Schools to now flash the quality card
Economic Times, 28 Sep 2009

NEW DELHI: In his three years at Kendriya Vidyalaya at RK Puram in Delhi, Bharath Kesav has never been more impressed with his school than he is now. Over the past six months, the class XII student and his schoolmates watched in awe their modest government-run school metamorphose into a model campus, even private schools envy. Today, their teachers use audio-visual aids and power point presentations in classrooms, and the school has a vastly improved computer lab and a great music room. Impressed? Well, hundreds of schools — both private and public — around the country could be aggressively building similar facilities in the next couple of years, as they chase what RK Puram Kendriya Vidyalaya has: a certificate from National Accreditation Board for Education and Training (NABET). More [+]

Cost of Right to Education: Rs 1.78 lakh crore
The Times of India, 29 Sep 2009

NEW DELHI: After the euphoria comes the real test. The cost of implementing the historic Right to Education Act over the next five years by Centre and states works out to a whopping Rs 1.78 lakh crore. The new law will come into force from the next academic year and since right to education is now a fundamental right, it is mandatory on the part of the government to provide what is demanded. HRD ministry sources say the total demand of Rs 1.78 lakh crore when fine-tuned will only work out roughly to just one-third of the staggering amount. They said that nearly Rs 50,000 crore can be provided to the kitty by the Centre and states from the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan fund. This brings the demand down to Rs 1.28 lakh crore. The ministry expects that in the 12th Plan nearly Rs 60,000 crore will be allocated to SSA. But this will still leave the effective demand to Rs 68,000 crore. Then again, Centre will have the tough task of persuading the states to step forward to share the cost of fulfilling the commitment. More [+]

Sibal eyes tie-ups with leading global universities
Economic Times, 29 Sep 2009

NEW DELHI: The Ministry for Human Resource Development is keen to tie up with the world’s leading universities to ensure that its “innovation universities” are a class apart from the pack. During his visit to the US in late October, the minister for human resource development Kapil Sibal would like to firm up MoUs with leading US universities to collaborate with the proposed innovation universities. Among the American universities that are being approached are Yale, Standford and MIT. The government plans to set up 14 innovation universities over the next few years. More [+]

HRD sets up panel to suggest ways for revamping school education
The Times of India, 23 Sep 2009

NEW DELHI: In a clear move to promote public-private partnership in school education, HRD ministry has set up a roundtable consisting of educationists and representatives of the private sector. Though the mandate of the 11-member roundtable, which will hold its first meeting on Thursday, is to suggest ways in which school education can be revamped in the country, sources said, "The ministry wants a synergy between government and private sector. There are big plans in school education and such a roundtable will help thrash out issues." The ministry has already proposed the setting up of 6,000 model schools out of which 2,500 will come up in the PPP mode. More [+]

Right to Education may increase quota to 40 per cent in schools
Indian Express, 23 Sep 2009

New Delhi Schools that have been allotted land by the government at lower rates might now have to reserve almost 40 per cent of seats for students from poorer sections. A Delhi High Court ruling in 2007 had set aside a 15 per cent quota — 10 per cent for children from the economically weaker section (EWS) and five per cent for those of staff. In case the five per cent staff quota wasn’t filled, those seats would also go to EWS children. Newsline has learnt that an additional 25 per cent is being considered for reservation under the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE) for the 390 schools that are on government land allotted at concessional rates. More [+]

8 million Indian children not enrolled in schools
Channel News Asia, 21Sep 2009

Some eight million children in India between the ages of 6 and 14 are not enrolled in schools. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), there are nearly 165 million child labourers in India. They mostly work as rag pickers and earn about half a dollar a day. They come from large families who are too poor to send them to school. Education is a distant dream that they share with nearly 40 per cent of India's illiterate population. But there are some innovative ideas. Chhatisgarh state has come up with a scheme called "Adopt A Girl" which is helping to boost the female literacy rate. Under the scheme, girls living in slums are given free textbooks, stationery and a school bag. They also get mentors who personally ensure that the girls stay in school. More [+]

More international than ICSE or CBSE schools in Mumbai
The Times of India, 22 Sep 2009

MUMBAI: ICSE and CBSE schools, once considered creme de la creme as far as education goes, have long been relegated to a lower rung of the caste system. Today it’s international schools that rule the roost, not only in terms of snob value but also numbers.Five years ago, there were only a handful of international schools scattered across the city. Today, they outnumber both ICSE and CBSE schools—while there are around 75 IGCSE (International General Certificate for Secondary Education) and IB (International Baccalaureate) schools in and around Mumbai, there are approximately 65 ICSE schools and 32 CBSE schools. More [+]

Outlook for Indian Preschool Education Market Seems Bright
www.prlog.org, 22 Sep 2009

The preschool education market in India has evolved rapidly over the recent past. The preschool provides pre-primary education to children generally in the age group of 2-4 years to stimulate the child's physical, intellectual, social and emotional development. This phenomenon has gained significant popularity and is familiar not only with the high-end income groups or rich affluent, but rapidly growing middle class households are finding it more affordable. More [+]

Private school legislation needs overhaul, says Law Commission, New Zealand
Education Forum, Sep 2009

The 90-year-old legislation covering private schools is past its use-by-date and more flexibility is needed to work with private schools, says a new Law Commission report. Some of the serious gaps in the Act could be filled by giving more flexible powers to deal with situations where schools are not meeting standards or complying with the Act. Often the emphasis would be on assisting the school rather than penalising it, a commission statement said. The Law Commission report praised the role of private schools in bringing choice and competition to the education sector: "The freedom of parents to decide how and where their children are educated is important. Private schools provide healthy competition for the state sector in a way that promotes high standards. Private schools can also be better placed to cater for the increasing religious, philosophical and cultural diversity in society." More [+]

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