Round The States

New Delhi, 2 July, 2016

Education Fraud Spreads

SCHOOLS IN GUJARAT, PhDs IN UP

By Insaf

Mathematics wizard Aryabhata would be turning in his grave if he is told that Maths is all about cooking! If this was the story of the education fraud in Bihar recently, ditto is the case in Modi’s Gujarat. Shockingly, 500 students of class X who got 90-95 per cent in their mathematics objectives do not know the difference between a triangle and a circle. Worse, they were unable to solve the two digit multiplication and subtraction sums. This came to light when the authorities scrutinized the fairness of the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) examination process. However, unlike Bihar where the rule of lawlessness is the order of the day, in Gujarat the modus operandi was different. Herein, the conspirators would whisper out the answers to the students while the teacher stood below the CCTV camera to block the view. As things stands, the GSHSEB has awarded the students zero, notwithstanding Chief Minister Anandiben Patel’s BJP Government claiming credit for bringing down cheating in schools. What next?

When it comes to Ulta Pulta State the less said the better. If its school students in Bihar and Gujarat, its college professors and lecturers who are enmeshed in a tutoring deceit. Add to it they boast PhD degrees, extensive teaching experience and have been evaluating students’ papers for years. Most scandalously, examples abound: The IMF (International Monetary Fund) stands for International Money Found asserted an economics lecturer; he also had no idea what ‘audit’ meant. While, an associated professor of English spells evaluation as “evalluation” and spelt finance as “finesce”. Topped by school teachers who do not now the names of the Prime Minister and UP’s Chief Minister. Like Bihar and Gujarat this abysmal state of affairs came to light at the Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management during evaluation of BA English, economics and history answer sheets. Even as Governor Ram Naik who is also the University Chancellor has asked for details, the rot continues to spread far and wide.

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Bengal’s Chit Funds Scam

Barely, had the West Bengal Government recovered from the 2013-14 Saradha scandal, it now finds itself enmeshed in a new ponzi scam: chit funds under the garb of “agricultural schemes” in rural parts of the State. The State’s Consumer Affairs Department is getting a spate of complaints about investors not getting returns on their investments or the capital being siphoned off in various agricultural schemes. While some chit funds promised huge returns on a potato flexi scheme promising a 20-100 per cent to gullible villagers on their investment within a fixed time period, others guaranteed large sums on tree plantation and poultry farming. True, these chit fund companies are operating at such a small level whereby it is tough for the local administration to locate them. “Our hands are tied we can only educate the people not to invest in these funds,” stated the State Consumer Affairs Minister.  The ball now rests in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s court!

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Shanti Geet In Naxal Territories

The Centre in an out-of-the-box thinking plans to use music to counter Left wing propaganda in 35 districts of seven Maoist and Naxalite affected States and win over the minds and hearts of the locals. Towards that end, AIR plans a major push into the Maoists war zone in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra, Odisha, Telengana and Maharashtra showing the ill effects of violence with shanti geet, traditional folk songs, programmes on local culture, sports and arts, religious and spiritual discourses  topped by various Government schemes to eliminate poverty. Further, these programmes would be broadcast in 30 tribal languages, including Bhojpuri, Maithili, Dhurvi etc. That too, in districts which till now had no access to TV and limited radio frequency.  It is a moot point whether the tribals will sway to the sounds of music!

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Telangana & AP Land Quibbles

Two years after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s dream to build massive office complexes in Hyderabad over premises vacated by the State TDP Government were torpedoed by his counterpart Chandrababu Naidu who made plain that till Hyderabad remained the common Capital till 2024 he would not part with any building. No matter the Andhra Administration is shifting its Government staff to new Capital Amaravati. As things stand today, these premises are being shared by the two Telugu speaking States despite Telangana. Further, Naidu intends extracting his pound of flesh in 142 State-owned institutions located in Telangana under the IXth and Xth schedules of AP Reorganisation Act. Predictably, this has paid put to many of Telangana Chief Minister’s dream projects. The last word has still to be said by the Supreme Court when it adjudicates on a petition filed by Rao.
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Gita In Haryana Schools

Haryana is busy on a spree of imparting religious and moral lessons to class six and above students in State-run schools. Towards that end the Bhagavad Gita and lessons of other religions including Islam and Christianity will be taught from the current academic session. The first book in Hindi which includes a chapter on Gita will be at Kurukshetra on Tuesday according to the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Director. It is another matter that the Congress-led Opposition accuses Manohar Lal Khattar’s Government of "saffronisation the education system". What gives? ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)