Out before they are in
The Hindu, March 13, 2011

“On your marks, get set…” Even before the academic race begins, many Indian children are on the back foot. From jostling for entry into ‘premium’ playschools to coaching classes for toddler interviews to finding the right ‘contacts’, parents run from pillar to post to admit their child into a ‘ good’ school. Following a High Court directive in 2007, schools in Delhi have done away with gruelling admission interviews and instead rely on a points system based on residential proximity, siblings in school, parent’s alumni status, education and achievement, with leeway for schools to include their own criteria.

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Education in the US, careers in India
Express Buzz, March 14. 2011

In a surprising finding, a recent study has concluded that an overwhelming majority of Indian students pursuing higher education in the United States would prefer to return home to begin their professional careers. Only eight per cent of the nearly 1,000 Indian students who were surveyed expressed strong preference to stay back in the US. The rest are either planning to return home or are undecided as of now, says the joint study conducted by Rutgers University, Pennsylvania State University and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

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CBSE bans campus sale in its schools
Bangalore Mirror, March 13, 2011

Parents, you have some good news. As per a new rule, the CBSE schools can’t sell books, uniforms or other school-related paraphernalia. The board has given parents a free hand to purchase them in the open market at a competitive price. According to a circular issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education on February 21, a copy of which is with Bangalore Mirror, “The premises of the school should not be used for any commercial activity and no shops for sale of books, uniforms, etc should be operated in the school campus.”

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B-schools get breather, but key concerns still persist
Hindustan Times, March 12, 2011

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) on Friday extended an olive branch to private B-schools battling recently introduced controversial norms, by offering them a minor concession. But major demands of the B-schools — for which they have approached the Supreme Court — remain unaddressed.

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‘Girls go to govt schools, boys to private’
Times of India, March 11, 2011

At a time when Women’s Day is being celebrated with much fanfare the world over, India has a long way to go when it comes to educating ‘Sita’. While a growing number of parents across rural India have begun sending their girls to school, there’s a countrywide preference for sending boys to private schools and girls to government schools

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Spare yourself the nightmare
The Hindu, March 13, 2011

A trend of the times is the enormous confidence that families have in the educational system. The tragedy is that the confidence is frequently misplaced. The apparent success of a few in landing lucrative posts in IT, engineering or management seems to have triggered a veritable tsunami to the portals of privately-run English medium schools. This is a country-wide phenomenon.

Government plans common curriculum for science, maths
Business Standard, March 14, 2011

There could soon be a common curriculum for science and mathematics in schools across the country, Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development D Purandeswari said today. “We are contemplating such an idea where all the schools would have the same curriculum at least in subjects like science, mathematics and commerce. The idea has been agreed in principle by the council of all the State education departments and we are expecting this to be implemented by 2013,” she told reporters on the sidelines of a conference on Education for Sustainable Development Future of Education in India, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry here.

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RTE effect: City’s private schools must apply afresh for recognition
Indian Express, March 11, 2011

With the implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act in Chandigarh, it will be mandatory for all private schools in the city to apply for fresh recognition within three months of the date of implementation. The recognition, to be granted by the UT Education Department, would be allowed on the basis of a self-declaration form, the six-page proforma for which has already been prepared and uploaded on the official website making it accessible to schools.

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Research Paper
Markets vs. Monopolies in Education: A Global Review of the Evidence

ABSTRACT: Would large-scale, free-market reforms improve educational outcomes for American children? That question cannot be answered by looking at domestic evidence alone. Though innumerable “school choice” programs have been implemented around the United States, none has created a truly free and competitive education marketplace. Existing programs are too small, too restriction laden, or both. To understand how genuine market forces affect school performance, we must cast a wider net, surveying education systems from all over the globe. The present paper undertakes such a review, assessing the results of 25 years of international research comparing market and government provision of education, and explaining why these international experiences are relevant to the United States.

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ENABLE – ARK & CCS’s School Access and Voucher Programme

ARK’s work in Delhi has identified many communities where children are facing multiple social and economic challenges which put them at great risk of being excluded, dropping out or never attending school. To address this need ARK has partnered with Centre for Civil Society (CCS)
to implement ENABLE (Ensure Access to Better Learning Experiences), a school access and
voucher programme for underprivileged children in Shahdara.Read more

School Choice National Conference Video

Watch this video to catch the highlights of the School Choice National Conference 2010 held at India Habitat Centre on December 18, 2010.

Click here for the video

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

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