Madhya PradeshBhagavad Gita stand-off Madhya pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has stirred a hornets nest by announcing that Bhagavad Gita will be taught in all schools in the state. The opposition Congress party has described the proposal as an attempt to saffronise school education. Teaching the Gita is no crime and the government will include the teaching of the Gita in the educational curriculum, Chouhan said at an event organised by the RSS-backed Saraswati Vidya Pratishthan in Indore on November 13. Moreover, stating that English has been overemphasised compared to other subjects in school curriculums, the chief minister said his governments priority is to correct the curriculum and promote Hindi. Accor-ding to him, most of the government work is done in Hindi and the state wont hesitate to promote the national language. Responding, Ajay Singh, leader of the opposition in the state legislative assembly, accused Chouhan of follo-wing the RSS agenda. In a statement, Singh said Chouhans rationale for introducing Gita lessons in schools doesnt reflect the views of the people of Madhya Pradesh. Not only does Chouhan think like Hitler, he is also using the language of a dictator, said Singh, alleging that minorities are insecure in the state. Assam National Education Day initiatives Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi launched the Right to Education Mission in the state on November 11 (National Education Day), and promised his government will vigorously implement the Right to Education Act to bring about a total transformation of society. Gogoi said his government has accorded high priority to education from primary to university levels as it is the only way that Assam can forge ahead on all fronts. He underscored the need for reducing school dropout percen-tages and increasing enrolment in primary education. Inclusion of the Right to Education Act by the UPA government as a fundamental right will bring about a sea change not only in the education sector, it will also stimulate national develop-ment, he added. To commemorate National Education Day, an agreement was signed by the Assam government and the British Council to enhance the spelling, listening, reading and writing skills of English teachers in the states primary schools. Delhi PPP model schools approved The Union cabinet approved in principle a proposal to promote 2,500 model schools across the country under public-private partnerships (PPP). The schools will be established during the 12th Plan (2012-17) period. The proposal, cleared on November 24, envisages primary-secondaries with emphasis on the teaching of science, maths and English, and bridge-courses for academically weak students. According to government sources, each school will have a capacity of 2,000 with the Centre sponsoring 980 students. The remaining 1,000-plus seats will be allocated at the discretion of private managements who will be obliged to purchase land and construct buildings. The schools will admit students in classes VI-XII and will be affiliated to the Delhi-based Central Board of Secondary Education. The government has budgeted a total of 6,000 model schools, of whom 2,500 will be established under PPP. Gujarat Primaries…
