Why we need government schools: They are the only educational lifeline for 60% of India’s children

There is change in our government schools if one cares to look for it. In a survey my colleagues conducted in 2005 in northeast Karnataka, only four out of ten schools had obtained uniforms and books in time for the start of the academic year. Today, this number has more than doubled. Nearly every school I visited had planned and procured books and uniforms well in time, even if it meant that their teachers had to sacrifice some holidays. In most schools that we visited, attendance was over 90 per…

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Why It’s So Important to Include LGBTQ Education in Schools

In this op-ed, Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education Richard Carranza explains why teaching young people about LGBTQ icons is potentially life-saving. Educators change lives — and save lives — every day. I don’t mean that as a figure of speech. I mean that literally. In the classrooms, in the hallways, and even after hours, the bonds that educators form with students and families can be lifesaving for some of our most vulnerable young people. As chancellor of the largest school district in the country, my mandate goes…

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CBSE wants schools to frame rules after teachers complain about salaries

Concerned over complaints received from private school teachers across the country over payment of partial salary and delay in disbursement of salary and allowances, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has asked affiliated schools to frame service rules and follow them. “A number of complaints have been received against affiliated schools alleging payment of partial salary, delay in disbursement of salary and allowances, promotion and non-availability of welfare measures for teachers, retaining the teachers after schools hours, engaging them in the non-education activities etc. As a result, the teachers…

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‘The Daily Mile’ program promotes fitness in schools

Elaine Wyllie, headteacher of St. Ninians Primary School, was shocked to see that her students were unfit. A class of 11-year-olds struggled mightily to jog, or even walk, a mile. Not about to stand by and let the pride of Stirling, Scotland, succumb to crisps, video games and the ravages of obesity, the next day Wyllie’s class was outside circling the school grounds for 15 minutes. They were out there the next day, and the day after that. That was February 2012, the birth of The Daily Mile. The idea was…

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China’s Smoggiest City Closes Schools Amid Public Anger

China’s smoggiest city closed schools on Wednesday, as much of the country suffered its sixth day under an oppressive haze, sparking public anger about the slow response to the threat to children’s health. Since Friday a choking miasma has covered a large swathe of northeastern China, leaving more than 460 million gasping for breath. Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province, was one of more than 20 cities which went on red alert Friday evening, triggering an emergency plan to reduce pollution by shutting polluting factories and taking cars off the…

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Chinese Cities Choked by Dangerous Smog for Fifth Day: Factories, Schools Closed

Northern China was shrouded in almost record pollution for a fifth day on Wednesday, disrupting flights, traffic and shipping, and closing factories and schools, with some residents complaining emergency anti-smog measures were not operating. Hundreds of government inspectors patrolled Beijing on Wednesday to enforce temporary bans on barbecues and make sure that cars with even number plates were the only ones on the roads. Many Beijing highrises simply disappeared into the grey haze, as commuters wearing face masks headed to work. Emergency closures of power plants, steel mills and ports…

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