quot;Implement Ram Joshi panel reportquot;

MUMBAI, November 7: The Maharashtra Balshikshan Parishad will in its third annual conference on November 14 demand the implementation of the Ram Joshi committee report.

The state government had implemented only some recommendations of the report, which formed the basis of the Maharashtra Pre-School Centres Regulation of Admission Act, 1996, which came into effect from April 12 this year.

And whatever the government has chosen to implement leaves much to be desired, exclaimed Ram Joshi, also the president of the parishad, at a press conference.

The act omits the very thrust of the committee report: of setting up an autonomous council Maharashtra Rajya Bal Sikshan Mandal to ensure that pre-schools follow the basic norms of space, teacher-child ratio, age of admission, equipment, materials, and the programme specified by the National Council of Education, Research and Training NCERT. Some other recommendations that the act chose to ignore included the determination of minimum pay scales, specific qualifications and refresher courses for teachers, said Joshi.