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NCERT Curriculum Plan Draws Flak From Educationists, The Times of India, December 15, 2000, New Delhi
AMARTYA PLANNING INSTITUTE FOR SCHOOL EDUCATION
The PRATICHI Trust set up by Nobel laureate, Prof. Amartya Sen, with his prize money of Rs. 1.3 crore will run an institute for the study of school education and its efficiency, in India and Bangladesh. Prof. Sen told a news conference here this evening that research in school education would aim at unravelling the linkage between the neglect of education and its adverse effects on the society and polity. "There are many more angles to the problem, apart from lack of ample financial support from the state governments."
He listed inadequate institutional structure, reluctance of some families to send their children, especially female children, to schools and lack of proper interaction between the parents and the teachers. In this context, Prof. Sen expressed his happiness over the commitment made by the west Bengal government on a substantially larger allocation of funds for the spread of primary education.
Mr. Sen was also appreciative of the promises made to him in this regard by the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
The economist said that the trust would, at a later stage, devotes itself to examining the issues relating to basic health, gender inequality and poverty in general, in the two countries.
He said that the undernourishment of children also needed adequate attention. "It is much worse in India than even in some poor sub-Saharan countries".
Earlier, delivering a lecture on alternative approaches to development, Prof. Sen understood the need for freedom as a pre-requisite of development.
Subhamoy Chatterjee, Hindustan Times, August 19, 1999, New Delhi.
New Delhi: A large number of private schools in city are levying fees "in excess of what was warranted for absorbing the full impact of the recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission".
This is the finding of the Justice Santosh Duggal Committee, set up by the high court to examine the fee structure of private unaided schools in the Capital. The committee report was submitted to the high court and Lieutenant Governor Vijai Kapoor on Tuesday.
The committee has also recommended that "more stringent penal provisions" should be brought into the Delhi School Education Act, 1973, to deal with "delinquent" schools. Besides, the accounting practices of private schools should be strictly monitored. The Times of India, New Delhi, 04.08.1999
How much it would cost the nation if all the children who do not go to school were to get elementary education
Estimated population of 6-14s (March 1995): 205 mullion
Number of children attending school: 146 million
Children who are out of school: 59 million
Cost of educating a child: Rs 1,218/year
Current spending (Household/Community/Private/Public) on education: Rs 17,782 crore/year
Cost of sending unenrolled children to schools: Rs 7,186 crore/year
Cost of universal elementary education: Rs 24,969 crore/year
It means we will have to spend 3.5 per cent of our GDP to elementary education, which is a constitutional commitment
But the current expenditure is only 1.7 per cent
Additional cost of mid-day meals continues to be a part of elementary education: Rs 6,150 crore/year
To provide the bare minimum infrastructure to the 59 million unenrolled children, 1.97 million classrooms will have to be built, each entailing a one-time capital cost of Rs 25,000
That would mean a one-time expenditure of Rs.4,925 crore
India Human Development Report/NCAER/OUP as reported in The Hindustan Times, August 01, 1999 |