"Dream, Dream, Dream! Conduct these dreams into thoughts, and then transform them into action."

- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

#Schools

Good News

Power Play: What Telangana’s New School Initiative Means for Education

The Telangana administration resolved on Thursday to give government-run schools free power in order to deliver high-quality education. The Government Order announcing the scheme's immediate implementation was released just hours after Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka made the announcement at a Teachers' Day celebration.An Effective Push To the Education Sector ~ (Source: Google Images) The people's administration, according to Vikramarka, who oversees finance and energy, will give free electricity to 27,862 educational facilities throughout the state . He declared that the government would pay back the costs that the electrical department would incur in carrying out the plan.The GO contains an outline of the scheme's modalities. The power distribution companies will set up an internet site, to which the corresponding departments of all government-run schools would have login credentials.  The final list of institutions to be covered by the scheme will be added to the Internet portal by the secretaries of the relevant departments. Each institution will receive monthly billing, which will be visible through the department login. The relevant institution in charge will receive a hard copy of the bill that displays consumption in units and the billed amount.All departments will have access to the site, which will also allow reports to be generated regarding usage, bill amounts, past consumption, billing, payments, and balances, among other topics, at the institution, mandal, and district levels. To allow the departments to use the budgetary allocation to pay the bills to TG DISCOMS, the portal will be integrated with the Finance Department.

6 Sep 2024
Good News

India's First All-Girl Sainik School Paves the Way for Women in Defence

In a historic moment for women empowerment, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated India’s first all-girl Sainik School in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh's Mathura district. This milestone marks a significant step forward for aspiring female cadets aiming to serve the nation through the armed forces. Named the Samvid Gurukulam Girls Sainik School, the institution, with an impressive enrollment of around 870 students, is part of a larger initiative to establish 100 new Sainik Schools across states and union territories.  The CBSE-affiliated school, equipped to provide top-notch education, will be helmed by ex-servicemen, offering 120 coveted seats for aspiring cadets. The Minister highlighted how Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision has rightfully placed women within the armed forces, acknowledging their pivotal role in safeguarding the nation. This groundbreaking decision to admit girls to Sainik Schools follows the successful pilot project at Sainik School, Chhingchhip, Mizoram, initiated by the Defence Ministry. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also highlighted his earlier initiative to enroll girl students in Sainik School, Lucknow, in 2018, further emphasizing the commitment to gender-inclusive opportunities in defence education. The objective behind establishing these schools aligns with the National Education Policy, aiming to provide quality education and promising career prospects for students, thereby propelling India towards a future of inclusive and robust defence preparedness.

2 Jan 2024
Good News

This Revolutionary Device Keeps Fishermen Safe and Guides Them Towards Their Catch

Fishermen can soon use technology to their advantage as GEMINI(Gagan Enabled Mariners Instrument for Navigation and Information) was launched in Mumbai by the Hyderabad based Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services(INCOIS) along with the Airports Authority of India. The device will facilitate safer and easier expeditions for the fishermen. The fishermen will have to download the Gagan app on their mobile phones and it will be connected to GEMINI via Bluetooth. Its inbuilt rechargeable battery lasts for 3-4 days and it covers the entire Indian Ocean for transmission to fishermen at sea. Revolutionary Device GEMINI provides information to fishermen on potential fishing zones and gives alerts on high waves and strong winds. It gives warning about cyclones and tsunamis as well as provides information on search and rescue.  Fishermen can also know the maximum current speed, depth of the sea, distance and direction with the help of the device. In case of any emergency, fishermen can bank on GEMINI as it suggests the nearest land points. Technology GEMINI uses surface temperature and water’s chlorophyll content to locate fish schools. It detects weather conditions and sends the information to the app. Fishermen can use their phones to see the forecast of fishing zones which is sent three days in advance. They can also see the weather alerts that are sent in an hour. The Ockhi cyclone of 2017 brought to fore the limitations of the marine information systems as fishermen in deep-sea couldn’t be reached and therefore, they weren’t warned about the cyclone. The low cost, soapbox sized smart receiver device GEMINI will ensure safe expeditions for our fisherfolk.

18 Nov 2019
Good News

This Unique Class Is Making a Spectacular Impact on Students

During a conversation between the Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and the education minister Manish Sisodia, the topic of student’ well being emerged. They pondered that they have taken many steps to renovate school buildings, reinvigorate teachers and improve exam results, but nothing is being done to make children better human beings. This thought stayed with Manish Sisodia for a long time and it finally culminated into the commencement of happiness class in Delhi’s government schools. This model is having a great impact and is attended by almost 8 lakh students for one period every day. What Is The Happiness Class The inspiration of happiness class came from Vipassana courses and coexistence-based Jeevan Vidya workshop, which looks at all the aspects of education and life very critically and discusses it very scientifically. The content of happiness class was built by a joint team of twenty Delhi government teachers, District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) lecturers and principals, some reputed individuals and organizations working in the area of child psychology. The course is based on Indian thought and education which is thought in a scientific way. The happiness class is conducted through the medium of mindfulness meditation, inspirational stories to make children responsible and mature and activity-oriented discussions where children study their own thoughts and reactions scientifically. Impact On Children It has been only one year since the happiness class has been introduced, but parents and teachers have noticed a considerable change in the behavior of children. Teachers stated that some students who were aggressive have become calm. The level of concentration of students has also increased. They have become more caring and sensitive to others and show a lot of love and respect. It has helped in the development of a mindset in the students to be positive and creative. Education should not be about turning children into bookworms, rather it should be able to bring out the best in every child and improve their well being. The happiness class is certainly making a positive impact and should be adopted by all schools across India.

18 Sep 2019
Good News

Supreme Court Proposes Special School for Special Children

The Supreme Court has deemed it impossible for children with autism, blindness and deafness to be taught with normal children. It has emphasized the need for special schools for special children where they will be taught by specially trained teachers. The SC has questioned the lack of special schools for such children affected by blindness, deafness and autism. It opines that children who suffer from any kind of disability or are mentally challenged, cannot be imparted education in mainstream schools along with normal children. According to the Bench which comprised of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud,  access to education is a fundamental right under Article 21A and there was a statutory obligation on the States to provide education under the Rights of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. The Bench decided that children with special needs have to be imparted education not only by special teachers but there have to be special schools for them. It was hearing a plea filed by Rajneesh Kumar Pandey through advocate Prashant Shukla, claiming lack of a sufficient number of special educators in Uttar Pradesh and other States to teach the children with special needs. The Bench concluded that students who suffer from blindness, deafness and autism or such types of a disorder may be required to have separate schools with distinctly trained teachers.  

30 Oct 2017
Good News

 More parents support through missed call to curb fee hike 

As the state and the neighbouring state of Gujarat fight for the abrupt fee hike done by many schools, many parents have started a protest against the same. In Mumbai, as parents supported the fight against fee hike a parents group has received 3,800 missed calls for the campaign. This fight was started by Fairness in Education (FFE), a parents group that has started an agitation against unjustified fee hikes. Jayant Jain, president of the forum said, "Several parents are fighting with the schools' managements. There is a need to unite all the parents so a permanent solution can be worked out."  To take this fight ahead and deal with the school that hikes the fees abruptly the forum has also organised a protest at Azad Maidan. For the same, parents are urging as many parents in the city through bulk messages.  "Just the way parents have responded to the missed call campaign, we are hoping they turn out in large numbers for the protest too," said Jain.  Anubha Sahai of India Wide Parents Association said, "We are hoping that parents step out to intensify the fight against errant school managements."  Parents have also asked the state education department to support them in this protest. They have demanded that parents should have more representation in PTA executive committee, a check on fee hike and deposit fee among others.  

22 May 2017
Good News

Now, NGO trying to have equal fees in schools

Here’s a sigh of relief for all those parents who worry about their children’s constant fee hikes every year. A Non government organisation (NGO) from Pune has come with the new parameters which will decide fees from kindergarten to class 12 and the draft will be soon submitted to state education department. Even while Maharashtra state has a fee regulation act it failed badly and parent continued complaining about regular fee hikes in the school.This draft made by state education department will decide the fees taking into consideration all the parameters of the school. According to a report published in Hindustan Times,“We studied the balance sheets of different schools across Maharashtra to decide a reasonable amount,” said Vaishali Bafna, member of Pune-based Syscom, which had filed a petition against the haphazard first-year junior college (FYJC) admissions in the Bombay high court last year. Agreeing that the amount can’t be the same in all schools, Bafna said the NGO is trying to fix the parameters to raise the fees.“While in some schools, the fees are exorbitant, the quality of education or facilities are poor,” said Bafna. “This will stop only if the government compels schools to follow a prescribed format to fix the fees.” In this wake of haphazard fee hikes, parent in Mumbai are planning to go on an indefinite hunger strike from to protest against the fee hikes. In a recent survey, 55% of parents from Maharashtra admitted that schools have hiked fees in the range of 11% to 20%.Parents believe that there should be some limit on schools from the government for fee hikes. According to the Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Regulation of collection of fees) Act, 2011, effective since December, 2015, the school management must put forth the proposed fees for the approval of the PTA executive panel. If there is more than 15% difference in the fees proposed by the management and those approved by the PTA, then they can approach divisional fee regulatory committees or state-level revision committee.  

18 Apr 2017
Good News

From results to tracking buses, schools switch over to mobile apps

Many schools in Kochi have replaced the humble school diary with mobile apps to communicate and interact with parents and students. Susanna Sunil, vice principal of Global Public School said that last year, school examination results were available for students via mobile applications and they have continued to do the same this year as well. Fr Antony M, principal, Sacred Heart School in Thevara said that the school had made the marks available on mobile app and the number of parents and students using this app is increasing day by day. The app can also be used to post lots of other relevant information regarding the next academic year, the class and division of the students in the new section and so on. Parents are finding this app very useful as all school circulars are made available and would stay there for reference. They can always keep themselves updated about the matters relating to their child's school with this app. The school mobile application allows students keep track of their library book lending details and also allows them to browse the catalogue of books available in the library facility. Parents can also take a look at the fee structure. Parents can keep track of the location of children while they are travelling to school and back home. Due to traffic, quite often school buses get delayed and parents get worried. This app will relieve them of this tension as it helps them to keep track of their wards. 

17 Apr 2017
Good News

35 vernacular schools in Mumbai to restart in English

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to revive 35 vernacular schools in Mumbai that were shut down due to poor attendance by converting them into English medium schools. It will take help from philanthropists and corporate funding to achieve this aim. The BMC has promised superior education to convince the parents to send their children back to schools. It plans to induct professional management groups to run the institutes. If everything goes well according to plan, then the schools can start in the coming academic year. There are about 3.39 lakh students studying in hundreds of BMC schools across the city. The civic authority incurs an expenditure of Rs 110 crore every year to provide educational material and midday meals. Yet many parents don't wish to send their children to vernacular schools thus leading to the closure of such schools. A couple of industrialists are eager to help the BMC in improving the quality of education in municipal schools through their corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund.  Additional municipal commissioner IA Kundan said that they are also inviting philanthropists associated with educational institution to manage the schools. In order to revive the 35 schools, they will be allowed to manage, provide teachers and teaching material and adopt their own methodologies while the BMC will appoint the principals to monitor the activities.

17 Mar 2017
Good News

Positive Reads

Himachal Pradesh Launches ‘My School-My Pride’ Campaign to Transform Government Education System

In a significant move towards transforming the quality of education in government schools, Himachal Pradesh has launched the 'My School-My Pride' campaign. With an aim to align with the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020, this initiative seeks to encourage active participation from individuals and organizations to bring about a positive change in the education system. Revolutionizing Education in Government Schools Under the 'My School-My Pride' campaign, stakeholders will be urged to adopt schools and contribute to various aspects of students' growth. This includes providing career counseling, offering remedial teaching, coaching students for examinations, and engaging in community support services. The campaign also emphasizes the importance of monetary contributions for infrastructure development, event sponsorship, scholarships, and support for the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) program. Active Participation from the Society One of the key features of the campaign is the 'Giving back to society' initiative, which encourages retired teachers, professionals, housewives, or any other member of the society to become part of the academic support team. These individuals will teach students without any payment or honorarium, ensuring continuous academic support during teacher shortages or leaves. Non-academic teams will also contribute to sports, co-curricular activities, skill training, arts, and more. Adoption by Dignitaries and Government Officers To further enhance the campaign's impact, dignitaries, Members of Parliament, MLAs, and government officers are encouraged to adopt at least one government school as patrons. By doing so, they can suggest improvements, stay informed about students' progress, and actively participate in the school's development. Additionally, officers from the education department will act as mentors for specific schools, providing guidance and support. Transparent Monitoring and Accountability To ensure transparency, accountability, and real-time monitoring of activities, the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) will launch an online portal dedicated to the 'Apna Vidyalaya' program. This portal will serve as a platform for stakeholders to track and monitor their contributions and activities related to the adopted schools. Such transparency will help in maintaining the campaign's integrity and effectiveness. Holistic Approach towards Education The 'My School-My Pride' campaign aims to bring about a holistic transformation in the education system. In addition to academic support, it includes the 'systematic adolescent management and value addition dialogue' (SAMVAD) component. This component focuses on educating school-going adolescents on moral values, drug awareness, nutrition, legal knowledge, and empowerment schemes. By addressing these crucial aspects, the campaign strives to create a sustainable model for educational improvement. A Ray of Hope for Government Schools The launch of the 'My School-My Pride' campaign is a significant step towards revitalizing the public education system in Himachal Pradesh. As government schools cater to over 55% of students in the state, this initiative holds the promise of bringing about a positive transformation in their educational experience. By emphasizing community engagement, mentoring, and active participation from various stakeholders, the campaign aims to uplift the quality of education and create a conducive learning environment. The 'My School-My Pride' campaign launched by Himachal Pradesh is a commendable effort to transform the government education system. By promoting active involvement from individuals and organizations, encouraging transparent monitoring, and adopting a holistic approach towards education, this campaign has the potential to bring about a positive and sustainable change in the quality of education in government schools. With the support of the society, government officials, and the education department, Himachal Pradesh is paving the way for a brighter future for its students.

17 Jan 2024
Positive Reads

Star Citizens

Retired IAS Officer Strives to Bring a Change

V M Manohar Prasad was a regular visitor of Marlawai village in Telangana due to official and unofficial reasons. After his voluntary retirement from the Indian Administrative Services, he devoted much of his time in the village to set up schools to give quality education to children. The village had anganwadis which were operating as pre-primary schools, but the education imparted to students here was very substandard. The teachers were hardly qualified to teach and a third-grader could barely count numbers. Mothers found this education exercise a futile business and approached Manohar. Manohar realized that there is no concept of pre-primary school under the aegis of the government. Manohar and his wife, Ramadevi soon found great strength among the women in the village who wanted their children to be educated. The retired officers along with the concerned mothers decided to start community governed schools, having seen the futility of government schools.  They collaborated with the Mahila Mandal Samakhya, a women self-help group in the village and entrusted them the task of identifying children between the ages of 3-5 and finding a suitable teacher, preferably woman, for the school. The couple started to work on the whole dynamics of primary education. It was a herculean task to contextualize the subjects for the children in the villages and it took them three years s to put together a proper curriculum. They also made it mandatory for teachers to go through a  16-week foundation course. They didn’t build any concrete schools. Schools were run under a tree, empty cowsheds, community halls or a kind villager would open the doors of his /her home to the children. Sometimes, the Anganwadi workers would allow classes in their premises. After the state of Telangana was formed, Manohar moved to East Godavari and helped set up 54 schools there, the first one being in the Gurtedu region, where he was once held captive by Naxals. Even today, the officer and his wife with the help of donors across the country are able to run the schools which are known as ‘Ma Ooru, Ma Badi’ (My Village, My School).  They now intend to start a residential primary school complex where the students from nearby schools can avail education, as an alternative to government schools. In spite of his tremendous efforts and dedication to set up schools, Manohar modestly asserts that all 54 schools are a result of the efforts of the mothers, women who wanted their children to do something big in life. Image Source: Scroll.in

14 Sep 2019
Star Citizens

Global Inspirations

School playgrounds transformed into vegetable gardens

It is always children who are worst affected by the ravages of war. Children in Syria whose diets have been devastated by six years of war have something to look forward to – their school playgrounds are being transformed into vegetable gardens where they can learn to grow and then eat  - aubergines, lettuces, peppers, cabbages and cucumbers. Vegetables constitute an important part of traditional Syrian cuisine. Their food includes hummus, beautiful and varied salads, stews made with green beans, okra or courgettes and tomatoes, stuffed cabbage leaves and artichoke hearts. However, things have changed now due to many years of war and much of the population lives mainly on bread or food aid. It is unfortunate that nearly 70 percent of the population is living in extreme poverty. Adam Yao, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) acting representative in Syria said that the crisis in Syria was having a devastating effect on the health and nutrition of an entire generation of children. It can have serious and long-lasting effects on their growth and future development. Therefore, FAO is helping some 17 primary schools in both government and opposition-controlled areas to plant fruits and vegetables in  500 metre-square plots in war-torn areas including Aleppo, Hama, Homs, Idlib and the outskirts of Damascus. The project is a big success as the primary schools, which began planting in May, have produced 12 tonnes of fruit and vegetables. Another 35 schools are expected to transform their playgrounds into gardens.  

30 Aug 2017
Global Inspirations

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