NCPCR seeks redressal mechanism for RTE law

New Delhi: The absence of a clear grievanceredressal structure for the Right To Education (RTE) law was questioned on Thursday by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

The NCPCR is the apex body that ensures the implementation of the RTE Act in the country. 

It has been a year since the law had been brought to action in India. However, the NCPCR has cited the lethargy on the part of most state governments that have failed to notify key rules for the successful implementation of the RTE.

National RTE Coordinator at the NCPCR Kiran Bhatty said that there was definite tardiness in the implementation of the act. "We have written to the state governments repeatedly and would still keep on writing to them," she said. 

Guidelines for a redressal mechanism for the RTE have also been proposed by the NCPCR to theHuman Resource Development (HRD) ministry. These guidelines are currently being examined by the law ministry. 

According to the RTE Act, the NCPCR, chaired by Magsaysay Award winner Shantha Sinha, is the watchdog body for the implementation of the right to education all over the country. The NCPCR had been given the role with the aim to ensure and the implementation of and independently monitor the law instead of the HRD ministry.

Section 36 of the RTE Act says that the state governments are required to appoint designated local authorities who are empowered to sanction prosecution of school or government officials for conducting screening tests, corporal punishments or running unrecognized schools.

Vinod Raina, a member of the National Advisory Council on the RTE Act has informed that only 13 of the 36 states and union territories have notified about the rules accompanying the Act or notified the authorities.

source:http://indiaedunews.net/Today/NCPCR_seeks_redressal_mechanism_for_RTE_law_13787/

India No. 4 in World's Best Education Destination list

It is an ill-kept secret that Indian education standards are among the best in the world. But now, it's official. India stands at number 4 in the list of most desired education destinations.

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), the body which conducts GMAT recently conducted a survey, which pegged the United States and the United Kingdom at No. 1 and 2, but what has come as a real surprise is India's rank. The third most powerful Asian nation has been placed at the 4th most desired place to study management courses.

GMAT is one amongst the top B-school entrance test which is conducted at global level. Canada has secured the third position in the lot. Even Spain and Israel have appeared in the list among the top preferred destinations for B-schools.

 

Source: http://education.in.msn.com/news/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4611231

Higher education, lower blood pressure: study

"The study focused on systolic blood pressure over diastolic blood pressure because “systolic hypertension is substantially more common than diastolic hypertension, and systolic blood pressure contributes more to the global disease burden attributable to hypertension than diastolic blood pressure."


WASHINGTON: The more advanced degrees a person has, the lower their blood pressure, a study published online Sunday found.

An analysis of some 4,000 patient records from the 30-year Framingham Offspring Study found that, controlling only for age, women with 17 years or more of education — a master’s degree or doctorate — had systolic blood pressure readings 3.26 millimeters of mercury lower than female high school drop-outs.

Men who went to graduate school had systolic blood pressure readings that were 2.26 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) lower than their counterparts who did not finish high school, the study, published online in the open access journal BMC Public Health, says.

The same inverse relationship between education and blood pressure was also seen, although to a lesser degree, in men and women who got associate’s or bachelor’s degrees at university but did not continue on to graduate school.

They showed greater blood pressure benefits than high school drop-outs but lesser benefits than holders of master’s degrees or doctorates, the study found.

Even after controlling for influences such as smoking, drinking, obesity and blood pressure medication, the benefits persisted, although at a lower level.

The study could help explain the widely documented association in developed countries between education and lower risk of heart disease, said lead author Eric Loucks, an assistant professor of public health at Brown University in Rhode Island.

Blood pressure is “one of the biological underpinnings of heart disease,” said Loucks, urging policy-makers who want to improve public health to think about improving access to education.

Source: http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/28/higher-education-lower-blood-pressure-study.html

Education Series on Australia

Australian Trade Commission has plans to work for the energy and food security of India. Michael Carter, Consul-Commercial, Australian Trade Commission, who was here in connection with 'Australian Education Excellence Showcase 2011,' an education series organised by the Australian Government, said that some of the Indian companies already acquired coal mines in Australia.

“Australia has been known for advance agricultural practices and we are ready to transfer the same to India,” he said. In the educational sector, the Curtin University of Australia already entered in to a collaboration with Chennai Business School.

According to Carter, the collaboration with Indian and Australian Educational institutions will take a fast face once the Foreign Education Bill under the consideration of Indian Parliament is passed.Leading Australian universities participated at the education fair in Kochi to disseminate contemporary information about Australian education, especially on the academic programs, scholarships, student experience, safety measures and career paths in Australian educational institutions to prospective students from India.The showcase featured senior representatives and faculties from over 15 leading educational institutions from Australia, including the Curtin University, RMIT, Deakin University and University of Western Sydney.

Source: http://expressbuzz.com/cities/kochi/education-series-on-australia/251907.html

IIMs trash HRD suggestions on teaching hours, smaller boards

 Faculty bodies at IIM-Calcutta and IIM-Bangalore have passed unanimous resolutions to set aside the reports which suggest reducing the size of IIM boards and societies and asking eachfaculty to teach for 160 hours a year.

Other IIMs are likely to follow suit seeking broader consultation on the proposed reforms.

They have trashed the HRD ministry-appointed committee reports on the new governance structure and teaching load, saying that they are based on incorrect data.

They believe that these recommendations are the outcome of several wrong assumptions andincorrect data and would not allow IIMs to become global leaders. These changes, if implemented, will have a negative impact on the morale of the faculty, IIM-B faculty said in a memorandum submitted to board of governors chairman Mukesh Ambani last week.

They have now called for a fresh panel involvingalumni and eminent academics to create a governance structure for long-term development of IIMs.

A five-member committee headed by IIM-Ranchi chairman R C Bhargava had recommended reducing the size of the IIM boards and societies by almost half, and allowing corporate bodies, individuals and alumni to become members of the IIM society by paying Rs 20 crore, Rs 5 crore and Rs 3 crore respectively.

The IIM-B faculty rejected the idea, saying that it will lead to a major structural change in the ownership of IIMs and would be completely against public interest. They believe that contribution for the society should be more in the nature of developing institutions rather than owning the institutions.

The dons at the elite Bschools have also taken exception to the HRD ministry's decision to fix a minimum teaching load for faculty which will be the same for all IIMs.

source:http://indiaedunews.net/Karnataka/IIMs_trash_HRD_suggestions_on_teaching_hours,_smaller_boards_13536/