Education

At the launch of the Green and Safe School project. Pic: B.PAC  B.PAC has been working on sustainability and safety issues and is now pioneering the concept of a Green and Safe School model with a holistic vision to create a clean, hygienic, safe environment in government schools that is conducive for learning. A ‘Green and Safe School’ follows a child-centric approach, where schools become a space for positive carbon footprint, free of violence, harassment and abuse. B.PAC in association with Shell MRPL Aviation Fuels & Services Ltd aims to apply the principles of the Green and Safe School to…

For the first time in Bengaluru, the Walk to School (W2S) program was conducted successfully in Sanjaynagar. 1,500 children from six schools participated in the program by walking to school from their homes on Saturday November 5th. Those living further away and typically travelling by bus or other vehicles, were dropped off at common points a few kilometres away, and walked to school in groups. Pic: Manju George It was surprising to see that instead of complaining that they had to wake up early and walk to school on a cold morning, the children were excited and happy to walk.…

Enfold, as part of its annual events around observing World Day Against Child Abuse (November 19th), organised a panel discussion on November28th. When child sexual abuse (CSA) is reported in school, its ‘safe-space’ reputation can quickly become a hotbed of suspicion and panic, attracting media glare. In this emotionally charged situation, the best interests of the child and family, and adherence to the POCSO Act (The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012), and Karnataka State CPP (Child Protection For Educational Institutions) often recedes. Representations from stakeholders, related to school spaces, discussed about the systems and protocols on how…

What goes missing in most of the conversation around the issues with infrastructure in Bengaluru, is the impact it has on children. The school transportation system in the Whitefield area has taken a big hit. Children travel for several hours to cover a short distance. They are unable to reach their respective classes on time. Some of them miss the first class at school, some others try to save time by skipping breakfast. Due to the exposure to the dust during their commute, they are prone to developing respiratory problems. The bumpy rides take a toll on their slender spine.…

We, Natalie Sridhar who has completed her bachelors in psychology from the US, Mohammed Fazil an ex-Cisco employee, and Deepa Mahesh, an ex-Target employee are currently Teach for India fellows, teaching Grades three and four at the Kadugodi Govternment School.  We have been in this system for the last four months and realise there are many things that the school needs support with.  Infrastructure needs Drinking Water: Water supply is an issue because the pump for the borewell keeps going out of order. The school also needs a water purifying system to make the water drinkable for the kids. Toilets: We have…

How many tuition or coaching centres are there in Bengaluru? A simple internet search for SSLC/ PUC or other subject coaching centres in Bengaluru will throw thousands of results at you. No one knows the exact number. Yet, of all these tutorials, only 28 are legal, while the rest are functioning illegally, right under the nose of Education department! Information collected by Citizen Matters from various education departments has revealed that only a handful of tutorials in the city have obtained necessary permission from the department to operate. Majority of the coaching centres that promise to give a bright future…

Jesus is supposed to have said that "Man does not live by bread alone". Whether I eat only bread or other things along with it, though, a lot of the stuff I'm currently learning will be of no help whatsoever in acquiring it. That's what I feel every time I sit down, or, as the case may be, try to keep my head off the desk, in class. My main issue is with the amount we're expected to write - by hand! I'm not expecting to spend much time writing going forward—after all, this is 2015, not 1215. And anyway,…

Canara Bank Institute of Information Technology, a corporate social responsibility initiative of Canara Bank has been providing computer education under both hardware and software streams. The programs it offers are of full time duration and provide an opportunity for educated and unemployed youth to learn computer skills and improve soft skills free of cost. The objective is to bring otherwise expensive computer training within the reach of the common man. The upcoming program on Network Administration will commence on September 26th 2015. Candidates who are above 18 years of age can take the aptitude test which will be held on September 14th 2015 at…

The Right to Education Act has to be amended, to have any chance of succeeding. In fact, almost certainly, without amendments it will do more harm than good, and there is enough evidence of this happening already. Four common-sense steps will help. (a) The regulation of the education sector has to be separated from the Education departments of states. The regulator should be able to oversee the functioning of both public schools and private schools. (b) Unaided schools should be exempt from this law, and instead be brought under a new voluntary-mandatory mix like has been done for CSR in…

It was camp-fire time at Naamadachilume, near Tumkur, Karnataka, school year 1972-73. All manner of sharing, singing, joking, and so on was going on. The Scout Master said, “I know students call me Dappa Ravay (V)unday. I think it is because I am a very sweet person.” In those few seconds, we realized that famous “fortune” line that would appear, decades later, on my Unix terminal: “Remember that secret you had? It isn’t!” DR Vijayendra Rao aka DRV, from a family photograph. Pic: DV Prahlad Generations of students (about 5 or 6 only, at the time) had called him that.…