Chandigarh, Tuesday, September 28, 1999 |
Literacy campaign fails
to become mass movement Infant university does well Auditorium in disuse INPA course from October |
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Literacy campaign fails to become
mass movement THE total literacy campaign has failed to make much impact in Haryana primarily due to its lopsided. The focus of the programme was on the 15-35 years age group. Women, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were the special target groups. The total literacy campaign introduced in April, 1991, had the target of turning 31 lakh citizens in the age group of 6-35 literate. The cost of the project was to be borne by the central and state governments in the ratio of 2:1. The outlay in seven districts during 1991-97 was Rs 10.07 crore against which a sum of Rs 5.67 crore (Centre Rs 4.40 crore and state Rs 4.27 crore) was released. However, the actual expenditure incurred was Rs 4.27 crore. Saksharta Samitis attributed the unspent balance to low achievement of physical targets. Of Rs 1.49 crore, a sum of Rs 20.34 lakh remained unspent in Bhiwani district as the chairman of the samiti suspended the scheme in September, 1996, in view of its poor performance. In Mohendragarh district, all activities under the scheme were deferred by the samiti for over a year due to floods, elections and harvesting. This resulted in non-utilisation of Rs 44.65 lakh. The balance of Rs 50.90 lakh in Panipat district was due to discontinuance of the campaign in December, 1992. the money was utilised by the post-literacy campaign (PLC) project. In Panipat, Hisar, Kurukshetra, Mohendragarh and Rewari districts funds were released by the Union Government in excess without adhering to the guidelines and without taking into consideration the progress of work by Zila Saksharta Samitis (ZSS). For the TLC scheme, the survey to identify illiterates was to be conducted category-wise. However, in seven districts test-checked by the audit, the survey was not conducted category-wise but age-group wise. Against the target of covering 22.22 lakh illiterates in the age group of 9-45, no information of actual coverage was furnished by the department concerned to the audit. However, against the target of covering 14.81 lakh illiterates in the age group of 15-45 in seven districts of Panipat, Hisar, Kurukshetra, Bhiwani, Mohendragarh, Gurgaon and Rewari the achievement was 0.95 lakh. The reasons for the shortfall given were floods, panchayat general election, non-availability of committed volunteers, harvesting season and delay in sanctioning the project by the National Literacy Mission (NLM) in Gurgaon district. Thus, the literacy campaign failed to assume the form of mass movement. The NLM approved the project for Hisar district for Rs 2.72 crore for 4.50 lakh illiterates at Rs 60.47 per learner. The HSS, Hisar, reduced the number of targeted illiterates to 3.50 lakh, deleting one lakh illiterates in the age group of 9-14 following a survey. The revised survey/budget was not got approved from the NLM by the HSS. Further, out of 542 Akshar Sainik reports covering 4,154 learners, 1154 learners (26 per cent) were in the age group of 6-14 and above 44. They were not to be covered under the project formulated by the HSS. Similarly, records of the Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS), Panipat, revealed that out of 3,990 cases, 431 learners in the age group of 6-14 and 46-85 were also covered under the TLC scheme though this group was not included in the project sanctioned by the NLM. The project of the TLC was assumed to be for one year at the cost of Rs 65 per learner. In the seven districts, per learner cost norms adopted for preparation of budget estimates worked out at Rs 56.76-Rs 83.35, whereas the actual expenditure ranged between Rs 140 Rs 5,206 per learner, resulting in an extra expenditure of Rs 3.01 crore. In Kurukshetra district due to lack of interest in the literacy work by cluster co-ordinators, there was heavy dropout which resulted in higher per learner cost. The TLC projects were completed at a delay of six months to about four years against norms in six districts. In Bhiwani, the project could convert 1,050 illiterates into literates at a cost of Rs 54.66 lakh even though there was a delay of about four years. Each volunteer was expected to teach at least 10 illiterates. During 1992-93 and 1993-94 the average enrolment per volunteer worked out to three to five, respectively, which was far less than the prescribed norms. The Education Department failed to motivate and mobilise enough volunteers as well as learners. Therefore, the TLC could not become a mass movement. Four samitis in Bhiwani, Hisar, Kurukshetra and Rewari purchased excess teaching and learning material worth Rs 35.35 lakh. The samiti in Kurukshetra purchased sub-standard diaries and primers worth Rs 10.82 lakh. Sub-project co-ordinators in Gurgaon were paid an honorarium of Rs 14.42 lakh during July 1995 to March 1997 though no teaching work was started till June 1997. The samitis in Hisar, Panipat and Gurgaon spent Rs 24.31 lakh on the purchase and hiring of vehicles though the TLC did not provide for such expenditure. Funds received by three samitis were unjustifiably kept in saving bank account instead of investing in short-term deposits, resulting in Rs 14.10 lakh loss of interest. The Post-Literacy Campaign (PLC) was launched in Yamunanagar and Panipat districts. In Panipat, a target of 0.80 lakh neo-literates in the age group of 15-45 was fixed under the PLC programme. It began in January, 1993. Against the target of 0.80 lakh neo-literates, 0.24 lakh neo-literates were covered under the PLC (30 per cent of the target). The PLC project for Panipat was approved for Rs 63.97 lakh by the NLM in November, 1992. For this purpose, the unspent balance of Rs 50.90 lakh from the TLC and Rs 18.90 lakh on account of interest against bank deposits was available up to March 31, 1997, leaving a balance of Rs 31.04 lakh unutilised. The scheme was abandoned after December, 1994. Reasons for the shortfall were attributed to shortage of volunteers and poor response. As per the guidelines, learning material was to be supplied to neo-literates. Fifty thousand copies of parakh were got printed by the BGVS, Panipat, in November, 1993, at Rs 5.80 per copy and 24,300 copies distributed among neo-literates. At the state level, the
Director, Secondary Education, was to monitor the
progress of the campaign through a Deputy Director
(Co-ordination), but no such monitoring was done. The NLM
had suggested ZSSs for evaluation of the campaigns to
external agencies. Besides external evaluation, the NLM
had also issued guidelines to ZSSs for undertaking
concurrent evaluation of the campaigns. No such
evaluation was conducted. |
Infant
university does well THE Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot, has achieved a major success by completing admission to all disciplines of medical colleges in a span of 15 days without any dispute and any litigation. This is a major achievement for a one-year-old university. Baba Farid University of Health Sciences started functioning in the month of July last year. This year the university made admission to various medical courses for the first time after the PMT was conducted by Guru Nanak Dev University. There are six medical colleges, eight dental colleges, seven Ayurvedic colleges, one homeopathic medical college and two nursing colleges affiliated with the university. The credit for smooth admission goes to the untiring efforts of the Vice-Chancellor, Dr Livtar Singh Chawla, and his team. As many as 520 students have been admitted to the six medical colleges in the MBBS course in the state. Christian Medical College, Ludhiana is the only medical college which conducts its own entrance test whereas all medical colleges follow the central PMT conducted by Guru Nanak Dev University. The CMC is allowed to conduct its own PMT because of minority institution status granted to it by the Supreme Court. Admissions to the medical colleges were completed in three days starting August 7. According to the Vice-Chancellor, Dr Chawla, among the private medical colleges, Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana, was the most favoured by students. When candidates interviewed for the open category seats reached 37, all the 24 free seats in DMC Ludhiana were filled whereas out of 149 seats in three Government Medical Colleges only 13 seats were filled. There were 17 payment seats in Dayanand Medical College (for a fee of Rs 1.10 lakh per year) out of these 17 seats, 8 seats were filled when free seats were available in Government Medical Colleges. Government Medical College, Patiala, was the most popular among the government colleges. All seats in Patiala college were filled when about 30 seats out of 64 were available in Amritsar and 20 out of 21 seats were available in Faridkot Government Medical College. Dr Chawla is of the view that there is a need to analyse the causes as to why students preferred to get admission in private medical colleges at a much higher fee when seats were available in the government medical colleges at a much lower fee. The Vice-Chancellor feels the domicile criteria for admission to medical colleges in Punjab is very liberal whereas other states are not liberal. As a result, students of Punjab remain at a disadvantage. He suggests that there should be a national policy on the domicile criteria for admission to the MBBS. He has recommended that domicile criteria in Punjab should be fixed as all those students who have studied 10th, 11th and 12th in the state of Punjab should be considered as domiciles of Punjab. Dr Chawla says admission to the MBBS is highly competitive and the total seats available annually in 160 medical colleges of the country are 18,000. Last year, about six lakh students competed and out of 100 students who competed for MBBS, only three got admission. Admission in Khalsa Dental College for Women, Mansa (60 seats), has been cancelled for the year 1999 by the Dental Council of India. There is some problem on the recognition of Dashmesh Institute of Research and Medical Sciences, Faridkot (60 seats). This is likely to be resolved shortly. Admission to postgraduate courses in medical colleges was finalised in two days. The admission to BAMS, both in the general category and open category were completed in two days and 17 paid seats in the general category, 16 paid seats in SC category and three paid seats in the BC category remained vacant. Although the university has done a commendable job in making admission to various medical colleges of Punjab without any complaint and litigation, the university continues to face a financial crunch. The state government has released only a grant of Rs 15 lakh this year and the university is now busy in generating its own resources. The university could generate funds worth Rs 40 lakh. The state government further gave Rs 3 crore for the purchase of land for the university and as many as 125 acres have been purchased. Out of Rs 3 crore, the first payment of Rs 2.60 crore has been made to farmers. The second installment has to be made by the end of December. The university has fixed the affiliation fee for the medical college at Rs 5 lakh, dental college Rs 4 lakh and other colleges Rs 3 lakh. The Punjab Government
has constituted Board of Management with Dr J.S. Bajaj, a
former member of the Planning Commission, as Chairman.
This has caused a lot of heartburning. For the first
time, the Vice-Chancellor does not head the Board of
Management as is the case in other universities in
Punjab. |
Auditorium
in disuse PATIALA: While Punjabi University, Patiala, has decided to renovate the Arts Auditorium and make it a modern theatre for staging plays, an open-air auditorium constructed for the purpose in 1995-96 has not been put to use. The theatre constructed at the rear Department of Theatre and Television was constructed in 1995-96 when the university was being spruced up for the organisation of the Indian National Science Congress. Constructed at a cost of Rs 5 lakh, the auditorium was designed for exclusive use of the Theatre and Television Department for staging plays. It was needed as a theatre hall in the department was too small with limited seating capacity. However, in these four years only two productions of the department have been presented in the auditorium. Initially, students used to rehearse at the theatre but then discountinued to do so. The auditorium now is in a state of neglect. Instead of dramas, it now witnesses activity of a different kind the place has become the favourite spot for rallies by students and teachers. In the wee hours it is used by hostelers to play games. Love-birds too use the auditorium for a rendezvous once in a while. According to sources, The Department of Theatre and Televison has discontinued its use because of several faults in the construction of the theatre. Due to these shortcomings neither can a play be staged nor rehearsals carried out. Sources say the builders ignoring the model designed by the department, built it according to their own fancy. As a result key necessities for building a drama theatre were not taken into account. Dr Yogesh Gambhir and Mr Balraj Pandit, senior theatre teachers, say they cannot use the auditorium because it is not suitable for staging plays. They explain, that the stage of the theatre is laid with concrete while an ideal stage is wooden or constructed with such material which facilitates laying of different sets for different scenes.Theatre experts say they faced difficulty in staging a play here as the theatre has no centre. Due to this, the principle of up-stage and down-stage position of characters is affected. A character at one position appears up-stage for one section of the audience while for the other he appears down-stage. Never, the central character of a scene is found in an unimportant position on the stage. The auditorium makes
viewing different for the audience seated in the front
two rows. These rows are below the level of the
stage. The audience experience discomfort as they have to
crane their necks for a good look. |
career |
diary |
Teens happier than adults believe According to a recently released US poll conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, teens are not as rude, irresponsible and wild as research has shown most adults think them to be, says a report published in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Instead, most teens are ambitious, striving and open to the future. Nine out of 10 students said that most or some of the time they felt happy (93per cent), cared about (91 per cent) and confident (86 per cent). They were more likely to be bored (57 per cent) than to feel angry (37 per cent), depressed (24 per cent) or lonely (23 per cent). Asked to whom they turn for support and guidance, 78 per cent said parents while 75 per cent said friends. Only 41 per cent said they relied on a teacher, 37 per cent on a member of the clergy and 31 per cent on a school guidance counsellor. About four in 10 said their school was overcrowded and nearly half said their school had too few small classes with personal attention. As many as 79 per cent said it was better to aim high and have big ambitions, compared to only 19 per cent who said it was best to play safe. Pregnancy fear Teen girls rate sexual pressure and pregnancy as number one among major struggles and issues, according to a report by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Educational Foundation, reports USA Today. Researchers talked with 2,100 girls aged 11-17 and discussed the girls top concerns. Girls acknowledged that sexual pressure comes not just from boys, but from other girls, from friends and from the media. The only age group not to mention pressure to have sex was the 11-year-olds. African American and Hispanic girls cited pregnancy as an issue in their lives more than white and Asian American girls and they did so at a younger age. African American and Hispanic girls described pregnancy as a choice, while white and Asian American girls described it as an accident. Website on population issues Population Action
International, http://www.populationaction.org, one of
the worlds leading advocacy organisations on
population-related issues, has launched an interactive
Web site (http://www.dayof6billion.org) to help raise
awareness, especially among young people, about
population issues, according to a PAI press note. On
October 12, 1999, the worlds population will reach
six billion people, according to the United Nations.
Six billion is a remarkable figure, but numbers
tell only a small part of the story, says PAI
President Amy Coen. We hope this Web site will help
people understand that caring about population means
caring about individual quality of life access to
healthcare and education, a safe place to live, enough
money to provide for ones family, and a healthful
environment. |
dead |
Armed Forces Oct 31 Indian Navy, Post Bag No. 5270, Chanakyapuri PO, New Delhi 110021. Short Service Commissioned Officers (Technical Branch) Elig: BE in Telecom/Aeuronautical/ Avionics/Instrumentation & Con-trol / Elect /Electronics/Mechanical/ Production/Naval Architecture. Age: Unmarried mals born between 2 Jul 75 - 1 Jan 81. Appln Form: See Employment News dated 18-24 Sep 99. Banking Oct 21 Central Recruitment Board (State Bank Group), Recruitment Cell, SBI, SCO 109-110, I Floor, Sector 17-OB, Chandigarh 160017. Written Examination for Recruitment of PO s Elig: Graduation (3-yrs) Age: 21-30 yrs as on July 1, 99. (Relaxation: 5-yrs for SC/ST/Ex-servicemen, 3-yrs for OBC) Appln Form: See Employment News Dated 18-24 Sep, 99. Film & Television Oct 18 Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), Law College Road, Pune 411004. 1) Basic Course in Film & Television 2) Certificate Course in Film Direction, Cinematography, Audiography & Editing 3) Diploma Course in Film Direction, Cinematography, Audiography & Editing. Elig: For the Basic Course: Degree in any discipline from any recognised university (Physics, as one of the subjects, at least at 10+2 level is necessary for those wishing to specialise in Audiography subsequently). Appln Form & Prosp: Send Rs 250/- by crossed DD drawn on any SBI or Bol branch, favouring The Accounts Officer, Film & Television Institute of India, Pune payable at Pune, along with a self-addressed, stamped (Rs 35/-) envelope (27cm x 20cm) to The Deputy Director (Academics) at above address. Management Oct 12 Banaras Hindu University, Faculty of Management Studies, Varanasi-221005 (UP). PG Programme in Business Administration (2-yr) Specialisations in Marketing/ HRD/Finance/Intnl Business. Elig: 1) Graduation (3-yr)/Agri/ Tech/Med/LLB/PG Degree with 50% (pass marks for SC/ST). 2) Scores in CAT. Appln Form: Sent Rs 540/- (Rs 290/- for SC/ST) by crossed DD favouring the Registrar, BHU, payable at SBI (Code 0211) along with self-addressed envelope (32 x 26 cm) at the above address or Rs 500/- crossed DD at counter. Oct 12 The Asian Institute of Management, (Manlina), Alumni Assoc (India), C/o 520, Maker Chamber V, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400021 (Ph: 022-2814212/2813769, Telefax: 2046733) Master in Business Management (2-yrs) Elig: 1) Graduation +2-yrs work exp. 2) Scores in CAT/GMAT/AIMAT Appln & Info Brochure: Send Rs 2500/- by DD favouring AIM Alumni Association (India) payable at Mumbai at the above address before Dec. 10 Oct 12 Indian School of Mines, Dept of Management Studies, Dhanbad 826004. MBA (2-yrs/FT). Elig: 1) Graduation (3-yrs)BTech/ BPharma (55% agg.) 2) Scores in CAT to be held in Dec. Application Form: Send Rs 600/- by DD favouring Registrar, Indian School of Mines payable at Dhanbad along with self-addressed envelope (25 x 12 cm) to the Asst. Registrar (Academic), at the above address. Dec 10 University of Roorkee, Department of Management Studies, Roorkee 247667. Masters in Business Administration (2-yrs/FT). Elig: 1) Graduation (3-yrs, 60% agg) (55% for SC/ST/OBC). 2) Scores in CAT to be held in Dec. Appln Form: Send Rs 200/- by DD favouring Registrar, University of Roorkee payable at Punjab National Bank (Code No. 4044) to reach before Dec 10. Also at following Punjab National Bank Branches: Sector 17, Chandigarh or Parliament St, New Delhi against Rs 150/- in cash, before Dec 10. Scholarships Oct 18 UGC (Selection & Award Bureau), Campus, Delhi University, Benito Juarez Marg, New Delhi 110021. National Educational Test (NET) in Fields of Humanities (Including Languages) & Social Sciences for: 1) Jr. Research Fellowship. 2) Eligibility for Lectureship. Elig: For 1 & 2) Masters Degree with 55% (50% for SC/ST). Age: For 1) 28-yrs as on Dec 1, 99 (5-yr relaxation for SC/ST/OBC/PH/PG Research Scholars/Trainees/women, 3-yrs for LLM. Appln Form & Detailed Info: See Employment News dated 18-24 Sept 99. Oct 15 Rashtriya Jagriti Sansthan, 62, Sainik Farms, New Delhi 110062. (Ph: 6866983, Fx: 6528044) Jagriti Independence Scholarships for: 1) Class XI & XII (in 3-yrs graduation). 2) Class IX & X (in 2-yrs of Class XI & XII). 3) Class VII & VIII (in 2-yrs of Class IX & X). Appln Form & Prospectus: Send Rs 50/- by DD/PO favouring Rashtriya Jagriti Sansthan, NCTP payable at New Delhi along with self-addressed stamped (Rs 6/-) envelope (9 x 6) to above address. School Nov 1 Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, A-39, Kailash Colony, New Delhi 110048. Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Selection Test-2000 for Admission in Class VI. Elig: Student should ahve passed standard III, IV & V from a recognised school and must be born between May 1 87 - Apr 30 91. Selection Procedure: Entrance Test will be held on 13 Feb & 15th Apr 2000. Appln Form & Prospectus: Available fre of cost from: a) District Education Officer. b) Block Education Officer. c) Head Master of any recognised primary school of the district (which has class V). d) Principle, JNV of the concerned district. In Punjab, HP & J&K etc. University October 8 Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Kashmere Gate, Delhi 110006. Entrance Test for Admission to Self-Financing Institutions in: A) BTech/BArch/BHMCT (4-yrs)/LLB{(H) 5-yrs}/BBA {(H) 4-yrs}/BCA/BPharma/BPT (4½-yrs). B) MCA/MBA (FT/PT)/BEd. Appln Form: Available at counter on payment of Rs 500/- in cash or by DD favouring Registrar, GGS Indraprastha University payable at Delhi at above address. (List of institutions are displayed on the univ notice board). Unless otherwise specified, the dates mentioned above are deadlines for receipt of completed application forms. CARING (Career Information & Guidance), New Delhi.
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