Education

PCMC to open two primary English medium schools

Tuesday, 19 March 2013 10:14 administrator

The Times of India 19.03.2013

PCMC to open two primary English medium schools

PUNE: The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation's school board has proposed to open two primary English medium schools in association with a social organization run by a corporate firm.

The schools would be opened at the existing municipal schools located near Tapovan temple in Pimprigaon and the other at Kasarwadi. They will be jointly run by the school board and Akanksha Foundation of Thermax Limited, said Vijay Lokhande, chairman, PCMC school board.

The board runs 136 schools where students from slums and poor families study. More than 90% of these schools have Marathi as the medium of teaching. However, there is a growing demand from parents for English medium schools.

"Some parents from poor background are trying to get their children admitted to private English medium schools, but fees in such schools are unaffordable. So, a need was being felt for English medium municipal school," Lokhande said.

"In Pimprigaon and nearby areas of Pimpri, there are several reputed English medium schools, but the fees in these schools are too high. Also, the number of seats in such schools is limited. Same is the case with schools in Kasarwadi and nearby areas,'' he said.

Students will not have to pay fees to study in the new English medium schools, while the school board will provide the education material. The Akanksha Foundation would recruit teachers for the schools and pay their salaries. To start with, the schools will have three divisions each of lower kindergarten and upper kindergarten. Each division will have 40 students and one teacher will be appointed for each division, which is as per the norms of Right To Education Act, Lokhande said.

Administration officer of the primary education department, Ashok Bhosale, said, "The school board will make available separate buildings at the two places for the new schools. Students attending classes in the existing buildings will be shifted to nearby municipal schools".

The PCMC is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding with the foundation in this regard. The proposal will be tabled in the civic general body meeting on March 20, for its approval.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 19 March 2013 10:19

Students of 15 Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation schools yet to get shoes

Monday, 18 March 2013 11:28 administrator

The Times of India 18.03.2013

Students of 15 Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation schools yet to get shoes

PUNE: Students of 15 primary schools out of the 136 run by the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) are yet to get their shoes even as the academic year is about to end.

"The contract to purchase shoes was given to a contractor for Rs 70 lakh. However, another bidder went to the court against the school board. As a result, the board could not distribute shoes in time. The distribution (of shoes) has begun and it will be completed soon," said PCMC school board chairman Vijay Lokhande.

The court in December last year upheld the decision of the board to give the contract to the lowest bidder. The contractor began supplying shoes on January 15, 2013. "He has been given a period of 60 days, excluding holidays, for completing the distribution process," said Lokhande.

The school board runs 136 primary schools with a student strength of 50,000. The contractor has informed the board that the supply of shoes is in the final stage and only students of 15 schools are yet to get them.

The school board is in news for major delays in distribution of school items including text books, rainwear, sweaters and now shoes. Many a time, students get the items months after the academic year has started.

Students, mostly from slums and poor families, study in municipal schools to get free education. But they have to face several hardships due to delays in getting school items. Lokhande said that there will be no delay for the next academic year as the school board will be inviting bids for allotment of contracts by March end or in the beginning of April. "We will complete the tender process in May so that the contractors will supply all these materials in June. This will ensure that students get the education material on the day schools re-open which is June 15," he said.

Last Updated on Monday, 18 March 2013 11:29

AMC school budget goes up despite fall in number of teachers, students

Monday, 11 March 2013 11:47 administrator

The Indian Express 11.03.2013

AMC school budget goes up despite fall in number of teachers, students

Despite a decline in number of schools, teachers as well as students over the last eight years in municipal schools, the annual Ahmedabad municipal school board budget has increased considerably every year, with a substantial raise in the last five years.

Despite a sharp decline in number of teachers and schools in last five years, both the amount and percentage of budget allocation on their salaries and pensions has remained the same. With a substantial increase in the annual budget in last five years varying between 30-45 per cent, the sanctioned budget, this year, increased from Rs 472.83 crore to Rs 651 crore, recording a highest increase of Rs 180 crore.

Comparing the figures of 2011 with the ongoing academic session (2012-13 ), the number of schools declined from 464 to 456, teachers from 4,005 to 3,589 and students from 1,60,882 to 1,60,677. Also, the number of vidyasahayaks declined from 341 to 295. Similarly, the pre-primary (below Class I) teachers declined from 47 to 39 and a decline in around students as well.

The highest allocation on administrative costs of Rs 629 crore marked in 2013-14. While the administrative costs increased had witnessed a jump from Rs 277 crore to Rs 629 crore, the allocation on students' activities dragged merely from Rs 9 crore to Rs 22 crore.

When contacted, the administrative officer of municipal school board L D Desai said, "There are three reasons for this increase in budget amount and allocation. One is the addition of new facilities with the implementation of Right to Education Act, high administrative cost due to implementation of sixth pay commission and high salaries and also a proposal for new schools in certain areas."

Despite efforts like special enrollment drive for Class I, counselling of parents carried out by the AMC school board last year, the schools failed to attract students.

With a target enrollment of 30,000 fresh admissions in entry class for the academic session 2012-13, the authorities merely achieved the mark of 16,562 students in almost a month's period. A sharp decline in enrollment of more than 10,000 students as compared to previous year.

Civic body to hold emergency training camp for Principals

Tuesday, 05 March 2013 05:58 administrator

The Hindu 05.03.2013

Civic body to hold emergency training camp for Principals

Sowmiya Ashok

Intends to make schools responsible for their students

A day before the inquiry report on the rape of a seven-year-old girl in a municipal school is submitted to the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, the civic body’s Education Committee has called for an “emergency training camp” for all its school Principals. The camp, which is scheduled to be held this Wednesday and Thursday, will target the Principals of all the 780 municipal schools under its jurisdiction.

“Our main objective is to make the staff take responsibility of the students when they are within the school premises. We will be training them and conducting a sensitisation programme,” said NDMC Education Committee Chairman Rekha Gupta. “This is so we can hold them responsible and accountable for the security of each student in their school,” she added.

School boundaries may go up, CCTVs installed

The training will only target principals since they are the implementing agency, she said. Another high-powered meeting on Tuesday will take decisions on the height of boundary walls in municipal schools and the installations of CCTV cameras, said the Committee Chairman.

The North Corporation will bear all the medical and legal costs borne by the family of the seven-year-old girl.

Following the incident on Saturday five employees were suspended including the Principal. The school inspector, class teacher, attendant and chowkidar were the others who received suspension orders from Corporation Commissioner P. K. Gupta. He also constituted a five-member committee to probe the incident.

In the budget proposal finalised by the education committee last December, the civic body had recommended allocating additional funds for CCTV camera, arranging security guards, extension of fencing walls and providing mobile chips to all principals for more connectivity in all municipal schools.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 05 March 2013 06:00

Students exhibit solar power streetlighting system

Saturday, 02 March 2013 09:35 administrator

The Hindu 02.03.2013

Students exhibit solar power streetlighting system

Showcasing talent:Students explain scientific concepts with working models at a science fair in Ongole on Friday.—Photo: Kommuri Srinivas.

Students from different schools here on Friday came out with excellent working models to demonstrate applications of science to everyday life situation.

A group of students came out with a solution to streetlights remaining switched on even during daytime, wasting electricity generated from conventional non-renewable sources of energy at a time when there is severe power shortage.

They exhibited renewable solar power-based streetlighting system which automatically switches on and off as and when required.

Another group of students demonstrated how electricity could be generated from bio-wastes, while yet another group used the bicycle dynamo to recharge mobile phones. The members of the GenNext explained the importance to check the severe biodiversity loss and stop degradation of the forests.

“Our effort is to develop scientific temper among students for them to mature into good scientists in the future,” said the Andhra Pradesh Tutorials and Convents Association (APTCA) State Organising Secretary Prakash Babu. Scientific experiments help students learn quickly than passive classroom teaching, added senior educationist P.H.G.Krishnam Raju.

Students from 32 schools participated in the science fair held at the P.V.R. Municipal Boys High School Grounds here by the APTCA, added APTCA president P Jali Reddy and convenor Eshwara Prasad.

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