The Department of Homeland Security has issued a stark warning to Harvard University: provide detailed records on certain international students or forfeit the right to enroll them altogether. The directive, announced by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, marks a sharp escalation in the federal government’s confrontation with the Ivy League institution.
Noem demanded that Harvard submit information by April 30 regarding what she described as “illegal and violent activities” by some foreign student visa holders. Failure to comply, she said as reported by Reuters, would result in Harvard losing its authority to admit international students under the federal visa programme.

Millions in grants cancelled

Two DHS grants worth over $2.7 million have already been terminated. Noem declared that taxpayer dollars would not support institutions she claims are fostering “anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology.”
“With a $53.2 billion endowment, Harvard can fund its own chaos — DHS won’t,” Noem said as quoted by Reuters, casting the university as a breeding ground for unrest amid the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.
A Harvard spokesperson acknowledged receiving the letter, reiterating that while the university will obey the law, it “will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.”

Campus protests spark federal retaliation

The crackdown follows a wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations across elite campuses, including Harvard, in response to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza after the October 2023 Hamas attack. The Trump administration has characterized these protests as antisemitic and sympathetic to terrorism.
Protesters — including Jewish student groups — reject the accusation, saying they are standing for human rights and criticising the Israeli government’s actions, not Jewish identity.
The administration has already revoked hundreds of student visas nationwide and initiated deportation proceedings against international students linked to demonstrations.

Tax-exempt status on the chopping block

Further pressure mounted as CNN reported that the Internal Revenue Service is preparing to strip Harvard of its tax-exempt status. Trump endorsed the move on Tuesday, describing it as a necessary step against a university he claims is ideologically hostile to American values.
Harvard responded by warning that rescinding its tax-exempt status would not only be unprecedented but would also reduce financial aid, shutter vital medical research programmes, and diminish its ability to serve the public.

Crackdown targets multiple institutions

Harvard is not alone. The Trump administration has frozen or cancelled funding at several other elite universities, including Columbia, Princeton, Brown, Cornell, and Northwestern. Federal officials have tied the actions to opposition over DEI initiatives, transgender inclusion policies, and campus political activism.
Critics argue the administration is leveraging financial pressure to stifle dissent and enforce ideological conformity on higher education institutions.

Academic freedom under siege

Human rights groups and academic leaders have condemned the DHS threats as a dangerous overreach. They warn that the government’s actions could chill free expression on campuses and deter international scholars from coming to the US.
Concerns over Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias have intensified, with advocacy groups noting a lack of federal protections for affected students amid the ongoing conflict.
As Harvard faces the April 30 deadline, the confrontation stands as a flashpoint in the broader battle over the future of academic freedom, institutional independence, and America’s global educational standing.

NEW DELHI: After issuing show-cause notices to 11 private schools for unfair fee hikes and irregularities in accounts, Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Thursday claimed a major victory against a top private school in Dwarka after a court ordered an inspection led by the District Magistrate.
Talking to media, Sood said notices were issued to 11 schools after their accounts were inspected by Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) and prima facie there are signs of mismanagement.
“We don’t want to create a sensation by announcing what action will be taken against them but I can say the Rekha Gupta government is committed to safeguarding interests of students and parents,” he said.
The schools named by the Minister include Green Land Public School, Rajgarh Colony; Geeta Bal Bharti Senior Secondary School, Rajgarh Colony; Saroj Montessori Public School, Vivek Vihar; Puneet Public School, Vishwas Nagar; Arwachin Bharti Bhawan School, Vivek Vihar; Lancer Convent, Prashant Vihar; The Srijan School, Model Town; Queen Mary’s School; Guru Tegh Bahadur School, Mira Model School, Janakpuri and St. Gregorious School.
Talking about the top private school in Dwarka, he said a court has directed the “District Magistrate to stop high-handedness of the school in Dwarka and we have issued a show-cause notice to it.”
He claimed that based on a report given by the DM, the court has even gone on to say that the Dwarka school should be taken over by the government for alleged wrongdoings.
The Minister said, due to the efforts of the Delhi government, the court has directed Director, Education, and his team to visit the Dwarka school and ensure that no violation of the Delhi School Education Act, 1973, takes place in the institution.
“This is how we have managed to settle a five-year-old legacy issue related to the school,” he said, slamming the previous AAP government and its former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of doing little to discipline the school and only using it as a case to create sensational headlines.
Sood announced that with the help of SDMs the Rekha Gupta government has got accounts of 650 schools audited whereas the previous AAP government audited accounts of 750 schools in 10 years.
Asked about protests by parents over fee hike, Sood said complaints of unfair fee hike were not new to Delhi and accused the AAP government in the past of failing to act against schools.
“The AAP government only made sensational comments about private schools and took populist stands to grab media attention,” he said, accusing the previous government of inaction against errant schools.
The Minister said the Delhi School Education Act, 1973 mandates annual audits for all 1,677 private schools in the city. However, over the past decade, only about 75 schools were audited annually.
Hitting out at “unemployed leaders” of the AAP for raising non-issues to defame the two-month-old BJP government, he said the Opposition party made failed attempts to spread rumours about suspension of power bill subsidy and increase in power cuts in the city after the BJP government came to power.
He also accused the AAP of resorting to its failed tactic of making an allegation and running away, without caring to respond to clarifications and facts presented by the BJP government.
–IANS
rch/rad

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has taken a policy decision to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 with Hindi as a compulsory third language from the academic year 2025-26.
As per a detailed government notification, Hindi will be a compulsory third language for students in Classes 1 to 5 studying in Marathi and English medium schools.
The new curriculum under NEP 2020 will follow a phased timeline, starting with Class 1 in 2025-26 academic year and expanding to all grades by 2028-29.
According to the notification, other medium schools in Maharashtra are already following the three-language formula since English and Marathi are compulsory in the state; and they also teach the language which is their medium of instruction.
However, in English and Marathi medium schools, only two languages were taught.
In the case of Curriculum and Structure, the state government of Maharashtra will adopt the 5+3+3+4 model, with localised curriculum development by SCERT (State Council of Educational Research and Training) and Balbharati the state textbook bureau.
The SCERT has also prepared a bridge course for classes where students will be transitioning directly from the old to new curriculum.
The government aims to train 80 per cent of teachers in new pedagogical methods and digital tools by 2025.
“The 5+3+3+4 educational structure, introduced by the NEP 2020 under the new curriculum, divides school education into four stages: Foundational stage, preparatory stage, middle stage, and a secondary stage.
“This new policy restructures the previous 10+2+3 system into a 5+3+3+4 format, covering education from foundational to higher levels. The policy is being gradually implemented in the state. It is built on five pillars: Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability, and Accountability, and aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030,” Deputy Secretary of the state education department, Tushar Mahajan said in a notification.
According the notification, the government will launch the commencement of the 5+3+3+4 structure of school education, as recommended under NEP 2020 wherein first five years (3 years of pre-primary and classes 1 and 2) will be foundational stage, classes 3 to 5 will be Preparatory stage, Classes 6 to 8 will be covered under Middle school and final four years (Classes 9 to 12) will be Secondary Education.
The three language formula, too, will be implemented as per the prescribed phases, starting with Class 1 from the upcoming academic year.
Further, the textbooks of Maharashtra State Board will now be based on curriculum developed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) along with modifications as per Maharashtra’s local context, especially in subjects like Social Science and languages.
Accordingly, Class 1 textbooks are being published by Balbharati.