RTE: Kapil Sibal to meet all stakeholders for discussion
Deccan Herald, July 30, 2010

After his ministry reacted sharply to the elitist stand of some private schools of Bangalore on provisions relating to the Right to Education Act (RTE), Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal has convened a meeting to discuss all issues pertaining to the implementation of the law on August 14.The meeting comes in the wake of some of the Bangalore schools’ ‘discriminatory’ notice on reserving 25 per cent seats to children belonging to weaker sections, reported by Deccan Herald on Thursday.

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Consumer court gets tutorial to refund fees
Pankaj Sharma, Daily News & Analysis, August 2, 2010

In a relief to thousands of students studying in coaching institutes, a consumer forum in Delhi has held that they can seek a refund of fees if they decide to leave an institute without completing the course. Though it was a Delhi consumer forum decision for coaching institute Brilliant Tutorials to refund Rs 36,250 to a student who left the course midway due to health problems, it will have a bearing on hundreds of coaching institutes in the city-state.

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Thanks to RTE, there goes the neighbourhood school: Parents
Daily News & Analysis, August 1, 2010

The government’s Right to Education (RTE) Act may have got schools fuming, but it has also irked parents in the city. With Bethany High School in Koramangala making headlines for a circular to parents stating: “Once this Act is enforced, a child could beat up your child, smoke on the campus, misbehave with a girl or a teacher and the school will have to watch helplessly. But, after the Act is in place even if such incidents occur, we will not be in position to take any action”, parents across the city are nodding in agreement.

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This civic school is a class apart
Manthan K Mehta, The Times of India, August 2, 2010,

Looks are deceptive can well be true for Pali-Chimbai Municipal School in Bandra. Adopted by Aseema, an NGO, it ranks among most professional run civic schools in the city. Interestingly, this is also the only BMC school that has instituted a Parent-Teachers’ Association (PTA). Maria D’Souza, education officer, Pali-Chimbai Municipal School said, “The PTA was formed last year as we wanted parents to get involved in the education of their kids. Though economically disadvantaged, these parents have actively participated in all the PTA meetings.

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Role shift: Parents to screen schools
Indian Express, August 02 2010

Manika Awasthi, a corporate professional, has started visiting various schools in and around Gurgaon to make sure her only son Shiv goes to the “right” school.“Schools screen parents, so why can’t parents screen the schools before seeking admission for the child,” says Awathi. A resident of Nirvana Country in Gurgaon, she says, “It is tough to get admission in schools, we are doing our best. I went to the Sun City School and Heritage School over the weekend. I am also planning to go to other schools that allow ‘walk-throughs’.

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Try out school vouchers
Economic Times, July 31 2010

School vouchers should be an integral part of the Centre’s plans to implement the Right to Education (RTE). For the state to spend gargantuan amounts on school education is fine, but to insist that the delivery too would be by the state is meaningless.Surveys have shown that government teachers are absent from their schools and children cannot do simple arithmetic or write small paragraphs after years of schooling. Reforms in governance are, therefore, a must.

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U.K. doesn’t intend to probe Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan for corruption
Aarti Dhar, The Hindu, July 28, 2010

he United Kingdom has told India that it does not propose to investigate the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) programme for alleged corruption vis-à-vis the grants provided by the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID). There were reports in the British media that the funds given for the flagship programme were being misused.

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Rs 6 lakh grant for schools with a majority of SC students
Indian Express, July 31 2010

The UP Cabinet on Friday gave sanction to the proposal to give financial assistance of Rs 6 lakh to private recognised primary schools in the state having a majority of scheduled caste students.The grant will be one-time financial assistance in a year and will be utilised to pay salary to teachers and upgrade the infrastructure of the schools.

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Research Paper
Islamic Education, A Brief History of Madrassas With Comments on Curricula and Current Pedagogical Practices

World Bank

Since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, most writers, scholars, politicians, diplomats, development workers, teachers, students and others have been trying tounderstand the reasons behind that devastating day. Muslim radicalism, Islamic fanaticism, Muslim fundamentalism are a few terms that have become very popular. At the same time, many people in the West have become more interested in learning about Islam. There has been a surge in sales of books dealing with the topic of Islam.

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This book is a rich text presenting a cross cultural, cross national, and cross time account of preschool education. The research presented builds on the work conducted by Joseph Tobin and colleagues for Preschool in Three Cultures originally published in 1989. This book builds on a historical framework, integrating it with an ethnographic perspective, to better explore how recent societal changes have produced a specific set of modifications in China, Japan, and the United States; and how these changes, in turn, have an impact on everyday school practices.

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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.

James Tooley’s “The Beautiful Tree” bags 2010 Fisher International Memorial Award.
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