When it hits harder...

Spare the rod and spoil the child still seems to be mantra for many teachers and parents.Indian parents' imprisonment in Norway for 'child abuse' throws up questions pertaining to corporal punishment at school and home.Experts feel,while disciplining a child,it's important to have poise.Kanchan Gogate reports


Most of us have got our knuckles rapped in the childhood and perhaps,today's children too get it,albeit a fewer times.Parenting is no child's play and handling kids seems getting tougher now.Today's children are on friendly terms with parents and teachers;nevertheless it's not uncommon at times to see bruises on their bodies.Physical wounds may heal with time but scars on mind are more likely to have longlasting repercussions.In spite of corporal punishments being legally banned in the country,some adults seem resorting to the stick to control toddlers.
With many kids apparently getting subjected to some or the other sort of physical punishment;experts feel corporal punishment is a matter of concern.Though it's necessary to exert control on kids,raising the hand may not achieve the goal,according to counsellors,educationists and psychiatrists.Spare the rod and spoil the child still seems to be mantra for many teachers and parents.Indian parents' imprisonment in Norway for 'child abuse' throws up questions pertaining to corporal punishment at school and home.Experts feel,while disciplining a child,it's important to have poise.
Moreover,while teachers draw the flak for punishing children,the parental angle of the issue seems less highlighted.However,the recent case in Norway has thrown light on the other side of the issue.Oslo police in Norway arrested an Indian techie and his wife,who scolded their seven-yearold son for wetting his uniform.The police claim that the child had told his teachers that his parents were indeed harsh on him.
Educationists and parents say that legally,there has been no clarity about corporal punishments in the Right To Education (RTE) Act.Though it bans such punishments,its poor implementation puts a question mark on its effectiveness.Besides,teachers feel parental approach is as important as teachers'.
The issue has many dimensions,says Vasant Kalpande,senior academician and."Corporal punishment has always been a concern and many child right commissions have given a thought to it.Earlier,in the field of education,many things were worked out on mutual trust.Teachers were reprimanded in case of wrongdoings.However,with increasing expanse,corporal punishment was brought into legal ambit and there is a strong opposition from all quarters against corporal punishments."
Discipline is a must but physical abuse is not accepted,Kalpande feels."It's a part of overall upbringing.Social environment has a deep impact on a child's mind.Hence,teachers and parents have a huge responsibility."
Corporal punishment is not the way,believes Preeti Desai,principal of Euro School."In my 25 years' stint,I've never believed in corporal punishments.Adults must treat children with respect.Today,with the exposure of technology,kids mature early and handling them could be a tricky job.Adults need to be calm when a child is throwing tantrums.Have a dialogue."
Children are still subject to beating,says Anuradha Sahasrabudhe,director,Childline,a helpline for kids."In some cases,adults' behaviour is inhuman.For many,undue aggression looks to be the way of life.Though beating children is common among lower economic classes,it happens across."
kanchan.gogate@timesgroup.com

From June, environment studies for SSC, first-year college students

Indian Express (Mumbai) 10/01/06

Despite fears of textbook shortage, state is determined to introduce EVS

 UNFAZED by the textbook controversy following its decision to introduce the subject of Environmental Studies (EVS) in its affiliate schools last year, the Maharashtra State Secondary and Higher Secondary Board is all set to make the subject mandatory at junior college level.

Beginning academic year 2006-07, EVS—comprising 60 marks of theory and 40 marks of practical study—will be made a compulsory subject in Std X and XI. Students will have to study the subject irrespective of the stream (arts, science or commerce) they opt for.

The board’s move to introduce EVS in schools and colleges follows a December 18, 2003 Supreme Court order directing that it be made a compulsory subject in these educational institutions.

Accordingly, in June 2005, the board made the subject compulsory for

Std IX students while introducing it as a grade-based subject (non-compulsory) in classes IV to VIII.

However, the move met with opposition as the board overlooked the matter of releasing textbooks on the subject at the time of its introduction.

It was only three months later—on September 19,

2005—that the Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Curriculum Research released the much-awaited textbooks.

Even then, textbooks in Marathi were released first, followed by those in English.

‘‘In fact, English-medium schools affiliated to the board continue to face a shortage of EVS textbooks,’’ said Arundhati Chavan, president of the Parent Teacher Association United Forum.

‘‘It’s very important that textbooks are released much before the academic year begins.

Let’s hope that the board releases them on time this year,’’ she said.

Vasant Kalpande, chairman of the SSC board, promised that the transition would be smooth this time.

‘‘This year, everything has been planned in advance,” he said.

Textbooks for Std X and XI are in the process of production and will be out by May this year,’’ Kalpande added.

The board plans to introduce the subject in Std XII in 2007.

Where are the textbooks?

Following a Supreme Court directive in 2003, the Maharashtra State Secondary and Higher Secondary Board introduced Environmental Studies in classes IV to IX with effect from June 2005. The subject was compulsory for students of Std IX.

However, schools and parents were upset by this move as textbooks were made available only in September 2005 with English textbooks still in short supply.

What the students will learn

* Energy Conservation

* Waste Managementl Pollution Control

*l Rainwater Harvesting

* Population Control

All A'Board'

Pragya Kaushika, TNN Feb 18, 2007, 09.05pm IST

In a country with a board of education in almost every state and three in the Centre, a uniform curriculum and assessment system is hard - if not impossible - to ensure.
With experts predicting a major increment in the budget allocated to secondary education, it becomes all the more imperative for the various exam boards to demonstrate the scope for modernisation in their character.

"Students from states with rigid curricula in terms of content and options, rarely find a place in institutions of repute across the metropolitan cities. State education boards need to broaden their course and evaluate according to a more flexible criterion," says Puran Chand, joint secretary, Council of Boards of Secondary Education (COBSE).
Certain boards have managed to establish themselves as role models across the country, leaving the others to follow suit. These bodies may be compared primarily on the basis of their curriculum, evaluation and teaching methodology, through the consequent student performance.
Courses and curriculum
Most state education boards feel that diversity being one of the important characteristics of the country, a state's characteristics ought to be reflected in its education system. Subsequently, curriculum has become the foremost parameter for assessing the supremacy of any board.
However, at present there is a nationwide realisation that localisation of curriculum serves more as a hindrance in the race for standardised education.
State boards are moving towards the model of central boards in order to upgrade themselves. For instance, Chhattisgarh, the first state to include RTI (Right to Information) in its curriculum, is trying to adapt to standards set by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
Says B K S Ray, who has recently taken charge as chairman of the Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education, "Our syllabus caters to the ground realities that students from a largely tribal population can identify with. Yet, if these students are to pursue quality education in accordance with global standards, this curriculum needs to be revised. We are now ensuring a move towards the CBSE format in a big way."
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Board of High School and Intermediate Education (UPBHSIE) has a curriculum designed to meet the contemporary needs of students.
"Ours is the only board where a student can pass high school without Mathematics, as we have Home Science as an option to maths. Though we have not yet included vocational subjects, we have incorporated other fields like crisis management, environmental studies and health studies as a part of our syllabus," asserts Sanjay Mohan, chairman, UPBHSIE.
The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Education (MSBSHE) follows the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) conceptualised by the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
A unique feature of its syllabus is that textbooks are published in regional languages. "We are a state with a largely multi-lingual population. For example, Nagpur has a sizeable Bengali-speaking population. Hence, we are the only state publishing textbooks in eight regional languages. As far as the standard of curriculum is concerned, most of our students secure admission to premier universities like JNU," explains Vasant Kalpande, chairman, MSBSHE.

Mode of evaluation
Though many boards believe that evaluation is subjective for different boards, they also believe that practical and theory papers can actually raise or reduce a student's final percentage. According to Ray, the CBSE has higher and tougher standards of evaluation.
In contrast, Kalpande claims that because students of the MSBSHE have three language subjects - instead of two under CBSE - the scores of students from Maharashtra remain relatively low.
Secondly, practical examinations comprise only 20% of the examination scores in Maharashtra, as compared to the 40% under CBSE.
Student performance
Most of the boards do agree that they need to put in more effort to reform their curriculum. However, not many boards agree with the criticism of the performance of their students when tested outside for higher education.
For instance, in metros like Mumbai, there are no Honours courses. So do students face a problem while seeking admissions in other metros? "Our students generally do not seek admission to other universities.
The city has its own reputed institutes. Our experience is that only students with parents in transferable jobs, relocate to other universities," defends Kalpande.
On the other hand, the UP Board curriculum is comparatively more flexible and shows better results. "Most of the IITs and IIMs have a huge number of UP Board students," boasts Mohan.

A lesson in tragedies

From the next academic year, the state board will add the 1992-93 riots, July 26 deluge and 7/11 to Class X syllabus

By K A Dodhiya

Posted On Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Mumbai, July 26, 2005

In the coming academic year, the Class X syllabus of the state board will include chapters on the 1992 communal riots, 1993 serial blasts, 2005 deluge, 2006 serial blasts in trains and other events in recent memory that have had a major impact on our lives. Calamities in the past 15 years and the riots at Ramabai Ambedkar Chawl in Ghatkopar will also find a mention.

Explaining the reasons for including these topics a highly-placed source in the State Council for Education Research and Training (SCERT), which frames guidelines for the syllabus, pointed out that the state had witnessed many natural and man-made calamities in the past few years. Besides being topical, they also had an impact on the state.

Mumbai, July 11, 2006

“Since children’s minds are impressionable, we have tried to take care that they are not adversely affected by detailed explanations. Hence, each disaster will be mentioned in short followed by what steps should be taken to avoid a repeat. The aim is to build awareness among the children,” said the SCERT source.

Confirming the inclusion of the above-mentioned topics, Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) chairman Dr Vasant Kalpande said, “We will have a final brainstorming session wherein academicians and educationists will be invited to give their suggestions and opinions on the finer details, like where these topics will appear, before it is sent for publication.”

Mumbai, 1992-93

The updated syllabus will be available from the next academic year.

“We will ensure that these topics are not limited only to SSC students. They will be included in the syllabus of other classes too as and when they are updated,” Kalpande added.

New passing formula for SSC students

Yogesh Joshi, HT, Pune, April 24, 2007

Students appearing for the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams next year will find it easier to clear the English exam with the SSC Board deciding to embark on the new passing formula about combined passing for three languages exam papers. The decision, to be implemented during February/March 2008 exam, will make it easier for the students, who will require to get total 105 Marks out of 300 in the first, second and third language exam paper of SSC.

This decision was taken by the board last year but it's implementation has been postponed to the coming year, has been taken in consonance with the new syllabus being introduced for the standard 10 th. "Board's intention to implement the decision is to bring the flexibility in the entire examination process. The students after this decision will find it helpful to get the tough subject cleared with the help of achieving more marks in other language subjects", newly appointed SSC Board chairman Vijaysheela Sardesai told the Hindustan Times.
The board however has put a condition to the students who will be required to get "minimum 25 Marks in every subject of three languages", said Sardesai. The Board, in its attempt to revamp education has taken various decisions including the new SSC syllabus and the more flexibility in the examination process. The new Syllabus will also be implemented from this academic year.
The latest decision will help students to clear English subject, which proves nightmare for many. According to the Board figures, the percentage of failure is maximum in English subject as against the other languages. Former SSC Board chairman and State Textbook Research Bureau head Vasant Kalpande, who was instrumental in designing the new syllabus and combined passing system, said that the exercise was done to make it easier for students. "The priority was to see whether students have done the minimum required level of preparation during exam. The new system will make it possible to check".
The Board has already implemented combined passing system in Mathematics and Science Subject examination in SSC. As per the new syllabus, students will require to get 88 Marks out of 250 (150 Marks for Mathematics and 100 Marks for Science subjects).

Now, RTI in school textbooks

PIA CHANDRAVARKAR, OCTOBER 19
IT was Maharashtra's law that served as a model for what is today the Right
To Information Act. No wonder the state is now leading the way to introduce
this sunshine legislation to the younger generation.
Come June 2007 and the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher
Secondary Education will become the first to include RTI in the school
curriculum. Civics textbooks for class VI will include a section on RTI, its
uses and benefits, while class X students will get to familiarise themselves
with the practical aspects of preparing RTI applications as a part of their
annual project work.
In class VI, RTI will be a part of the section on citizens' rights and not a
fullfledged chapter unlike other Acts like the Consumer Protection Act,
which is a separate chapter in the class X economics textbook.
"Today, everyone has the opportunity to use RTI. To help in greater
awareness, it is important to begin at a young age," said State Board
Chairman Vasant Kalpande.
"There will be no technical jargon used and we will give the students a
glimpse of the fundamental nature of the Act," Kalpande said.
IT was Maharashtra's law that served as a model for what is today the Right
To Information Act. No won- der the state is now leading the way to
introduce this sunshine legislation to the younger generation. Come June
2007 and the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Sec- ondary
Education will be- come the first to include RTI in the school curricu- lum.
Civics textbooks for class VI will include a sec- tion on RTI, its uses and
benefits, while class X stu- dents will get to familiarise themselves with
the practi- cal aspects of preparing RTI applications as a part of their
annual project work. In class VI, RTI will be a part of the section on citi-
zens' rights and not a full- fledged chapter unlike other Acts like the Con-
sumer Protection Act, which is a separate chapter in the class X economics
textbook. "Today, everyone has the opportunity to use RTI. To help in
greater awareness, it is important to begin at a young age," said State
Board Chairman Vasant Kalpande. "There will be no techni- cal jargon used
and we will give the students a glimpse of the fundamental nature of the
Act," Kalpande said.

Publication : IE; Section : Mumbai News line; Pg: 1; Date: 20/10/06

Fee regulation body for unaided primary schools

Publication: The Times Of India Pune;

Date: May 8, 2009;

Section: Times City;

,

Swati Shinde

Four regional panels to facilitate fee regulation The Body For Primary Unaided Schools, Which Will Have One Of The Four Panels Stationed In Pune, Will Be Headed By A Retired Judge; Rules To Come Into Effect From Academic Year 

Pune: Even as the High Court order recently said that the private schools will have to defer fee hikes for now, the state government had indicated last week about setting up a fee regulation body for all unaided schools in the state.

The proposed fee regulation body for primary unaided schools, to be formed by the state government, will have four regional committees stationed in Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur and Aurangabad to cater to the large number of schools in the state, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, state education minister informed TOI on Tuesday.

The body will be headed by a retired judge and within two months, the entire board will be formed, he added. Fee regulation will come into effect from the 2009-10 academic year.

Vikhe-Patil said, “In two months’ time, the members of the body will be finalised and it will be headed by a retired judge. Since the number of schools in the entire state is so large, we decided to form regional committees, so that functioning will be easier.”

Since the regulation is to be implemented from the 2009-10 academic year, the schools will have to present their balance sheets before the body and justify the fee hike.

“Those who have raised their fees will have to give suitable reasons why they have done so. I know that some parents have already paid the fees, but, once the regulation body starts functioning and if there is any change, the schools will have to either repay the fees or the excess amount will have to be adjusted against the next academic year,” Vikhe-Patil said.

The said fee regulation body will be not only direct secondary school certificate (SSC) board schools but also the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Indian Schools Certificate examination (ICSE) board-run schools as well as international schools situated in the state.

“All these years, we have seen the plight of parents as they struggle to put their children in good schools. Due to the high fees charged by the schools, some parents cannot afford to admit their children into good schools. The government has a certain responsibility and with every alternate school raising fees arbitrarily, we cannot just be silent spectators. So we decided to form this body,” Vikhe-Patil said.

Vasant Kalpande, former state director of primary education said, “There were efforts made earlier also to form such a body, but it never became operational. However, now that there are serious steps being taken to bring uniformity to the fee structure, it will really help govern the schools in the state.” He was present at the meeting held in Mumbai last week, when the decision to form the body was undertaken.

Kalpande, who was also the former chairman of the Maharashtra state Board for Secondary and Higher Secondary Education said, “There should be some standard prescribed for all establishments as, these days, schools charge tremendous fees which includes infrastructure, maintenance and other costs. Parents are being exploited and this should stop.”

On whether it will be feasible for the body to cater to the huge number of schools functioning in the state, Kalpande said, “Initially, there could be some difficulties, however, as it progresses, it will function smoothly. It is not an impossible task. A beginning has to be made somewhere.”

Now, schools can teach in 2 languages

TNN May 5, 2006, 01.15am IST

MUMBAI: In a bid to make the education system more flexible, the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education may allow schools to teach in English as well as a regional language.
The development comes in the wake of the growing realisation that, though primary education should be in a child's mother tongue, English is becoming increasingly indispensable for a child's future education.

In another two weeks, the board will decide whether to adopt the new plan, which, if implemented, would come into force by June.
It would mean that from Std I onwards, schools would have the option of adopting a dual medium of instruction. While science and mathematics would be taught in English, social studies could be taught in Marathi, or whichever medium the school currently uses, such as Gujarati or Urdu.
The system would be optional and the decision to adopt it would rest with the individual school's authorities. Speaking to TOI on Wednesday, SSC board chairman Vasant Kalpande said he felt the move would take off on a larger scale in rural areas than in Mumbai.
"In the interiors, where a child's environment is largely Marathi-speaking, it would make sense to hold classes in both Marathi and English," he said.
The plan has been prescribed in the guidelines laid down by NCERT. The system is followed in Kendriya Vidyalayas across the country, in which Hindi and English are the mediums of instruction. The only SSC school in the city which currently follows this system is Holy Family School in Andheri.
"We had implemented the system four years ago in Std I," said school principal Francis Swamy. There are some who disagree with the system of dual medium of instruction.
Educationist Arvind Vaidya said that such a system is completely inconsistent with the Uniform National Education Policy of 1986, which states that there should be three languages developed in school, of which the third language (English, in the case of Marathi-medium schools) should be developed through textbooks, so that a child can refer to library books in that language when he enters college.
"The focus of primary education is to develop a child's concepts, imbibe the cultural background, form and philosophy of life. One language—the language that is present in a child's environment—should be developed first. This is the language in which the child will be able to think," he said.
According to Vaidya, the use of a dual second language would confuse the student and make it difficult for him or her to be thorough in any of the languages.

State board school principals, academicians hail verdict

Swati Shinde, TNN Jun 19, 2009, 02.45am IST

PUNE: State board school authorities and academicians have hailed the state government's decision to go ahead with 90% reservation for SSC students in junior college admissions.
Speaking to TOI soon after the decision was announced by the state education minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Vasant Kalpande, former chairman of the chairman of the Maharashtra Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education said, "I am happy with the scheme. Comparison on the basis of marks led to disadvantage for SSC students when the percentile formula was implemented last year. Such a step was essential to bring them all at par. Some students might face problems in getting admission, but they will have to face it."

When the state education minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil earlier put this proposal, he faced a lot of resistance from non-SSC board schools, which is still the case. However, since the decision is in favour of the SSC students most have welcomed the minister's move.
Ram Panse, principal of Bharat Vidyalaya, congratulated the government on its decision on two counts. He said, "Firstly, hats off to the government for making this move and secondly for implementing it even after resistance and major criticism from across the state."
Panse further added, "I think it is a right decision as majority of the students hail from the SSC board. If the government says that 90 per cent of SSC students should get preference then there's no harm in having reservation."
Vinayak Shukla, secretary of Maharashtra Education Society remarked, "If the government statistics say that there are only 10% students from non-SSC board schools in the state then the reservation is fair. But if the figures differ then it will create problems. The government, however, has to take responsibility of every student studying in the state, hence, every decision taken should be implemented carefully."
Tilottama Reddy, principal of Ahilyadevi Girls High School said, "the CBSE and ICSE or even international school studnets can take admisison anywhere in the country. Even if they have to move out of Maharashtra, they have lots of options. But, the case is not so with SSC board students. It is a state board and naturally, they should get priority over outside board students."

Academicians welcome move; parents, students of CBSE, ICSE oppose it

Shambhavi Anand, TNN Jun 10, 2009, 05.23am IST

PUNE: State education minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil's proposal to introduce 90 per cent reservations in junior colleges for students from the Secondary School Certificate Board (SSC) board, has met with some approval by academicians, but students of the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) boards and their parents are understandably upset.
The proposed move is bothering the students who have passed the Xth standard this year. Says Nupur Khanduja, "This will only pressurise the students unnecessarily. Reservation is an unfair thing. People should be competent for the seat that they get." Nupur still hopes that the rule is not meant for the CBSE and ICSE schools so that she can continue in her own school which follows the CBSE syllabus.

According to Manorama Balraj, mother of Priyanka, who passed the Xth standard this year, the move is an unfair one. "The situation sounds hypothetical as many students from outside Maharashtra come to the state but prefer to study in non-SSC schools. This scheme will affect their education," she observed.
Another parent, Deepak Roy feels very strongly about the percentage level of the reservation.
"First of all, the admission procedure should be based on merit. And, if bringing in reservation is so important, the percentage should be scaled down to maybe 50 per cent," Roy said.
Despite the worries of parents, educationist Ram Panse welcomed the announcement with open arms.
"This is an excellent decision. If there is a state board it should get a proper boost. I totally agree with the government's plan. The percentage of reservation can be negotiated if there is serious trouble for the CBSE and ICSE students," Panse said.
Seconding Panse, academician and former director of education and former chairman of the SSC board Vasant Kalpande also said, "The maximum number of CBSE and ICSE students are there in Mumbai so it might be a problem there. But, since most of the cities like Pune mainly have SSC schools and students who pass out from this board, there will not be much of a problem in getting admissions."
Academician Dilip Gogate, former director of education, also called it a good move. "Though I haven't gone through the details of the scheme, I think there should not be an issue because the number of SSC schools is very large and that of others so small," Gogate said.

Desi heroes shine in new English books

Hemali Chhapia, TNN Oct 14, 2006, 02.26am IST

MUMBAI: Decades after Indian writing in English shook off its colonial hangover, it's now the turn of school textbooks to go desi.
In Maharashtra, English textbooks, earlier immersed in the grandeur of Western heroes like George Washington, Helen Keller and Nelson Mandela, are now highlighting Indian versions like late astronaut Kalpana Chawla, nobel laureate Amartya Sen and legendary singers like Lata Mangeshkar.

In lower classes, popular nursery rhymes like Jack n Jill and Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star have been replaced by simple versus on Indian festivals, birds and trees.
New textbooks designed for Classes I to XII will now glorify India and Indian success stories. For instance, the Class VII textbook has a chapter on Surendra Chavan, who scaled Mount Everest to mark the golden jubilee of India's Independence. A chapter in a book for Class IX is dedicated to Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.
Chairman of Maharashtra state board of secondary and higher secondary education Vasant Kalpande said the textbooks were being "Indianised"so that students realised there was much that made up our country.
While reams were dedicated to freedom fighters in History books, English texts had very little about India and Indians.
According to a member of the Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Curriculum Research, there were innumerable inspiring tales like that of Infosys chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy, steel tycoon L N Laxmi Mittal and social activist Anna Hazare, who had to be introduced to young minds.
Besides, the growing tribe of Indian English writers were edging out old classic ones like W B Yeats and T S Eliot. "English is no longer a foreign language for our country. Gone is the time when we had to depend on works of Western authors for filling English textbooks.
Now we have home grown talent even in English writing. We haven't banned Western writers, but almost 75% of the authors in the new textbooks are Indian,"Kalpande added.

Teachers to now be trained through radio shows

TNN Oct 21, 2006, 03.11am IST

MUMBAI: Tune in and learn on. Teachers missing classes to attend training sessions will soon be a thing of the past. Doing away with the age-old system of face-to-face group training programmes, the Maharashtra State Board for Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has now started airing lessons for teachers on the radio.
Loss of teaching days due to training sessions has been a problem area in several states. While some states have recently put in place plans to use Edu-sat for teacher training, Maharashtra doesn't have the wherewithal for this.

"We realised that block level or district level training meant loss of school hours and that eventually hurts students. So we have started training sessions on radio," said Vasant Kalpande, state board chairman.
The decision has come at a time when the board has introduced a new curriculum for Stds I, V, IX and XI. This requires teachers to undergo training, but since staying away from school for training sessions would entail loss of teaching days, the board of studies has begun to promote the idea of handing out tips on daytime radio shows.
The practice has started with teachers of Std IX.
The board informs the school about the date, time and subject of each training session beforehand, so all teachers need to do is tune in for their classes and keep their handbooks ready.
The schedule provided by the state board also sets aside one day each week for teachers to send in questions. "As radio is a one-way medium, a day is set aside for answering teachers' queries.
The teacher could mail, fax or post the query and the experts answer the same on that day over the radio," Kalpande added. Depending on the response the board will receive from schools and teachers, radio sessions will be introduced for more classes, he said.
School managements and teachers on their part have welcomed the move saying the training has brought with it a lot of flexibility. "With the new radio training, teachers can swap lectures among themselves as per the timings of their training. Also, they don't need to travel anymore to attend workshops," said a principal in a suburban school.
Next year, when the board releases new textbooks for Stds II, VI, X and XII—which will necessitate further training for teachers—these radio sessions are expected to catch on. Subsequently, books for Stds III and VII will be out in 2008 and in the following year, for Stds IV and VIII.

Opinions differ on teaching Marathi as a compulsory language

Anusha Ravishankar & Samarpita Banerjee, TNN Jun 10, 2009, 05.20am IST

PUNE: The Maharashtra state government is all set to introduce Marathi as a compulsory language for all Indian Certificate of Secondary Examination (ICSE) and Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) schools in the state from the next academic year.
The move comes as part of the proposal laid by state education minister, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil before the legislative council. The state had previously issued a government resolution making the language compulsory in all schools up to Class IV. Over the next year, the government will devise a syllabus for Marathi for the secondary section, which all schools will have to follow. Currently, the students of the ICSE and the CBSE boards have Marathi as an optional language for a few years in the middle school.

The proposal to make Marathi a compulsory language in ICSE and CBSE schools has attracted varied opinions from the principals of these schools. "We have a lot of inter-state transfers and it is not viable for or just to these students. It will not only affect the child's performance in terms of the marks but many of them could find it difficult to cope with a language completely new to them," said Binita Poonekar, principal of the Army Public School (APS). She added that the move was a good one for state schools but for schools such as the APS where 95 per cent of the students are from the defence background, it would be a problem.
The move has also been perceived as a positive change by some. "It is a welcome change since it is always good to know the state language. Though we already orient our students to learn Marathi, now our students will be able to actually learn the local language," said Jayshree Venkatraman, principal of DAV School. Principal of Delhi Public School, Neelam Chakrabarty, seconded Venkatraman's opinion and said, "If Marathi is made compulsory by the boards, we'll follow the orders. I feel there is no harm in learning an additional language. In fact, in a place like Maharashtra, it will make life easier for the students if they are fluent in the local language."
The chairman of Victorious Kidss Educare, Robin Ghosh, said, "If the government is planning to introduce the language as a secondary support to the primary education, I think it is a good idea. But if they are planning to introduce it as the primary language, it is definitely a bad idea." Nandini Sengupta, principal of Vidya Valley said that she had no objection to learning Marathi as long as it remains a third language and does not become compulsory for the examinations. "We encourage our students to learn Marathi, I have Korean and Irani students who learn Marathi. They may not be fluent, but they study the language nonetheless," she said.
Academicians across the city welcomed the proposal. "Marathi and English should be made compulsory in all schools. It is easier to grasp another language when students know their mother tongue well. Hence, implementation of Marathi as a compulsory language is a very good move," said educationist Ram Panse. "Those studying in Maharashtra live in a Marathi atmosphere so they shouldn't have a problem in learning the language. Multilingualism has been accepted everywhere," opined academician Vasant Kalpande.

SSC, HSC merit lists may be scrapped

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

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PUNE, June 1: From the year 2000 the merit list for SSC and HSC examinations may be scrapped, with just the pass list being published, announced State Education Minister Sudhir Joshi today. ``Since the merit list does not benefit students in any way, and only increases their pressure to perform, we are seriously considering doing away with it,'' he said. Minister of State for Education Anil Deshmukh added that they had received several appeals and suggestions from parents and teachers regarding scrapping the declaration of the merit lists for SSC and HSC examinations. Deshmukh and Joshi also appealed to parents to refrain from imposing their unfulfilled career ambitions and desires upon their children, and instead allow them the freedom to decide their future as per their likings and aptitude, at the felicitation ceremony of divisional board rankers organised by the Maharashtra Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education today.
Eighteen toppers, twelve boys and six girls, who ranked first in the eight divisional boards of Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Mumbai, Kolhapur, Amravati, Nashik and Latur, at the HSC and SSC examinations this year, were honoured with mementos and gifts at the Nehru Memorial Hall.
``Boys surpass girls in malpractices at the examinations, but girls always out-number boys where the pass percentage is concerned,'' said Anil Deshmukh. ``Though it is important to honour the merit holders and achievers, we should not neglect the problem of failures who need our encouragement and support to perform better.''
Joshi also said that the education department was thinking of introducing special courses for students who fail the SSC examination. Deshmukh stressed the need for intelligent and enthusiastic young blood in politics and administration, which is no longer appealing to today's achievers. ``Politicians are a misunderstood lot,'' he said.
Shreyas Bangale, SSC topper from Latur, and Onkar Kurode, SSC topper from Nagpur, declared that they would donate a part of the cash rewards they had received to the National Defence Fund, for the aid of soldiers in Kargil.
Dr Vasant Kalpande, chairman of the Maharashtra Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, Pune, gave the welcome speech, Rameshchandra Kanade, Education Secretary, Vasant Patil, Director of Education were also present on the occasion.

Balbharati goes online

Monday, May 9, 2011 

Starting June, the textbooks for Std I to VIII will be available in PDF format on the website www.balbharati.in free of cost : Deepti Khera mirrorfeedback@indiatimes.com

To tackle perennial shortage of its textbooks, Balbharati has decided to upload them on its web site (www.balbharati.in) in the PDF format. Starting from June the textbooks, for Std I to VIII, will be available online free of cost.
The PDF files will contain all the illustrations and exercises that the textbooks have. Balbharati has now been printing textbooks for nearly 55 years. An official from Balbharati, which also serves the Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Curriculum Research, said, “Each year Balbharati prints more than six crore textbooks. With such a huge amount of print orders, there is a possibility of a time lag. In order to avoid shortages, that would cause hardships to students, we have decided to take this move.”
Priyanka Verma, a student studying in Std VI, said, “Last year, I enquired at all the local stores, but my math book was just not in stock. It was only a month after school started that I got the book. Till then I managed on photocopies.” Priyanka isn’t alone. Shimin Patel, parent of a Std VII student, had to go to the extent of writing to officials at Balbharati officials to get the science book for her daughter, as all the nearby stored were out of stock. Former Director of Balbharati Vasant Kalpande, whose idea it was to go online with the textbooks, said, “Students will no longer have to hunt for textbooks. We hope to start upload most books from the start of this academic year itself.”
He added, “Some Marathi medium textbooks for Std I and II have already been uploaded.”
Chairperson of Maharashtra’s Education Board Ujwala Patil also approved of the move, saying, “Students can now heave a sigh of relief.” Currently, Balbharati prints more than six crore textbooks every year
Source: Mumbai Mirror dated 9 May 2011

State board moots ATKT on trial basis

Published: Friday, Apr 21, 2006, 22:23 ISTBy Shweta Shertukde If all goes well, the system of Allowed to Keep Terms (ATKT) would soon be a part of the curriculum of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education. Vasant Kalpande, chairman of the State Board said on Friday the board was considering making ATKT possible in schools on a trial basis. If implemented, the system would be only for class X students who have failed in Mathematics. Kalpande’s statement was made in the wake of the back-to-back statements made by Minister for State School Education Vasant Purke and NCERT chief Krishnakumar. Krishnakumar said NCERT was considering to introduce ATKT in schools across the country. Kalpande said the system would be difficult to implement for students of classes V to IX. Parents and teachers in the city have taken the proposal with a pinch of salt. They fear that the system will make students lax and affect their performance. Lalita Hariharan, Principal of Springfield High School, Bandra said, “The quality of a student’s performance will suffer.” Arundhati Chavan, president, parent-teacher association, Mumbai division, said, “The system has its pros and cons. It will reduce students’ stress levels and drop-out rates, especially in public schools. On the flip side, students may take examinations lightly feeling they could clear it in the next class.” Comments Most...

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HSC results: Arts results see setback

Manjiri Damle May 28, 2011,TNN

PUNE: The results of the higher secondary certificate (HSC, standard XII) examination conducted by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education in February-March 2011 showed a decline of 10.94 per cent in the results of the arts stream.
This year, the state`s result for the arts stream is 60.16 per cent, as compared to 71.10 per cent recorded in February-March 2010. Out of the 4.57 lakh students who appeared for the exams in the arts stream, 2.74 lakh have passed. The results of the science, commerce and minimum competency-based vocational course (MCVC) streams have also shown a marginal decline, but it is not as high as arts.

Chairperson of the board Ujjawaldevi Patil said they cannot immediately give the exact reasons for the significant drop in the results of the arts stream. "We intend to identify questions from each subject where students scored low marks and analyse the performance. Following this, we will see what measures can be taken to bring about an improvement."
"The drop in the results will lead to another unfortunate setback for the arts stream and this downward trend might just continue," said Vasant Wagh, former principal of the Fergusson college. "There is a common perception among parents as well as students that there are no career or job opportunities if one pursues the arts stream. I feel that the reality is the exact opposite. I have seen many arts graduates having brilliant careers." Educational institutions should necessarily take steps to change the psyche of parents and students, he added.
Wagh also said it was time the education department thought about arresting the decline and chalk out a policy to promote the arts stream and attract more students.
Former chairperson of the state board Vasant Kalpande said the decline in students` performance in the arts stream began to creep in some time ago. Also, it is mostly students of the rural areas who are opting for this stream. "There is need to revamp the arts curriculum to make it more practical. We have stuck to the old and traditional arts education format for too long. The curriculum needs to be overhauled, and made more attractive and job oriented. We need to have more composite arts courses with science and commerce. The aim should be to train manpower that specialises in works like conducting surveys and analysing data, translation jobs and creating internet content," Kalpande said.
He also said that colleges will have to become more proactive and educate students about job opportunities for arts graduates and courses they need to complete. "The thrust should be on equipping students with more practical skills," he added.
Shrikant Gupta, principal Abasaheb Garware college of arts and science, felt that another reason for the poor results can be the quality of students who opt for arts stream. "We often see students who are poor performers in schools opt for arts when they join junior college. Also, those who get low marks in the secondary school certificate (SSC — standard X) exam get admission only in arts. Such students are usually not interested in studies and scrape through the examinations. This is then reflected in the poor HSC results."
Ravindrasingh Pardeshi, principal of Fergusson college, said it is difficult to pinpoint the reasons for the drastic drop in arts results. "I feel that poor attendance in junior college classes and students` disinterest in reading and writing can be contributing factors. There is also no trend favouring the arts stream. People feel that there are less job opportunities for arts graduates, which is untrue. In fact, if they so decide, arts graduates can have very good careers and jobs."

In fact, the conventional arts stream, especially the Marathi medium courses, have had few takers compared to science and commerce in the centralised admission process (CAP) for first year junior college (standard XI) in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad since 2007. In fact, the CAP authorities have noticed that over 10 per cent of the arts seats remain vacant at the end of the admission process, most of which are in Marathi medium.
Stream-wise state HSC result 2011:
Science: 81.81 per cent
Arts: 60.19 per cent
Commerce: 71.10 per cent
MCVC: 82.56
Stream-wise result of Pune division 2011:
Science: 87.92
Arts: 72.71
Commerce: 74.06
MCVC: 90.71

'Reading time for exams not needed'

MUMBAI: It's a simple measure that has reduced stress on students taking board exams across the country, but Maharashtra's state board doesn't think it's necessary.
While other boards like the ICSE and CBSE allow students 15 minutes before the exam to read their question papers, the SSC board is firm that it will not introduce any such step.
Sources in the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education said that a proposal to give students appearing for their SSC exam 15 minutes 'reading time' had recently come up before the board, but it was rejected. "I feel there is no need for such reading time," said SSC board chairperson Vasant Kalpande.
When asked if it wouldn't reduce the nervousness of students before they started answering their paper, Kalpande said, "I think that's very superficial. Besides, our papers are set for three hours, so students get three hours to answer it." There was little probability of reading time being introduced in the future, he added.
Principals from ICSE and CBSE schools testify that allowing for reading time helps students. "Even if students are advised to read the question paper before they start, their mental state at the time is such that they start writing immediately," said Malini Goyal, principal, Lokhandwala Foundation School, Kandivli (E), an ICSE school.
"It is only by giving these 15 minutes that we can ensure that the students actually read the paper and don't make careless mistakes. It makes the thought process clear and improves quality," she added.
Students say that reading time enables them to avoid "careless mistakes" and plan their approach. "We often end up doing something like forgetting to turn the page and see the last question, or not reading how many parts of the question have to be answered," said Ameya Chitnis who took his ICSE exam in 2005.
"When you read the paper in peace, you can also decide if you want to answer the objective or essay-type questions first, so that you start on a confident note," he added. Most ICSE schools give students reading time from Std IX onwards to get them used to the system.
Despite the board's opposition, heads of SSC schools support the move for reading time. "As it is we call students half an hour before the exam to take them through the 'barcode system' for question papers. So the move could easily be introduced," said Fr Francis Swamy, principal of Holy Family School, Andheri (E), an SSC school. He felt that reading time should be introduced immediately and was essential for students to relax.
Source: The Times of India

Soon, parents won't be able to drag 3-yr-olds to school

A committee appointed by the state to recommend changes in the pre-primary education structure on various matters like age of eligibility, teacher training and admission is ready with its report

2012-06-07 06:23:15

June 07, 2012

Mumbai

Ravikiran Deshmukh

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2012/jun/070612-mumbai-Soon-parents-wont-be-able-to-drag-3-yr-olds-to-school.htm

The pre-primary education sector in the state, which has so far had free reign to decide on matters like fees, admission, registration, eligibility and training, will soon have to follow a strict set of norms. A committee of experts appointed by the state government is all set to submit its report on a number of matters related to the pre-primary education system.

Don’t start too young: According to sources, an important recommendation forwarded in the report sets the minimum age for admission to pre-primary educational centres at three-and-a-half years. Pic for representation

According to sources, an important recommendation forwarded in the report sets the minimum age for admission to pre-primary educational centres at three-and-a-half years. This is sure to put a halt to the current trend of parents hauling even their two-year-old tots to daycare centres and playgroups. The 14-member committee, under the aegis of the minister of state for school education Prof Fauzia Khan, has drafted the report, which will soon be submitted to the state School Education department, to be forwarded later to the state cabinet.
Refusing to divulge any of the recommendations, Prof Khan said that the committee had conducted a detailed study by inviting suggestions from the four study groups appointed by it. Asked about the expected recommendations on the fee structure, the minister said that the matter was under the ambit of the Fee Regulation Act, which awaits Presidential nod.
But sources in the government revealed that the committee had strongly recommended the lottery system for admission, in order to avoid any malpractices during screening of the students, and to maintain transparency. It had also recommended that priority be given to students from the neighbourhood in which the school was located.
The government may include the pre-primary education sector under the ambit of the Self-finance School Act, a bill which was introduced in the budget session of the state legislature in March this year. The committee, set up in September last year, included government officials, and experts such as Vasant Kalpande, Vrinda Dutt from TISS, Abida Inamdar, Suryakant Kulkarni, Nalini Chhugani of Parisar Asha and MLC Sanjivani Raikar.
The committee was to have discussed matters such as the recognition of pre-primary schools, admission procedure, eligible age for admission, qualification and training of teachers, fee structure, curriculum, teaching methodologies, infrastructure required in schools, assessment and gradation methods, and convergence of schools being under the world bank assisted Integrated Child Development Scheme and those run by the school education department.
The committee, while studying these areas, had to took into consideration provisions made by the Right to Education Act, the Fee Regulation Act, recommendations of the Prof Ram Joshi committee and the Kothari Commission. The committee also studied the pre-primary education systems existing in other states.

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2012/jun/070612-mumbai-Soon-parents-wont-be-able-to-drag-3-yr-olds-to-school.htm