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/

HRD ministry to launch massive higher education survey

New Delhi: The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has decided to launch a huge survey on the state of higher education in India, owing to the inadequacy of information that is available about the subject.

The ministry has assigned the task of conducting the survey to the National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA). The survey will be completed in one year's time. 

An official from the ministry said that the higher education sector in India has been marred with a lack of reliable data which has hindered the implementation of policy initiatives that are required. 

"The information on Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) does not get updated properly keeping in mind the increasing intervention of the private sector in higher education," he said.

The decision to carry out the huge task of conducting the survey was taken by a task force that was headed by a senior official from the HRD ministry. The collection of the data will begin in a short period and the NUEPA will be seeking assistance for the survey from educational institutions throughout the country.

The main aim of the survey will be to collect and provide reliable information regarding higher education in the country. The survey would be covering all public and private institutions of higher education.

The institutions to be surveyed would include universities, deemed universities, institutions of national importance and other institutes of university level, general and professional/technical such as medical, engineering, dental, veterinary, computer, management, agriculture, pharmacy, law, teacher training, etc.

Other institutions that would also be included in the survey are colleges and institutes that offer post secondary education like polytechnics and industrial training institutes.

The HRD ministry official said that the survey of the institutions would give the government a clearer perspective about the higher education sector in India. 

The exercise will be based loosely upon the model of survey of elementary education that is conducted by the NUEPA every year.

The official further added that once the ministry had a basic data of the higher education in the country, it had planned to update the information on an annual basis the way that it is done for elementary education.

The information that will be collected in the survey would include data on the basic profile of institutions like management, affiliation status, courses offered, income and expenditure, enrollment, faculty, etc.

source:http://indiaedunews.net/Today/HRD_ministry_to_launch_massive_higher_education_survey_13746/

IGNOU announces 2 new courses in gender, women's studies

Celebrating the centenary of the International Women's Day, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has announced new programmes in gender and women's studies.

The university had organized a day-long function at the IGNOU campus on March 8 to celebrate International Women's Day.

The new programmes include development of a project to be converted into Certificate/Diploma in Gender and Nutritional Security, Certificate/Diploma in Gender & Labor and Certificate/Diploma in Gender in Cinema.

Other new programmes in design and development stage include Certificate/Diploma programmes in Gender & Law, Gender & Science and GenderAgriculture & Sustainable Development.

"When we look at the relation between education and women empowerment, we find that several kinds of social evils, like female feticide, dowry, etc., are still prevalent in the society. There is an urgent need to critically look at the sort of education provided to women today," said Vice Chancellor V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, while inaugurating the celebrations at the Convention Centre.

The occasion was hosted by the School of Gender and Development Studies (SOGDS), in association with the IGNOU Committee Against Sexual Harassment (ICASH), School of Humanities (SOH), School of Translation Studies and Training (SOTST) and School of Performing and Visual Arts (SOPVA).

The celebrations included a painting exhibition, a musical prelude, a street play (by the students of SOPVA) and a seminar on 'Feminist Writings In Indian Literature' eulogizing the importance of women in the society.

"Marking a date in the calendar as International Women's Day started in the year 1911. Today, the entire IGNOU community celebrates 100 years of great aspirations, which have remained undiminished," said SOGDS Director Prof Savita Singh.

While delivering a lecture on 'Women's Writing in Kannada', Prof U.R. Ananthamurthy, Chair Professor, Tagore Chair for Indian Literature, IGNOU, distinctly differentiated between the way women are treated in classical and folk literature.

"You have to see how certain things are preserved. Many other Indian languages were influenced by Sanskrit when it was in decline. Later writers used to develop only 'alankars', which were meaningless most of the times. What was decadent in Sanskrit became alive in Indian languages," he said.

SOTST Director Prof K. Satchidanandan elucidated his thoughts on 'Women's Writing in Malayalam' by remembering renowned English author Virginia Woolf's famous work 'A Room of One's Own'.

Quoting the author, Prof Satchidanandan said, "Had Shakespeare been a woman, he wouldn't have become Shakespeare. It is because he wouldn't have traveled London, as traveling was very difficult for women during those times; he wouldn't have got acquainted with people and thus would have never acted."

Prof Satchidanandan drew attention to four major movements in women's fiction in Kerala by four women authors namely K. Saraswati Amma, Lalithambika Antherjanam, Kamala Das and Sarah Joseph.

"There is a vibrant women's literature in Kerala, which talks about everything significant to the lives of women today," he added.

SOH Director Prof Rita Rani Paliwal highlighted feminism in Hindi literature by remembering Mirabai as the first woman litterateur of India.

Further, there were similar discussions by Prof Satyakam and Dr Malti Mathur from SOH, which were followed by paper presentations by the Research and Training Assistants (RTAs) of the University.

source:http://indiaedunews.net/Delhi/IGNOU_announces_2_new_courses_in_gender,_women's_studies_13667/

IIT-Kharagpur to accept LSAT scores

In a move which could open the doors for aspiring law students from India and abroad to its campus, IIT-Kharagpur has decided to acceptLaw School Admission Test (LSAT) scores for admission to its 3 year LLB Programme in Intellectual Property Laws.

Disclosing the development, a senior faculty of the IIT's law school said, LSAT-India is administered by Pearson VUE, the global leader in assessments and testing. LSAT-India provides a standard measure of acquired reading and analytical and logical reasoning skills that law schools can use as one of several factors in assessing applicants.

LSAT-India is a standardised test designed for admission to Indian law school by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), USA, which also administers the LSAT-global used by leading lawschools worldwide.

This is the first time that IIT Kharagpur has given recognition to LSAT and now it has the unique distinction of being the only law school in any IIT in India.

IIT Kharagpur's Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law (RGSOIPL) has been set up in collaboration with the George Washington University Law School.

Candidates from India and abroad with LSAT-India or LSAT-global scores are qalso will be eligible to apply for the programme.

source:http://www.indiaedunews.net/Delhi/IIT-Kharagpur_to_accept_LSAT_scores_13526/