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| EDUCATION TRIBUNE |
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High expectations Harnessing free electron laser
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High expectations In the modern scenario, the role of teachers has been changing due to the pressure of social and economic transformation. The society expects leadership from the teachers in the task of making education an effective instrument of nation building. A teacher has not only to instruct but also to inspire the students; he or she has to influence the life and character of his or her students, and equip them with ideas and values which will equip them to enter the stream of national life as worthy citizens. Teachers have been regarded as the instruments of new educational policy and action programme to develop in students, good character, national awareness, democratic values, loyalty and dedicated social responsibility. It is here that a teacher’s national responsibility finds expression. The role of a teacher is to shape the minds of the younger generation. To strengthen our democracy, teachers must instil into the students ancient cultural spirit of tolerance of different opinions and viewpoints, and acquaint them with the modern wisdom expressed in Voltaire’s dictum: “I do not accept what you say; but I will defend with my life your right to say so.” Today, the teachers has to concern himself with the total development of the child and not only with one or two aspects. He must be a philosopher illuminating the way of his intellectual and spiritual progress, he must be his guide in his moral and aesthetic advancement. The success of students depends essentially upon the competence of the teachers, their sense of dedication and their identification with the interests of the students committed to their care. The teacher is not a dispenser of knowledge only. It is more important for him to initiate his students into the art of learning by helping them acquire the right mental attitude and learning habit. Thus, the teacher’s role is changing. He
should also spend more time diagnosing the learner’s needs, motivating and encouraging his students and checking the knowledge acquired. The teacher is now expected not only to inculcate knowledge but also to encourage thinking. He has to become more of an advisor, a partner to talk to. He has to help seek out conflicting arguments rather than hand out readymade truths. For this, he will have to devote more time and energy to productive and creative activities. To play this role effectively, the teacher faces a greater challenge today than at any time in history. Teachers are being challenged to utilise new approaches and methods in an effort to improve learning outcomes. The teacher of the future will be expected to perform the roles of planned organiser of curricula, innovator of educational ideas, practices and systems, writer of TV and radio lessons and programmes, resource personnel in the propagation of ever expanding knowledge, adept in the preparation of programmed texts, and motivator of learners in many creative, unconventional ways. The role of teacher in modern society has proved an inexhaustible subject for inaugural lectures. There are virtually no empirical studies of the contemporary role of teachers. Today, the teacher arrives at a conception of his proper or necessary role through his own experience as a pupil, his experience at the job, his reading, exchange of views and reflection and of course his professional training. Strange as it may seem, it is a act that so far, practically, systematically, specifically, no effort has been made to study the role of teacher as envisaged by educational philosophers.
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Harnessing free electron laser Dr R.S. Johal, lecturer of physics from Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, recently spent a month at the University of Florence, Italy, to take part in a collaborative project on the problem of harmonic generation in single-pass free electron laser. A former Humboldt fellow, Dr Johal has become the first Indian to work on the statistical theory of free electron laser based on Vlasov dynamics. Explaining the concept, he said that free electron lasers were promising new tunable sources of intense coherent radiation in the hard X-ray and UV region. He added that there were only a few operational free electron lasers in the world of which the prominent ones were at Stanford in the US, DESY in Germany and Elettra at International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Italy. Dr Johal said that the research group at Florence was closely associated with the group at ICTP and working on theoretical analysis of free electron laser would help in optimising its building costs and performance. US teachers for Rajasthan Rajasthan plans to import American linguistic experts in a bid to improve the spoken English of teachers in the state's government and aided colleges. "We will enter into an agreement with the US embassy to train our teachers," said R.P. Jain, principal secretary of higher education in the state, said in Jaipur. He said the embassy runs routine programmes for the improvement of spoken English under which American linguistic experts visit India every year to train college teachers. "The training will start from the next session and we are already through with our preparations," Jain added. The Rajasthan education department's workshops on spoken English are likely to begin Sep 14 and benefit 2,000 teachers of various educational institutions. — IANS School for street children Twelve-year-old Ramu (name changed) is eyeing for a better tomorrow, leaving behind the murky past when he used to pickpocket. His friend ten-year-old Dina (name changed), who was engaged in begging to eke out a living, wants to live a life of pride and dignity. Both the boys along with some 400 destitute kids are on the reform path, getting free education at Sandipani Muni School in Vrindaban, about 12 km from Mathura. Started for the street children since 2002 by an NGO, Food For Life Vrindaban (FFLV), the school aims to bridge the gap between haves and have-nots through education, chief architect of the project and International coordinator FFLV Rupa Raghunath Das told PTI here today. Schooling for these street children helps in checking problems of child labour, child abuse and exploitation, Das said. "Society considers these children a burden. Our endeavour is to transform them into assets by providing an education to help them lead a life of pride and dignity," he said. "The school is being upgraded to secondary level from this session itself," he said. The school takes care of all expenses of kids including free lodging and boarding. Besides, it provides stationery items, clothes, medicare and other related material required by children.— PTI
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Campus Note Senators, syndics, principals of various affiliated colleges, teachers, officers and non-teaching employees associations of the university, various educational institutions hailed the appointment of a distinguished scientist academician, researcher and able administrator of international repute, Dr. Jai Rup Singh as Vice-Chancellor of the Guru Nanak Dev University. While congratulating Dr. Jai Rup Singh, they have expressed the hope that the university would continue to excel in academic, research, sports and cultural fields under his stewardship. It is the first time in the history of the Guru Nanak Dev University that a scientist of Life Sciences stream has been appointed to the coveted office. Dr. Jai Rup Singh is the son of an eminent Punjabi Litterateur, Prof. Pritam Singh who is also the former Professor and Head of Guru Nanak Studies of Guru Nanak Dev University. Expressing his gratitude to the Governor, the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, Dr. Singh said his achievements in the field of academics and research especially in the field of genetics on the national and international educational map have been duly recognised by the state government. HP University, Shimla Despite repeated election-related violence on the campus, the authorities at Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla, seem rather reluctant in taking action against students whose names have figured in the cases, despite the police also recommending disciplinary action against them. The district police had, some time back, written to the Vice-Chancellor, recommending disciplinary action against students involved in violence. The district police chief had suggested that punishments like rustication, expulsion or debarring from contesting election would go a long way in curbing the kind of violence seen during the SCA elections. Even though the police has given the HPU the names of the erring students and a long list of the number of cases against them, the authorities concerned are simply not willing to act. The university set up a one-man inquiry panel to look into an incident in one of the boys' hostel some time back and recommend steps to check its recurrence. With the Executive Council (EC) of the HPU in its last meeting approving that a student who has remained under police detention for more than 48 hours cannot be a student of the university, the authorities might be forced to act. "The EC approval in this case was not required, as the HPU rules already have norms laid down for student conduct and behaviour, failure of which can lead to any disciplinary action," said a senior official. It remains to be seen whether or not the authorities, armed with the EC decision, will now take action against students indulging in violence. Setting up probe panels is futile when the higher authorities are reluctant to take stern action against the erring students. Contributed by Pawan Kumar and Pratibha Chauhan
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ADMISSION DEADLINE Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad 826004 (Jhar) (Deemed University under MHRD, GoI) MBA (2-year, FT)-2006 Eligibility: 10+2+3, BTech / BPharma (50%) Selection: CAT Scores Application Form: Send Rs 1000/- by DD favouring “Registrar, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad,” payable at Dhanbad with 2 self-addressed stickers to the Assistant Registrar (Academic) at the above address. Application Deadline: 30 November 2006 Scholarships National Council of Science
Museums, Block-GN, Sector-V Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700091 (WB) (M/o Tourism & Culture, GoI) Post Graduate Fellowship Eligibility: 1st class Bachelors Degree in Engineering or Technology (Mechanical / Electrical / Electronics / Information Technology / Telecommunication / Instrumentation / Computer / Metallurgy / Chemical Engineering / Production Engineering) or MSc (Physics / Chemistry / Bio-Sciences / Environmental Science). Selection: Test & Interview Fellowship: Rs 5000/- pm for 2 years with Contingency Grant of Rs.5000/- pa. and Rs 9500/- pm thereafter. Book grant of Rs 3000/- pa after one year, Medical benefits and HRA Application Form & Details: Website Application Deadline: 31 July 2006. Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training AusAID Scholarships: 1) Australian Leadership Awards: for longer-term post-graduate study in Australia at masters or doctoral level. Field of study includes Management / Economics / Business / Political science / Philosophy / History / Law & Public policy. In 2007 priority fields will include International Trade / Disease Pandemics / Security / Clean Energy. Scholarships will be allotted equitably between men & women. 2) Endeavor Scholarships: for high achieving Indian Students, researchers & professionals to undertake short / long term study / research / professional programe in a broad range of disciplines at Australian institutions. Application Form & Detail: Website Central Board of Secondary Education, Shiksha Kendra,2, Community Centre, Preet Vihar, Delhi 110092 CBSE Merit Scholarship Scheme for: ‘Single Girl Child’ in Schools: Eligibility: For 1: Currently studying in CBSE affiliated school with tuition fees not more than Rs.1000/-. Selection: For 1: On basis of merit list of Class X
Scholarships Value: For 1: Rs.500/- p m. Application Form & Other Details: Website. Application Deadline: 15 July 2006 University Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar 143005 (Punj) Application Form: Send Rs 400/- by DD favouring “Registrar, Guru Nanak Dev University,” payable at Amritsar to Assistant Registrar (General) at the above address. Application Deadline: 17 July 2006
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