Role reversal in Andhra Pradesh: Students to evaluate teachers

HYDERABAD: State schools will see a role reversal in their classrooms soon. Starting this academic year, students will be asked to evaluate the performance of teachers.

As per a decision taken by the department of school education, students of both private and government schools will be allowed to evaluate the performance of teachers in the classroom from this December.

The evaluation sheet will have questions on teachers ranging from their teaching skills to their attendance and also whether they are approachable. It will also evaluate the approach adopted by the teachers in class, especially towards students who are poor performers. The exercise is meant to be an extension of the project started by child protection committee about four years ago, whereby a complaint cell against teachers was set up. The process will become integral to the promotion of teachers as their marks will be taken into consideration during the annual appraisals in private schools. In government schools, the promotion of teachers will also depend on the marks given by students. A report on the performance of teachers will also be sent to the DEOs concerned. School education department officials said the DEO would ensure private schools enforce the programme.

Officials said that the teachers will be evaluated on a ten point scale. "We thought of a new evaluation process as the department felt that teachers should be accountable to students. The process will be introduced in classes V to X and we are even thinking of extending it to junior colleges that fall under the school education department," said a senior official.

 

Teacher associations have, however, opposed the move stating that the government should not link the performance with promotions. "The government is already conducting tests to evaluate the teachers as per the instructions of the Right to Education Act. With this new evaluation, the pressure on teachers will mount. This is not a good trend," said N Narayana from United Teachers Federation (UTF).

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/Role-reversal-in-Andhra-Pradesh-Students-to-evaluate-teachers/articleshow/9290517.cms

http://www.sakshi.com/ | 29th June, 2011

Agitation by ABVP on Fee Hikes in AP

http://www.sakshi.com/ | 22nd June, 2011

State edu ministers set up panel on extension of RTE to class 10

NEW DELHI: HRD ministry's move to extend Right to Education till class 10 got the unanimous approval of the Central Advisory Board of Education on Tuesday.

CABE at its meeting also approved two others proposals of the ministry: a new law to prohibit unfair practices by schools and a National Vocation Education Qualifications Framework (NVEQF).

In case of extension of RTE, providing for 10 years of free education, CABE set up a committee consisting of state ministers, educationists and members of civil society to formulate the draft legislation within three months. While giving their consent for extension of RTE, many state ministers pointed out how lack of funds was creating problems in the implementation of free and compulsory education till class eight.

As for the new law on unfair practices, HRD minister Kapil Sibal said a similar legislation for higher education is with the Standing Committee of Parliament. Ministers of most states agreed that there was a need for such a legislation because of the increasing trend of use of unfair practices in schools. Again, a CABE committee consisting of state ministers, members of civil society and educationists was set up to thrash out the issue.

Explaining the rationale behind the new law, a senior ministry official made a presentation listing out growing reports of malpractices like demand for donations, refusal of admission, non-refund of fees, over-charging, fee collection without receipt, short payment to teachers and staff and commercialization. The proposed law will make it mandatory for schools to publish the prospectus giving out all the details about physical infrastructure, admission process, number of seats, teachers and their qualifications. It will proposes to make unfair practices punishable, by imposing a penalty as well as criminal prosecution.

The vocational education roadmap would be developed by a group of state education ministers. State governments have been asked to identify regional and local skills and develop curriculum content to be fed into the framework. The courses chosen should be locally specific to be implemented through plans devised by the states, which would be woven into a national grid within the parameters of NVEQF.

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/New-Article/articleshow/8769307.cms

Sakshi | Hyderabad Edition | 4th June, 2011

http://sakshi.com/main/FullStory.aspx?catid=168788&subcatid=7&Categoryid=3

Schools charging exorbitant fee to lose recognition

HYDERABAD: City schools will lose their recognition if they charge exorbitant fees this academic year (2011-12). The district administration has decided to put a leash on the managements of state board, ICSE and CBSE schools in the city who have already announced a hefty hike in their fee structure even before the commencement of the academic year.

While schools that come under the state board will be de-recognised by the officials, in the case CBSE and ICSE schools the DEO will withdraw the NOC (No Objection Certificate) if the rules are not followed. The state's NOC is required to obtain recognition from national boards like CBSE and ICSE.

Several city schools have decided to hike the fee by 20 to 50 per cent this year. But the district administration announced on Friday that the fee hike will be effective only if the parents' committee agrees to the same. The schools will have to give a detailed report on the fee structure and reasons behind the hike to the district educational officer (DEO) by June 10. They will also have to take a no-objection letter from the parents' committee by June 20. The detailed fee structure of each of the schools will be put up on the official websites of the schools and also the DEO Hyderabad's website, http://www.deohyderabad.com/.

Announcing the new system, Natarajan Gulzar, district collector stated that several complaints had come to his administrative office in the past regarding exorbitant fee hikes initiated by schools in the city. He stated that all the schools including international schools will have to comply by the rules.

The parents associations in the city welcomed the move but stated that some of the CBSE and ICSE schools have already collected the first term fee based on their increased fee structure. "The government has been slow in implementing the fee regulation in spite of parents' protests since the past two years. We hope the regulation comes into force soon," said Kamal Malliramani, member, Hyderabad Schools' Parents' Association.

Sushinder Rao, DEO, Hyderabad said that schools will also be categorised into four groups on the basis of their infrastructure facilities, quality of teachers and performance of students in public examinations. "The classification could later on decide whether the fee structure is justified or not. We have not taken a final call on whether the classification should decide the fee structure," stated the DEO.

The district education department will also take strict action against the erring schools in this regard. "We have taken criminal action against five managements and have closed down 16 such illegal institutions so far," the DEO said. The DEO also stated that fire safety norms prescribed by the central government should be put in place before the commencement of the academic year.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Schools-charging-exorbitant-fee-to-lose-recognition/articleshow/8717663.cms

Centre plans ban on capitation fee

BANGALORE: The Centre has announced bringing in a comprehensive legislation banning schools and intermediate colleges from collecting capitation fee, publishing false or misleading advertisements and accepting admission fee without receipt.

The proposed legislation — The Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Schools and Intermediate Colleges Bill, 2011 — will be first discussed during the Central Advisory Board of Education meeting on June 7 in New Delhi. Designed on the lines of a similar legislation that bans unfair practices among technical and medical institutions, the HRD ministry has decided to extend it to from primary up to senior secondary level.

The legislation aims at promoting transparency through mandatory self-disclosure in the prospectus and school websites. Information regarding physical, academic and facilities relating to quality of education should be mandatorily published by schools and adhered to. Schools will be liable to refund fee deposited by a student if the admission is withdrawn by a student.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Centre-plans-ban-on-capitation-fee/articleshow/8613925.cms

Enrolment in primary schools plunges 2.6 million in 2 years

MUMBAI: It is a lesson in misplaced enthusiasm. While the Centre has been busy tom-tomming its efforts to send more children to school, enrolment in primary classes across the country has, in actuality, dropped since 2007. Between 2008-09 and 2009-10, enrolment in classes I to IV in Indian schools dropped by over 2.6 million.

The biggest setback was witnessed in Uttar Pradesh, where admissions plummeted by over a million in the last two years, according to the latest data released by the ministry of human resource development.

The slide in national figures began between 2007-08 and 2008-09 and became, ironically, steeper between 2008-09 and 2009-10, when the Centre cleared the Right to Education Act making education a fundamental right.

After years of ignoring the worrying statistics, the central government has finally decided to wake up and take action. It recently pulled up state governments and demanded reasons for the decline in numbers.

Most large Indian states, including Maharashtra, have seen student numbers come down in classes I to V, though Assam has been one of the biggest offenders.

"This definitely cannot be just a demographic change. In fact, in Uttar Pradesh, enrolment has come down in just about seven to eight districts. The state government has been alerted and it is investigating what went wrong," said R Govinda, vice chancellor of the National University of Education Planning and Administration. Experts are at a loss to accurately explain the drop in enrolment in northern states, where birth rates have essentially remained the same. In some southern states, where population planners had predicted a slowdown in birth rate, primary school enrolments have unsurprisingly declined.

In other states like Delhi, Tamil Nadu and in the northeast, the figures have begun to plateau. In Bihar, Rajasthan, Assam, the struggle stems from ground-level problems like data keeping, children moving out, introduction of new schools and rationalization of data, said Madhav Chavan, the founder of educational non-profit group Pratham.

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Enrolment-in-primary-schools-plunges-26-million-in-2-years/articleshow/7749672.cms

Pvt schools plan summer classes to retain students

HYDERABAD: Bad news for school students this year. Several state board schools in the city have opted for shorter summer vacations by beginning classes for the coming academic year soon after the annual examinations end in April. 

So, summer vacations that were scheduled from April 24 to June 12 have now shrunk to a barely 40-day break with schools holding classes until May 1 or in some cases even up to May 15. Several school managements have already informed parents that the classes for the new academic year would begin from April 1. 

Parents, however, allege that the schools have announced this as a measure to retain students. "The managements have asked us to pay for textbooks and uniforms for the coming academic year right at the beginning of April. This would mean that we will not be able to shift our children to other schools during the vacation," rued L Sambasiva Rao, a parent. 

School managements tell another story. They explain that they will run classes till May so that the parents who have not paid up the fee for the coming academic year pay it by May. "We do not give report cards of students if the parents have not paid up the fee. Hence we conduct classes till May 1 to get them pay the due amount," said a school management representative who didn't want to be named. 

Among the schools that have decided to conduct classes in summer are corporate schools like Narayana Techno Schools, Sri Chaitanya Techno Schools, Gautam Group of Schools, Krishnaveni Group of Schools and Keshav Reddy Group of Schools. Only Students of these schools between classes VI and X would have to attend summer classes. In smaller private schools however, like Genius Grammar School, Dilshuknagar and Sradha High School, Ramananthpur which have also decided to conduct summer classes, all students between classes II and X would have to attend summer classes. 

"We will take action against schools which do not follow the prescribed almanac. Vacation classes are strictly prohibited," said DEO P Suseendra Rao. 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Pvt-schools-plan-summer-classes-to-retain-students/articleshow/7745561.cms

Pune school wants to churn out future leaders

In a new initiative, the DAV Public School, Aundh, has introduced a unique system to educate students about how the Indian government functions. 

Election campaigns, posters and pamphlets were distributed in the school in order to campaign for the representatives. The representatives were selected from standard XI.

The elections were conducted, wherein students and teachers cast their votes by using an electronic voting machine. The elected members would function like members of parliament in the school for one whole year. 

A government of the elected candidates was also set up. All elected representatives were administered the oath by the coordinator of the school, Lakshmi. The code of conduct for ethics has to be followed by all elected representatives.

‘President’ Sohal Thakur told students, “My team may not do different things but they may do things differently.” ‘Prime minister’ Kirti Sinha thanked the teachers and students for their support. Parents of all representatives were invited to witness the occasion.

At the end of the function, school principal Jayshri Venkatraman, teachers and parents blessed the representatives. According to Venkatraman, “This exercise will help students to understand how the government works and how elections take place, and would get them involved and interested in the procedures.” 

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_pune-school-wants-to-churn-out-future-leaders_1502235

Want ward in school? Ask police to certify your character.

Want your child admitted to a reputed school? Be ready to produce a character certificate.

Sounds bizarre, right? But thisschool in Juhu has its argument ready. It has to do with security threats, the authorities say. Parents must submit a character certificate verifying that they have no criminal background. 

Fatima Sheikh (name changed), a parent who approached the school to get her kid admitted in senior KG, was prepared for long queues, interviews and waiting lists, but not for several trips to the police station.

According to the specifications of the school, the character certificate has to be obtained from the crime branch of the police. It must carry mention of any previous criminal case such as theft, murder and accident against the parents.

“We had to submit the certificate within 10 days. My husband had to take leave from work to ensure the progress of the certificate. We also had to give bribes to officers so that they would speed up the process,” she said.

The school authorities said they adopted this policy after the police issued an advisory in December 2010 to all city schools to step up security measures as they were likely to be soft targets for terrorist activities.

“This is a security measure to ensure that we don’t have the wrong kind of people entering the institution, which could lead to a security threat to all our students. These measures have been incorporated by our management after considerable representation from the parents and adequate thought to serve the best interest of our students,’’ said the principal of the school.

She said the school has installed closed circuit television camera network and provided additional security, both during and after school hours, as security measures. “We have asked the certificate from parents not to eliminate children of parents with a criminal record but to evaluate the risk profile based on the information provided,” she said.

If the parents are not happy, then the police are not amused too. A senior official from the crime branch said, “Running a background check on parents is a time consuming affair and requires many resources. We have to report even minor crimes like accidents. The process generally takes more than 30 days. It is taxing on the police department as well.”

Sunil Chavan, deputy director of education, said schools are not allowed to have any sort of screening process while admitting children. “A school leaving certificate, bona fide or birth certificate are the only documents that schools can ask for. We have not given the school permission to ask for character certificates,” he said.

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_want-ward-in-school-ask-police-to-certify-your-character_1502037

CBSE prescription: schools must tie up with hospitals

BANGALORE: Here's another boost to the safety measures of your child when in school. In a student-friendly move, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has advised all its affiliated schools to have a tie up with a neighboring hospital. 

The circular dated October 18, 2010 and signed by chairman Vineet Joshi states: "There is a need to create medical care facilities and systems in schools and also have tie up with a nearby hospital within a radius of 2-4 km for any medical emergency.'' The move is part of creating a "safe, fearless and secure environment" which is a prime requirement of holistic education. 

With an increasing aggressiveness among children of this generation, even the cases of casualties in schools have risen, authorities say. 

"There will be around 8-10 small casualties every day. When compared to previous years, there is an increase in the number of cases from the classrooms. If it had been, say, five cases five years ago, it would be eight now. Students tend to imitate the scenes they watch in TV during the breaks," says Mansoor Ali Khan, trustee member, board of management, Delhi Public School. 

Increase in physical fights and restlessness among children of classes three to six are noticeable, teachers say. 

Asthma, stomach pain, fever and minor accidents like falls are the common incidents in schools. Many schools in the city already have their own in-house medical facilities with full-time doctors, nurses and first aid box (even in the school buses as students tend to get into fights even there). A few even have ambulances in case of emergencies. 

Kumaran's Children's Home is planning to make it more `specialized'. They are planning to open a nebulising unit for students with breathing problems. 

While some schools like Geetanjali Vidyalaya have the phone numbers of the students' paediatricians stored in the handbooks, others say they call the parents immediately as they will have objections to the hospitals they take the children to. 

Some schools already have understandings with hospitals Army Public School with the army hospital and Gear Innovative International with VIMS. There are others who are finalizing the tie ups. "We are in the final process. Apart from emergency cases, they would conduct health check-ups, lectures and give tips on healthy living," says P S Khot, New Horizon Gurukul. 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/CBSE-prescription-schools-must-tie-up-with-hospitals/articleshow/7056016.cms

Wary of T stir, schools cancel Christmas vacation !

HYDERABAD: The impending 'T' agitation that is expected to follow the submission of Srikrishna Committee report on Telangana statehood, scheduled for December 31, seems to have dampened the Christmas vacation plans of the city school students. While some schools have decided to cancel their Christmas vacation, a few others postponed the half-yearly examination to January, making the festive season a time for special classes and studies. 

The schools which have decided to cancel their Christmas vacation include Meridian (all branches), Chirec (all branches), P Obul Reddy High School, Jubilee Hills and Sr. Nivedita School, Begumpet. City parents said that several schools, including Bhaskar School, Kukatpally, had taken the task of finishing the portions well in advance of the report submission and are rushing through the portions by conducting special classes every week. Most schools will give only one-day holiday on December 25 for students, who were expecting to wind down during a week-long vacation. 

School authorities said that some of them have been threatened by `T' agitators that they should not be running classes during bandh this time around and hence, several of them are struggling to complete the portions before December 15. "Some schools like Chirec will have an extra hour of instruction every day so that the portions get completed," said a city parent. Meanwhile, some of the schools like Delhi Public School have been conducting extra classes even on Saturdays with an aim to finish the portions before December 15. 

Meanwhile, schools which give holidays for Sankranti are also having second thoughts about their vacation plans. While the state government declared a Sankranti vacation from January 8 to 19, some of the schools are planning to conduct special classes during the time. "We were told that Sankrati celebrations will have to be boycotted in Telangana schools as it is more of an Andhra festival. We are expecting trouble and hence, will take a decision on vacation time in the coming week," said a school management representative from Abids. 

However, S Srivivas Reddy, convener, Recognised Schools Managements Association, said that the association had told all the schools to continue with their vacation plans without succumbing to `T' threats. "We are trying hard to get Essential Services Maintenance Act (Esma) for schools too. If the High Court gives a ruling in our favour, the schools in the state will not have to cancel their study hours," said Reddy. 

The school education department officials stated that the vacation for Christmas and Sankranti festivals have already been announced. Christmas vacation is from December 23 to January 1 and for Sankranti, the vacation will be January 8 to 19. "The vacation schedule declared by the state government should be followed by schools," said an official. 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Wary-of-T-stir-schools-cancel-Christmas-vacation/articleshow/7049888.cms

Schools turn events into marketing stunts

HYDERABAD: The once small-scale school events have metamorphosed into mega events, creeping out of school campuses into stadiums and auditoriums, galleries or even hotels. Be it the school's annual day or an anniversary blast, the budgets of these celebrations are now in the range of Rs 2 lakh to Rs 20 lakh per annum. 

From renting sports stadiums to flaunting a few local celebrities and public figures in functions including annual days, the schools are ready to do it all to market themselves to future parents. In the past few months alone, a city school has organised a function at Gachibowli stadium spending Rs 55,000 even as another school is currently planning to book the same location for its 15 year anniversary to be held soon, the budget for which is estimated to be Rs 75,000. Another such event in the city was a musical event organised by a private school spending Rs 35,000 with professional singers from the city participating in it. 

But even as the managements are having a blast with these publicity functions meant to attract more students to their schools, it is the parents who are feeling the pinch with the managements seeking "contributions'' from students. Schools collect Rs 200 to Rs 1,000 per student to conduct these mega events. 

"Right at the beginning of the academic year, the fee collected is based on the expenditure of the school to hold such events too. The 10 to 30 per cent fee hike which is thrust upon the parents every year is the direct result of such events conducted by the school," a parent said. 

Parents also alleged that while splurging money on public functions, the schools do not take care of the interests of the students. "From Sanskrit Divas to Hindi Diwas the students are made to participate in all events in the school and we are forced to spend on costumes and food," said a parent. 

With schools actively celebrating every event , right from "Global Handwash Day" to "Say no to Drugs Campaign" on the roads, holding rallies to attract attention more to their brand than to the cause, the parents remain a disgruntled lot. 

Parents pointed out that there are some schools which hold mega events thoughout the year for publicity. These schools which have branches across the city and conduct at least 10 events in a month, starting from inter school painting competitions and debate competitions to stamp exhibitions, most of which are held in public venues like galleries. 

Meanwhile, students said that they often feel compelled to participate in the events. "In our school all the trips are currently study tours and it is mandatory for us to attend them. We are also supposed to participate in all the festivals be it Janmashtami or Dasara and these functions are held in Ravindra Bharati and not the school premises," said a student. 

Parents say with the state government not introducing a fee regulation act even after the High Court directed them to bring relief to the parents by regulating fees, they would have to continue funding school functions. 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Schools-turn-events-into-marketing-stunts/articleshow/6904701.cms

(Times of India | Hyderabad | Page5 | 11.11.2010)

School Deregulation: An Erosion of trust

In its most recent report on the education sector, IDFC SSKI quotes Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal as saying: “We cannot have companies listed on the stock exchange to run educational institutions and pay dividends to shareholders from the fees parents pay. We cannot allow education to be subject to risk factors.” But it’s happening, whether it’s a listed company or, in several cases, a non-profit trust.

In its steadfast, principled intentions, the trust model works. Paul Machado, principal of Campion School , a private ICSE board school in South Mumbai, is against privatisation of education, as he feels it is not a commercial activity. “Our charitable trust collects tuition fees to maintain the institute,” he says, adding that he fails to understand why some schools would need to outsource their management and operations. “These are the loopholes in the system that lead to corruption,” he says.

But there are others who say it is naïve to believe in the trust model anymore. Madhav Chavan of Pratham likens the current non-profit trust structure in schools to prohibition: it encourages illegal trade and manufacturing, people still drink, and the only loss is that of tax revenues for the state. “It’s hypocrisy to say schools can’t make profits,” says Chavan. “Everyone ultimately makes money except the government.”

It’s why many educationists say deregulate the sector and do away with the non-profit trust structure. Allow management companies to bring in private capital, which can enable more and better schools. “It is better to regulate schools by allowing them to be profit-making,” says Chavan.

This, he says, will make the system more transparent and draw in private capital.One of the ways the government can regulate schools is through the recent quota system, wherein all schools are required to enrol 25% of students from the weaker sections.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/services/education/School-Deregulation-An-Erosion-of-trust/articleshow/6783997.cms

CIC: Pvt schools too under RTI Act

NEW DELHI: Private recognized schools cannot claim exemption from disclosing information to Education Directorate under Right to Information Act, a full bench of the Central Information Commission (CIC) has held, thus virtually bringing them under the ambit of the transparency law.

‘‘The issues relating to management and regulation of schools responsible for promotion of education are so important for development that it cannot be left at whims and caprices of private bodies, whether funded or not by the Government,’’ the bench said in its order deciding on disclosure of service records of a teacher employed at a private school.

Bindu Khanna, a teacher at Pinnacle School at Panchsheel Enclave, had filed an RTI application with Education Directorate seeking to know her service records. But despite orders of the Directorate to provide the details, the school maintained that it was a private body and hence outside RTI purview. It cited sections of the law which exempt the disclosure of personal information.

The Commission said various clauses of Delhi School Education Rules, 1973 say that ‘‘all records’’ of a private recognized school are open to inspection by any officer authorized by the Director or the appropriate authority at any time.

The records provided to education department by the schools can be accessed by an RTI applicant, it said.  ‘‘Information which a public authority is entitled to access, under any law, from private body, is ‘information’ as defined under Section 2(f) of the RTI Act and has to be furnished,’’ the Commission said in its order rejecting the claims of the school. Quoting a high court order in this regard, the bench said the term ‘third party’ includes not only the public authority but also any private body.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/CIC-Pvt-schools-too-under-RTI-Act/articleshow/6259311.cms