-The Times of India MUMBAI: Just before the release of the popular Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), a government teacher in the state has raised concerns over the methodology employed in its preparation. ASER is a popular report on the learning levels of children across states. The report is to be revealed in New Delhi on Wednesday. Ranjitsinh Disale, a ZP school teacher from Solapur, wrote to Pratham, the NGO which...

-Livemint.com The proportion of school students in Grade 3 who are able to read a book meant for Grade 1 has improved only marginally from 40.2% in 2014 to 42.5% in 2016 New Delhi: The overall learning level in schools across rural India continues to be “pretty disappointing”, according to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) published on Wednesday. Nationally, the proportion of school students in Grade 3 who are able to...

-The Hindu The Niti Aayog has called for a review of the provisions of the Right To Education Act that stipulate that children who don’t perform well cannot be held back up to class VIII. It said the good intention behind the norm is detrimental to the learning process. It has also suggested a system where direct benefit transfers offer the poor a choice between subsidised purchases or equivalent cash to buy...

-The Hindu When knowledge gained is not acknowledged, and the textbook is considered the sole source of answers, education becomes a foreign language. A critique of rote learning is an educational cliché. Much has been written about it and almost every educator will passionately argue against it. However, the textbook still continues to be the holy grail of learning. You can participate in activities, test yourself, memorise information and learn. But don’t...

-The Indian Express Budget 2016 has a greater focus on the rural and social sectors. But the challenge will lie in improving delivery systems. Indian agriculture as well as the rural sector have been in distress in the last two years due to deficit rainfall and the decline in global commodity prices. The rural non-agriculture sector, too, has been under stress due to the lack of demand for manufacturing and services. It...