- THE RIGHT CHOICE _WITH A GROWING NUMBER OF PRE-SCHOOLS
- Aadhaar to be linked with caste records, states to issues certs
- South Mum school scraps exams in classes V, VI to reduce stress in kids
- Why no-detention failed to hit the mark
- More CBSE, ICSE toppers vying for best seats this year
- Schools struggle to put safety systems in place
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The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), which has been looking at the issue through its Institute of Quality, has suggested guidelines and audits by the state government to check infrastructure and security measures in educational institutes.
CII came up with the suggestions after consultations with 20 schools over the last six months. The discussions started after incidents of sexual assault and harsh corporal punishment were reported from Mumbai and Bangalore schools in the last two years. The discussions were part of the campaign called ‘Make Schools Safer and Smarter’.
Although schools are trying to upgrade security and infrastructure on their own, principals and teachers said they are confused about what needs to be done.
Schools, for instance, installed closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) on the orders of the Bombay high court last year. But, recordings can be stored only for a month. “It takes more than 30 days for students’ complaints to reach the management. By then, the camera footage is deleted from the system,” said A Senthil Kumaran, principal counsellor with the CII’s Institute of Quality.
The education department urged schools to get police verifications of teaching and non-teaching staff, but many are unable to do so.
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Jun 23 2016
:
The Times of India
(NaviMumbai)
THE RIGHT CHOICE
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Swatim Soni
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WITH A GROWING NUMBER OF
PRE-SCHOOLS IN THE CITY, HERE ARE A FEW FACTORS YOU MUST CONSIDER BEFORE
ENROLLING YOUR CHILD INTO ONE
Most nuclear families,
especially those where both parents spend long hours at work, need to
keep their child fruitfully occu
pied. Hence, sending your child to a pre-school may seem a good option. A
school for toddlers, with good infrastructure and accreditation is the
foundation of a strong future for your child.
Admission into a preschool not only involves filling up lengthy forms,
but also interviews with the child and parent. Although most nursery
schools do not have interview sessions for children,
in compliance with the guidelines issued by the government, subtle and
indirect questions in the forms or parent interviews are still being
conducted. The demand for these schools far outstrips the
number of pre-schools in India. Hence, keeping certain facts in mind will help you make an informed decision.
Although one can readily find information on the facilities and the peda gogy pre-schools employ either online, through newspaper ads articles, and personal contacts, visiting the school to get a firsthand experience of what your child might be exposed to is advisable.Parents should be actively involved with their child's learning activities at the pre-school level. Elaborates Andheribased educationist Urmila Shah, “Parents and teachers have to work in unison to help a child overcome behavioural problems that they may face at home or in school.“
The basics that you need to consider before taking a call include the proximity of the school from your home or workplace, quality of the school's transport system, methodology of teaching, etc.
Certain schools individu ally focus on each child, allowing them to work at hisher own pace. This reduces the competition between children.
Some schools, instead of charting activities based on pre-determined topics, take a child's interest into consideration and accordingly create customised activity plans. Pre-schools today also inculcate problem solving skills through creative thinking.
The quality of staff employed by the pre-school should make for a key factor to help you make an informed decision. Affirms, city-based preschool teacher Viral Hemani, “Make an attempt to grade the staff and then select a school. Being prepared will make the process of choosing a preschool easy and effective for you and the child.“
Although one can readily find information on the facilities and the peda gogy pre-schools employ either online, through newspaper ads articles, and personal contacts, visiting the school to get a firsthand experience of what your child might be exposed to is advisable.Parents should be actively involved with their child's learning activities at the pre-school level. Elaborates Andheribased educationist Urmila Shah, “Parents and teachers have to work in unison to help a child overcome behavioural problems that they may face at home or in school.“
The basics that you need to consider before taking a call include the proximity of the school from your home or workplace, quality of the school's transport system, methodology of teaching, etc.
Certain schools individu ally focus on each child, allowing them to work at hisher own pace. This reduces the competition between children.
Some schools, instead of charting activities based on pre-determined topics, take a child's interest into consideration and accordingly create customised activity plans. Pre-schools today also inculcate problem solving skills through creative thinking.
The quality of staff employed by the pre-school should make for a key factor to help you make an informed decision. Affirms, city-based preschool teacher Viral Hemani, “Make an attempt to grade the staff and then select a school. Being prepared will make the process of choosing a preschool easy and effective for you and the child.“
Jun 22 2016
:
The Times of India
(NaviMumbai)
Aadhaar to be linked with caste records, states to issues certs
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New Delhi:
AGENCIES
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State governments have been
asked to link Aadhaar with caste and domicile certificates to be issued
to school students, as part of a first-of-its-kind initiativeby the
Centre. The states have been told to ensure that such certificates
are issued within 60 days time to students when they are studying in
Class V or VIII.The development assumes significance as there have been
complaints of delay in grant of scholarship to students belonging to
Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes.
Besides, people have often complained of harassment allegedly by
government officials in getting caste and domicile certificates issued.
States may also try to get the information of students fed into the meta data to be made online and may link it to Aadhaar enabled data, if feasible. “Sincere efforts be made to issue these certificates along with Aadhaar number,“ reads Frequently Asked Questions released by personnel ministry on issuance of caste and certificates in schools.
The main objective of issuance of caste or tribe certificate is to facilitate access of bona-fide candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to the reserved posts and services under the state or central governments and secure admission in educational institutions and get other facilities.“The concerned revenue or state government authorities would scrutinise or verify the documents and issue the relevant certificates preferably within a period of 30--60 days,“ it said.
The responsibility of collecting the documents from the students will be of the school head.
States may also try to get the information of students fed into the meta data to be made online and may link it to Aadhaar enabled data, if feasible. “Sincere efforts be made to issue these certificates along with Aadhaar number,“ reads Frequently Asked Questions released by personnel ministry on issuance of caste and certificates in schools.
The main objective of issuance of caste or tribe certificate is to facilitate access of bona-fide candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to the reserved posts and services under the state or central governments and secure admission in educational institutions and get other facilities.“The concerned revenue or state government authorities would scrutinise or verify the documents and issue the relevant certificates preferably within a period of 30--60 days,“ it said.
The responsibility of collecting the documents from the students will be of the school head.
Jun 22 2016
:
The Times of India
(NaviMumbai)
TALKING POINT -
South Mum school scraps exams in classes V, VI to reduce stress in kids
South Mum school scraps exams in classes V, VI to reduce stress in kids
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Vinamrata Borwankar
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Mumbai:
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The decision of a south
Mumbai school to do away with exams in Class V and Class VI has sparked a
discussion among principals, parents and experts on the issue.
Recently , the Cathedral and John Connon School in Fort sent out a
circular to its parents announcing its decision to discontinue
examinations for Class V and Class VI.
“The pattern of testing will follow seamlessly from the junior school model of continuous assessments. There will therefore be no examinations for Stds V and VI, neither will there be first class, distinction and honours prizes,“ the circular said.
The school aims to take away the pressure of examinations. “The school has taken this conscious decision in an effort to allay our young students' stress levels and to return a semblance of their childhood to them. We hope that tuition classes will be a thing of the past and that the joy of being children is returned to them,“ the circular said.
Most schools follow the practice only till class IV. “We have only internal assessments up to class IV but beyond that even parents want to see a report card. While the higher classes take exams, they too have internal assessments, which helps the teacher understand the learning levels,“ Chandrakanta Pathak, HVB Global Academy , Marine Drive, said.
Principals said the idea is welcome, but it is essential that schools have the infrastructure and resources. “When students are not appearing for exams, it is very important that the school has resources such as remedial teachers and counsellors to ensure that every child is learning the concepts well and is not losing out. This, unfortunately, is not available in many schools in the city .,“ Father Francis Swamy , principal, St Mary's ICSE, Mazgaon, said. St Mary's has exams from Class V .
The Cathedral and John Connon circular was circulated among various WhatsApp groups of parents from schools across the city. “It is a very bold move but the idea has its pros and cons. It is in class V and VI that students start going to coaching classes and their play time is snatched away from them.Since our system requires the students to write exams in the higher classes it is essential that they have practice of writing, otherwise these children may unfortunately fall back later,“ Rajeshwari Ganesh, a developmental paediatrician, said.
“The pattern of testing will follow seamlessly from the junior school model of continuous assessments. There will therefore be no examinations for Stds V and VI, neither will there be first class, distinction and honours prizes,“ the circular said.
The school aims to take away the pressure of examinations. “The school has taken this conscious decision in an effort to allay our young students' stress levels and to return a semblance of their childhood to them. We hope that tuition classes will be a thing of the past and that the joy of being children is returned to them,“ the circular said.
Most schools follow the practice only till class IV. “We have only internal assessments up to class IV but beyond that even parents want to see a report card. While the higher classes take exams, they too have internal assessments, which helps the teacher understand the learning levels,“ Chandrakanta Pathak, HVB Global Academy , Marine Drive, said.
Principals said the idea is welcome, but it is essential that schools have the infrastructure and resources. “When students are not appearing for exams, it is very important that the school has resources such as remedial teachers and counsellors to ensure that every child is learning the concepts well and is not losing out. This, unfortunately, is not available in many schools in the city .,“ Father Francis Swamy , principal, St Mary's ICSE, Mazgaon, said. St Mary's has exams from Class V .
The Cathedral and John Connon circular was circulated among various WhatsApp groups of parents from schools across the city. “It is a very bold move but the idea has its pros and cons. It is in class V and VI that students start going to coaching classes and their play time is snatched away from them.Since our system requires the students to write exams in the higher classes it is essential that they have practice of writing, otherwise these children may unfortunately fall back later,“ Rajeshwari Ganesh, a developmental paediatrician, said.
Jun 19 2016
:
The Times of India
(NaviMumbai)
Why no-detention failed to hit the mark
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TIMES NEWS NETWORK
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For those who grew up in
India jumping hoop after hoop from kindergarten to Class XII, school
seems unimaginable without the fearsome final exam which determined
whether you went ahead or not. Now, a few years after the Right to
Education (RTE) Act ended the passfail system until Class VIII, many
states say that students are failing in large numbers and learning
levels have plummeted. In Delhi, for instance, the proportion of
students repeating Class IX rose from 2.8% in 2010 to 13.4% in 2014.
By eliminating the final exam, “the last modicum of accountability in government schools has been taken away ,“ says Atishi Marlena, adviser to Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia. Students can coast from class to class without being able to achieve basic levels of reading, writing and comprehension, say those who oppose no-detention.
Now, policymakers seem to think that the no-detention policy of the RTE Act is failing students, weakening teachers and misguiding parents. “We heard out people from across the spectrum, and all the secretaries were unanimous in their view that the child and the teacher both lose out,“ says former civil servant Shailaja Chandra, a member of the TSR Subramanian committee set up by the HRD ministry to examine an education overhaul. The committee has recommended scrapping no-detention policy after Class V.
In 2012, a Central Advisory Board of Education sub-committee, headed by Geeta Bhukkal, then education minister of Haryana, had said that the policy might work if schools had greater resources and all round motivation, but that for now, no-detention was difficult to implement.
No-detention emphatically does not mean the end of regular testing. It is meant to go along with a system of continuing and comprehensive evaluation (CCE), which lets a teacher evaluate a child's learning levels, and regroup those who need remedial help in certain subjects.
Exams, after all, are not elimination exercises meant to demoralise a child they are meant to gauge and improve learning. “No other place, the US, Europe or any other place that India aspires to be, wastes public money by making a child waste a year because she needs help in a certain area,“ says Krishna Kumar, educationist and one of the architects of the RTE Act.
The colonial idea of a strictly controlled classroom, and a final exam that passes or fails a student, may be considered obsolete around the world but it still shapes the common Indian view of schooling. While many believe that failure is a goad to learning, there is zero empirical evidence that detention improves academic performance. It does, however, extract psychological costs from a student. Even the Bhukkal committee found that the pass percentage in the Class X exams improved after the system, and dropouts, especially among children from disadvantaged backgrounds, had considerably decreased.
The Subramanian committee report also admits that the no-detention policy has been “empirically validated“, keeping children in school for those eight years and also raising pass percentages across boards.
For the full report, log on to http:www.timesofindia.com
By eliminating the final exam, “the last modicum of accountability in government schools has been taken away ,“ says Atishi Marlena, adviser to Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia. Students can coast from class to class without being able to achieve basic levels of reading, writing and comprehension, say those who oppose no-detention.
Now, policymakers seem to think that the no-detention policy of the RTE Act is failing students, weakening teachers and misguiding parents. “We heard out people from across the spectrum, and all the secretaries were unanimous in their view that the child and the teacher both lose out,“ says former civil servant Shailaja Chandra, a member of the TSR Subramanian committee set up by the HRD ministry to examine an education overhaul. The committee has recommended scrapping no-detention policy after Class V.
In 2012, a Central Advisory Board of Education sub-committee, headed by Geeta Bhukkal, then education minister of Haryana, had said that the policy might work if schools had greater resources and all round motivation, but that for now, no-detention was difficult to implement.
No-detention emphatically does not mean the end of regular testing. It is meant to go along with a system of continuing and comprehensive evaluation (CCE), which lets a teacher evaluate a child's learning levels, and regroup those who need remedial help in certain subjects.
Exams, after all, are not elimination exercises meant to demoralise a child they are meant to gauge and improve learning. “No other place, the US, Europe or any other place that India aspires to be, wastes public money by making a child waste a year because she needs help in a certain area,“ says Krishna Kumar, educationist and one of the architects of the RTE Act.
The colonial idea of a strictly controlled classroom, and a final exam that passes or fails a student, may be considered obsolete around the world but it still shapes the common Indian view of schooling. While many believe that failure is a goad to learning, there is zero empirical evidence that detention improves academic performance. It does, however, extract psychological costs from a student. Even the Bhukkal committee found that the pass percentage in the Class X exams improved after the system, and dropouts, especially among children from disadvantaged backgrounds, had considerably decreased.
The Subramanian committee report also admits that the no-detention policy has been “empirically validated“, keeping children in school for those eight years and also raising pass percentages across boards.
For the full report, log on to http:www.timesofindia.com
Jun 21 2016
:
The Times of India
(NaviMumbai)
More CBSE, ICSE toppers vying for best seats this year
|
Vinamrata Borwankar
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Mumbai:
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The competition for first
year junior college (FYJC) seats at coveted colleges may intensify this
year given the rise in number of applicants with high scores. According
to the general merit list announced on Monday , as many as 14,589
students with a score of 90% have applied for the online process as
compared to 13,512 last year. The general merit list is announced in
accordance with the requirements of the Bombay high court to ensure
transparency in the admission system. Among the 2.17 lakh applicants,
the number of students who have a score of 95% and above is also up at
2,066 from last year's 1,683. In all, as many as 1.04 lakh have scored
above 70%. Six students with a perfect score of 100 have also applied.
The higher scores could have an impact on the cut-offs to be announced on June 27, say principals. “We are expecting cut-offs to increase and be exceptionally high in the Arts stream as we are seeing a revival of liberal sciences to a large extent. The popularity of Commerce too continues to remain high and this could keep the cut-offs high,“ said Manjula Nichani, principal, KC College, Churchgate. While the major chunk of applicants for FYJC seats this year come from the state board, their share among the top 100 ranks is much less than of students from other boards. Among students who feature in the top100 in the merit list, 39 are from CBSE, 37 from ICSE and 23 from the state board.
“Students from other boards with higher scores look at the top 10 or 20 colleges in the city and due to this, cut-offs shoot up. We are expecting cutoffs to be higher by at least 2%.To not be disheartened, students should look beyond popular colleges,“ said Tukaram Shiware, chairperson, principals' association of non-government colleges.
Mithibai vice-principal Swapna Durve said, “ Arts cutoffs in minority admissions this year saw a 4% jump. We expect the jump to be higher on general cut-off lists.“
Since 2.69 lakh seats are on offer, students are unlikely to be left scrambling. “Most who cleared exams have registered online. We are giving two extra days to register. If students are left out due to any reason, we will have a counselling round and allow them to take a vacant seat,“ said B B Chavan, dy director of education, Mumbai.
At the bottom of the list is a student with just 25%. “We will look into how she was allowed to complete registration without clearing the SSC exam,“ said Rajendra Ahire, assistant deputy director of education, Mumbai.
The higher scores could have an impact on the cut-offs to be announced on June 27, say principals. “We are expecting cut-offs to increase and be exceptionally high in the Arts stream as we are seeing a revival of liberal sciences to a large extent. The popularity of Commerce too continues to remain high and this could keep the cut-offs high,“ said Manjula Nichani, principal, KC College, Churchgate. While the major chunk of applicants for FYJC seats this year come from the state board, their share among the top 100 ranks is much less than of students from other boards. Among students who feature in the top100 in the merit list, 39 are from CBSE, 37 from ICSE and 23 from the state board.
“Students from other boards with higher scores look at the top 10 or 20 colleges in the city and due to this, cut-offs shoot up. We are expecting cutoffs to be higher by at least 2%.To not be disheartened, students should look beyond popular colleges,“ said Tukaram Shiware, chairperson, principals' association of non-government colleges.
Mithibai vice-principal Swapna Durve said, “ Arts cutoffs in minority admissions this year saw a 4% jump. We expect the jump to be higher on general cut-off lists.“
Since 2.69 lakh seats are on offer, students are unlikely to be left scrambling. “Most who cleared exams have registered online. We are giving two extra days to register. If students are left out due to any reason, we will have a counselling round and allow them to take a vacant seat,“ said B B Chavan, dy director of education, Mumbai.
At the bottom of the list is a student with just 25%. “We will look into how she was allowed to complete registration without clearing the SSC exam,“ said Rajendra Ahire, assistant deputy director of education, Mumbai.
- 22 Jun 2016
- Mumbai
- Puja Pednekar puja.pednekar@hindustantimes.com
Schools struggle to put safety systems in place
CII suggests audits by state govt to check infrastructure, security measures
MUMBAI: As the new academic year begins in schools, safety of students is a major concern among parents and academicians.The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), which has been looking at the issue through its Institute of Quality, has suggested guidelines and audits by the state government to check infrastructure and security measures in educational institutes.
CII came up with the suggestions after consultations with 20 schools over the last six months. The discussions started after incidents of sexual assault and harsh corporal punishment were reported from Mumbai and Bangalore schools in the last two years. The discussions were part of the campaign called ‘Make Schools Safer and Smarter’.
Although schools are trying to upgrade security and infrastructure on their own, principals and teachers said they are confused about what needs to be done.
Schools, for instance, installed closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) on the orders of the Bombay high court last year. But, recordings can be stored only for a month. “It takes more than 30 days for students’ complaints to reach the management. By then, the camera footage is deleted from the system,” said A Senthil Kumaran, principal counsellor with the CII’s Institute of Quality.
The education department urged schools to get police verifications of teaching and non-teaching staff, but many are unable to do so.
Children’s Academy Group of Schools in Kandivli and Malad hired
private agencies to conduct a background check of employees, but police
refused to verify them. “The police want address proofs and other papers
for verification but most drivers and bus attendants are migrants and
do not have the documents. The police behave rudely with them,” said
Rohit Bhat, COO of Children’s Academy Group of Schools.
Principals said a safety audit by the department and a list of dos and don’ts will help them. “A friendly audit of interested schools could help improve standards,” said J Vas, senior advisor, Jamnabai Narsee School, Vile Parle (West).
But BD Puri, deputy education inspector, said the department did not have staff to carry out such audits. “One person is doing the job of 18 people. We don’t have the manpower to send officials to each school,” said Puri.
Some schools are also keen to get accreditations from the CBSE, which recently created School Quality Assessment and Accreditation (SQAA). The schools want the accreditation as it will help them learn the measures expected by the industry and also assure parents that they have met the standards of safety.
The state government’s State Assessment and Accreditation Council works in a similar manner but is restricted to government-aided schools. It has not started yet.
The SQAA is on hold. It is under review for the last few months because of a ‘conflict of interest’ as the agencies appointed to assess the schools are also private education solutions providers. There were fears that it might influence the assessments.
Principals said a safety audit by the department and a list of dos and don’ts will help them. “A friendly audit of interested schools could help improve standards,” said J Vas, senior advisor, Jamnabai Narsee School, Vile Parle (West).
But BD Puri, deputy education inspector, said the department did not have staff to carry out such audits. “One person is doing the job of 18 people. We don’t have the manpower to send officials to each school,” said Puri.
Some schools are also keen to get accreditations from the CBSE, which recently created School Quality Assessment and Accreditation (SQAA). The schools want the accreditation as it will help them learn the measures expected by the industry and also assure parents that they have met the standards of safety.
The state government’s State Assessment and Accreditation Council works in a similar manner but is restricted to government-aided schools. It has not started yet.
The SQAA is on hold. It is under review for the last few months because of a ‘conflict of interest’ as the agencies appointed to assess the schools are also private education solutions providers. There were fears that it might influence the assessments.
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