Extra curricular activities play a key role in developing skill of individual, it give enough space in child’s mind to think and act in different innovative way in different fields…

See knowledge is something that ought to be expressed, that should not remain bookish only….the extra curricular activities give a child to enhance the skill which he /she has learnt…now debate competition, speech ,extempore speech, playing different games, participating in quiz , dance, music all play synchronously with school study to develop all round outlook of a child…

Most importantly extra curricular activities enhance the confidence level, which is a very much needed, ….as self confidence is an important component of success…. also extra curricular activities make school studies enjoyable ,a sense of integrity develops in their mind,they start enjoying in groups.

School studies are  must, and extra curricular activities give an edge to succeed with an inherent knowledge…. extra curricular activities can not be a substitute for school activities….but both school studies and extra curricular activities are very much important….when both are combined, the children get into actual education…and it becomes effective ….

Dr.CHIRANJIB DEB.

Admission time is just round the corner and as a concerned parent, the importance of sending your child to the right school takes precedence. To make things easier for you, Aviva, along with Hindustan Times put together a survey that identifies the top 10 schools in your area within your city.

The survey was conducted by the prominent market survey agency ‘C fore’. The survey consisted of a healthy mix of parents and teachers that brings you a result that is fitting and unbiased.

The research was conducted in cities like Mumbai, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon & Faridabad. In order to help you check the top schools in these regions we have developed a Top School Survey Application on Facebook. You can select the region of your choice and see the survey conducted.

Click here to check the survey

Have a look at the Short Film by UNICEF

Is this the state of education in India?

Leave your comments below and share your views!

The new academic year spells the end of the long summer vacations for the kids. By the time June is here, most kids are looking forward to their new classes, teachers and of course friends.

For some it is the best time as everything is going to be new and for some, it will be tough because not everyone can adapt to changes very easily. But as parents, one has to be always prepared for the worst or the best. The beginning of a new academic year for your child means a new chapter in your life as well. Your child is growing up. There are going to be many changes in terms of academics which will get tougher, change in lifestyle and friends too.

So how does your child cope with all these changes on his/her own? It will be difficult for them without your support. Therefore, as a parent, one must decide what is best for your child.

Just before school begins, the parents could do the following to make sure their children are comfortable in school:

• A new academic year means new curriculum. If parents take the initiative to just go through the syllabus, they can decide whether or not their child will be able to cope with the subjects on their own. By doing so, they can decide what kind of help their child would need and look for tuition’s accordingly.
• An important thing that can be done is to create a time table for your child. This will help the child to divide their time between studies, extra curricular activities and play time. Play time should never be compromised with.
• Meeting the teachers would be a good idea too. It gives the parents an insight into what the teacher would be like in class.
• Attending all parent-teacher meetings would be an added benefit too.
• Encourage your child to indulge in sport activities as well.
• Most importantly, make sure your child is well rested before the school starts. Vacation time is good for hobby classes and camps. But if they end very close to the beginning of the school, this leaves very little time for the child to unwind and relax.

These are a few simple things which help you as a parent to understand your child better and children in turn, will definitely appreciate it.

Ever wondered what happens in schools as soon as the holidays begun? Does it stay shut? Do the non teaching members of the staff get holidays or not? Phew!

Like children get a breather each year as the schools come to a close during the summers, the schools too look forward to such breaks. Why, you ask? The simple answer to this question remains the fact that the school’s staff requires a break too and it is not just the teaching staff but also the administration staff.

But their duties don’t end with the beginning of summer holidays. There is a lot to be done in the school, structurally once the gates are shut to the hustle and bustle of the kids. Once the vacation commences, it is spring cleaning time for the school. Each and every classroom, corridor, hall and other rooms within the school are cleaned thoroughly. Black boards and painted and repaired. They must look new when the school starts after a couple of months. Regular maintenance work in the school building cannot be done during regular school hours with the kids around. It is a major risk as one can never predict what the kids can be up to! Plus this time is used to rework the old curriculums into new course structures as well.

Some members of the staff have to undergo further training through the vacation. This is because only then they can take advanced classes for the students.

On the other hand, some schools organise short term activity classes like craft, painting, dance-drama or sports for children in the vacations. Summer camps for educational or fun purposes are also conducted by some of the schools.

Schools too, require this long break to bounce back in action for the new term!

Education experts are wondering whether the government will actually implement the tough new provisions of the Right to Education (RTE) legislation.

State education minister Balashaeb Thorat said his department was in the process of modifying the law to prevent interviews of students for admission to primary schools, or for charging capitation fee to admit students.

Currently, schools openly take donations and rarely face any action, if at all. “That’s not entirely true. We do take action against schools when we get complaints from parents. They have to approach any education authority and we ensure they get justice if the complaint is found to be genuine,” said state Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar.

But many complaints are not filed simply because the parents do not want to reveal their identity, and because of the cumbersome court procedure.

“But we can’t do anything if parents do not reveal their identities since we have to lodge a court case against the schools. We also have a supervisory mechanism in place that checks on such irregularities at the school level,” Kumar said.

Starting April 1, 2010, under the Right to Education (RTE) legislation, which applies to primary and secondary education (Class 1 to 8), any school found interviewing students and parents for admissions will face a penalty of Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000.

Also, a school asking for donations will have to pay, as penalty, 10 times the amount asked as donation.

This is as opposed to the Rs 5,000 penalty currently specified by Maharashtra’s Prohibition of Capitation Fee Act, 1987.

Another issue, according to experts, is that the new provisions apply only from Classes 1 to 8, and not to pre-primary schools, in which the problem is more rampant.

Officials, however, point out that the existing capitation Act covers any institution, including kindergarten, pre-primary, balwadi or nursery school, college or any educational institution, that is not covered by the RTE Act. For donations, it specifies imprisonment that can extend up to two years.

Source: HT

Mumbai: Recently, the Maharashtra government issued orders directing all schools in the state not to detain or fail any student between Classes 1 to 8, an official said.

The government order was issued making this policy effective from the current academic year 2009-2010.

It has been issued under the provisions of the Right to Education Act passed recently by the central government.

As per the government directive, those students who have been failed this year will be now promoted to the next class.

Source: IANS

Though the Constitution of India guarantees free and compulsory education to children upto the age of 14, a third of the 200 million children between the ages 6 and 14 are not in school. There are a number of reasons for this, not the least of which is the fact that there are just not enough schools to cater to all the children of school-going age, and the few schools that are there are so short staffed, the children don’t learn much in school and so are pressured to drop-out.

Studies have borne out the existence of the high drop-out rate. While enrollment in Grade 1 is nearly 85%, by the time they reach Grade 5, the figure drops down to less than 60%. Families that send their 6-year old children to school take them out almost as soon as the children become functionally literate.

The government machinery has failed totally where it comes to making education accessible for all.

Rather than look for viable alternatives, the Parliament of India, last week, passed the Right to Education Act making education a fundamental right of all children in the age group 6 to 14 years. In a nation which already guaranteed free and compulsory education, the intent of the Act doesn’t go much beyond semantics.

The only significant change is that the government has made it mandatory for all private schools to reserve 25% of their seats for economically disadvantaged children at the entry level. Since privately run schools necessarily need to make profits, the government would reimburse the expenditure incurred by the schools in making the seats available to children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

On the face of it, it seems like a great idea- when private schools are flourishing across the country, why not use that infrastructure to provide education for all? But is it really such a great idea? Tution fees account for only a small proportion of the total expenditure incurred in sending a child to private schools – there are uniforms and sports uniforms, books and stationary, field trips and costumes for annual days. Will the government reimburse all those expenses, and if it does not, will the parents be able to afford it?

Even if children from disadvantaged backgrounds enroll at the entry level, they are sure to drop out before the end of the year, leaving them no better off than they would have been in the absence of such reservations.

The situation seems almost hopeless. The government doesn’t have the infrastructure to provide education for all, and if accessing private schools is not a workable solution, does that mean children are destined not to get an education?

Not at all. The solution is there for all to see, but for some reason, the Government chooses to ignore it. Non-formal education!
Across urban and rural India, there are non-profit organizations that provide basic education to children of various backgrounds. There are organizations that conduct classes in workshops that employ child labour and there are organizations that conduct lessons within school buildings beyond school hours. There are organizations that train volunteers to conduct classes for small groups of children, and there are organizations that replicate the government system of one teacher schools in rural areas.

Instead of offering to reimburse private schools, if the Government pumps the same amount of money into non-profits, primary education for all need no longer remain a dream. I can only hope that the Government realizes it sooner rather than later.

I believe that “Education for All” is neither a slogan nor a dream- it is a basic entitlement, and while the Right to Education Act recognizes the fact, it is unlikely to go very far in actualizing it.

The Government Girls’ Middle School at Sherpur village in Madhya Pradesh is now being widely recognised as “Lalita Ka School”.

Lalita is no politician but a gritty 15-year-old, whose firm determination to study has motivated other girls to follow suit at the same very school from where she studied from Class VI to VIII.

Lalita, who has moved to another school for her further studies now, was the lone student in all the grades for the last three years, but this did not discourage her from continuing her studies.

The school, located about 50 kms from here, did not deter Lalita to travel all along to attend classes in Standard VI, VII and VIII, where three male teachers helped her out in all the subjects.

The teenager cleared her Class VIII exams with first class marks, inspiring other girls in her area to take up studies in that school. Her father Madanlal Girwal, a government employee was initially a little bit worried as she was alone in the classes but then supported his daughter seeing her zeal for education.

Her parents have now decided to let Lalita continue her students in another school, where she isn’t alone. Middle School Head Master Ashok Jaat said, “there were better schools around..Hence attendance of girls at our institute was thin. But now things have changed after Lalita scored first class marks. Now nearly 15 girls have taken admission in our school.” The population of Sherpur is 700, Jaat said.

A thought provoking short clip depicting the state of primary education in India. Makes us think that the reality may be far far away from what it appears on the TV set.

The Short Film was made by NID Ahmedabad students.