The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

EDUCATION

Fleecing in name of admissions
From A Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, March 15 — The heat of school admissions is on. The parents are trying their best to get their children admitted to a good school, that may mean spending an exorbitant amount on just buying the prospectus or the admission form and paying the registration fee for the entrance test. The kids are tense about the numerous tests that they have to take.

The schools are charging Rs 100 to Rs 600 for the prospectus and registration even for nursery class and this amount is not refundable if the child does not get admission.

Sacred Heart School charges Rs. 100 for the prospectus, entrance test etc. per student. St Kabir School charges Rs 100 for the registration and Rs 150 for the prospectus. Guru Nanak Public School charges Rs 100 for the prospectus and Rs 500 for the registration.

The registration fee is not refundable in case the child does not get admitted.

Is there any check on the harassment of parents by these schools by charging such high amounts? On an average, parents apply to at least 5-6 schools and some to around 10 schools. This totals to about Rs 1000 to Rs 1500 on merely purchasing the forms.

Another fact that cannot be denied is the admission time is February to April specially Month of March is key time for admission and that is also the month when one has to finally pay the Income tax for the year ( IT settlement Time). Is the situation that these parents have to go through appropriate?

Shalini had to spend around Rs 1,000 to get her kid admitted in nursery. Her son did not get admission to a 'good' school two years ago. Last year, the boy got admission in that school but had to repeat nursery. According to her, there are schools which ask for assurance that the kid would continue studying in the school even after nursery, otherwise the kid does not get admission.

A family that has just got transferred from Mumbai panicked after knowing that the admission procedures had closed. The woman was on the verge of tears and tired of talking to all the well-known schools of the city. After a chase of around 2-3 months, her case was considered but she had paid the initial admission amount and quarterly tuition fee in another school and had to again pay in this new school. It was taxing she added.

Mr D. S. Saroya, Director Public Instructions, had no answer when asked what action is been taken with reference to this issue. He said that he has asked for documents pertaining to admissions and would be able to give his opinion after 10 days or so.

No study material available
Tribune News Service

SAS NAGAR, March 15 — Candidates opting for Punjab history and culture in the matriculation examination of the Punjab School Education Board are a harassed lot as no book or material as per the prescribed syllabus are available in the market.

Paper A of the subject was scheduled for today. The book of the board, does not mention any reference book that may be available in the market. Sources in the board say as there are few candidates who opt for the subject, no reference book has been published by the board. Many topics are not available in any common book.

AIFUTA plans mass casual leave
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 15 — The members of the All-India Federation of University Teachers Association (AIFUTA) will take mass casual leave on March 28 in case the state government does not implement the decisions taken by the Centre since October 5, 1998.

The North Zonal Council of the Association will again meet in the first week of April to review the course of developments and to consider further measures if no heed was paid to the notifications issued by the UGC and the HRD Ministry.

The main demands of the teachers are release of payment on account of arrears, delay in processing and grant of promotions, denial of enhancement in the age of superannuation, withdrawal of the facility of encashment of leave, irrational anti-research work schedule for teachers, lack of adequate elected representatives on the governing bodies of the universities, besides imbalances in budgetary provisions already affecting the academic programmes.

COURTS

Women denied bail
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 15 — Finding no merit, the UT Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr Sant Parkash, has rejected the bail applications moved by two city residents, accused of being involved in taking Rs 6 lakh for sending two persons abroad.

The accused — Saloni and Shalini — were earlier booked by the Chandigarh Police in a cheating and conspiracy case under Sections 420 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code, besides Section 24 of the Immigration Act.

According to the prosecution, the accused had connived with three others before taking Rs 6 lakh from the complainant for sending Parminder Singh and Malkiat Singh abroad.

The prosecution had stated that the two were flown to Dubai after Mumbai but the accused failed to arrange a job for them despite giving a written undertaking.

Seeking their release on bail, the defence counsel had contended that the two were being implicated in the case. Terming the investigating agency’s story as false, he had added that the two were not connected with the commission of the offence.

After hearing the arguments, the CJM observed: “After going into the allegations levelled in the FIR, I am of the considered opinion that both the accused, despite the fact that they are ladies, do not deserve the concession of bail at all.”

The CJM also observed: “The investigation of the present case is not yet complete and the remaining accused have not been arrested so far. The present accused, with the active connivance of some other persons, cheated the complainant to the tune of Rs 6 lakh. There is every likelihood that the accused will influence the witnesses or will run away if enlarged on bail. Finding no merit, the bail application filed on behalf of both the accused are hereby rejected.”