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BLOG // SAJAD SANTHOSH
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K-12 Education: Where Is The Modi Govt Planning To Spend?
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After
a decade of the Indian National Congress-led UPA alliance holding the
reins of the Indian government, the 2014 Lok Sabha elections generated
interest much more than the usual discourse about the “largest
democratic process in the world”. With the incumbent government
providing easy pickings, Narendra Modi led the charge of the Bharatiya
Janata Party to a poll position where they could form a government
without pandering to allies (which was a bane the Congress could not
avoid). In this context, revolutionary reforms were expected from the
new government. Here, we look at the education budget announced by the
new Finance Minister, Arun Jaitely, in July 2014 by focussing on some
important schemes.
The
expenditure on education was 3.3% of the GDP last year and the
budgetary allocation for the coming year has increased by 12% to INR
83,771 Cr. While an increase in expenditure is inevitable considering
inflation and the positive growth of the economy, it is also necessary
considering that 1.4 million children are out of school in India
according to the latest UNESCO Education for All Global Monitoring
Report. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), the government’s flagship
program for the universalization of elementary education, has been
merged with the Right to Education Act from 2010 and has therefore due
to an increase in the range and quantity of targets has seen the amount
allocated to it rise consistently from INR 25,555 Cr in 2012-13 to INR
28,635 Cr in 2014-15.
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FULL STORY >>
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VIDEO // RAYJA SABHA TV, AUGUST 2014
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day Speech
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In
his first Independence Day address as the 15th Prime Minister of India,
Narendra Modi spoke about the need for (1) ramping up skills,
particularly in trades through vocational education as a recurrent and
increasingly critical priority for India, and (2) ensuring educational
opportunity for girls and women through through adequate separate
toilets for them in schools, among other things.
MORE
VIDEOS
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RESEARCH // MAMTA VISWANATH, UNIVERSITY OF PUNE, MAY 2014
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Right To Education For Human Resource Development In 21st Century India: A Policy Perspective
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School
education is the fundamental requisite to improve human resources. A
sound school system should be in place guided by ‘right’ policy.
Firstly, this paper examines the role of school education policies
in promoting human resource development. Secondly, a brief
evaluation of Indian education policies will enable us to understand
the areas of shortcoming. Thirdly, the paper will critically analyze
Right to Education in India as the new fundamental right promised by
the constitution of India, a human right and the latest public policy
on school education.
A
rigorous analysis from policy perspective is urgent as 21st century
brings new challenges for the education system in the form of
globalization, liberalization of economy, multi-culturalism, increased
demand for English language proficiency, a new set of soft skills,
entrepreneurship and increased competition. Lastly, the paper will
discuss policy options available and best suited to optimize human
resource development in India.
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FULL STORY >>
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OPINION
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DID YOU KNOW?
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FEATURED
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Should The Gujarat Education Model Be Replicated Nationally?
More
emphasis on outcomes (like children's learning levels) and less on
inputs (like infrastructure and teacher qualifications) - does it
make sense to have such a system?
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25% Of Govt/Aided Upper Primary Schools Violate RTE Act
They
don't meet the requirement for at least 220 working days in a school
year (as reported in 2011-12 Flash Statistics by District
Information System for Education)
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SOS: Save 300,000 Budget Private Schools
Special Report by Autar Nehru, Aruna Ravikumar and Nadia Lewis, Education World: The Human Development Magazine, August 2014
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MORE
POLLS AND DISCUSSIONS
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MORE
DYKs
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MORE
PUBLICATIONS
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THE RTE NEWSREEL
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All-India // The Economic Times // 22 August 2014
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Digital India Vision To Boost Education, Healthcare Sectors
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NEW
DELHI: One can't make available thousands of medical specialists or
school teachers to the remotest corners of the country, but one can
make their services available through broadband at multi-service
centres in every village. That, in essence, is the vision of Digital
India initiative that the Cabinet cleared on Wednesday.
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Gujarat // The Indian Express // 21 August 2014
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Gujarat Govt Nod To Bridge After NHRC Issues Notice>
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Days
after The Sunday Express reported about school children from 16
villages in Sankheda being forced to swim across the raging Hiran river
to reach their school in Utavadi village in Narmada district, the
Gujarat government has finally cleared the long-pending proposal for
the river bridge.
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Odisha // Times of India // 17 August 2014
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Govt In A Fix Over Shortage Of Trained Science Teachers; Asks Centre To Relax Minimum Qualification
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Bhubaneswar:
Odisha is facing an acute shortage of teachers to teach science and
mathematics in schools. Worried over the situation, the state
government has urged the Centre to relax the minimum qualification for
recruitment of teachers as stipulated by the Right to Education (RTE)
Act. The state government has been in a fix over recruitment of
teachers in schools as the number of trained teachers produced in the
state is very low compared to the requirement, official sources said.
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Tamil Nadu // The Hindu // 17 August 2014
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In School, At Home
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The
path that Srividya Murali took when she decided to home-school her two
boys may have raised eyebrows, but she found that it best suited her
children’s needs. “I let them learn what they want to and choose the
pace as well,” she says. Her sons, Raghav, 9, and Krishna, 4, learn
from home, that too only what interests them, without the pressures of
performance and evaluation. “I follow a system called “unschooling,”
whereby I pick up cues on what my children show inclination towards and
provide tools to develop those skills,” Ms. Murali says.
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Global // DNA // 15 August 2014
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#IndependenceDay: 6 laws that guarantee freedom for India's citizens
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Constitution of India that came into force in January 1950 laid out the
basic framework and governing principles of how laws were to be framed
in the country. As the Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of
the constitution enumerate, the idea was to deliver maximum freedom to
the people. However, the Constitution was careful to include
restrictions so that unhindered rights would not be detrimental to the
rights enjoyed by others. Various legislations have been passed by the
Indian Parliament over the 67 years of its history. Below, we list out
six landmark legislations that have guaranteed and ensured freedom for
the people in the country.
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