SHEMBLOG

Are Indian Schools In Foreign Performing Better?

Recently there was a post on an online journal about CBSE affiliated school in gulf and various activities it was engaged in. For instance take the example of International Indian School Dammam.  The school is one of the popular institutions in Saudi Arabia. There are many other CBSE affiliated schools in Asia and gulf region.

A quick look at the curriculum and calender of these schools reveal that they have evolved into better institutions than the schools established in our own country. This may sound a concern to the educationists in the country. Our own experts at SHEMFORD have described many bottlenecks in the education system and particularly schools established in India.

Some of the points highlighted, which contribute in the under performance of our schools, have been given as:

• Underdeveloped Infrastructure
• Rigid and conventional methods of teaching
• Deficient qualified staff
• Primitive practices largely followed in schools
• Inappropriate curriculum

A few of the institutions in India, mostly private, have made a great progress in the last one decade. These schools are in no way less famous than those established in other countries. The people responsible for their achievements have studied, selected and implemented the best practices in education known throughout the world. These are the schools much needed in India.

There was an opinion piece published in a popular news daily regarding the output of country’s leading business schools. The author argued that in order to take India further forward, the renowned business schools need to shape the students and stop being just placement agencies.

While the management and business schools in India catch most of the attention, various industries are heavily dependent on them. The pay packages for students graduating from these schools are relatively hefty and the most plausible explanation is the great responsibilities that lie on their shoulder. However, the recent economic downturn has made everyone sceptical about their expected role.

Business schools and other education providers are now looking forward to enhance their system and work upon providing quality education. The phenomenon can have a trickle down effect and further affect the primary and secondary schools.

The arguement also highlights some of the primary concerns for education experts and education service providers. In order to remain ahead, the institutions have to upgrade their systems and look for new ways. We expect that our audience will have some better opinion and will share it with us.

One of the oldest women colleges in India is facing a severe shortage of funds and has reached near closure. St.Bede’s College in Himachal Pradesh is on the verge of closedown due to shortage of funds. The College Prinicpal, Molly Abraham, while speaking to a new agency (IANS) said that it was difficult to run the college any longer.

St. Bede’s College is a renowned institute and has been delivering services since 1904. The college principal was reported as having said that the government agencies did not cooperate and had reduced the grants to half. The college is one of the institutions that has been accredited as A+ by the popular accreditation agency NAAC.

On one hand, the government is trying to pour more funds in the primary and secondary education and on the other hand grants for higher studies are falling short. The college administration has strongly criticized the government for providing minimal support. Some well known public figures who have graduated from St.Bede’s have expressed deep concern for the current situation and the expected closure of the institution.  

According to a popular news agency, thousands of Tibetan Children who had enrolled in Indian schools are receiving strict punishment from the Chinese government. As per the reports the Tibetan children have been asked to confess about their teachings in the Indian schools, some of which are headed by the spiritual leader Dalai Lama.

There have been cases reported about children ebing smuggled in the adjacent regions, as religious teachings have been heavily dealt by the Chinese government. Young students are even said to cross the border, while trekking over mountains to receive the teachings in the Dharamsalas, located outside Tibet.

Various education societies and human rights groups have condemned the atrocities on the poor students, who have a right to receive religious education. Though the concerns have been subdues and do not pose a serious threat for harming any International relations, however, various authorities have warned the Chinese government to deal properly with the students. 

Eight students have set a precedent for contesting and claiming one’s right to education by winning a legal battle against government schools that had denied them admission. Vipin Chandra Pal Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Babarpur had denied admission to two girl students. Naazneen and Nasara were told that they were over 18 years of age and hence, couldn’t seek admission into the school.

The students’ petition was filed at the Delhi High Court and their case was argued by Ashok Aggarwal. He argued the case on the basis of the fact that the right to education is mentioned as an Indian citizen’s fundamental right and it couldn’t be declined due to the consideration of their age. Six other students had sought admission to various government schools in Delhi but were denied on some whimsical pretexts.

One of these six students, Kiran was seeking admission to Class 7 but was denied on the basis that she had completed her earlier education in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh and her transfer certificate wasn’t countersigned by the concerned authorities. However, the Court ruled that a student’s education couldn’t be compromised due to the sluggishness of the bureaucratic system. The other five students have also been granted admission into various government schools.

A school for the destitute children and orphans at Ratnagiri, Maharashtra is on the verge of getting a financial boost of nearly $26,000 from the American automotive giant, Johnson Controls Inc. The school is run by a trust headed by Sarwattom Thakur. The school acts as a residence for about 300 underprivileged children, ranging in the age group of 6 to 16 years.

Johnson Controls Inc. had earlier launched the ‘Blue Sky Involve’ programme which was essentially a volunteer initiative to encourage annual donations from employees’ time and corporate support for charity. The company’s employees have already contributed nearly 520 hours in 2008 towards various activities on the school premises. This is the second major corporate house, after JP Morgan India, to provide financial grants and employee volunteerism to this school.

The Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha (GGSIP) University and some of its affiliated engineering colleges ran into trouble when the Delhi High Court issued a notice to them, seeking transparency in the University’s policies for students seeking migration to other colleges.

The three engineering colleges that find themselves in a predicament include Bharatiya Vidya Peeth, Maharaja Surajmal Institute of Technology and Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology. These colleges have been asked to file a reply within four weeks. The Court’s hearing has been set for January 10, 2009.

The Court’s decision came in wake of a petition filed a second-year B. Tech student of Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology. He had challenged the legitimacy of the college’s migration rule — Revised Ordinance 7. His counsel insisted on the lack of clarity in the migration process.

They alleged that vacant seats in most branches of engineering colleges under GGSIP University weren’t revealed and this was of disadvantage to the students seeking migration from one college to another. The petitioner sought the GGSIP University to make the migration procedure more transparent by declaring vacant seats, preferably, on the University’s website.

Vandalism in schools and colleges has become a pressing issue as authorities have been unable to check the growth of unfortunate incidents in the campus. In colleges and universities, the presence of political parties has been ubiquitous. Backed up by various groups, many students have gone astray and have been involved in cases of crime and violence. To help the authorities counselling sessions and workshops are being conducted.

This time it is Counsellor’s Association of India (CAI) that has come forward to provide a solution. A Support Group of Head of the Institutions have been set up, which will conduct a workshop on 16 September, at St. Xavier Academy, Mumbai.

The Support Group will provide counselling to the head of the institutions on how to deal with vandalism in schools. The event has been welcome by many educationists, who have also demanded similar workshops in other parts of the country, especially North India.