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India ranks 72 in global educational survey
New Delhi, January 20, 2012: The Indian news media has been aflutter for the last few days, since the
release of the results of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Secretariat's Programme for
International Student Assessment (PISA), which ranked India 72nd out of
73 countries. The PISA results are based on data collected from some 500,000 odd students
undergoing 2-hour tests. The tests are meant to conduct comparative analyses, across vast international contexts, of 15-year-old students
for "reading, mathematical and scientific literacy." India "faired
miserably," ending up just above Kyrgyzstan, the media has scornfully noted, causing India's performance to be variously labeled
"embarrassing," "shocking," and "disappointing." A disheartened Shaheen
Mistry, CEO of Teach for India program, stated: "I am glad that now there is data that lets people know how far we still have to go."
In my opinion, the uproar about the "data" stems from an unfortunate
tendency we have as a people to let mere numbers tell the whole story
about the Indian educational system, a majority of the time. In the second most populous nation on the planet, with the second biggest
educational system in the world, it seems that the preferred way to
bring clarity to a massive, murky educational landscape would be to let
statistics paint the picture cleanly and efficiently.
Supreme Court asks states to provide toilets in schools by Mar 31
NEW DELHI, January 14, 2012: The Supreme Court on Friday extended its December 31 deadline to March 31 for states and Union
Territories to provide for separate permanent toilets for boys and girlsin all schools across India and reiterated that it was an essential part
of the right to education of children.
A bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and Dipak Misra said empirical
studies had shown that parents were reluctant to send their children,
especially girls, to school if there was no provision for toilets. By its October 18, 2011 order, the court had directed states and UTs to
provide for at least temporary toilet facilities for boys and girls by November 30 and permanent ones by December 31.
On Friday, it found that certain states had made substantial compliance
with its order but there were a few glaring ones like Maharashtra, where 13% of schools, or 12,746, did not have any toilet facility for girls.
Moreover, 8% of schools, or 7,509, had no toilet facility for boys.
The Prithiviraj Chavan government sought six more months to provide permanent toilet facility in every
school. Bihar, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Arunachal Pradesh got thumbs up from the
SC for over 90% compliance of the order for providing toilet facilities in schools.
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PM to inaugurate 99th Indian Science Congress in Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar, January 02, 2012 :Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday will
inaugurate here the 99th edition of the prestigious Indian Science Congress, the biggest
congregation of the country’s best and brightest scientists. More than 15,000 delegates from across India, 20 Nobel laureates and 500
other scientists from abroad are slated to participate in the five-day
brainstorming science event, to be held in the campus of KIIT University
here. About one lakh students are expected to attend the event.
KIIT University and National Institute of Science Education and Research
(NISER) are jointly hosting the event, which will also feature the Children’s Science Congress and Women Science Congress. Former president
APJ Abdul Kalam will inaugurate the Children’s Science Congress on
Wednesday, while Nirupama Rao, India’s ambassador to United States of America, will inaugurate the Women’s Science Congress on Thursday.
The theme for the 99th Indian Science Congress is “Science and Technology for Inclusive Innovation – Role of Women”. Renowned scientist
Geetha Bali, vice chancellor of Karnataka State Women’s University, will
preside over the event which will have more than 15 science based plenary session and 30 technical sessions.
According to Achyuta
Samanta, founder, KIIT University and chief patron,
99th Indian Science Congress, a wide range of topics including food and living, rural development and science, agriculture,
nano-technology, environmental sciences, bio-diversity, bio-technology,
forest and environment, health and medicines, space science and technology, pharmaceutical science, climate change, communication and
transport and women and child healthcare are expected to be covered in the
ongress.
The major highlights of the Indian Science Congress in the five days
will be science communicator’s meet, science exhibition, summery presentation (thematic/ posters), plenary sessions, sectional sessions,
panel discussion and public lectures. Besides, the Young Scientist Award,
UNESCO-Kalinga Award for Science will also be presented during the event.
Best scientists in the field of medicine to defence and agriculture to
communications including space scientist K Kasturirangan, agriculture
scientist MS Swaminathan and atomic energy commission chairman Srikumar
Banerjee will take part in the congress. Nobel laureates such as Richard R Ernst, Rolf M
Zinkernagel, Carolyn W Greider and Dale T
Mortensen will be addressing the delegates.
The Indian Science Congress was established with various objectives such
as to develop and propagate science in India. The first Indian Science
Congress started in 1914 with the initiative of two British chemistry
professors, Prof JL Simonsen and Prof PS MacMohan. So far, the Indian
Science Congress has held 98 annual conferences celebrating silver jubilee in 1938, golden jubilee in 1963, diamond jubilee in 1973 and
platinum jubilee in 1988. The membership strength of the Indian Science Congress has gone up from
a meagre 105 at the state to a whopping 30,000 on Monday. Source: Hindustan Times |
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