Parents complain about school to CoP

Parents complain about school to CoP - The Hindu var _comscore = _comscore || [];_comscore.push({ c1: "2", c2: "11398210" });(function() {var s = document.createElement("script"), el = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.async = true;s.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js";el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el);})(); Follow Today's Paper Archive Subscriptions RSS Feeds Site Map ePaperMobileApps Social SEARCHHome News Opinion Business Sport S & T Features Books In-depth Jobs Classifieds Shopping Bus tickets Cities Chennai Columns Arts Cinema Food Sports My Chennai My Right Chennai Social Blog Cities» ChennaiCHENNAI,October 25, 2013 Updated: October 25, 2013 08:14 IST
Parents complain about school to CoP Asha SridharShare  ·   Comment  ·  print  ·   TweetAsha SridharAsha writes about school education and also loves discovering traces of the fast-vanishing old city.»E-mail: asha.s@thehindu.co.inTOPICS Tamil Nadu Chennai
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They protested the discontinuation of primary classes from 2014 in A School, Anna Nagar West. School says decision was taken after implementation of RTE ActParents of the Anna Nagar West branch of A School submitted a written petition to the city police commissioner on Thursday, against the school’s decision to discontinue class I upwards from the next academic year.

A School is a chain of neighbourhood institutions across the city, which currently offers primary education in most of its branches.

Parents who protested on Thursday said they were promised their children could migrate to one of the main schools that would come up in Mogappair, Pallikaranai, Porur and Madhavaram. These schools were expected to offer CBSE education up to class XII.

However, some parents whose children study in classes I, II, and III at the branch alleged they were called earlier this month, and were individually asked to look for another school from the next academic year, as the branch would only cater to pre-primary students from 2014.

“I shifted my daughter from a matriculation school to this school for class I and even made her repeat class I on the school’s insistence. She is in class III now and it will be very difficult to get admission in a CBSE school as schools take in students in pre-K.G. or class I,” said a parent who did not want to be named. Another parent, whose two children study in the school, said they even shifted their residence.

Parents said the problem was not exclusive to their branch and demanded that the management make arrangements for admission for their children in another school for the next academic year, as securing admission in an intermediate class is difficult.

According to a representative of the education chain, there are 21 A schools, now re-branded ‘A School Pre-School’ where over 2,000 students study. While six branches are run by the Foundation, the rest are franchisees.

In a written explanation, a representative from the group of schools wrote that in 2009, they established pre-schools across Chennai with the intention of providing initial education to children in smaller schools that were closer to their residences before providing for higher education in a main school.

However, it further stated that “Subsequent to the Fee Act (Tamil Nadu Schools (Regulation of Collection of Fee) Act 2009) the RTE Act was implemented in 2011. RTE mandated that 25 per cent of all seats in private schools be reserved, for which no fee can be collected. Under the changed circumstances, the construction and operation of a main school is not possible.”

The statement said they had spoken to several schools to accommodate their primary students and were awaiting confirmation. The representative said parents must also start looking out. When asked about the website which still mentions four main schools, and classes up to class XII in the near future, the representative said it would be updated soon.

They protested the discontinuation of primary classes from 2014 in A School, Anna Nagar West

Keywords: A School, A School Anna Nagar West, CBSE schools

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Why Schools Must Talk About Trayvon Martin

I applaud the San Diego school board’s decision this summer to promote student discussion about Trayvon Martin in middle and high schools. More districts and schools should follow.

As an educator, I know that students need space to voice their opinions. Yet I also know that people often feel uneasy about such dialogues, especially ones with racial overtones. Some may wonder whether schools have the capacity to hold these kinds of tough conversations.

The questions around promoting contentious conversations are messy. We raise schools up as institutions for democracy, even when they have historically fallen short of this ideal when it comes to persistent social ills, such as segregation, student dropout rates, poverty, and school violence. Given this context, many may ask whether schools are proper forums for...

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Ask 4 Questions About College Savings Plans at Banks

Parents shouldn’t pick a college savings plan solely because it’s sold by their bank.

Parents shopping for a college savings account have at least one place they can visit: a local bank. But before putting their money into an account offered by a bank, there are a few things they should know.

"Your bank may say, 'We have a college savings plan,' which may be true and legal and okay," says College Savings Plans Network Chairman Mike Fitzgerald, but it may or not be a tax-advantaged 529 plan.

Only six states offer 529 plans where banks act as the program manager, the direct contact for consumers: Arizona, Indiana, Montana, Nebraska, Alabama and Illinois.

[Understand how to juggle multiple 529 plans.]

But even outside of those six states, banks could still offer an adviser-sold 529 plan, experts say. An adviser-sold plan is a 529 plan that is sold through financial advisers instead of directly through a state agency or program manager. The drawback is that these plans generally have higher fees, but the plans offer more investment choices and one-on-one help from a financial adviser.

Parents who want to find out what the bank is really offering should ask these questions recommended by Fitzgerald and Rob Seltzer, a California-based certified public accountant and personal financial specialist.

1. Is it a 529 plan? The first question a parent should ask is whether the product the bank is offering is a 529 plan. A college savings plan that isn't a 529 plan can have all the same investment ingredients such as savings, certificates of deposits and mutual funds. But because it's not an official 529 plan, it doesn't qualify for federal tax benefits, state matching grants or state tax credits and deductions, says Fitzgerald.

[Learn how to earn high interest with a 529 plan.]

The other drawback of a college savings account that's not a 529 plan is that the account could have a larger effect on a student's financial aid award if it's in the student's name, he says. This is because children's assets and income impact financial aid awards more than a parent's income and assets. If a parent starts a 529 plan for a child, the money in the account is counted as parental assets.

2. Is it a direct-sold plan? A direct-sold plan is a plan offered directly by the state, and which generally has lower fees on investments, Fitzgerald says. The alternative to a direct plan is an adviser-sold plan that generally has commission fees built into the cost because the investment plans are sold by advisers. Banks can run a direct-sold program on behalf of the state.

First National Bank of Omaha, for example, is the program manager for Nebraska's direct-sold 529 plan. Parents can find out who manages their state's 529 plans at collegesavings.org.

3. Is the bank affiliated with a brokerage? Banks generally handle college savings plans that aren't 529 plans, whereas affiliate brokerages sometimes sell the 529 plans. If a 529 plan is an adviser-sold plan, your bank could have investment advisers who can enroll you in a 529 plan or have a business relationship with a brokerage that will sell you a 529 plan product, Seltzer says.

This doesn't mean parents will pay higher fees than they would with another adviser-sold plan, but it can mean your bank may be splitting the commission on your investments, he says.

That could give the bank a reason to encourage the individual to choose that brokerage over another or instead of a direct plan that has lower fees.

Corrected 6/26/13: A previous version of this article misstated Mike Fitzgerald’s position.

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About the Best High Schools Rankings

How to Use the Rankings

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The Learning Network Blog: 6 Q's About the News | National Security Agency Maintains Vast Database of Americans' Phone Records

Read the article to answer basic news questions.

7:25 a.m. | Updated

In the article “U.S. Confirms That It Gathers Online Data Overseas,” Charlie Savage, Edward Wyatt and Peter Baker write about the disclosure that the federal government appears to have been secretly obtaining data from the largest Internet companies for nearly six years.

WHO has been compiling a huge database of calling logs of Americans’ domestic communications, as well as information on foreigners overseas from the nation’s largest Internet companies, for at least six years?

WHY has this agency been compiling these records?
WHY have some responded to news of the programs with alarm?

WHEN did this government surveillance program begin?

WHAT is the Prism program?
WHAT information do these programs seem to collect, warehouse and analyze?

WHERE was this news first reported?

HOW, according to James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, can the Prism information not be used?
HOW did the Obama administration and some members of Congress defend the program?
HOW do you feel about this news?
HOW does this raise new questions about the tradeoffs between security and civil liberties?

Related: Our Resources for Teaching the Constitution and a 2001 lesson plan, “For the Sake of Security.”

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The Learning Network Blog: 6 Q's About the News | Spike in Graffiti in National Parks

Joshua Lott for The New York Times Graffiti on a cactus last week in Saguaro National Park in Arizona. Many of the giant cactuses are 150 years old. Go to related article »Read the article to answer basic news questions.

In the article “As Vandals Deface U.S. Parks, Some Point to Online Show-Offs,” Felicity Barringer writes about the recent spike in graffiti in national parks.

WHO is Steve Bolyard?

WHERE is Saguaro National Park?

WHAT did Mr. Bolyard find on saguaros there?
WHAT are some other national parks that are dealing with more vandalism?

WHY do officials think social media is playing a role in the increase in vandalism in United States parks?

HOW was one offender, Trenton Ganey, caught by the authorities?
HOW did park officials catch the vandals who chopped up cactuses when Saguaro was hit again last month?

WHEN have you visited a national park?

Related: Our Student Opinion question “How Much Time Do You Spend in Nature?” and our 6 Q’s “At National Parks, Tech + Tourists = Trouble“

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