March Final Issue.pmd - CHANGE 'Gateway to All Competitive Exams'

More documents

Recommendations

Info

MARCH 2012 Get Previous Issues Free of Cost on Our Website: www.changetabloid.com HRD Ministry’s Nod for Uniform Accounting System in Educational Institutions Paving the way for uniform accounting system in educational institutions, the HRD ministry has accepted the recommendations of a committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). To evolve consensus, recommendations would be put before the next state education ministers’ conference. The ministry would be organizing consultations with higher educational institutions and schools on the recommendations of ICAI Committee. The accounting standards would be made applicable to all Central educational institutions, universities under the regulatory ambit of UGC or receiving grants from UGC, technical institutions under regulatory ambit of AICTE, teacher education institutions under the regulatory ambit of NCTE and schools affiliated to CBSE. The panel, while stating that educational institutions need an accounting system that presents a true and correct picture, said all educational institutions should be mandated to apply accrual basis of accounting. The committee said accounting standards issued by the ICAI should be made mandatory to educational institutions. Fund-based accounting may be introduced for earmarked/designated funds, all educational institutions should follow a common format for presentation of its general purpose financial statements to ensure proper accountability, financial discipline, end-use of funds and to meet the needs of stakeholders. These recommendations would make accounting in educational standards more transparent and accountable. Though the new system is less intrusive it would help in more effective regulation of the education sector as well as help in preventing malpractices that plague the sector. Now, the accounting and financial reporting practices of educational institutions in India are oriented towards meeting the needs of the governing bodies running them and educational institutions follow not only diverse accounting practices, but also different basis of accounting. The committee said the accounting standards should enable the society, student and citizen to define transparently the revenue earned through various sources - tuition fees and other charges, income from consultancy or from intellectual property owned by the institution (for higher educational institutions). MoU Signed between Power Finance Corporation Ltd and National Literacy Mission Authority An MoU was signed on 18 th January 2012 between the Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC) and the National Literacy Mission Authority (NLMA) As a part of this MoU: • The Power Finance Corporation has agreed to extend assistance to “Saakshar Bharat Programme under their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative to upgrade 120 Adult Education Centres (AECs) at a cost of Rs. 6.6. crore. • PFC has decided to upgrade 120 AECs in Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Manipur, Nagaland and Himachal Pradesh. An interactive meeting with CEOs of major Public Sector Enterprises and Banks was held under the chairpersonship of HRD Minister, on 19 May, 2010 at Scope Convention Center, New Delhi. The purpose was to arrive at an approach to further augment the flagship programme of the government “Saakshar Bharat” through active support of the CPSEs/Banks. As a follow up, Container Corporation of India Ltd. (CONCOR) was the first CPSE to extend support to Saakshar Bharat Programme for upgrading 20 Adult Education Centres (AECs) in Karnataka at a cost of Rs. 65.00 lakhs during 2010-11. CONCOR has also agreed to extend support to upgrade 50 AECs in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh at a cost of Rs. 2.5 crore during 2011-12. EDUCATION COVERAGE Ombudsman for Central Educational Institutions Union Ministry for Human Resource Development on 18 January 2012 announced that there would be Grievance Redressal mechanisms in higher educational institutions. UGC, AICTE and NCTE would be requiring all Central Educational Institutions, institutions deemed to be universities, technical and management institutions under AICTE and teacher education institutions under NCTE to establish a Grievance Redressal Mechanism for Students and applicants for admission before the commencement of the admission this academic year. Every institution would be required to constitute an Ombudsman; person with judicial or legal experience to be appointed from a panel suggested by the affiliating university for technical and management institutions, by the Central Government for deemed universities and by the regulator for non-degree granting institutions. The concerned regulators would issue the detailed instructions to the educational institutions shortly. The Ombudsman shall have the jurisdiction to hear grievances concerning denial of admission, nonobservance of declared merit in admission, nonobservance of applicable regulations for reservation, with-holding of documents and non refund of fees in case of withdrawal of admission, discrimination and other such matters concerning students in pursuit of studies in the institution. In case of matters concerning weaker sections such as SCs/STs/OBCs or minorities, the Ombudsman can co-opt a person of eminence from the area coming from the weaker section to assist him/her in arriving at a decision. There are several grievances that arise relating to students and applicants for admission in higher educational institutions. These grievances require prompt redressal in order to provide timely succor to aggrieved students and applicants. The Parliamentary Standing Committee, while examining the Bill to prohibit and punish unfair practices, had recommended that proactive steps be taken to constitute Grievance Redressal mechanisms in higher education institution. Applicants for admission and students can apply to the Ombudsman for redressal of grievances and the Ombudsman shall deliver his/her order within one month. Although the order would not be binding on the institution, the regulator would rely on the frequency of non-observance to decide on continued recognition to such institutions. Indian Students Rank 2nd Last in Global Test Across the world, India is seen as an education powerhouse - based largely on the reputation of a few islands of academic excellence such as the IITs. But scratch the glossy surface of our education system and the picture turns seriously bleak. Fifteen-year-old Indians who were put, for the first time, on a global stage stood second to last, only beating Kyrgyzstan when tested on their reading, math and science abilities. India ranked second last among the 73 countries that participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), conducted annually to evaluate education systems worldwide by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Secretariat. The survey is based on twohour tests that half a million students are put through. China’s Shanghai province, which participated in PISA for the first time, scored the highest in reading. It also topped the charts in mathematics and science. “More than one-quarter of Shanghai’s 15 year olds demonstrated advanced mathematical thinking skills to solve complex problems, compared to an OECD average of just 3%,” noted the analysis. The states of Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh, showpieces for education and development, were selected by the central government to participate in PISA, but their test results were damning. Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2011 The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), 2011 released on January 16 by Kapil Sibal, Minister of human resource development, has come out with some shocking revelations. In its key findings, while the student enrolment in rural India has seen a rise (96.7%) in the year 2011, there has been a decline in students basic reading levels, arithmetic levels and academic levels. STUDENT ENROLMENT The percentage of girls in the age group 11and 14 years who have been out of schools has seen a considerable decrease in 2011. For example, in Bihar, the number of girls out of school has dropped from 17.6% in 2006 to 4.3% in 2011. Rajasthan shows a decline from 18.9% in 2006 to 8.9% in 2011. Apart from this, enrolment of students in private schools has seen a sharp increase. From 18.7% of children between the age group 6-14 years getting enrolled in private schools in 2006, it is 25.6% in 2011. READING LEVELS Nationally, reading levels are estimated to have declined in many states across north India. The all India figure for the proportion of children in class V able to read a class II level text has dropped from 53.7% in 2010 to 48.2% in 2011. Such declines, however, are not visible in the southern states. The unsatisfactory levels of basic reading ability suggested by ASER and other studies including PISA point to an urgent need to focus on basic learning outcomes. Each state should define realistic, measurable outcomes in reading and understanding that can be understood by teachers and parents. The RTE states that childrens progress has to be communicated to parents. Textbook content too, needs to be reviewed. ARITHMETIC LEVELS Basic arithmetic levels estimated in ASER 2011 also show a decline. Nationally, the proportion of class III children able to solve a two-digit subtraction problem with borrowing has dropped from 36.3% in 2010 to 29.9% in 2011. Among children of class V, the ability to do a similar subtraction problem has dropped from 70.9% in 2010 to 61% in 2011. This decline is visible in almost every state; only Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu show improvements in 2011. CHILDRENS ATTENDANCE At the all India level, childrens attendance shows a decline from 73.4% in 2007 to 70.9% in 2011 in rural primary schools. In some states, childrens attendance shows a sharp decline over time. For example, in primary schools of Bihar, the average attendance of children was 59% in 2007, but down to 50% in 2011. In Madhya Pradesh, this figure has fallen from 67% in 2007 to 54.5% in 2011, while in Uttar Pradesh, from 64.4% (2007) to 57.3% (2011). MULTIGRADE CLASSROOMS Multiple classes sitting together are a real challenge in Indian classrooms. During the school visits, ASER focused on class II and class IV to observe whether children in these classes were sitting together with children from other classes. Nationally, for rural government primary schools, data suggested that over half of all classes visited were multigrade. Facilitated by Pratham, ASER is an annual survey of children in rural India and has completed seven years. It is undertaken by local organisations and concerned citizens. Wadhwani Foundation and Virginia Foundation for Community College Education Sign MoU The Wadhwani Foundation (WF) and the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE) USA signed a memorandum of understanding on 10 th January 2012. The Wadhwani Foundation and Virginia Foundation for Community College Education partnership seeks to leverage the combined expertise of Virginia’s Community College system in running industry relevant professional education sharing technical and organizational know-how, curriculum/courseware and teacher training to enhance such programmes in India. As part of the memorandum, the VFCCE and the WF will together identify high-impact skill development programs in India that need such support. These NCPCR Asked the State Governments to Propose a System called Shiksha Samvad partnerships could be forged with government or private initiatives and would involve vibrant exchange of ideas National Commission for Protection of Child Right (NCPCR) on 9 January 2012 directed the state governments to and technology transfer, adapting U.S. expertise to propose a system called Shiksha Samvad for holding regular dialogues between government officials and civil position Indian institutions to meet local needs. Virginia society on the implementation of the Right to Education Act. In a letter, the commission, which is monitoring the Community College experts will serve as consultants, Act, asked the state governments to institutionalize the system for regular reviews of the act. This will enable the sharing best practices. The Wadhwani Foundation will local administration to keep a close watch on how the implementation of the Act is proceeding at the ground level. provide local support and co-funding for this capacity It will also allow the people to seek speedy redressal by raising the issues directly with the government officials. building. CHANGE THE ONLY CONSTANT THING : We Bring You More Informative and Detailed Coverage Every Month 18
MARCH 2012 For More Current Coverage and Daily Updates Visit Our Website: www.changetabloid.com WOMEN & CHILDREN COVERAGE Malnutrition Affects 42 Percent of Children Under 5 The Hunger and Malnutrition Survey monitored over 100000 children in 112 districts across nine states in the country from October 2010 to February 2011. The Hunger and Malnutrition Survey report was released by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on 10 January 2012. The survey stated that forty-two percent of children in India younger than 5 are underweight and nearly 60 percent are stunted. India, with a population of 1.2 billion people, has the largest number of children in the world. The survey conducted by a group of non-profits was the largest such study since 2004, when the Indian government had surveyed child malnutrition. It was found that though India’s economy boomed, with growth over the last few years averaging about 8 percent, the country’s development indicators continue to be abysmal. THE FINDINGS The report found that of the stunted children, about half were severely stunted and about half of all children were underweight or stunted by the time they are two years. However, the number of underweight children was to have decreased from 53 to 42 per cent in the past seven years. The last study on the subject was done in 2004. The survey however noted that positive change for child nutrition in India was happening, including in the 100 Focussed Districts. The 100 Focus Districts are located across Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh – states which perform the worst on child nutrition. The prevalence of malnutrition is significantly higher among children from low-income families. It found that children from Muslim or SC/ST households generally had worse nutrition indicators. According to the report, birth weight is an important risk-factor for child malnutrition. The prevalence of underweight in children born with a weight below 2.5 kg is 50 per cent, while that among children born with a weight above 2.5 kg is 34 per cent. Awareness among mothers about nutrition was found to below. 92 per cent mothers had never heard the word malnutrition. Also, the report stated that a negligent appraoch was shown towards girl children even in their early childhood. The nutrition advantage girls have over boys in the first months of life gets reversed over time as they grow older. According to the survey, the mothers’ education level also determines children’s nutrition. PREVIOUS REPORTS ON MALNUTITION UNICEF’s latest data had also mentioned that onethird of the world’s malnourished children younger than 3 lives in India, a rate considered worse than sub-Saharan Africa.The last Global Hunger Index released in 2011 had put India as number 67 out of 84, behind several African countries, including Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It also found that India has the highest rate of stunted growth among children in the world. National Girl Child Day Celebrated 24th January has been declared as National Girl Child Day. To mark the occasion, Ministry of Women and Child Development organised deliberations at IARI Campus, Pusa on the theme of ‘Declining Child Sex Ratio: Issues and Challenges’.The celebration was presided over by MOS (I/C) Smt. Krishna Tirath. The Minister shared that there has been an improvement in social indicators such as literacy and the gender gap in effective literacy rate. A disturbing fact is that in the last decade, as many as 27 States and Union Territories have experienced a fall in the child sex ratio. Sharp falls in have been reported in child sex ratios in many States reflecting a national trend that cuts across class and the rural –urban divide. She said change of Minister towards girl children is more important than legal enforcement. The Minister also highlighted the flagship programmes of the Government relating to survival, development and protection of children, in general and for the girl child in particular like Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), SABLA etc. Childhood Poverty Remains a Reality in India The survey titled Impact of Growth on Childhood Poverty in Andhra Pradesh was conducted by NGO- Young Lives since 2002. It has collected data on 2,011 children aged between six to 18 months and 1008 children aged between seven-and-half to eight-and-half years. Findings from its third round of data collection were released on 11 January 2012. The report was prepared by Young Lives as part of an international study on childhood poverty. In Andhra Pradesh, Young Lives collects data in 20 sentinel sites across 3 geographic regions — Central Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana. According to the report, one-third of children in Andhra Pradesh are stunted despite falling poverty, considerable economic growth and the development of significant policies. Stunting is believed to have serious long-term implications for health, psycho-social well-being and educational achievement. The report also pointed out that despite higher enrolment, drop-out and school quality remain critical issues. THE REPORT The report presented initial findings from the third round of data collected by Young Lives in the State. The survey was carried out from late 2009 to early 2010 with two cohort (groups) of children. It provided a broad outline of some of the key indicators of childhood poverty and also cited the changes that took place in the children’s lives between the earlier survey rounds in 2002 and 2006 and in the third round. Around one in four (27 per cent of Younger Cohort [YC] who were aged 6-18 months in 2001 and were 8 years in 2009) children were found to have low body mass index for age, while almost one in three are stunted (low height for age) at 8 years. In 2009, YC children in rural areas were experiencing a higher prevalence of low BMI for age (29 per cent) as well as stunting (34 per cent) than children from urban areas (for whom the corresponding figures were 22 per cent and 16 per cent). Comparing the Older and Younger Cohorts at 8 years suggested only slight decline in stunting rates between 2002 and 2009 (3 percentage points). The Older Cohorts were 7.5 to 8.5 years of age in 2002. Various reasons for the high prevalence of under-nutrition, including food security, insufficient nutrient intake, diseases burden and lately food inflation were given. STUNTING AND THINNESS Both stunting and thinness (BMI) were patterned by caste or ethnic background. Comparison between the two cohorts in 2002 and 2009 (when they were both aged 8) suggested that stunting rates went down for the other castes groups and backward classes but hardly moved for Scheduled Castes and actually increased for children from Scheduled Tribe backgrounds. In 2006, 96 per cent of Younger Cohort children (then aged 5 years) were enrolled in either primary or pre-school and by 2010 this percentage had gone up to 98 per cent. In case of the Older Cohort, enrolment fell from 98 per cent in 2002 to 90 per cent in 2006 and further 77 per cent in 2010 — indicating a high drop-out rate with more girls dropping out than boys. OTHER FINDINGS The findings revealed considerable shift to private education. In 2002, 23 per cent of Young Lives children were attending private primary schools at the age of 8 years. By 2009 the number went up to 44 per cent. Though many families make substantial sacrifices to afford private education, disadvantaged social groups and girls are much less likely to go to a private school. The study also found that 70% of the households accessed NREGS in 2009, but only 13% accessed the full 100 days’ employment. Alongside this, 83% of the households (88% of the rural and 67% of the urban) possess Rajiv Arogyasri cards but less than 4% of the families utilized them. The numbers in this respect revealed that out-of-pocket expenditure on health is high and so is one of the reasons that families are unable to get out of the debt trap. UGC Mulls 20 exclusive Univs & 800 Colleges for Women Espousing the cause of women’s education, the 12th Plan period document of the University Grants Commission (UGC) has proposed 20 exclusive universities for them and 800 constituent colleges under the central varsities to ensure equity in access to quality education. The UGC has also sought a four-time hike in allocation during the Five-Year Plan period from Rs 46,632 crore to Rs 1,84,740 crore to achieve its proposed initiatives. The initiatives also include upgrading of autonomous colleges with potential of excellence, enhancing intake capacity of institutes of higher education and development of ‘college cluster universities’. The plan document broadly emphasis on achieving the triple objectives of access and expansion, equity and inclusion, and quality and excellence, with an emphasis on consolidation and optimal use of infrastructure already created during the 11th Plan period. Giving thrust to women’s education, the plan document has proposed 20 universities facilitating their entry into higher education even from traditional background and rural and sub-urban areas. The Centre has proposed to fund their establishment while the state governments may provide the land and help to establish such universities, the document states while holding the idea was included “because the social dynamics of our system”. Stating that certain sectors of our population are still not open to send girls to coeducational institutions, the UGC document contends that exclusive institutes of higher education in some pockets for women “may act as a fillip to the participation of girls in higher education”. In addition to the already proposed and partially implemented 374 model colleges scheme, a new scheme of constituent colleges has been proposed for the 40 central universities in the country. Under the scheme, 20 colleges each will be set up in the respective states in the district headquarters, numbering to 800 new colleges in all. This will balance the regional distribution of colleges based on population density of the youth in the age group of 18-23 years. Survey: Women as Victims Physical abuse is the most common form of abuse reported by women, and husbands are the largest respondents under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA), 2005. Courts have entertained complaints of emotional and verbal abuse where no physical abuse has been alleged, and relief has been granted in the form of protection order and residence order. However, though protection orders are being passed in favour of the aggrieved person, the reason given is domestic violence and not sexual violence, a survey has shown. It also suggests that man not having sexual relation with his wife, too, has been accepted as a form of sexual abuse as has been making the woman forcibly watch pornography. According to the Fifth Monitoring and Evaluation report of the Domestic Violence Act, 2005, physical violence (3215) along with verbal and emotional abuse (2726) are the most common forms of violence reported by women, followed closely by economic abuse (2938) and dispossession. The Act was an innovation over the conventional understanding of domestic violence as it did not limit the protection against violence solely to ‘marital relationships’. It introduced the concept of ‘domestic relationship’ which included all relationships based on consanguinity, marriage, adoption and even relations which were in the nature of marriage. But, the most important aspect of the Act is the ‘right to residence’ which protects women from being pushed out of the house. The report further said that while there was an increase in positive attitudes on gender and domestic violence of protection officers, confusion continued to prevail around the definition of domestic relationship and whether women could be the first respondents or not. Protection officers are a mechanism to coordinate between the victim and the court meant to assist women. The report said courts had also passed protection orders on prima facie evidence of domestic violence and the most common form of relief granted to women who had faced domestic violence was monetary relief and this trend showed an increase. The report makes a specific mention of two Supreme Court judgements: one on ‘live in relationships’ which recognises such relationships and the second that led to a controversy where women in ‘live in relationships’ were referred to as ‘keep’, betraying entrenched patriarchal mindsets and the existence of negative stereotype. ABOUT YOUNGLIVES Young Lives is a long-term international research study investigating the changing nature of childhood poverty in four developing countries — Ethiopia, India (Andhra Pradesh), Peru and Vietnam — over 15 Nutrition is critical for survival and growth. In life-cycle years, the timeframe set by the U.N. to assess progress approach this is more important for children and towards the U.N. millennium development goals. It is especially for the girl child. On this occasion a ‘Nutrition following two groups of children in each country- Calendar’ of Food and Nutrition Board of Ministry of 2000 children who were born in 2001-02 and 1000 Women and Child Development (MWCD) was released. children born in 1994-95. CHANGE THE ONLY CONSTANT THING : We Bring You More Informative and Detailed Coverage Every Month 19
Page 1 and 2: MARCH 2012 Govt Appoints B K Batra
Page 3 and 4: MARCH 2012 Infosys Prize Conferred
Page 5 and 6: MARCH 2012 SUMMIT | CONFERENCE 15th
Page 7 and 8: MARCH 2012 India Signs Internationa
Page 9 and 10: MARCH 2012 Government Notifies 100%
Page 11 and 12: MARCH 2012 RBI Decided to Ease Liqu
Page 13: MARCH 2012 2G case: SC Allows Swamy
Page 17 and 18: MARCH 2012 For More Current Coverag
Page 19 and 20: MARCH 2012 CCS Clears 950 Million E
Page 21 and 22: MARCH 2012 RAJASHTHAN Rajasthan Gov
Page 27 and 28: MARCH 2012 1. Scientists produced a
Page 29 and 30: MARCH 2012 68. Which Photography Pi
Page 35 and 36: MARCH 2012 SOCIOLOGY AS AN OPTIONAL

March Final Issue.pmd - CHANGE 'Gateway to All Competitive Exams'

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?