-The Hindu AISHE confirms rising vacancies in higher education New Delhi: The total number of teachers in higher educational institutions in India has come down by about 2.34-lakh in the last three years, as per the All India Survey on Higher Education report 2017-18. Coming at a time when there has been widespread concern over the continuing vacancies in universities, the report is likely to be an eye-opener on the dearth of teachers...

-The Hindu The RTI Act Amendment Bill must be junked The Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, has empowered millions of Indians to question governments and hold public functionaries accountable. Of the nearly six million RTI applications filed every year in the country, a large proportion are by the poorest and the most marginalised who seek information about their basic rights and entitlements, like rations, pensions and health facilities. The use of...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission has rapped the Uttar Pradesh government over the strip search of 70 girls at a government residential school in Muzaffarnagar last year. It has issued a notice to the chief secretary asking him to explain why a compensation of Rs 25,000 should not be awarded to each of the girls, and directing him to arrange for their counselling. It has also summoned the principal...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: The choice of six Institutes of Eminence—three each in the public and private domains—has sparked controversy, particularly over one of them, but how did the committee arrive at its picks—and so quickly? Did the Empowered Expert Committee (EEC) that assessed all 113 eligible institutes follow selection guidelines to the letter? A close examination of the process followed suggests perhaps not. On the other hand, EEC chairman...

-Scroll.in With smart classrooms, English lessons and more, a government campaign is restoring parents’ confidence in public schools. For the first time in 25 years, public schools in Kerala registered a year-on-year increase in student enrolment this year. It is a significant ahievement given that 5,715 schools were functioning without adequate student strength till 2016. Data released by the education department last week showed that a little over 1.8 lakh students joined...