Chandigarh, December 21
Following a prolonged phase of confusion over the implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, local schools and the UT administration finally came on one platform today to discuss the specifics.

Although UT Education Secretary Ram Niwas sought to term it an “ice breaking session”, private schools were quick to publicly point out at the very start of the session that this was not an ideal way to discuss the postulates of the local edition of this Act recently framed by the UT Administration.

As a result, participating schools chose to form a representative committee comprising members from unaided, aided, government and minority schools to have a detailed deliberation with the administration on December 24.

Although the meeting was received with guarded enthusiasm, school managements were quick to point out various flaws in the rules, which they said were bound to lead to practical problems on which the administration appeared to turn a blind eye.

Among other issues it’s the reimbursement part which has left schools perturbed. One of the principals said: “They are yet to finalise the amount of reimbursement. They have asked us to provide free books, uniforms and treat students equally in all extra curricular activities and trips. Will the administration be paying us additionally for these facilities?”

Age factor

The draft rules states that students in the 6-14 year age group have a right to seek admission under this quota.

Principals: How can a 10 year-old student be admitted to Class I where the average age of the student is six years? We can bridge his academic gap with training but how will such a child with a little more matured mindset, emotional needs and personality traits adjust in this class. He could end up being an introvert or a bully.

No detentions or expulsions up to Class VIII.

Students admitted under this Act can neither be detained nor expelled until s/he completes Class VIII

Principals: It is like giving a free hand to students at a time when there have been instances of young students having slapped their teachers. What does a school do if a student admitted under this quota ends up being a threat to school discipline or, as evident in many cases, a disinterested consistent non-performer? Will handing out elementary education certificates just for the heck of it be justified?

Special training

Special training to be provided to dropouts or ‘never enrolled’ students admitted under this category to bring them academically on a par with other students in the class.

Principals: If we directly admit a 10 year-old student to Class V, is it then practically possible to compensate six years of schooling within just three to four months? If that is the case then why bother spending seven long years. Let’s train these students for a year and give them a certificate for completion of elementary education.

Teacher qualifications

The government shall within a month of notification of rules notify an academic authority for laying down minimum qualifications for a person eligible to be appointed as a teacher. Following the due process of relaxation of qualifications, a person appointed within six months of commencement of the Act must possess academic qualifications not less than a higher secondary school certificate.

Principals: We are already bound by the respective education boards we are affiliated with. These boards have specified several qualifications for teachers. If the local authority forms another academic body which frames a new set of requisite qualifications, will schools be following two sets of qualifications when they are otherwise bound to impart the same education to all students? Are they giving schools a free hand to hire Class XII graduates to handle and teach these children who may be more demanding both academically and psychologically? Even if such ‘teachers’ acquire requisite qualifications within a few years, will it not cause great harm to the education of the admitted students? Will this relaxation of qualifications not trigger a trend of hiring unworthy candidates?

Use of mother tongue

Schools should ensure that students admitted under this quota are taught in their mother tongue.

Principals: “We are an English medium school and in a majority of cases, the mother tongue of such students is Hindi or Punjabi so how will a single teacher be able to teach in three languages in one classroom?”

Vacant seats

The act remains silent on the future course of action in case seats reserved under this category remain vacant.

Principals: “What do we do if we have, say, 10 seats lying vacant? Do we let our resources go waste or do we convert them to the general category?”

Extension of admission

Schools will have to continue admitting students for six months from the commencement of the academic session.

Principals: “Is it possible to maintain your academic calendar and curriculum fluency if students continue to be admitted month after month? Will we be arranging separate sessions for each student as and when he decides to walk in?”

While the deliberations today had participation from schools, media, lawyers concerned and RTI activists but the administration seemed to have forgotten to invite students or parents. There seemed to be no representation from any of the Parent Teacher’s Associations. 

Chandigarh, December 21
Showing lack of application of mind, more than two-and-a-half hours into a review meeting of an action taken report on projects pending for the last four years in the Municipal Corporation general house today, members suddenly realised that the entire exercise had been meaningless. The reason: The MC Commissioner was on leave and in his absence the meeting had no sanctity since no amendments could be made to the existing policy.

Until then, members were engrossed in discussions on the delay in the implementation of projects and its reasons. A majority of the councillors kept asking why no action had been taken against the contractors who had delayed the developmental projects allotted to them a year ago.

The councillors objected to the plea of the contractors saying that the main reason for the delay was shortage of raw materials. They said the real reason was that the cost of raw material had increased due to which contractors were intentionally delaying the work.

But then suddenly they realised midway during the discussions that no decision could be taken. The Mayor said the resolution on the amendments would have to be held back until the next meeting when MC Commissioner Roshan Sunkaria was slated to attend the House.

Expressing dissatisfaction on the action taken report, the Mayor directed MC officials that in the next general house meeting, departments should also suggest what measures should be taken to avoid delay in works.

BJP councillor Gurcharan Das Kala alleged that most gardeners deployed at parks were working in the houses of officers. The Mayor told the officials present to check the authenticity of the allegations.

Opposing the recruitment of security guards for the green belts of the city, Congress councillor Jagjit Singh Kang said the priority should be to recruit gardeners who could perform the duty of security guards also.

It was also decided that in the next finance and contract committee meeting , a policy should be framed for conducting check on the ongoing development works.

Chandigarh, December 21
It certainly pays to be a nominated councillor in the Municipal Corporation, particularly during elections for the post of Mayor. Nine nominated councillors, who have been nominated on the basis of being both non-partisan and achievers in their respective fields, were today gifted the high-end Sony Vaio laptops costing Rs 46,500 each by the Congress Mayor, Anu Chatrath.

Beneficiaries

n Arshad Khan

n Brig (retd) Kuldeep Singh Chandpuri

n Dr AP Sanwaria

n Dr Neelam Malik

n Dr Pam Rajput

n Dr Amrit Bolaria

n MPS Chawla

n Pallav Mukherjee

n Resham Chand Jakhu

Not keen on training

Councillors appeared keen to get the laptops but are not interested in learning its operation. MC records reveal that last year the authorities had organised a month’s training programme for the councillors but only three councillors turned up and that too for barely a week

Panchkula, December 21
The four-laning of the Manimajra-Kalka-Zirakpur stretch of the National Highway-22 has hit a roadblock with the defence authorities refusing to provide land for the same.

The four-laning of the 8-km patch, known as the old Ropar road, would have eased the bottleneck and benefited those travelling from Chandigarh to Panchkula, Kalka, Pinjore and Shimla.

According to information, the Haryana government had approved the project in the first week of December last year and 16.9 acres were supposed to be acquired for the purpose. As the land fell under the jurisdiction of the Western Command (WC), Chandimandir, the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) had contacted the defence authorities.

Initially, the WC had agreed to give 14 acres of land at Chandikotla village to the district administration in lieu of land at Chandikalan village in Pinjore. However, subsequent survey by HUDA found that 2.9 acres more were required.

The Executive Engineer, HUDA, NK Verma, said initially the WC had agreed to provide land but later refused. He said for the time being the project had been cancelled and the department would submit a report to the state government.

The municipal corporation has no reason to “feel good” this year as it has neither launched any major new project nor has any old one that was hanging fire for a long time seen the light of the day.

om the UT administration, about which the MC has been boasting, have virtually become white elephants for civic officials with the administration refusing to allocate any additional funds and staff for them.

For city residents this year has not been very positive as the civic body had no good news for them except for the completion of minor projects like widening streets, laying pavement blocks and renovation of community centres in few of the city’s sectors. Moreover, from next year they will have to pay more for water supply as the tariffs have been increased.

A lengthy list of major projects, with which the Congress party mayor, Anu Chatrath, began her tenure, are still stuck in the MC’s agenda at the close of the year. A perusal of records of meetings of the coordination committee of the administration and the MC makes it clear all projects that have been held up were only discussed without producing any results. Strangely, though a few special meetings of the committee were convened to speed up clearance of all projects, the latter are still pending with the administration.

n Augmentation of Kajauli water supply scheme (phases V & VI). Though the central govt okayed the project the Punjab govt has refused to provide land for it to the UT admn
n Construction of the first multilevel parking lot in Sec 17 held up as the contractor has refused to begin work due to delay in land allotment. Civic officials have been unable to decide on the future course of action

n Like previous years the controversy over the functioning of the garbage processing unit in Dadumajra rocked the MC’s monthly general house meeting. The process of setting up committees for overall supervision of the plant continued this year also
n City’s first night food street near the PGI went through a difficult time as civic officials had to sublet the kiosks there twice this year

Chandigarh, December 21
With the worldwide recession a thing of the past, the Chandigarh industry is on the revival track. After registering a marginal increase in the number of units and production from 2006 to 2008, the local industry has registered a substantial increase in the number of units and production, a development which may bring cheer to entrepreneurs and the Chandigarh administration.

The production of 2,235 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) grossed Rs 1,539.82 crore with the number of units touching 19,174 for the year 2008-09. This was in sharp contrast to the Rs 1,429.05-crore production of the 2,074 units employing 18,128 employees in 2007-08. The production figure for the year 2000-07 was Rs 1,390.48 crore by 16,223 employees working in 2,019 units, according to information available from the Statistical Abstract-2009.

“With the Central government discontinuing the tax holiday for neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, Baddi is no longer a favourite destination for the new industry. Certain units which had shifted to Baddi in the wake of the tax concessions have started returning to Chandigarh,” said industrialist Rajiv Gupta.

And the excellent infrastructure in Chandigarh was another reason for the revival of the industry which faced tough time due to recession and administration’s “lopsided” policies a couple of years back.

The local industry’s performance is all the more creditable in the backdrop of about 150 industrial plots being converted under the Chandigarh administration's much-debated conversion policy. Shopping malls, multiplexes and commercial buildings are coming up at these industrial plots in Phases I and II of the Industrial Area here.

“Since Chandigarh is emerging as the major trade and commercial centre, the industry and the service sectors are growing by leaps and bounds simultaneously,” claimed MPS Chawla, president of the Chandigarh Industrial Association.

Observers said as Chandigarh had the highest per capital income in the country, the consumption levels were generally higher here. “The higher consumption generated more employment opportunities and production levels in the industrial units,” Gupta added.

Observers asserted that since the IT Park here had been marred by controversies regarding land acquisition, the traditional industries were staging a comeback. Besides, the advent of the retail revolution in Chandigarh also contributed to the industrial growth, added observers.

Units down, production up

While the number of large enterprises in Chandigarh declined from seven in 2007-08 to four in 2008-09, the production went up from Rs 330.40 crore to 694 crore in the corresponding year. The number of workers also went down from 2,473 to 2,233 in the same period. In 2006-07, the production from eight units was pegged at Rs 337.27 crore from 2,105 employees. 

Mohali, December 21
After years of dialogue, the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) today set the pace for removal of unauthorised settlements from erstwhile Lambina village falling in Sector 69. The occupants are now being settled at a new site near Matour village. To rehabilitate the evacuees, a draw of lots for 66 evacuees was held at PUDA Bhavan in Sector 62 here. Estate Officer GMADA Balbir Singh said alternative sites had already been kept for the evacuees.

It is second success for GMADA officials to remove old encroachments from within the city, the first being Jhota Kut Colony in Sector 71.

The plots are being allotted under the rehabilitation scheme accepted by the evacuees. The land freed form the encroachments will be used for widening of the Balongi-Mohali bus stand road.

Officials disclose that though the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) approved the rehabilitation scheme in February 2001, it could not materialise due to discrepancies found in the claims of the oustees. In June 2008, GMADA decided in-principle to approve the rehabilitation scheme. According to the decision, each original landholder of Lambian was being allotted a plot on the basis of the quantum of land possessed. 

Panchkula, December 21
The state government will hold a draw of lots for the allotment of 22 flats to the BPL families from the quota reserved for them in the licensed colonies in community centre at Swastik Vihar in Mansa Devi Complex on December 22.Vijay Sharma, district town planner, said about 183 families had applied for flats and draw of lots would be held at 11 am. The actual cost of the flat was around Rs 1.5 lakh, he added.

Sharma said as per the Haryana government policy, announced in February, the state government had directed the private colonisers to reserve 15 per cent flats for the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. The flats would be allotted to families whose monthly income was less than Rs 3,500 per month.

He said State Town Planner would chair the meeting and representatives from office of the Deputy Commissioner besides him would be present during the draw of lots.

Chandigarh, December 21
Members of the Chandigrah Housing Board Employees Coordination Committee have decided to launch peaceful agitation in a phased manner seeking implementation of the employees’ pension scheme.

It was also decided during a general body meeting held recently and attended by chairman of the committee Pawan Kumar Narial, president S K Sangari and vice-president Avneesh Dadwal, to wear black badges. A gate meeting will also be held tomorrow to decide future course of action. — TNS

Chandigarh, December 21
Annual function of Saupin’s School, Sector 32, concluded here today. The show was inaugurated by chief guest Pawan K Sharma, HCS, DPI (Schools), Chandigarh.

“Pir Manawan”, a folk dance by Class IV showcased the marriage scene in a Muslim home. A contemporary dance by Class VI brought out the carnival spirit, as they thumped energetically on the beats of Bollywood music.

Giddha by senior students depicted the Punjabi flavour, fusion, a contemporary dance exposed the Indian and western style of dancing highlighting the merger of tradition with modern ways.

Performance of tiny tots of Class II in the play, “Ali Baba and the Chaalis Chor”, the touching story on Mother Earth in the dance drama “Totta Rishta”, hilarious play “The Ransom of the Red Chief”, evocative poetry “Buddhi Badi Hai” and “Circus” all captivated the audience with its splendour.

Songs like “Let’s try to be loving”, “When you give you will receive” and qawali “Hame to marr diya” worked its magic to create a soulful ambience. The curtain of the show fell on the final performance of the day by the school band “Defaulters”, who set the stage on fire with their rocking and memorable performance.

Chandigarh, December 21
A group of 20 students hailing from remote areas of Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir arrived in Chandigarh today as part of an Army-sponsored educational and motivational tour under operation Sadbhavna.

Falling in the age group of 15-18, these children come from the remote border areas of Basoli, which is sparsely populated with minimum basic infrastructure and have ventured out from their native place for the first time.

They visited the Rock Garden, Sukhna Lake, Rose Garden and Chattbir Zoo. Later, they visited Western Command Headquarters at Chandimandir where they interacted with the chief engineer, Western Command, and other senior officers, who urged them to spread the message of peace and harmony.

Accompanied by three teachers, the students, as part of their 11-day tour, will visit several other places, including Dehradun and Delhi.

Panchkula, December 21
In order to create a complete academic framework for skilled manpower in Information Technology in the region, SRM Global has collaborated with Asia’s largest IT trainer, NIIT, for “Global partnership in education and skill building for enhanced employability.”

The MoU was signed by AK Sharma, director training and placement of SRM Global and Jitender Brar, head, NIIT, Chandigarh.

The aim is to develop domain knowledge expertise in various fields of computer science and Information Technology.

SRM Global chief managing director Roshan Lal Jindal said the institute would also look for requirement of skills for employability and would take help of all expertise sectors, including AICTE recommendations.

Patiala, December 21
To inculcate the quality of leadership, confidence and for their exposure to represent themselves in United Nation Assembly, Patiala, Sahodaya Schools Complex organised a two-day training programme at DAV Public School, Bhupindra road, Patiala.

A total of 27 student delegates from six CBSE affiliated schools, including Police DAV Public School, Our Lady of Fatima Convent School, Akal Academy, Modern Senior Secondary School, Bhupindra International Public School, DAV Public School, Nabha and Patiala, along with 15 teachers participated in the event.

DAV school principal SR Prabhakar said such training programmes help to develop hidden talents of the students that prepare them to compete at global level.

A documentary on various problems faced by today’s world at global level was shown to the delegates.

Student executive board comprising Shweta Yadav and Manvi Bansal, Nitin Gupta, Aseem Garg, Agrish Sharma, Carol Panjrattan also interacted with participants.

Patiala, December 21
A seven-day NSS camp was inaugurated at Jasdev Singh Sandhu College of Education, Kauli, under the supervision of Charanjit Singh and Dr Harjeet Kaur.

The camp was inaugurated by Dr Rajinder Kaur from department of human biology, Punjabi University, Patiala, with a plantation drive on the college campus.

Dr Rajinder Kaur highlighted the importance of NSS and further told the students about the ill-effects of pollution.

Meanwhile, another NSS camp started today at Government Bikram College of Commerce, which was inaugurated by Dr Paramvir Singh, co-ordinator NSS department, Punjabi University. More than 200 volunteers are expected to participate. — TNS