-Newslaundry.com Affected families have much in common: low social status, low income, poor access to healthcare, and the non-existent reach of government schemes The countryside in Bihar’s north-western region of Tirhut is in full bloom at this time of the year. One is constantly in the vicinity of mango trees and litchi orchards and a good portion of agricultural land seems fallow. The sun is excessively punishing but it does little to...

-Down to Earth The midday meal scheme for Schoolchildren is increasingly getting politicised, as the upper class elite wants to impose its own religious/food beliefs on malnourished children Most countries in the world now have some programme that provides midday meals to Schoolchildren. School meals have been widely hailed for their multiple benefits — they increase enrolment and attendance, particularly of children from vulnerable groups; contribute to reduce “classroom hunger” and improve...

-The Hindu DPI to submit proposal to State govt. Karnataka: The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) wants to replicate the food menu of children in anganwadis, which includes eggs, in pre-primary classes from this academic year, and is planning to submit a proposal to the State government. The government this year started pre-primary sections in 276 Karnataka Public Schools where all children are of the same age bracket as those in anganwadis, who...

-Newsclick.in The draft National Education Policy reinforces outdated ideas about the goals of a foundational literacy programme Many children in elementary classrooms across India cannot read and write proficiently, as demonstrated on an annual basis by the Annual Status of Education Reports (ASER). This affects other School-based learning, as well as functioning in societies and economies that prize literacy. Capabilities of young children It was heartening, therefore, to see a chapter devoted to “Foundational...

-Newsclick.in Continuing delays in payment of salaries have led various teachers’ association to question the state government’s commitment to the education sector in the state. Unhappy over the Nitish Kumar government’s apathy towards the non-payment of salaries since March this year, hundreds of School teachers’ associations in Bihar are questioning the state government’s commitment towards the education sector. Bihar Madhyamik Sikshak Sangh (BMSS) president Kedarnath Pandey said it is a matter of...