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Does Information Improve School Accountability? Results of a Large Randomized Trial in India

Several developing countries have decentralized control over public schools to their local communities, with the goals of enhancing accountability and improving school outcomes. However, too often this decentralization is meaningless as the communities have very low awareness of their roles and entitled services, and their participation in school management remains abysmal. Availability of information can be a powerful catalyst towards stimulating public demand for quality services. This study evaluates the impact of an information campaign on school outcomes in three states in India.

Want to look at the PISA test questions and try them out yourself?

Sample questions from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests have been published by the OECD, the organisation that conducts the tests. Check out the questions.

If your children are about 15 years old or more, you could ask them to try out the sample questions and see how they fare. Teachers may also like to try them out. It would be interesting to find out what teachers think of the level of these questions and the capability of their students to answer them.

Home-schooling is allowed under RTE Act, says Centre

The Right To Education (RTE) Act does not come in the way of home-schooling. Parents can teach their children outside the formal education system, the Centre said in an affidavit filed in the Delhi high court.

‘Centre not to bear cost of RTE fee reimbursement’

The government will have to bear the entire cost of fee reimbursement to schools under the Right to Education Act as the Centre will not provide financial aid to any state this year.

According to sources, the proposal of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to support states in a 65:35 cost sharing ratio is still pending before the Union Cabinet.

“Not just Karnataka, no other state will receive finance from the Centre.

That is why the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) has no provision for fee reimbursement in its budget this year,” said an SSA official.

Unaided schools not at cost of aided ones: SC

New Delhi: The state is justified in denying recognition to unaided schools if it adversely affects the interests of the government run-aided schools, the Supreme Court has held.

“The state spends large amount by way of aid, grant etc for running schools in the aided sector as well as the state-owned schools.

“Indiscriminate grant of recognition to schools in the unaided sector may have an adverse effect on the state-owned schools as well as the existing schools in the aided sector, by way of division fall, retrenchment of teachers etc.

Education and Poverty: Confronting the Evidence

Helen F. Ladd, Duke Sanford School of Public Policy
November 2011

Haryana mulls right to play act: Minister

The Times of India, 20 August 2012

To identify sports talent at the school-level, the Haryana government is mulling enactment of a right to play act on the pattern of the Right to Education Act.

This was stated by Haryana Education and Social Welfare minister Geeta Bhukkal while interacting with mediapersons at her residence in Jhajjar on Monday.

The government is mulling enactment of a right to play act to promote sports activities in the state and identify talent in the field at the school-level itself, she said.

HRD ministry amending more education reform bills for consensus

The Economic Times, 20 August 2012

The government is likely to more education reform bills following continued resistance by allies and the Opposition.

65% jump in higher education enrolment in 4 years: Kapil Sibal

The Times of India, 21 August 2012

The number of students enrolling for higher education appears to have shot up dramatically. According to a recent survey done by the HRD ministry, the gross enrolment ratio (GER) for higher education has shot up from 12.4 to 20.2.

Few opt for education in English

The Times of India, 21 August 2012

Nashik: Citizens in rural areas of district made use of the the advantage offered by the Right To Education (RTE) Act to the fullest by securing admissions for available seats in reputed Marathi medium private schools while few opted for English medium institutes.

25% RTE reservation rule sees shoddy performance in schools

The Times of India, 21 August 2012

NHRC issues notice to Karnataka Chief Secretary on RTE

The Hindu, 21 August 2012

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notice to the Karnataka Chief Secretary, seeking a report within four weeks, on the allegations that Oxford English School, Nandini Layout, Bangalore, had chopped off tufts of hair from the heads of four children in order to distinguish them under the Right to Education quota.

Belgaum gets an ‘A’ in RTE

The Times of India, 16 August 2012

Implementation of the Right to Education Act has been largely successful in the district.

Out of the 663 seats reserved under RTE in 53 schools in the district, 527 have been filled with 37 schools filling their quota completely, 14 schools partially and two schools are yet to admit any student under RTE.

Children empowered to monitor RTE

Deccan Herald, 21 August 2012

Schoolchildren are being empowered to oversee proper implementation of India’s ambitious education-for-all law.

The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore has created a Right to Education (RTE) Vigilance committee comprising children – since they are undisputedly the most important stake-holders in education.

10. The effect of education on migration: evidence from school reform

Authors: Petri Böckerman and Mika Petteri Haapanen