Private schools shy away from seeking government recognition
The Indian Express, 14 May 2012

Right To Education Act Out of the total 9,800 private schools functioning in Punjab, only about 3,000 have approached the education department showing their willingness to be registered and recognized under the RTE Act. Majority of the other schools have written to the government that they do not need to get recognized by the education department as they are already affiliated with the Punjab School Education Board.

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Define minority for Right to Education: Schools
The Times of India, 15 May 2012

BANGALORE: Who belongs to a minority? What does the law say about it as far as schools are concerned? When does the government plan to decode this term? These were some questions the Karnataka (recognized) Unaided Schools Management's Association (KUSMA) asked the government on Monday.

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Admissions done, no seats left for more students this year: schools
Hindustan Times, 15 May 2012

Principals from schools in the city on Monday said it would not be possible to ensure that 25% of the seats are reserved for economically weaker students from Class 1 or entry level, a provision under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, from this June. Schools said they have already completed the admission process for the 2012-13 academic year and have no vacant seats for the reserved category students.

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Schools must give 25% seats to poor from this year
The Times of India, 15 May 2012

MUMBAI : The state government , in a bid to ensure implementation of the Right To Education (RTE) Act, has made it mandatory for schoolsto admit 25% students from weaker sections and disadvantaged groups from neighbouring areas at the entry level from this year . A decision to this effect was taken during a meeting presided over by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Monday. The government will initiate action against schools that do not adhere to the norm.

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1,800 schools under KUSMA to defy RTE
Deccan Herald, 14 May 2012

The Karnataka Unaided Schools’ Management Association (KUSMA) has said that all the 1,800 schools coming under it will defy the Right To Education (RTE) Act. Noting that the State government had failed to define a ‘minority institution,’ the KUSMA office-bearers and their legal advisor on Monday said that the Association had decided to ‘face the consequences’ and not implement the RTE this academic year.

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The story of Shiksha Kendra: RTE shutters schools for poor
First Post India, 14 May 2012

With less than a year to go before the deadline for the implementation of the Right to Education Act expires, the practice of running unrecognised schools or running exclusive shifts for children from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) by private schools is about to end.

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E-education sector to cross $45 bn mark by 2015
Zee News, 13 May 2012

Mumbai: At USD 600 billion, the education spending in India has surpassed that of the US and is growing by leaps and bounds, a research report said. The education spend in India is at USD 600 billion and the private education segment alone is expected to cross USD 45 billion mark by 2015 from the present USD 35 billion, according to a research report prepared by Investor Relation Society, affiliated to US based Global Investor Relations Network.

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Lok Capital, Acumen to fund social education venture
Livemint, 14 May 2012

New Delhi: Venture capital (VC) firms Lok Capital and Acumen Fund have invested aboutRs. 8 crore in a Karnataka-based social education venture, Hippocampus Learning Centres, that takes kindergarten concepts to villages.

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The relative importance of social and cultural capital for educational performance: Eastern versus Western Europe
Author: Prokic-Breuer, Tijana

Abstract: The sociology of education has a long-standing tradition of researching the causes of educational inequality. As the massive body of literature suggests, it is above all ability - the differences in intelligence and personality - that explains variations in performance (Dronkers, 2010). Family background comes in second when examining factors that influence educational performance. A child's family background consists of a variety of aspects, including parents' educational level and the family's cultural endowments (Dronkers, 2010). All of the aspects portray the total environment that the child comes from, which includes financial, occupational, social and cultural endowments.

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To Educate Children, We Have To Teach Their Parents
Despite a high primary net enrolment rate of 91% (WDI, 2008), more than 5.5 million children are still out of school in India and of those enrolled in primary school only 66% survive to grade 5 (UIS, 2007). Thus, retention still remains a severe issue. Click here to read more

Is RTE really a Pro-Poor ACT?
Even with an average enrollment of 200 per school, the total enrollment in such schools will well overshoot the total number of children in the 6-14 age category. Click here to read more

25% Reservation: A perception study on its implementation and impactWith the enactment of the Right to Education Act (specifically Clause 12 i.e. the reservation of 25% of the entry-level seats in all private unaided schools for government-sponsored Economically Weaker Section (EWS) students. Click here to read more

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]

Please write in with your feedback at [email protected]

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