World Bank project to improve education in India, Pakistan

ABIDJAN, 13 June (IRIN) - Twenty-three countries have been named by the World Bank as part of the Education For All Fast Track, an attempt to encourage developing countries to provide quality primary school education for all children by 2015, a World Bank statement said. Some 18 of the countries from the sub-Saharan Africa, East and South Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East are eligible to receive additional financing to support their primary education programmes.

By helping them strengthen their educational systems, and removing key bottlenecks in school completion, some 17 million children currently out of school, could have the opportunity to complete primary education, the statement said. To qualify for financing under EFA, countries must prioritise primary education and embrace policies that improve the quality and efficiency of their primary education systems.

Five countries are those with the largest numbers of children not in school including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo (a country which does not yet have a World Bank programme) and Nigeria, the statement said. According to the statement, these countries account for 50 million of the estimated worldwide total of 113 million children out of school. The World Bank and donors will work with them to address gaps that will need to be resolved for them to be eligible for Education For All (EFA) grant financing support.

"We are making an important start with these 23 countries," World Bank President James Wolfensohn said. "More than 67 million children in these countries have never set foot in a classroom and many more drop out before completing even 5 or 6 years of primary school, which is the minimum to be able to read, write and do basic arithmetic, and to provide the basis for further learning," he said.

The World Bank estimates that the world's eight most developed countries and the rest of the international community would need to commit approximately US $3 billion a year in additional financing over the next 10 years to help all low-income developing countries meet the Millennium education goal of leaving no child without quality education.

At the World Education Forum in 2000, donors promised that no country with a viable and sustainable plan for achieving EFA would be unable to implement it for a lack of resources. This commitment was reaffirmed in Monterrey, Mexico, earlier this year. (keralamonitor.com)

World Bank to assist education sector of Congo

NAIROBI, 13 June (IRIN) - The World Bank has pledged to intensify its support for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and four other countries, to allow it to qualify for financing under the Education For All (EFA) fast-track system, which aims to provide every child with primary education by 2015.

The five countries - DRC, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria - were those with the largest numbers of children not in school, said the World Bank on Wednesday, adding up to about 50 million. "The World Bank and donors will work with these countries to address the data, policy and capacity gaps that will need to be resolved for them to be eligible for EFA grant financing support," the Bank pledged. A further 18 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, East and South Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East were eligible for an EFA grant to support existing primary education programmes, which would provide primary education for 17 million children currently out of school, the World Bank said.

In order to achieve this goal, however, the G-8 and the international community would have to commit about US $3 million per year over 10 years, World Bank President James Wolfensohn said, describing the financing of the EFA fast-track as "one of the most compelling and sensible development investments ever made".

"More than 67 million children in these countries have never set foot in a classroom, and many more drop out before completing even five or six years of primary school, which is the minimum to be able to read, write and do basic arithmetic, and to provide the basis for further learning," he said. "Education for All is an achievable goal, but it will not be achieved without extraordinary effort by both the countries and their development partners."(keralamonitor.com)

Several thousand undertrials in Indian Jails

There are 204480 under trials in jails all over the country as on date. Of them, 44269 under trials are in jails of Uttar Pradesh followed by 39449 under trials in jails of Bihar, 18501 under trials in jails of Madhya Pradesh, 13960 under trials in jails of Maharashtra, 9289 in jails of Tamil Nadu, 8776 in jails of Delhi, 8557 in jails of Andhra Pradesh, 8009 in jails of Orissa and 7430 in jails of Punjab.

Of the total under trials in jails, there are a total of 2206 under trials in detention for more than five years. Of these, 99 under trials are in detention for more than five years in Uttar Pradesh followed by 1713 under trials in detention in Bihar, 87 in Madhya Pradesh, 6 in Maharashtra, 100 in Delhi, 7 in Andhra Pradesh, 3 in West Bengal , 12 in Orissa and 22 in Punjab.

Prison is State subject in the Constitution of India. States have to spend Rs. 55 per day per under trial in detention. At this rate, more than Rs. 461 crores is incurred bythe States annually on under trials. If their cases are expedited by courts then the money thus saved could be transferred to vital welfare activities. It is in this context, that the Centre has been stressing the need for expediting filling of vacancies of judges in the subordinate courts and early disposal of the cases of under trials.

Norms relaxed for appointing company Secretaries

The Government in the Department of Company Affairs (DCA) has issued a notification amending the Companies (Appointment and Qualifications of Secreatary) Rules, 1988 to relax the provisions governing appointment of whole-time Company Secretaries in companies with immediate effect. Accordingly, it becomes mandatory for companies with a paid up capital of Rs. 2 crores and above to appoint a whole-time Company Secretaries against the existing provisions requiring whole time Company Secretaries in companies with a paid up capital of Rs. 50 lakhs and above.

The notification has been issued under clauses (a) and (b) of sub-section (1) of Section 642 read with Section 383 A of the Companies Act, 1956. This is the third amendment effected in the Companies (Appointment and Qualifications of Secretary) Rules, first promulgated in 1988, followed by amendment in April 1993 when the paid up capital was raised from Rs. 25 lakhs to Rs. 50 lakhs in Companies for mandatory appointment of whole-time qualified Company Secreataries.(keralamonitor.com)