22.08.2006 - Source: BBC News

Delhi: Cabinet approves draft bill to double places for Dalits and tribesmen in state-funded professional colleges to nearly 50 percent; hundreds of students rallying against affirmative action plans ("Protest against India quota plan") [ID 17372]

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27.05.2006 - Source: BBC News

New anti-quota protests in India ("New anti-quota protests in India") [ID 15481]

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17.05.2006 - Source: Guardian

Violence feared in Indian caste row ("Violence feared in Indian caste row") [ID 15477]

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30.04.2006 - Source: Hanns Seidel Stiftung

India monthly report april 2006 ("Indien Monatsbericht April 2006") [ID 15818]

"Mehr Quoten für benachteiligte gesellschaftliche Gruppen in Universitäten Der indische Bildungsminister Arjun Singh denkt an die Einführung eines neuen Quotensystems zur Reservierung von Studienplätzen für benachteiligte Bevölkerungsgruppen, den sogenannten Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Dies würde dann 9 Prozent reservierte Sitze für diese benachteiligte Bevölkerungsgruppe bedeuten. Zurzeit gibt es 22.5 Prozent reservierter Sitze für diese Zielgruppe. Die Studenten von vielen Universitäten haben nach Bekanntgabe dieser neuen Reservierungsrichtlinie protestiert. Die Reservierung von Studien- oder Arbeitsplätzen für benachteiligte gesellschaftliche Gruppen sorgt in Indien immer wieder für Unruhe. Reservierung sei keine Lösung, benachteiligte Gruppen in die Gesellschaft zu integrieren, sagen Reservierungsgegner. Der indische Präsident APJ Abdul Kalam gehört ebenso zu den Gegnern der Quotenregelung, wie die meisten Direktoren von Universitäten. Anmerkung: Die Gruppe der Unterprivilegierten in Indien ist aber so groß, dass sie bei Wahlen in den einzelnen Bundesstaaten, aber auch bei landesweiten Wahlen, in der Lage ist, die Wahlergebnisse zu beeinflussen. Vor diesem Hintergrund ist es verständlich, dass jede Regierung in New Delhi das Thema am Leben erhält."

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01.10.2005 - Source: BBC News

Meghalaya: 7 people killed in Williamnagar and 5 in Tura when police opened fire on students protesting against planned educational reforms that created divisions with Khasi tribe ("Indian curfew after students shot") [#37218],  [ID 6183]

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09.2005 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Report on impact of school fees and related education costs, global HIV/AIDS epidemic, child exploitation, violence, discrimination and lack of access on child's right to education ("Failing Our Children. Barriers to the Right to Education") [#36521],  [ID 6184]

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08.2005 - Source: Freedom House

Hindu nationalist ideology in the educational system ("Freedom in the World 2005") [#41316],  [ID 6185]

"[...]The promotion of Hindu nationalist ideology by the BJP government also affected the educational system. According to the U.S. State Department's International Religious Freedom Report for 2004, textbooks that had been rewritten to favor a Hindu extremist version of history were introduced in late 2002, despite protests from academics, minority leaders, and advocates of secular values. However, the new Congress-headed government pledged to reverse the "saffronization" of education, and the content of the textbooks is currently under revision. Academic freedom is also occasionally threatened by intimidation of and attacks on professors and institutions: in January, Hindu activists vandalized a research institute in Pune, according to the BBC. [...]"

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10.2004 - Source: UK Home Office

Educational System ("Country Report - October 2004") [#28325],  [ID 6186]

"[...]5.84 As stated in The Europa World Year Book 2004, "Education is primarily the responsibility of the individual state governments. Elementary education for children between the ages of six and 14 years is theoretically compulsory in all states except Nagaland and Himachal Pradesh." [1](p2074) [...]

5.86 The UNESCO website, accessed 19 August 2004, details the levels of university education in India. First degrees generally require three years' full-time study leading to Bachelor of Arts, Science and Commerce degrees. Entrance to an Honours course may require a higher pass mark in the higher secondary or pre-university examinations. A Master's Degree in Arts, Science and Commerce generally requires two years of study after a first degree. One and a half-year MPhil programmes are open to those who have completed their second stage postgraduate degree. It is a preparatory programme for doctoral level studies. The Doctor of Science (DSc) and the Doctor of Literature (Dlitt) degrees are awarded by some universities two to three years after the PhD for original contributions. [59] [...]"

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25.08.2004 - Source: Presse

Manipur: Article on corruption in educational system and private schools offered by Salesian priest ("Armutsbekämpfung: 1360 Euro für hunderte Schüler") [#24986],  [ID 6187]

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04.2004 - Source: UK Home Office

Educational System ("Country Report - April 2004") [#22427],  [ID 6188]

"5.47 According to the US Department of State report 2003, “The Government does not provide compulsory, free, and universal primary education, and only approximately 59% of children between the ages of 5 and 14 attend school. However, in 2002, the lower house of Parliament passed a constitutional amendment giving all children ages 6 to 14 the right to free and compulsory education provided by the State. The amended law also placed an obligation on parents and guardians to provide educational opportunities to these children. Of a primary school-age population of approximately 203 million, approximately 120 million children attended school. However, according to UNICEF, 76.2% of all children aged 11 to 13 years attended school. No significant sectors or groups actively were excluded from education, but children of wealthier families were more likely to attend school. A significant gender gap existed in school attendance, particularly at secondary school level.” According to Europa World Year Book 2003, the 93rd amendment to the Constitution, approved in May 2002, enshrined the right to free and compulsory education from the age of 6 to 14.
5.48 According to Europa World Year Book 2003, education is primarily the responsibility of the individual state governments. Elementary education for children between the ages of 6 and 14 years is theoretically compulsory in all states except Nagaland and Himachal Pradesh. There are facilities for free primary education (lower and upper stages) in all the states.
5.49 According to the US Department of State report 2002, academic freedom is not restricted, and students and faculty espouse a wide range of views. In addition to some 16 national universities and 259 State universities, States are empowered to accredit locally run private institutions"

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25.02.2004 - Source: US Department of State

No compulsory, free, and universal primary education; abuse of children in educational institutions ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2003") [#19765],  [ID 6189]

"The Government has not demonstrated a commitment to children's rights and welfare. The Government does not provide compulsory, free, and universal primary education, and only approximately 59 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 14 attend school. However, in 2002, the lower house of Parliament passed a constitutional amendment giving all children ages 6 to 14 the right to free and compulsory education provided by the State. The amended law also placed an obligation on parents and guardians to provide educational opportunities to these children. Of a primary school-age population of approximately 203 million, approximately 120 million children attended school. However, according to UNICEF, 76.2 percent of all children aged 11 to 13 years were attending school. No significant sectors or groups actively were excluded from education, but children of wealthier families were more likely to attend school. A significant gender gap existed in school attendance, particularly at the secondary level.
[…]
Abuse of children in both public and private educational institutions was a problem. Schoolteachers often beat children. In June, police arrested the mathematics teacher who allegedly beat a student in Velammal Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Kannappan. In December, a student in Madhyra Pradesh was allegedly blinded by a teacher for not doing his homework. There were no developments in the investigation of the August 2001 death of three children after the Assam government asked them to participate in a march."

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