Matriculate Trained Teachers, who make up 87% of school teachers in India, get Rs 775 in UP Rs 892 in Assam and Rs 1,507 per month in Punjab. Even in the most highly rated schools, the average salary is Rs. 7,225 p.m. Nearly 200,000 teachers in Bihar draw a salary less than that of a peon in the government. Teachers with post graduate degrees teaching primary to higher secondary levels, draw...

The minister for human resource development, Kapil Sibal, is a man in a hurry. His haste would be welcome, if the government’s proposals for higher education were not so scandalous. Amazingly, despite a few distinguished voices of dissent, there has been no national debate on the United Progressive Alliance government’s plans. Existing state and Central universities, likely to be worst affected by the broom of change, seem reconciled to their...

KEY TRENDS  •    A survey study by CRY across 71 districts in 13 states during September-October 2012 to assess the implementation of RTE reveals that: a. 11% schools did not have toilets; b. Only 18% schools had separate toilets for girls; c. In 34% schools toilets were observed to be in bad condition or unusable; d. 20% schools did not have safe drinking water; e. 12% schools had a tap, or...

  KEY TRENDS     •    The biggest school feeding programmes are in India (114 million), Brazil (47 million), the United States (45 million) and China (26 million). India has a universal school meals programmes. It's school feeding programme ranks 12th among 35 lower-middle-income countries covering 79 percent of its total number of school-going children $ •    In 2010-11, the combined expenditure of the central government and the state governments/ Union Territories on the school meals...