Education outlay to take a beating in 12th Plan
The Hindu Business Line, 06 August 2012

The education outlay during the 12th Five Year Plan might be affected due to the downward revision of national growth rates, Narendra Jadhav, Member, Planning Commission, indicated here on Monday.

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CBSE plans to test it’s students problem solving skills
The Times of India, 06 August 2012

Class 9 and 11 students from Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools will have more tests to take and they will not have an option of opting out of this one. Following complaints about students not having problem solving or communication skills, the CBSE has decided to hold exams to test these very skills. Starting this academic year, the CBSE will hold a compulsory Problem Solving Assessment (CBSE-PSA) to encourage students to start thinking, instead of just borrowing ideas. It will assess students in quantitative and qualitative reasoning and language conventions.

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Karnataka wants PUC level education under RTE ambit
The Times of India, 02 August 2012

Karnataka may have lagged behind other states in implementing the RTE Act but it’s in a hurry to push the Centre to amend the Act to extend the provision of free and compulsory education up to the age of 18, from the present 6-14 category. Primary and secondary education minister Visveshwara Hegde Kageri on Wednesday said they have been pressing the Centre to bring PUC level education under RTE ambit and also share the financial burden of implementing the provisions with states. “The expenditure on implementing the legislation will run into thousands of crores of rupees in the coming years, and the Centre should clearly spell out on its share,” Kageri said. The minister said the government has lodged a complaint against Karnataka Unaided Schools Management Association (Kusma) president GS Sharma for his alleged derogatory remark against students from lower strata and warned of action against private managements refusing to implement the RTE Act.

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Odisha working on education primers in tribal dialects
The Times of India, 01 August 2012

The Odisha Primary Education Programme Authority (OPEPA) will develop bilingual primers in 10 tribal dialects for children from Class I to Class III with an aim to ensure equity in educational opportunities for tribal children. The primers will cover all schools having 100% monolingual tribal students. The bilingual primers are being developed in 10 major tribal languages - Munda, Santhali, Kissan, Oraon, Kuvi, Saura, Koya, Bonda, Juanga and Saura.

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Right to Education impact: 66,000 students get admission in private schools
The Times of India, 01 August 2012

In all, 66,306 out of 2.09 lakh students from the economically and socially weaker sections have received admission into 8,500 private schools in the state under the 25% reservation provided under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. About 5,440 students were given admission to private schools under this provision in Pune district. According to the RTE Act, all private schools other than unaided minority schools will have to enrol 25% students from the economically and socially weaker sections, in std I or the entry level.

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Karnataka to only recruit teachers with adequate qualifications
NDTV, 02 August 2012

The Karnataka government on Thursday informed the state assembly that it has decided to recruit only those who are graduates and also hold a Bachelor of Education degree to teach students from sixth standard with a view to improving the quality of education. The government is already conducting orientation courses for in-service teachers to hone their teaching skills with the assistance from Knowledge Commission and Wipro Foundation, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri said while replying to a debate on implementation of Right to Education (RTE) Act in the assembly.

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RTE discrimination: NCPCR seeks action against school
Firstpost, 19 July 2012

Worried over reports about children admitted under economically weaker section quota being insulted by private schools, the national child rights body has asked states to withhold recognition of institutions found guilty of discriminating against such students. In a letter to Chief Secretaries of all the states, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) also recommended formulation of a code of conduct for private schools and punitive action against them if the provisions are violated.

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Semesters to help reduce rote learning
Daily News & Analysis, 06 August 2012

While every one cribs about the flawed nature of India’s education system, which has traditionally adopted the usual method of learning by rote to test children’s learning, there appears now an end in sight to it. With the introduction of a semester system from class 6 to 8, the good news for students is that after every chapter it will become mandatory for them to undertake a project or activity pertaining to it. The new system will have weightage of 40 marks in semester exam. A student who is not good in academics can score by performing well in these activities,” said Saroj Khubchandani, principal of HB Kapadia School. As a result, students have some spare time in the classroom when they are asked to stand in order of their height to learn about ascending or descending order. The teacher immediately finds out if a student has not understood the concept. More interesting is Just a Minute (JAM), where English is tested when students are asked to speak on a topic for a minute.

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Do Fiscal and Political Decentralization Raise Students' Performance? A Cross-Country Analysis
Authors: Diaz-Serrano, Luis; Meix-Llop, Enric (Universitat Rovira i Virgili)

Abstract: The low quality of education is a persistent problem in many developed countries. Parallel to in the last decades exists a tendency towards decentralization in many developed and developing countries. Using micro data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) referred to 22 countries, we test whether there exists an impact of fiscal and political decentralization on student performance in the areas of mathematics, reading skills and science. We observe that fiscal decentralization exerts an unequivocal positive effect on students’ outcomes in all areas, while the effect of political decentralization is more ambiguous. On the one hand, the capacity of the subnational governments to rule on its region has a positive effect on students’ performance in mathematics. On the other hand, the capacity to influence the country as a whole has a negative impact on mathematics achievement. As a general result, we observe that students’ performance in Mathematics is more sensible to these exogenous variations than in Sciences and reading skills.

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SCHOOL CHOICE NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Delivering Education: From Policy to Practice

04 December 2012
The Theatre, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, India

Save the Date!

Minority by claim or minority by establishment?In its recent judgement the Apex Court held that the rights of minorities to establish and administer minority institutions under Articles 29 (1) and 30 (1) of the Constitution are not subject to restrictions(S. H. Kapadia, CJI, at paragraphs 14 to 19). The judgement goes further to state that the protection which is afforded under these provisions is a ‘real right’ and is distinguished from the guarantee under Article 19 (1) (g) which is subject to certain restrictions [Article 19 (6) of the Constitution]; thereby implying that Articles 29 and 30 take precendence over Article 19 (1) (g). Breathing life into Article 15 (5) of the Constitution, the Court held that only reasonable regulations which make a minority educational institution “an effective vehicle of education for the minority community” may be imposed by the Executive or the Legislature. Therefore, minority unaided institutions have been exempted from the provisions of the RTE Act. However, the judgement does not clarify whether unaided minority institutions are exempt only from the 25% reservation or the entire act. Click here to know more

What Tech Education Businesses In India Can Do To Cross The Chasm
After Educomp and Everonn built large businesses over the last few years,many education-focused businesses are emerging,piping existing and new content into classrooms or homes using new technology platforms like web,cloud,tablet and VSAT.  However,it is debatable if any of these businesses have measurably improved student learning outcomes. Click here to know more

RTE? How about quality?
As probably any economist who analyses the complicated and ever-growing problems faced in an economy would argue, the long term solution to extensive problems such as poverty and unemployment is the access to education for all individuals alike. There is a simple cycle in play wherein education is concerned: If you have an educational qualification, you are capable of being an employee and in turn can earn a living and again, provide education to your children. However, the quality of your education decides your capability and the quality of living you earn.Click here to know more

To initiate and continue the discussion amongst concerned groups and individuals on the issue of right of education and monitor the implementation
of the RTE Act, an RTE Coalition has been formed. Join the coalition to make universal elementary education a reality in India.

Log on to www.righttoeducation.in
for more information

Skill Vouchers - Global Experiences and Lessons for India

Leah Verghese and Parth J Shah

A study of the role that skill vouchers can play in catalysing demand for quality skill development services. This study examines global experiences with skill vouchers and draws lessons for India from these experiences.

For more click here

Reservation in Private Schools under the Right to Education Act: Model for Implementation

Shekhar Mittal and Parth J Shah

Through this document the Centre for Civil Society seeks to highlight the lacunae in the current framework for 25% reservation for weaker and disadvantaged groups in unaided private schools and seeks to provide inputs on effective implementation of the same.

For more click here

School Vouchers for Girls

400 girl children from poor families of North East Delhi receive school vouchers for a period of 4 years.
For details visit our website

For more details on how to support, log on to www.schoolchoice.in or email us at [email protected]

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