Home Blog Page 1103

Quality teaching should be the mission for teachers: Haryana Governer

Observing that there is a dire need for quality education, Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia on Wednesday asked teachers to take up quality teaching as their mission.

“The future of our country depends upon the quality of teachers and it is very important that teachers perform their duty in an efficient manner,” the Governor said at the State Teacher’s Award function held at the Raj Bhawan here to mark the Teacher’s Day.

Providing good teachers to the society is a great service towards mankind and in this direction, the state gaovernment is taking effective steps to convert Haryana into an education hub of international level, he said.

He said that it is essential to provide employment-oriented education to the students along with general education.

Speaking on the occasion chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said two teacher training institutes are being set up in Jhajjar and Jind districts to train the teaching fraternity.

Community Colleges would also be opened in the state to provide professional education to persons of any age group, Hooda said.

The Governor conferred State Teacher Awards upon 61 teachers for the year 2010 and 2011.

Source: PTI

Fill the seat of UGC chairman:Delhi HC

The Delhi high court on Wednesday issued notice to the central government to respond on a petition seeking direction to fill the seat of UGC chairman which has been lying vacant since February last year.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw directed the ministry of human resource development (HRD) and University Grants Commission (UGC) to respond on the plea within three weeks.

The PIL (public interest litigation) filed by C.S. Kalra, a retired professor, also pointed out that the seats of Secretary and Financial Adviser are lying vacant since 2005.

He alleged that the government was deliberately delaying the recruitment for the post.

Kalra also alleged that the present acting chairman of UGC, Ved Prakash, has been holding the post for more than three years in violation of the University Grants Commission Act.

“A major fraud has been perpetrated on the system by first selecting Prof. Ved Prakash as vice-chairman of the UGC from March 3, 2009 without giving any advertisement for the post,” Kalra said.

Kalra further alleged that the HRD ministry allowed Ved Prakash to continue as acting chairman for more than 14 months even though his tenure ended March 2, 2012.

The government counsel, however, said that Ved Prakash was allowed to further continue in the post to maintain continuity.

Source: IANS

Rajasthan is an upcoming edu-hub

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday said the state was growing into a hub for institutions of higher education.

Speaking at the inauguration of a private university near here, Gehlot said the government was promoting public participation in the education sector.

33 universities had been set up in the state and the number of government universities was also going up, which would change the education sector’s scenario in the coming days.

Gehlot also laid stress on promoting research work and imparting quality education in these institutions.

Source: PT’I

Central Administrative Tribunal seeks response of centre on nursery teachers’ plea for salary hike

The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has sought the response of the Centre on a plea by 41 nursery teachers engaged on contractual basis for ‘early child education centres’ being run as part of the Human Resources Development (HRD) ministry’s ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.’

The CAT bench of its members Dharam Paul Sharma and Veena Chhotray issued notices to the State Project Director of Universal Elementary Education (UEE) Mission, which runs the education centres and comes under the HRD ministry, and the director of education, Delhi seeking their replies by September 5.

The order of the bench came on the plea by 41 nursery teachers seeking hike in their current salary of Rs 5,000 per month on the ground their pay has not been revised since 2008 whereas their contracts have been renewed periodically.

The bench also directed the respondents not to pass any adverse orders against these 41 teachers.

“Issue notice to the respondents (State Project Director, UEE Mission and Director of Education). Let the matter be listed for our consideration on September 5, 2012.

“In the meanwhile, no order adverse to the applicants (teachers) will be passed by the respondents,” the CAT said.

The applicants have alleged other employees engaged on contractual basis under the same project in different categories like assistant teachers, are receiving higher remuneration as well as a hike in their pay periodically.

They also contended in their plea that as per the HRD ministry’s policy of ‘equal pay for equal work’, they are entitled to higher remuneration and periodical hike in their wages. They said their monthly remuneration of Rs 5,000 is below the minimum prescribed wages.

The teachers, in their plea moved through advocate Ashok Aggarwal, feared their contracts would not be renewed by the authorities as they have agitated on this issue.

Source: PTI

Hostel for students from North East in Bangalore: NEC

The North Eastern Council (NEC), the nodal agency for economic and social development of the region, on Monday announced that it would construct a hostel exclusively for students from the region in Karnataka capital Bangalore.

The proposed hostel would accommodate around 1,700 students and would come up in an area of 39,900 square metres at the Jnana Bharati main campus of Bangalore University along the Mysore road, a NEC official said.

Under an agreement entered between the NEC and Bangalore University, NEC would sanction Rs.32.14 crore for the construction, while the varsity would provide the land free of cost.

The hostel would be constructed by the engineering wing of the university.

“The council had mooted the idea of having such a hostel at Bangalore University way back in 2008. But with recent incidence of student’s plight in Karnataka and other states, the NEC took up the proposal with urgency and the university’s senate gave its approval,” NEC secretary, Uttam K Sangma told reporters here.

Sangma added the council was also exploring the possibility of having similar hostels in Mumbai, Pune and Mysore.

“We would be exploring the possibilities of having similar hostels in Mumbai, Pune and Mysore,” the NECO official said.

He said the hostel in Bangalore would have separate blocks for girls and boys and would be equipped with modern facilities like rain water harvesting, solar water heater system, CCTVs and an indoor stadium.

“The issue of security would also be given due importance,” he said.

Bangalore University registrar BC Mylarappa said that there were about 9,000 students from the northeast studying in different colleges affiliated to the varsity.

Earlier, NEC helped in the construction of a 500-capacity girls’ hostel in Delhi University and a 501-capacity working women’s hostel in Jasola area of the national capital.

Currently, a women’s hostel for 500 students is underway in the south campus of Delhi University.

Source:

The North Eastern Council (NEC), the nodal agency for economic and social development of the region, on Monday announced that it would construct a hostel exclusively for students from the region in Karnataka capital Bangalore.

The proposed hostel would accommodate around 1,700 students and would come up in an area of 39,900 square metres at the Jnana Bharati main campus of Bangalore University along the Mysore road, a NEC official said.

Under an agreement entered between the NEC and Bangalore University, NEC would sanction Rs.32.14 crore for the construction, while the varsity would provide the land free of cost.

The hostel would be constructed by the engineering wing of the university.

“The council had mooted the idea of having such a hostel at Bangalore University way back in 2008. But with recent incidence of student’s plight in Karnataka and other states, the NEC took up the proposal with urgency and the university’s senate gave its approval,” NEC secretary, Uttam K Sangma told reporters here.

Sangma added the council was also exploring the possibility of having similar hostels in Mumbai, Pune and Mysore.

“We would be exploring the possibilities of having similar hostels in Mumbai, Pune and Mysore,” the NECO official said.

He said the hostel in Bangalore would have separate blocks for girls and boys and would be equipped with modern facilities like rain water harvesting, solar water heater system, CCTVs and an indoor stadium.

“The issue of security would also be given due importance,” he said.

Bangalore University registrar BC Mylarappa said that there were about 9,000 students from the northeast studying in different colleges affiliated to the varsity.

Earlier, NEC helped in the construction of a 500-capacity girls’ hostel in Delhi University and a 501-capacity working women’s hostel in Jasola area of the national capital.

Currently, a women’s hostel for 500 students is underway in the south campus of Delhi University.

Sibal launched campaign to promote ‘Sakshar Bharat’

“We might send Chandrayan to moon and mars mission but if we don’t give education to our women, we can’t fly.”

With theses words, HRD minister Kapil Sibal on Monday launched a mass awareness campaign for the success of the Saakshar Bharat Abhiyan programme here that will employ a host of mediums including television ads to reach out to the people.

A National Literacy Anthem composed by acclaimed lyricist Javed Akhtar and sung by Alka Yagnik and Sonu Nigam was released at the historic Red Fort by Kapil Sibal.

The mission, which covers adults beyond the age of 15, has assessed close to two crore adults and issued literacy certificates.

The aim of the new awareness campaign is to give a boost to this ambitious programme whose benefits are yet to reach all the corners of the country.

“We will take literacy, education and empowerment to every village in the country,” Kapil Sibal said at the launch where he unfurled the literacy theme flag.

Emphasising the importance of female literacy, Sibal said that “we might send Chandrayan to moon and mars mission but if we don’t give education to our women we can’t fly.”

He also said that the mission will need contribution from society, volunteers, Grampanchayat representatives and Bollywood celebrities to make it a success.

“We need cooperation from all sections of our society, including volunteers, Grampanchayat representatives and Bollywood people who can inspire us,” he said.

A promotional video featuring Sharukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Anil Kapoor and Shabana Azmi was also launched. The video is available on Youtube.

Speaking at launch, Javed Akhtar said that it is only through education that social equality and justice can reach everyone.

“People who were left behind will be covered in this mission. Adult education is very important, especially female education,” Akhtar said.

Jagmohan Sighn Raju, Director General, National Literacy Mission Authority, said that they are targeting to cover 70 million people in next five years under the mission.

“Our target for the next five years is to cover 70 million people out which 60 million will be females,” Raju said.

Ringtone of the anthem was released by D Purandeswari, minister of state, human resource development.

Anshu Vaish, secretary department of school education and literacy said that India needs freedom from illiteracy.

Source: PTI

MHA bars IIT Kanpur from taking foreign donations

The union ministry of home affairs (MHA) has barred Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur from accepting foreign donations, citing the premier institute’s laid-back attitude in submitting documents supporting the usage of foreign funds, an official said.

The institute has been barred under the provisions of Foreign Contribution Registration Act (FCRA), 2010, with immediate effect, informed sources said.

The prime objective of the act is to “regulate the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution and foreign hospitality by persons and associations working in the important areas of national life”.

While IIT-K authorities refused to react to the development “at this point”, MHA has officially put the institute’s name in the list of organisations whose FCRA registration has been cancelled.

In the list for 2011-12, which carries 4,139 such institutions, 72 are from Uttar Pradesh.

MHA officials said the move to scrap the FCRA registration was “necessitated” after these top educational institutions failed to “submit satisfactory supporting documents of the fund usage”.

“The IIT-Kanpur has been very lethargic in supporting the usage of these donations in their annual receipts and hence we were forced to act in such a manner,” an official said.

Besides IIT-K, FCRA registration of eight other premier institutions in the country, including Jamia Milia Islamia and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), has also been scrapped.

While no official communique was received by the institute, officials said they have been “sounded on the matter”.

“We are aware about the matter… We are positive that this decision would not, in any way, hamper our growth,” a faculty member said, adding that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audits the financial transactions of IIT-K.

However, a senior faculty member admitted that the decision “would certainly create a lot of problems”.

“For many researches and other activities, foreign funding by our alumni is very crucial. MHA’s decision will hit us for sure,” he told IANS.

Another IIT-K professor said that last year the institute was exempted from such requirements as pressed by the government on the ground that the CAG was a “competent authority” thus foreign funding could not be stopped.

“Why did they bail everyone earlier and why are they hounding us now,” the professor asked.

IIT-K, one of the foremost institutes in the country for higher education, receives generous grants from its alumni and overseas organisations for research and other activities.

According to MHA officials, IIT-K (FCRA registration No.R-136530050) received foreign funding amounting to about Rs.6 crore in the previous financial year.

In 2010-11, the institute’s planning and resource generation department received a donation of Rs.4.08 crore from 772 donors of which 501 were domestic donors while 271 donors were from foreign countries, official said.

Many in IIT-K see the MHA decision as yet another “deliberate attempt” to push the premier institute into “submission before the central government’s authority”. Earlier, they alleged it was the move to hold common entrance tests.

Source: IANS

64 schools to refund excess fee: Delhi HC

Sixty-four private city schools have illegally collected higher fee from students since September 2008, a committee has informed the Delhi high court while recommending a refund of the money with 9 percent per annum interest.

The 600-page interim report of Justice Anil Dev Singh Committee, which randomly examined the accounts of 200 schools, was opened by a special bench of Acting Chief Justice AK Sikri and Justice Siddharth Mridul Friday.

The committee was constituted about a year ago to submit a report on the determination of fees in the unaided schools in Delhi.

Its first interim report was based on an examination of 200 unaided private schools out of a total 1,172 institutions.

In the case of 13 schools, the committee found that either no records were maintained or the accounts were fudged. It recommended strict action against these schools.

“The committee recommends that the schools be directed to refund the increased monthly fee from September 2008 till the date of actual refund along with the interest at the rate of 9 percent per annum,” the report said.

It also raised questions on the working of the department of education as it did not act in accordance with the law in inspecting the schools.

“The regulatory mechanism envisaged by the law has been thrown to the winds by the directorate of education. Schools are enjoying total and unbridled freedom in acting in the manner they like,” the report said.

“Right from the stage of granting recognition, the lack of supervisory control of the directorate is writ large. Hardly any inspections are done and even if they are, they are conducted in a most perfunctory manner,” the report said.

The bench July 20 directed the committee to submit a report on the fee hike in unaided private schools in Delhi.

After the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission, the schools increased the fees citing additional financial burden due to increased salaries of teachers.

The court gave directions for setting up a committee to audit the accounts of each of the schools to ascertain if the fee hike by them was required.

The committee also said that there were 143 schools which increased the fee without implementing the Sixth Pay Commission.

Many of the schools in the city were operating without even a bank account and years after years they were granted recognition, it said.

Several of the schools have not been maintaining proper accounts and were not getting their accounts audited as required by the law, and were also not filing annual returns, the report said.

“Some of the schools have been fabricating their accounts and getting various types of certificates from chartered accountants which do not qualify as audit reports,” said the report.

Advocate Ashok Agarwal, appearing for a group of parents, earlier said that if the report was submitted “it would be a great relief to the exploited parents, as they would be entitled to refund of the excess fee recovered from them by schools”.

The court would next hear the matter Sep 14.

Source: IANS

Haryana Govt to launch vocational courses at school level

The Haryana government is set to launch a project, under which students at the school level would be trained in vocational courses.

The project, to be run under ‘National Vocational Education and Qualification Framework’, would be inauguarated by Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda at Gurgaon tomorrow.

Eight districts of the state have been selected for the project and five schools in each district are going to come under it, an official release said here today.

The districts where the project to be launched are Jhajjar, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Rohtak, Ambala, Palwal, Mewat and Yamunanagar.

The project includes four vocational courses like IT, Retail, Security and Automobile along with basic education and the students could avail of the employment opportunities to their maximum after doing these courses at school level, it added.

Source: PTI

Potable water units to be set up in 17 Delhi schools

Seventeen Delhi government schools would get solar-powered water treatment plants to provide potable water to over 750 students daily in each institution, chief minister Sheila Dikshit said on Saturday.

With treatment capacity of 5,000 litre, the plants would be put up in schools for talented poor students, said Dikshit, inaugurating a plant at an east Delhi school.

“If all goes well with this plant, these systems would be installed in all 17 Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalayas which have talented students from weaker sections,” she said.

The plants are being installed by NGO Social Awareness Newer Alternatives (SANA) in collaboration with the government.

“The mechanism, which costs around Rs.25 lakh, will produce over 5,000 litres of drinking water daily of WHO standards,” said Sanchaiya Gajapati Raju, managing trustee of SANA.

The unit will include water bottling facility, including recyclable plastic bottles, and equipment to locally-produce chlorine that is used to disinfect bottles.

The treatment plant will be owned by the school and managed by trained Class 9-12 students.

Source: IANS

LATEST NEWS