Jalandhar, September 8
Guess how much funds have been consumed for the upgradation of government education system in Jalandhar alone in the last five years?

Mind you, it is a whopping Rs 42 crore and there still have not been very tangible results. Even still, parents preferring to send their children to a private school.

Even still, a very poor result in board examination with many schools showing a shameful zero pass percentage in results.

As per the official statistics, an expenditure of Rs 3.15 crore has been incurred on improving the human resource in the last five years.

The money was spent for conducting in-service training of teachers for only a
20-day period.

Funds to the tune of Rs 20 lakh were spent on training of education volunteers in the elementary guarantee scheme and other plans separately.

Sanitation and drinking water facility in schools has cost the government
Rs 4.22 crore.

Still there are schools in the city where toilets are without doors and taps have been stolen or lying in broken conditions.

That is why perhaps, a grant to the tune of Rs 4.87 crore has been used for repair and maintenance works.

The civil works, however, have consumed a lion’s share. A grant to the tune of Rs 7.18 crore has been spent on the construction of an additional room for upper primary section, Rs 3.25 crore for primary section rooms, Rs 1.64 crore for the construction of cluster resource centre buildings and Rs 60 lakh for block resource centre buildings from the scheme funds.

The salaries of block resource persons have cost the government Rs 2.63 crore in the last five years.

On an average only Rs 3 lakh are being spent annually on the EGS scheme
meant for dropouts.

There was no fund utilisation for disabled children in the sessions 2003-04 and 2004-05. A grant of Rs 24 lakh was, however, spent in the subsequent year.

The release of grants in the scheme has been quite erratic, it seems. The session 2004-05 saw minimal funds flowing in.

Only Rs 2.99 crore were spent in the year while in contrast Rs 13.6 crore were spent in the subsequent year.

A grant to the tune of Rs 31.85 lakh has been spent for “remedial coaching,” Rs 7.99 lakh for “residential bridge course,” Rs 3.5 lakh for “bridge course” and Rs 1.15 crore for “deprived urban children”.

As per the data, even the “buildingless” schools have managed to draw a sum of Rs 60 lakh. A grant of Rs 83 lakh has been put under a weird head ie“management” and Rs 9.74 lakh for “household.”

There have been other expenditures. A grant of Rs 1.95 lakh has been spent on kitchen sheds for mid-day meals, Rs 37.85 lakh for free textbooks, Rs 15 lakh for girls’ education, again Rs 49.5 lakh for education of SC/ST and cycles for girls and sewing machines.

Goraya (Jalandhar), September 8
With a motive to provide education to one and all, the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA) today started a special programme focusing on kids with disability.

The project would help the government identify children with special needs and chalk out strategies to address them.

Under this, free medical assessment camps would be held in the entire state, wherein the kids would be examined by a team of experts who would prepare disability certificates on the spot.

The first camp, for Goraya block 1 and 2, under this scheme, was held at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Goraya, near here.

An attempt to detect abnormalities in children at an early age, the camp aims to discourage the concept of ‘separate schools’ for special children.

Primarily focusing on disabled children up to 14 years of age, the camp aims at including them under SSA’s Inclusive Education for Disabled (IED) programme.

District education officer (DEO), primary, Joginder Dass said, “At these camps, children with various kinds of disabilities would be assessed by qualified experts. We would also provide assistive aids, as prescribed by the doctors, within a short span of time.

The aids would be made available free of cost under SSA. And those who do not need require assistive devices would be recommended for therapy, surgery or IQ testing depending on their need and condition.”

During the camp, people came from far-flung villages to get their children checked. Though the officials on duty claimed the camp was a huge success, a majority of people expressed dissatisfaction.

One parent who came from Pasla village with her two-year-old daughter Muskan said, “My daughter is two-years-old but till date she is unable to walk. When I contacted the orthopedician here, he simply asked for an operation without even examining her once. How can I get my daughter operated when the doctors have not even examined her properly?”

Similarly, in another case a teacher came along with one of his student, Gurminder Singh who was suffering from polio.

The teacher said he has been running from pillar to post to provide some benefits
to the student.

“The doctors maintain that benefits would only be made available in case he has more than 40 percent disability. However, I want that his case should be considered as he comes from a very poor family and both his parents are bed-ridden.”

But there were many who maintained that the camp has actually helped in bringing the problem of their child to fore.

Somnath, a resident of Gudda village, who came to get his son Rinku examined said, “I was not aware of my child’s problem. The doctors here examined him well and asked me to bring him again for assistive devices after a period of two months.”

The add-on devices would be provided by Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO), Kanpur, which is a Government of India undertaking.

Director general school education, Krishan Kumar, said, “This is a universal concept to place every child under inclusive education. The medical assessment camp has been started so that no special child is deprived of his basic requirements. We have specially categorised the camp in four parts which include assessment, requirement, providing equipments and to make these children a part of the mainstream education in government schools.”

On being asked about how the government school teachers would teach the students, he said we have already included special syllabus on ‘Inclusive Education’ in ETT courses.

“A similar reference has also been made for the B Ed courses and SSA-teacher’s training programme as well,” he added.

The association has also decided to support the transporters, drivers on their proposed agitation of traders on September 16.

SI Sawinder singh, SHO police station Dera Baba Nanak, arrested the accused and recovered the weapon of crime from him. A case has been registered.

Kapurthala, September 8
As a part of its district-level rallies against the UPA government at the centre and the SAD-BJP government in Punjab, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) held a rally in Kapurthala on Monday.

Addressing the rally, BSP national general secretary and incharge of Punjab BSP affairs Narinder Kashyap held the Congress responsible for the steep hike in the prices of essential commodities, unemployment among youth and miserable condition of the poor.

Claiming that only the BSP could take care of all the sections of the society, the BSP general secretary said Congress was running its government at the Centre with the support of big industrialists and the policies they framed were all aimed to appease them.

Claiming that BSP chief Mayawati would be the next Prime Minister of the country, Kashyap further alleged that some BJP members either voted in favour of the UPA government or abstained from voting at the time of the trust motion presented by Dr Manmohan Singh government in the parliament so that the BSP chief could not become the Prime Minister.

He said as many as 50 lakh jobs under the reservation category were lying vacant but the government was making no attempt to get these posts filled.

Speaking on the occasion, BSP state president Avtar Singh Karimpuri flayed the Parkash Singh Badal led SAD-BJP government for its ‘failure’ on every front.

He alleged that the ruling SAD had issued directions to its intelligence department to prepare a list of anti-social elements who could rig the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls in favour of the SAD in Punjab.

Hoshiarpur, September 8
Fake travel agents (husband and wife) have duped a person of Rs 7.50 lakh in the name of sending his son abroad.

The sadar police today booked Sukhchain Singh and his wife Darshan Kaur, both of Jandiala Guru, under various sections of the IPC.

According to police sources, Bahadur Singh of Boothgarh alleged that the duo took Rs 7.50 lakh from him for sending his son Harjinder Singh to a foreign country. But neither did they send his son abroad nor returned his money.

Meanwhile, the district police launched a campaign to nab the proclaimed offenders (PO) wanted in various cases registered in various police stations in the state.

SSP Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill said here this evening that 17 POs were arrested last week. He appealed to people to help police in arresting the POs in their areas.

Hoshiarpur, September 8
The Punjab government will provide 8 lakh quintal certified wheat seed to farmers on subsidised rates for cultivation in the ensuing rabi season in state.

This was disclosed by Punjab minister for agriculture Sucha Singh Langah while addressing a gathering at a function in Tanda, 32 km from here, today.

The minister appealed to the farmers to opt additional works for improving their economic condition.

The government would provide loans up to Rs 10 lakh to youths for setting up agriculture-based industrial units on cheap rate of interest of which Rs 3.5 lakh would be given as subsidy.

Power worth Rs 2,000 crore was saved by not sowing paddy before June this year, claimed Langah.

Besides, 75 per cent profit was noticed in pesticides. With the introduction of the system, the production of paddy would be increased this year.

Sucha Singh Langah appealed to the farmers to diversify their cropping pattern and cultivate vegetables, pulses and establish orchards.

Hoshiarpur, September 8
On the valedictory function of the eye donation awareness fortnight at the local civil hospital today, deputy commissioner N.K. Wadhawan appreciated the role of the Eye Donation Association (EDA), an NGO, for its efforts to help blind see.

The deputy commissioner said the district administration would provide all possible help to the NGO for further strengthening the noble cause.

The EDA had got transplanted cornea in 430 blind persons by obtaining the same after the death of donors, said the president of the EDA, appealing to all participants to pledge to donate their eyes after death so that maximum number of blind persons could see.

The representatives of various local NGOs were honoured for their contribution
in eye donation.