Chandigarh, Monday, October 19, 1998
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Chandigarh, Monday, October 19, 1998 |
Modern
gurukul at Kunjpura that produces sainiks Fraud
on students |
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Dr Ranjit Singh THE Government of India launched an ambitious programme on adult education on October 2, 1978 to eradicate illiteracy. It was to benefit 10 crores people between the age group of 15-35 during the next five years. As far as available results are concerned, not more than one crore have been covered under the programme. About two-third population is still illiterate. A majority of the illiterate live below the poverty line. Any type of formal education intended for this section will have to satisfy a precondition — that it is going to be useful for their daily chores. It is, therefore, important to broaden the concept of literacy from simple teaching of elementary reading and writing skills to the notion of techno-literacy — a concept which tends to define the literate person in terms of his capacity for effective functioning in his group and community. Techno-literacy will also help prevent the lapse into illiteracy of a newly literate person. In spite of government efforts, not much has been achieved in this direction. There is no substantial reduction in the number of illiterates. According to World Bank estimate, India will have the largest number of illiterates in the world by the end of the century. Some important agencies can play a significant role in this direction. Political parties: Political parties can play an effective role in this direction. So far no political party has been attracted by this proposition. There is hardly any village where there are not four or five active members of a political party. Parties can select some villages and organise literacy classes. To begin with, the party in power can start this programme. Literacy is necessary for active participation of the nation’s adult citizens in its political decisions. Village schools: Selected village school teachers can be used for adult literacy. They can organise night classes in school buildings. Most village panchayats can raise money to pay an extra allowance to the teachers. Religious places: Almost every village has places of workshop like temple, mosque, gurdwara and church. Adult literacy classes can be started in selected places where required facilities exist. Many of these institutions have sound financial resources. It is easy for these institutions to provide physical facilities as well as teaching materials. Priests can act as effective teachers. Co-operative Societies: Many of the village co-operative societies are now vital business units. They have their own buildings and enough income to pay for the teachers. Even some of the secretaries of these societies can act as teachers. They can start literacy programmes with their members and also impart the philosophy of co-operatives and technological details of the inputs being provided by the societies. It is an established fact that institutional-facilities like co-operative credit are better utilised in those agricultural communities where the proportion of educated farmers is higher. Industrial organisations: It should be made compulsory for all medium and big factories to organise literacy classes for their illiterate workers. It is not difficult for these factories to spend money for this purpose. Contents of primers can help in improving the production of the factories. National service scheme: Most colleges have the National Service Schemes. Devoted students can be selected to act as teachers. There are many day-scholars from villages. They can run these classes in their own villages. City day scholars can run the classes among the weaker sections of society in towns. Necessary facilities can be provided by respective colleges. Voluntary organisations: Various voluntary organisations working for the welfare of the masses can adopt selected villages for literacy as well as for other development activities. The government says a great stress on family planning and the prohibition. Numerous researches have established that adoption of birth control techniques have positive relationship with literacy. Co-ordination: There is a need for co-ordination committees at the national, state, district and block levels. These committees should have representatives from all seven organisations mentioned earlier. These members will maintain vertical as well as horizontal co-ordination, by maintaining links with their own organisations at different levels and also with other members of their committee. The main function of these committees will be to allot work between various organisations and to provide various facilities (physical, monetary, teaching material. Each development block has 70 to 100 villages, which means that every organisation has to cover 10 to 15 villages in each block. This can easily be achieved within 10 years. If properly planned, co-ordinated and executed it will not be difficult to achieve universal literacy within a decade. Many developing nations have achieved it.
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From Raj Sadosh ABOHAR: Many students have been reportedly duped by different institutions running computer classes in the city. One such institution, which was started with much fanfare two years back, has only six students on its rolls now. Several are struggling for getting a pass certificate from the institution. Some of them have even served a notice on the National Institute which accorded affiliation to the centre. Sources say computer education has become a major source of income for so-called model schools. Abohar is among those towns where students are being asked to pay a fixed amount as ‘donation’ for the buildings of privately-run schools. No qualified instructor is employed but students are forced to pay hefty computer education charges. Not only schools but at least two colleges too have awarded contracts to outside instructors to run computer courses. Two students of a local girls college have sent complaints to the Panjab University authorities with statements on oath. Mamta Gumber and Sonia Badhwar have sent affidavits stating that they paid Rs 100 as admission fee and Rs 500 as monthly tuition fee for seven months to Gopi Chand Arya Mahila Institute of Computer Sciences in Abohar after going through an advertisement in a local paper. The classes were conducted at a local girl’s college. The students were promised a certificate after 18 months and a job guarantee. But after seven months the students were told the computer centre had been closed. The students said the involvement of college authorities could not be ruled out because the contractor was not prevented from taking away the computers. Each student during the seven months had paid Rs 3600 to the college on account of computer education. The same instructors now had entered a contract with two more institutions, the sources said. The college authorities, when contacted, admitted that the incident had indeed occurred. They said they were thinking of inviting the students to rejoin the course. They would not be asked to pay any fee for seven months.
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From Varinder Walia AMRITSAR: Guru Nanak Dev University will host the fourth international symposium on genetics, health and disease from December 1. This meet will deliberate on the theme of "Frontiers of human genetics in the 21st century". Various aspects related to prenatal and postnatal diagnosis of genetic diseases will be taken up. At least 100 delegates from over 30 countries will join 200 Indian delegates to make it one of the largest meetings on human genetics in India. A two-day workshop will be held on December 5 to train Indian scientists in various techniques for the detection of cancer and genetic diseases, according to Dr H.S. Soch, Vice-Chancellor. * * * Resentment prevails among teachers of the university over the deduction of their salaries during the strike period. The teachers have staged a protest dharna in front of the Vice-Chancellor’s office under the banner of the Guru Nanak Dev University Teachers Association. The association says that the teachers have decided to forgo their vacations and are taking extra classes to make up for in the academic loss. Hence, the deduction of their salaries is unjustified. They plead that the state government has already released the salary of teachers of government and private colleges while the university teachers are being given a "step-motherly treatment" on the issue. The association has threatened to observe a three-day strike from October 21 if their demand is not conceded. * * * The condition of university canteens is far from satisfactory. Apart from insanitation, catering services of the canteens in the chemistry block, administrative block and Dashmesh Auditorium are very poor. No canteen has displayed a rate list. The owners charge any rate from the students. The seating arrangement in the canteen, except one in the administrative block, is not proper. The students and staff members are seen taking tea and snacks in the open and then throwing away the waste in the university lawns. * * * The university has constructed a students holiday home at upper Bakrota, Dalhousie, for youth training camps and other co-curricular activities. It is a beautiful site situated at a distance of 5 km from the bus stand on the way to Khajjiar. The construction work was started in November, 1996 and has now been completed. It is a two-storeyed building with in additional provision of stores and toilets. The building is in a total area of 10185 ft. The cost of the construction has been Rs 77.00 lakh approximately. It houses five dormitories, a spacious multi-purpose hall, lobby, kitchen, stores and toilets with modern facilities. It has been designed to cater to the needs of 150 students at a time. * * * For the first time, the university will host the Nehru-SAIL Champion Colleges Hockey Tournament, a prestigious tournament which is organised by the Jawaharlal Nehru Hockey Society annually, in collaboration with the Association of Indian Universities, New Delhi, from February 11 to February 20 next year. This prestigious tournament will be fully sponsored by the Steel Authority of India. The tournament carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh for the winner, Rs 60,000 for the runners-up and Rs 40,000 for the third position holder. * * * A swimming pool of international standards is nearing completion. The university proposes to hold inter-college and inter-university water polo and diving competitions at the pool.
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