PUNE: The state school education department will introduce a single textbook formula from 2022-23 onwards to reduce the weight of school bags carried by students every day. This will be introduced in Std I and will be implemented for all primary classes later. The four subjects taught in Std I, English, Marathi, maths and play and learn, have been integrated into a single textbook per four semesters. Hence, instead of carrying all four subject textbooks, the student needs to carry only the integrated textbook, part 1, 2, 3 or 4, as per the semester. “At the moment, a Std I student, who is about six years of age, carries in his or her bag, at least 830gm worth of just textbooks, daily to his school. Add to it the weight of a water bottle, tiffin and notebooks, and the weight goes beyond 1kg. But with this method, the weight of textbooks reduces to 210 gm. On a pilot basis, the textbooks have been introduced in 488 model schools across the state, and the feedback has been good,†Vivek Gosavi, director of Balbharati (Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Curriculum Research), said. Gosavi said that from the academic year 2022-23, the integrated bilingual textbook would be rolled out for Std I students in the entire state. “This will then be done for Std II and so on. We will also incorporate the changes as per the New Education Policy, whenever it is implemented. We have received excellent feedback from teachers using this textbook. The integrated activities are also loved by the students,†he added. Rekha Varpalliwar, a zilla parishad school teacher from Chandrapur district, who joined in 1998 says this has been a great initiative, especially for children in remote areas, where schools are far and students have to walk long distances carrying the heavy bag. “The weight of the bag has reduced. The activities mentioned in the book are also very helpful,†she added. Manjeeri Khambe, another zilla parishad school teacher from Raigad, said that each part of the book has a theme. “The first part is ‘Me and My family’, followed by water, animals and finally the fourth part is transport and people who help us. Currently, we are teaching the second part. The activities in the book are very easy to perform that do not require anything that is not already available. The book is also written in such a way that the students can do everything themselves. The focus is on how to learn and also increasing the curiosity in children so that they become lifelong learners,†she said.
PUNE: The state school education department will introduce a single textbook formula from 2022-23 to reduce the weight of school bags carried by Std 1 students every day. The system will be implemented for all primary classes later. The four subjects taught in Std 1-English, Marathi, Maths and Play and Learn-have been integrated into one textbook per semester. Instead of carrying each subject textbook separately, a student needs to carry only the integrated textbook, be it part 1, 2, 3 or 4, as per the semester. "At the moment, a Std 1 student, who is about 6 years old, carries in his/her bag at least 830gm in textbooks. Add to it the weight of a water bottle, tiffin and notebooks, and the weight goes beyond 1kg. But with this method, the weight of textbooks reduces to 210gm. On a pilot basis, the books have been introduced in 488 model schools, and the feedback has been good," said Vivek Gosavi, director of Balbharati (state bureau of textbook production and curriculum research). Gosavi said from the academic year 2022-23, the integrated bilingual textbook would be rolled out for Std I students in the entire state. "This will then be done for Std II and so on. We will also incorporate the changes as per the New Education Policy, whenever it is implemented. We have received excellent feedback from teachers using this textbook. The integrated activities are also loved by the students," he added. Rekha Varpalliwar, a zilla parishad school teacher from Chandrapur district, says this has been a great initiative, especially for children in remote areas, where schools are far and students have to walk long distances lugging heavy bags. "The weight of the bag has reduced. The activities mentioned in the book are also very helpful," she added. Manjeeri Khambe, another zilla parishad school teacher from Raigad, said each part of the book has a theme. "The first part is 'Me and My family', followed by water, animals and, finally, the fourth part is transport and people who help us. Currently, we are teaching the second part. The activities are very easy and do not require anything that is not already available. The book is written in a way that the students can do everything themselves. The focus is on increasing curiosity in them so they become life-long learners," she said.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday asked Muslims to shun "political secularism" saying it has not helped the socially and educationally backward sections of the community in getting a quota in jobs and education. Addressing a rally in suburban Mumbai, Owaisi said he believes in secularism enshrined in Constitution."What did Muslims get out of secularism? We did not get a reservation in jobs and education. We didn't have participation in decision-making..no rights," the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president said, adding that the word secularism has harmed Muslims.In Maharashtra, only 22 per cent of Muslims take admission in primary schools while only 4.9 per cent of Muslims graduate. He said 83 per cent of Muslims in Maharashtra are landless. "Does the heart of Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena beat only for Marathas?" he questioned. The standard of living of Marathas is much higher compared to Muslims in Maharashtra, he claimed.Referring to the imposition of section 144 of CrPC in Mumbai, which was brought in to check the spread of Omicron variant of coronavirus, Owaisi questioned if prohibitory orders will remain in place when Rahul Gandhi visits the Maharashtra capital later this month. "That time it will not be Omircron but power.....," he said.The Hyderabad MP said Congress and NCP joined hands with Sena for power and forgot the assurance of implementing a 5 per cent quota in jobs and education for the Muslim community. "Congress and NCP blame AIMIM for cutting secular votes. Is Shiv Sena secular? When (Sena president and Maharashtra CM) Uddhav Thackeray says in the legislature that he is proud that Shiv Sainiks destroyed the Babri mosque then these two parties kept quiet," Owaisi said.The NCP and Congress are partners in the Sena-headed Maha Vikas Aghadi government. The erstwhile Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra had provided 5 per cent reservation to Muslims in jobs and education in 2014. The Bombay HC quashed the Maratha quota but upheld the Muslim quota in education. Opposition alleges that between 2014 and 2019, the issue of implementing this quota for Muslims was allegedly not taken up by the then BJP-Shiv Sena government.Speaking at the same rally, Aurangabad MP and Maharashtra AIMIM chief Imtiyaz Jaleel, who travelled to Mumbai by road from his constituency in Marathwada in 13 hours, alleged all attempts were made to stop him from reaching Mumbai. "Mumbai lo main aa gaya..." he told the charged audience. He thanked the police saying they were acting on orders from the top."They were doing their job and I am doing my job," Jaleel said. "We have to question the government on (the failure to implement) 5 per cent quota (for Muslims) and irregularities in Waqf land," he said. Jaleel alleged that prohibitory orders in Mumbai are an excuse to stop the AIMIM rally."Does the Omicron variant spread only on December 11 and 12? Will it go away on December 13?" he asked. Jaleel alleged that Muslims have been used as a "toy" for securing votes during elections. He said Muslims should learn from Marathas on the quota demand. Jaleel alleged that 93,000 acres of Waqf land have been misappropriated and that he has lodged nine FIRs so far as he is a member of the Waqf Board. "Despite the Bombay High Court upholding 5 per cent quota in education and jobs for Muslims, the decision hasn't been implemented. When Congress and NCP were in opposition, they would fight with BJP and Sena for implementing the quota for Muslims.But now despite being in power for two years, nothing has happened on the quota front," he said. Jaleel said heavy police deployment at Vashi while entering Mumbai made him think whether he was an MP or a terrorist. "I was stopped by a police officer asking me to remove the tricolour from my vehicle. I was told that I will not be allowed to proceed with the flag. I told the police that they can keep my vehicle. I will walk to Mumbai with the tricolour," he said.Jaleel said the country can't progress if Muslims are deprived of their rights.Check out DH's latest videos:
MUMBAI: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday asked Muslims to shun "political secularism" saying it has not helped the socially and educationally backward sections of the community in getting a quota in jobs and education. Addressing a rally in suburban Mumbai, Owaisi said he believes in secularism enshrined in Constitution. "What did Muslims get out of secularism? We did not get a reservation in jobs and education. We didn't have participation in decision-making..no rights," the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president said, adding that the word secularism has harmed Muslims. In Maharashtra, only 22 per cent of Muslims take admission in primary schools while only 4.9 per cent of Muslims graduate. He said 83 per cent of Muslims in Maharashtra are landless. "Does the heart of Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena beat only for Marathas?" he questioned. The standard of living of Marathas is much higher compared to Muslims in Maharashtra, he claimed. Referring to the imposition of section 144 of CrPC in Mumbai, which was brought in to check the spread of Omicron variant of coronavirus, Owaisi questioned if prohibitory orders will remain in place when Rahul Gandhi visits the Maharashtra capital later this month. "That time it will not be Omircron but power.....," he said. The Hyderabad MP said Congress and NCP joined hands with Sena for power and forgot the assurance of implementing a 5 per cent quota in jobs and education for the Muslim community. "Congress and NCP blame AIMIM for cutting secular votes. Is Shiv Sena secular? When (Sena president and Maharashtra CM) Uddhav Thackeray says in the legislature that he is proud that Shiv Sainiks destroyed the Babri mosque then these two parties kept quiet," Owaisi said. The NCP and Congress are partners in the Sena-headed Maha Vikas Aghadi government. The erstwhile Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra had provided 5 per cent reservation to Muslims in jobs and education in 2014. The Bombay HC quashed the Maratha quota but upheld the Muslim quota in education. Opposition alleges that between 2014 and 2019, the issue of implementing this quota for Muslims was allegedly not taken up by the then BJP-Shiv Sena government. Speaking at the same rally, Aurangabad MP and Maharashtra AIMIM chief Imtiyaz Jaleel, who travelled to Mumbai by road from his constituency in Marathwada in 13 hours, alleged all attempts were made to stop him from reaching Mumbai. "Mumbai lo main aa gaya..." he told the charged audience. He thanked the police saying they were acting on orders from the top. "They were doing their job and I am doing my job," Jaleel said. "We have to question the government on (the failure to implement) 5 per cent quota (for Muslims) and irregularities in Waqf land," he said. Jaleel alleged that prohibitory orders in Mumbai are an excuse to stop the AIMIM rally. "Is the Omicron variant spreads only on December 11 and 12? Will it go away on December 13?" he asked. Jaleel alleged that Muslims have been used as a "toy" for securing votes during elections. He said Muslims should learn from Marathas on the quota demand. Jaleel alleged that 93,000 acres of Waqf land have been misappropriated and that he has lodged nine FIRs so far as he is a member of the Waqf Board. "Despite the Bombay High Court upholding 5 per cent quota in education and jobs for Muslims, the decision hasn't been implemented. When Congress and NCP were in opposition, they would fight with BJP and Sena for implementing the quota for Muslims. But now despite being in power for two years, nothing has happened on the quota front," he said. Jaleel said heavy police deployment at Vashi while entering Mumbai made him think whether he was an MP or a terrorist. "I was stopped by a police officer asking me to remove the tricolour from my vehicle. I was told that I will not be allowed to proceed with the flag. I told the police that they can keep my vehicle. I will walk to Mumbai with the tricolour," he said. Jaleel said the country can't progress if Muslims are deprived of their rights.
PUNE: On their first day back in school on Monday, many students from Stds I to IV in rural Pune were greeted with flowers and decorated classrooms. Teachers said that it will be a big challenge to get the students back on track as many seem to have forgotten the basics such as the alphabet and numbers, but physical reopening will bridge the learning gap. Pruthviraj Kale, a ZP teacher, said that his school witnessed just over 50% attendance on day 1. âWe had decorated the entire school with balloons and flowers as if it was a birthday party. We had called our sarpanch to greet the students and offer a rose to each student. A local trust had sponsored some bags and books which were distributed among the students. Since only 50% came today, we were able to make one student sit on each bench. We will see how the attendance improves and then decide whether to call students on alternative days or to conduct classes in shifts,â said Kale. Ashok Chepte, a primary school teacher, said that while the school did not assess the children on Monday and instead used the day to distribute a picture-story book given by the State Council of Education Research and Training (SCERT) and to interact with children, he realised that the primary school teachers would need to start from the basics. âThe students who will be in Std I are completely blank. Despite online classes, the condition of Std II students will also be similar. If the schools had reopened in June, by now, we could have brought them at par. But, students were happy to be back in school,â he said. Anil Gunjal, primary education officer of the Pune zilla parishad, said that the response was good across schools and is expected to increase over the week. âTeachers have been instructed to follow all Covid-19 safety norms strictly and also make students and parents aware of them,â Gunjal said.
MUMBAI: Physical schools will reopen for all classes in the state from Wednesday, even as the state began taking measures to tackle the new Omicron variant. Schools and parents are treading cautiously. The final decision on reopening rests with civic chiefs and collectors. In Mumbai, a decision on reopening is expected on Tuesday. The government circular issued on Monday following a cabinet meeting allows reopening classes 1-7 in cities and classes 1-4 in rural areas. Schools can bring in students in a staggered manner and attendance will continue to be voluntary. State school education minister Varsha Gaikwad said, âThe government is sensitive to the possibility of a third wave and no laxity in implementation of the standard operating procedure will be permitted.â Health minister Rajesh Tope said as no case of the newly detected variant has been detected in the state, there is no reason why schools should not reopen as planned. âAll the sectors which have been allowed to reopen will continue to function. Even schools have been allowed to reopen based on the go-ahead given by the pediatric task force and the health department,â said Tope. Existing healthy practices such as masks and social distancing will continue. Staff and school bus operators will have to be fully vaccinated. Schools will set up health clinics or tie up with the local health department for emergencies. Schools will be on for three to four hours without any recess. Cultural and sporting events will not be allowed. Schools should avoid science experiments for Class 1-4 students where possible or take small groups. In Mumbai, schools had got down to planning a staggered reopening last week. The initial enthusiasm of sending children to school after 19 months seemed to be waning following news of the southern African variant. âParents who had given their consent are doing a rethink. We too want to adopt a wait-and-watch policy for a few days after reopening,â said the principal of a school in Kurla. Attendance of Class 8-10 students that had picked up after the Diwali vacations starting November 22, is shifting to online classes, said teachers. âOur attendance was around 85% last week. On Monday, we had more students in virtual classes,â said a Sakinaka school teacher. Parents said confusion over Omicron may put a break on schools. âMy son is enjoying school but for the next few weeks we have asked him to attend online,â said a parent of a Class 10 student from Goregaon.
MUMBAI: Two fresh batches of tiny tots will walk into schools for the first time on December 1 as the state Cabinet on Thursday gave its nod to reopen all classes in the physical mode. Students admitted to Class 1 in 2020 and this year have been attending online classes only. With this, just nursery and kindergarten classes will remain in online-only mode. A final decision on reopening primary and secondary schools in the city will be taken by the municipal commissioner. Over 11 lakh students from classes 1 to 7 in the city have been attending online schools for 19 months. The existing standard operating procedure (SOP), including parental consent for physical presence in schools, will continue. The proposal to reopen all schools from Class 1 was put forward by the education department after consultations with the paediatric Covid-19 task force. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, who is recuperating after a cervical spine surgery, chaired the cabinet meeting online from the hospital on Thursday. State school education minister Varsha Gaikwad said schools, parents and the paediatric task force will be consulted for further fine-tuning of the SOP for younger children. âThese students will be returning to campus for the first time in nearly two years. We want them to feel safe and acclimatise to physical schooling. Primary section children are very young and it may be difficult to ensure that they wear a mask and keep physical distance at all times. Experts were of the opinion that children need to step into the normal world or else many will drop out of the education system. So we decided to open up schools,â she said. Education department officials said a decision on reopening pre-primary schools, anganwadis and daycare centres will be taken based on the response of primary studentsâ parents. BMC education officer Raju Tadvi said the proposal to reopen classes 1 to 7 will be placed before the civic body after the fresh government circular is released.The circular is expected in a day or two. Schools welcomed the decision but stressed on compulsory attendance. âIt will be difficult to teach small children in the online and offline mode simultaneously,â said Ulhas Wadodkar, principal, Suvidyalaya high school, Borivli (West). A group of parents that had petitioned the CM to start all classes said they welcome the decision.
PUNE: Primary schools across the state will start for in-person learning from December 1, the state cabinet announced on Thursday. Schools in urban areas have been functioning for standards VIII to XII, while those in rural areas had reopened for standards V to XII for several months. School education minister Varsha Gaikwad said that the decision was taken after a discussion with chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, the cabinet members and the paediatric task force. âThe state cabinet has decided to reopen schools from Std I to IV in rural areas and Std I to VII in urban areas from December 1. We are committed to the safe resumption of schools,â Gaikwad said in a tweet on Thursday evening. The minister, in her tweet also said that this is the third phase of school reopening. School education minister Varsha Gaikwad said that over the next six days, the emphasis will be on acclimatizing schools, parents and children towards a safe transition to physical classes. The department plans to hold consultations with school management committees and parents. Gaikwad will also meet the paediatric task force about the SOPs for younger children, some of whom may be attending physical classes for the first time. The paediatric task force on Wednesday had made it clear that vaccination is not a prerequisite for reopening schools for primary classes. As per the Unified District Information System for Education data of 2020-21, there are 1,34,85,879 students enrolled in primary schools from standards I to VII in the state. Vasant Kalpande, former director of education and an activist, said they have been seeking the reopening of all schools since August. âZilla parishads in Dhule, Sangli, Aurangabad and Ahmednagar had passed resolutions for reopening primary schools and they have not seen any alarming cases after the students returned. For rural schools, the decision is a good one as online access to education is a challenge,â he added. Keep options open Alok Mishra, a parent of a standard II student in a Navi Mumbai school, said, âI am fine with the online classes and my child is used to it now. I will wait and see before sending my child to school. Also, I cannot pick up and drop her and private school transport will be crowded. However, the decision to reopen is good for the rural parts or urban areas where access to online education is a problem.â Anubha Sahai, president of India Wide Parents Association, said that schools must not make it compulsory for students to attend the classes offline. âThere are many complaints from parents that the schools are making it compulsory for students to attend classes offline. There should be strict guidelines to schools to offer both online and offline classes. We understand that teachers find it hectic to teach in both modes. Hence, the government must come out with guidelines so that the teachers are not overworked,â she added. Initially online Rajendra Singh, president of Independent English Schools Association (IESA), said, âInitially, we will adopt the hybrid model of education. However, once we are able to reassure the parents and make students comfortable, we will make it offline. In our survey, we saw that students attending online classes are much behind those attending offline classes, especially in English, maths and science. Secondly, we see children in malls and every other public place. They can also attend school where it is safer.â
PUNE: A decision to reopen college hostels will be taken in the next eight days, higher and technical education minister Uday Samant said in Kolhapur on Thursday. A letter by Kirankumar Bondar, joint director of higher education, Pune division to the director of higher education has said that a review of all the hostels in Pune, Ahmednagar and Nashik was taken and it was seen that all college or university hostels are fit to reopen and the managements have also given their assent. âHostels in Pune division are all set to reopen as soon as the decision is made. There are four universities in Pune division that have 12 girlsâ and boysâ hostels each, and 77 affiliated colleges with hostels with a total capacity of 17,382 students,â Archana Borhade, administrative officer, joint directorate of higher education, Pune division, said. Reopening hostels is necessary because a major chunk of the students studying in Pune university come from outside the city and for them, staying at the hostel is the only viable option as it is cheaper than the private hostels or rooms. Also, since most hostels are either within the campus or nearby, the students also save time and money that they otherwise would have spent on commuting. Lastly, facilities like reading rooms, library and others are available on the campus which is easier for hostel students to access. Hence, the decision on hostels must be taken as soon as possible,â Kuldeep Ambekar, a law student and activist, said. Ambekar added that a letter to reopen hostels belonging to the social welfare department has also been submitted to the district social welfare office as many students belonging to reserved categories get free accommodation here which is a big support for their higher education. âThese students come from poor families and they cannot afford to pay huge rent and stay outside. Hence, social welfare hostels must reopen without any further delay. We will protest outside their office if this demand is not met,â he added. Colleges and universities have reopened but continue to provide lectures in both online and offline modes. Students have not returned to their educational institutions in full strength. Most are expected to come back in early December or when the second term starts.
PUNE: The higher and technical education will soon issue orders to reopen hostels in colleges and universities across Maharashtra state, bringing relief to outstation students. Department officials said hostel facilities are being inspected and a notification regarding their reopening will be issued soon. Colleges reopened in October but several outstation students have not been able to attend in-person classes as hostels remained closed. Joint director of the department of higher and technical education, Kirankumar Bondar, said hostels in colleges affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University in Pune district are ready for reopening. âMost hostels are operated by the management of the institutions. Some hostels are under the revenue department and institutions have been asked to take charge so that they can be reopened for students,â said Bondar. Many hostels were being used by the district administration during the pandemic as quarantine centres. Some of these hostels are still under the district administration. A student based in Solapur, Ashraf Baig, said he has not been able to return to Pune despite enrolling at a college hostel as it has not opened. âI have got both doses of the vaccine but cannot stay in private accommodation as it is unaffordable. Students had also written to the college authorities to open the hostel and promised that we would follow all precautionary measures. If the government allows hostels to reopen, it will be good for us,â said Baig.
PUNE: A 16-member state-level committee under education commissioner Vishal Solanki has been set up to discuss and recommend a policy for the education of minorities in the state. Experts from the communitiesand educators are expected to submit the report within three months. The government gives various grants and has implemented many schemes for students of minority communities and their educational institutes. An independent education policy for minority communities is necessary. The committee will look into the existing schemes and new ones to improve minority education and submit its recommendations, the government resolution released on Wednesday said. The resolution further said that the Supreme Court has passed four judgments explaining various clauses in the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 which are not applicable to the minority institutions. The committee is expected to study this and other judgments regarding minority institutes and formulate administrative and educational policies related to schools, students and teachers in minority institutes. Markus Deshmukh, an advocate and also educational consultant for many minority schools, said, âTill now, there has not been any policy specifically for minority education. This has created some issues because there are ambiguities when it comes to implementing some Acts. Such a policy will help clear them. Secondly, there are many schemes available but implementation may be an issue because the educational department officers do not know them well. Their training is a must. Thirdly, there are areas in the education of minority communities where we can do better as a state. This will also be studied and a draft policy will be recommended.â In its report that was out in August, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), sought the extension of the RTE Act, 2009, to include minority institutions. The child rights body had demanded that the states issue guidelines for minority schools to set aside a minimum percentage of students admitted from minority communities.
MUMBAI: The state on Friday set up an education technology forum for exchange of ideas on the use of technology in school education. State school education minister Varsha Gaikwad said that Maharashtra Education Technology Forum will have representatives from technology giants such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon. The forum will serve as a think-tank and independent advisory framework on technology-based interventions to enhance learning, assessment, planning and administration of schools.
