Uttar Pradesh: Defalcation scandal Agra/Firozabad, August. A school principal and other employees of the basic education department of Firozabad district have been charged with defalcating Rs.11.46 crore, sanctioned for the state’s Mid-Day Meal (MDM) scheme for children. The teacher used fake ration and ID cards to register an NGO and transferred Rs.11.46 crore sanctioned for the MDM scheme with the connivance of officials and staff of his department and banks. A case of corruption has been registered against teacher Chandrakant Sharma of the basic education department of Firozabad district. According to the charge sheet, the principal had appointed his father president of the NGO, his mother manager and secretary, and his wife treasurer. Odisha: Gender equity initiative Bhubaneswar, August 8. A gender equity module will be integrated into the social studies syllabus of classes VI-X students in 18,000 government elementary and 5,000 secondary schools statewide. The state’s school education ministry signed a memorandum of understanding with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-Pal), South Asia, and a Bhubaneswar-based women rights organisation Breakthrough. The gender equity module mandates interactive classroom discussions to encourage adolescent boys and girls to question culturally embedded gender norms, roles and discriminatory practices. J-Pal will conduct independent monitor surveys to assess progress of the programme towards achieving its objectives. Breakthrough will work with the education ministry to contextualise and integrate the module into the syllabus, train teachers, receive feedback, conduct workshops and involve parents in this initiative. Gujarat: Overt bribery ban Ahmedabad, August 12. A class XII student has been debarred from writing the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) examination for a year. He attempted to bribe an examiner by adhering a Rs.500 note in his answer sheet. Addressing a press conference, a Gujarat board official said: “When the examiner found the note, he complained to GSHSEB. After recording the student’s statement, the board exam committee withheld his result and banned him from appearing for the exam for the next one year.” This boy is one of 22 class XII science stream students imposed punishments including ban from writing the board exam for a year, said an official spokesperson of the exam board. Results of the class XII board exam were declared in May. Chhattisgarh: English medium colleges Raipur, August 18. The state government is set to establish English-medium Swami Atmanand Model Colleges in all districts of the state over the next three years. “The decision to set up these institutions has been taken after receiving a positive response to the Swami Atmanand English Medium Schools started by the state government earlier,” said chief minister Bhupesh Baghel in a note sent to the chief secretary. “Initially, ten English medium colleges will be established in major cities from the academic year starting June 2023. Later they will be replicated in all district headquarters over the next three years,” added Baghel. Assam: Zero pass schools Guwahati, August 25. The state government has announced closure of 34 public schools after all their 1,000 students who wrote…
