Question paper leak made no noticeable impact on JNV exams

New Delhi: Investigations into the alleged leak of question papers for admission to Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas suggested that there was no "noticeable" adverse impact of these leaks on the conduct of examination, the government said.
 
This information was given in Rajya Sabha by Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal in response to a starred question.
 
Sibal said that the first phase of selection test for admission of students to Class VI in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas all over the country was conducted on February 12.
 
He said that there were some media reports that question paper for this exam had been leaked in some centres.
 
"Detailed investigations made by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) in this regard have indicated that one paper was known on 12th February 2012 only after examination was started which had no noticeable impact on the conduct of examination or the performance of candidates," Sibal said. 

Research, higher studies gaining popularity among Indians

New Delhi: The pursuit of research and higher studies is finding favour among Indians as an increasing number of students are enrolling for Doctorate programmes, the government said.

"The trend of number of students pursuing research (MPhil and PhD combined) during the last three years in the country is increasing," Minister of state in Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry D Purandeswari said.

She said that the UGC had reported that 95,872 students were pursuing research in 2009-09 following which the number increased to 1,17,999 in 2009-10.

The number had further increased to 1,37,668 in 2010-11, Purandeswari said.

In response to another question, the minister said that it was estimated that the number of children who remained out of school had also come down.

A study commissioned by MHRD through Social and Rural Research Institute has estimated that the number of children out of school in the age group 6-13 has come down from 1.35 crore in 2005 to 81.5 lakhs, she said. 

Sibal attacks plan panel for rejecting proposal on edu loans

New Delhi: HRD Minister Kapil Sibal hit out at the Planning Commission for rejecting a proposal to set up an education finance corporation to refinance student education loans, saying the move was against the interest of the students.

"The HRD Ministry has been knocking at the doors of Planning Commission saying please set up the corporation... and my friend Montek has been little more conservative than me on these issues. I have to say this because they rejected idea of the corporation," the Minister said.

"Unless the loans are guaranteed by government, no financial institution is going to give loans," he said at a function here with Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia in attendance.

Sibal said the present loan structure of the government was not conducive for either students taking loan or bank offering loans. "We need to actually liberalise the whole structure".

In this context, he suggested that financial institutes should have a flexible lending policy when extending loans for setting up educational institutes.  

"I believe the banks must be asked to give long term loan to educational institution paid over period of 20 to 25 years. To set-up an education institution nobody is going to borrow at 12 per cent or 16 per cent and set-up up institution where you have to return the loan over period of 7 years," he said.

Member Planning Commission Narendra Jadav, on the occasion, said a working group on education has recommended allocation of Rs 4,13,000 crore for the 12th plan Period, the allocation of which will be finalised next week.  

Favouring policies like free land for setting up educational institutes and health care facilities, Sibal said no private sector would invest unless "you give them appropriate environment".

In this regard, he said the government has to clearly spell out the stand on issues which are hindering reforms initiatives.

He touched upon the issue of litigation involving land and confided that when he suggested free land for educational institutes and health facilities being in an empowered GoM looking into natural assets, "there was enormous opposition to this even in government".

"Every time you want to do something like this, the court thinks we are giving freebies to private sector. Unless these issues are clarified, we wont be able to move forward. Government has to strongly state that these are the fundamentals without which no reform process can take place," he said.

N R Narayana Murthy, who heads a committee on corporate sector participation in higher education, said India does not have adequate number of educational institutions to take care of eligible students.

He said about 26 million seats need to be provided over the next decade.

"The existing higher education system in India lags in comparison to global standards and is inadequate to meet the demand. No Indian college or university features in top 300 list of Times higher education supplement," he said. 

Bill in LS to provide education to disabled children

New Delhi: A bill to widen the beneficiary net for disabled children in Right to Education and provide those with severe disability the option of receiving education at home was moved in the Lok Sabha.
    
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2010, moved by HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, provides the right to receive home-based education to children with severe disabilities and dismissed criticism of the provision.
    
Parents would have the option of providing home-based education to children with severe disabilities, according to the bill passed by Rajya Sabha last month.
    
As soon as Sibal rose to move the bill after the passage of the Finance Bill, members from the Opposition protested and demanded that it be done tomorrow. Sibal said he was only moving the bill for consideration and the debate on it could take place tomorrow. 

HRD ministry team to submit report on violence at Allahabad University

Allahabad: A two-member team constituted by the Union HRD Ministry to look into the violence that had rocked the University of Allahabad last week said it has obtained "versions from both sides" and would submit its report in a few days.
      
"We have spoken to the Vice-Chancellor, the Proctor as well as other University officials. We have also talked to student leaders as well as boys and girls who have received injuries in the clash with police on Friday night. We will be submitting our report to the Ministry in a few days", Director of IIT-Kanpur S G Dhande and former UGC Chairman Sukhdeo Thorat told reporters.
     
The violence had broken out over eviction of students from hostels by the authorities at the end of the academic session.
      
"Both the authorities and the students have a number of grievances relating to the general functioning of the University as well as the circumstances that led to last week's clash. Our report will aim at suggesting ways to prevent such occurrences in future", they said while declining to divulge further details.
      
The University campus had been rocked by protests for more than a week against the direction for eviction of hostels immediately on conclusion of the academic year 2011-2012.
  
Students have been demanding that they be given a few months' time to vacate as competitive examinations were around the corner and finding a fresh accommodation could affect their preparations.
     
However, the varsity administration stood its ground asserting that the proposed move was essential to rid the hostels of unauthorized occupants whose presence had an adverse effect on serious students. 
     
An FIR has been lodged against unnamed persons in connection with the violence even as some student union leaders have been holding fasts to press the demand for scrapping of the police case.