Students studying from class five to 10 in the state schools will have some new learning to do from the academic year 2010-11. The state department of public instructions is planning to review and revise all the text books for all these classes.

The state minister for primary and secondary education, Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri, has decided to revise the text books of all subjects for these classes with an intention to bring their standard at par with that of the CBSE and ICSE boards.

Sources in the department said, "The plan is still in the preliminary stage. The minister will discuss the issue with the department officials after the Lok Sabha elections."

Last year's dummy writers scam has hit students genuinely in need of writers; GSHSEByet to implement new rules

Despite last year's dummy writers scam, the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) hasn't taken a lesson. The annual board examination is set to start from March 17, but the board hasn't implemented new rules to hire writers till date. On the other hand, owing to the scam, genuine students, mainly visually and physically challenged, are finding it difficult to get writers. Admitting the fact, GSHSEB chairman Hasmukh Adhia told DNA that because of last year's incident students are not willing to be writers even in genuine cases such as for physically and visually challenged students.

CCTVs, flying squads will keep a close watch on malpractices

The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination conducted by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education will begin on Thursday.

Over 2.51 lakh students will appear for the SSC exam from the Pune division, which covers Pune, Ahmednagar and Solapur districts. Board officials said there are 446 exam centres in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

To keep a close tab on exam-related irregularities including copying, 245 flying squads (seven for each district) have been appointed across the state.

Prateek Sharma, a class X student who is busy preparing for his Board examination scheduled to commence from Thursday, was running from one book store to other to grab a copy of the 21 question sets, the most sought after book for students appearing for the Board exams. However, Prateek had to go home disappointed and instead borrow it from one of his friends as the book was not available in any of the books stores.

According to one of the sales person at Milan Book Store, Vashi, the 21 question sets are the most preferred ones and it's like a Bible for the students. "We start getting the fresh stocks from December and it sells like hot cakes," he said adding, students enquire for the books even one day before the exams.

With HSC students going through the confusion of allotment of centres in Thane, students of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations due to start today, have not been exempted from the headache either. Little wonder then, it has made SSC students jittery.

Sample this: Rahul Joshi (name changed), a student of SSC, has been allotted four different centres for four papers. A tensed Rahul blurted out: “I do not understand how this has happened. I went to check my centre at a school in Kalwa and found that I could only appear for the first paper at that centre. I have to go to four other centres for other papers. This chaotic situation has forced my father to take leave from office so that he can be with me for the entire exam period.”

The examinations may be currently on in full swing, but there are still scores of students who are deprived of books. There might perhaps be some who gave up their dream of pursuing studies due to books being too big for their pockets. It is for such children that a voluntary body, Mulund Parents Association, has come up with the  website http://bookdonors.tripod. com