Staff Shortage - Weakest Link in I...

Staff Shortage - Weakest Link in Indian Education System - by Shalz V The Right to Education Act or RTE came into effect on April 1, 2010 and different schools were expected to meet the required norms by March 13, 2013. There are a number of schools all over the country which are yet to meet these norms. Besides lack of infrastructure like proper buildings, toilets and drinking water, shortage of qualified teachers is one of the major requirements that poses a danger to RTE’s implementation even during the years to come. For instance, 20 percent of teaching posts are lying vacant in the state of Punjab and these vacancies are taking a toll of the the standard of education in government schools. According to the information presented in the Vidhan Sabha, there are almost 29000 vacant posts only in the state of Punjab. Number of schools do not have regular teachers even for important s... Continue reading

India trip (March 2012)

Arrived back in India at the weekend. Today spent most of the day at the school and also at The Golden Temple in Amritsar. The Golden Temple is the holiest of Sikh temples (Guduwara) In every Guduwara in the world they have the Langar hall, this is a place where food is served to all the visitors (without distinction of background) for free. At the langar, only vegetarian food is served, to ensure that all people, regardless of their dietary restrictions, can eat as equals. Langar is open to Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike.  The food is provided through donations, it is then cooked and served by volunteers. In Sikhism the act of volunteering is known as Seva. Seva (selfless service) is a one of the foundations of Sikhism and Sikhs are encouraged to help the community by performing unpaid work in hospitals, 'old peoples' homes, community centres, etc this is not only good for communi... Continue reading