आधार क्रमांक नसनारे विद्याथी केंद्राच्या शिष्यवृत्ती योजनेतून बाद ?

CBSE move to three-language format proves burdensome

Parents feel that learning a foreign language will help their children in an increasingly globalised world, says Anvita Bir, Principal of R. N. Podar School.   | Photo Credit: File photo

The CBSE insists that the third language to be included in the syllabus must be an Indian language rather than popular foreign languages

The proposal of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to revert to the three-language system is likely to increase the burden on students. “The return of the three-language format could further prove difficult for students as it increases the number of subjects from five to six. Earlier, students had to learn three languages only until Class VIII, after which the emphasis shifted to Science, Maths and Social Sciences in Class IX and X. However, it might become a way of life soon,” according to Rakesh Joshi, Principal of Apeejay School in Nerul.

The CBSE insists that the third language must be an Indian language rather than popular foreign languages like French and German. According to the Board, the syllabus should include English, Hindi, and an Indian language, while foreign language should be the fourth, optional language subject for Class X board exams.
Explaining the logic for the new proposed format, Dr. Mousumi Bhoumick, who has worked as an advisory with various CBSE committees, said, “The theory behind the three-language format is that students should first be taught their mother tongue, then a language spoken in their environment, and thirdly the language of the society in which they stay. Thereafter, they can be taught foreign languages. However, parents misuse this system by enforcing foreign languages on their children, which is very unfair and could be harmful for them in the long run.”

Foreign language preference

The contention behind the CBSE’s new policy is that many parents prefer their children learning foreign languages like French and German over regional languages like Marathi. This is so that their children will be equipped to participate on an international stage. The government’s bid to downgrade foreign languages and upgrade Indian languages has however, not gone down well with the parents.

“We chose French over Sanskrit for our son since learning Sanskrit offers no practical use. Learning French would be helpful in communication while travelling abroad,” says Shubra Singh, whose son is a Class IX student in a CBSE school.

In R. N. Podar School, Santacruz, most students opt for French over Hindi or Sanskrit as the third language option, according to Principal Avnita Bir. “Most parents prefer their children to learn French as they feel it would be an advantage to them in an increasingly globalised world,” she says.

Incidentally, the confusion over foreign languages by the CBSE has led to much chaos in classrooms. In 2014, CBSE had introduced Mandarin in some schools, following a tie-up with China. However, schools were left scrambling in the middle when the deal with China expired within two years. The subject was discontinued in many CBSE schools as they couldn’t find the language teachers at a short notice. Similarly, German language was allowed to be taught in schools but was suddenly discontinued in 2014 by the then Human Resources Minister, Smriti Irani, in spite of intervention by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel.
The new system will privilege the learning of the local regional language. However, sentiments are strong that frequent changes to the CBSE syllabus are disruptive.

“Education should be insulated from political changes. It has caused enough confusion in the classrooms. The government can’t keep going back and forth on policies like this. It does not help our students go anywhere,” an academician said.

The difficulty faced by students is also not going unnoticed. “My daughter had opted for French but later gave it up. It is difficult for her to learn one more language for her Class X boards next year. In today's times, when there are so many opportunities opening up, students should be given the option to choose the subjects that they wish to learn,” says Rupa Sen, mother of television child actor Anushka Sen, who is a Class IX student.
 

The writer is a freelance journalist

Hepzi Anthony

Mumbai: December 22, 2016 00:44 IST

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/CBSE-move-to-three-language-format-proves-burdensome/article16920570.ece

CBSE’s Three-Language Formula: Won’t impose any language, says Prakash Javadekar

All CBSE schools will now not only have to implement the three-language formula in letter and spirit, but also extend it up to Class X.

The Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) decision to implement the three-language formula up to Class X will not lead to the imposition of one language on schools, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar assured on Wednesday.

Asked if Sanskrit would become compulsory in CBSE-affiliated schools, he said, “I have not gone through the Board’s recommendation in detail, but we are not going to impose any language on schools. The three-language formula is currently being implemented across the country, except in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. We are not changing that.”

 

Under the National Education Policy, the three-language formula means students in Hindi-speaking states should learn a modern Indian language, apart from Hindi and English and, in non-Hindi-speaking states, they should learn Hindi along with the regional language and English.
However, a majority of the 18,000 affiliated institutions offer the mother tongue or Hindi, English and a foreign language such as German and Mandarin up to Class VIII. All CBSE schools will now not only have to implement the three-language formula in letter and spirit, but also extend it up to Class X. A directive, with finer details and timing of implementation, will be issued to schools as soon as the move is ratified by the government.

The decision comes almost two years after the HRD Ministry, under Smriti Irani’s leadership, forced Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) to discontinue teaching of German as a third language in classes VI to VIII on the ground that it violates the three-language formula. KVs were directed to replace it with Sanskrit or any modern Indian language. German is still taught, but as a hobby/additional language.
Javadekar also supported the CBSE’s move to make the Class X Board exams compulsory from 2018. “This (opting out of Board exams in Class X) was an anomaly. Why should only CBSE students have the freedom to opt out (of Board exams) when the students elsewhere cannot,” he said.

Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/education/cbse-compulsory-board-three-language-prakash-javadekar-hrd-wont-impose-any-language-4439304/

Want to study a foreign language at CBSE school? You may have to take 3 more

delhi Updated: Dec 21, 2016 11:23 IST

Heena Kausar
New Delhi, Hindustan Times

The CBSE has recommended to the government that all schools should follow this system and those wanting to study a foreign language will have to take it as an elective or an additional subject. (Vipin Kumar/HT file)

Students in CBSE schools may soon have to study four languages if they want to take up a foreign language as the board has recommended that schools follow three-language formula under which students study Hindi, English and one modern Indian language such as Sanskrit or Telugu.

Many private schools in the Capital offer foreign languages along with Sanskrit as the third language. But with CBSE’s new move, foreign language will become an elective or additional language.
Some schools are unhappy with the move and said that students should be free to study foreign languages if they wish to. Principals said that most students take up foreign languages because they want to go abroad or make a career in the language.

“We are looking at providing students with global upbringing. We cannot limit their options because many of the students want to go abroad for graduation,” said principal of a private school on condition of anonymity.
According to sources, in its governing body meet on Tuesday, the CBSE has recommended to the government that all schools should follow this system and those wanting to study a foreign language will have to take it as an elective or an additional subject.

Also, while the three-language formula is applicable only till Class VIII, as per a decision of the board, students of Class IX and X will also have to study three languages. Reportedly, they will only be required to get passing marks in the third language, sources said.
Some schools said it will add unnecessary burden on students.

Most private schools offer Sanskrit, German, French, Japanese, Spanish, and Chinese as the third language under the formula. Most private school principals said students prefer to take up a foreign language.
“It is not a good idea to limit options for students if they want to study a foreign language. It will add burden on students if they want to take foreign language as an elective because they have to study other subjects also. In this situation a student will study four languages plus other courses,” said LV Sehgal, principal of Bal Bharti School, Ganga Ram Hospital Marg.

Manohar Lal, principal of Delhi Public School, Mathura Road, said, “This will create a lot of problems for our students. Most of them take up foreign languages but now they will have to rethink because students cannot burden themselves with only languages.”

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/want-to-study-a-foreign-language-you-may-have-to-study-three-more/story-HoJlzq9B2PMd49y0nZtXsL.html

CBSE removes lesson on Nadars from textbook

Board was asked by HC to review ‘derogatory’ references to community.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has directed that a topic in the Class IX social science textbook on ‘Caste conflict and dress change’ with references to the Nadar community be dropped from the curriculum.
“No questions from the section should be asked in 2017 Summative Assessment,” a Board circular addressed to teachers and students read.
The topic features in ‘India and the contemporary world-I’, one of the social science textbooks published by the National Council of Education and Research Training (NCERT) and used in CBSE schools across the country.
In the chapter titled ‘Clothing: A social history’, the Nadar community is referred to under the ‘caste conflict and dress change’ sub-head, wherein it is stated that a majority of them were considered a ‘subordinate caste’ and that they were expected to follow the local custom of not covering their upper bodies.

Widespread protests

The reference to the Nadar community in the textbook had triggered a major controversy in 2012 and attracted strong condemnation from political parties.
DMK leader M. Karunanidhi and MDMK chief Vaiko had said it was unpardonable to describe the Nadars as a community of migrants.
PMK leader S. Ramadoss also criticised certain objectionable remarks against Nadar women in the textbook.

Later that year, the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa wrote to the Centre seeking removal of the “objectionable” portions

S. Poorvaja

CHENNAI: December 21, 2016 01:27 IST

Updated: December 21, 2016 01:48 IST 

 

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/CBSE-removes-lesson-on-Nadars-from-textbook/article16915107.ece

New CBSE norms: Board exam is back, test for principals, three languages until Class X

All three decisions need the final stamp of approval from the HRD Ministry, said sources.

Written by Mallica Joshi , Ritika Chopra | New Delhi | Updated: December 21, 2016 9:35 am

Currently, it is optional for CBSE students to choose either the Board exam or a school-based examination. Over 18,000 schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will have to implement the three-language formula up to Class X, the Board’s Governing Body resolved on Tuesday. Currently, schools are meant to follow this up to Class VIII.

CBSE’s highest decision-making body, which met for close to four hours, also decided to make Board examination compulsory for Class X students from 2018 and introduce an eligibility test for principals of all its schools. All three decisions need the final stamp of approval from the HRD Ministry, said sources. CBSE chairman R K Chaturvedi was unreachable for comment.

Under the National Education Policy, the three-language formula means students in Hindi-speaking states should learn a modern Indian language, apart from Hindi and English and, in non-Hindi-speaking states, they should learn Hindi along with the regional language and English.

However, a majority of the 18,000 affiliated institutions offer the mother tongue or Hindi, English and a foreign language such as German and Mandarin up to Class VIII. According to Governing Body (GB) members, who spoke to The Indian Express on the condition of anonymity, all schools will not only have to implement the three-language formula in letter and spirit, but also extend it up to Class X. A directive, with finer details and timing of implementation, will be issued to schools as soon as the move is ratified by the government.
 
The decision comes almost two years after the HRD Ministry, under Smriti Irani’s leadership, forced Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) to discontinue teaching of German as a third language in Classes VI to VIII on the ground that it violates the three-language formula. KVs were directed to replace it with Sanskrit or any modern Indian language. German is still taught, but as a hobby/additional language.

“The National Education Policy and NCERT’s National Curriculum Framework clearly suggest that the three-language formula should be implemented in secondary education and, hence, the decision is in line with that. Private schools currently offering foreign languages will have to treat it as a fourth language, but the three-language formula has to be followed strictly,” said a GB member, when asked about the rationale behind the move.




The decision to make Class X Board exams mandatory again has been taken five years after former HRD Minister Kapil Sibal had nudged CBSE into making it optional. Sources said CBSE has decided that all schools will conduct two tests and a half-yearly exam in Class X.


The final examination will be conducted by the Board. The Board exam will carry 80 per cent weight and a student’s performance in school tests will account for 20 per cent. “The student will have to secure pass marks in both school and board exams separately to get promoted to Class XII,” said another GB member.
It’s not clear at this moment if the third language, which will introduced in Class IX and X as a consequence of Tuesday’s decision, will be tested in the Board exam.

Class X Board exams were made optional in 2011 after educationists objected to the stress associated with it. This was replaced with Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation or CCE. Students, however, could opt for board exams if they wanted.
 
About 20 per cent of the students chose the Board exam in 2011 and 2012. This figure increased gradually after it was made clear that students who wanted to change their school Board after Class X would have to take exams. In 2016, more than 40 per cent students opted for the Board exams.
“The UPA government had expected that other state education boards will follow CBSE’s example, but that didn’t happen. Over the last few months, CBSE and HRD Ministry have met teachers and principals from across the country to get their feedback on Boards and CCE.

The overwhelming support was for the return of exams,” said a member. A meeting of about 300 school principals was held in Mata Sundari College last week to discuss the change and seek feedback.

CBSE’s governing body also resolved that principals of all CBSE schools will have to pass an eligiblity test. “We’ve noticed that wives and relatives of the schools owner/owners end up becoming principals. That’s not the ideal qualification to head a school. So CBSE will design a test on the lines of the Central Teacher Eligibility Test for principals too which they have to pass,” said a GB member.

Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/education/new-cbse-norms-board-exam-is-back-test-for-principals-three-languages-until-class-x-high-school-hrd-4437967/

CBSE wants smart cards for all students

Manash Pratim Gohain | TNN | Updated: Dec 19, 2016, 02.51 AM IST

NEW DELHI: After making payment of school fees and teachers' salary cashless, CBSE has advised schools to inculcate habit of cashless transaction among students by introducing smart cards in canteens and tuck-shops. The schools have also been asked to use activity weeks to push digital payment and task each student to promote the same at home and among at least 10 outsiders.

On December 7, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) convened a meeting of 350 nodal schools and deliberated on how to make the schools completely cashless. Three days later, it issued a circular on staff payment through bank transfer and payment of fees only through "non-cash" mode.

The meeting also discussed the issue of inspiring students to go cashless. "The schools are now being asked to sensitise students on cashless transaction and how to keep it safe. However, it's an advisory," said a senior CBSE official. "Students' involvement will make promoting cashless transaction easier."

The board is going to allow e-wallets like SBI Buddy and Paytm for its competitive exams. It will also do away with the challan mode of payment for affiliation from January when the new cycle starts. All payments will be accepted through debit/credit cards or net banking.

Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, too, has decided to train students from Class IX onwards and teachers on various cashless modes of payment and use services of Scouts and Guides to educate various sections of society. A circular regarding this financial literacy drive has already been sent to its regional offices. Experts from local banks/financial institutions and postgraduate teachers in computers, commerce and economics will hold these sessions.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/CBSE-wants-smart-cards-for-all-students/articleshow/56054326.cms
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Pvt schools pip govt's in number of teachers

Pvt schools pip govt's in number of teachers

Hemali Chhapia | Mumbai:





`But Do High Fees Translate Into Quality?' 

 

For long, the state was the largest recruiter of teachers. Today , private schools have leaped ahead and hire more faculty across Maharashtra, whether in Pune or Parbhani, Nagpur or Nandurbar.

 

The appeal for the English language, surge in private schools and a cap on government recruitment, has seen the private sector's staff strength balloon. Maharashtra currently has 3.8 lakh teachers in the kindergarten-to-Class XII (K-12) category in the private sector and 2.7 lakh in its state schools.

“There is a little more margin for everything in private schools. We call that essential freedom,“ says Naina Pathak who works for a private school in Ahmadnagar. Merely 10 districts, including suburban Mumbai, Osmanabad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Yavatmal, Jalna, Hingoli, Gondiya, Gadchiroli and Buldana, have more teachers in state schools--corporation and zilla parishad--than in private institutes.

Pune has the highest count of teachers--51,639--of whom 34,621 are in private schools.Experts say this phenomenon isn't restricted to this state.Across India, shrinking enrollment in government schools has seen fewer teachers being hired and 17% schools across the nation have just single teachers. “There is multi-grade or grade-less teaching in 75% schools. The number of teachers does not correspond with the student count,“ says a Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) committee member.

Educationist J M Abhayankar says ban on recruitment since 2012 has seen several vacancies pile up in government schools. “Every year an average of 3% vacancies comes up.So in the past six years, 1.2 lakh posts needed to be filled, but were not.“ Another August 2015 government resolution curtailed the number of teachers per school. One teacher was needed for every 35 children.

“So, earlier for a minimum strength of 15 or 20 kids in each of Classes V , VI and VII, there were four teachers. But now even if there are 69 students, just one teacher is assigned. Only when the student strength touches 70 does the state grant the second faculty ,“ says Abhayankar.

“Most developed nations have a strong public education system and a majority of children in those nations are in public schools. We have made a constitutional commitment to provide quality universal edu cation to our children. Especially in a nation like India where close to 70% of the population has an income of less than Rs 3,000 per month, a public school is the only viable option, says Dileep Ranjekar, CEO, Azim Premji Foundation. “However, over the past 20 years or so, `Brand Government School' has taken a severe beating. Several factors such as poor quality infrastructure, non-adherence to committed teacherpupil ratio and qualitative and quantitative weakening of supporting institutions such as DIET have contributed to brand erosion.“

Ranjekar says, “Several studies have established the learning levels in private and public schools are similar (if at all, government school learning levels are marginally better)--so migration of such a large percentage of children to private schools is not well explained.“

Meanwhile, international and private schools grow at break-neck speed, hiring more teachers, charging up classrooms and laughing all the way to the bank, whether in Wardha or Washim.

Dec 14 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

 

Source : http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31840&articlexml=Pvt-schools-pip-govts-in-number-of-teachers-14122016004028





India’s school emergency

India’s school emergency: Rajasthan’s campaign to fix schools will create prosperity and equality of opportunity

December 14, 2016, 2:00 am IST Vasundhara Raje in TOI Edit Page | Edit Page, India | TOI

Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges created a character called Pierre Menard who decides to rewrite Cervantes’s Don Quixote. After great effort, Menard’s revision ends up being word-for-word identical to the original. However, 300 years of history and literature have passed since Don Quixote, including the novel itself. Although Menard’s words are the same, his meaning is now entirely different.
 
This wonderful story applies to school education policy. Learning, teaching, management, governance and feedback are the same words but they now mean different things.
 
India needs to re-imagine school education because rote learning is less important in a world of always-on internet and education needs to target the International Baccalaureate curriculum learner profile; curious, confident, risk taker, team player, communicator, reflective, etc. I guess this validates poet William Butler Yeats who wrote “education is not the filling of a bucket but the lighting of a fire”.

This transition is complicated by massive change in the world of work where automation means that reading, writing, arithmetic and soft skills are becoming the most important employability skills. India has licked the quantity problem; Class 10 is the new Class 8 and soon Class 12 will be the new Class 10 for lazy employer job filtering.

All these changes make teachers and their training even more important. We know that technology matters in education but we don’t know how. Even though we are probably a few iterations away from the full impact of e-learning, it’s important to keep an eye on the horizon.

The 2016 Olympic silver medallist in javelin was Julius Yego, a Kenyan who taught himself how to throw by watching YouTube videos. All governments talk about physical infrastructure but any politician can tell you that schools as “infrastructure of opportunity” are top of mind for citizens and voters.
 

 Most past policy interventions – including in Rajasthan where we have 18 million children who should be in school of which 90% go to school – have focused on the three important inputs of teacher qualifications, teacher salaries and class sizes. While these continue to be important, research is iffy about their contribution to learning outcomes and suggests moving to more difficult, fundamental issues like governance.

Determined to make the public school system deliver on its promise to children, Rajasthan put together a three step transformation plan: building management capabilities, strengthening governance structures and ensuring continuous feedback. The first involved a focus on school integration in each Panchayat for grades 1-12 called Adarsh schools and for grades 1-8 called Utkrisht schools with improved infrastructure, full staffing, and a focus on school monitoring by devising information and communication systems for inter-department and department to field alignment.

This move has ensured higher utilisation of resources, better supervision of schools and greater accountability of staff.

The second involved quarterly state wide reviews, district wise bi-monthly reviews and monthly meetings at schools, resulting in continuous performance monitoring. The third involved using social media for feedback, IT for fund utilisation and peer review for teachers that included sustained training of all personnel from the bottom up.

This is showing results; the class 10 board exam pass rate has improved from 58% to 72% in government schools and in Class 12 arts, the government school pass rate is higher than that of private schools.

Teaching vacancies have been reduced by 35% (from 60% to 25%) with over 1 lakh teachers promoted or transferred via a new and transparent counselling process. The most important metric, community faith in public education, is reflected in the increase of government school enrollment by 90 lakh in the last three years. A recent state wide parent-teacher meeting recorded 70% parent attendance.
Community generosity in cash and kind donations to local schools has helped fill resource and infrastructure gaps. While I am delighted about the buzz in education policy makers, schools and parents, I realise that much work is yet to be done.

India is in a school emergency because 10 lakh young people will join the labour force every month for 10 years and many of them will not have the ability to earn living wages because their school let them down. Many vested interests would like to perpetuate the current low-level equilibrium of our schools, but the status quo can be broken with political will, community support, transparency, communication, measurement, and much else.

The Centre has begun to help states with the recent decision to devolve some decisions and remove a focus on inputs under the overly centralised Right to Education Act that fights yesterday’s war of enrollment.
I read recently that private prisons are a huge growth industry in America and they have found that the best predictor of future growth – how many cells and prisoners are going to be needed in which area in 15 years – is a simple algorithm based on asking what percentage of 11 year olds can’t read. You can’t say that a literate society has no criminality but they seem to have found a real correlation. Every society has a different context but I will submit that a similar metric – what percentage of our 11 year olds can read – is the best predictor of India’s sustained prosperity and equality of opportunity.

 

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own. 

 

Source: http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toi-edit-page/indias-school-emergency-rajasthans-campaign-to-fix-schools-will-create-prosperity-and-equality-of-opportunity/