Indian Express 19.11.2009

MCD schools to give cash, not uniforms, this winter

To spruce up the uniform distribution process in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi-run schools, the agency this year has planned to hand out cash to its students in place of its “problematic” tender system used to source uniforms.

The move comes after the corporation faced flak for delay in providing winter uniforms to its students.

The MCD will now give each of its 9.5 lakh students Rs 200 in lieu of uniforms, shoes and socks.

In education committee meet held in August, the MCD decided to do away with the practice of inviting bids from interested parties. Officials said the tender process posed difficulties as there is “no dedicated sub-group for the same and additional education officers and others had to ensure that all is in order”.

The MCD-run schools will now function on the model followed by the Delhi government schools.

The Mayor has already approved the decision and it will be submitted before the the Standing Committee on Thursday.

The Times of India 17.11.2009

School refused permission to teach English in municipal schools

TNN 17 November 2009, 07:11am IST

AHMEDABAD: St Xavier's High School, Mirzapur, has been refused permission for its students to teach English to municipal school students.

St Xavier's had written to Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) seeking permission to teach English in four corporation schools as part of their drive to better English skills among underprivileged students. About 15 students each from class VIII, IX and X had been readied for the project.

The school authorities were surprised when their request was flatly turned away by AMC authorities. The school board of AMC asked the school to send their teachers instead of students for the project.

Father Vincent Paul, principal of St Xavier's, said, "We had sought permission for four schools, but the corporation has denied permission. They even refused permission for a single school. The corporation wants teachers and not students to go and teach the kids." Fr Paul said that in the past the corporation has given the school students permission for such programmes.

Ahmedabad Municipal School Board administrative officer Lagdhir Desai admitted that they have refused permission for the project. "The school had sought permission for its students as they wanted to impart training of teaching English to Gujarati students. They too have a primary school in Gujarati medium. If they want classes for practice they should do it in their school and not in corporation schools," said Desai.

He added that allowing secondary school students to give classes to municipal school students would have also disturbed the academic schedule of the school.