No ‘easy math’ option for Maharashtra state board schools from 2017-18

• Puja Pednekar, Hndustan Times, Mumbai
| 
• Updated: Oct 28, 2016 11:10 IST

Vinod Tawde, the education minister, is in the process of drawing up a plan to revise the regular math syllabus to incorporate both easy and tough questions (HT)

---

From the academic year 2017-18, the state school education department will scrap the easy math or general mathematics option — a less difficult paper than the regular course — for students in Class 9, and a year after that, for Class 10.

Instead, all students will compulsorily take the regular math course that the department is revamping to suit multiple intelligences in the classroom.
Easy math was introduced by the Maharashtra state board in 2011 for students weak in math, in order to improve the pass rate of the subject. There was only one catch. Students choosing easy math would not be able to take admissions in the science stream in Class 11 or to industrial training institutes ( ITIs).
A review done by the department found most students taking the subject were unaware of this clause or regretted it later.

“At 13, it is unfair to ask children to take a subject that will close career avenues such as engineering for them. Many chose it without thinking of its repercussions and faced problems later,” said Prachi Sathe, special officer, education department.
This also reduced the number of students opting for this subject. Of 17 lakh students appearing for the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exam every year, only 1.15 lakh students pursued easy math. This is just 6.5% of the total number of students.
“The purpose behind introducing easy math was to improve the pass rate of students, but we didn’t see any significant impact,” Sathe said.

It was also becoming difficult for schools to offer the subject only for a few students. “It’s tough because schools have to hold separate classes and exams for a small group of students,” said Sathe.
But what will happen to weak students if easy math is scrapped?
Sathe said Vinod Tawde, the education minister, is in the process of drawing up a plan to revise the regular math syllabus. “ The minister’s plan is to incorporate both easy and tough questions into the subject and design the question paper in such a way that all students can answer it,” said Sathe. She added this would mean scaling down the difficulty level of the regular math course.

“While students appearing for exams like NEET want difficult math on the level of the CBSE syllabus, we can’t deny that SSC board is for the masses and we can’t make the subject too tough for just a few thousand students,” she said.
School principals, however, are upset with the decision to keep only one math subject for all students. “Students with learning disabilities were taking up easy math as they found regular math difficult. Now what option will they have? The department should have consulted with all schools before taking the decision,” said Suresh Nair, principal, Vivek Vidyalaya, Goregaon.
But academicians lauded the decision saying easy math was redundant. “Even easy math was actually not that easy. It was doing more harm than good,” said Vasant Kalpande, former chairman of the Maharashtra state board.
Kalpande suggested other ways of making math easy for students. “The paper can be divided into two sections, while it will be compulsory for students to attempt both the sections. The easy section should equip students with enough marks to pass, while the second section could be an add on for students with higher thinking skills,” said Kalpande.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/no-easy-math-option-for-maharashtra-state-board-schools-from-2017-18/story-Yq7AB9of7fiwnEVgh1hTBL.html

CBSE to ensure exam centres are within 8km of students’ schools

• Neelam Pandey, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
| 
• Updated: Nov 07, 2016 09:13 IST

Students do a last-minute revision of syllabus ahead of their CBSE board examinations in New Delhi. (HT File)

---

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is working on an online system to ensure that students will be allocated examination centres within eight kilometres of their schools, sources said.
According to sources, the board is in the process of providing all information regarding exam centres for board exams, National Eligibility Test (NET), NEET, JEE main online. For this it had asked for disclosures from schools across the country about the current infrastructure there so that the system is made transparent. Currently there is no system for mapping this information online.
The CBSE is looking at allocating centres within an 8km radius of schools so that students don’t have to travel long distances. For other competitive exam, the closest centre will be allocated, sources said.
“Once we are aware of the infrastructure that is present in the schools we can map it online and this will help us in allocating centres automatically. For instance the system will prompt the official as soon as the 8-10 km radius is crossed. This will ensure they don’t allocate centres that are far away,” said a senior official. Sources said there have been instances in the past where students have been allocated centres at far-flung areas.
The move will also eliminate the need for searching or physically checking the centre before the examination which is a common practice amongst the candidates.
Out of the 14,000 private schools, nearly 2,000 have submitted all the information to the CBSE. This will be used for allocating centres to students. The last date for submitting the information is November 30 and the board is confident of completing the process on time. There are 3,000 schools that have uploaded infrastructure details too. There are 18,000 schools affiliated to the CBSE including Kendriya Vidyalayas.

“This would enable candidates to locate a centre on GIS maps in their mobile phones and to view its facilities,” added the official.
The online system will also map facilities such as the type of furniture, drinking facility, toilets that are present in the schools. “There have been instances in the past where students had to write exam sitting on chairs meant for kindergarten children. Once the institutes inform CBSE about the facilities it will be used to allocate centres,” said a source.
As per the CBSE affiliation rules, each school has to prepare its annual report and has to provide comprehensive information including the details of infrastructure and teachers to the board.
On September 29, the board had asked all the schools under it make mandatory disclosures of all information pertaining to the schools including fees, infrastructure, teachers etc. Under this system once the board has all the data it can use it to plan future projects.

Source : http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/j-k-cbse-to-ensure-board-exam-centres-are-within-8km-of-students-schools/story-Y1tplyBiYllaAcoBqcnnhK.html 

UGC, CBSE asks edu institutes to observe National Education Day

TNN | Nov 3, 2016, 10.36 PM IST

DEHRADUN: The University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has asked all the affiliated institutes to observe the 128th birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad as the National Education Day on November 11. A freedom fighter and an eminent educationist, Azad was the first Union minister of education of independent India.

The UGC through a letter posted on its website has stated that the Union ministry of human resource development (MHRD) wishes that all the universities should be involved in observing the day by organizing various activities centred on the importance of education and the nation’s commitment to all aspects of education.

The CBSE has also asked all the affiliated schools to celebrate the day and organize workshops, rallies on the importance of literacy and education for the well-being of the society.

“The observance of National Education Day on November 11 is in commemoration of the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad for his contribution to the cause of education in India. It is praiseworthy that such a day is being observed,” said Dinesh Bartwal, vice-principal of Doon International School.

Parents hailed the decision to commemorate the noted educationist’s birthday in schools. “It is crucial that youngsters are aware about personalities like Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Many students mix him up with Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and it is time that they are made aware about many such eminent personalities whose contribution to the nation building is noteworthy,” said Kiran Bisht, a parent.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that schools have also been asked to review their ongoing programme such as community outreach, entrepreneurial projects, vocational skills, life skills and inclusive education while celebrating the day.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/UGC-CBSE-asks-edu-institutes-to-observe-National-Education-Day/articleshow/55231308.cms

Fee disclosure for private schools: CBSE extends deadline to November 30

The order comes after the Board received recommendations from various parent groups urging the government to look into exorbitant fee hikes in the name of school fee.

Written by Shalini Rajvanshi | Noida | Updated: November 3, 2016 3:57 pm

“Regulation is a gray area as CBSE can only ask schools to explain their fee structure but cannot control the same.” The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has recently given an ultimatum of November 30, 2016 to schools to disclose their financial details as well as fee structure on their websites. The order comes after the Board received recommendations from various parent groups urging the government to look into exorbitant fee hikes in the name of school fee.
LocalCircles, a social networking site, had conducted a survey recently among parents asking them about their views on the fee structures in CBSE schools. The survey received over 10,000 responses.
The survey revealed that 64 per cent guardians felt their ward’s school was charging a significant amount of fee (with an increase of over 10 per cent) under heads other than tuition. About 81 per cent respondents felt that there should be a regulatory body for private school fee in the country.
Seventy three per cent felt that private schools with a profit objective should be required to label themselves as private companies instead of trusts or societies while 89 per cent voted in favour of recognised private schools disclosing their financial reports in addition to the school fee structure.
Yatish Rajawat, Chief Strategy Officer, LocalCircles, said initially, the site had asked just one question – what kind of fee hike had the parents witnessed? But the findings then ended up going viral on social media as parents from various sectors across the country said that they had noticed a fee hike of 10-30 per cent in the past one year. These were shared with the chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) as well as the Union Human Resource Development Ministry, after which the Board issued a circular regarding the same to affiliated schools.
“This is a gray area as they (CBSE) can only ask schools to explain the school fee structure but cannot regulate the fee. The district education officer can issue notices to schools but even he or she cannot regulate school fee,” he said, adding that parents had asked for a regulatory body in this regard to be set up.
N P Singh, District Magistrate, Noida, had written to the CBSE Chairman in May, 2016 recommending certain measures through which the charges can be regulated, such as fee resonating with facilities available in the school, hiking said payments only a year and consultation of parents regarding the hike, among others.
“There should be a regulatory body looking into fee hike. Schools have found to be billing parents under plantation, women empowerment fee, etc. There should be a range for the fee hike regulated by the CBSE,” he said, adding that details of the visit of the audit team to schools, which happens once a year should be made known to parents beforehand so that they can interact with the team and voice their grievances.
Fee hike should be linked with inflation, price index or the rise in prices or taxes of goods and services related to education, said Singh. Echoing his statement, Rajawat said, “The average salary hike is about 12 per cent, inflation about six to eight per cent while the most schools hike fees by about 15 per cent on an average. What most parents said in the survey is that hike should be linked to either pay commission (15 per cent votes) or inflation (41 per cent), among other factors. About 20 per cent felt that it should be capped at annual hike of 10 per cent.”
Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/education/fee-disclosure-for-private-schools-cbse-extends-deadline-to-november-30/

CBSE asks schools to make information public

Oct 30 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

CBSE asks schools to make information public

Manash Gohain   New Delhi





Having largely failed to nudge schools towards greater transparency by publicly disclosing their fee -for people to judge if it was commensurate with the facilities provided -the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is acting tough. It has now made it mandatory for all schools across the country to make public information about their functioning under 130 heads.
School managements are protesting against what they see as the CBSE overstepping its authority and trampling on the autonomy of the schools.The order -no longer an advisory -to upload the disclosures on the school websites has not gone down well with them.
In an office memorandum, issued on October 25, CBSE has asked for mandatory disclosures broadly under six categories: general, management, infrastructure, staff, finance and other details. This nance and other details. This covers an unprecedented wide range -from the number of taps to complete break-up of the fee, speed of their WiFi net work, admission results, reserve funds, balance sheets etc. The deadline for completing the process is November 30, 2016.
This is part of the initiative announced earlier in September by the chairman of the Board, Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi. In a circular as early as June, the CBSE had asked for fee and salary details to be uploaded but found that many schools had not even developed a website.
The Board had threatened not to allow their students to appear for the board examinations. In September, the Board had set a deadline of October 31for schools to disclose the in formation on their own and the Board's website.
In the latest circular, the Board has listed the details it is seeking and spelt out that it is mandatory .
“The information shall be filed only online through the link given on the Board's website and is also to be uploaded on the school's website. The information will facilitate the Board using it in various academic and examination activities. It shall also be beneficial for schools to make available information about their academic and infrastructural facilities in public domain for dissemination and wider publicity,“ stated the memoran dum, adding that the last date for completing the process was November 30, 2016.
The most exhaustive of the categories is infrastructure where the schools are being asked to disclose the size of the plot they are located on, area of the playground and even the built-up area. The schools also need to disclose the number of buildings and whether they are being run from multiple sites. All details of the facilities provided to students need to be disclosed.
Safety seems to be an area of concern with the schools being asked to furnish details of safety measures and equipment like fire extinguisher, sprinklers and fire alarms with issuing date, validity and authority , besides safety certificates related to fire, construction, drinking water and health and sanitation in general.
“The primary idea is to make things transparent. Apart from the Board, the parents and public need to know exactly what they are paying for and whether the school is offering all the facilities promised and whether the fee charged matches the facilities offered,“ said Chaturvedi.

Don't make teachers supervise kids in buses, canteens: CBSE

Nov 02 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

Don't make teachers supervise kids in buses, canteens: CBSE

Abhishek Choudhari





Teachers in CBSE schools can henceforth focus on teaching without getting bogged down in other duties like supervising students in buses, canteens or common areas like corridors. The central board has told all affiliated schools to ensure that teachers are not such duties any more. The board has amended its guidelines for `manpower on bus' and made it clear teachers cannot be asked to stay on the bus throughout the journey for supervising students.
According to the new guidelines, schools have to ensure that a woman guard or attendant has to be present in the school bus “keeping in view the safety of the school students all throughout the journey“.
A school principal in Nagpur, who did not wish to be named, said, “The nomenclature may change but every school appoints teachers as route incharge. Almost always, her stop is either the last, or second last on the route. This ensures that school students are under the supervision of a teacher at all times in bus. The bus contractor also appoints a woman attendant in most buses.“
Every bus has anywhere between one and four teachers travelling in the bus. Another principal said, “RTO allows only up to four teachers in the bus as passengers, as the transport vehicle is primarily for students and gets a heavy road tax subsidy . So basically these teachers are just travelling back home but we plan the route in such a way that the supervisor teacher alights at the last stop.“
Another task that teachers handle is supervising canteens or common areas like corridors and playgrounds during recess. CBSE has asked schools to stop that saying, “for activities of ministerial nature, transport or canteen for similar related tasks, separate trained staff may be deployed by school“. A principal said supervising children during break time is essential to avoid untoward incidents. “Children can get into fights and things can go out of hand fast. A lot of schools balance the workload by cutting down on the teaching hours for such teachers, so no one can complain,“ said another teacher.
When schools resume postDiwali vacations they will have to implement the new rules. A principal said, “The ground reality is different. So, we will have to work around it. All it takes for the school to be made into a villain is one accident on the bus or one ruckus in the canteen.“

Plan Ahead

Plan Ahead 

 

RANJITHA G





STUDENTS START AS EARLY AS STANDARD EIGHT TO CHOOSE THEIR STUDY OPTIONS FOR THE FUTURE AND PREPARE FOR COMMON ADMISSION EXAMS 

 

In an era, where grown ups attach a lot of im portance to planning and outlining one's fu ture, students are no exception. While some await a sudden realisation to discover their interests, many meticulously chart out their career trajectories.And to get there, they need to start by picking the right degree for studies. Several students decide their course of action much before class 12, which is the time when most of the school-goers gear up to make a decision. Speaking about students who take an early decision, K K Anand, founder CEO of Smart Minds Academy, says, “They need not commit strictly to a course, engineering or medicine, for instance. Students need not be decisive about it.They can take their decision after class 10 exams. But if they have decided, and are passionate about a stream, then it is really good for them.That gives them ample amount of time to prepare for their future.“
Anand adds that he gets students right from standard eight to start training for exams like NEET, AIIMS exam and JEE.
An innate passion for a subject can be one of the reasons for their clear choice. Also, one may develop their interests through growing years by watching and learning various concepts of a specific subject.Jai Sharma, a class nine CBSE student share,“With numer ous career guidance platforms available online and career counsellors always ready to help us, researching about a particular stream and exam has become easier.While a few of my friends manage to study at home, I chose to join a coaching insti tute to help me prepare better.After I complete my school, I take an hour's break before I go to the class, come back home and also get some time to revise and prepare for the next day. I take comfort in the fact that I am already preparing for the future.“ According to Dr S Vaidhyasubramaniam, dean planning and development, SASTRA University, entrance exams need to be more comprehensive.“Efficacy of entrance exams must be in their ability to measure student performance based on the lev els of difficulty of concept.The student's competence should be measured based on the num ber of difficult questions answered correctly. Online exams with certain tools to check reading, writing and listening skills in both English and native lan guages will make the experi ence of entrance exams a comprehensive one,“ he says.
It is common knowledge that good planning and hard work will lead you to your goals. And young students seem to already know this.





Source: Oct 30 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)