-The Hindu Students in government schools in Assam study only for two-and-a-half hours every day at the primary level compared to five-and-a-half to six-and-a-half hours in the rest of the country, an official study has shown. Similarly, the total number of working days in primary schools each year is 180 in Nagaland and Manipur and a maximum of 253 in Bihar and Jharkhand with lower than average literacy rates. But in most...

-The Hindu The south leads in the number of medical and nursing seats, with for-profit private colleges dominating the scene. It will take major capacity expansion in the government sector to meet WHO norms on access to health professionals. India has achieved major organisational and technological successes but the health system's performance is abysmal. This cannot be attributed to poverty. It is poor health that places India 134th in the Human Development...

-The Times of India RANCHI: The district superintendent of education (DSE) has decided to take strict action against theprivate schools that have not filed the application for recognition under the Right To Education (RTE) Act. According to DSE Jayant Mishra, there are 626 private schools in the city. Of these, only 398 schools have applied to the education department for recognition under the RTE Act. Mishra added, "A deadline of May 15 for...

-The Hindu   A concern about the Food Security Bill is that legal entitlement has been weakened to mean a passive right to receive whatever the state gives The hallmark of the National Food Security Bill 2011 is that if implemented it will translate into India's first ever right to food legislation, guaranteeing food as a justiciable, legal entitlement to its people. However, in its current form, the Bill fails to evolve a...

-Mumbai Mirror The BMC has refused to approve extension of classes for over 150 private schools in the city, as these schools were unable to comply with the stringent norms of the Right to Education Act (RTE). If they cannot comply with these norms, there is a chance that these schools could shut down next academic year. The BMC, however, has approached the state government to relax these norms, as some...