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| Sunday, January 9, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
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Science students at
disadvantage for B.Ed. CHANDIGARH, Jan 8 — The National Council for Technical Education (NCTE) rules for the Bachelor of Education( B. Ed) courses do not seem to fit in the undergraduate curricula scheme of Panjab University, putting scores of students in a helpless situation. Students at a disadvantage include particularly those from the science stream who studied English or any other language for just one year during graduation. Exposure to two streams is mandatory for two years. The rule also affects certain other regional universities. The NCTE provides that candidates cannot apply for the B. Ed course if they have not studied the subject for at least two years during under-graduation. English is usually taken up for just one year. Students having history, mathematics, economics and political science still stand a chance . The students who applied for admissions for the current session faced the problem. Mrs Satinder Dhillon, Principal of the local Dev Samaj College of Education, has written a query to the Chairman of the National Council for Technical Education, asking clarifications for more than five provisions. The English language subject happens to be the Achille's feet for the smooth conduct of the course. The NCTE requires mandatory two years of exposure of the language, while the local colleges get away with just one year of exposure to the language. The subject has been taken up by Mrs Satinder Dhillon with the department concerned, asking for 'a review' for the benefit of students. However, there have been no indications for an attempt to change NCTE rules by the Education Department. The letter poses a query whether students who have passed the Bachelor of Commerce and M. Com were eligible for admission in B. Ed class as commerce subject areas were not available to schools till Class X. Another problem relates to science students "B Sc (home science) students of PU study science subjects as well as art subjects. Students who had plus two in science are denied admission in B. Ed courses because of subject distribution at the undergraduate level. "It is sheer injustice to science students as they have studied science actually for three years (two years at the plus two level and one year at the B. Sc level)", the letter says. Another query pertains
to 'whether the students of two languages as compulsory
subjects in BA could opt for two languages as teaching
subjects. The candidate cannot be at present be selected
as a teacher of two languages, it adds. |
Stage set
for PU council poll CHANDIGARH, Jan 8 — Stage is all set for voting for seats of college teachers to be representatives of Panjab University's premier academic body on January 21. Polling will be conducted for 15 seats of teacher in the Academic Council of the campus. The counting is scheduled for January 23. The last date for filling forms was January 6. A senior fellow of the campus said that for a change, polling will be conducted by secret ballot this time. Earlier, a pattern of transferrable ballot was followed. The college principal will be the head at the centre of polling. At every centre, a university representative will be sent to ensure fair polling. One of the complaints raised on several occasions earlier was that ballots were often picked by a few candidates who got them signed in their favour from the voters. There were also complaints against certain principals who got the polling done in front of them. "The ballots often were hijacked on the way to voters' places by candidates directly who later managed the signing campaign," a senior fellow said. The university representative will oversee the procedure of the whole the process this year. After the conclusion of polling, the sealed boxes will be transferred to the counting centres. There are approximately 3,000 voters in this category. The Academic Council also consists of 15 principals, five senators, two syndics, two scholars and all professors (ex-officio members). It was pointed out that
such a big constitution of the council was not fair to
ensure its fairness. When professors were included as
ex-officio members, their number was not more than 20.
The number of this category exceeds 150 presently which
compounds the problem. |
Poor
attendance in schools CHANDIGARH, Jan 8 — The persistent foggy weather has reduced greatly the attendance in schools on the periphery of Chandigarh. The worst affected are the schools in villages. Electricity failure has left the classrooms in virtual darkness, and according to the students, no serious work has been done in the past few days. A teacher of a Government High School, near SAS Nagar, said that attendance was so thin that the school should be closed till the weather improved. The thick cover of fog has affected transport services to the villages. Mr Kewal Singh, a resident of Chilla village near Sohana, complained that no bus service was operating in the entire area consisting of more than a dozen villages. A resident of Dairi village said that he was not sending his two children to the local primary school where classes were held in the open. Teachers are also finding it difficult to reach their schools in time since the buses are not operating. Several peripheral villages are also facing a shortage of water. Mr Kuljeet Singh, a resident of Sohana, said that they had to line up at the water pump for a basketful of water. “In such a situation, the people of Chandigarh are provided water from tanks while the rural and semi- urban areas are ignored by the administration”, he said. Residents of the
peripheral villages said that inadequate power supply has
forced them to use “angithis”. The telephone
services in the rural areas have also been affected and
sources said that the service would be put in order only
when the weather improved. |
Condition
of primary schools deplorable CHANDIGARH, Jan 8 — The condition of government primary schools in the city is deplorable. Most of the students in these schools come from poor families. The teachers of these schools lament that nobody pays attention to their problems. Inspections by the officers concerned are rare, and that add to its problems. The Primary School in Sector 18, which is situated on the premises of Government Senior Secondary School, have been functioning without a room. The classes are held in the open with the students sitting on the floor. Even the blackboard and mats are nowhere to be seen. Teachers of this school said that it had its own building, but in 1989 it was taken over and made a hostel for senior students. Since then the primary school has been without a building. The teachers said the parents often withdrew their children from the school, fearing they might fall sick under such conditions. The number of students in the school has been decreasing gradually. The condition of the primary school in Burail, colony no. 5, is worse. The small dilapidated building has no chairs, mats or any kind of stationery. This state of affairs makes the teachers insensitive to the students. The classes of the
primary school in Sector 26, Bapu Dham have been shifted
to the middle school of that area as its own building is
under construction. If this school does not suffer from a
space problem, it lacks the necessary staff. The
headmistress complained that because of the number of
students, one teacher has to manage two classes at a
time. |
Testing
time for students MATOUR (SAS NAGAR), Jan 8 — It is a testing time for the students of the Government Primary School here as the continued dry cold weather has made matters worse for them. As the dilapidated building of the school is inadequate to accommodate over 250 students, the classes were held under the sky — be it rain, cold or storm. When The Tribune team visited the school, the students were sitting huddled together in the ground. Some of the students, who were not wearing adequate warm clothes, were also shivering. As there were no benches the students had to sit on durees on the cloud floor. An inspection of the school building reveled that portions of the cement from the ceiling of the rooms had fallen off. The floors were in a bad shape. The teachers said several requests to the higher authorities to repair the building had failed to make any impact. The electricity
connection to light the rooms had been sought from an
adjoining Government High School. But a bulb in each room
did little illumination to allow holding of classes on
cloudy day. A ‘sulab sauchalaya’ constructed
adjacent to the school gives a foul smell. |
Kendriya
Vidyalaya annual function CHANDIGARH, Jan 8 — The Kendriya Vidyalaya, Sector 31, yesterday held its annual day and prize distribution function at the Lecma Hall, 3BRD, Air Force station here. The programme started with a Saraswati vandana followed by a colourful dance from Gujarat — the Dandia. Various group songs by both senior and junior sections also delighted the audiences. The students also went on to present plays and skits on the occasion. The chief guest on the occasion was Air Cdre Arvinda Agrawal of the AOC, 3BRD, Air Force Station, and the Chairman, Vidyalaya Manage-ment Committee. Ms Madhu Agrawal gave
away the prizes to the students. The annual report was
read out by the principal of the school, Dr (Mrs) S P
Shergill. |
Marigold case hearing on
Jan 18 CHANDIGARH, Jan 8 — Issuing notice to the state on an application for supplying "complete copies of the challan" moved by Director of Marigold Forests Rajesh Syal, the UT Judicial Magistrate (First Class), Mr Pushvinder Singh, has fixed January 18 as the next date of hearing. In the application submitted before the Judicial Magistrate, Sayal had earlier stated that certain documents were not present in the challan. Another application for providing the photocopies of "seizure of the documents" to the accused was also moved. The Chandigarh police, it may be recalled, had presented the challan in the court on the last date of hearing against Sayal, along with five other accused, in the first information report registered on June 27, 1998 under Sections 406, 420 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code. In the challan, the Chandigarh police had included the statement of a lecturer with the Punjab Engineering College, Mr Jaswant Singh Sidhu, stating that Sayal, Sukhdev Kaushal and Om Chand Parwal had induced him to invest money in scheme "Panch Shikha". Mr Sidhu had also stated that a false representation regarding the scheme being profitable was made to him. Claiming to have paid Rs 60,000, Mr Sidhu had further alleged that the cheque presented by him to the bank two-and-a-half years after investment was returned "with report of insufficient funds". The challan also
included the list of 29 witnesses, besides details of the
articles recovered during the investigation. |
2
convicted for carrying liquor CHANDIGARH, Jan 8 — UT Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Baljinder Singh has convicted two persons for carrying liquor without valid permit and for disturbing the general peace under the influence of liquor in separate cases. While Dinesh Singh of Madhya Pradesh, accused of carrying 248 pouches of desi liquor, was released on probation, city resident Sandeep Sharma was fined Rs 50. In default of payment, he was directed to undergo simple imprisonment for another seven days. Dinesh Singh, on the other hand, was directed to furnish personal bond of Rs 5,000 along with a surety of the like amount. Dinesh Singh was earlier booked by the Chandigarh Police under Section 61/1/14 of the Excise Act on November 27 last year. According to the prosecution, the pouches were found in the bag he was carrying around his shoulder while he was coming from Sector 20 side. Accused Sandeep Sharma was, meanwhile, booked under Section 34/5/61 of the Police Act on January 6. According to the prosecution, the doctor, after conducting the medico-legal examination, had expressed the opinion that the accused had consumed liquor. The accused, when
confronted with the incriminating evidence against them
during the proceedings, had denied the allegations.
Claiming to be innocent, they had asked for a trial. Bail granted in cheating case CHANDIGARH, JAN 8 — The UT District and Sessions Judge, Mr B.S. Bedi, today granted bail to District Sports Officer Om Parkash Puri in a cheating and forgery case. The applicant was apprehending arrest in a case registered by the Chandigarh Police under sections 419, 420, 467, 468 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code. Claiming to be innocent, the applicant had stated that he had signed the eligibility proforma in good faith on “the basis of which the volleyball team participated in the championship held at Calcutta in 1994”. The counsel for the applicant had further stated that he had “no concern with the participation of six other boys in the 1994 championship on the ground of which K.L. Ahuja made a complaint to the police. Ahuja, the counsel had added, was “neither member nor the office-bearer of the association in 1994”. Deputy Superintendent of
Police Vijay Pal Singh, also the secretary of the Volley
Ball Association, the counsel had alleged, got the case
registered against the applicant as he had not withdrawn
an affidavit against the DSP regarding the procurement of
a state volleyball championship certificate in favour of
his daughter. |
Constables
acquitted CHANDIGARH, Jan 7 — The UT Judicial Magistrate (First Class), Mr A.K. Bishnoi, today acquitted two constables accused of injuring a city resident after wrongfully restraining him at the Inter-State Bus Terminus here. The two — Dalip Singh and Makhan Singh — were earlier booked by the Chandigarh police for causing hurt and wrongfully confining a person under Sections 325, 342 and 341 of the Indian Penal Code. According to the prosecution, the first information report against the two was registered after an inquiry was conducted by the then Executive Magistrate H. L. Chawla. The prosecution had added that the medical examination of the complainant at the Sector 16 General Hospital here had revealed a fractured right femur and nasal bone. The accused, when confronted with incriminating evidence against them, had, however, denied the allegations and asked for a trial. Claiming to be innocent, they had added that the witnesses had falsely deposed against them. It may be recalled that
the complainant in the case could not be served the
summons as he, according to the superintendent of the
office where he worked, expired during the pendency of
the case. |
Top artistes for
‘Lohri Dhamaka’ CHANDIGARH, Jan 8 — Top Punjabi folk singers and cine stars, including Preeti Sapru, Harbhajan Mann, Mika, Satwinder Bitti, Devinder Khannewala, Jaswinder Jassi, Sardool Sikander, Sarabjeet Cheema, Hira Dhami, Bindrakhiya and Manpreet Akhtar, will participate in Sundar Mundriye Ho, a “Lohri Dhamaka”, which is being organised by Alpha TV at the Sector 17 Parade Ground on January 10. According to Mr Rajan Bakshi, Vice-President, Corporate Communications, Alphha TV will celebrate and share with its viewers the first Lohri of the millennium in glorious tradition. The ceremonial bonfire would be lit by the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal. He further said that Sundar Mundriye Ho, the cultural extravaganza, would be witnessed among others by members of the Punjab Council of Ministers and the Union Minister, Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, besides others. All roads on that day will lead to the Sector 17 Parade Ground, the venue of the programme. Ms Preeti Sapru is the creative director of the event while Mr Surinder Bachan will be the music director for the evening. The famous Prabhasharan group of Patiala will perform Giddha. Since no Punjabi programme is complete without Bhangra, this vibrant Punjabi folk dance will be performed by Inderjit Singh group from Jalandhar. Famous Punjabi comedians
— Bhagwant Mann, Jaswinder Bhalla — will be the
other attractions of the programme, which would be
anchored by Maninder Grewal and Joe Batth from Daler
Mehndi’s troupe. |
Cultural
contest to hunt for talent CHANDIGARH, Jan 8 — An inter-school City Beautiful Cultural Dance Competition was organised by Rising Scholars at Tagore Theatre this evening to identify fresh talent among students in the field of culture. Mr S.K. Singh, IGP, UT, was the chief guest at the function. The judges for the competition included Mr C.S.R. Reddy, DIG, Punjab, Mr Parag Jain, SSP, Mr D.S. Saroya DPI (Schools), Dr H.C. Sharma, Director, State Institute of Education, and Mr O.P. Arora, Additional General Manager, The Tribune. Later, 60 students who had fared well in the Inter School City-Beautiful Scholarship Examination, organised by the group on December 26, were honoured with scholarships worth Rs 15,000. Nearly 450 students of Class X from 25 different schools had appeared for the examination based on the CBSE syllabi. On the basis of the total number of scholarships won by the students of each school, Sacred Heart Convent, Sector 26, was adjudged the best school academically at Class X level, while Vivek High School, Sector 38, was the first runners-up, Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 35, was the second runners-up. Among the top 10 were Sunny Gambhir (GMHS-38); Arpeta Gupta, Megha Tewari, Arshdeep Kaur, Ashima Saini, Gurveen Bhatia (Sacred Heart, Sector 26), Karan Bansal, Siddharth Jain, Vikul Goyal (Vivek High School, Sector 38) and Sharmila Chaterjee of (DAVMS-15). The prizes were distributed by Mr S.K. Singh.
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Workshop
on acting, dancing CHANDIGARH, Jan 8 — "I have not left Mumbai, but come here to train and guide those who are keen to join the film or the television industry," said renowned Bollywood actress and dancer of yore, Madhumati whose 'Madhumati's Art and Cultural Workshop' was inaugurated this morning at S. D. Saini School, Sector 38. The workshop was inaugurated by Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Union Minister. He offered to help open a similar academy at SAS Nagar. The Managing Director of the workshop and husband of Madhumati, Mr Manohar Deepak, said that vulgarity on TV should be banned and only quality programmes be aired. A colourful variety song-and-dance programme prepared by students of the school was also presented. Later, while talking to the media, Madhumati, commented on the vulgarity and the obscene dances in films today. While defending her own and Helen's cabaret numbers, she said, "In my times there was a clear distinction between black and white — the heroine and the vamp. And even then we were never vulgar. But today the heroine plays the wife as well as the vamp". As a teacher, she felt that she could not chose to teach her students only classical today, "because even I have to move along with the times". Among her students are Akshay Kumar, Tabu, Farah, Amrita Singh in Hindi films; Shagufta Ali, Shahbaz Khan, Rushali, Imran Khan and Rakhi Malhotra in television; Paramvir, Manjit Khullar and Gurdas Mann in Punjabi films and Priya Raman, Surabhi, Deva Shetty in South Indian films. Her workshop offers a
three-month course in both acting and dancing, which
would include development of personality, voice culture,
diction, dubbing, and intonation. |
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