Promotion of Sports in Rural Areas

For inculcating sporting culture and broad-basing sports among youth of the country in rural areas, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has introduced a Centrally Sponsored Scheme titled Panchayat Yuva Kirda Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA), from 2008-09 which aims at creation/development of basic playfields in all village panchayats and block panchayats of the country in a phased manner over a period of 10 years and providing access to organized sports competitions at block, district, state and national levels.. This was stated by Shri Ajay Maken, Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs & Sports, in the Rajya Sabha today, in a written reply to a question by Shri Dilipbhai Pandya. Sports competitions are organized in various sports disciplines such as athletics, archery, badminton, boxing, hockey, gymnastics, judo, football, swimming, wrestling, volleyball, table tennis, cycling, kho-kho, kabaddi, etc., in terms of provisions of the Scheme of PYKKA. 

The Minister further stated that schemes of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and the Sports Authority of India are equally applicable for sportspersons hailing from rural areas. National Sports Policy-2001, is already in existence, which, inter alia, provides for mass participation in sports and promotion of excellence in sports in the country including in rural areas. For realization of the aforesaid objectives mentioned in National Sports Policy 2001, while the Scheme of PYKKA takes care of the broad-basing of sports at the grassroots level, the identification and nurturing of the identified talent for promotion of excellence in sports including those from rural areas is done under the following Schemes of Sports Authority of India (SAI): 

(i) National Sports Talent Context (NSTC) Scheme

(ii) Army Boys Sports Company (ABSC) Scheme

(iii) Sports Authority of India Training Centres (STC) Scheme

(iv) Special Area Games (SAG) Scheme 

(v) Centres of Excellence (COE) Scheme 

Education to Girls

In India the Gender Gap has been decreasing in elementary education. According to the District Information System for Education (DISE) 2010-11, the Gender Parity Index (GPI) at both primary and upper primary level stands at 0.94 as compared to Bangladesh 1.02, South Africa 0.93, China 1.03, Afghanistan 0.69, Pakistan 0.86 and Sri Lanka 1.01. (Source: UNESCO Global Education Digest 2010). Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and the National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL) provide for targeted provisions to promote education of girls. These include encouraging States to recruit 50% women teachers from among teachers sanctioned under SSA, providing for an ‘Innovation fund’ per district, which can inter alia be utilized for need based interventions to ensure better attendance and retention of girls, free textbooks and uniforms up to class VIII, separate toilets for girls, development of model schools in clusters, bridge courses for older girls, early childhood care and education centers in/near schools in convergence with ICDS, teachers’ sensitization programmes to promote gender equality, gender sensitive teaching learning materials including textbooks , and intensive community mobilization efforts. In addition, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV) are set up as residential upper primary schools for girls from SC, ST, OBC & Muslim communities.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Dr. D. Purandeswari, in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today. 

DU dispatched wrong question paper for semester exam

New Delhi: A great chaos and confusions occurred at the Delhi University, when as a many as 15,000 students of the varsity appearing for the second semester exam were in an utter shock when the scholars from all honours courses, except English, were supplied incorrect question paper.

The question papers for both the Sanskrit concurrent course as well as the English language credit course were based on text books that the students had not been taught. An English professor at LSR College said that it was an English language credit course paper and that the question paper was from some other textbook called 'Individual and Society'. The title of the paper was the same but the content was completely different, the professor added.

Professors claimed that 40 students were affected by the glitch in the Sanskrit paper; while close to 15,000 students were affected by the glitch in the English paper. Sources said that the students had to for two long hours before they were given the correct handwritten question paper at 11am.

A Delhi University Teacher's Association member claimed that it was a very serious issue in which close to 15,000 students had been affected by the fiasco. The member further added that they kept calling the University, the moment they realized the error, but the University did not respond to their call. So, finally the DUTA decided upon to get handwritten, scribbled papers at 11am, which was two hours after the exam was supposed to begin.

The University officials however blamed it on the respective departments, saying that they should have been more careful in finalizing and choosing the right paper.

The Vice Chancellor of the University, Dinesh Singh said that people must exercise restraint before casting aspersions. He further added that though the students have claimed that they had been supplied the wrong question paper in both Sanskrit and English. But these papers are set by the respective departments, he said.

The VC added that they had to look for the original paper and then send it. The exam branch officials worked very hard to rectify the error.

The error authorities claimed that an incorrect code was assigned to the question papers, as a result of which the wrong bundle had been dispatched to the colleges.

This year even the Hindu language question paper had errors as it was set for 38 marks and two hours, which would have been 75 marks with three-hour duration.

A DU official said that they rectified the paper soon and the students got three hours to write the paper. The marks will also be moderated according to a 75-mark paper.

CBSE to introduce a course on fitness from this session

New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has decided to introduce a vocational course on 'Fitness and Gym Operation' from the 2012-13 academic session. The pilot run of the course of the course will be carried out in 50 select schools from Class XI onwards this year. The course is also designed to hone skills required for a career in sports.

Carrying 60 marks, the course will have five units in the theory part, while the practical part will carry 40 marks, having three units. The students in the class XI course will get to learn about various aspects of health, fitness, physiology of exercise and training, structure of a health-related fitness programme, and diet and nutrition.

Students opting for the subject will have to undergo 15 days of in-house internship in the institution/gym designated by the board. Training for class XI students will be held during the summer break before the new session begins. The cost of the internship will have to be paid either by the school or the students themselves.

The practical component in class XI includes training in a gym, procurement, placement and handling of gym equipment, CPR and cryotherapy, body composition analysis, fitness testing and different exercises such as cardio training and weight training.

Haryana not to hire teachers on contract any more

Chandigarh: Appointment of teachers in Haryana will no longer be made on contractual basis, a minister said on Tuesday.

"Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday ordered that the appointment of teachers would be made on regular basis and not on contractual basis in the state," Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal said here.

She said that the chief minister had given approval for the amendment in the Haryana Education Rules in this regard and this would be notified soon.

She said that about 15,000 teachers would soon be appointed by the government to provide quality education to students in the state. Now they all would be appointed on regular basis, she added.

As per the notification earlier issued in this regard, "the posts in the Department of Secondary Education shall be filled on contract basis initially for one year which may be extendable on year-to-year basis."

The contractual teachers were given fixed emoluments and no additional benefits.

Bhukkal said that the government had also approved deletion the clause in the notification of Haryana Education Rules under which women teachers were barred from joining duty if they were more than 12 weeks pregnant.

"Now onwards, there would be no such bar for pregnant women for joining service as teachers," she said.

As per earlier provisions, the selected woman candidate had to submit a certificate of her fitness from a civil surgeon. In case she was pregnant beyond 12 weeks she used to stand temporarily unfit till the confinement period was over.

However, as per latest decision of the government, the pregnant women can also join like other candidates. IANS

Haryana and Punjab girls bag top two spots in civil services

Two young women from Haryana and Punjab, the states with one of the worst sex ratios in the country, have secured the top two ranks in the civil services examination.

Shena Aggarwal of Haryana's Yamunanagar town and Rukmani Riar of Punjab's Hoshiarpur town have bagged the top two ranks (No. 1 and 2 respectively), beating male candidates.

Chandigarh's Prince Dhawan secured the third rank in the country and the first among male candidates.

The results of the CSE were declared by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in New Delhi on Friday.

While Shena, 25, is a doctor who had cleared the Indian Revenue Services (IRS) examination last year, Rukmani, 24, is a post-graduate in social sciences from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai.

Yamunanagar town is about 85 km from Chandigarh while Hoshiarpur is nearly 140 km from here in Punjab.

Shena, whose father is a dentist in Yamunangar and mother a homemaker, said she was very happy with the results.

She said she had expected a good rank but was quite surprised to emerge as the topper. She is currently undergoing IRS training in Nagpur.

A medical entrance test topper in 2004, Shena did her internship after her MBBS from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.

"She has made us proud. She has always been a topper," her father C.K. Aggarwal said.

Hoshiarpur girl Rukmani stood second in the country in her very first attempt at the civil services examination. She is a gold medalist from TISS.

Her father, Baljinder Pal Singh Riar, is a lawyer based in Hoshiarpur town.

"She was determined to join the civil services. Her hard work has helped her in achieving this," Rukmani's father said.

Haryana and Punjab are among the states with the worst sex ratio in the country. Haryana has only 877 females per 1,000 males while Punjab's sex ratio is 893 females per 1,000 males. IANS

IGNOU invites applications for online agriculture programme

New Delhi: The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has started admission process for two courses on agriculture policy and food safety, a statement said on Friday.

Admissions are open for Post Graduate Certificate in Agriculture Policy (PGCAP) and Post Graduate Diploma in Food Safety and Quality Management (PGDFSQM) for the July 2012 session.

"The PGCAP programme is meant for learners interested to learn about developing human resource for planning, development and implementation of national policies in agriculture," said the statement.

The eligibility for this six months programme is graduation in any discipline, the statement said.

"The PGDFSQM aims to develop professionals for development, implementation and auditing of food safety and quality management in the country. Graduates of science, arts or commerce background with relevant experience are eligible to apply for the PG diploma programme. The minimum duration of the course is one year and maximum is four years," the statement added. IANS

DU most likely to lower CATE eligibility criteria

New Delhi: The prestigious Delhi University is planning to lower the eligibility criteria for appearing in the Common Aptitude Test in English (CATE) for admission to BA (honors) from this academic session. Hence, it can be considered as a great relief for students who want to study English literature at the Varsity.

Though the schedule for the test is still being worked out, officials at the English department said that the eligibility criteria for CATE is likely to demand 45% aggregate instead of 60%. Earlier, only students who had secured at least 60% marks in English were allowed to register for CATE, the University may also do away with this condition as well.

Tapan Basu, Associate Professor, English Department said that they are likely to lower the aggregate needed for CATE to 45%, which is the general norm for all BA (honors) courses in DU. This will also make the process more inclusive, he added.

He also said that the students' aptitude for studying the course can be judged through the test and so they are planning to remove the criterion requiring minimum marks in English.

A meeting was held between the department of English and the representatives of different colleges to decide the modalities of CATE this year. Twenty colleges have so far confirmed about their participation, which includes Hindu College, Indraprastha College for Women, Kamla Nehru College, Janki Devi Mahavidayalaya, Bharti College and Delhi College of Arts &Commerce. Other than these colleges, the department also expects more to join in over the next few days.

Basu further added that the CATE is likely to be held after the declaration of the class 12th result.

Central Government Releases fund for Meghalaya to Award Post Matric Scholarship

New Delhi: Keeping in view the centrally sponsored scheme of Post-Matric Scholarships to students belonging to Scheduled Castes, the ministry for Social Justice & Empowerment has released an amount of Rs.14,30,000/-(Rupees-Fourteen lakh thirty thousand only) to the State Government of Meghalaya, towards central assistance for the current financial year 2011-2012.

The Post Matric Scholarship Scheme is a single largest intervention by Government of India for educational development of scheduled caste students. It is a flagship Scheme of the Ministry, in operation since 1944, which provides financial assistance to Scheduled Caste students studying at post matriculation level in the country.

The financial assistance which includes maintenance allowance, reimbursement of non-refundable compulsory fee, book bank facility and other allowances, has no upper limit on the number of scholarships and all the SC students fulfilling the eligibility criteria are covered under the Scheme. About 48 lakh students are anticipated to be covered during 2011-12.

During the Tenth Five Year Plan, an amount of Rs. 1826.91 Crore was released to cover 113.82 lakh beneficiaries. It has increased sharply in Eleventh Five Year Plan and Rs.6780.52 crore has been released so far to cover 196.16 lakh beneficiaries.

The Scheme has been revised by the Government on 31-12-2010 w.e.f. 1.7.2010 and the revision includes increase in
- Parental income ceiling from Rs. 1.00 lakh p.a. to Rs. 2.00 lakh p.a.;
- regrouping of courses; and
- rates of maintenance and other allowances.

Rates of maintenance and other allowances have been increased by 60% with respect to pre-revised rates. Presently, 23 State Governments have already implemented revised Scheme, while others are under process to implement the same.

List of Reserved Candidates from Civil Services Main Exam, 2010 Released

New Delhi: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the Reserve List of candidates for Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2010. As sought by the Department of Personnel & Training, the Commission has now recommended 119 candidates which include 89 General, 26 OBC and 04 SC, to fill up the remaining posts based on the Civil Services Examination, 2010. A list of these candidates is enclosed. The candidates so recommended will be communicated directly by the DOP&T.

The candidature of 04 candidates bearing Roll Nos. 42771, 196124, 321865 and 332202 is provisional.

The results of the Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2010 were declared vide Press Note dated 11.05.2011 recommending 920 candidates in order of merit for appointment to IAS, IFS, IPS and Central Services Group 'A' and Group 'B' against 1043 vacancies.

The Commission, in accordance with the Rule 16 (4) & (5) of the Civil Services Examination Rules, was also maintaining a Consolidated Reserve List in order of merit below the last recommended candidate under the respective category.

The list of these 119 candidates is also available on the UPSC website.

AMU elects its first woman in teachers association

Aligarh: After being in the news for alleged gender bias, the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has for the first time elected a woman to its influential teacher's association.

S. Chandni Bi, assistant professor of history, has been elected to the powerful executive council of the AMUTA (Aligarh Muslim Unversity Teachers Association), officials said.

"It's a significant development and I hope to further the cause of women's emancipation, a cherished wish of the founder of the AMU, Sir Syed (Ahmed Khan). I would say the university is evolving and gradually responding to changing demands and perceptions. The AMU teachers association is an important body and can effect significant changes," said Chandni Bi.

Perhaps the time has now come for a major push to reforms to change the profile of this great institution, she added.

Chandni Bi was unanimously elected along with four other members -- Waseem Raja, Abdul Hakim Khan, Inamuddin and Shakir Ali -- to the executive council.

Ten applications were received for five vacancies of AMUTA's election commission by chief election officer Saleem Akthar. Five withdrew and the remaining five were elected without opposition, according to Saleem.

The AMU has been in the news in the past few months with girls from various hostels demanding the free right to enter the library and participation in the cultural programmes.

"Facilities for women teachers and girl students are lacking in some faculties, especially with regard to toilets," said a student not wanting to identify herself.

Women's College students have been waging a struggle to be permitted to enter the gates of the university Library, and equal rights on the campus.

Activists say that Maulana Azad Library is the best and the biggest but female students from various undergraduate programmes are not permitted entry.

But things will now begin to change, said Chandni Bi.

In February, some activists had presented then vice chancellor P.K. Abdul Azis with a concept paper that among others things discussed "immediate issue of Maulana Azad library cards to the Women's College students and restarting and making available facilities of learning - including coaching facilities (CGC) and GEC facility".

The paper also said the university should "increase facilities in the women's college library; and to upgrade facilities in the women's college so as to ease the pressure on students with regard to access to educational facilities". IANS

Parliament passes IIT bill

New Delhi: The Parliament on Monday passed a bill which will make the six new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) capable of granting degrees to the engineers that pass out.

The Institute of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2010, along with the National Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2010, was passed by the Rajya Sabha by voice vote on Monday. Both the bills have already been passed by the Lok Sabha.

The institute of technology bill adds eight new Indian Institutes of Technology in Bhubaneshwar, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Indore, Jodhpur, Mandi, Patna, Ropar and Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), to the list of IITs. All these institutions will be declared as institutions of national importance.

The National Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2010, amends the National Institutes of Technology Act, 2007, to add a schedule of five Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER), established in Kolkata, Pune, Mohali, Bhopal and Thiruvananthapuram. IANS

Akhilesh's laptop, tablet poll sop to materialise soon

Taking a step towards providing free laptops and tablets to students who have passed class X and XII, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has formed a committee to oversee their purchase and subsequent implementation of his Samajwadi Party's poll promise.

The committee, headed by chief secretary Jawwed Usmani, would be entering into detailed negotiations with Information Technology (IT) majors and try to "get the best deal" for the state. The high-powered committee, other than the chief secretary, would have nine principal secretaries, including those of Information, Finance, IT, Planning, and Higher Education besides secretary (Secondary Education), among others.

The committee would first be inviting proposals for the supply of some 47 lakh tablets and laptops and would then hold discussions to scale down the prices, since the poll sop of the Samajwadi Party (SP) is likely to bear a price tag of Rs.4,555 crore. The number of class XII students in the state is pegged at 18.19 lakh while the number of class X students is 28.14 lakh.

The government, at the highest level, has already explored the possibility of procurement of laptops and tablets with IT major HCL whose chairman Shiv Nadar and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav have already held "preliminary parleys" on the matter, an official said.

While the IT giant has expressed its willingness to supply the required number of laptops and tablets to the state, the government wants to "explore the market" further.

"The chief minister has made it amply clear that we need to go for competitive bidding and to get the best and cheapest and we are working in that direction." said Secretary Secondary Education Partha Sarthi Sen Sharma, a member of the committee which is overseeing the implementation of the ambitious project. He added that the work was "underway in right earnest and right direction".

Sources say that the state government is working on a time-bound schedule and that the tablets and laptops might begin to roll out sometime around September. "It is a massive exercise, right from procurement, stocking to distribution and it will definitely take some time," an official said. The chief minister is learnt to be monitoring the project directly. IANS

Shimla convent school allows students to wear turban

Shimla: An over one-and-half-month old controversy over wearing of full-sized turban by Sikh students ended Saturday with a prominent boys' school here allowing them to wear the headgear, an official said.

"The principal has given the assurance that now students can wear the full turban," Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naresh Kumar Lath said.

Gurleen Singh, a Sikh student of Class 12 was verbally told by the principal to wear only 'patka' (under-turban) in St. Edward's school, which barred the students from wearing the full-sized turban.

"The principal gave us in writing that the students will be allowed to wear the full-sized turbans from Monday," said Jaspal Singh.

Parents of some Sikh students approached the local administration Thursday on the issue after the school refused to withdraw its March 2 order. They said the students had been wearing 'patka' in the school since then.

Shimla Deputy Commissioner Onkar Sharma had directed school principal John Bosco to settle the issue on priority.

St Edward's School has been a prominent boys' school in Shimla since March 9, 1925, in the Milsington Estate. Brother J.C. Doheny was its founder principal.

The school boasts of alumni like Vice President M. Hamid Ansari, former cricketer Kapil Dev, former Punjab Police chief K.P.S. Gill and union minister and former chief minister Virbhadra Singh. IANS

Australia welcomes new ethics codes for education agents

New Delhi: Australia's Acting High Commissioner to India, Lachlan Strahan, on Friday applauded the new 'International Code of Ethics' for education agents.

The code aims to ensure that all international students, including Indian students, receive professional and ethical service when they use agents to help them apply to Australian institutions.

Education officials from Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand have issued a joint statement of principles for ethical international student recruitment, following talks in London in March 2012 hosted by the British Council. The countries first met for talks in 2010, when Australia proposed developing a joint international code of ethics.

The use of recruitment agents is almost universal in the education systems some countries. A small number of agents and consultants have been accused of unethical or even illegal conduct, causing problems both for students and institutions and damaging the reputation of their profession.

The London Statement sets out seven principles that agents will be urged to adhere to.

"The London Statement of Principles promotes and encourages good practices that we expect to see from the education agent community. We will work with agents to implement these principles," Strahan said.

Colin Walters, chief executive officer, Australian Education International, added: "It is important that the reputation and integrity of international education continues to be held in high regard. We must ensure that international students receive advice which will enable them to have high quality educational experiences." IANS

Rajya Sabha passes amended central institutions act

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha on Friday passed amendments to the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admissions) Act, 2006, exempting some central institutions from implementing the other backward castes (OBC) quota.

The amendment is applicable to institutions where implementation of the Act exceeds the 50 percent reservation limit fixed by the Supreme Court.

The move seeks to balance state and central reservation policies. The amendment says that if seats reserved for Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes in a central educational institution exceed 50 percent of the annual strength permitted, the institution need not make any reservation for OBCs.

According to the amendment, if such an institution is located in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Assam's tribal areas, the percentage of seats reserved for SC/ST candidates will not be reduced from the level obtaining on the date immediately preceding the date of the Act's commencement.

In case the institution is in any other area, the percentage of seats reserved for SC/ST candidates will be reduced to 50. IANS

Jamia to run 50-bed medical centre

New Delhi: A 50-bed medical centre, named after King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, has been inaugurated at Jamia Millia Islamia, officials said on Saturday.

Named after King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, the centre was inaugurated Friday by Jamia Chancellor Lt. Gen. (Retd.) M.A. Zaki and Vice Chancellor Najeeb Jung.

The centre will function under the faculty of dentistry of Jamia Millia Islamia, can accommodate 50 beds and has various facilities, officials said. IANS

Haryana university to generate own power

To meet its requirement of electricity for laboratories and class rooms and ensure uninterrupted supply, a university in Haryana plans to generate 500 KW electricity through solar devices installed on its buildings, its vice chancellor said on Saturday.

Murthal-based Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology Vice Chancellor H.S. Chahal said solar energy was being utilised for street lights and heating water in the hostels.

He said that now solar energy generated on the university campus will be utilized to supply power to laboratories and classrooms.

He said the Haryana government had also honoured the university for bagging first position in energy conservation at state level.

Murthal is about 50 km from Delhi. IANS

Education Loan to Minorities

India Banks’ Association (IBA) has circulated revised Model Educational Loan Scheme to its member banks. Banks can adopt the scheme with discretion to make changes as deemed fit. The scheme is for all students including students from minority communities. 

Indian Nationals who have secured admission to professional/technical courses in India or abroad through an entrance test/merit based selection process are eligible for educational loans under the scheme. 

Complaints received from various channels regarding non-sanction, non-disbursal, delay in sanction, disbursal of education loans are taken up with the concerned banks for immediate corrective measures. 

The performance of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) under educational loan scheme is reviewed on an ongoing basis. The banks have been advised to ensure that the Educational Loan Scheme is implemented in letter and spirit and that loan applications are disposed of within the prescribed time limit. 

This information was given by the Minister of State for Finance, Shri Namo Narain Meena in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

Tripura to launch disaster management project in schools

Agartala: Tripura will launch a disaster management programme in its schools to enhance the state's preparedness in an event of a natural calamity striking it, an official said here on Monday.

"The government has launched an ambitious School Disaster Management Planning (SDMP) project from this academic session. Under it, teachers and students will be trained to deal with any natural disaster, including earthquake," said state education department joint director Dilip Debbarma.

"The project will cover all the 4,465 schools across the mountainous state," he added.

According to Debbarma, the first phase of the disaster management training project will cover the teachers and subsequently it will be extended to the students.

The education department has sanctioned a fund of Rs.250,000 for this academic session to launch the programme in all schools up to Class 12.

Debbarma said that the district magistrates, sub-divisional magistrates and district education officials will supervise the project in areas under their jurisdiction.

Education ministers of eight northeastern states last year submitted an eight-point resolution to the union human resource development ministry, highlighting the vulnerability of a large number of schools in the region in case of a natural disaster hitting the region.

"Thousands of school buildings, constructed more than 50 to 100 years ago, are not safe to sustain high seismic tremors," said an education department official.

The Geological Survey of India had earlier notified that the northeastern region could experience a devastating earthquake as it falls in the sixth highest earthquake prone regions of the world. IANS