Minister Ahamed (third right) at the valedictory ceremony of the Principals Council of the CBSE Affiliated Schools in Gulf Region. Also seen are CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi, Indian ambassador Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa and Director of Private Education Fouzia al-Khater
By Ramesh Mathew/Staff Reporter

India’s Right to Education (RTE) act introduced in 2009 is bringing about major changes in the country’s educational scene and Indian schools in the Gulf region too need to take similar initiatives to meet the growing challenges, a senior minister has said.
The educational reforms have met with some degree of success and the RTE ensures right to free and compulsory education to children up to the school final level, Minister of State for External Affairs and Human Resources Development E Ahamed said.
“Now efforts are underway to implement similar reforms at the secondary and college levels,” he said.
He was delivering the keynote address at the valedictory ceremony of the 24th Principals Council of the CBSE Affiliated Schools in the Gulf region at Doha’s Holiday Villa Hotel yesterday.
While highlighting the necessity of ensuring quality education in the region’s CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) schools, the minister said even though grading and continuous comprehensive education are in place, many students have not been able to cope with the changes.
Ahamed said his ministry has been receiving complaints about schools ‘weeding out’ those considered to be ‘weak’ in studies in a bid to show better results.
“In the larger interests of such students and their parents, the schools should be a little more tolerant,” he said. The managements and teachers need to understand better the importance of giving equal opportunities to all, Ahamed added.
The schools managements should realise they are duty-bound to safeguard the interests of expatriate students and their parents, he said.
Reports of incidents such as sidelining weaker children showed that something is “missing” between the teachers and students, Ahamed said.
The minister said the psychological trauma such students face is more harmful than the physical harm.
Since the educational reforms were launched in 2009, the CBSE has been able to introduce a number of vocational and other academic programmes such as bio-technology, engineering graphics, creative writing, fashion designing and graphic designing at the schools which will help them greatly, Ahamed said.
The minister complimented CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi for his efforts to introduce reforms at the school level, which have helped to do away with the board exams, and thus reducing stress.
Ahamed also felt the reforms would eventually enhance the leadership and personality development of students.
Indian ambassador Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa, Qatar’s Director of Private Education Fouzia al-Khater, Joshi, CBSE Gulf Council chairperson Shanta Maria James of the Indian Central School inKuwait), and secretary A K Shrivastava of the Birla Public School, Doha also spoke.
Ideal Indian School principal Mohamed Aejaz welcomed the gathering and Khurshid Alam Salar introduced the guests.

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