RTE may not necessarily help tribal children: Study
Swati Shinde, Times of India, October 4, 2010

Physical access to schooling and socio-cultural difference between children from scheduled tribes and children from the mainstream are factors responsible for tribal children being deprived of basic education, and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, will not necessarily help the tribal population of the country, reveals a recent study.

More [+]

Navodayas may be exempted from ‘no-screening’ rule
Anubhuti Vishnoi and Maneesh Chhibber, Indian Express, October 4, 2010

The Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas could be kept out of the contentious ‘no-screening’ mechanism for school admissions that has come into effect with the Right to Education Act.

In its response to the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry’s queries on the issue, the Law Ministry has said Navodaya schools are “a class apart” and so applying the neighbourhood concept or no-screening method to them will prevent talented students from making it to the schools, defeating their purpose and mandate.

More [+]

Embracing difference
Bhavya Dore, Hindustan Times Mumbai, October 04, 2010

Ibrahim Patkar, 10, and his classmate Afdar Khan, 11, are locked in battle, playing ‘stone paper scissors’. Elsewhere in the classroom Amanjot Singh, 11, and Manish Kadam, 12, are shifting in their seats waiting for class to begin. While Patkar suffers from muscular dystrophy and is wheelchair-bound, Singh is visually challenged and Kadam is mildly autistic.

More [+]

From next year, pursue BEd with BA or BSc
PTI, October 4, 2010

In a move aimed at providing more trained teachers, select universities will soon offer BEd course along with graduation in science or arts subjects under the 3+1 pattern.

“In a meeting presided by HRD minister Kapil Sibal, vice-chancellors of central universities have agreed to the proposal. Decks will be cleared to introduce it in July 2011, once it gets the nod of the academic councils of select universities,” Ignou vice-chancellor V N Rajashekharan Pillai said.

.More [+]

Sibal says foreign universities upbeat on India
India Infoline News Service, October 04, 2010

The three centres of excellence – the Centre for Critical, Technical and Advanced Science, the Virginia Bio Informatics Centre and the Virginia Transport and Technical Institute – would be set up with an Indian partner. Experts seem to be taking in the information with a pinch of salt.

More [+]

IIM-A pushes for placement reporting
Dayananda Meitei & Hemali Chhapia, TNN, October 4, 2010

The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) has decided to introduce placement reporting standards for all B-schools in the country to bring in greater objectivity and uniformity in the manner placement reports in B schools are projected in the media.

More [+]

CBSE seeks global aid to better school education
Shruba Mukherjee, Deccan Herral, October 3, 2010

Close on the heels of launching CBSE-International, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has urged “organisations of international repute” to put in place a system in the country to hone human resources, streamline curriculum and evaluate school education. The board urged international organisations to send their expressions of interest to set up a centre that would develop capabilities and resources for its schools and teachers, CBSE sources told Deccan Herald.

More [+]

Cyber Children
Pravda Godbole, Business Standard, October 4, 2010

Websites that appeal to every taste and hobby help create virtual hang-outs for the young.

The number of gaming sites for kids is fast growing in the Indian cyberspace. One of the most recent entrants is Disney, whose Club Penguin launched an Indian website to widen its virtual world where users waddle around as penguins. They can play games, chat and decorate their igloos.

More [+]

Research Paper
English Language Premium: Evidence from a policy experiment in India

Shilpi Kapur and Tanika Chakraborty, Washington University in St Louis, September 2008

A key question facing education policymakers in many emerging economies is whether to promote the local language, as opposed to English, in elementary schools. The dilemma is particularly strong in countries that underwent rapid globalization, making English a lingua franca for international as well as domestic exchange. In this paper, we estimate the change in returns to English skills in response to globalization by exploiting an exogenous language policy intervention in the state of West Bengal in India. Our results indicate a significantly high English skill premium in the labor market in terms of 2004 wages. A 1% decrease in the probability of learning English lowers weekly wages by 1.6%. On average, this implies a 68% reduction in wages due to the language policy change. A closer look into the channel through which this inequality has grown reveals that occupational choice played a decisive role in determining the wage gap.

More [+]

Student First! Magazine

The inaugural issue of Student First! Magazine is out. Read it here

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.

Student First! Dialogue Series

Topic: Social Audit in School Education

4 November 2010

Casuarina Hall, India Habitat Centre,

New Delhi

For more information

This is our 105th edition. Please give your feedback to make it more useful to you at [email protected]

Disclaimer: Copyright of the contents of this newsletter remains with the original author/publisher.