (RTE) effective, teachers must be trained adequately, according to those participated in a panel discussion on inclusive education at the Indian Institute of World Culture on Thursday.

‘Focus on facts kills creativity’

The Hindu, 15 September 2012

The 15th edition of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), ‘National summit on quality in education’, began in Bangalore on Friday with the theme ‘Innovate, lead, share: redefining delivery of quality education’. The Hindu is the media partner for the event.

S. Chandrashekhar, chairman of the summit, said the present education system focusses on facts and figures, thus killing creativity. “Quality and innovation are the key words”, he said.

Outlay for education sector hiked by 155 per cent for 12th Plan Period

The Economic Times, 15 September 2012

The outlay for the education sector for the 12th Plan Period has been finalised at 4,53,728 crore, a jump of around 155 per cent, with focus on setting up of new institues and universities and expanding existing ones.

The outlay finalised by the Planning Commission today for higher education sector is at 1,10,700 crore, an increase of 178 per cent and Rs 3,43,028 crore for school education and literacy, a jump of 149 per cent.

The demand of the HRD Ministry was over Rs 2.60 lakh crore for higher education sector.

Education: India, China ‘closing in’ on US

The Indian Express, 18 September 2012

Even as international rankings continue to project the Indian education system in poor light, a US think tank has noted that India and China are fast catching up with the US on education parameters, notching up higher enrolment year after year and focusing with such energy and ambition on education that America could soon lose its global competitive edge.

Where is RTE poor in Ahmedabad schools?

Daily News & Analysis, 17 September 2012

The ambitious initiative of the Union government to revolutionise the education system through the Right to Education (RTE) Act seems to be a pipe dream as schools in city have found loopholes in the act to avoid inductingchildren from economically weaker section (EWS).

While many schools claim that there is lack of awareness about RTE among the EWS, others blame it on the government for not providing information to the deserving people.

As RTE deadline looms, State steps up efforts

The Hindu, 18 September 2012

With March 2013 being the deadline for states to implement the Right to Education (RTE) Act, the school education department is taking various measures to monitor the implementation of the act in the State. According to a senior official, state-board schools across Tamil Nadu have been asked to send a list of students admitted under the 25 per cent quota prescribed by the act, along with other details about students of the school in the first phase of the exercise.

School Choice Would Limit CTU Power and Free Children to Learn

The Huffington Post, 14 September 2012

Some 350,000 Chicago schoolchildren have spent the past few days either on the streets, sitting around empty school buildings, or at home. Their teachers, on strike at the behest of the Chicago Teachers Union, have been absent from classrooms that should have been filled with the noises of a bustling back-to-school season.

Demand and supply gap continues in higher education in India

For the new academic season starting in August 2012, the Delhi University has
received 140,000 applications for 54,000 undergraduate seats across its network
of colleges in Delhi.

One particular college, St. Stephens has 420 undergraduate seats in Humanities
and Science – and it has received 22,000 applications. The average grade
requirement for a student to qualify for admission in this college is 91% and
above.

Condoleezza Rice Pushes GOP Message for Choice, Against Unions

The pointed, education-themed remarks to delegates by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on the second night of the Republican convention reinforced the GOP platform’s position on school choice—and took yet another Republican stab at teachers. (Rice hit those themes again at a panel discussion sponsored by Bloomberg media here Thursday, saying that if she had one stab at changing education, she’d seriously scale up school choice.)

‘Special educators must in private schools’

NEW DELHI: Disabled students enrolled in private schools received a unique gift from the Delhi high court on Teachers’ Day – special educators.

A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw directed all private unaided schools in the capital to hire two qualified special educators as per the mandate of the Right to Education Act (RTE).

Grace time ticking for unrecognized schools

HYDERABAD: Parents and students of unrecognized schools in the Old City can heave a sigh of relief, albeit temporarily, as the school education department is likely to allow institutions identified for closure a grace period of up to two months to get their papers in order.

State can’t violate Supreme Court directive on RTE

HYDERABAD: Protecting private schools from implementing the Right to Education act is a state government order, according to which seats in neighbourhood government and aided schools should be filled before private schools are approached for admission under RTE. The order has been a key reason for private schools to steer clear of earmarking 25 per cent seats under the RTE Act. But Supreme Court advocate Ashok Agarwal, who has been spearheading the RTE implementation, says that the GO is in violation of the Act.