Bihar
Coaching centres caveat
Patna, january 2. The state’s education ministry has threatened stringent action against government schoolteachers associating with private coaching centres. In a letter addressed to district magistrates, the ministry’s additional chief secretary K.K. Pathak requested them to obtain written undertakings from all private coaching centres within their jurisdiction affirming that “no government school teachers will take classes in their institutions”.
“If teachers continue to work in coaching centres, strict departmental action will be taken against them and legal action will also be initiated against the coaching centre,” says a senior ministry official. The ministry has also asked all district education officers in the state to provide details of such teachers on a priority basis.
According to a report recently compiled by the ministry, there are a total of 12,761 registered private coaching centres in Bihar, with 9.9 lakh students enrolled in them.
Uttar Pradesh
Girls Sainik Schools
Mathura, january 1. Union defence minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the country’s first all-girls Samvid Gurukulam Girls Sainik School at Vrindavan describing it as a ‘beacon of light for girls who aspire to join the armed forces and serve their motherland’.
The first all-girls Sainik (army) school with an enrolment of 870 students was inaugurated under an initiative to establish 100 new Sainik schools in partnership with NGOs/private/state government schools in all states/Union territories. These are in addition to the existing 33 Sainik schools, a defence ministry statement said.
Addressing a press conference, the defence minister said: “They (girls) have the right to protect the nation just like their male counterparts. It was a golden moment in the history of women empowerment when we approved the admission of girls to Sainik schools. Today our women are not only flying fighter jets, they are also securing our borders.”
Himachal Pradesh
Outer space lab
Bilaspur, january 26. On Republic Day (January 26), technical education minister Rajesh Dharmani inaugurated the state’s first outer space lab in the Government Senior Secondary School, Ghumarwin.
“The space lab will provide students an opportunity to learn about satellite launcher systems, drones and details of critical ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) projects. The lab has been built at a cost of Rs.10 lakh,” the minister said, speaking on the occasion. Special tour programmes will be organised for students of other schools to access the lab, he added.
Jharkhand
New APU campus
Ranchi, January 24. Chief minister Hemant Soren laid the foundation stone of the Rs.5,000-crore Azim Premji University sited on a 146-acre campus in Ranchi. Azim Premji, chairman of the Azim Premji Foundation, joined the ceremony through video conferencing.
“Currently, the foundation’s largest university campus is in Bengaluru — 110 acres. APU’s Ranchi campus will be bigger than that,” the chief minister said, speaking on the occasion. The university, which will include a medical college with a 500-bed hospital besides a K-12 school, will start functioning in 2026, he added.
Gujarat
Deakin campus inauguration
Ahmedabad, january 10. Australian High Commissioner Philip Green hailed the inauguration of Australia’s Deakin University branch campus in GIFT City, the first foreign university to establish a proprietorial campus in India. The inauguration ceremony was held during the 10th edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit to which High Commissioner Green led a 90-member delegation including representatives from 36 Australian universities.
“I am proud that the first university to establish its own campus in India from anywhere in the world is Australia’s Deakin University. We also look forward to celebrating the inauguration of India’s second foreign campus in GIFT City by the University of Wollongong, also from Australia. This opens a new chapter in Australia-India education ties, and it is only the beginning,” said Green, speaking on the occasion.
Delhi
PETA launches Ellie
New delhi, january 30. To teach students the virtue of empathy, animal rights organisation PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) India, launched a tour of schools in the national capital region with Ellie, a life-size automated elephant.
Students of the Raghubir Singh Junior Modern School were the first to welcome Ellie. Blinking her eyes and flapping her ears, Ellie (in the voice of Bollywood actress Dia Mirza) narrated a story about being separated from her mother as a baby, the abuse she endured in a circus and finally after being rescued, her happy life at a sanctuary.
“We are delighted to have hosted Ellie in our school to sensitise our students to develop empathy for animals and other living creatures,” said Nalini Singh Rajput, school principal, speaking on the occasion.
