The draft legislation for the creation of 14 world class innovation universities in the country is ready. The draft legislation is presently going through last round of consultations with stakeholders and academicians.

In an effort to standardise education, curriculum and facilities in schools across the country, Union human resource development ministry has proposed to create a National Institute for Assessment and Evaluation. The proposal, envisioned by Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal, aims to evaluate school boards across the country and establish certain set standards of teaching, evaluation and course curricula in schools.

In a bid to ensure that the banks get their money back on the subsidised educational loans provided to students under the Central scheme, the government plans to digitise certification under various courses, these certificates will be marked mentioning about the outstanding loan amount.

In a major step towards furthering the education reforms agenda of the UPA-II, the Centre’s proposal to set up NCHER, an overarching body in higher education, received support of state governments at the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) meeting on Saturday. At the CABE meeting, the highest advisory body on education,

Union human resource development minister Kapil Sibal’s pet project, which was successfully scuttled by the UPA-1 HRD minister, Mr Arjun Singh, is all set to be cleared by the Union Cabinet. After years of delay and politics, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is soon likely to be accorded the status of a university.
“The Cabinet note seeking approval for the university is likely to be taken up for discussion in the next few days,” sources added.

In an effort to reach out to the aam aadmi, Union information and broadcasting ministry has decided to promote setting up of community radio stations across the country. The plan is to create awareness regarding government policies and programmes at grassroots levels.

The Right to Education Act, guaranteeing education as a right to children between six and 14 years, is now witnessing some ugly bickering over who will foot how much of the cost of implementing it.

In a bid to counter Pakistan-sponsored propaganda, the government has decided to rejuvenate Kashir, Doordarshan’s dedicated channel for the Valley. The Union information and broadcasting ministry has decided to improve the quality of programming content by training producers working for the channel to deal with sensitive

The Union law and justice ministry is preparing a welfare scheme for training of lawyers from rural and backward parts of the country. As part of this scheme, each senior advocate in the Supreme Court and high courts will be requested to take in two fresh law graduates under their wings. The scheme, a brainchild of Union law and justice minister M. Veerappa Moily, is aimed at integrating first-generation lawyers from backward parts of the country into the mainstream.

From this academic year onwards, law graduates will need to pass an all-India examination conducted by the Bar Council of India (BCI) to practice law in the country. The examination will be conducted in December this year for the students passing out in 2009-10.