Punia takes over as SC Commission Chairman

Former top Uttar Pradesh bureaucrat P L Punia today assumed charge as the Chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), filling the post which had been lying vacant since Buta Singh's term ended five months ago.

The new Chairman, a retired IAS officer and now the Congress MP from Barabanki, told reporters the NCSC would evaluate and monitor the schemes and programmes being implemented for the welfare of the Scheduled Castes and give its suggestions and recommendations as and when required under Article 338 of the Constitution. He said the existing 12 regional offices of the Commission will be strengthened adequately to ensure that people can get their grievances resolved near to their place of residence. Mr Punia had served Mayawati thrice as her principal secretary and was one of her trusted officers. Relations between them turned sour during the investigation of the Taj Heritage Corridor case by the CBI.

He retired from the government in 2005.

Dr. P.L.Punia,
Chairman
Tel: 91-11-24632298 / 24620435 (O),
91-11-23795332 (Telefax) (R)
Fax: 91-11-24632298
Email: chairman-ncsc@nic.in and plpunia@gmail.com

Left out of nursery list, EWS parents cling to hope

Dharmendra Singh has one dream — to see his three-year-old daughter Lakshita attend an “English-medium school”. The recent pre-school admission result, however, has threatened to shatter it. He had applied for her admission under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category at five private unaided schools in his neighbourhood, Jwalapuri, but none of the final lists had his daughter’s name, leaving him thoroughly disappointed.

“I am a security guard. I am poor. My parents could not afford education for me but I want my daughter to speak English and become somebody in life,” he says. “I do not know what these schools do to select children but I am not happy with the method.”

Private unaided schools in the Capital conducted a draw of lots to select students for the 25 per cent seats reserved for the EWS category. Under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, schools have to reserve at least 25 per cent of the total number of seats for the EWS. For the general category, schools went with the 100-point system adopted in earlier years. For the EWS seats, the schools resorted to random selection.

There are many like Singh. Options are few for them, since many schools say there is very little possibility of a second list of selected candidates for the EWS section being released. Principals maintain that “there is small chance of selected candidates in the EWS section dropping out”.

Some parents have even alleged foul play on the part of the schools. Raghubir Singh, also from the Jwalapuri JJ cluster, said, “Some schools did not even let us enter the school on the day of the draw of lots. I think the schools had already made up their minds about the children they wanted to admit.”

While parents in the general category, whose wards did not get through a school this year, can allow their child to continue in the playschool, EWS parents have no such options available. “All I can do is hope for another list,” said Amit Malhotra, another parent. “I will apply to a government school. What else can I do?”

Left out of nursery list, EWS parents cling to hope

Dharmendra Singh has one dream — to see his three-year-old daughter Lakshita attend an “English-medium school”. The recent pre-school admission result, however, has threatened to shatter it. He had applied for her admission under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category at five private unaided schools in his neighbourhood, Jwalapuri, but none of the final lists had his daughter’s name, leaving him thoroughly disappointed.

“I am a security guard. I am poor. My parents could not afford education for me but I want my daughter to speak English and become somebody in life,” he says. “I do not know what these schools do to select children but I am not happy with the method.”

Private unaided schools in the Capital conducted a draw of lots to select students for the 25 per cent seats reserved for the EWS category. Under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, schools have to reserve at least 25 per cent of the total number of seats for the EWS. For the general category, schools went with the 100-point system adopted in earlier years. For the EWS seats, the schools resorted to random selection.

There are many like Singh. Options are few for them, since many schools say there is very little possibility of a second list of selected candidates for the EWS section being released. Principals maintain that “there is small chance of selected candidates in the EWS section dropping out”.

Some parents have even alleged foul play on the part of the schools. Raghubir Singh, also from the Jwalapuri JJ cluster, said, “Some schools did not even let us enter the school on the day of the draw of lots. I think the schools had already made up their minds about the children they wanted to admit.”

While parents in the general category, whose wards did not get through a school this year, can allow their child to continue in the playschool, EWS parents have no such options available. “All I can do is hope for another list,” said Amit Malhotra, another parent. “I will apply to a government school. What else can I do?”

Students Protest for their Education

Students Protest for their Education

CHANDIGARH : A large numbers of students of Chandigarh schools, colleges and Panjab university including parents and some teachers gathered at Panjab University Students Centre for protest against the reluctance of management of private schools in Chandigarh to the implementation of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE), 2009. As per the RTE Act Act 25% of the students from the poor families are are to be admitted in the private schools whose expenses of education would be borne by the govt. It is worth remembering that it took seven years to pass the act in 2009 and was suppoesed to be implimented from the last academic session. The management of private schools on one or the other pretext are not willing to implement the Act even from the forthcoming session in 2011. Seventy two private schiools in Chandigarh and if students from neighbourhood are not admitted this year it will amount to the violation of the basic premises of the Act. Educationb is not be reduced to profit making business. It is sad that some private schools instead of making ventures of making education as their mission and social service have reduced it to profit making ventures at the cost of helpless parents. Gathering reminded that nearly half of the children of poor people are still deprived of quality edication and they are eventally forced to end up working as child labour. The Act is the revelutionary provision and it is the duty of every parents and conscious citizen to see the act is implemented n the is letter and spirit.