Edu spend: Girls lag behind boys: Survey Conducted in India

Parents Prefer To Send Boys To Pvt Schools, Girls To Govt Schools: Survey

Anahita Mukherji

Mumbai: At a time when Women’s Day is being celebrated with much fanfare the world over, India has a long way to go when it comes to educating ‘Sita’. While a growing number of parents across rural India have begun sending their girls to school, there’s a countrywide preference for sending boys to private schools and girls to government schools.
    Educationists feel this has a lot to do with the perception that private schools are better than government schools, and that if one has to spend on education, the perceived return on investment is higher for a boy.
    According to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2010, one of the most authoritative private surveys for rural India, the percentage of girls in government schools is higher than boys in the seven to 14 age group, while the percentage of boys is higher in private schools.
    “When it comes to making a choice, families have probably decided to send their daughters to government schools and sons to private schools, as there is a popular perception that private schools are better than government schools,’’ says Rukmini Banerji, director, ASER centre.
    “The numbers come as a little surprise. Private schools are a lot more expensive than government schools. Parents would probably choose to send their sons to private schools, if they had the money, as they feel private schools deliver better quality and are more career-oriented,’’ says Sonia Gill of the All India Democratic Women’s Association.
    Interestingly, while the gender divide exists in most states, it is almost negligible in Maharashtra and Bihar, far less than the all-India average. While the figures come as a little surprise for Maharashtra, known to be a more progressive state, Bihar has seen a dramatic narrowing in the gender divide.
    “The figures for Bihar are remarkable. There is a huge improvement in the enrolment of students at school when compared with the ASER data for 2005. The last five years have also seen more girls at school. This is largely due to targeted government policies aimed at improving access to education, as well as reducing the gender divide,’’ says Banerji.
    Gill also points to the fact that there are far fewer private schools in Bihar.
    While the figures for most states across the country are in sync with the all-India average, Kerala has bucked the trend, with more girls being sent to private schools and more boys in government schools.
    Besides the obvious conclusion that women may be more equal in Kerala, Banerji says Kerala has a large number of government-aided private schools, which, though counted as private schools, function more like government schools.
    “This is true for Maharashtra, too. In both Kerala and Maharashtra, the line between the two is rather blurred, says Banerji. 

Source - Times of India, Hyderabad, Wednesday, 09 March 2011. Page - 13

Telangana fails 'backward' test

Rich-poor disparity matter of concern in Telangana 
Subodh Ghildiyal, TNN, Jan 2, 2011, 03.31am IST



NEW DELHI: In a setback to the campaign for Telangana, the Srikrishna committee has dismissed the argument of economic backwardness for carving out a separate state, arguing that the region compared well with other regions of Andhra Pradesh. 

The option of statehood for Telangana is low on its list of priorities. The Srikrishna panel, after a detailed analysis of district annual reports across regions, found that Telangana scored high on income generation, electricity, water and agriculture, lagging only in investment in education, with literacy rate lower than that in Coastal Andhra. 

The estimate for Telangana has been prepared without including Hyderabad which, as capital, has seen high growth and investment. 

The much-awaited report is set to be a dampener for proponents of statehood who have cited economic backwardness as the rationale for seeking division of Andhra. 

The panel, making a clutch of recommendations to settle the debate for bifurcation, has recommended that "development" be the basis for decision-making in future. 

The report will be made public on January 6 during an all-party meeting called by Union home minister P Chidambaram. 

Sources said the report states that Telangana's growth story has been positive, with the region clocking a "high rate of growth" to not just catch up with Coastal Andhra but even overtake the latter on certain parameters. 

The area of concern in Telangana is the disparity between the rich and the poor. While those with landed assets are progressing further, the poor are continuing to fall behind. The state of SC/STs and minorities requires more attention. The report, it is learnt, has found that Telangana scores high on "income generation" , largely because of higher "diversity of income" as compared to Coastal or Rayalaseema regions. The "diversity of income" sits in contrast with the largely agrarian economy of the Coastal region. 

The per capita consumption of electricity in Telangana is higher vis-a-vis other regions. It is also better off with regard to availability of water. The farm sector in Telangana seems to be doing well with high productivity. An evidence of good farm output is the growth of rice mills in the region. While Telangana has been a water-scarce pocket, the study has found that the shortage is being made up with groundwater. Irrigation projects are also coming up to supplement local requirements.


Read more: Rich-poor disparity matter of concern in Telangana - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rich-poor-disparity-matter-of-concern-in-Telangana/articleshow/7203360.cms#ixzz19rOFVg1q

EVER-CHANGING TECHNOLOGIES & LIFESTYLE's - SLAYING HUNDRED's OF LIVES ?

EVER CHANGING TECHNOLOGIES & LIFESTYLE's - WHO IS  RESPONSIBLE FOR SLAYING HUNDRED's OF LIVES ?

After seeing this Video, I am sure we will think twice before buying any Electronics.

Poor Nations are the victims of largescale dumping yards for E-WASTE and improper disposal of these e-wastes. Poor Nations around the globe are discriminated  by the Developed Nations.

Our Civilizations are not yet prepared to handle - air, water and sound pollution in fullscale, but today there is tremendous growth in the E-waste and improper disposal practices that are polluting environment. Pollutants from these e-waste's are highly toxic for people and their neighborhood.

 "ARE WE PROTECTING ENVIRONMENT FROM POLLUTION OR SLAYING IT IN A NEW FASHION?" 

Its not just about Suzy’s Anchoring....most inspiring story....

‘Busy' docs give hasty prescriptions

A regular patient in Hyderabad gets just about 18 seconds to explain his health problem to the doctor, who starts scribbling the prescription even before the patient has finished discussing his aches and pains. On Doctor's Day, observed on July 1, health activists say that the doctor-patient relationship has plummeted to new lows in urban Indian cities.

On average, a ‘busy' doctor spends just a couple of minutes for every consultation costing a patient Rs 300-500. This expense is followed by a considerable amount spent on a host of diagnostic investigations and medicines, many of them unwarranted, say activists studying the trend. "Even without asking the patient's history, doctors start prescribing a battery of investigations," says Dr L Murlidhar, president, Jana Vignana Vedika. The almost cut and dry attitude of strapped-for-time doctors is resulting in patients getting a raw deal.

Activists say that when a case is taken up, it is the duty of the doctor to give attention but this is not happening since doctors end up seeing at least a 100 cases from morning till late night. "With many hospitals having half a dozen branches, doctors are hopping from one branch to another. Besides, they run clinics too. Government hospitals are overloaded. In this scenario, patients are being taken for a ride," says N Ganesan, vice president, Consumer Care Centre, Narayanguda.

Ganesan further states that almost all the hospitals refuse to give records of treatment to patients at the time of discharge, which is their right. "This is being done because they are afraid of being pulled up for negligence," adds Ganesan.

Health industry observers point out that doctors busy with their practice have no time for remaining posted to latest developments in the field of medicine. "Continuing medical education is now in the form of seminars and conferences organised by pharma companies and doctors totally depend on medical representatives to learn about new drugs in the market,'' says a senior health industry observer.

Doctors themselves admit that unethical practices have penetrated every segment of medical practice starting from the entry into a medical school. Take for instance, the referral nexus prevailing among doctors wherein they cross-refer patients to each other, offering a cut for each patient referred. Dr K Raghuram, director, Ushalakshmi Centre for Breast Diseases, says that the practice of the art and science of medicine has become a vicious cycle that revolves round "sleazy, corrupt and immoral practices'' much against medical ethics. "If the body (Medical Council of India) set up to regulate us is corrupt, who will regulate the doctors," adds Dr Raghuram. However, Dr K Ramesh Reddy, secretary, AP Junior Doctors Association, disagrees saying that it is a misconception that doctors are not able to give enough time to patients. But at the same time Dr Reddy adds, "There are black sheep in every profession. The medical profession has not been spared of them."

Citizen activist VBJ Chelikani Rao further notes it is for this reason that patients now "shop for doctors'' and treatments. Activists and doctors suggest that strict enforcement of code of ethics is the only way to restore the medical profession's lost glory.

In India, National Doctors' Day is annually celebrated on July 1, to commemorate the famous medical personality Dr B C Roy. He also served as the chief minister of West Bengal.

Source : Times of India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Patients-get-a-raw-deal-as-busy-docs-give-hasty-prescriptions-/articleshow/6117455.cms