Since 2007 when EducationWorld introduced the annual EW- C fore India’s Most Respected Schools survey, there’s growing awareness that public perceptions of schools is important as they influence parent/student school choice, attract best teachers, stimulate alumni/public donations and earn societal and government goodwill. Dilip Thakore reports

While undergraduate colleges, universities and B-schools are rated and ranked by numerous national and regional newspapers and magazines with monotonous regularity, despite K-12 schooling arguably being more important as it prepares and equips children for higher study, perhaps for Nehruvian reasons (the great man fatally defined higher rather than primary education as the national priority), this segment of the education continuum was an area of darkness until EducationWorld began rating and ranking the country’s primary-second-aries in 2007 (and preschools separately since last year).

Consequently over the past quin-quennium, public interest in the annual EducationWorld-C fore India’s Most Respected Schools Survey, which rates and ranks the country’s most high-profile day, legacy boarding and new genre international schools inter se based on the perceptions of over 2,000 knowledgeable sample respondents polled countrywide, is rising with each passing year. Even if somewhat belatedly, there’s growing awareness, especially within the community of school trustees, promoters, principals and administrators that public perceptions of schools under their  stewardship are important as they influence parent/student school choice, attract best teachers, stimulate alumni and public donations, and earn official and government goodwill.

From the perspective of parents and the public as well, the EW-C fore annual survey of primary-secondaries serves the useful purpose of promoting institutional competition, and makes school managements and principals accountable for the rise or fall of schools in public esteem. Gone indeed are the days when school trustees and/or principals were monarchs of their little teaching-learning kingdoms with negligible external assessment and investigation. Today they are answ-erable at the bar of public opinion not only for their overt acts of omission or commission but also for intangible, below-the-line failure to fulfill the holistic education expectations of their parent and student communities.

Although in EducationWorld we are well aware that not a few school managements and principals tend to regard the annual EW-C fore India’s Most Respected Schools perceptual surveys as unauthorised, and unwarr-anted intrusion, in exercise of our constitutional right of freedom of speech and expression, for reasons enumerated above, we remain deter-mined to publish our annual league tables of the country’s top day, boarding and international schools in the public interest. The annual EW-C fore schools surveys and league tables are reformist in that they discourage complacency even in successful school managements and stimulate change and improvement year on year. We believe that concerted systemwide efforts to raise holistic education standards and delivery will not only improve teaching-learning outcomes in private schools which overwhelmingly dominate the EW league tables, but in government schools as well, on the premise that a rising tide lifts all boats.

Moreover, practicing  continuous improvement ourselves, this year’s EW-C fore survey has refined the schools’ assessment and evaluation process by adding four new parameters, viz. teacher welfare and development; discipline and life skills education; disabled friendliness and community service while elimin-ating the reportedly confusing integrity and honesty, and admissions trans-parency parameters.

“Analysis of feedback relating to last year’s survey received from the public and particularly from the teachers’ community, indicated that school managements don’t sufficiently appre-ciate the need to cultivate faculty. By underpaying them, giving them huge classes to teach — which in some respectable schools could be as large as 75 students per section — and neglecting in-service teacher training which sustains their growth and development, an uncomfortably large number of school managements are demotivating and demoralising their teachers, which in turn negatively impacts student learning outcomes. Hence this year we have introduced a new parameter — teacher development and welfare — for assessing schools. Moreover, following widespread reports that students from top-rated schools tend to be snooty and ill-mannered and uncaring of the less privileged, we have introduced the new parameters of discipline and life skills education and community service as also the self-evidently important parameter of institutional friendliness towards students with special needs,” says Premchand Palety, promoter chief executive of the Delhi-based Centre for Forecasting and Research Pvt. Ltd which has been partnering EducationWorld for the past four years in rating and ranking primary-secondaries countrywide.

Promoted in the new millennium year by Palety, an alum of Punjab University and the Fore School of Management who cut his teeth in field-based market research with Market Development Research Associates Pvt. Ltd, Delhi where he served for over six years, C fore has been rating and ranking higher education institutions including B-schools for reputable publications such as Hindustan Times, Business India, Mint and Outlook among others, for the past decade.

Therefore in keeping with established practice, since May this year over 100 C fore field researchers interviewed a mix of 2,044 principals, teachers and parents in 16 cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Bhopal, Jamshedpur, Darjeeling, Shill-ong and Dehradun) who constituted a representative sample base of know-ledgeable SECA (socio-economic category A in terms of education and occupation) respondents. They were asked to rate 404 day, boarding and international schools within their more familiar geographical regions (north, west, south and east) on 14 parameters of  academic excellence — teacher welfare  and development, competence of faculty, academic reputation, co-curricular activities, sports education, individual attention to students (teacher-pupil ratio), discipline and life skills education, infrastructure, value for money, leadership/management quality, parental involvement, quality of alumni/students, disabled friendliness and community service. Schools assessed by less than 25 respondents were not ranked and have been eliminated from this year’s league tables.

“The ratings that each school recei-ved on the 14 assessment parameters were aggregated to arrive at a total score for each school, according to which they are ranked inter se in each category, i.e day, boarding and international. To make the findings more user friendly, the ten-point score against each parameter was multiplied by 10 and rounded to the nearest whole number. All parameters were given equal weightage except ‘competence of faculty’ which, given its criticality, was given double weightage,” explains Palety.

Despite not a few school manage-ments and principals harbouring reservations about the purpose and utility of  the EW-C fore league tables compiled every year with incremental effort, expense and professionalism, many knowledgeable education professionals are inclined to endorse these annual surveys as effective messengers to parents, schools and communities.

“School managements and leaders tend to be very inward looking and unaware of developments in K-12 education in the wider universe beyond their school gates. The compilation, publication and ranking of league tables by external agencies which assess their education delivery performance against rational parameters of academic excell-ence serves the very useful purpose of  preventing complacency and incenti-vising continuous improvement. True the league tables are based on perceptions, not facts. Therefore they shouldn’t be received as gospel. But public perceptions are important not only for individuals but for education institutions and hence should not be disregarded either,” says Vivek Ramchandani, the well-known Delhi/ Dehradun-based education consultant and former  founder principal of the top-ranked The Shri Ram School, Delhi and hitherto the Nairobi-based advisor of the Aga Khan Education Trust.

From the viewpoint of parents — especially young parents — intent upon choosing the best schools within their budgets for the education of their children, the EW-C fore league tables are an informative guide. Contrary to popular perception, all parents aren’t looking for cram schools with excellent academic reputations. A growing number of them prefer progressive schools which also focus on co-curricular and sports education and equip school-leavers with well-developed life skills — including good manners — and social sensitivity. A close scrutiny of the EW-C fore league tables of 2011 indicates that schools which provide balanced, integrated education to develop the multiple intelligences of students, have moved up in the rankings, surpassing schools reputed for single-minded pursuit of excellent board exam results.

“Ideally the EW-C fore rankings should be a combination of facts and perceptions. But if that’s not possible for whatever reason, public perceptions are a reality and therefore a broad indicator of the perceived strengths and weaknesses of education institutions. As such they are a useful guide for shortlisting, even if not selecting, the most aptitudinally suitable schools for children,” says Anand Sudarshan, the Bangalore-based managing director and chief executive of Manipal Universal Learning Pvt. Ltd (aka Manipal Education), India’s largest private educ-ation transnational which comprises over 55 education institutions with an aggregate enrolment of 125,000 students spread over four countries.

The  notable feature of the fifth consecutive EducationWorld survey of India’s most respected schools is the seesaw jockeying for top position among day, boarding and international schools which have been topping the EW-C fore league tables for the past four years. In this year’s day schools all-India league table, The Shri Ram School, Delhi which after a two-year reign had been pushed down to second position last year, is back on top with Cathedral and John Connon, Mumbai, which was ranked first in its sesquicentennial (150th) year in 2010, pushed to second spot and the Mallya Aditi International School, Bangalore (joint second last year) into third position which it shares this year with the Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan (PSBB), Chennai. Significantly, there’s a razor-thin margin of one point in the aggregate scores separating the three top-ranked schools.

In the league table of legacy/traditional boarding schools as well, the top 10 ranks are occupied by the usual suspects except that the alternate-style Rishi Valley School, Chittoor which was co-ranked first with The Doon School, Dehradun (TDS) last year, has been ranked solo first this year, reflecting a clear shift in public preference towards new age boarding school education. TDS and Mayo College Girls, Ajmer (ranked third in 2010) are jointly ranked second and Welham Girls, Dehradun (fourth in 2010) third.

Likewise in the league table of new genre international schools, there’s been a rearrangement of rankings with the vintage Woodstock School, Mussoorie (estb.1852), regaining its head position on the top table. But the real winner is the Indus International School, Bangalore (IIS, estb.2003) which has broken the monopoly of former siblings Woodstock and Kodaikanal International School (estb.1901), alternatively ranked first and second for the past five years. Co-ranked second this year, IIS has seen a remarkable rise in public esteem given that the school is less than a decade old.

The publication of the EW-C fore India’s Most Respected Schools Survey 2011 comes at a critical time in the history of Indian education when there is rising awareness within society of the vital importance of QEFA (quality education for all), especially in India’s 1.26 million primary-secondary schools. Ironically despite the Union and state governments between them having promoted and running 1.25 million primary and an estimated 60,000 secondary schools countrywide, the highest ranked government-run day school (excluding army, air force and public sector corporation schools) is Kendriya Vidyalaya at IIT-Bombay, ranked 166 followed by several other KVs at the fag end of the list of the country’s top 321 day schools. Altho-ugh the Planning Commission holds out the 952 Kendriya Vidyalayas managed by a Central government-promoted trust as models for all government schools, quite obviously the country’s SECA middle class which appreciates and values high quality education to give their children a head-start in life, is unimpressed by them.

Yet government-funded schools can be managed efficiently provided they are not directly controlled by the Central and state governments. This is proved by the high ratings and ranks awarded by sample respondents to the Union defence ministry’s Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehradun (ranked 7th among boarding schools) and the Army Public School, Dagshai (11).

There’s a mine of information in the pages following our much-awaited annual survey and cover story in which we present detailed national, regional and parametral ratings and rankings of the country’s most well-known primary-secondary schools, whose manage-ments are now thoroughly seized of the importance of continuously improving teaching-learning and standards in education defined in its broadest sense. If the top 321 best schools — and mere inclusion in the league tables makes them the country’s best — rated across 14 carefully chosen parameters of education excellence and ranked inter se, set their hearts and minds on contin-uous improvement of their perceived infirmities, K-12 education nationally will receive a huge qualitative boost.

This denouement will undoubtedly impact school education beneficially, as upcoming primary-secondaries in search of excellence can draw upon the institut-ional development experiences of India’s most respected schools.

 Source : http://educationworldonline.net/index.php/page-article-choice-more-id-2861

     

INDIA’S TRADITIONAL OR LEGACY BOARDING SCHOOLS ARE MUCH loved by the country’s westernised and aspirational middle class. Modeled on mid-rung British public schools, they have made a great contribution towards developing leaders of industry, civil and defence services. Offering spartan games and sports-intensive liberal education usually in the salubrious climes of hill stations, they have substantially contributed to the growth and development of post-independence India’s middle class which has established  even if not entirely successfully norms of democratic governance and standards in public life which have ensured that against all expectations, India has survived as a functioning, even if chaotic, democracy. Although some of their glamour has been stolen by the new genre of international schools mushrooming countrywide, because of their relatively affordable fees, legacy boarding schools remain the first choice of parents looking  to provide their progeny disciplined, no-frills, sports-intensive primary-secondary education.

In the old days, the country’s best boarding schools such as Doon, Lawrence, Sanawar and Lovedale, Mayo, Daly College and Bishop Cotton enjoyed pan-India and even transnational reputations attracting students from across the country and the Indian diaspora. But of late changes in parenting norms and liberalisation of boarding school rules have prompted parents who value residential school education for their wards to enrol them in legacy boarding schools nearer home to facilitate greater interaction and visits with their children. Therefore regional rankings of boarding schools closer to home have assumed greater importance in recent years.

Northern Region
AS IN OTHER REGIONS, THE TOP 10 TABLE OF NORTH INDIA’S HIGHLY reputed boarding schools has witnessed a rearrangement of the seating order this year. Somewhat inevitably at the head of the table is the seemingly impregnable Doon School, Dehradun which with high ratings under the parameters of academic reputation, co-curricular education and faculty competence among others has aggregated a total score of 1,121 establishing a clear lead over Welham Girls, Dehradun rated second in the northern region in 2010. Other household names in the northern region which have advanced in public esteem are Bishop Cotton, Shimla (No. 5 to 3); Sherwood College, Nainital (9 to 3) who share the regional third rank with the consistently highly-rated Lawrence School, Sanawar. Another new entrant into the Top 5 list is Daly College, Indore, top-ranked countrywide under the parameter of sports education.

Other schools which improved their regional ranking this year are Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehradun (7 to 5); Army Public, Dagshai (10 to 6); St. George’s College, Mussoorie (11 to 8); Mussoorie International now being managed by ICT-in-education major Educomp Solutions Ltd (15 to 9) and Vidya Devi Jindal Girls, Hisar (unranked to 10). Further down the 16-strong Northern Region list of most-respected boarding schools, DPS Pinjore has moved into the regional league table (unranked to 13), Shigally International Academy, Dehradun (18 to 14); Pinegrove School, Dharampur (unranked to 15), and the Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya, Gwalior (19 to 16).

Western region
QUITE OBVIOUSLY THE PRACTICE OF SENDING CHILDREN TO boarding school is not as prevalent in western India as it is in the north. Only eight boarding schools in the Western Region are sufficiently well-known to be ranked by the 2,026 sample respondents countrywide — including 295 from the Western Region — who constituted the base for the EW-C fore India’s Most Respected Schools Survey 2010. Please note that institutions rated and ranked by less than 25 respondents were not included in the league tables. Of these select establishments, Mayo College Girls, Ajmer (ranked second all-India) with an aggregate score of 1,116 boosted by highest ratings on the parameters of leadership and faculty competence has far outdistanced Mayo (Boys) College (1,055). Further down the short-list, New Era, Panchgani (No.3), Orchid School, Nashik (4), Maharani Gayatri Devi, Jaipur (5) and RiverDale, Pune (6) have maintained their regional ranks.

Southern region
THE LIST OF BOARDING SCHOOLS SUFFICIENTLY WELL-KNOWN to be included in the EW-C fore Southern Region league table is also short. At the head of the table is the Rishi Valley School, Chittoor which has been rated and ranked the country’s premier boarding school jointly with the Doon School, Dehradun. In the nine-school table in which Lawrence, Lovedale has reclaimed its second position, institutions which improved their ranking are B.G.S. International, Bangalore (No. 4 to 3); St. John’s International, Chennai (5 to 3) and Bangalore Military School (7 to 4). The institution which has suffered a steep fall in public esteem this year is the reclusive Sarala Birla Academy, Bangalore (2 to 8).

Eastern region
THIS YEAR’S EASTERN REGION BOARDING SCHOOL LEAGUE TABLE 2010 has undergone a dramatic change. The very pucca and much venerated St. Paul’s School, Darjeeling (estb. 1823) which hitherto topped the regional league table with effortless ease has been toppled by the relatively new vintage Assam Valley School (AVS, estb. 1995). Ranked first in the east on the parameters of academic reputation, co-curricular education and integrity/honesty and ranked second on faculty competence and leadership, AVS has chalked up the highest aggregate score of all legacy boarding schools in the Eastern Region.

Within the region’s Top Five, St. Joseph’s, North Point which was surprisingly outranked by the Himali Boarding School (HBS), has traded places with HBS to be ranked third this year. Moreover this year’s Eastern Region league table is larger with several hitherto unranked schools having qualified for inclusion. The larger league table indicates that primary-secondaries in the region are becoming aware of the need to improve their institutional profiles, accountability and communication with the public.

Source :  EducationWorld Survey, September 2010

                             

Latest Update : According to the latest notification the exam date of CPMEE 2010 has been rescheduled to 29th May 2010 (Saturday) instead of old date which was 22nd May 2010.

Uttarakhand CPMEE (Common Pre Medical Entrance Examination) is an entrance test conducted by Uttaranchal Council of Entrance Examination (UCEE) for admission to various private unaided Medical, Dental, Ayurvedic and Homeopathic colleges of Uttarakhand. The entrance exam is open to students from all over India. The entrance exam is conducted in Indore, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Jalandhar and Varanasi.
There are eight colleges in Uttarakhand in which admission is through CPMEE. Of these one institutes provide MBBS, three institutes provide BDS(Dental), three provide BAMS(Ayurvedic) and one provide BHMS(Homeopathic). There are 100 seats for MBBS in the institute offering MBBS and 50 seats for other programs in each institute.

Eligibility criteria:
1: Candidate must be born on or before 31st Dec 1993 (i.e Not less than 17 yrs).
2(a) For MBBS, BDS & BAMS : Candidate must have passed HSC (10+2 or Equivalent) with Physics, Chemistry, Biology & English with minimum 50% & 40% for SS/ST/OBC categories.
2(b) For BHMS: The candidate who have passed the 10+2 or its equivalent with Physics, Chemistry and Biology shallbe eligible.
3: Candidates appering for HSC (10+2)/ Equivalent examination in March 2010 are also eligible to appear for CPMEE.

Name of colleges and courses offered:
1. Seema Dental College & Hospital, Rishikesh – BDS  100 Seats
2. Sri Narayan Dutt Tiwari Hospital & Medical College, Dehradun – BDS 50 Seats
3. Himalayayi Ayurvedic Medical College & Hospital, Rishikesh – BAMS 50 Seats
4. Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical & Health Sciences – MBBS 100 Seats
5. Uttaranchal Dental & Medical Research Institute, Dehradun – BDS 50 Seats
6. Uttaranchal Ayurvedic College, Dehradun – BAMS 50Seats
7. Chandola Homoeopathic Medical College & Hospital, Rudrapur – BHMS 50 Seats
8: Patanjali Ayurvedic College, Haridwar – BAMS 50 Seats

Availability of Application forms for CPMEE:
Application forms can be obtained by post by sending a demand draft of Rs 1200/-  drawn in favour of  “UCEE” payable at Rishikesh to The Secretary, UCEE, SDCH, Veerbhadra Road, Rishikesh – 249203 UK  or Application forms can also be obtained by paying in cash a sum of Rs 1150/- at the offices of the principal of the following colleges :- Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical Sciences, Patel Nagar, Dehradun Ph No 0135-2453465, 9412992800, OR  Seema Dental College & Hospital, Rishikesh Ph No 0135-2453465, 9639630803 OR  Uttaranchal Dental & Medical Research Institute, Haridwar Road, DDun Ph 0135-2113931, o9651765023 OR  Shri Narayan Dutt Tiwari Hospital & Medical College, Premnagar, Dehradun , Ph: 0135-2772322, 9897025145 OR  Uttaranchal Ayurvedic College, 17 old Mussoori Road, Dehradun Ph : 9411778738  OR  Himalyiya Ayurvedic Medical College & Hospital, Shyampur, Rishikesh Ph: 0135-2453203 OR  Chandola Homeopathic Medical College & Hospital Kicha Road, Rudrapur OR  Patanjali Ayurvedic College , Patanjali Yogpeeth, Haridwar, Ph 01334-240008,
Dehradun Form Sale Counter : Ramesh Book Depot, Moti Bazar, Dehradun Ph : 0135-2653637
Delhi Form Sale Counter : Samyak Portfolio Pvt Ltd, E-I IInd floor Merchantile House, Cannaught Place, Opp Embassy Restaurant, New Delhi  Pin-110001, Ph: 9811835725, 9717581588  

Important Dates :
Issue of Information Brochure & Application Forms : Feb 25th 2010
Last Date of Sale of Application Form : May 4th 2010
Last Date for submission of completed Application form : May 5th 2010
Date of Written Examination : May 29th 2010

Centres of Examination
Indore, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Jalandhar & Varanasi

Submission of Forms:
The Completed Application Form are to be sent by post to
The Secretary,
Uttaranchal Council of Entrance Examination,
Seema Dental College & Hospital P.O.
Pashulok Virbhadra Road,
Rishikesh 249203
Ph : 0135- 2453726

Website: www.uceeindia.org

                

Common Admission Test (CAT 2009) for MBA Admissions in Indian Institutes of Management in 2009 will be held on November-December 2009 below are corresponding details.

CAT 2009- Important Dates
Exam Dates:                           28th November 2009 to 7th December 2009 
Starting date CAT Form Sale: 31 August 2009
Last Date of CAT Form Sale:  1st October 2009

CAT 2009 Notification(Common Admission Test)
CAT has become one of the most competitive exams to judge the potential of the candidates willing to pursue their career in business administration.

CAT 2009 to be Online
The new computer-based test (CBT) will be embraced by IIMs across Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Indore, Kozhikode, Lucknow and Shillong, and will allow students to select a date convenient to them from a specified period of 10 days. The new system is also expected to help the IIMs cope effectively with the increasing number of candidates every year. While around 95,000 candidates took CAT in 2003, the number rose to about 250,000 last year, reflecting a growth of over 163% and bringing the administrative system under severe pressure.
“With the online test, CAT will be similar to the GMAT test in its process

Here’s the gist of information that the IIMs have released till date:
* The CAT will be held online for the year 2009
* Prometric ETS has been awarded the contract for conducting the test
* CAT 2009 will be conducted over a period of 10 days at the end of 2009-05-11
* Relevant details regarding the structure and the conduct of the examination to be released with the advertisement (normally in the month of July)
* Mr Subhashish Gupta, admission chairperson IIMB has said that the possibility of CAT 2009 being computer adaptive is quite remote.
* In all probability there will be 3 tests in a day. This means that there will be 30 tests over a period of 10 days.

The Main Indian Institutes of Management (IIM )s in India are,
The Indian Institutes of Management (IIM), Bangalore (IIM B)
The Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) Calcutta (IIM C)
The Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) Indore (IIM Indore)
The Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) Kozhikode (IIM K)
The Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) Lucknow (IIM L)

Sixteen years after the idea was first mooted, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 has finally been notified, after receiving the assent of the President of India.

Article 21-A, as inserted by the Constitution (Eighty-Sixth Amendment) Act, 2002, provides for free and compulsory education of all children in the age group of six to fourteen years as a Fundamental Right.

Consequently, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, has been enacted by the Parliament.

“This was a matter of national importance for UPA (United Progressive Alliance). This bill is just not about taking children to school. This is a bill that speaks about quality education, it speaks about the physical infrastructure, teacher-pupil ratio, qualification of teachers,” Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal said.

The salient features of the Right of Education Bill are:

1: Free and compulsory education to all children of India in the six to 14 age group.

2: No child shall be held back, expelled, or required to pass a board examination until completion of elementary education.

3: A child who completes elementary education ( upto class 8 ) shall be awarded a certificate.

4: Calls for a fixed student-teacher ratio.

5: Will apply to all of India except Jammu and Kashmir.

6: Provides for 25 percent reservation for economically disadvantaged communities in admission to Class One in all private schools.

7: Mandates improvement in quality of education.

8: School teachers will need adequate professional degree within five years or else will lose job.

9: School infrastructure (where there is problem) to be improved in three years, else recognition cancelled.

10: Financial burden will be shared by state and central government.

In the past hundred years or so the Doon Valley has undergone several revolutionary changes that would be good to recapitulated so that the future drift of the city can be put into right perspective.

Let’s take the demarcation year as 1900.This was the year in which the first train from Haridwar reached Dehradun Railway Station. This landmark year began the process of making the valley more accessible for the rest of India, and particularly the British. 1900 was a significant year also because it saw the abolishment of the District Postal System as now Dehradun came under the umbrella of the All India Postal Network set up by the then British government. The valley’s first radio station, too, became functional in this year in the Kutchery Compound through persistent efforts of the then District Magistrate A.J.K. Hallow. Later this station was closed down once nationalization of radio broadcasting took place during World War I.

Another landmark year for Doon was 1901, when telephone bells began ringing in the valley. But television had to wait till the year 1975 when the Mussoorie TV Tower was built.

The 19th century also saw the construction of a motorable road to Dehradun, though Mussoorie waited for the next century. It was in 1920 that the first car, a Ford T model was driven up to Kulri via Jharipani by Col E.W. Bell, son-in-law of ‘Swetenhams and owner of the Clouds End Estate. The present Mussoorie Road was built uptil Bhatta by 1930, King Craig by 1936, and after independence in 1954 it reached Library and in 1957 it reached Picture Palace.

The economy of the valley was primarily agricultural and was given a tourist boost by the visit of the Indian princes and the British during summers etc. It was only with the coming of electricity, in the year 1909, when the first bulb was lit on May 24, 1909, at Mussoorie, and in Doon in 1918, that the economy underwent a change.

The beginning of the 20th century saw the setting up of many national level institutions in the valley, In 1901, the then Viceroy Lord Curzon set up the Imperial Cadet Core impart military training to Princes and college students. In 1922, the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College (RIMC), now Rashtriya Indian Military College, was started at the same campus. RIMC was set up to train young Indian boys of aristocratic background for entry into Royal Military Collage, Sandhurst, in England.

In 1906 the Forest Research Institute was started at Chandbagh Estate where the Doon School is now located. In 1930, the Railway Staff College was set up in the present Chetwode building of IMA. The college closed down within a year or so due to financial constraints.

This campus was later (in 1932) selected for the establishment of the Indian Military Academy.The next towering institution to be set up in the valley that changed its very economic fabric was the ONGC. Most of the major schools and colleges in the valley were set up in the 20th century, though missionaries had started opening schools in the valley in the 1850s. One of the first schools to be set up was St George’s College Barlowganj, in 1853. American Presbyterian Mission Boys High School and Dehra Christian Girls’ Boarding School (CNI) are the two early schools that have a reputation even today.

The Doon Valley was amongst the first places in India to have a school for the blind. Sharp Memorial Blind School was opened in the early part of the century.Soon after Independence, the government established the Central Braille Press in 1951, which was followed by the setting up of NIVH in 1967. In the field of education for the handicapped there were many pioneers. Amongst them was Late Prof Ulfat who founded the Nanhi Dunya Movement. Another was Padma Bhushan Puran Singh Negi who pioneered the publication of books in Braille for the blind.

Today the Doon Valley is well known for public schools. The foundation for public schools was laid down with the setting up of The Doon School by Sir P.R. Das of the Indian Public School Society. Lord Willingdon, the then Viceroy of India inaugurated the Doon School in 1935 and its first head master was A.E. Foot, a science teacher at Eton College, England.

Architecturally the skyline of the valley has changed drastically over the years. Most of the prominent landmarks and shopping malls were built by philanthropist businessmen of Doon, who were amongst the leading families of Doon.One such family was that of Seth Bhagwan Das.The family floated the first Indian Bank in the valley known as Bhagwan Das Bank Ltd. The then chairman of the Bank, Seth Nemi Das built the Jugminder Hall (Town Hall), Women’s Hospital Wing at the Doon Hospital and the only Sports Pavilion in the city. During the 1930s, the three local bodies of the valley were headed by three philanthropists, who were mates from their school days at AP Mission School – Rai Bahadur Choudhary Sher Singh, Rai Bahadur Ugrasen and Barrister Darshan Lal. Rai Bahadur Chaudhary Sher Singh was the chairman of the District Board. As chairman he took development to the rural areas. Most of the major roads in the villages were built during his time. He also opened many schools in the villages.

Rai Bahadur Ugrasen was the chairman of Dehradun Nagar Pallika. He built the two main shopping malls, Manda House Complex on a part of old Nashville Estate and Astley Hall Shopping Mall on Rajpur Road. He is also credited with bringing piped water into Dehrdaun municipality. Barrister Darshan Lal was the chairman of Mussoorie City Board. He increased the power generating capacity of Bhatta Falls. During his chairmanship the Dehradun-Mussoorie Road was extended up to Kingcraig from Bhatta. He was also instrumental in building the Landour Clock Tower.

After Independence, the citizens of Doon honored the builders of the Doon valley, by naming prominent roads and chowks after their names. One of the most important landmarks of the Doon Valley, the Balbir Tower (Clock Tower) was built to commemorate India’s independence. It was a collaborative effort of the Dehradun Nagar Pallika and Lala Sher Singh and Lala Anand Singh, leading businessmen of their times and was named after one of their ancestors who was also an honorary magistrate in his days.

The foundation stone was laid on July 2, 1948, by the then Governor of UP, Sarojini Naidu. The Clock Tower was completed in 1953 and was inaugurated by Lal Bahadur Shastri. It has a unique hexagonal architecture lending it heritage value.

The colossal philanthropic achievements of the earlier years was in subsequent years added to by shopping complexes, corporate houses, government buildings and high rise structures. Astley Hall, Mansa Ram Bank building and Manda House have been replaced by Windlass Shopping Complex, Plazas, Janpaths and shopping arcades.

Dehradun Pin Code 248001

Dehradun STD Code 0135

Dehradun Map

The government finally announced on Monday 8th sept 2009 that the CBSE 10th Board Exams would be optional from the session 2010-11 and grading system would apply from the session 2009-10. The Grading system would be as follows:

A-1  : 91-100 Exceptional
A-2  : 81-90 Excellent
B-1  : 71-80 Very Good
B-2  : 61-70 Good
C-1  : 51-60 Fair
C-2  : 41-50 Average
D     : 33-40 Below Average
E-1  : 21-32 Need Improvement
E-2  : 00-20 Unsatisfactory   

As part of efforts to reduce ‘trauma’ of students and parents and make the admission process smooth, government favours a single school board at the all-India level and make 10th board examination optional.

Unveiling his 100-day plan, HRD minister Kapil Sibal [ Images ] on Thursday said a single board would replace various boards in the country and would hold a uniform examination for all students on the pattern of combined law admission test being organised for admission to law institutions.

“By a single board, a student can decide which university he wants to go. It is happening in the law (courses). The aim is to reduce the trauma,” he told reporters. Noting that students and their parents are spending sleepless night at the time of board examination, Sibal said the government wants to make 10th exam optional for students wishing to continue in the same school.

“If a student wants to go for pre-university course, he may appear for 10th board exam. But in case of a student pursuing the course in the same school, he need not appear in the class-10 exam for promotion to class-11,” he said, adding that an internal assessment would suffice. The government also plans to set up autonomous overarching authority for higher education and research based on the recommendations of Yashpal committee and the National Knowledge Commission.

 The government will introduce a system to replace the present assessment procedure of giving marks to awarding grades which will reduce stress, he said. The Central Board of Secondary Education will be the first board to introduce the grading system in the country. A proposal is pending in this regard. The government will explore the possibility of setting up an independent accreditation body for schools to ensure quality. At present, the schools are not accredited to any agency, Sibal said.

The decision of the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) to make Std X exam optional has evoked mixed reaction from teachers and  students in the city.

Keshav Nagar high school principal Shrikant Pachpore slammed the move stating that it would kill competitive spirit among the students. “This bizarre step will only reduce the tendency of students to excel. The logical reasoning power starts developing among students from class tenth board exams. With this decision, the importance of this exam will end and quality of education will degrade further. Students allround development would not take place and schools will also lose their importance,” he says.

Kendriya Vidyalaya, Ambazari, principal CD Grace blasted the decision saying that students and parents will have a casual and relaxed approach and this will further dilute the quality of education. “The grade system is still in place along with marks. However, the competitive spirit will not develop among the students and it would be hard to differentiate between brilliant and poor students. I think, the students of Class Xth are mature enough nowadays to appear for the board exam and decide on their future and there’s no need to scrap the exam,” she said.

Vedvati Albal, who was the second all-India topper in Std Xth exam conducted by the CBSE, however hailed the move stating that it will help in reducing the stress and discrimination among students.

“Of course competitive spirit will be not be there anymore as there will be no merit list, but it would lead to a healthy competition. The craze to top the exam will be diminished, but there is chance to score in later stages,” she states.

Chandrika Chakraborty, a state board student feels that making it completely optional would really help. “I don’t think that it should be optional. In fact the minister should think about the future of students. Either he should abolish the 10th board exam in the country or keep it compulsory. It must not be optional,” she said.

Welcoming the move, Nishikant Padalkar, whose daughter is a CBSE student, appreciated the minister’s decision. “In fact, it gives kids to think beyond the books and concentrate more on their practical knowledge. Schools should be aplace to create responsible citizens with expertise in practical knowledge rather than bookish knowledge.”

Kana Roy Chaudhari, the principal of Centre Point (Katol Road), says that it will all depend on a lot of parameters that will be laid out. “I believe that the rule will allow the schools themselves to choose, but only for the current year, if they want to. If that is the case, then we may opt for the mandatory examinations for the students.

However, what our exact course of action will be difficult to state at the moment. We will also be counting on feedback from the parents to make our decision. Then, all the schools will consult their own management before deciding on which format to go with,” she explained.

                          

The NCTE (National Council for Teacher Education) has cancelled recognition of 21 BEd colleges of Uttarakhand affiliated to HNB Garhwal University Srinagar. The reason for cancellation is that  these private colleges are not up to the norms and standards prescribed by the NCTE. Actually  in 2007 -08 academic session HNB Garhwal University found  that 18 private BEd colleges did not follow the norms prescribed for admission in BEd colleges by University and decided not to conduct counselling of these colleges for the session 2008-09. But these private BEd colleges approched court against Garhwal University and on the order of court university conducted counselling for the session 2008-09 also. The Court also ordered NCTE to give the list of BEd colleges which are not following the norms and standard prescribed by NCTE . After the order of court NCTE enquired all the BEd colleges in Uttarakhand and found that 21 colleges where not upto the norms and standard. On the basis of this report court ordered NCTE to cancel the recognition theses 21 private BEd colleges. After this order the future of 2100 student is in jeopardy as each college is allotted 100 seats each. But this is yet not confirmed that this order of NCTE will be followed for the session 2008 -09 or for the session 2009-10 .

Following are the 21 colleges whose recognition cancelled by NCTE :
1: DD Institute of Advance Studies, Dehradun
2: Pestle Weed College of Information & Technology, Dehradun
3: Sushna Methodist Girls College, Roorkee
4: Tanishk College of Education, Dehradun
5: Nalanda College of Education, Dehradun
6: Mussoorie Institute of Education, Mussoorie
7: Beehive College of Advance Studies, Dehradun
8: Kukreja Institute of Teacher Education, Dehradun
9: Indian Institute of Progressive Studies & Development, Roorkee
10: Gurukul Mahavidhyalya Jawalapur, Haridwar
11: Dron College of Management & Technical Education, Dehradun
12: Dronacharya Institute of Teachers Education, Dehradun
13: Mussoorie Mangement Institute , Mussoorie
14: Dron Ghati college of Profesional Education, Dehradun
15: SP Memorial BED College Srinagar, Garhwal
16: Malni Valley College of Education, Kotdwar
17: Doon PG college of Agriculture Science, Technology & Education, Dehradun
18: Sri Guru Ram Rai PG College, Dehradun
19: Dev Bhooni Institute of Education,Science & Technology, Dehradun
20: Motherhood Institute of Management & Technology, Haridwar
21: Sita Devi Memorial Institute of Education & Technology Haridwar

Boarding schools can provide a secure educational environment for your child, and many boarding schools cater to the individual talents of its students. In regards to choosing a boarding school, though, one size definitely doesn’t fit all. The following points will guide you in the process of choosing a good boarding school.

1: Recognize  your requirement.

2: Difference Between Girls School , Boys School and Coed School.

3 : Pros & Cons of Girls School.

4: Pros & Cons of Boys School.

5: Pros & Cons of Coeducation School.

6: Facilities provided by the School.

7: Infrastructure.

8: Teacher and Staff of the school.

11: The Governing Body or the Owners of the School.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) conducts the UGC-CSIR NET for other Science subjects, namely, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Mathematical Sciences and Earth Atmospheric Ocean & Planetary Sciences jointly with the UGC. The tests are conducted twice in a year generally in the months of June and December. For candidates who desire to pursue research, the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) is available for five years subject to fulfillment of certain conditions. UGC has allocated a number of fellowships to the universities for the candidates who qualify the test for JRF. The JRFs are awarded to the meritorious candidates from among the candidates qualifiying for eligibility for lectureship in the NET. JRFs are available only to the candidates who opt for it in their application forms.

The test for Junior Research Fellowship is being conducted since 1984. The Government of India, through its notification dated 22nd July, 1988 entrusted the task of conducting the eligibility test for lectureship to UGC. Consequently, UGC conducted the first National Eligibility Test, common to both eligibility for Lectureship and Junior Research Fellowship in two parts, that is, in December 1989 and in March , 1990.

N E T Schedule
UGC conducts NET twice a year, i.e., in the months of June and December. The notifications announcing the June and December examinations are published in the months of March and September respectively in the weekly journal of nation-wide circulation, viz, Employment News.

N E T Results Declaration Schedule
The result of June, UGC-NET is declared generally in the month of October. Similarly December, UGC-NET result is usually declared in the month of April. The UGC-NET results published in the Employment News are also available on UGC website.

N E T for Science Subjects
The NET in Major Science Subjects, viz., Chemical Sciences; Earth Atmospheric Ocean & Planetary Sciences; Life Sciences; Mathematical Sciences and Physical Sciences is conducted jointly with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi. The concerned notifications are issued separately by CSIR.

Submission of the Application Forms for Appearing in The UGC-NET
The procedure for applying for UGC-NET is described in detail in the notification for the relevant examination. The notification is published in the Employment News generally in the months of March and September and is also uploaded on the UGC website www.ugc.ac.in.

Non-Receipt of NET Certificate.

In the case of non-receipt of NET certificate the candidates are advised to correspond with/contact the Head, NET Bureau, UGC, South Campus, University of Delhi, Benito Juarez Marg., New Delhi 110 021.In their covering letter, they must state their Roll No., the date of UGC-NET in which they have appeared and UGC-Ref. No. (in case known to them). In case, they have not submitted the attested copies of their documents earlier, they may do so with the covering letter duly signed by them. Attested copies of the following documents may be submitted:

     i.        High School/Higher Secondary/Matriculation Certificate depicting date of birth.

    ii.        Master’s degree/Provisional Certificate.

  iii.        Consolidated mark-sheet of Master’s degree course. (Wherever grades are assigned, conversion table in terms of consolidated percentage may be produced from the issuing authority).

  iv.        Caste certificate (only in case of SC/ST/OBC candidates)

   v.        Certificate of Physical disability (only in case of Physically Handicapped and Visually Handicapped candidates).Notes:

o     All certificate have to be attested by a gazetted officer with his/her official stamp bearing his/her name, designation and official address.

o     The certificates, which are in languages other than Hindi and English, may be translated in Hindi or English and attest by the issuing authority of the original certificates.

Duplicate NET certificate shall be issued only in the event of loss/ non-receipt of the original one. The candidate may submit the following documents for getting the duplicate certificate issued:

     i.        An affidavit on a Judicial stamp paper duly attested by the competent Authority for the loss of original certificate issued by the UGC mentioning the name of the candidate, his/her particulars like father’s and mother’s names, date of UGC-NET, Roll number, subject, address etc. The candidate must state in the affidavit that in case of his/her discovering the original NET certificate/JRF Award letter, he/she would not misuse it and return it to the NET Bureau.

    ii.        A demand draft of Rs. 100/- drawn in favour of the Secretary, University Grants Commission, New Delhi payable at State Bank of India, Service Branch, (Code No. 7687), New Delhi.

  iii.        An attested Copy of FIR registered at a Police Station. The Attestation stamp of the Class-I gazetted officer must bear his/her name, designation and official address.

Source : http://www.ugc.ac.in/inside/net.html