MHRD

Recent diplomatic tussle between India and China seems to be getting better of the proposed educational pact between the two countries. However, it’s still not official and seems more like speculation. The proposal to mutually recognize university degrees of both the countries was to be discussed in September. Actually, Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal is scheduled to visit China from September 10 to 16 and it was thought to be on his must-do list.

Traditional Sanskrit schools called ‘ved pathshalas’ are now seeking exemption from the Right to Education (RTE) act. The demand is being raised after Human Resource Development minister Kapil Sibal exempted madrassas from the law. According to the ved pathshalas, the rules and regularities of the law could hamper their oral tradition practiced to memorise the texts.

According to a public notice issued by University Grants Commission (UGC) New Delhi-based Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) is not recognised by the government or any other India’s higher education bodies.

As if it was not enough to have most of the country’s sectors tainted with scams, education too is fast turning into a sector full of irregularities with corruption delving its tentacles deep into its roots as well. Be it the RTE fund scam, the deemed varsities scam or the latest one involving teachers training institutes, scandals are fast becoming a common scenario in the educational arena.

As part of its plans to universalise education under the new Right to Education Act, the Centre has announced plans for opening 1000 residential schools for girls across various rural and backward regions of the country.

The schools in the pipelines will be named as Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas. India already has 2,573 Kasturba Vidyalayas and already the human resource and development ministry has contacted the finance ministry for setting up exactly 1073 more of such schools.

Dissatisfied with the way the initial draft of the proposed Educational Tribunals Bill 2010 has shaped out, the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resource Development has said that the whole procedure of forming the initial draft of the bill has been carried out in haste; ignoring important stakeholders and tabling the draft presuming their consent.

Contemplating introduction of regulation in distance education, in order to enhance its standard and quality, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal indicated that soon a regulatory mechanism might come into picture for the body managing distance education programmes.

Parliament gave its nod of approval to the Bill to amend the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Act. Now, the Centre will take a decision on the status of the minority educational institutions without consulting state governments.

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL), filed in Delhi High Court, has sought a reply on the possibility of making yoga part of the health and physical education subject in schools. Following the same the Delhi HC has issued notice to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) and the NCERT to respond to the demand of the litigation.

Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal’s plan to have value education included in school curriculums will have to wait for now if opinion of the experts he is consulting on the matter has any indication. They have advised Sibal against any move to create a separate value education curriculum.