RTE rule book goes for a toss
The Times of India, 07 July 2012

NAGPUR: The Right to Education (RTE) Act rule book seems to have gone for a toss as local education officials zealously try to fill the 25 per cent free quota seats, especially in CBSE schools. In a meeting held on Friday with CBSE principals, education officers declared that admissions will remain open till September 30 and that the distance restrictions for neighbourhood schools be 'overlooked'. However, CBSE schools cry foul saying the education department has been systematically shifting the goalpost in absolute contravention of an agreed plan.

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Some schools don't spare the cane, RTE ban on corporal punishment only on paper
The Times of India, 09 July 2012

BANGALORE: During a visit last week to a government school in JC Nagar, a group of 20 bare-footed children were seen practicing 'attention' and 'stand at ease'. The Kannada medium students were intimidated not so much by the English commands as the trainer brandishing a cane. Every once in a while, he summoned a child and wielded his cane. That corporal punishment was being practised with impunity in the school only underlined how the crucial aspect of ban on corporal punishment in RTE has been overshadowed in all the heat generated over the 25% quota.

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Top Kolkata schools, govt clash over RTE
The Times of India, 07 July 2012

KOLKATA: At least 13 top Kolkata schools are on a collision course with the state government over the implementing of the Right to Education Act. All these schools - 10 under the Church of North India (CNI) and three others - are private unaided minority institutions. The principals of these schools pointed out to state education minister Bratya Basu on Friday that while upholding the validity of the RTE Act on April 12 this year, the Supreme Court had ruled that the Act would apply to all categories of public and private schools except unaided minority institutions.

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Miffed schools to move court against definition of minority
The Times of India, 08 July 2012

BANGALORE: Right to education is set to go to be taken to courts again. Miffed at the Karnataka cabinet's definition of minority schools, the Karnataka State Minorities Educational Institutions Managements Federations has decided to move the Karnataka High Court. The cabinet had on Friday decided that a minority institution/school should have 75% of its children from the community to get that tag, and to exempt itself from implementing the 25% quota for poor children.

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Unaided minority schools too come under RTE
Deccan Herald, 06 July 2012

BANGALORE: Unaided minority schools in Karnataka will not enjoy automatic exemption from giving 25 per cent of the total seats, under the Right to Education Act, to students from economically and socially weaker (ESW) sections without charging any fee. In a contentious move on Friday, the State government decided that unaided minority schools in the State will have to offer 75 per cent of the total available seats to students from their respective communities to avail exemption from compulsorily giving 25 per cent seats to students from ESW sections under the RTE Act.

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Volunteers trained to spread awareness of RTE
The Hindu, 07 July 2012

TIRUCHI: Volunteers associated with Siksha Ka Haq Abhiyan, a nation-wide campaign to spread information about the Right to Education Act 2009 undertaken under Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, were trained on the methodologies to ensure proper implementation of the Act, at Corporation Middle School, Woraiyur. The scheme warrants sensitising teachers and students to the provisions of the Act at the level of each block through a 30-member team of volunteer.

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Almost 98% free seats under RTE vacant in Nagpur's state board schools
The Times of India, 06 July 2012

NAGPUR: As the admission process for free quota under Right to Education (RTE) Act closed on Thursday in city, almost 98 per cent of the available seats in state board schools remained vacant. Someshwar Netam, education officer (primary), said, "There are 450 private unaided schools (English language) affiliated to the state board in Nagpur district, which come under the free 25 per cent RTE quota and for this the intake capacity is 11,000. Schools have received 634 applications, of which only 272 admissions have been done till date. Netam added that the remaining applications were under active consideration, pending mandatory document submission.

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Govt yet to notify officers about RTE sanctions
Hindustan Times, 09 July 2012

MUMBAI: Although, nearly three years have passed since the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 came into force, the Maharashtra government is yet to notify officers authorised to accord sanctions for prosecuting schools accused of contravening provisions of the act. This anomaly came to light during the hearing of a petition filed before the Bombay high court by Dabhol Educational Society from Dapoli in Ratnagiri district.

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Charter schools raise educational standards for vulnerable children
The Economist, 07 July 2012

CHICAGO: “EVERYONE’S pencil should be on the apple in the tally-mark chart!” shouts a teacher to a class of pupils at Harvest Preparatory School in Minneapolis. Papers and feet are shuffled; a test is coming. Each class is examined every six or seven weeks. The teachers are monitored too. As a result, Harvest Prep outperformed every city school district in Minnesota in maths last year. It is also a “charter” school; and all the children are black.

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Independent Schools and Long-Run Educational Outcomes - Evidence from Sweden’s Large Scale Voucher Reform
Authors: Anders Böhlmark and Mikael Lindahl

Abstract: This paper evaluates average educational performance effects of an expanding independent-school sector at the compulsory level by assessing a radical voucher reform that was implemented in Sweden in 1992. Starting from a situation where all public schools were essentially local monopolists, the degree of independent schools has developed very differently across municipalities over time as a result of this reform. We find that an increase in the share of independent-school students improves average performance at the end of compulsory school as well as long-run educational outcomes. We show that these effects are very robust with respect to a number of potential issues, such as grade inflation and pre-reform trends. However, for most outcomes, we do not detect positive and statistically significant effects until approximately a decade after the reform. This is notable, but not surprising given that it took time for independent schools to become more than a marginal phenomenon in Sweden.

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The Poor can and will pay for Affordable, Quality Education
Private schools offer parents choice in the face of a severely overstretched public school system – and have an automatic corrective: if they are not better than public schools, then parents won’t pay for them. Click here to know more

Should Minority Schools be exempted from the RTE norms?
The critique of the recent Supreme Court judgment exempting unaided minority schools from implementing 25 percent reservation is well founded. There is no convincing justification to exempt them from implementing Clause 12. Click here to learn more

The New Brain Drain
This year, Delhi University has pointed to the shape of things to come in higher education. Our primary and secondary education systems, though broken, have still precipitated a demand crisis in higher education. 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]

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