AAP’s Delhi education policy rings alarm bells.....

The Delhi government’s proposal to amend a provision of the Delhi School Education (DSE) Act, 1973, and the enactment of the Delhi School (Verification of Accounts and Refund of Excess Fee) Bill, 2015, may create trouble for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Agitated private school teachers and Right to Education (RTE) activists are planning to battle the change through massive protests.

The DSE (Amendment) Bill, 2015, tabled in the Assembly by Human Resources Development Minister Manish Sisodia on 20 November proposes to delete Section 10 (1) of the Act, which guarantees that the employees of recognised private schools get salaries and other benefits equal to their counterparts at government schools.

Educationists and RTE raise serious concerns.

“The proposed amendment completely takes away the right to pay parity of all the employees of recognised private schools guaranteed by Section 10(1) of the DSE Act, 1973, which mandates that pay and other benefits of the employees of a recognised private school shall not be less than those paid to their counterparts working in government schools.

“On the basis of this provision of the law, all employees of recognised private schools are legally entitled to claim benefits under the Central Pay Commission revised from time to time. If this proposed amendment is passed, no employee would be entitled to claim benefits of pay and emoluments under the Seventh Pay Commission that will come into force with effect from 1 January 2016,” advocate Ashok Agarwal, who is also the president of All-India Parents Association, told Firstpost.

The 42-year-old provision, he said, that was achieved after a long struggle has been taken away by the AAP government in one stroke through the proposed amendment bill. “The people of Delhi voted (Chief Minister) Arvind Kejriwal’s party to power for protection of the workers’ rights and not to snatch them, and that too in the manner it is being done. Even the previous Congress and BJP governments in the state did not ever think of or attempt to take away such a valuable right of equal pay and dignified livelihood,” he said alleging that “this apparently has been done at the behest of the private school managements lobby”.

Reminded that the government argues that it has done so because it has “no intention of infringing on the autonomy of private schools,” Agarwal reacted strongly saying that “You (the government) are state, not a private body. You have a duty to check commercialisation and exploitation”.

“Handsome salary is directly linked to quality education. You are defeating the very objection for which you have been established,” he said.

But what are the consequences of dropping Section 10(1) of the DSE Act, 1973?

“A teacher is not a workman either under the Industrial Dispute Act, 1947 or the Minimum Wages Act, 1948. Therefore, there is no protection of their service. They cannot even claim minimum wage as a matter of right. Hence, once the amendment bill is passed in the assembly, their status would be reduced to a domestic servant because there is every possibility of reduction of their salaries on some excuse and court may not be of any help,” he explained.

Shantha Sinha, member of India Campaign for Education, a national forum that is opposing the amendments proposed by the Delhi government, said, “The proposed amendment bill will adversely impact the dignity of teachers. They are as qualified as other professionals such as doctors, engineers and lawyers.”

Warning the government that it will have to face stiff resistance from the people of the city if it goes ahead with the proposed amendment, a teacher said on condition of anonymity, “Arvind Kejriwal has played a cruel fraud with thousands of innocent teachers and other staff of recognised private schools by snatching from them the right to pay parity with their counterparts in government schools.”

Saddened with the government’s move, another lay teacher said, “This is the only dignified profession for women. With the deletion of the section, our salary would be reduced. How will we manage all expenses?”

source: firstpost.com

AAP govt plans action against nursery admission interviews, donations....

The AAP government has decided to crack down on private schools in Delhi flouting admission rules and charging under-the-counter fees, a move aimed at cleaning up the city’s education system plagued by rampant corruption and mismanagement.

Stiff penalties are in the offing. According to the proposal, any institute demanding a donation or capitation fee in any form would be fined ten times the amount charged, or Rs 5 lakh, whichever is higher.

If a school breaks rules by interviewing children or their parents for nursery admissions, it would have to pay Rs 5 lakh for a first offence and Rs 10 lakh for each subsequent violation.

The government, which hiked its budget allocation for education by 106% this year, is planning a major overhaul of the school education system. The changes will be introduced by amending the Delhi School Education Act and Delhi School Education Rules 1973.

These modifications are likely to be cleared in the assembly session beginning on Wednesday as the ruling party has 67 of the total 70 legislators.

Once the bill for education reforms is approved in Delhi assembly, it would be sent to the Centre. Changes are likely to be implemented in the next academic session starting April 2016.

The AAP government, which rode to power this February on promises of corruption-free governance, is also drafting a law under which a committee headed by a retired judge would monitor school fee hikes and about 400-500 authorised chartered accountants would scrutinise the accounts of these institutes.

“If the schools are found siphoning fee money to other accounts or making fake bills, they could face imprisonment. The penalties and jail term will be decided soon,” said chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

“The committee will have the power to ask schools to refund the excess money and will prescribe the fee for the next year. Also, there will be penal provision against the school and the management amounting to criminal prosecution and fine.”

After Rajasthan, Delhi too is mulling a law to end the no-detention policy in schools which came with the Right to Education. The government has yet to decide whether the policy will be restricted till Class 3 or 5.

“We are committed to improve the education in government schools, but there are also several complaints with private schools. So we are bringing in changes and will take action against those schools charging capitation fee either in cash or kind,” said Kejriwal.

Admissions for students from the economically weaker sections, for whom every school reserves 25% of its seats as mandated by the RTE Act, will now go online and become centralised.

During the admission process, the government, and not schools, would conduct the draw of lots to decide which students get picked.

There are plans to amend the Delhi School Education Rules, 1973, and withdraw a clause that says private schools should pay their teachers fees equivalent to government school teachers.

In the new arrangement, salaries of teachers in private schools will be fixed as per the minimum wages, and the government will decide on the proportion that is to be paid.

Delhi’s directorate of education (DoE) would also get more teeth. If a school does not comply with an order, the DoE would be able to take over the management or de-recognise it.

source: HT

Nursery admission rules in the Capital could change this year again....

Education minister Manish Sisodia confirmed that a law to bring in new guidelines would be introduced in the assembly session starting November 18

The “neighbourhood” criterion could be enough for three-year-olds to enroll in nursery class as the AAP government might chuck out all other norms with an aim to simplify the process — dubbed an annual headache for parents.

Education minister Manish Sisodia confirmed that a law to bring in new guidelines would be introduced in the assembly session starting November 18. “The new law will streamline the nursery admission process in the city.”

As part of the simplification exercise, a source said, a plan is being worked out to keep only the neighbourhood criterion or distance from home to school for a child seeking admission — the closer the better.

“This means, even general category students will be selected through draw of lots which is currently done for children from economically weaker sections of society for whom 25% seats are reserved under the right to education.”

The controversy-prone nursery admission process in Delhi, which normally starts in December, has undergone several changes in the past as the authorities looked for ways to make things easier.

In 2013, lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung issued a set of guidelines that reserved 70 points for children applying for admission in a “neighbourhood” school. Admissions were given to those living within a 6km radius of the school. The following year, the rule varied from school to school — from 3km to 6km.

“The neighbourhood norm is undoubtedly good because it agrees with the right to education. It will save children the hassle of travelling miles to reach school. It is not discriminatory and every child will be treated equally,” said Ashok Aggarwal, a lawyer and founder of Social Jurist, an NGO that works in the field of education.

It filed a court petition seeking a ban on interviews in 2004 and later sought scrapping of the point system when right to education was enforced in 2010. A source in the education department said the management quota, which allows 20% seats to be reserved for school authorities and children of staff, could also be junked.

Besides state-run schools, the rules are meant to regulate admissions to entry-level classes in private recognised institutions as well.

Source: HT

Difference between CBSE vs ICSE vs IGCSE vs IB - history, exams, tests, recognition and more!

Heading for Nursery Admissions Delhi-NCR ? or for that matter in any city in India and wondering which schools you should get your kid admitted to - CBSE or ICSE or IGCSE, or may be IB?

Here is an article that will make your job easy, and how! It is to the point, and gives you quick dive into History of these boards, Curriculum and Course Content, Exams and Exam Boards, Assessments & Tests, Recognition of each board, and Availability!

Check it out - http://www.schoolswelike.com/homework-guide/cbse-or-icse-or-igcse-or-ib

PS: Looking for CBSE exam cheatsheets or test helps??, or ICSE Study Guides, Cheatsheets?, or IGCSE test and exam helps?

If you have been looking for list of Best CBSE Schools? Click here! List of top 10 ICSE schools can be found here, and Click here for Best IGCSE schools