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Weekly Update on Education (Issue No 216)

04 Dec 2012

Nagpur schools mull common admission process for RTE admissions
Times of India, December 2nd, 2012

After being credited with securing the first admission under the Right To Education Act (RTE), the city could yet again be a trendsetter in implementing the law. Major city schools and the local education department have reached an ‘in-principle consensus’ to put in place a common admission process (CAP) for inducting students under the 25% free seat quota.

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Ministry relaxes rules on play space requirement under RTE
The Hindu, December 3rd, 2012

In a move that will bring relief to schools strapped for space in big cities, the Ministry for Human Resource Development has relaxed the infrastructural requirement under the Right to Education Act, 2009, that earlier mandated every school to have a playground on its premises.

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Bring more schools under project ‘Udaan’
Hindustan Times, December 3rd, 2012

A delegation of teachers from Government High School, Banera, met director general of school education Kahan Singh Pannu on Sunday, urging him to introduce ‘Udaan’ scheme in other schools of the district. To keep students of government schools up-to-date with the world around them, Sangrur district education department has started ‘Udaan’ as a pilot project in 10 government schools under which special classes on general knowledge are organised for the students during school hours.

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EWS category: All eyes on High Court
Hindustan Times, December 1st, 2012

Delhi education minister Kiran Walia on Friday cleared the air on 15 per cent reservation for students belonging to the economically weaker section (EWS) category from classes 2-12.

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Not by ramps and toilets alone
The Hindu, December 3rd, 2012

Today is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. After 40 years of service in the field, I look back on what has prevented millions of disabled people from entering the mainstream. What kind of system is it that has made them invisible, illiterate, unemployed and the most marginalised of groups among the poorest of the poor? What is it like to be disabled in India? My answer is that there has been no serious political intent to build a cohesive system. Sadly, but unquestionably, a person who is born disabled in India faces a raw deal.

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Need to strengthen RTE, says Pranab
Hindustan Times, November 28th, 2012

There is a need to strengthen the Right to Education Act and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan only then we will be able to achieve milestone in the education sector. However, whenever I interact with bright students full of energy, I feel that the future of country is in safe hands. President of India Pranab Mukherjee stated during his visit to Sat Paul Mittal School on Tuesday.

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A case for School Committee for RTE implementation
The Hindu, December 3rd, 2012

Appointment of school management committees to ensure speedy implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act and bring about qualitative improvement in education was emphasised by the Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

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A Chinese education, for a price
The New York Times, November 21st, 2012

For Chinese children and their devoted parents, education has long been seen as the key to getting ahead in a highly competitive society. But just as money and power grease business deals and civil servant promotions, the academic race here is increasingly rigged in favor of the wealthy and well connected, who pay large sums and use connections to give their children an edge at government-run schools.Nearly everything has a price, parents and educators say, from school admissions and placement in top classes to leadership positions in Communist youth groups. Even front-row seats near the blackboard or a post as class monitor are up for sale.

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Quotas for Harijans at education institutions sought
The Daily Star, November 28th, 2012

Speakers at a programme yesterday urged the government to preserve quotas at all government educational institutions for students from the underprivileged and discriminated Harijan community. The Harijan children are being deprived of their rights to education, as they are not easily allowed in educational institutions, they told a reception ceremony hosted for the community’s 133 meritorious students who passed the SSC and HSC examinations this year.

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Is equality an Outdated concern in Education?
Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. XLVII No. 49 December 8th, 2012

The central government policy of setting up residential schools for the dropout girls in educationally backward blocks through the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya scheme has generally been hailed by educationists. This paper critically examines the scheme and its implementation from the equality and justice perspectives. It argues that the equal educational opportunity doctrine, a state commitment in the 1960s, was abandoned with the National Policy on Education 1986, which resulted in a multilayered, inegalitarian school system for subordinate communities. Are schemes like the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, which tend to privilege a minuscule number of school dropouts, a subversion of the equality principle, privileging a few over the majority?

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SCHOOL CHOICE NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Delivering Education: From Policy to Practice

04 December 2012
The Theatre, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, India

Click here for details

To the Olympics, as to Education
Olympic Fever and we all want the Gold.. and wonder why a nation of a billion plus people cannot win their fair share of medals. Are we actually inferior in any way? Or do we not have the infrastructure? Maybe we don’t try hard enough. The debate rages on. Some say, we do not have parental encouragement to play, so we never emphasise it enough. Click here to read more

The right to education in New York city
Each and every child in the New York City school system has the human right to education. This right is not only
reflected in the State Constitution, it is recognized by nation-states around the world. It is codified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and other human rights instruments. Click here to read more

Poll

Do you think the SMC slection process is impartial?

To vote click here

RTE Coalition

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

Support Children's Right to Education of Choice!
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