Hindutva organizations were don’t get justice in Kerala

Hindutva organizations were don’t get justice in Kerala - CNN

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Performance management changes for teachers aim to make classroom observations less prescriptive - HRmagazine.co.uk

The changes come into effect on 1 September 2012, and give a standardised legal framework for schools to work within, whilst also acknowledging the difference between individual schools and the way they run, giving them the flexibility to implement an appraisal policy that works on an individual basis.

The aim of the changes is to make the time required for classroom observations less prescriptive, and to use observation only when staff members within the school find it necessary - dependent on what is the most sensible course of action for the teacher being observed. Instead of relying heavily on observation, the new legislation requires each teacher to establish a set of goals and targets, which will be worked upon and monitored throughout the year. These goals will be assessed at an annual appraisal, and will form part of each year's written appraisal report.

The main change is the division between appraisals and capability procedures. Teachers are now not required to pass appraisals on to future employers - which should make the appraisal process much more well-rounded and functional. By removing the necessity to pass on appraisals to outside bodies, feedback from everyone involved is likely to be much more honest, in depth and constructive. Any disciplinary process relating to performance management will be separated from appraisals, becoming part of a 'capability procedure' instead, made available to future employers on request.

Secondly, each school is now required to put together and adhere to an individual performance management policy. This policy must incorporate an annual appraisal culminating in a written report for each member of staff. Individual teachers must also have a set of goals and targets from which to work throughout the academic year. These goals and targets are decided on the basis of the outcome of their annual appraisal, and must contribute to improving the education of pupils.

According to the official guidelines (www.education.gov.uk): 'Most of the prescription in the current guidelines will disappear [and schools…] will also be free to decide many other matters on which they currently have no flexibility'.

Although many schools previously had some sort of appraisal policy in place, the Ofsted report into performance management of teachers concluded:'The system was functioning below its full potential so that appraisal was not contributing as much as it should to raising pupils' standards of achievement and to improving teachers' levels of performance'.

With new flexibility in the implementation of Performance Management, and using the system as something that augments and works within the school, rather than for use by outside bodies, there seems to be an opportunity for schools to adopt a more effective and user-friendly approach to annual appraisals, in the form of 360-degree feedback.

As well as being a system that is easily tailored to the needs of individual teachers and schools, 360-degree feedback is thorough, giving a more in depth and clear picture of the individual's performance, rather than simply relying on one source. It is also an approach that promotes equality and accuracy in performance management in a way that traditional appraisals did not.

The 360-degree feedback takes into account not just feedback from an individual and their manager, but also from colleagues, department heads, and even pupils, depending on which approach fits each staff member best.

A report by the ASCL, ATL, NAHT & NUT (available online) stated appraisals should be 'a thorough yet supportive developmental process [and discussions should be] honest and open between appraiser and appraisee'. Also 'objectives should be set following consultation with teachers'.

By involving teachers in the process rather than taking a 'top-down' prescriptive approach, teachers are more involved and positive about the appraisal process, which means appraisals are much more likely to encourage and support progress and improvement.

Also, when set up properly, this approach is a very cost-effective and efficient way of monitoring a teachers' progress without taking up time and resources that could be better spent elsewhere. By setting each teacher goals based on their initial appraisal report, targets become focussed and much easier to understand.

This means that goals can be tracked throughout the year, and on-going improvement, as well as any problems that may arise, are recognisable much more quickly. Not only does this make progress more likely, but it also means, appraisals are much more focussed and efficient the following year.

With a well-designed performance management system that incorporates annual 360-degree appraisals and the addition of individualised goal setting that is focussed on throughout the year, set up is easy, and the on-going monitoring of progress is both simple and makes future appraisals much more focussed and rewarding, not to mention efficient.

A previously negative attitude to HR in academic professions seems to have led to schools missing out on what could be a valuable and easy to implement approach which could really help improve schooling.

Iain Rhodes, MD at Carbon360

Attacking strategy can benefit Ireland - UEFA

Over the course of the last decade, the Republic of Ireland have gained a reputation for being a difficult side to beat.

Indeed, Ireland are now unbeaten in 14 matches since March 2011 but that bare statistic disguises the infrequency with which they actually record victories over higher-ranked sides in competitive fixtures. That you have to go back to a 2001 FIFA World Cup qualifier at Lansdowne Road for the last time the team upset the odds and produced a victory of note says enough.

It will say so much more about the resolve of these men if they manage to escape from UEFA EURO 2012 Group C because the company they have been asked to keep belongs to football's aristocracy, in the case of Italy and Spain, and one of its newer powers, in Croatia.

It is because of this categorisation that so many Irish supporters are pinning their hopes on tomorrow's game being the one they need to win, when logic actually suggests the third game against Italy is a much better bet.

Croatia, by contrast, have a system and a style that could really trouble Ireland, not just in the way they control possession with seamless ease, nor in the way they play with a national pride that is in keeping with newly-independent nations, but mainly, from a coldly analytical point of view, from the way they dart passers and runners in behind opposing back lines and stretch teams to the limit with their speed and emphasis on width.

In particular, their captain – and right-sided midfielder– Darijo Srna, is a likely thorn in Ireland's side. Technically proficient, quick and motivated by the big occasion, Srna's duel with Stephen Ward, the Ireland left-back, could be the determining factor of Sunday's result.

Republic of Ireland's Aiden McGeady will have a dual responsibility against Croatia

While Ward is capable of producing a big performance of his own, he will require a reserve battalion of defenders to offer assistance. In this respect, Damien Duff and Aiden McGeady, Ireland's wide players, must recognise they have a dual responsibility to defend as well as attack.

Attacking is what Ireland must do without fear. When they have had a go and dictated games on their terms – as they did away against France and Italy in 2010 World Cup qualifying – they have resembled a potent and entertaining side. Should they opt for this strategy in Poznan, a win is easily within their capabilities.

Sanjay Joshi’s exit is good riddance for the BJP - firstpost.com

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It also has too many forces meddling with the party – from the RSS to the other elements of the Sangh Parivar. Sanjay Joshi, whatever his good points as an organisation man, was only fomenting trouble for Narendra Modi in the run-up to the Gujarat election.

Germany V Portugal : UEFA Euro 2012 Match Report - Football

Published: 09 Jun 2012 - 22:11:20

Gomez gets Germany's campaign off to the perfect startA second-half header from striker Mario Gomez was enough to give Germany a 1-0 win over Portugal on Saturday in their opening Euro 2012 match.After victories both in the quarter-finals of Euro 2008 and the third-place play-off at the 2006 World Cup, this was the German's third straight win over Portugal in major tournaments to give Germany a winning start in Group B.For all that was written about the potent attacking threat posed by Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, the Real Madrid star had a subdued night by his own lofty standards and he rarely got the better of his marker Jerome Boateng.After Denmark's shock 1-0 win over Holland earlier, victory give Joachim Loew's Germans an early advantage in the pool, which has been dubbed 'the group of death'.Loew sprang a surprise before kick-off by leaving out experienced centre-back Per Mertesacker for the match at the Lviv Arena, the smallest of the eight Euro 2012 venues, in front of 32,990 fans.Bayern Munich's Holger Badstuber partnered Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels in the centre of defence with captain Philipp Lahm at left-back and Bayern's Boateng on the right.Veteran forward Miroslav Klose, who turned 34 on Saturday, was left on the bench with goal-scorer Gomez starting as the lone striker.Portugal coach Paulo Bento opted for a 4-3-3 formation with Ronaldo leading the attack.Germany had the better of the opening exchanges with Gomez's header forcing Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio into a diving save and Arsenal-bound forward Lukas Podolski firing in a shot which the Benfica star struggled to collect.Zaragoza forward Helder Postiga picked up the first booking of the game when he clattered Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and Portugal's first attack came after 15 minutes when Ronaldo found space on the left.With the Portuguese turning up the pressure, Badstuber was booked for a foul on Manchester United's Nani with halftime approaching.Madrid star Pepe came perilously close to putting Portugal ahead a minute before the break when his strike beat Neuer, but deflected down off the crossbar onto the goal-line to bounce away from danger.The second-half settled into a nervy affair and with 25 minutes left a great pass from Porto midfielder Joao Moutinho found Ronaldo in space, but Boateng responded quickly enough to snuff out the threat.The German was later booked for fouling the Real star moments later.With Klose waiting on the sidelines to replace him, Gomez finally got the breakthrough he had earlier promised when he met Sami Khedira's cross to place his header outside the reach of the diving Patricio on 73 minutes.In the dying minutes, only desperate defending denied Portugal an equaliser as the German back line managed to snuff out a strike from replacement forward Silvestre Valera, who had the goal at his mercy.In Wednesday's next round of Group B matches, Germany face Holland in Kharkiv while Portugal take on Denmark back here again in Lviv.