Indian Express 30.09.2009

After stampede protests, govt to build new girls’ school nearby

A school will be built at the MCD primary school in Sri Ram Colony after residents of the colony in East Delhi said they would not send their girls to the Khajuri Khas school following the fatal stampede there on September 10.

The announcement was made by Delhi Education Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely’s office on Tuesday.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has agreed to provide space to run the school. Between 800 and 1,000 girl students from Class VI to XII can attend the school once the government builds it, it was announced.

“The school will be ready in about three months,” Lovely’s spokesperson said. “We sent a letter to the MCD asking them to let us take over the school under the Roopantar project.”

One of the recommendations made by T C Nakh, the Northeast zone Deputy Commissioner who made an investigation report into the stampede, is to move the girls’ shift to another location to avoid such incidents.

Among the main reasons that led to the stampede was the merger of the shifts for boys and girls. Five students had died and more than 30 were injured in the September 10 incident.

According to the official in Lovely’s office, girls will have to attend the Khajuri Khas school until the new school is built. “We are doing the paperwork and that takes time,” he said.

The government has proposed that it will build the MCD school and upgrade its infrastructure under the Roopantar project and accommodate the girl students.

The Delhi government has already terminated the principal of the Government Boys Senior Secondary School, Khajuri Khas, and suspended the then in-charge of the girls’ school. It has also initiated an inquiry against the deputy director of education of the zone and transferred six teachers from the school.

Two new principals have been appointed for the school, officials said. One of them has been transferred from a government school in Nand Nagri, they added.

Officials also said the government is ready to hear the grievances of parents and students in Khajuri Khas and will ensure that education of students in the area is not disrupted.

Indian Express 28.08.2009

Move to improve education in municipal-run primary schools

The state Education Department has undertaken a concerted exercise to improve the quality of education in primary schools, especially those being run by civic bodies, in all major urban centers across Gujarat.

At a high-level meeting held in Gandhinagar a few days ago, Chief Minister Narendra Modi had made some significant suggestions to senior officials so as to improve the quality of education in primary schools in urban areas. Besides senior officials of the Education Department, the commissioners of all seven municipal corporations were present at the meet.

A senior official in the department told Newsline on Thursday that among the suggestions made by the CM at the meeting were : a review of performance of teachers who have attained the age of 50-55, involvement of NGOs and private organisations to improve the over-all functioning of municipal-run primary schools and the setting up of a committee comprising retired officials/educationists to suggest amendments in the present primary education laws.

It was also suggested at the meeting that students of municipal-run primary schools in these major cities be provided with a “Unique Identification Number” so as to track the educational records of every student and also check why he/she has dropped out of the school.

The official said Modi also emphasized that NGOs or private organisations “adopt” those municipal-run primary schools which are weak in their performance.

The schools being managed by private trusts could also be involved in improving the quality of education in municipal schools.

CM’s suggestions
* A review of performance of teachers who have attained the age of 50-55
* Involvement of NGOs and private organisations to improve the over-all functioning of municipal-run primary schools
* Setting up of a committee comprising retired officials/educationists to suggest amendments in the present primary education laws