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After the successful opening of new IIT’s in Gujrat and Rajasthan, a new IIT was inaugurated in the capital city of Patna. At present, the land has not been allotted for the institute and will be operating from the temporary campus of a polytechnic. For the time being, IIT – Guwahati will act as a mentor in running the institute, till permanent staff is not recruited.

The Bihar government has chosen the site for the institution, and infrastructure setup will be done on priority basis. A full time director will soon be appointed for proper administration and speedy set up of the institute.

University Grants Commission (UGC) is sending a group of experts across different varsities to evaluate the financial needs of the universities.

A total of 168 universities will be visited by the group of experts from UGC, out of which 30 universities have already visited and their report has been submitted to the UGC. At the beginning of each five year plan, UGC assesses the financial needs of the universities and grants them the required funds after closely evaluating their performance, infrastructure and future requirements.

In a recent proposal by UGC experts, it has been recommended to increase the general development fund by 100% from Xth five year plan, under the General Development Assistance Program for all recognized universities. A proposal of merging several schemes has also been given by the experts for better management and allocation of funds from XIth five year plan onwards.

State government of Uttar Pradesh has announced the grading system policy for schools associated with Mid Day Meals (MDM) scheme. Following the complaints of sub-standard food being served in several districts of UP, including Barabanki and Allahabad, government has formulated this grading policy.

Under this scheme, schools performing well will be awarded points on the basis of pre-defined metrics. Points will be given for good quality food, better hygiene, keeping records of beneficiaries. Schools securing the highest grades will be given incentives from the MDM department. This will encourage better administration and distribution of meals in the schools.

Central board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has posted the answer sheets of class Xth high scoring students for session 2007-2008 on its web site. This step is widely appreciated by the education fraternity, as it will give help students in learning the right way to attempt the paper.

Following subjects answer sheets have been posted on the web site:

Answer Sheet: Mathematics – Class Xth Results 2008
Answer Sheet: Social Science – Class Xth Results 2008
Answer Sheet: Science – Class Xth Results 2008

Student can easily download these answer sheets in pdf format, for thorough analysis and learning.

Election dates of Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) has been declared and preparations for the same are soon going to be started at full scale in all 51 affiliated colleges. This year the elections will be held under new guidelines given by Supreme Court.

Following are some important dates of the election:

Last date for receipt of nomination papers – 22nd August, 2008
Declaration of final list of candidates – 25th August, 2008
Election date – 5th September, 2008

This year supreme court has formulated strict guidelines for the elections, cutting down the candidates election expenditure from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 5,000. Court has also instructed to use hand made banners and pamphlets, instead of printed posters and banners.

Voting will be done in two phases divided among morning colleges and evening colleges.

A C.B.S.E school of Nasik, Maharashtra will adopt the son of the Jawan who was killed in firing across the LOC few days back. All expenses of his education including boarding, will be taken care by the trust under which the school runs.

The father of the Jawan, Shivaji Gavkar is happy that his son’s sacrifice is being acknowledged by the people and they are coming forward to help their family. The school in which Omkar Gavkar will study has the best teacher-student ratio in the country, with just 12 students under 1 teacher.

More schools should come forward and contribute their part in sponsoring such cases to pay a tribute to our brave soldiers.

Source: Times of India News Portal

Lower middle class of the Indian society often face the dilemma of choosing the right school for their child. They have to choose between municipal corporation schools and private schools run by various groups, parishes and similar institutions.

Although municipal schools provide free books, mid-day meals and uniforms, but parents still prefer private schools for their kids for only one reason – “Better Education Quality”. Parents are ready to spend more to get better education for their children. Their only complaint with municipal schools is that the teachers do not teach and have no motivation for teaching.

Parents have also alleged that teachers of municipal schools in Mumbai talk on mobile phones in their classes. At the end of every month municipal schools remains closed, as teachers have to draw their salaries. It has also been noticed that a lot of time of municipal teachers is wasted in distributing books, mid-meals under the “Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan”.

Despite a bit heavy on pocket, lower middle class and middle class prefers private schools for their children to build strong foundation of their kids, for better career opportunities in future.

The population of India is nearing 1.5 billion, and demand of more schools and colleges is increasing day by day. Currently, India spends of about 3% to 4% of GDP on education sector, which is very low as compared to several developing and developed states. Although government is aiming to raise this expenditure to up to 6%, but it still seems a far dream. Seats in educational institutes are far less than required.

Thankfully, with the introduction of distance education, lacs of students who are not able to get admissions in regular colleges and schools and students living in very remote areas are now able to pursue their studies. In recent years, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and National Institute of Open Learning (NIOS) has played a major role in providing distance education to millions of students across the length and breadth of the country.

Distance education has provided opportunities for weaker section of societies, women and SC/ST candidates to complete their basic education as well as to pursue their higher studies.