Schools multiplied by 27% between 2002-2009 says NCERT Survey
The Hindu, January 23rd, 2013

There was an increase of 26.77 per cent in the total number of schools in the country between 2002 and 2009, according to a national survey. The maximum growth rate was witnessed in upper primary schools (49.15 per cent) followed by higher secondary schools (46.80 per cent), secondary by 28.95 and primary by 16.68 per cent.

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CBSE launches assessment training program
Times of India, January 27th, 2013

Central Board of Secondary Education's Centre for Assessment, Evaluation & Research (CAER) has launched an assessment training programme. CBSE had established CAER through public private partnership with Pearson Foundation.

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Child panel writes to dist admin over schoolbag weight
Times of India, January 24th, 2013

Heavy school bags are likely to go off from the back of school children if the state child rights panel has its way. State commission for protection of child rights (SCPCR) has written to the district administration to ensure that only NCERT text books are followed by all private schools. This would lessen the burden of school bags considerably.

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HC Order on nursery norms likely today
Times of India, January 24th, 2013

Indicating trouble for the city's private unaided schools, Delhi high court on Wednesday said unless the government's 2010 notification is in sync with the Right to Education Act, it might be quashed. The notification has been relied upon by the schools to fix their admission criteria for nursery admissions and these have been challenged by an NGO in court.

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For many Class III pupil, it’s still ‘do aur do paanch’: Report hits Govt
Times of India, January 23rd, 2013

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER 2012) by NGO Pratham has highlighted that the number of class III students in both government and private schools who could not do simple arithmetic has increased. In 2011, only 21% students could do simple subtraction against 19% in 2012.

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Enrolment in school rises from 14% to 23 crore
Times of India, January 22nd, 2013

In a significant leg up to the government's literacy initiative, a national survey has revealed that almost 23 crore children are studying in 13 lakh schools across the country. There were 228,994,454 students enrolled in different recognized schools of the country with a 13.67% growth in student's enrolment from Class I to XII. This is an increase from 20.30 crore students enrolled in 2002. Encouragingly, there is a 19.12 % increase in girl's enrolment.

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RTE: High attendance, low learning
Hindustan Times, January 17th, 2013

The Right to Education Act has improved the facilities and brought more kids to the school but has failed to make them teach right, says the Annual Status of (Rural) Education Report.96.5% of children in the 6-14 age group were enrolled in schools in 2012, the survey in 567 rural districts shows, continuing the trend of over 96% enrolment since 2009.

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Progress of J&K education department shows no improvement, reveals HRD Ministry letter
Kashmir Reader, January 12th, 2013

The Human Resources Development Ministry, Government of India (GoI), has raised questions about hygiene of the meals provided to students in government schools in Valley under Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS), and pointed out systematic failure of authorities in making food grains available to schools across the state. A letter from HRD Ministry’s Department of School Education and Literacy to Secretary School Education J&K, while highlighting the findings of fourth joint review mission on MDMS has said that schools in the Valley are located in rented buildings and do not have adequate space in preparing the meals in hygienic conditions.

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Marc Tucker: Questioning federal role in education policy
The Herald, January 27th, 2013

In December, California's application for a waiver from provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act was denied by the U.S. Department of Education. This, we were told, was because California failed to embrace the federal department's reform agenda, especially on issues of evaluating teachers. The denial is disturbing for what it reveals: namely, that the American education system is being reshaped in a truly fundamental way, and with little debate.

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No Education in the Schools
Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. XLVIII No. 5

School education in India is like a blank blackboard on which the teacher writes with disappearing ink. There are more children going to school today than ever before. But they are learning and retaining less knowledge than they did before. The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) based on a survey conducted by the non-governmental organisation Pratham Education Foundation has been regularly illustrating the alarmingly skewed state of affairs in schools. This year, the report based on a rural household survey has exposed the dismal status of schooling and basic learning in rural India. While school enrolment numbers have gone up (96.5% of all children in the 6-14 age group go to school) and school infrastructure has improved, attendance (in government schools) and the overall ability of children to read and do simple mathematical exercises have dipped drastically in India’s rural classrooms.

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“Autonomy” has become kind of a buzzword in recent years.  It’s treated with reverence by charter school advocates… almost as a panacea that will fix nearly any problems facing public schools.  The belief is that, given greater autonomy, schools are better able to sense and respond to families’ preferences for schooling, and to the competitive incentives of the emerging education market. Click here to read more

Myth of a super teacher
Are you waiting for a super teacher to magically help your child? It's no wonder. From To Sir, with Love to Dangerous Minds, we've been fed a steady diet of brilliant, miracle-working education whisperers for decades. Inexperienced yet innovative, these young idealists take on the bland land of classroom learning and turn it into Hollywood heroics. Now, with a new generation of educators seizing the lectern, we've got aspiring super teachers appearing at a struggling, turnaround, and/or charter school near you (think Teach for America). Click here to read more

Podcast: Fighting for educational reform against the Teacher’s Union: Institute for Justice
Across the country, school choice programs are giving parents--not bureaucrats--control over a child’s education.  But these programs have come under attack by teachers’ unions and their allies who seek to protect their self-interests over real K-12 education reform.  IJ senior attorneys and school-choice experts Dick Komer and Bert Gall discuss the history of school choice programs and how these programs are changing the lives of families across the nation. Click here to read more

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)
A comprehensive analysis on reservation in private schools under the Right to Education Act, providing a seven-step model for 25% implementation.

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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