Education boost: Govt fails to make elementary sense

If one analyzes the fine print of the education budget, the finance minister's talk of " demographic dividend" is just big talk.

Increase in allocation to Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)—the vehicle for implementing the Right to Education (RTE) Act—from Rs 15,000 crore to Rs 21,000 crore does not reveal the correct picture. Revised estimate for the SSA in 2010-11 had increased to Rs 19,000 crore after the RTE came into force. So, effectively, the increase is Rs 2,000 crore. Madhav Chavan of NGO Pratham said, "The overall increase in elementary education to Rs 29,000 crore from last year's Rs 26,000 crore is good enough only for inflation adjustment."

The bigger problem with elementary education allocation is the way the government has abdicated its responsibility. Nearly Rs 18,000 crore to elementary education comes not from gross budgetary support, but through Prathmik Shiksha Kosh—the non-lapsable fund where 2% education cess is collected.

Following protests from the HRD ministry, the mid-day meal scheme has got Rs 10,380 crore compared to last year's Rs 9,440 crore.

In higher education, institutions—mostly in poll-bound states—have got a one-time grant. These range from Rs 200 crore to IIT-Kharagpur to Rs 50 crore each to AMU centres in Bengal and Kerala and Rs 100 crore to Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. For Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, TN, and Madras School of Economics, it is Rs 20 crore.

Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University expects to start work on a Hindi dictionary with a grant of Rs 10 crore.

Pre-matric scholarship for SC/ST students had been in the works for a long time. The FM's announcement is a step in the right direction. 

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/union-budget-2011/Education-boost-Govt-fails-to-make-elementary-sense/articleshow/7598194.cms 

Workshop on food and water security

The Society of Agricultural and Irrigation Engineers (SAIE) of the College of Engineering, Guindy, conducted a three-day national-level technical symposium, Greenics 2011, from February 14 to 16. It was conducted under the patronage of UNESCO.

The event saw participants from Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute, Kumulur; Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore, and Anbil Dharmalingam Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute, Tiruchi. It was inaugurated by M.P. Vasimalai, executive director, DHAN foundation (an NGO working on poverty eradication in villages). He commended the Society on the various farmer orientation programmes it has conducted in the past two years.

The highlight of Greenics 2011 was the workshop on Food and Water Security, the foundation for which was laid by Dr. Bhanu Neupane, Programme Specialist for Water Resources and Hydrology UNESCO - South Asia. The entire workshop was organised and conducted by the undergraduate students of the Society.

The workshop consisted of seminars on a variety of topics ranging from climate change and virtual water to rural water management, all essential in achieving food and water security.

The seminar was followed by discussions on the topic by experts from varied fields including economy, ecology, soil biology and agriculture. The final recommendations of the workshop will be published in UNESCO's international journal.

The final day of Greenics saw a host of events which included Agribusiness, Prof-challenge, Innovate and G-modeling which tested the students' creativity and engineering bent of mind. Also, the science expo was an instant success with exhibits on automatics seeders, climate change and irrigation systems.

The three-day event was a wonderful learning experience for the over 1000 student participants.

R. Hari Raghavendar

Executive member,

Society of Agricultural Irrigation Engineers,

CEG, Anna University

source:http://www.hindu.com/edu/2011/02/21/stories/2011022150160200.htm