Page 439 - Education

Private schools to protest for reforms in education

The National Coalition for School Education (NCSE) today launched the 'Shiksha Bachao Adhiyan' and announced a protest at the Ramleela Maidan here on April 7 to demand reforms in education, including amendment to the Right to Education Act. The body is a coalition of private school associations. Speaking to reporters, NCSE chairman Kulbhushan Sharma said, "While the state of education calls for urgent reform, the government seems to be working only for appeasement and quick fix. Private schools from across the country will protest at Ramleela Maidan on April 7." Some of the demands include offering parents Rs 2,500 per child per month to meet schooling expenses, making education and teaching services tax-free, ensuring safety and security of all students, among others, he said. "Amendments needs to be made to RTE legislation for learning outcome-based school recognition system instead of mere infrastructure-based norms, which have led thousands of schools to close down," Sharma said.

UGC grants autonomous status to O P Jindal Global University

The University Grants Commission has granted Haryana-based O P Jindal Global University (JGU) autonomous status under graded autonomy regulations 2018. Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar made the announcement about making JGU the first private university in Haryana to be given autonomy. UGC and HRD ministry have granted autonomy to 52 universities, out of which five are central universities, 21 state universities, 24 deemed and two private universities, the JGU said in a press release. "There are more than 300 private universities in India but only two have been granted this special status, one of them being O P Jindal Global University," it said. Expressing gratitude to the HRD ministry, Naveen Jindal, founding chancellor of JGU, said: "This feat reiterates JGU's commitment to shaping India's aspirations of building world-class universities through comparative and international dimensions. We are grateful to MHRD and UGC who have appreciated our ...

Edu budget: Self-defence training for girls, 25 skill centres and 13 language academies

The AAP government today announced that it would impart self-defence training to girls, install CCTV cameras at all government schools, and set up 13 language academies and 25 world class skill development centres in the national capital. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia presented the budget for 2018-19 in the legislative assembly. The AAP government continued its trend of allocating the biggest share of the budget to the education sector, earmarking Rs 13,9997 crore, which is 26 per cent of the total budget, for it. In the budget for 2017-2018, 23.5 per cent of the total budget amount was given to the education sector. About 1.2 lakh CCTV cameras will be installed at all government schools, for which an outlay of Rs 175 crore has been proposed in the budget estimates 2018-19. Self-defence classes for girl students will be started, Sisodia said in his budget speech. The government also proposed a new scheme for evaluation of all schools in Delhi to promote healthy competition ...

177 IIM-U grads to be conferred degrees instead of diplomas

Nearly 177 students graduating from the IIM-Udaipur, tomorrow will be the second batch of IIM graduates after Bangalore to receive MBA degrees instead of diplomas, an official said today. Indian Institute of Management-Udaipur will be the second institute after IIM-Bangalore to confer degrees on students completing its flagship two-year Post Graduate Programme (PGP) in Management at a convocation tomorrow, IIM-U Director Janat Shah told PTI. He said a meeting was held with the Union HRD minister last week after which a decision was taken to confer degrees on 177 students of the PGP course this year. However, diplomas would be awarded to students of the PGPX programme, Shah added. Sunil Munjal of the Hero Group would be the chief guest of the IIM-U convocation, he said. While, IIM-Bangalore awarded degrees to its students this year, IIM-Lucknow conferred diplomas and IIM-Indore was also likely to award degrees this year, he added. The IIM-U director said formalities to award degrees ...

Biden is trying to act like a tough guy: Trump

United States President Donald Trump on Thursday hit back at Joe Biden, saying the former vice president is '"trying to act like a tough guy.""Crazy Joe Biden is trying to act like a tough guy. Actually, he is weak, both mentally and physically, and yet he threatens me, for the second time, with physical assault. He doesn't know me, but he would go down fast and hard, crying all the way. Don't threaten people Joe!" Trump tweeted.On Tuesday, Biden suggested that he would "beat the hell out of" Trump if they were in high school over Trump's lewd comments about women that he made in an "Access Hollywood" video that surfaced in 2016."They asked me would I like to debate this gentleman, and I said no. I said, 'If we were in high school, I'd take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him," Biden said in a speech at the University of Miami.Biden was the U.S. vice president from 2009 to 2017.

HRD seeks report on school girl's suicide, parents stage protest seeking CBI probe

The HRD Ministry has sought a report from Ahlcon Public School regarding the alleged suicide by a class 9 student whose parents are claiming that she was "sexually harassed" by two teachers. Parents of the 15-year-old, accompanied by other parents staged a protest outside the school in East Delhi's Mayur Vihar area. They demanded a CBI enquiry into the matter and arrest of the teachers and the principal. The protesting parents also blocked the Mayur Vihar main road affecting the traffic flow. "We have asked for details," HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said when asked about the incident on sidelines of an event. A Class IX student of the school allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself at her Noida residence on Tuesday. Her family alleged that she was harassed by her two teachers including a woman and deliberately awarded poor marks. The school, however, is denying the allegations. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had yesterday ordered the Directorate of Education (DoE) to ..

Education fee cap for martyrs' children removed

A Rs 10,000 cap on the education fee paid to the children of military personnel killed in the line of duty has been removed, the government announced on Thursday.

Delhi Budget: 26% allocation for education

Twenty-six per cent of the Rs 53,000 crore Delhi Budget for 2018-19 has been allocated for education, Finance Minister Manish Sisodia announced on Thursday.

Delhi govt falls short of target in setting up classroom libraries

The Delhi government has set up only 4,178 classroom libraries in primary sections of schools as against an annual target of 6,300, according to its Outcome Budget 2017-18 tabled today. The Outcome Budget tabled by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also mentioned that the Directorate of Education had set up 359 vocational labs to encourage vocational education in schools this year against the annual target of 250. A whopping one lakh teachers were trained until December, 2017 as against 47,000 teachers last year by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), the report said, adding that the numbers included teachers availing training more than once. Under the Directorate of Higher Education, the report said, a total of 8,603 students were admitted to 12 Delhi University colleges fully funded by the Delhi government as against 7,392 admitted in 2016-17. While 411 research papers were published in higher ...

JNUTA announces 'Pad Yatra' to Parliament

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association (JNUTA) today announced a march to Parliament on Friday in support of their demands including immediate withdrawal of notifications replacing chairpersons who were opposed to implementing compulsory attendance. The teachers' body has requested other associations to join the protest march that would begin from the varsity's campus here. Their other demands include withdrawal of the executive council decision on constitution of a committee to take action against individual teachers, JNUTA president Sonajharia Minz said. The JNUTA had earlier launched a three-day 'Satyagraha' inside the campus to raise these demands. On the University Grants Commission granting full autonomy to JNU, Minz said, "JNUTA strongly opposes such moves which are being implemented in order to promote privatisation in the name of autonomy. She alleged that this is also a step to free the state from its responsibility of providing easily accessible higher ...

JNU appeals students, teachers to restore normalcy in campus

Hit by a series of protests over various issues, the Jawaharlal Nehru University administration has appealed to students and professors to restore normalcy in the campus and allow the institution to function without interruptions. "Centres such as the School of Art and Aesthetics, Centre for French and Francophone Studies and Centre for Historical Studies have been locked down or blockaded by some agitating students. As a result, holding of JNU Entrance Examinations-related viva-voce, M. Phil/ PhD viva voce, classes, mid-semester examinations are facing enormous difficulties," JNU Registrar Pramod Kumar said in a statement. The interests of student and teacher community have been damaged beyond repair, he said while appealing the community to restore normalcy in the campus. "The JNU Teachers' Association (JNUTA) and Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) have combined their efforts by calling for total university strike that does not serve the interests of the JNU ...

Term of commission on sub-categorisation of OBCs extended

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved a 12 week extension of the term of the Commission set up to examine the issue of sub-categorization of Other Backward Classes in the central list up to June 20, 2018, an official statement said.

JNU harassment case: Assembly passes resolution on 'lethargic attitude' of police

The Delhi Assembly today passed a resolution, condemning the police's "lethargic attitude" in probing the alleged sexual harassment of some women students of JNU by a professor and stating that the AAP government would provide all possible help to the victims, including legal assistance by appointing special public prosecutors in the cases. The resolution, moved by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Sourabh Bharadwaj, stated that the Delhi government should also provide counselling to the victims through its women and child welfare department and the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW). It stated that the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students had filed complaints of sexual harassment and molestation against Atul Johri, a professor of the School of Life Sciences in the premier institute. "This House therefore condemns the lethargic attitude of the Delhi Police in not taking prompt action on the complaints of the students and hence, the students had to resort to protest and gherao of the ...

Cabinet approves continuation of higher education mission

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday gave its approval for continuation of centrally-sponsored Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) from April 1 this year to March 31, 2020.

RUSA 2.0 seeks enhanced private partnership in higher education sector

In a significant development, Government today approved a proposal that will encourage states to undertake projects in public private partnership in the higher education sector based on the concept of viability gap funding. The Rastriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) 2.0, cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, encourages states to create facilitating mechanisms to ease restrictions for enhancing private investment in the sector. "With a view to ensure greater resource flow to the State higher education sector, RUSA 2.0 will encourage states and institutions to undertake projects in a public-private partnership mode based on viability gap funding," a government statement said. RUSA 2.0 extended till March 31, 2020, seeks to increase gross enrolment ratio by 30 per cent during this period, creation of 70 new model degree colleges and 8 new professional colleges. Besides, it seeks to enhance quality and excellence in 10 ...

Accused JNU teacher highly influential, say complainants

Five of the eight JNU students, who have accused a senior professor of molestation, on Wednesday said they did not report the incidents of molestation to the university's anti-harassment committee because the panel is full of supporters of the "highly influential" teacher.

JNU admin. appeal agitators to restore normalcy in campus

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration on Wednesday appealed the agitators, strikers and protesters to refrain from their activities to restore normalcy in the campus.Administration's appeal comes days after students of JNU took to the streets to protest against Professor Johri, who has been granted bail in sexual harassment cases.A statement released by the administration, it read as "To make all efforts possible to restore normalcy in the campus and allow the Schools/Centres to function without interruptions. Some Schools/Centres, such as the School of Art and Aesthetics, Centre for French and Francophone Studies, and Centre for Historical Studies have been locked down or blockaded by some agitating students.""Holding of JNU Entrance Examinations-related viva-voce, M. Phil/ PhD viva voce, classes, mid-semester examinations are facing enormous difficulties," the statement added.The JNU administration further noted that the campus has been witnessing agitations, which ...

ASSOCHAM launches nationwide preschool drive

As part of an initiative to bring all stakeholders together under pre-school education and give it a concrete shape, the ASSOCHAM launched a nationwide drive 'Pehle Preschool' from today. Time has come where government authorities and private stake holders must agree to formulate guidelines for teacher training courses, infrastructure and safety measures for running pre-schools, Chairman, School Education Council, ASSOCHAM, Tamal Mukherjee told a press meet here. "A child of every individual citizen, up to the age of six years, must go to a pre-school and after six years must go to a formal primary school. But we need to ensure every pre-school must follow certain norms and hence the need for coming together of all stakeholders - private and government - to formulate a guideline," Mukherjee said. In sync with the ASSOCHAM's 'Pehle Preschool' objective, the chambers will recommend to the central government to formulate guidelines for pre-school teachers' training course .

Maths my most feared subject: Hrithik

Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan, who is playing mathematician Anand Kumar in his upcoming film "Super 30", says he used to fear maths as a subject during his school days.

JK Governor, CM congratulate University of Jammu for getting autonomy

Governor N N Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today congratulated the University of Jammu for making it to the list of country's top 62 institutions which have been granted autonomy, officials said. The University Grants Commission (UGC) yesterday approved autonomy for 62 higher educational institutions, including University of Jammu, officials said. On being informed about the UGCs decisions by Vice Chancellor Prof R D Sharma, the governor, who is also chancellor of the university, congratulated him and all his colleagues on the well deserved recognition of the good work being done by several departments in this University, an official spokesman said. Mufti also congratulated the Jammu University (JU) for making it to the top 62 academic institutions in the country which were granted autonomous status by the HRD Ministry yesterday. This reflects the struggle for excellence by the teachers, administration and students of the University equally, the Chief Minister said. She said