Gujarat
Model primary
Ahmedabad, june 6. A late 19th century government school operational until 2018 in Vadnagar, Mehsana district which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had attended in young age, has been restored by the Archaeological Survey of India. Under Project Prerna (‘inspire’) — the vernacular school is being developed as a model for the country.
Being redeveloped according to prime minister Modi’s vision, it will serve as a model for primary schools countrywide. Designed as an “experiential school” offering a “unique pedagogy”, it will use new technologies to impart values and inspire children to become catalysts of change in future, says a Gujarat government spokesperson.
“Two students from each of the country’s 740 districts will be selected for a week-long study tour of the model school in 2024,” he added.
Odisha
Samanta solicitude
Bhubaneswar, june 7. The Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Deemed-to-be University, Bhubaneswar will provide employment to one family member and free education to children whose parents died in the June 2 triple train accident near Balasore, in which 280 passengers lost their lives.
Announcing the humanitarian package, Dr. Achyuta Samanta, founder of KIIT and the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) said: “We will offer a job to one member from each family at KIIT/KISS and provide free-of-charge education to their children at KISS and KIIT as per their eligibility.”
Earlier during the Covid-19 pandemic, KIIT had stepped forward to support students who lost their parents to Covid by providing free education and jobs to their family members.
Kerala
Grievance redressal panels
Thiruvananthapuram, june 8. Following protests over the suicide of a female student of a church-run private engineering college in Kottayam district, the state government announced that grievance redressal committees would be constituted in all higher education institutions statewide to investigate complaints lodged by students.
This is the outcome of a second-year student found hanging inside her hostel room in early June. Some students alleged that their teachers were “harassing” them on several issues including use of mobile phones on campus.
Addressing a press conference, the state’s higher education minister R. Bindu said: “The proposed panel will comprise principals of colleges and heads of departments of universities. Representatives of student unions and nominees of Parent Teachers’ Association (PTA) and the university syndicate will also be part of the new panels.”
Chhattisgarh
Intelligent initiative
Raipur, june 10. Eighty-nine classes X and XII students who topped the Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education exams were given joyrides in a seven-seater helicopter by the state government under an annual reward scheme announced last year by chief minister Bhupesh Baghel. This year, 54 class X students and 35 class XII students including ten from the Scheduled Tribes were presented this reward.
“This intelligent initiative has proved very popular with students and inspires them to study hard for their board examinations,” said a state government spokesperson, addressing the media on the occasion.
Telangana
Deliberate omission charge
Hyderabad, june 23. The Telangana State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) is mired in a controversy following publication of the Preamble of the Constitution on the cover page of a school textbook omitting the words “socialist” and “secular”. The Telangana State United Teachers’ Federation complained to the state’s education ministry that these words had been deliberately omitted.
At a time when there’s a national debate that secularism is in danger under the rule of the BJP government at the Centre and in several states, publication of the old preamble — these words were added to the preamble in 1976 — could create public unrest and misgiving.
Addressing a press conference, Radha Reddy, Director of SCERT, said the error had “crept in inadvertently” while downloading the cover image.
Bihar
Domicile rule abolished
Patna, june 27. The state government announced that candidates from any state of the Indian Union are eligible for teaching jobs in state government-run schools. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Nitish Kumar.
This proposal was mooted by the state’s education ministry because of a severe teacher shortage statewide. Previously only individuals “domiciled in Bihar” could be recruited and appointed in state government schools.
Addressing a press conference after a cabinet meeting, S. Siddharth, additional chief secretary, said: “From now on, any Indian citizen can apply for government teaching jobs and it is not binding that he or she should have state domicile.”
