Chennai govt. moves SC, challenges HC order on uniform syllabus
The Times of India, July 20, 2011

CHENNAI: The state government on Tuesday filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court challenging the order of the Madras high court asking it to implement Samacheer Kalvi (uniform syllabus education system) in schools across Tamil Nadu. In its order on Monday, the Madras HC struck down Section 3 of the Uniform System of School Education (Amendment Act 2010), passed by the AIADMK government, as unconstitutional. Section 3 sought to defer the implementation of Samacheer Kalvi, introduced by the previous DMK regime, for academic year 2011-12.

More [+]

Many schools dodge taxes
Deccan Herald, July 20, 2011

Most of these schools are making a killing in the name of imparting education in English medium. The norms in the Karnataka Municipal Corporation (KMC) Act too have helped the educational institutions to thrive, as it offers a major concession in property tax. They have to pay just one-fourth of the amount paid by residential building owners. Despite enjoying so many benefits, they haven’t paid the tax for the last many years, documents accessed by Deccan Herald under the Right to Information (RTI) Act show.

More [+]

Role reversal in Andhra Pradesh: Students to evaluate teachers
The Times of India, July 20, 2011

HYDERABAD: State schools will see a role reversal in their classrooms soon. Starting this academic year, students will be asked to evaluate the performance of teachers. As per a decision taken by the department of school education, students of both private and government schools will be allowed to evaluate the performance of teachers in the classroom from this December.

More [+]

Human Rights Watch expresses concern at attacks on schools
The Hindu, July 20, 2011

The Human Rights Watch has expressed concern at the growing attacks by Naxals on schools and teachers in India, especially in some districts of Bihar and Jharkhand, and at the occupation of educational institutions by the security forces.

More [+]

Private schools complying with RTE norms may get state’s nod
The Times of India, July 21, 2011

PUNE: Private institutions that have been waiting to open schools for the past two years may finally get the nod now from the state government. However, it comes with a rider. The state government will place a self-financed schools’ bill in the monsoon session of the state assembly for private unaided schools. Permission to start schools will be given only to those institutions that will follow the guideline laid down by the Right to Children for Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.

More [+]

School league tables to exclude thousands of vocational qualifications
The Guardian, July 20, 2011

Thousands of vocational qualifications which do not offer pupils a chance to go on to further study after 16 are due to be stripped out of school league tables, the government has announced. Qualifications such as an NVQ level 2 in hairdressing, which is worth the equivalent of six GCSEs, and an OCR level 2 national certificate in travel and tourism – worth four GCSEs – are likely to be ditched. But ministers are expected to allow graded music exams to count as the equivalent of a GCSE from 2014. Music exams are currently given the same value as part of a GCSE.

More [+]

Macmillan ordered to pay $17m for corruption in South Sudan
The Guardian, July 25, 2011

Macmillan Publishers has been banned from participating in World Bank tenders for a minimum of three years after being ordered to pay more than $17.7m (£11m) for paying officials to win an education deal in South Sudan.The order by the high court followed a two-year investigation by the Serious Fraud Office over payments made by part of its education business, Macmillan Education.

More [+]

Gove holds firm on school rebuild plans
BBC, July 19, 2011

The education secretary has refused to reinstate a string of school revamps which the High Court said he scrapped unlawfully. Michael Gove was ordered to look again at his decision to axe 58 school rebuilds in six council areas, on the grounds that he failed to consult them. But Mr. Gove only agreed to meet the councils’ costs. In future cash for England’s school building would be targeted at the most dilapidated schools, he added.

More [+]

Research: Whether to Hire Local Contract Teachers? Trade-off Between Skills and Preferences in India

Authors: Sonja Fagernas & Panu Pelkonen

Whether to hire teachers locally on a contract basis, or via competitive examinations as government officials, is a major policy question in developing countries. We use a Discrete Choice Experiment to assess the job preferences of 700 future elementary school teachers in the state of Uttarakhand in India. The students have been selected using either competitive examination or from a pool of locally hired contract teachers. Skills in English, Arithmetic and Vocabulary are also tested. We find a trade-off between skills and preferences, as students hired using competitive examination have higher skills, but prefer posts in less remote regions.

More [+]

Research – Year-Round Learning: Linking School, Afterschool, and Summer Learning to Support Student Success

Authors: Sarah Deschenes and Helen Janc Malone

There is growing national discussion about the need to create a more expansive definition of learning to include all the ways that youth can access educational opportunities—not just through the traditional school model, but also through afterschool activities, time spent with the family, and increasingly, through interaction with digital media. Broadening our ideas about where, when, and how learning happens helps communities to create richer learning pathways that have the potential to include more nonacademic opportunities to help youth gain the skills necessary for a healthy adulthood, offer a seamless learning environment that can help stem summer learning loss, and tap resources outside of schools for additional opportunities to help close the achievement gap.

More [+]

Higher Education - courtesy Vladimir Kazanevsky

BOOK YOUR CALENDAR

Next Student First! Dialogue Series on

August 10, 2011

"Strengthening Teacher Accountability through Right to Education Act”

RTE BLOG

Private Tuitions by School Teachers

Read Vidya Sagar Pancholi’s blog on our website

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

400 girl children from poor families of North East Delhi receive school vouchers for a period of 4 years.
For details visit our website

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

This is our 146th 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.