Top News

After 20 years of raising government schools with better infrastructure, libraries and science learning facilities, an NRI couple created a fine example of rural education development through diaspora in India.

The Goutham Rural Education Development Society (GREDS) is a non-governmental organisation located in Ravinuthala, Andhra Pradesh, which has been working for 17 years to improve the conditions for learning in public schools that frequently lack academic resources even though they are government funded.

The organisation, which was set up in 2006 by Kodavalla Hanumantha Rao and Anuradha, natives of Prakasam, has so far committed roughly 2.5, 3 crore to rural education projects in the district. Their focus has been on improving practical learning and exam readiness for students in government schools.

Science Labs, Libraries and Learning Materials

Many schools in Prakasam district face shortages of laboratory equipment, books and classroom furniture compared to student strength. GREDS stepped in to bridge this gap by:

• Establishing full-fledged science laboratories in Inkollu and Ravinuthala Government High Schools
• Providing benches, dictionaries, grammar books and Class IX–X study materials
• Supporting academic infrastructure financially
• Creating a large rural library to promote reading habits

A major initiative was the setting up of “Kodavalla Venkateswarlu Grandhalayam” library in Ravinuthala in 2009 with an investment of nearly ₹1 crore. The library houses thousands of books, including material for state and national competitive examinations.

According to retired headmaster Moparthi Venkata Rao, the facility benefited hundreds of students preparing for careers, and continues to attract regular readers despite the rise of mobile learning.

From Rural Struggle to Global Success — Giving Back to Education

Hanumantha Rao did his initial schooling in his hometown. After graduating from IIT Madras, he went for further studies in the United States, where he is now a technology executive based in Seattle.

He came from a low income family background and thus, he was very close to the scarcity of academic materials. This was one of the reasons that motivated the startup of GREDS.

We have always wanted to create a better academic environment for the students of rural areas. We base our further support on the needs that come up, he added.

This initiative is a case study of how community philanthropy and NRI participation can be leveraged to raise rural government schools, enhance student achievement levels and career prospects of disadvantaged students in India.

Eight months after the higher education department initiated the process to appoint vice-chancellors to 13 state-run universities, the verification of credentials of shortlisted candidates is underway, officials said.

Following the enactment of the Odisha University (Amendment) Act, 2024, after the governor’s approval on April 12 last year, the department on June 3 invited applications from distinguished and eligible academics for VC posts in 13 public universities functioning without regular heads. While some existing VCs are on extension for six months, some universities are being managed by the senior-most professors as in-charge VCs.

According to official records, nearly 350 applications were received for the VC posts. Subsequently, governor and chancellor of universities, Hari Babu Kambhampati, told media persons that scrutiny of the applications began immediately and that the recruitment process would be completed within two-three months.

Under the new norms, a three-member selection committee comprising eminent educationists is required to be constituted for each university to shortlist candidates for the VC post, with the final appointment subject to approval from the governor. An official said that the selection committees constituted for the 13 universities have already shortlisted candidates for the VC posts and forwarded the panel of names to the state government. "Appointments will be made after completion of the verification process and approval of the governor, " the official said, adding that VC appointments will lead to faculty recruitment in the universities.

The delay seems to have been caused at a time when state universities are facing acute staff shortage, with nearly 2117 faculty posts, professors, associate professors and assistant professors, and about 2500 non teaching vacancies.

BJD members on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to the governor, highlighting the vacancies and urging that the VC recruitment process be completed by the end of Feb. They warned of statewide agitations if the appointments are not finalized within the stipulated time frame.

BJD MLA and former higher education minister Arun Sahoo said that even after 18 months of a BJP govt in Odisha, the state has failed to appoint full time VCs in public universities. He accused the VCs of not having recruitment and financial powers, which is seriously hampering the academic and administrative functioning of the universities.

Senior political figure and ex, Union minister Karan Singh has expressed his serious concern over the decision to close Vaishno Devi Medical College, describing it as a significant blow to the higher studies and job opportunities in the Jammu region.

Dr Singh said the shutting down of the medical college was "hardly understandable, " particularly when at that time access to good medical education in Jammu and Kashmir ought to be a matter of increasing, not decreasing.

Dr Singh further pointed out that the medical college was able to take in an increasing number of local students over the next few years, especially the young ones from the Dogra community. By doing so, the college closing down has basically put a stop to the future educational options of the students who want to study medicine in the region.

In a situation of national shortage of medical seats vis, a, vis student demand, shutting down makes no sense especially if the institution is functioning well. Dr Singh added that the college was going to be a source of more benefits for its students in the following academic years.

The shutting down of the college has, in his opinion, not only got students but also teachers, office staff, and health care workers of the associated hospital unsettled thus sending the wave of job losses in the region.

Employment and Regional Development Issues

Emphasizing the larger picture, Dr. Karan Singh remarked that the college was not only a place of education but also a major source of employment and a symbol of regional pride for Jammu.

He emphasized that colleges and universities are key players in the economic development of the locality, the accessibility of healthcare, the raising of human capital, potential, and the improvement of locals' skills.

Without getting into political disputes, he made a point that closing a school is one of those things that should never be rejoiced. He emphasized that the decisions made regarding education should be directed towards the long, term public interest.

Depoliticising Education Policy Demand

Dr Singh, mourning over what he considered to be the politicisation of the matter, pleaded with the government to take the higher education decisions in Jammu and Kashmir with a sense of social responsibility and a focus on developmental goals in the long run.

The Vaishno Devi Medical College closure flap is still a source of different views of education policy, regional employment, and the destiny of the medical students in Jammu.

Colleges located in the national capital are ready to organize devotional music series under the festival of 'Vasantotsav 2026'. At the same time, the government has planned 'Bhajan Clubbing' events in many of the Delhi University campuses from February 10 to 19.

Art, Culture, Language and Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra said that the purpose of the initiative is to bring the youth in touch with India's cultural and spiritual heritage through a modern form which they can relate to.

He mentioned that devotion through bhajan and kirtan has always been at the core of Indian culture and thus these activities have become very popular among the youth in the recent times.

Mishra said the programme is being run under the supervision of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and that it is basically a youth cultural initiative where traditional devotional music is blended with modern musical styles.

Besides this, he mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statements on cultural traditions in the 'Mann Ki Baat' programme, and added that such projects have resulted in a greater number of people getting involved in spiritual and cultural activities.

'Bhajan Clubbing' series is set to kick, off on February 10 at Ramjas College with the Leela Band's act. Musicians Raghav Raja will play at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College on the following day, per the announcement.

India Music Collective focusing on bhajans and meditation will be the highlight program at ARSD College on February 12, whereas Sadho Band will be debuting at Shaheed Sukhdev College on the very same day. Rahasya Band is slated to perform at Shyam Lal College on February 13, Keshavam will be singing devotional hymns at PGDAV College, the announcement stated.

A bigger show with Keshavam will be held at the University Stadium on February 16. The series will finish up on February 19 with SAM Band's gig at Shivaji College, it said.

The way I see it, this music initiative is all about getting students to drop the headphones and dive back into their cultural and spiritual selves with the help of music. At the same time, it wants to show that these traditions can still sound cool and fresh to the contemporary ear, Mishra added.

On Tuesday, a special court under the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Alipore remanded Akhtar Ali, former Deputy Superintendent of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and one of the main whistleblowers in the RG Kar corruption case, to judicial custody till February 17. After the issuance of an arrest warrant in the case of alleged misappropriation of funds at the state run medical institution, Ali handed himself over to the special CBI court. 

After he appeared, his lawyer submitted an application for bail that the CBI opposed strongly. Later, the court rejected the plea and ordered judicial custody. Akhtar Ali's arrest warrant was issued on Saturday. He came to the court less than 24 hours after the warrant was issued but did not surrender at that time. Ali subsequently mentioned that he would surrender on Monday but didn't show up, claiming illness. He eventually turned up before the court on Tuesday afternoon.

During the hearing, counsel for former RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh, advocate Sanjay Dasgupta, alleged that Akhtar Ali was deliberately delaying the legal process. “Despite the court’s direction, he did not appear and remained absconding. The roots of corruption are much deeper, and we have submitted documents supporting this claim,” Dasgupta told the court, while maintaining that his client had no role in the alleged scam.

The CBI questioned Ali’s claim of illness, pointing out that he was actively giving statements to the media during the same period. “You were fit enough to address the media but not to appear before the court,” the CBI’s counsel remarked.

His lawyer, who was defending Ali, argued that the first date of appearance was December 16 and after that, a petition was filed in the Calcutta High Court. He further said that Ali got sick at that time and couldn't go to the next hearings. The CBI countered the argument by saying that Ali had been regularly sent summons for questioning but had always been practically uncooperative.

Notably, Akhtar Ali was the complainant who first levelled allegations of financial corruption against former principal Sandip Ghosh, bringing the RG Kar Medical College scam into the public domain. However, following investigation, the CBI concluded that Ali himself was allegedly involved in financial irregularities and filed a chargesheet against him.

Earlier, the Calcutta High Court rejected Ali’s anticipatory bail plea, clearing the way for his arrest and subsequent judicial custody.

India has experienced a drastic decline in the number of government schools with around 18, 000 schools closing down over the last five years while private unaided schools keep growing rapidly, official data submitted to Parliament reveals.

During the session, Union Minister of Education Jayant Chaudhary, shared this information in the Rajya Sabha, February 4th, responding to CPI(M) MP John Brittas' question. The Member of Parliament had requested the information regarding the number of government schools that are currently running, have been closed over the past five years, along with the state wise school closure data, growth of private schools and enrollment figures at the time of closure.

Referring to DISE and UDISE (Unified District Information System for Education) data, the minister stated that the number of government schools in India had gone down from 10, 32, 019 in 2020, 21 to 10, 13, 322 in 2024, 25, thus a total decline of 18, 697 schools over the five years has been witnessed.

During the same period, the number of private unaided schools was increased by 8, 475 only in the span of one year indicating a drastic change in the schooling landscape of India.

Among the states, Madhya Pradesh leads in the tally of government schools recently closed; the aggregate figure of schools shut down during the last five years is as high as 6, 902.

Next in the series of highest closures, we find Jammu and Kashmir (4, 382), Assam (2, 008), Odisha (1, 631), and Himachal Pradesh (1, 116) all comprising the sum of the most closures.

Still, a few states have decided to follow a different pattern from the majority of the states. First of all, Rajasthan started 1, 342 government schools while Bihar established 765 schools during the same time period. Meanwhile, Telangana barely had 42 government schools being added.

Minister Chaudhary stressed that education is a subject on the Concurrent List of the Constitution, which entails that the state governments and Union Territory administrations primarily hold the authority to make decisions on the opening, closing, staffing, and funding of schools.

Taking the data into consideration, MP John Brittas resorted to X (formerly Twitter) to express his concerns over what he referred to as the alarming decline of government schooling all over India. “Government schooling is getting smaller. "Private schooling is expanding, " he said.He cautioned that the trend could severely impact children from rural and poor families who mainly rely on public education.

Experts on education think the data raise some vital questions about the availability, fairness, and what lies ahead for public schools in India at a time when ensuring education for all and improving learning outcomes remain the country's greatest challenges.