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Weekly Update on Education

10 December 2008


Platform for airing nursery grievances
The Times of India, 10 December 2008

"Long suffering parents at the receiving end of whims of schools have help at hand. The website www.nurseryadmissions.com, run by parents seeking nursery admission for their children, and School Choice Campaign have come together to provide a platform to parents to file complaints against schools without jeopardising their ward's chances of securing a berth. School Choice Campaign a nationwide initiative launched by the Centre of Civil Society in 2007 and nurseryadmissions.com started Action for School Admission Reforms (ASAR) on Monday to collect complaints from parents and submit them to the directorate of education." More [+]


Restructuring the education system
The Economic Times, 10 December 2008

"The stifling oversight of government, of which the UGC and AICTE have become willing surrogates, needs to be removed and replaced with a helping hand. Major education reforms are long overdue. Only then can India become a global educational hub, as it once was." More [+]


40% of Delhi MLAs aren't graduates
The Times of India, 10 December 2008

"However, there's a twist in this tale. The academic credentials of the new-look Delhi Assembly may appear low by modern standards, but these are better than the city's own educational profile. According to an NSSO report of 2004-05, only 20.8% of Delhiites are graduates." More [+]


School Competition
Christian Jaag, Social Science Research Network, January 2006

"This study from Switzerland shows that competition between schools in the form of free school choice increases school quality and student performance and that the geographical characteristics of a school district are important determinants of educational success." More [+]


UNESCO EFA Global Monitoring Report 2009: Ideology Triumphs over Children's Future

Read our critique of The 2009 Education for All Global Monitoring Report here


After Maya, UPA hikes mid-day meal costs
Indian Express, 6 December 2008

"Lucknow: Realising that the increase in prices of essentials items is affecting the quality of mid-day meals, the UPA Government has decided to pitch in with more for the scheme. Besides, it will also develop a price index for the edibles used in the meals and revise the cooking cost every year." More [+]


Parents grumble over teacher pay
The Telegraph, 8 December 2008

"Ranchi: In keeping with the Sixth Pay Commission's recommendations, schools across the state are planning a salary hike for teachers from the next academic session. While the move has put a smile on the faces of the teachers, it has set the guardians grumbling."More [+]


'Empower panchayats to solve ills of education'
Express News Service, 7 December 2008

"Thiruvananthapuram: Speaking at the the international seminar on 'Democratic and secular education in the context of Kerala's experience,' organised by the Education Department on Kerala University campus, Kariavattom, Dr George Mathew, Director, Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi, said that the empowerment of panchayats is the ultimate solution to all the problems related to education at the village-level." More [+]


Where Do We Go From Here? Taking Action After the Mumbai Attacks
Taylor Jacobson for Teach for India, 10 December 2008

"In the aftermath of November 26, we are shocked. We are angry. Will these emotions blind us to the opportunity in front of us? Or will we use our great power to choose a path to commit to producing and participating in real solutions-solutions like Teach For India." More [+]


UNESCO EFA Global Monitoring Report 2009: Ideology Triumphs over Children's Future

Read our critique of The 2009 Education for All Global Monitoring Report here.

Total public expenditure on education as % of GNP in 2006

World (Average): 4.9
Developed Countries: 5.3
Developing Countries: 4.4

Country Examples

Bhutan: 7.2
Botswana: 9.3
Denmark: 8.3
India: 3.3
Iran: 5.2
Israel: 7.1
Netherlands: 5.2
Norway: 7.1
Portugal: 5.5
Sweden 7.2
Switzerland: 5.3
UK: 5.5
USA: 5.5

UNESCO EFA Global Monitoring Report 2009

 
 
 


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