The State of Mathematics in India

A World Bank study reported in Bloomberg suggests there is a huge gap in maths understanding and it has direct relationship with overall economic progress.

If other states are similar to the ones studied then it would mean that 17 million Indian students don’t meet the lowest international benchmark of “some basic mathematical knowledge.” That’s 22 times the corresponding figure for the U.S

But they also suggest that

The variance has less to do with household income, caste, parental literacy or wealth; more of it may be due to the quality of schooling a child receives.

Therefore

this is a “hopeful sign” because “it is easier to change behavior among teachers and to improve schools, than it is to do the same thing among parents.”

Kalinga Institute Of Social Sciences

A Santhal boy from Keonjhar district leads a team of tribal boys to victory in an international rugby tournament in London – that’s the story of Rajkishore, one of over 5000 tribal kids studying at Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences in Bhubaneshwar.

Started in 1993 by Achyuta Samanta, himself a poor boy who lost his father very early and had to sell fruits and coconuts for a living, it’s success reached the former president APJ Abdul Kalam who came to visit the school twice.

Says Samanta: “I was a poor child whom God blessed with quality education. Not every poor child is as fortunate. It is my life’s mission and passion to serve the poor in society in whatever way I can”.

One in ten girls make it to IIMs

Open to debate:

Women MBA aspirants account for only 10 per cent of students joining the Indian Institutes of Management, as lower participation, coupled with relatively less business aptitude has limited their strength at these elite B-schools, a study says

See the news report in Indian Express