M A I N   N E W S

Pilot killed in MiG crash

Tezpur (Assam), February 23
An Indian Air Force MiG-21 today crashed into a house, killing the pilot, Squadron Leader Y. M. Ram, and injuring a minor girl at a remote village in Assam’s Sonitpur district, a senior IAF official said here.

The aircraft, which was on a routine training exercise, burst into flames in mid air and nosedived into the residence of Abul Mirdha at Bargang village, he said.

A minor girl in the house received injuries, the official said.

In New Delhi, the Vice-chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Vinod Patney, said such accidents were part of IAF’s tough training routine.

Detailed analysis had been undertaken on causes of the accidents and action initiated to make flying safer, Air Marshal Patney said. PTI

Earn-while-you-learn scheme
Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 23
Haryana is on the threshold of becoming the first state in the country to introduce the earn-while-you-learn pattern of employment for its college students. Tailored on the Western system, the scheme will allow students to work for a maximum of six hours a week in their respective colleges against vacant positions in pre-identified areas.

The scheme, which has already been approved by the state government, will be introduced in all government colleges from the ensuing academic session. Government-aided private colleges, too, have been provided with a model of the scheme and given the option to adopt it.

“The purpose of introducing this scheme,” says Mrs Anuradha Gupta, Director, Higher Education, Haryana, “is multifold. The prime purpose is the involvement of students in the management of their respective institutions. It will give them a sense of belonging besides making them a part of the decision making.

“Besides, it will inculcate among students respect for dignity of labour. Another major advantage of the scheme will be that it will provide students hands-on training ,” says Mrs Gupta, maintaining that it will also help the government overcome the problem of shortage of staff in various colleges because of the ban on fresh recruitment.

Initially, students will be employed in laboratories, libraries, administrative blocks to handle accounts, various registers and day books besides the computer centres of their colleges.

The jobs and wages will be graded. The wages will vary between Rs 25 and Rs 40 an hour. A student working six hours a week can earn up to Rs 1,000 a month.

The funding of the scheme will be from the college or contingency funds.

Various government colleges have been facing an acute shortage of staff in laboratories, libraries, administrative offices and at computer centres. The earn-while-you-learn scheme will not only authorise the college managements to employ the best available talent from among senior students but also improve the efficiency of the non-teaching staff.

It is felt that a student doing BA (economics final year) or MA (economics) will certainly do a better job in preparing a salary bill or maintaining accounts than a matriculate clerk.

Special attention has been paid to ensure that students do not work at the cost of their studies.