Orissa

Teachers recruitment row

The Orissa high court declined to grant a stay on the ongoing process of recruitment of sikhya sahayaks (primary teachers) in the state. Following a notification issued in January, the state government is now in the process of recruiting 24,000 sikhya sahayaks to help implement the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.

While the government has stipulated the minimum qualification as Plus Two with Certificate Teacher (CT) qualifi-cations, more than 200 citizens in separate petitions had brought to the notice of the high court that while the minimum educational qualification for primary teachers is matriculation with CT, the government has arbitrarily mandated Plus Two with CT for sikhya sahayaks.

Adjudicating all the petitions jointly on February 9, Justice H.S. Bhalla refused to stay the recruitment process when the government informed the court that delivery of quality education demands better qualified teachers. However the judge ruled that the petitions will be heard in extenso on February 28.

Sikkim

High-powered NMEICT committee

The Sikkim state government has constituted a sub-committee under chairmanship of the human resource development (HRD) secretary, to oversee implementation of the centrally-sponsored National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT).

According to a February 15 HRD department notification, other members of the sub-committee are the vice chancellors of Sikkim University and Sikkim Manipal University, general manager BSNL (broadband), principal of the Sikkim Government College (Tadong), principal and director, NIT Calicut.

Introduced by the Union government NMEICT’s objective is to increase enrolment and ensure access and equity in institutions of higher education across India. The brief of the sub-committee is to supervise implement-ation of the scheme, monitor internet connectivity and coordinate efforts of various stakeholders.

The sub-committee will also convene workshops and seminars for college and university faculty to enthuse them to participate in the activities of the mission.

Jharkhand

Teacher recruitment goal

A day after he won the Kharsawan assembly by-election on February 17, Jharkhand chief minister Arjun Munda told media personnel that his priority is to ensure that adequate teachers are recruited within the next three months to strengthen the state’s secondary school system. “A large number of high school teachers’ posts have been vacant for long and my government’s priority is to recruit teachers for the education system,” says Munda.

According to Munda, his governm-ent will ensure every secondary school in Jharkhand has its full complement of teachers. “Secondary school is a turning point in the life of students as it prepares them for study in colleges and universities,” says Munda, admitting to a shortage of at least 5,000-6,000 secondary school teachers in the state.

The shortage of teachers, which was 3,500-4,000 in 2004-05, has risen following the government recently upgrading 300 primary schools into high schools. Following his confirmation as Jharkhand chief minister, Munda said he will resign his Lok Sabha seat on March 2.

Haryana

Red carpet welcome

The Haryana state government is exploring joint venture possibilities with British universities in the areas of medical science, technology and sports education, chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said while interacting with a visiting delegation of British univer-sities in Rohtak on February 16. The chief minister said Haryana is keen to collaborate with British universities to provide high-quality higher education to students in the state.

Moreover, Hooda added that the state government is also according special attention to sports education, especially under its Play for India SPAT progra-mmes for children in the eight-14 and 14-19 age groups.

Puducherry

NIT-Karaikal foundation

Union minister of state for human resource development D. Purandeswari laid the foundation stone of a permanent National Institute of Technology (NIT) campus in Karaikal on February 27. Speaking on the occasion, the minister said the Centre is according top priority to primary and higher education. “Bringing about equity in quality of education — especially primary and higher education — across the country is our goal. The government has embarked on the mission of ensuring quality education especially in remote regions of the country,” she said.

According to Union minister of state for planning, personnel and adminis-trative reforms V. Narayanaswamy, inauguration of a high-quality NIT in Karaikal will provide a stimulus to development in the Union territory of Puducherry (formerly Pondicherry).

Delhi

Unicef’s dismal picture

Despite hosting 20 percent of the world’s adolescent population, India has an abysmal track record in adolescent health and education, according to a new Unicef report released in Delhi on February 27. Almost 47 percent of girls in the 11-19 age group are underweight in India — the highest percentage of any country worldwide. Unicef’s State of the World’s Children (SWC) 2010 adds that 56 percent of girls and 30 percent of boys in this age group are anaemic.

Moreover SWC 2010 says that of the 243 million children in the 11-19 age group, almost 40 percent is out of school and 43 percent get married before age 18, of whom 13 percent become teenage mothers. School attendance in the 11-13 age group is 86 percent and 64 percent in the 14-17 age group.

SWC 2010 also reports that 33 percent of adolescents report physical abuse and a similar percentage report sexual abuse. “Certainly, now 74 percent of adolescents are in school and most of them are getting primary education, but there is a high drop-out rate afterwards, both in male and females. It is still an area of concern,” says Karin Hulshof, Unicef’s India representative.