Over 16k RTE seats vacant
The Times of India, 18 June 2012

BANGALORE: There are no takers as yet for over 16,000 seats reserved for the underprivileged in city schools. For instance, for 16,656 seats available in schools falling under the 25% quota in Bangalore South, only 2,384 applications have been filed. Similarly, for over 4,000 seats available in schools in Bangalore North, only 1,868 valid applications have been received by the BEOs. The education officers, responsible for implementing the act, appear clueless. "We are aware that a lot of seats will remain free, but we have no further guidelines from the government. May 25 was set as the last date for the submission of applications under the 25% quota, which implies that application forms won't be issued after that," said an education officer.

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Won’t enroll students under RTE Act: Schools
Deccan Chronicle, 19 June 2012

COIMBATORE: Many schools are reportedly turning away students who seek admission under the right to education (RTE) Act, while other schools take shelter under the reason that parents have not approached them for free seats this year. Lack of clarity in implementing the RTE Act, with no proper guidelines or instructions to education officials, has put everyone in a difficult situation. “We have received many calls from parents who did not get a seat under RTE in leading schools. The schools, citing one reason or the other, have denied admission to the children,” said Mr R. Manimohan, chairman of the coordinating committee of students’ welfare association of parents (SWAP), here on Monday.

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Class I admission: Last year’s official figure a blown-up version
The Times of India, 19 June 2012

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While the official figure on students joining class I in state-syllabus schools show a decline in numbers, a reality check raises doubts about this head count. The difference between the number of kids who joined class I last year and this year is being cited to claim that the number of students joining state-syllabus schools is on the decline. "Last year's figure could have been blown up to prevent issues arising out of less number of students enrolling in class I. But the Right to Education Act, which is being implemented from this year, is strict on the count while taking care of all the issues that might arise in case the number of students falls," said director of public instructions A Shajahan.

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Seamy side of schooling
The Telegraph, 19 June 2012

RANCHI: If you are a needy child — boy or girl doesn’t matter — from the margins and are lucky to have bagged a berth at a government-run residential school, welcome to textbooks but please don’t expect toilets. This shocking truth is revealed by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in its scathing report following visits to Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Gumla, and Residential School for Tribal Boys, Baridih, under Ranchi district. These schools, tucked in the grimy, poverty-ridden folds of the hinterland, makes a mockery of the Right to Education Act due to the sheer hardship shorn of dignity that comes hand in hand with basic schooling.

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RTE quota: Parents rush to get admission documents
Hindustan Times, 18 June 2012

MUMBAI: For Jyoti Sonawane, a domestic help who stays in Goregaon, the last few days have been tough. While she is happy that her four-year-old daughter’s application for junior KG has been accepted at Bangur Nagar Vidya Bhavan, Goregaon, the process of acquiring an income certificate has been a difficult one. The state education department has taken steps to ease the process for applicants. “I have spoken to the sub-divisional officer to direct tehsildars to issue the certificates for RTE applicants as early as possible,” said Deshmukh.

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RTE: 32,000 schools to be put on notice
Daily News and Analysis, 13 June 2012

MUMBAI: Around 32,000 schools in the state will be slapped with notices for not following the rule of giving 25% of their seats to students from weaker socioeconomic sections under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education 2009 (RTE) Act this academic year. Another notice will also be issued to schools that haven’t started the process for obtaining a certificate of registration which has become mandatory for all schools under the new Act. As per preliminary data, not more than 20 students have been admitted into the schools under the 25% quota. The education department will now seek an explanation from every school, including 20,460 government-aided schools and 12,144 private unaided schools.

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Nagpur schools to reopen admissions to enlist students under RTE
The Times of India, 15 June 2012

NAGPUR: In a major development late on Thursday, several city schools have agreed to reopen their admissions at entry level (Std I) from June 20 specifically to accommodate students under the 25% free quota as mandated by the Right To Education. Deputy director of education Mahesh Karajgaonkar said, "At the RTE awareness seminar on Wednesday I asked the principals to reopen their admissions”. Karajgaonkar's suggestion has been termed as the 'Common Programme' (CP) which all schools will follow. It is basically a timetable from the reopening of admissions till the allotment of seats.

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Budget –private schools to hold agitation against RTE rules
Indian Express, 14 June 2012

DELHI: Representatives of at least 5,000 budget-private schools from across the country convened in the Capital to discuss the road forward as most face the threat of closure for not meeting certain criteria set by the Right to Education Act, 2009. The schools, under the umbrella organisation, National Independent Schools’ Alliance (NISA), are planning to start a nation-wide campaign against “certain rules under the RTE,” NISA national coordinator R C Jain said on Wednesday.

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Poland scores late goals in education
BBC News, 12 June 2012

Among eastern European, former-Communist countries, Poland has been the biggest education success story - following modernising reforms launched at the end of the 1990s. It has also been more successful than most countries at one of the holy grails for education reform, equality of opportunity. Poland's schools are succeeding, more than many others, in narrowing the gap between the weak and the strong, the gifted and the challenged. No other European country has climbed the international education tables quite so consistently as this nation, which emerged so recently from decades of totalitarian rule and economic hardship.

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The Jordan Education Initiative: A Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Model to Support Education Reform
Authors: Haif Bannayan, Juliana Guaqueta, Osama Obeidat, Harry Anthony Patrinos and Emilio Porta

Abstract: The Jordan Education Initiative, launched in 2003 under the umbrella of the World Economic Forum, is a publicprivate partnership, or multi-stakeholder partnership, that integrates information and communication technologies into the education process as a tool for teaching and learning in grades 1–12. This initiative fits within the ongoing reform of the education system in Jordan that began in the 1990s. The Jordan Education Initiative’s main objective is to help Jordanian students develop critical knowledge economy skills crucial for competitiveness and economic growth. The Initiative also seeks to build the capacity of the local information technology industry for the development of innovative learning solutions, and to build a sustainable model of reform supported by the private sector that could be scaled nationally and replicated in other developing countries.

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Caste…What Caste?
The Gujarat Department of Education has declared that any derogatory reference to caste, religion, profession or gender will be removed from school textbooks. This brings to the fore the contradictory functioning of the government, the necessity to shy away from the responsibility to confront social issues and the lack of autonomy faced by our schools. Click here to read more

Government plays vote bank politics under guise of RTE reservations
Several small budget schools in Delhi and 11 other states alleged that the government is trying to create a vote bank by encouraging reservation within reservation for EWS and disadvantaged categories. Click here to know more

Now, eSMS for better monitoring of schools
Aimed at ensuring effective supervision of the public schools the state government has embarked on an ambitious electronic school monitoring system (eSMS). Click here to learn 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]

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