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How boarding schools shape young lives
RANK and BOLT awards national selections in Mumbai
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How boarding schools shape young lives Enid Blyton painted a romantic picture of boarding life in the Mallory Towers and St. Claire’s series. Tom Brown’s school days depicts the boarding school as an institution unto itself. The boarding schools have been an enigma to many. Should my child go to a hostel or is he better off at home is a question which strikes many a parent. Little Reema’s holdall and trunk are packed, she is off to a picturesque boarding school in the hills. She will study there for nine months and come home for the three-month winter vacations. There will be many young scholars like her with ages ranging from five to 18 years. A boarding school provides lodging to the young scholars. It could be a co-ed or may cater only to boys or girls. The students stay on for the entire session returning home for the holidays. The students stay in dormitories with a matron to supervise them. Food is taken in the refectory. Most boarding schools have a limited number of local students as day scholars. As the child adjusts to the strict regimen there, the residential school soon proves to be a home way from home. The first thing that strikes the little one is home sickness. Normally it is cry, cry till your tears are dry. The young scholar gets a peep into the hardships of life at an early age. A residential scholar’s life revolves around the bell. A strict routine is followed and the beginning and end of a day is determined by the bell. Washing-up time, morning P.T., breakfast followed by classes, games, evening studies (normally called prep), dinner, recreation and lights-out sum up the daily routine. An outstanding feature of boarding schools is the extra stress on games and extra-curricular activities. Competitions are held very often and the inter-house matches and activities instill healthy rivalry and encourage the sporting prowess of the participants. Survival of the fittest is the basic rule of hostel life. A new comer is faced by bullies, and soon he learns to fight back. Survival tactics come to him early. Easy camaraderie follows as the rookie acquaints himself with his environment and the fixed traditions of boarding life. The child becomes self-reliant and independent as he does all his work by himself, rather than Mommy dear pampering him and turning him into a sissy. Friendships formed in boarding schools are strong and life long. In the hostel, you will meet children from different social and economic backgrounds. The classmates may be scions of leading business houses or lads from the feudal landowning families of backwater Punjab. Binoo Singh, a single parent whose daughter is studying in a prestigious convent in Mussourie, says, “The hostel provides emotional stability to my ward. In the boarding, there are many children like my daughter and there is a certain vacuum in her life which is filled only in the hotel.” Boarding schools are also considered ideal by parents who have transferable jobs and have to relocate very often. “As I was transferred every three years, the studies of my children suffered. Now that they are in boarding school, they are doing well, ”says Col. S. S. Sandhu. Captain Pushpinder Singh, who spent eleven years in a boarding school in the Shimla hills since kindergarten, sums up hostel life: “We led a spartan life, but our way of living instilled pride, camaraderie and espirit de corps in us making us excel in all fields of life, highlighting negative side teacher with boarding.” Ms Maninderjit Kaur, a senior teacher at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Chandigarh, says it is emotionally upsetting for the parents and the child to be separated as hostel life demands. There is regimental institutionalisation in the boarding, and this makes the child unfit for today’s cutthroat competitive corporate world. The debate on boarding schools is endless. However, hostel life does make the child independent, and being away from home at a young age gives him an early start in life.
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RANK and BOLT awards national Chandigarh: National award selections for The Tribune and the Air-India RANK and BOLT Awards 2006-07 for students and teachers will take place at Mumbai
on Saturday, September 16, it was announced here today. Only the state award winners from Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh are eligible to compete for the national awards. The selected candidates are being sent separate letters by Air India, and will be provided transportation and stay in Mumbai, according to the Air India coordinator for the Reaching Out Project. The state winners of the RANK awards for students are: Ruchi Sharma (Chandigarh), Akihil Razdan (Punjab), Aaditi Sinha (Haryana) and Akshut Joshi (Himachal Pradesh). The state winners of the BOLT awards for teachers are: Dr Arun Kumar Sharma (Chandigarh), Chandrakanta Silhi (Punjab), Dr Sharad Bala Khare (Haryana) and Sanjeev Attari (Himachal Pradesh).
— TNS
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Campus Notes HAU, Hisar Planting saplings and looking after them
Van-mahotsava was recently organised at the Basic Science College of Haryana Agricultural University (HAU). The HAU Vice-Chancellor, Dr J. C. Katyal, inaugurated the event by planting a sapling of "kachnar." Addressing the gathering of students, faculty members and other university officials on the occasion, Dr Katyal maintained that under the healthy custom of celebrating van-mahotsava on the university campus, a number of saplings were planted every year during the rainy season in a phased manner. The Vice-Chancellor exhorted all university employees to plant at least one sapling and look after it till it grew into a tree. The Dean of the Basic Science College, Dr V. K. Chaudhary, said the programme had been organised with the help of the landscaping unit of the university. He added that nearly 100 saplings of flower plants and shady trees would be planted as part of the programme. GJUST, Hisar Power cuts irk students
Inconvenienced at the long and frequent power cuts in their hostels and department laboratories, a number of students of Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology (GJUST) recently assembled in front of the Registrar's and Vice-Chancellor's residences at night to register their protest. The students asserted that their studies were getting affected due to the acute shortage of electricity on the campus. They said they could neither study, nor sleep properly due to the long and unscheduled power cuts. The Vice-Chancellor, Dr R. P. Bajpai, assured the students that he would look into the matter and make necessary arrangements in this regard. On the following day, the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar met the Managing Director of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN), who assured them that effective measures would be taken to ensure regular power supply on the campus — Contributed by Sunit Dhawan
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ADMISSION DEADLINE Armed Forces Indian Navy, P Bag No. 04, R.K. Puram PO (Main), New Delhi 110066
www.nausena-bharti.nic.in SSC Officers in Executive Branch (General Service/ Hydro Cadre) Eligibility: Unmarried Indian male, BE / BTech / BSc (with Phys & Maths; 60%)/ MSc (with Phys & Maths; 55%).
Age: 19 ½ - 25 years (DoB: 02 Jan ‘82-1 Jul ‘87) Selection: SSB Interview, Medical Examination Application Form: Send in prescribed format by ordinary post with all required documents to the above address. Superscribe “Application for SSC (GS) ’X’/Hydro Cadre-Jan 2007 Course- against repeat advertisement Qualification……Percentage…….% NCC Certificate…..(if applicable)” on the envelope to the above address. Details: Website. Application Deadline: 19 September 2006
Engineering Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar- 125001 MTech Programme in Integrated Product Design and Manufacturing Eligibility: BTech / BE (Mechanical / Production Engg) Admission Deadline: Counseling: 28 August 2006
Medicine Himachal Pradesh University Entrance Tests Cell, Summer Hill, Shimla 171005 (HP) BAMS (At Rajiv Gandhi Govt Post Graduate Ayurvedic College, Paprola, Distt. Kangra, HP) Eligibility: 10+2 (PCB 50%) + Eng Application Form: Send Rs 950/- by IPO’s DD favouring “Finance Officer, H.P. University, Shimla-5,” payable at Shimla to Dy Registrar, Entrance Tests Cell at above address upto Jun 21. Application Deadline: 12 September 2006 *85% seats for HP residents, 15 % All-India
Management Indian Institute of Management (IIM-I), Pigdamber, Rau, Indore 453331 (MP)
www.iimidr.ac.in Fellow Programme in Management (Full Time, Residential) (Business Law / Finance & Accounting / Information Systems / International Business / Marketing / Operations Mgmt & Quantitative Techniques / Organizational Behaviour / HRM Areas) Eligibility: Master’s degree (55%), CA / ICWA / CS (55%) or BE / BTech (60%) with 2-year work experience & CAT (2006) score. GATE 2007 applicants / GRE / GMAT 2006 qualified applicants also eligible to apply without taking CAT. Fellowship: All academic & living expenses. Stipend: Rs. 84,000/- pa. Application Form: Send Rs 200/- by DD favouring “Indian Institute of Management, Indore” payable at Indore at the above address / download from website. Application Deadline: 13 November 2006
Scholarships Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 (Kar)
www.sid.iisc.ernet.in/dbtpdf.html DBT-Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biotechnology & Life Science Eligibility: PhD (Science / Engineering) / MD / MS with good academic record
Age: Below 40 years (For Women: 45 years) Fellowship: Each fellow is entitled to a stipend of Rs 11000-12000/- p.m. for 2 years and a research contingency grant of Rs 50,000/- pa, payable to the host institution + HRA. Selection: Based on CV, Interview: October / November 2006. Application Form: Send in prescribed format with required documents to Prof K Muniyappa, Coordinator DBT-PDF Program, Department of Biochemistry at the above address. Superscribe “DBT-Post Doctoral Research Fellowship” on envelope. Details: Website Application Deadline: 27 September 2006
University Guru Ghasidas University, Institute of Distance Education, Bilaspur 495009 (CG)
www.ggu.ac.in 1) Master of Library & Information Science (1-year) Eligibility: For 1, 5, 6 & 7: Bachelor’s degree For 2, 3 & 4: 10+2 Application Form: Send Rs.200/- by DD favouring “Registrar, Guru Ghasidas University, Bilaspur (CG)” payable at Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) to above address or download from website. Application Deadline: 31 October 2006 Punjabi University, Patiala 1) BCA 2) PGDCA 3) Diploma in Dress Designing & Tailoring Application Form: Send to Dean, Academic Affairs, Punjabi University, Patiala 147002 / to Director, Yadvindra College of Engineering, Punjabi University Guru Kashi Campus, Talwandi Sabo. Details: Ph No. 01655-220786 & 01655-221555 Application Deadline: 31 August 2006 Indira Gandhi National Open University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi 110068 Bachelor’s Preparatory Programme PhD Programmes Application Form: Send Rs.100/- by DD or IPO favouring ”IGNOU” payable at New Delhi at the above address. Details: Website Application Deadline: 10 October 2006 |
