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| EDUCATION TRIBUNE | Tuesday, September 23, 2003, Chandigarh, India |
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Use of force alone cannot ensure discipline UGC move to improve standards in colleges Teaching too much,
too fast! |
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Use of force alone cannot ensure discipline
Though the suicide attempt turned out to be a hoax and the case was withdrawn, the issue of corporal punishment to schoolchildren, being of serious nature, calls for a serious debate. "Whosoever has got a sound thrashing at the hands of headmaster Hari Ram of Sector 8 DAV School, Chandigarh, is a big shot today". This is the remark one often hears when old-timers meet and talk, nostalgically, of their good old schooldays. This is not true about headmaster Hari Ram alone. Almost every old-timer would come up with one or the other story of terrorising teachers, and their ultimate positive impact on their lives. One often recalls a few disciplinarians among college teachers whom one would fear to face, not out of contempt but reverence, even outside the college campus. During our schooldays if we ever were physically thrashed by our teachers, which was quite common and, at times, brutal, we would never dare to mention about it to our parents. It was certain that we would get another similar dose from them too. Those days while conducting examinations or holding functions, no head of an institution ever thought of inviting the police for maintenance of discipline. In fact, letting police enter an educational institution was considered a slur on both the institution and its head. Today no academic establishment, from primary schools to universities, can perform its basic functions — holding examinations, admissions, elections or cultural festivals — without proper police ‘bandobast’. It is often the police and not the wardens that conduct raids on hostelers to check outsiders. At the recently concluded university examinations in our college, I, being its controller, was reprimanded in writing by the university for the fact that on a particular "raid" by the "flying squad", no police personnel on duty was found. Not long ago, the Panjab University’s DSW (Dean Students Welfare) reportedly wrote a letter to the Senior Superintendent of Police, saying: "I seek your cooperation and strict vigilance to stop nefarious activities and help us maintain proper discipline on the campus". Most votaries of anti-corporal punishment in schools delve mainly on theories and researches that have been forced upon us by the West wizards and remain aloof from reality. Is it not true that today only the police is authorised, though illegally, to award corporal punishment, and, thus is feared the most? Take the fear of a thrashing out of our police and then see the result; "We will, perhaps, be left with no other alternative than to engage the Army to hold examinations and elections in our schools and colleges. It would be a horrifying scene to see Army tanks roar in our universities in order to maintain discipline! While going through various social encyclopaedias to find out some definite definition for punishment, I was bogged down by various contradictory views. While Americans claim to have "abolished corporal punishment way back in 1681, in West Jersey and in Pennsylvania in 1682-83", they find, paradoxically enough, capital punitive-punishment, justifiable during their recent attacks against "erring" Afghanis and Iraqis, which amounted to the killings of, apart from the alleged culprits, a large number of innocent persons. I am not favouring corporal punishment in our educational institutions, because of the rise of the small nucleus family and the collapse of joint family system, sound changes have occurred fast and considerably. One has yet to find reasons leading to the lowering levels of intolerance among youngsters. I shall conclude by narrating an incident that should make every parent sit. The other day while a colleague of mine was laying table for lunch, her 12-year only-son was talking to his friend on the phone. She asked him whether he wanted sugar to his ‘lassi’. In a huff the son banged the phone down and asked: "Couldn’t you have waited till I finished my conversation with Sudhir?" The moot question is will we ever be able to handle these minor discipline problems by ourselves or always depend on calling for outside help? The writer is the Principal of Govt
College for Boys, Sector 11, Chandigarh. |
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UGC move to improve standards in colleges
According to the Chairperson of the four-member NAAC team, Dr (Ms) Snehlatha, the UGC has decided to use technology to its advantage, carrying out electronic assessment of colleges though a comprehensive plan which is being worked out. "The Internet will be used to process applications of colleges applying for assessment by the NAAC. This will help cut short the lengthy process of compiling bulky self-appraisal reports by colleges," explains Dr Snehlatha. Another change is the shift from stars to grades to evaluate the performance of a college. "It gives us a wide range to classify the colleges as against the allotting of stars. With nine grades to choose from, the highest is an A++, the lowest being C for the colleges. Colleges below 55 per cent assessment are refused accreditation and have to apply afresh after improvements," she explains. Specific marks have been allotted to the seven criteria on which a college is judged by the NAACteam. "Weightage has been given to each criteria according to its importance and the marks are different for affiliated and autonomous colleges. The criterion of 'teaching, learning and evaluation' has the maximum of 40 and 30 marks, respectively." Stating that one college in Haryana has been denied accreditation by the NAAC so far, she says the linking of UGC grants to assessment and accreditation has prompted colleges to apply to them. While Tamil Nadu and Maharastra are among the "toppers" in terms of inviting NAAC for inspection, colleges in the North are slowly realising the need for accreditation. Dr Snehlatha, a former
Vice-Chancellor of Mumbai University, says accreditation benefits a
college by attracting better students. It also ensures better high
education standards in the country. |
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Teaching too much,
too fast! New Delhi, September 22 Teaching beginners some years back was solely dependent on the teachers at school who would repeatedly rattle out numbers and alphabets, but not any more as a new generation of teaching aids has bombarded the market. The aids are in the forms of puzzles and board games, besides colourful charts. There are aids for children as small as six months to six year old and teach all about maths, science, animals, cricket, vowels, anatomy, home, musical instruments and even how to dress oneself up. "A number of teaching aids have hit the market as during the course of time the teaching style has itself changed", says Renu Gupta, Coordinator Product Development, Frank Educational Aids. "As burdening the child with
books is out, a number of aids in the form of puzzles which make
everything from maths to science easier to understand have come
in," says Ms Gupta, adding that even a six month-old is learning
when he is playing with blocks. — PTI
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Armed Forces Oct 13 Union Public Service Commission, Dholpur House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi 110069. www.upsc.gov.in Combined Defence Services Examination (I), 2004 For admission to: 1) Indian Military Academy, D'Dun 2) Naval Academy, Goa 3) Air Force Academy, Hyd 4) Officer's Training Academy, Chennai Elig: For 1-3: Unmarried Indian males For 1: Bachelor's deg. Dob: Jan 2 '81- Jan 1 '86. For 2: BSc (Phy & Maths) / BE. Dob: Jan 2 '83-Jan 1 '86. For 3: Bachelor's deg (with Phys & Maths in 10+2)/ BE. Dob: Jan 2 '82-Jan 1 '86. For 4: Indian Male; Bachelor's deg. Dob: Jan 2 '80-Jan 1 '86. Exam: Feb 15 '04 (at 42 centres incld Del & Ch'grh). Appln F: At designated HPOs/ POs: Rs 20/- (cash). Details: Employment News (Sep 13-19)/ Website. Oct 16 Indian Air Force www.careerairforce.nic.in Airman in Group 'X' (Technical)/ Group 'Y' Trades Elig: For Gp 'X': Unmarried Indian males, Cl. 10/ 10+2 (Phy, Maths & Eng; 50%) OR 3-yr Dip (Mech/ Electl/ Electron/ Auto/ Comp Sc/ Instru Tech). Dob: Mar 1 '83-Jun 30 '88; For Gp 'Y': matric (50%) with pass marks in Eng. Selectn: Recruitment rally at Govt Inter College, Pithoragarh, (Utt) (Oct 11-16) Details: Employment News (Sep 20-26). Oct 30 ADG Recruiting, 10+2 (TES) Entry, West Block-III, RK Puram, New Delhi 110066 www.joinindianarmy.nic.in 10+2 Technical Entry Scheme Elig: Indian unmarried males, Cl 12 (PCM, 70%). Age: 161/2-191/2 yrs (DoB: Jan 1 '85-Jan 1 '88). Appln F: Send in prescribed format to above add, superscribe env "Application for 10+2 (TES) Course Ser. No. 11". Details: Employment News (Sep 13-19). Engineering Oct 31 IIT - Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076 www.iitb.ac.in/gate Common Entrance Exam for Design (CEED-2004). Master of Design Prog (2-yr) (at IIT-B 'bay/ Del/ Kanpur & IISc-B'lore). Elig: Bachelor's deg in Engg/ Arch/ Des CEPT Dip in Interior Des (5-yr); BFA (Appld Art; Fine Art); GD Art (5-yr); Prof Dip of NID. Selectn: Written exam (Feb 1 04). Appln F: Send Rs 990/- by DD favouring "Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay" payable at M 'bai with 2 self-add env (6x8 cms), to Chairman, GATE at above add by Oct 24. Nov 11 (GATE) Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering - 2004 (For admission to PG courses in colleges & instts with MHRD Scholarship/ Assistanship for Engg/ Tech/ Arch/ Pharm) www.gate.iitd.ac.in Elig: BE/ BTech/ BArch/ BPharm or PG Deg in Sc/ Maths/ Stats/ Comp Appln with, post BSc Tech courses (2nd yr) or AMIE & other profnl courses. Selectn: Exam Feb 8 '04 Appln F: Send Rs. 1,000/- by DD favouring the Instt. to which you seek admission, with 2 self-add slips and request to the Chairman, GATE at that instt. by Oct 25. At specified SBI/ Canara Banks or download from concerned IIT's or IISc website by Oct 30. Other websites: www.gate.iisc.ernet.in; iitb.ac.in/gate; iitd.ac.in/gate; iitg.ernet.in; iitk.ac.in/gate; iitkgp.ernet.in/~gate. Details: Websites. Hotel Management Sep 30 National Council for Hotel Management & Catering Technology, Library Avenue, Pusa Complex, New Delhi 110012 E-mail: ihmpusa@rediffmail.com MSc (Hospitality admin) Elig: BSc (Hospitality & Hotel Admin)/ Bachelor's degree & Dip in HM from NCHMCT. Appln F: Send Rs 850/- by DD favouring "National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology", payable at New Delhi to above add. Info Tech NSIC Technical Services Centre (National Small Industries Corpn Ltd, GoI), Okhla Industrial Estate, Phase-III, New Delhi-110020 Sep 28 1) Comp Hardware & Adv Ntwkg (1-yr) Sep 28 2) Repair of Electronic instru. (1-yr). 3) Short-term courses: a) CAD (FT/ PT), b) Adv Dip in Pro/ E. c) Cert in Multimedia. Elig: For 1-2: 10+2, For 3: a): ITI/ Dip/ BE (Mech/ Prod/ Indl/ Auto/ Civil/ Arch/ Interior Des), b): Dip/ BE (Mech/ Prod/ Auto/ Indl), c) Bachelor's deg. Details: Employment News (Sep 13-19). Library Science Oct 15 IGNOU, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi 110068 www.ignou.ac.in PG Dip (Lib Automation & Ntwkg; 1-yr) Elig: Bachelor's deg (Lib & Info Sc) Appln F: Send Rs 80/- by DD favouring "IGNOU", payable at Regional Centre/ New Delhi Details: Website. Medicine Oct 15 GGS Medical College (D/o Pathology), Faridkot (Pb) Dip in Med Lab Tech (1-yr at State Med Colleges Faridkot, Patiala, Amritsar) Elig: 10+2 (PCB); resident of Pjab. Selectn: Interview (Nov 18). Appln F: Send written Appln with necessary docs & 1 pp photo and 2 self-add (25 x 12 cm), stamped (Rs 30/-) env to Office of Prof & HoD Pathology at above add. Oct 27 All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029 www.aiims.ac.in/ www.aiims.edu All India Entrance Exam for admission to 25% open merit seats in MD/ MS/ PG Dip & MDS Courses in Med & Dental Colleges Elig: Indian nationals, MBBS/ BDS (except from med colleges in AP and J & K) Selectn: Entrance Test AIPGMEE-2004 (Jan 11 '04). Appln F: Send Rs. 550/- by DD favouring "Director, AIIMS, New Delhi", payable at SBI (Br Code 7687) to Assistant Controller of Examinations, at above add, superscribe on env "Request for Prospectus-cum-Application form for AIPGMEE-2004" by Oct 20. Details: Website. — Pervin Malhotra, Director, CARING
(www.careerguidanceindia.com), New Delhi;
Email: HYPERLINK http://www.careerguidanceindia.com |
"Admonished
school-girl attempts suicide", screamed a headline of a local
daily. A yet-to-enter-her-teens schoolgirl, who reportedly forged her
teacher’s signatures on her result card, consumed poison after
allegedly being slapped by her teacher for the alleged offence. A
criminal case was got registered against the teacher for an abetment
to suicide.
The
National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) of the University
Grants Commission (UGC), set up to help work continuously to improve
higher education, is all set to go electronic.