EDUCATION - 2004 - Indian Social Institute

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Alliance for Right to Education and Equity (NAFRE) staged a dharna in the Capital today. The beginning of a 10-day long campaign for the common school system and constitutional right to work across the country, the NAFRE described the campaign as an attempt to propagate the issue as a human rights one. With participants from 15 States across the country, NAFRE claimed that over 10,000 people from across the country had come to the dharna which is also demanding the right to work. "Education should help people find employment. Specially in a country like India, where it will be difficult to motivate people towards education unless it helps them earn a living in the end. The Government needs to create job opportunities, and one important way is by introducing land reforms to help the rural population," said Ambarish Rai, the national organiser of NAFRE. While expressing its opposition to commercialisation and privatisation of education, NAFRE members today noted that disparity in education continued to be one of the major problems facing India, with the Government failing to allocate six per cent of the GDP towards education despite promising it in the common minimum programme. (Hindu 30.11.04) 1 st Dec Panel looks at exam reforms (11) New Delhi, Nov. 30: The existing examination system, which forces students to mug up facts, is one of the major causes of the "burden" on schoolchildren across India, feel many members of the 30-member National Steering Committee, which was set up by NCERT to review the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2000 and draw up a new one. The members pointed out that the fact that the examination system fails so many each year is a matter of serious concern. According to estimates, nearly 80 per cent of Class 10 and Class 12 students fail to pass every year. The National Steering Committee, chaired by scientist and former UGC chairman Prof. Yash Pal, met for the first time on Tuesday. It was constituted on November 16. The Yash Pal Committee report — "Learning Without Burden" of 1993, which shows the way to reduce the load on schoolchildren, is the basis of the review being conducted in accordance with the 1986 National Policy of Education. The NCERT hopes to present the final review document to the Central Advisory Board of Education of the HRD ministry for approval some time "in the summer of 2005". (Asian Age 1.12.04) 6 TH Dec. Orissa hosts global meet on democratic education (11) Bhubaneswar, Dec. 5: Austin, student of ninth standard studies computer programmes at his home in New York city of America. He doesn't want to be put in conventional school curriculum and discipline. So do Zeazinnin Seibel from New Mexico and Sidharth from Orissa. Over 100 students along with nearly 500 educationists across 17 .countries of world are currently discussing on different approaches to bring democracy in education system. The 12th International Democratic Education Conference, which began here on last Friday, is documenting a wide range of ideas put across by delegates from different countries. The IDEC is an initiative^ that aims at evolving and practicing methods to enable a child learn in a holistic way. Education, over the time, has been one sided — the teacher giving lectures and the pupil expected to understand all that is said. Democracy in education is aimed at taking the pupil into planning process and design of such methods, which would be relevant and contextual for child to comprehend. "It is the need of hour to set students free from conventional education system. Students should be given liberty to choose the subject they want to learn. (Asian Age 6.12.04) 12 th Dec SCERT starts cleansing school books (11) New Delhi, Dec. 17: The State Council for Education Research and Training has initiated the process to bring in changes in its recently-introduced textbooks in the Delhi government-run schools in the wake of recent controversies. The new textbooks will be introduced from the next session. Speaking to The Asian Age, SCERT director Janaki Rajan said: "We are discussing all aspects of the objections, which we have received. Contents of the textbooks will be changed accordingly. The process is on." "In certain cases, it's not possible to make changes in the textbooks on the grounds on which objections have been raised. We are looking into all aspects,"
she added. According to sources, experts have raised objections over several issues that have been included in the newly-introduced books. Earlier, contents of the third chapter of Civic Science textbook of Class 7 created a lot of controversy due to an interpretation of the citizenship issue. The chapter talks extensively on the difference between a foreigner and a citizen of the country. Experts believe that by raising these questions, efforts had been made to distort the very concept of citizenship. (Asian Age 18.12.04) 23 rd Dec Most Orissa students leave school by Class 5 (11) Bhubaneswar, Dec. 22: : When India is making big stride in global education, Orissa continues to stumble in primary level. Last year, exactly 57.5 per cent of students have left their education by the time they attained standard 5. The school dropout rate is atrociously high even as the state government claims to have taken all possible steps to arrest the trend. Members of Orissa Legislative Assembly were shocked when the state school and mass education minister Nagendra Pradhan presented statistics of school dropouts last week. Nearly 33.6 per cent students had to leave their education in primary level — Standard three — in the year 2003-04. Ironically, the percentage of gross enrolment was 103.48 at primary level education. In case of girls, the percentage of dropout was high. Nearly 35.4 per cent of girl students left education midst as against 31.9 per cent of boys in primary level. The rate dramatically shot up in upper primary education. Almost 57.5 per cent students severed their ties with education by the time they complete standard five. Again the rate of dropout was high in case of girls. The rate of dropped out girl students was 58.6 per cent as against 56.5 per cent of in case of boys. In rural areas, the rate of dropout in upper primary was 60.92 per to the 48 per cent in urban Orissa. (Asian Age 23.12.04) 27 th Dec NCERT body meets to review school syllabus (11) NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 26: THE two-day meet of the National Focus Group (NFG) formed by NCERT to review curriculum framework began today in the Capital. The group consisting 14 members is meeting under the chairmanship of Prof. Vijaya Mulay, president, India Documentary Producers Association. The discussion will focus on the issues concerning educational technology programs in the country. And its implementation and status in the education format in cities and rural areas. The members of the group come from diverse organisations dealing with production and utilization of educational technology and media programmes. NFG is one of the 21 groups formed to review the National Curriculum framework. Inaugurating the meeting, Prof Mulay said: "Educational technology must not be misunderstood with media and technological aids. Instead it involves active participation by teachers in preparation of curriculum framework. Numerous challenges are there in this exercise but we must review the curriculum within the broad guidelines of the constitutional framework and not as dictated by media". (<strong>Indian</strong> Express 27.12.04) 29 th Dec NCERT to launch scholarship programme to woo dropouts (11) New Delhi: The statistics say it all. As many as 54% of students drop out of schools between classes I and VIII. A staggering 69% drop out between classes I and X. The numbers get worse: Only 31% children appear for the class X public exam. And of them, only 40% pass. Universalisation of education or a colossal waste of resources? Prompted by the above figures — part of a MHRD report (Selected Educational Statistics, 2000-2001), the NCERT is planning to launch a programme for school dropouts. Modelled along the lines of the national talent search examination conducted by the NCERT for regular school students, this particular 'talent' search has a more basic agenda — of getting students back in the classrooms. Starting off as a pilot project from 2006, the programme is targeted at those who dropped out after completing class VIII. It will offer 100 scholarships to those who pass the qualifying exam. The scholarships will for studies till the post-graduate level. Said V K Jain, in-charge of the programme, "Every year, we keep losing students due to various reasons — financial problems at home, failure in school, etc. This programme will at least try to get the children back to school and pursue higher studies."
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EDUCATION - 2004 Compiled & Edited
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GUWAHATI, FEB. 4. The Axom Sarba Si
Page 5 and 6: Anger against profound illiteracy (
Page 7 and 8: The Central officials brought up a
Page 9 and 10: 8 th April 20% reservation likely i
Page 11 and 12: HRD minister Murli Manohar Joshi no
Page 13 and 14: Secondary Education, the Union Publ
Page 15 and 16: New Delhi, May 22: The new human re
Page 17 and 18: y his ministry "which puts the stud
Page 19 and 20: NEW DELHI, JUNE 1. The Bharatiya Ja
Page 21 and 22: agree with. "These books were not w
Page 23 and 24: handing over higher education to ma
Page 25 and 26: College, at a press conference here
Page 27 and 28: CABE, somewhat smaller in size had
Page 29 and 30: 'History of India can't be history
Page 31 and 32: Another TN school catches fire, non
Page 33 and 34: anch of a nationalised bank to that
Page 35 and 36: 11. The notices were issued after h
Page 37 and 38: the situation is the same in almost
Page 39 and 40: A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has sought corpo
Page 41 and 42: transparent manner," the release ad
Page 43 and 44: anners inviting applications for ad
Page 45 and 46: shades of saffron and ask the autho
Page 47 and 48: function in his hometown of Vadnaga
Page 49 and 50: egarding minority education in the
Page 51 and 52: The evaluators compared learning le
Page 53 and 54: 9 th Nov. India again gets red grad
Page 55: other Central government institutes
Page 59: Bill on panel for minority bodies p
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EDUCATION - 2004 - Indian Social Institute

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