Most states to miss March 31 deadline for compliance with Right to Education Act

On Monday, when the deadline for compliance with the Right to Education (RTE) Act expires, children will get a short shrift again. Government data shows about 40% primary schools don't have adequate teachers, 33% are without girls' toilets and 39% lack ramps for children with disabilities.

With the enactment of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act in 2009 all states and Union Territories were expected to comply with the norms by March 31, 2013 — a deadline that most states will miss. These norms included optimum pupil-teacher ratio, infrastructure rules like adequate drinking water, toilets, stipulated working days and instruction hours and establishment of school management committees.

Of the 52 lakh sanctioned posts of teachers, there are 11 lakh vacancies. Besides shortage, states are also battling the malaise of untrained or under-qualified teachers that is pegged at around 8.6 lakh or 20% of the total teachers. The states with the bulk of these teachers is West Bengal (1.97 lakh), Bihar (1.86 lakh) and Jharkhand (77,000). Infrastructure norms for drinking water (94% of schools) and ramps (in 61% of schools) have been complied with, while 64% schools have separate toilets for girls and boys.

States have sought an extension in the deadline as they flounder due to lack of adequate resources and political will. But experts point to a more worrying concern: the lack of attention to learning outcomes. Several studies, including the ASER survey 2012, say that while enrolment has increased and more children are going to school, learning levels have dipped.

Noting that over three lakh private budget schools face closure after March 31 — the deadline for meeting infrastructure requirements under the Act, impacting 4-5 crore students — Ashish Dhawan from Centre Square Foundation said private school regulation should be based on audited performance rather than input-based norms.

Educational Initiatives' SridharRajagopalan said that regular and third party measurement of learning was required. Giving the example of Gujarat that organizes an annual assessment for student learning called `Gunatsav', Rajagopalan said that students were assessed by teachers in the first round and then 25% randomly picked schools were assessed by ministers and senior officials led by CM NarendraModi.

Accountability Initiatives' Yamini Aiyer pointed out that learning outcomes had to become part of the states' and Centre's goals. She also underlined the importance of the school management committees and greater involvement of parents in running a school.

Civil society representatives said that a large number of low-fee private schools faced closure because of undue emphasis on infrastructure issues rather than learning outcomes.

Punjab government to set up vocational training centres

Rakesh Mittal

Punjab government on Friday gave its nod to the setting up of vocational training centres at all 'Adarsh schools' of the state to provide quality technical training to youths.

A decision to this effect was taken in the eighth meeting of the Punjab education development board held under the chairmanship of chief minister Parkash Singh Badal here, an official spokesman said.

In the meeting, the chief minister asked the chief secretary to draft a policy for setting up vocational training centres at all 'Adarsh Schools' of the state so that quality technical training can be imparted to the youth belonging to the rural areas.

Badal emphasised that with the opening of these centres, quality education could be imparted to the students besides opening the new avenues of the self employment for them.

During the meeting, permission was granted to 'Adarsh School' being run by the Bharti Foundation to open one such centre at the school.

Divulging the details, member of the board, Rakesh Mittal said that these centres would be opened in two out of the five schools run by the foundation as pilot projects.

He said that in these centres, the unemployed youth of the area along with the students of senior secondary classes in the schools would be provided with technical training thereby enabling them for self employment.

Mittal categorically said that these centres would not take any fee from the students against the technical training imparted to them.

Earth Hour - 23rd March 2013

Teachers with special skills ready to break education barriers

SSA trains 140 teachers to understand children with special needs
“In our school, we have children with autism studying with other children. After this training, we have the courage and skills to take care of them. We won’t get angry or put them in the last row. Now, we understand them. (Earlier), we didn’t know.”

This transformation in Prasad K.V.L.N., a teacher in Government Higher Primary School, Sajankady, Puttur, comes after a 10-day training programme organised by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

As many as 140 teachers from various government schools in the district attended the programme aimed to sensitise them so that no child with special needs — irrespective of the kind, category and degree of disability — is left behind. Some children with special needs (CWSN) might have one predominant disability with associated difficulties.

The training was an attempt to empower teachers as part of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, which mandates every school must have one teacher who is CWSN-friendly, and every child must get barrier-free education, said N. Shivaprakash, Co-ordinator, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. “We cannot have a child with low vision or hearing-impaired seated in the last row,” he said.

With the implementation of the RTE, more children, including CWSN, are joining regular schools, so teachers must know how to take care of them. The training sensitised the teachers to 10 disabilities defined by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), with visits to special schools and interaction with doctors and specialists, Mr. Shivaprakash said.

Hanumanthappa, teacher, Government Higher Primary School, Mavinakatte, Belthangady, said the training, especially about identifying children with special needs and referring them early to the district psychologist, was helpful. “Earlier, the attitude was to send away the child to a special school,” he said.

Juliet, teacher, Government Primary School, Bantwal, said helping a child with special needs get access to education requires teamwork from students, doctors, psychologists and, especially parents.

Mr. Prasad said, “This (information) is not there in D.Ed... The training can help in every house.” Teachers can tell Accredited Social Health Activists, health centres or doctors visiting districts from special schools, about challenged children, he said.

Irene, Inclusive Education Resource Teacher, Mangalore Urban, said the training is for teachers of regular schools and is required because RTE emphasises inclusive education. The training helps teachers handle cerebral palsy, Down’s Syndrome, muscular dystrophy, speech and hearing problems and autism.

Right to Learn the best way to go: MIT prof

The fear among educationists over how private tuitions are deteriorating the standard of education in the state just came true with the Annual Status Education report of 2012 pointing that nearly 73% students in Bengal take recourse to tuitions while less than a quarter of them (23.3%) in rural areas countrywide take tuitions to supplement what is taught in schools.

"The dependence on tuitions stems from the fact that schools focus on completing the syllabi instead of giving attention to students. Most of the teachers are not concerned about what the students are learning," said Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee, Ford Foundation International professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the director of Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab.

Speaking at an interactive session organized by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Banerjee on Monday argued in favour of a Right to Learn instead of the Right to Education (RTE) as the latter had hijacked all other issues in the education sphere and led to decline in teaching standards. While 50% students in Class III could read Class-I level texts in schools, just over 40% were able to do so in 2012. In mathematics, it was worse. While 40% Class III students could do subtraction in 2009, around 25% students could manage to do it in 2012.

"Prior to 2009, the education level was flat. But there has been a perceptible decline after the RTE came into force. While it could be coincidental, replacing examination till Class XII with continuous and comprehensive evaluation (CCE) hasn't helped. The teaching process becomes meaningless without some way to monitor learning. CCE takes away the accountability of the teachers," the professor reasoned.

The study also revealed that over 60% of students who took tuitions could read as well as do mathematics, pointing to the lacunae in school education.

"That there is no mention of 'learning' in RTE is a pointer to what is wrong with the legislation. In RTE, there is a lot of emphasis on teacher-student ratio, teacher salary and physical infrastructure. Studies have shown no correlation between these factors and improvement in learning. On the other hand, it may force many schools to shut down as they cannot afford high salaries or huge infrastructure," he said.

Also, vernacular medium schools in rural areas seemed to deliver higher quality of education at lower cost per pupil. "A popular notion that private schools, particularly English medium, offer better education was proved wrong in the study. Private schools only deliver small gains. In test score results, there is little difference between public and private schools," Banerjee said.

West Bengal Human Rights Commission chairman Justice Asok Kumar Ganguly, who was the chief guest at the interaction, was scathing of the government's attempt to withdraw itself from education and pass it on to private sector. "Look at the government schools. Many are on the verge of closure as everyone runs to privately operated English medium schools. Education is the safest business. Today you have AC classrooms, AC buses and inordinately high fees. Private education has taken away access to education from a large section of the population," Justice Ganguly said.

Terming it a deliberate ploy by the state to encourage the spawning of a society that was not literate, and hence, unable to raise its voice and protest against injustice, Ganguly said private education was being deliberately pumped into the sector to make it expensive and inaccessible. "The results are for all to see: there is no discipline in schools, there is mass copying and teachers are being assaulted by students. The withering away of the state from education pains me everyday," he said.

India needs to redefine education strategy: President

The time has come to "redefine" the way education is imparted in India as it is "simply unacceptable" that no Indian university finds a place amongst top global institutions, President Pranab Mukherjee said on Tuesday.

Addressing the 90th Convocation of Delhi University, Mukherjee also stressed on the need for enhancing enrolments and improvising modules that can enable better learning and bringing higher education closer to remote corners of the country to remove imbalances.

"The education sector is today confronted by problems relating to both quantity and quality...If we are to redefine the way education is imparted by our educational institutions, the time is now," Mukherjee said.

According to an international ranking of universities, he said, no Indian varsity finds a place amongst the global top 200.

"This you would agree, is simply unacceptable. We must develop our universities into global leaders, and for that, the best practices in other countries should be carefully studied and adopted with necessary changes to suit our conditions," he said.

There is now at least one Central University in every state but the question that one should ask is whether we are satisfied with the progress that we are making in the educational sector.

"An honest answer would reveal that we have miles and miles to go before we can say that we have arrived," he said.

Noting that the education sector is confronted by problems relating to both quantity and quality, he said it is "disheartening" that many places in the country do not have a higher educational institution that are within the practical reach of aspiring students.

On the brain-drain issue, Mukherjee was of the view that our systems were not "conducive to retaining talents", and hence, lose many of them to organisations within and outside the country.

In the convocation, 400 students were awarded doctoral, 6,500 post graduate and 65,000 graduate degrees.

Education should not be a business product: Abdul Kalam

Opposing the commercialization of education, former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam today said it should not be made into a business, but imparted by good teachers.

"Education cannot be a business product or system. Education at the primary level has to be delivered in an integrated way by great teachers through good syllabus and promoting affinity between parents, students and teachers," Kalam said.

"It is not a great building or a great facility or great advertisements which gives quality, but lovable education and great teachers do," Kalam told at an interactive session with students and teachers of National High School at its centenary celebration.

Kalam gave the example of how his own school days were happy in the thatched Rameswaram Panchayat Primary School despite poor infrastructure and scanty amenities.

He said his teachers, who had a mission to spread education, were loved by students and there was no dropout.

Having graced the post of the President of India besides working as an administrator and scientist, the 'Missile Man' said he loved teaching the most.

"I have been a teacher, a scientist and an administrator. Now I have come to teaching again. If you ask me what I love the most, I would say it is teaching," said the 81-year-old who travels regularly all over India to meet students.

He began his speech on 'I am born with wings' by asking students what they would be carrying with them after passing out from school.

When the students replied that it was knowledge, Kalam redefined it. "Knowledge is creativity plus righteousness in the heart plus courage."

Presenting his vision of India in the next few years, he said, "We want a nation where crimes against women and children are absent and none in society feels alienated".

He also stressed on the need to have a nation where education with value system was not denied to any meritorious candidate because of societal or economic discrimination.

"A nation where the rural and urban divide has reduced to a thin line. A nation where there is an equitable distribution and adequate access to energy and quality water," Kalam said, adding, he wanted that governance should be responsive, transparent and corruption-free.

NMIMS wins CFA Institute research challenge

Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies from Mumbai, India has edged out 18 other student teams from 16 different countries in the Asia Pacific region to win the CFA Institute Research Challenge Asia Pacific Final, making it the first Indian team to advance to the global final which will be held in London on 12 April 2013.CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual educational initiative that promotes best practices in equity research through hands-on mentoring and intensive training in company analysis and presentation skills.

Held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from February 22 to 23, 19 student teams from 16 countries 1 presented their analysis to a judging panel comprising experienced practicing professionals. Of the 19 student teams, four were shortlisted to present, before an overall winner was determined.

The five students, Sahitha Abdulla, Harris Karottumangalasseri Aliyar, Dawood Manzoor Bukhari, Siddhant Anthony Johannes, and Prateek Walia, of MBA Capital Markets from NMIMS won with their ""Sell"" recommendation of a private bank and received CFA Program Scholarships, trophies and certificates. The other three teams that presented at the final round were Tsinghua University (Beijing), Singapore Management University (Singapore), and Ateneo de Manila University (The Philippines).

Paul Smith, CFA, Managing Director of Asia Pacific at CFA Institute, said, "We congratulate Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies for winning the CFA Institute Research Challenge Asia Pacific Final this year. This global competition provides students with valuable real-world experience in financial analysis and the opportunity to access corporate leaders and experienced analysts. The next generation of leaders in finance will be defined by the stewardship they exercise as fiduciaries and the responsibility they demonstrate. We hope the experience can improve their future career endeavors, and teach skills that build a stronger and more ethical financial industry. I look forward to their outstanding performances at the global final."

On the win, team member Siddhant Anthony Johannes (22), said, "It's unbelievable. We have learnt so much from the CFA Institute Research Challenge experience. We really put in our best without any kind of expectations and the win makes all the hard work worth it." Team Leader, Harris Karottumangalasseri Aliyar, 27, added, "We are really excited to be going to London together as a team, and are looking forward to working even harder for the Global Final. It's been the outcome of a super collective effort concentrating all our energies towards just one aim -winning the competition, making our college proud and making our nation proud. Now we have an added responsibility going forward to London, to make the Asia pacific region proud!"

Introduced in 2006, CFA Institute Research Challenge is considered as "the investment Olympics" for university students, with more than 10,000 students have participated. This year, more than 3,500 students and 775 universities worldwide participate in the local rounds of competition.

Schools responsible for textbooks

To avoid textbook controversies, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has amended its affiliation bylaws, making school authorities responsible for the content of books prescribed by them. Schools have been advised to follow NCERT textbooks but if they choose to prescribe textbooks by private publishers then the principal will have to verify the content in such textbooks.

This has come after CBSE faced flak, last year, when it was found that a textbook prescribed by a CBSE school allegedly insinuated that non-vegetarians lie, cheat and commit crimes.

The board has incorporated an additional rule in its affiliation bylaws. As per the additional rule 15.1 (d), "The school will follow the syllabus on the basis of curriculum prescribed by NCERT for the middle classes as far as practicable or exercise extreme care while selecting books of private publishers. The content must be scrutinized to preclude any objectionable content that hurts the feelings of any class, community, gender, religious group in society. If found prescribing books having such content, the school will have to take responsibility of such content".

Schools have been asked to put a list of books prescribed by it on its website with the written declaration duly signed by the school manager and the principal "to the effect that they have gone through the content of the books prescribed by the school and own the responsibility".

The circular was issued recently to schools by CBSE after the affiliation committee and governing body of the board approved amendments and additions in the affiliation bylaws of the board.

Also as per amendments, CBSE schools will not have counsellors anymore. The board has made it essential for secondary and senior schools affiliated to it to appoint a person on a full-time basis for performing the duties of 'health wellness' teacher.

"The nomenclature of counsellor is proposed to be changed as 'health wellness' teacher to "make it more students/ parents friendly, as such the board purpose that wherever the word counsellor appears to be changed into health wellness teacher".

Schools having enrolment of less than 300 students in classes from IX to XII, can appoint a 'health wellness' teacher on a part-time basis. A step that would help reduce teachers' burden, CBSE has

now made it essential for schools to appoint a person exclusively to coordinate Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE ) related work of the school. CBSE has also made it mandatory for all schools to appoint physical education teacher for CBSE affiliation.