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| EDUCATION TRIBUNE |
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Uniform is more than a dress UGC to prepare database of higher education institutions
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Uniform is more than a dress
THERE is a new but growing trend among Japanese children to proudly wear their school uniform on weekends, when they go for outings. On being asked about it, they simply replied that they were very proud of their school and wore their uniform to identify with the respective school and its ethos. The uniform, they said, made them feel smart and responsible at the sub-conscious level. This comes as a pleasant surprise knowing that the Japanese society is as school-oriented, grades-driven society like ours. What is it about the school uniform that makes us feel so nostalgic? When we were in school, we always wanted to taste the freedom and, therefore, went to the college in casuals. But as grown-ups, we are often filled with nostalgia for our own school days and school-associated activities, uniform being one of them. There is something about well-dressed children going to schools in their crisp school shirts, well-ironed trousers, polished shoes and school crest on their blazers, which take us all down the memory lane. A serving officer in the armed forces who spent a good part of his growing years at Lovedale School, Ooty, says, “The uniform that I wore at Lovedale is one of the smartest uniforms that I wore, considering I have studied in a few schools because my father was in the Army. We had our jackets, shorts and even the tie, a shade darker than the khakhi. The unique aspect was that we had pocket only on the left side of the jackets, which clearly meant that the right hand was meant only to be engaged in fruitful activities and the school authorities had many lined up for us throughout the day. The right hand had no business to be inside a pocket! That habit has stayed on with me even today.” Uniforms remind us of our school and the habits that they inculcate over the years, at a time when our minds are tender and can be imbibed with the best of values. Khushleen Grewal who studied at Sherwood College, Nanital, Uttaranchal, has kept her last pair of uniform very carefully. “The uniform of our school was once even adjudged the best in Asia. This fact always made us feel special. Our seniors would come to the reunion in their uniform. We wore it with élan, with all the strappings that come with school life. In fact, the ties that we wore reflected the houses we were divided into. So the school uniform identified us with our school, while the ties were a symbol of the house of which we were a part for extra-curricular activities etc,” she says. Just wearing the uniform everyday instills a sense of discipline. As one wears it and stands to board the school bus, one realises that standing there one is reflecting the school. The correct posture, the right attitude and the head firm on the shoulders in a well-worn uniform can surely turn heads of all passers-by. Sarah Gaur, who has studied in various Army Public Schools, is very attached to her uniform. A Class X student, she knows that it is the last year that she would be wearing it. “I have got up everyday for the last so many years and grabbed it and rushed to the school. It has become like my second skin. I will miss it like anything.” There are others who swear that the uniform brings out the best in them. St. John’s High School in Sector-26, Chandigarh, is an all-boys school. Celebrating their Golden Jubilee in 2009, they brought out a special uniform that celebrated the school’s joyous existence. The smart, comfortable blue track-pants and jacket with the soaring eagle were welcomed by students who bought them to feel the rich history of the school and to wear a part of it. The uniform is also a great leveller. All distinctions of caste, colour, religion, region disappear once you don the uniform. Nothing matters except the school and the ideals that it stands for. Much care goes in designing the uniform. The colours have to be such that they make the uniform a part of the edifice by breathing life into it. The comfort of the students is also taken into account. Therefore, the texture is chosen with a great care. Besides, the cost has to be balanced. All this is done to ensure that the child feels comfortable and willing to give his best to his ‘second home’ for the greater part of the day. |
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UGC to prepare database of higher education institutions WITH barely 7 per cent of India’s population, in the age group of 18-24, gaining higher education, the objective of achieving 15 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio by 2015 and enhancing it to 20 per cent by 2020 appears to be a tall order. The situation is more worrisome as the proportion of population gaining higher education in India is just one-half the average of Asia. Since education is a significant contributor to economic development, social progress and political democracy, it is pertinent to identify problems in expansion of higher education and suggest worthwhile solutions. The University Grants Commission (UGC) is, therefore, undertaking a survey on higher education to prepare a reliable database of all higher education institutions. As per the survey guidelines, higher education is defined as that education which is obtained after completing 12 years of schooling or equivalent and is of a duration of at least 9 months (full time) or after completing 10 years of schooling and is of a duration of at least 3 years. The education may be of the nature of general, vocational, professional or technical education. The data thus generated would be extremely useful for policy formulation, research, fulfilling international commitments, etc. Universities are also required to ensure that colleges affiliated to them, including constituent colleges and recognised centers, provide complete data. There are some institutions which are not affiliated to any university but are recognised by some council or state governments. Even such institutions, which have been identified as “Stand Alone Institutions”, are required to provide all information. With quality of higher education being a major concern, the survey would help prepare reliable database to devise interventions. A UGC study has estimated that out of 14,000 colleges, which fall under the purview of UGC, only 40 per cent and 38 per cent colleges have been brought under 2(f) and 12(b) status, respectively, which satisfy some minimum educational standard. Thus, about 61 per cent, which is about 8,500 of the total colleges, have not been assessed for quality. With barely 20 per cent of the colleges being accredited of the total 1,400, the rest of the colleges are without permanent affiliation and are self-financed. Also, these are devoid of the requisite physical and academic infrastructure. The study has further established that barely 8 per cent of the colleges fall in the A grade having high quality, 37 per cent confirm to medium quality having B++ and B+ grading and about 36 per cent fall in the B and C categories. Therfore, majority of them fall under low quality having few facilities. According to the study, high quality colleges have better facilities like library, computer center, health center, sports facilities, hostel, guest house, teachers’ housing, canteen, common room, welfare scheme, gymnasium, auditorium and seminar rooms. They fare better even on the academic front with facilities which include better student- teacher ratio, more books and journals per college, lesser students per computer, organised workshops/seminars and lesser academic staff on temporary basis. Thus, the present survey would cover various aspects relating to colleges which are covered by the UGC, as well as others which are yet to fulfil minimum standards. This would, therefore, help devise strategies based on actual figures by covering institutes which have sprung up in the past few years. More so, in confirming with the recommendations of National Knowledge Commission it is important to bring about improvements in higher education, so that a large number of students can be educated without diluting standards. This is imperative because the transformation of economy and society in the 21st century would depend significantly on the quality of education among our people, particularly in the sphere of higher education. |
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Campus
Notes THE Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ajaib Singh Brar, has been nominated to a high-powered committee of the Central Advisory Board for Education (CABE) on university reforms constituted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Higher Education, under the chairmanship of Dr D. Purandeswari, Union Minister of State, Ministry of Human Resource Development. According to a communication received from the University Grants Commission (UGC), the other members of the committee include state ministers, members of civil society and academics. Prof. Brar said the CABE committee would review the existing policies of the state universities, particularly pertaining to affiliation, autonomy and accountability. Meanwhile, Prof. Brar has been included in a nine-member committee constituted to revisit and address the anomalies in the UGC regulations on minimum qualifications for the appointment of teachers and other staff in universities and colleges and to take measures for the maintenance of standards in higher education. The committee is headed by Prof. M. Anandakrishnan, former Vice-Chancellor, Anna University.
Bhangra Olympiad organised The International Punjabi Folklore Academy organised Bhangra Olympiad at the Dashmesh Auditorium of the university recently. While eminent Punjabi folk singer Malkit Singh presided over, famous singers K.S. Makhan and Lakhwinder Wadali were the special guests on the occasion. All the winning teams of bhangra item of youth festival from the universities of Punjab performed in the competition. A cash prize of Rs 5,100 was awarded to the best dancer of each bhangra team, which included Lakhbir Singh of Punjab University, Chandigarh; Sukhdip Singh of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar; Gurshaminder Singh of Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana; Parampreet Singh Punjabi University, Patiala; and Baldeep Singh of Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar. Besides this, certificates and trophies were presented to the all the participating teams. An honorarium of Rs 3,000 was also given to each team as traveling allowance. Earlier, the competition was inaugurated by Dr M.P.S. Ishar, former Dean, Students' Welfare and newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of Jammu University, and Dr P.S. Cheema, Dean, Students' Welfare of Punjab Agriculture University.
Special chance for students The university has decided to give a special chance to the students of graduation and under-graduation courses to reappear in semester and annual system examinations for the session April/ May 2012. Dr R. K. Mahajan, professor in charge (examinations), said all such students would be charged a fee of Rs 20,000 along with normal fee.
Chemistry block extension Keeping in view the increase in number of seats and introduction of fresh courses, the university management has expanded the Chemistry Block by adding three small and two big laboratories, besides nine classrooms, incurring an expenditure of Rs 1.48 crore. The rooms are equipped with state-of-art infrastructure. Meanwhile, eight classrooms have been constructed at Maharaja Ranjit Singh Bhawan at a cost of Rs 1.71
crore. — Contributed by G.S. Paul |
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