GEMS Education Increases Schools in Second Phase Expansion

From - http://www.businesswireindia.com

GEMS Education Increases Schools in Second Phase Expansion 

New Delhi, Delhi, Mumbai and Pune, Maharashtra, Chennai, Tamilnadu, Bangalore, Karnataka and Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, Monday, November 14, 2011 -- (Business Wire India)

Delhi University Today -DU, colleges cry lack of staff

From TOI

NEW DELHI: Despite dozens of fake admission cases coming to light, Delhi University has done little till now to check the fraud that has taken many by surprise. Where most students struggle with steep cutoffs, others have simply been using fake certificates to get into a college of their choice.

NEW DELHI RTE fails to lift education in rural areas: Report

FROM- TOI

NEW DELHI: As the government gears up for a year-long campaign to spread awareness about the Right to Education, a report on teaching and learning in rural India finds that progress in learning ability of students has not been commensurate to the massive investment in primary education and increase in enrolment.

The study conducted by the ASER Centre, a network of civil society organisations led by Pratham, in collaboration with Unicef and Unesco, draws attention to gaps that need to filled for effective roll out of universal elementary education. The study, conducted in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkahnd, and Rajasthan, focused on school organisations, teacher background, teacher capability for teaching, classroom processes and learning outcomes.

Highlighting the slow progress of students, the report said that while "children are expected to read simple words in standard I, less than 30% could read them in standard II and only 40% in standard III". Even in high performing states, the report said, "Both standard II and standard IV children have difficulty writing simple words correctly".Similarly, talking about their ability to do maths, it said 75% of the sampled students were able to solve numerical one digit addition problem, a task they were supposed to do in standard I. It has suggested that systems must be put in place to track attendance, not just enrollment, and ensure regular reporting and monitoring of attendance.

Learning outcomes of students who attend school regularly had dramatically improved. The report stresses on the critical role of the teacher, especially as much as half the students in the rural areas come from home without effective learning support. In this context, it has recommended that teacher recruitment and training policies must assess teachers' knowledge, but more importantly their ability to explain content to children, make information relevant to their lives and to use teaching learning materials and activities other than the textbook. It has also suggested "urgent revisions" in textbooks. These need to start from what children can do and be more realistic and age appropriate in what children are expected to learn, with clear learning goals.

This is especially important in light of the RTE objective of age-grade mainstreaming for all children. The report is critical about classroom facilities, stating that most of the primary school classrooms are "not child-friendly at all" and suggested that indicators for child-friendly education be defined. It suggests that libraries, with take home books, should be monitored as part of RTE Act indicators.

Recruitment, reform drive on in civil aviation regulator

From- http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

NEW DELHI: In its bid to provide more safety for air passengers, India's civil aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Monday said it has started a recruitment and reform drive. 

"We have started many initiatives. The government has approved creation of 500 new jobs (at DGCA), the first batch will join soon," DGCA Director General E.K. Bharat Bhushan said in his address at a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) event here. 

According to Bhushan, the process to fill all the vacancies will take time as other government agencies like the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) are involved. 

"It will take time, but it is happening. Agencies like UPSC are also involved and we are working with them," Bhushan told reporters after the event. 

Currently, the DGCA - which is the prime aviation safety, regulation and inspection authority in the country - has about 130 staff. 

Bhushan said the regulatory agency has taken several steps to boost aviation safety like scanning all the certificates of over 4,000 pilots in the country to computerisation of records, as well as review of some of the lengthy bureaucratic hassles faced by the carriers. 

"We are systematically checking records of nearly 4,500 airline pilot license holders. Till now we have completed checking 1,700 such licenses in a methodical way, by checking their documents, flying hours...," Bhushan said. 

Bhushan added that not only pilots but also 40-odd flying schools around the country are being scanned and have been asked to submit information called by the DGCA. 

"We will start an audit of the schools. Whenever we find any discrepancy in the implementation of the rules and guidelines, we will take action. All the schools would be checked... we have even closed one school in Punjab." 

On the question of foreign pilots, Bhushan said some cases have been noted, like of pilots who obtained training from Manila (the Philippines) and have provided fake documents, and action has been taken. 

"We are in touch with the Philippines authorities, who have notified few schools to us and we have, through that, identified seven to eight cases," Bhushan said. 

The aviation watchdog also pointed that as a part of its own reform programme, the pilots examination would be held online for the first time from November and that the government would spend nearly Rs.300 crore in computerisation of all the records and paperwork.