Punjab
Mid-day meals crisis
Government schools in Punjab have reportedly not received any funds for the nationwide mid-day meals progr-amme, forcing some of them to cease serving food to children under the scheme.
Addressing the media in Patiala on January 18, Jagjit Singh Nouhra, convener of the Sikhiya Vikas Manch, alleged the state government has diverted funds budgeted for the mid-day meals scheme. He claimed that over Rs.50 crore allocated for the scheme was diverted by the incumbent SAD-BJP government to finance its media campaigns for the assembly elections, which concluded in end-January. “The Badal government has been snatching food from the mouths of children to spend money on image building,” said Nouhra. “Teachers say they are buying food because the people who send their children to school are very poor. In Patiala district alone, bills have piled up to Rs.2.5 crore,” he added.
According to Nouhra, schools in Bhadson block of Nabha have not been paid for three months, forcing panchayats to pass resolutions to stop the mid-day meals scheme. Schools in Samana, Patiala and Sanaur blocks are in a similar condition, he alleged. Sharan Singh, general manager of the state’s Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programme, refused to confirm or deny the charge saying he isn’t authorised to speak to the media.
Orissa
CISCE syllabus revision promise
The Delhi-based Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), which has an estimated 2,000 schools countrywide affiliated with it, will introduce a revamped syllabus in the next academic year beginning June/July. “We have already approved new textbooks. These will be introduced in CISCE schools in the next academic year,” said CISCE chairman Jose Aikara, speaking at the silver jubilee celebr-ations of De Paul School, Berhampur, on January 22.
According to Aikara, CISCE’s mathematics, chemistry, physics and biology curriculums have been modified as suggested by experts, bearing in mind the Union HRD ministry’s proposal to introduce a uniform science syllabus in all schools countrywide by 2014.
Nevertheless, CISCE will maintain its distinct identity by adding a few courses in some subjects. “Extra courses, which will help our students to do well at the collegiate level in engineering and medical entrance exams will be added. Moreover, CISCE will maintain its reputation as an examination board with an edge over other school-leaving boards in English, keeping an eye on parental aspirations. Parents want their children to qualify in engineering, medical and other competitive exam-inations conducted in English. We will develop their skills in the language from the primary level,” said Aikara.
Meghalaya
IGNOU to the rescue
The Meghalaya state government has signed an agreement with the Delhi-based Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) to train elementary school teachers ‘online’, to cut training expenses and cope with the provisions of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. “Under the agreement, IGNOU will impart online in-service training to teachers of the state this year,” education minister Roytre C. Laloo informed the media in Shillong on January 23.
According to Laloo, newly recruited teachers will initially be given two years training by the state’s directorate of educational research and training. “Provision of online training to teachers will, to a great extent, reduce expenditure as the government has to pay two salaries for a given post when a teacher has to go for training,” said Laloo. “The amount thus saved would be used for training new teachers.”
Currently, Meghalaya (pop. 2.9 million) is confronted with an acute shortage of trained teachers, which poses problems relating to implementation of the RTE Act in the state, the minister said.
Bihar
Teacher hiring scandal
An FIR (first information report) was lodged against Prasad Sah, suspended block education officer (BEO) of Hira, in Madhubani district, charging him with irregularities related to recruitment of teachers for government schools in 2008. The FIR was lodged by incumbent BEO Rajendra Prasad, at the Benipatti police station.
Earlier, Prasad had submitted a report to district magistrate Saurabh Kumar alleging that a file containing teacher recruitment details was missing from his office, and accused Sah of stealing the file to destroy evidence. Acting on the report, the district magistrate directed the BEO to lodge an FIR against Sah.
Earlier, Sah had been suspended by the district administration after it came to light that 23 teachers were recruited on the basis of false certificates and academic qualifications, says the district education officer of Madhubani.
Uttar Pradesh
Azis departs under cloud
Outgoing Aligarh Muslim University vice chancellor P.K. Abdul Azis, who has charges of financial impropriety filed against him, insists he is clean and that he will be exonerated by the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation).
Addressing his final press conference in Aligarh on January 14 — three days before the end of his tenure as vice chancellor — Azis asserted there had been no wrongdoing during his term, and that his only regret is that he couldn’t fully convince all sections of the AMU community about the long-term benefits of establishing off-campus centres and schools countrywide. Looking back on his five-year tenure, Azis claimed he has “laid the foundation of a long journey of progress for this institution and repositioned AMU as a centre of higher education”.
In its interim report, the CBI concluded that Azis had “committed financial impropriety by claiming travel allowance and home town concession when it was common knowledge that he was not entitled for the same”.
Moreover Azis had submitted bills of Rs.81,654 for travelling with his family from Cochin to New Delhi and of Rs.93,053 for travel of his family from New Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram. As per AMU rules, he was not entitled to claim the second amount. “This was an extension of undue favour to himself,” says the CBI interim report.