New plan to educate poor
Chetan Chauhan, Hindustan Times, 17 May 2010

In a major push for inclusive education, the government has decided to allow corporates, non-profit companies and societies to open 2,500 schools across the country. The Public Private Partnership (PPP) model finalised by the Planning Commission in consultation with the private sector this week allows the government to fill 1,000 of the 2,500 seats in each school with children from the deprived sections.

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Right to Education Act: A Critique
Parth Shah and Shreya Agarwal, CFO Connect, May 2010

Most people know that the RTE Act is important, but otherwise understand very little of what it says. To understand it really requires some background knowledge which this article attempts by providing a historical narrative, an outline of its key features, and a description of its serious flaws. It then suggests recommendations to address these flaws. Our assessment is that the RTE is a mixed bag, with some good and some really bad ideas. It requires our sustained engagement to improve its design and a proper implementation. More [+]

Tax-saving deposit scheme to fund loans to students, educational institutions
Jayaswal & Subhash Narayan, The Economic Times, 13 May 2010

The government is drawing up a tax-saving bank deposit scheme that will raise funds for cheap loans to educational institutions and students aspiring to become doctors, engineers, fashion designers and software engineers.Investments in deposits under the proposed First Education Savings Scheme (FESS) will be eligible for tax exemption similar to the public provident fund or life insurance premium. More [+]

Near corridors of power, kids who fell through RTE cracks
Maroosha Muzaffar, Indian Express,14 May 2010

The primary aim of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act is to bring out-of-school children within the ambit of education. But even weeks after the ambitious Act was passed, not much has changed for the children who have to slog on the streets to earn their daily bread, even very close to the power centres in the Capital. More [+]

Delhi RTE Drive starts with 30 mobile schools
Maroosha Muzaffar, Indian Express, 7 May 2010

“Delhi being the Capital, there are a lot of migrant labourers coming into the city. That add to the increasing number of out-of school children. The 30 mobile schools, to be started this year, will cater to these children,” Education Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely.The department has also empanelled 30 NGOs to run these schools. “The buses will be stationed at red light areas, traffic signals and construction sites,” said Lovely, adding that the students “will later be brought into the mainstream”. More [+]

High Court asks school to take back dyslexic student
The Times of India, 15 May 2010

Shocked at the manner in which a Delhi school treated a student by asking him to leave once he was found to be dyslexic, the Delhi high court has ordered the school to take him back."School poses multiple challenges for students with dyslexia and such other disorders, but it is the responsibility of the school to provide a friendly and conducive environment to channelize their energies so that such children can successfully thrive in the classroom," the HC observed More [+]

Mumbai varsity to offer credits system
Hemali Chhapia, The Times of India, 13 May 2010

Studying economics along with law or maths in tandem with music will now be possible at the University of Mumbai.In a watershed move, the faculty of the university's three largest streams—arts, science and commerce—have approved a choice-based credit and semester system at the undergraduate and post-graduate level from this June. The three proposals will now move up to the academic council, and will be tabled later before the management council for official sanctions. More [+]

Yes to school vouchers: Low-income families need a fresh option
The star Ledger, 13 May 2010

Today, the New Jersey Legislature will consider a bill to provide vouchers for up to 20,000 of these families so their children can attend private schools, even religious ones. It would ramp up to that number over five years, and be expanded if it works well.The bill has two significant flaws, though, and it is alarming to hear that it’s on a fast track in the Senate. One concerns financing and second that the bill fails to hold private schools accountable. More [+]

Report of the Bordia Committee in implementation of the RTE Act, 2009 and the resultant revamp of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
MHRD, Department of School Education and Literacy, April 2010

The RTE Act has important implications for the overall approach and implementation strategies of SSA, and it is necessary to harmonize the SSA vision, strategies and norms with the RTE mandate. In this context the Department of School Education and Literacy set up a Committee under the Chairpersonship of Shri Anil Bordia, former Education Secretary, Government of India, to suggest follow up action on SSA vis-à-vis the RTE Act. This is the report drafted by the appointed Committee. More [+]

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