Free, compulsory education: Provinces urged to make necessary legislation
The Express Tribune, June 9, 2011

ISLAMABAD: In a discussion on “Public Forum on Enforcement of the Right to Free Education and Article 25-A of the Constitution” at PILDAT, the experts urged the provincial governments to increase their education budgets and the federal government to allocate special grants to underdeveloped provinces and areas to facilitate implementation of the article. The forum unanimously adopted an “Islamabad Resolution on Enforcement of Article 25-A”.

Experts believed that a separate and independent system for monitoring of enforcement of the article should be evolved by the provincial governments.

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School surveillance: how big brother spies on pupils
The Guardian, June 9, 2011

‘Every day in communities across the United States, children and adolescents spend the majority of their waking hours in schools that increasingly have come to resemble places of detention more than places of learning. From metal detectors to drug tests, from increased policing to all-seeing electronic surveillance, the schools of the 21st century reflect a society that has become fixated on crime, security and violence.”

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Govt to launch ‘education fortnight’ programme today
Times of India, June 13, 2011

HYDERABAD: The state government would launch the ‘education fortnight’ programme across the state on Monday during which a door-to-door campaign for enrolment of 5+ aged children, identification of out-of-school children and enrolment in special training centres would be carried out extensively. Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy would formally launch the programme at the government high school on Dharam Karan Road in Ameerpet. Officials said the thrust areas would be on quality, universalisation and facilities for education.

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16.1% of India’s ‘literates’ can’t read: IIM Ahmedabad study
DNA, June 13, 2011

AHMEDABAD: Census-2011 reports that the effective literacy rate in India has risen to 74.04%, which is 9.2% higher than the level during the previous census. But how reliable is the Census-2011’s data? Can those declared literate at least read an elementary textbook?

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Environment science course to be an e-experience
DNA, June 13, 2011

Now colleges will have to teach the subject of environment science through e-learning. Since the University Grants Commission has not created any new posts for the teachers of environment science, many colleges do not have enough teachers to teach this compulsory subject.

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Pearson Education Seeks Larger Presence in India
The Wall Street Journal, June 7, 2011

MUMBAI: Pearson Education India, the operating company of Pearson PLC that recently acquired a majority stake in online site TutorVista and tied up with Educomp Solutions, will buy or form alliances with providers of education in a bid to gain a 10% market share in India in two years. “We will grow [both] inorganically and organically in the Indian market, will continue to forge alliances and buy out companies wherever there [is synergy],” said Anish Srikrishna, chief marketing officer of Pearson Publishing India.

Online encyclopedia promotes itself as teaching-learning tool
The Times of India, June 7, 2011

PUNE: Wikipedia.org, the largest online encyclopedia in the world, has invited teachers and students in India to incorporate Wikipedia as teaching and learning tool in classrooms through its Wikipedia India Education Programme. The initiative coincides with the start of this academic year, with Pune as its pilot project. Various colleges and universities are being united to participate in the initiative, with students having the opportunity to contribute by editing articles related to their syllabus on Wikipedia, in lieu of conventional paper or report submissions.

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New institutes in UP, Bihar keep the students at home
The Economic Times, June 14, 2011

LUCKNOW: Till a decade ago, students finishing school in the cow belt of UP and Bihar, mostly migrated out of their home states to join better-quality, higher education institutes in other parts of India. For those wanting to pursue world-class engineering or management courses, except the some IITs, IIMs and a handful of government institutes, options were few. There were almost no second and third-rung institutes. The students moved to Delhi, Mumbai, Pune or Bangalore, which are known for their management and engineering institutes, both in the government and the private sector. But now, with the advent of private institutes in UP and Bihar, which are also focussing on world class academic standards, students increasingly find options closer home.

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Research: Is education policy innovation policy?

Authors: Ralf R Meisenzahl and Joel Mokyr

The Industrial Revolution is widely regarded as the start of modern economic growth. In his recent influential work, Allen (2009a, 2009b) has resurrected induced innovation theory and re-emphasised the role of factor prices. As the theory goes, scarce labour (measured by high wages) stimulated labour-saving inventions in Britain – basically induced innovation is a corollary of the old saying, “necessity is the mother of invention”. We beg to differ.

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The Joseph P Overton Fellowship for
Education Policy

Centre for Civil Society and School Choice Campaign launch a year-long program that provides a dynamic platform to track developments within the education sector in India. Working independently at the state-level, Overton Fellows will focus their research and analyses on the implementation of the Right to Education Act in each of the 29 states across the country. The Fellowship program is aimed at motivated young individuals with an interest in policy and advocacy. The Fellows will be selected on the basis of their academic achievements, leadership skills and expressed motivation to work in the policy sphere.

Download the application here.

Should the
Right To Education Act
be extended to the higher secondary level?

To vote click here.

To initiate and continue the discussion amongst concerned groups and individuals on the issue of right of education and monitor the implementation of the RTE Act, an RTE Coalition has been formed. Join the coalition to make universal elementary education a reality in India. Log on to www.righttoeducation.in for more information.

Skill Vouchers - Global Experiences and Lessons for India

Leah Verghese and
Parth J Shah

A study of the role that skill vouchers can play in catalysing demand for quality skill development services. This study examines global experiences with skill vouchers and draws lessons for India from these experiences.

For more click here

Reservation in Private Schools under the Right to Education Act: Model for Implementation

Shekhar Mittal and
Parth J Shah

Through this document the Centre for Civil Society seeks to highlight the lacunae in the current framework for 25% reservation for weaker and disadvantaged groups in unaided private schools and seeks to provide inputs on effective implementation of the same.

For more click here

School Vouchers for Girls

400 girl children from poor families of North East Delhi receive school vouchers for a period of 4 years.
For details visit the website

Minutes of the 58th Meeting of CABE on
June 7, 2011

For more click here.

For more details on how to support, log on to www.schoolchoice.in or email us at [email protected]