Jammu & Kashmir
CUAS calls off stir
The Central University Andolan Samiti (CUAS), which has been spearheading an agitation for a varsity in Jammu province, called off its stir on September 27 following the Central government’s announcement to establish two central universities in J&K. On September 25 Union human resources development minister Kapil Sibal had conceded the proposal “as a special case and keeping in view regional aspirations”.
“CUAS welcomes the announcement by the HRD ministry to establish a separate Central university in Jammu but would urge the ministry to take necessary steps to implement the decision at the earliest,” CUAS convenor Pavitar Singh informed the media, adding that the Samiti has suspended its agitation and asked students not to boycott classes.
Mizoram
SSA drive
According to sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Education for All) officials “at least” 14,826 children in the state of Mizoram (pop.890,000) aged six to 14 are being deprived of formal education even as the state’s SSA mission has sent education volunteers as mobile teachers to remote interior villages of the state. Addressing the media in Aizawl on September 25, SSA mission officials said children deprived of formal education are mainly concentrated in south Mizoram’s Lunglei, Lawngtlai, Saiha and Mamit districts.
“Majority of the children not attending schools belong to Chakma and Bru nomadic tribes. It is hard to bring their children to school due to their shifting habitations often,” an official said. Moreover some children are not allowed by their parents to go to school due to religious beliefs.
Madhya Pradesh
Higher literacy claim
Literacy among Muslim women in Madhya Pradesh is “much higher” than in other Indian states, according to a study conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Muslim Education Society (MPMES). In Madhya Pradesh 60.1 percent of Muslim women are literate — a higher percentage than in other states including Assam, West Bengal, UP, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand and Rajasthan as per the census of population 2001.
The MPMES president and former Madhya Pradesh minister, Ibrahim Qureshi informed the media that due to the active role of women in the field of education and social work, Muslim women in the state are better read and informed than their counterparts in other states.
According to Qureshi the Muslim population of Madhya Pradesh is 6.4 per- cent of the total, while the percentage of literate Muslims in the state is 70.3, attributable to high women’s literacy.
Punjab
Heritage village in Guru Nanak University
The Guru Nanak Dev University and Punjab government have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a heritage village on the Guru Nanak Dev University campus, Amritsar. Prof. A.S. Brar, vice chancellor, inked the MoU on behalf of Guru Nanak Dev University, while Geetika Kalha, principal secretary tourism, signed the memorandum on behalf of the state government on September 24.
According to Prof. Raghbir Singh, registrar of the university, the management will cede 11 acres of land on the university campus for the village. On the other hand, all expenses of construction and development work, which includes the search and collection of cultural materials and artifacts to be displayed in the heritage village, will be met by the Punjab state government.
Rajasthan
New Rajasthan University vice chancellor
Well-known educationist and business management guru Prof. Furqan Qamar assumed the office of vice chancellor of the University of Rajasthan on September 24.
“My first priority is to analyse the financial condition of the university and get blocked funds to the tune of Rs.40 crore released by the state govern-ment,” says Qamar, who was hitherto professor and director of the Management Study Centre at Jamia Milia Islamia, Delhi.
Moreover Qamar also had a few words of comfort for students of Rajasthan University. “I will revive student union elections suspended for the past five years and hold elections as per the Lyngdoh committee’s recommen-dations,” he said.
Qamar, who is a member of the Planning Commission, told the media that the Eleventh Plan has budgeted a grant of Rs.85,000 crore for higher and technical education.
Kerala
Cochin International Airport Academy
Kerala chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan inaugurated the Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) Academy, a joint venture of CIAL and the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), on September 25. The academy offers full-time MBA, advanced diploma and certificate programmes.
Presiding over the ceremony, S. Sarma, fisheries minister in the Kerala government, said that the academy would function on a not-for-profit basis enabling students affordable access. Admission will be purely on merit, he added.
Addressing the gathering, CIAL managing director C.G. Krishnadas Nair said CIAL has entered the field of education to fulfill its social obligations.
Gujarat
Fortified mid-day meal scheme
Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the state government’s mid-day meal fortified flour food scheme for school children in the state on September 25. Under the scheme, launched to combat malnutrition among school-going children, wheat flour fortified with soyabean will be included in the mid-day meal.
“More than 4.4 million school children will benefit under the scheme which will improve nutrition levels of children,” said Modi, speaking on the occasion. Earlier this year the state government made a provision of Rs.50 crore for the mid-day meal scheme in its budget.