EDUCATION

Valmiki Sabha flays education policy
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Aug 28 — The District Valmiki Sabha has criticised the state government for its failure to check exploitation of poor and Dalit students by private educational institutions and to earnestly implement the reservation for the backward classes and the Scheduled Castes, particularly in technical and professional courses.

Presiding over a meeting of the sabha in the Municipal Corporation complex here, its chairman, Mr Ram Parkash Gill, rued that proliferating private educational institutions in the city were charging exorbitant tuition fee and various other funds, making education out of reach, especially for weaker sections. The apathy of the state government and the district administration had further emboldened those running these institutions and the so called educational institutions were flouting the laws with impunity.

Senior BSP leader and patron of the sabha D.P. Khosla alleged that the education policy of the SAD(B)-BJP government in Punjab was guided by a conspiracy hatched by the RSS to deprive the children from poor and Dalit families of higher education. The cumbersome formalities and massive paper work, required to be completed for admission to schools and colleges, at times, created such a situation that the admissions were closed before the necessary documents were arranged.

He further charged that reservation quota for students belonging to the BC and the SC families was not sincerely filled up and the seats meant for these categories were usurped by non-deserving students on the basis of money power.

The sabha threatened to launch an agitation if the exploitation of poor and Dalit students by the private educational institutions was not put to an end and the government failed to initiate remedial steps to make its education policy favourable to weaker sections.

Among others, Mr Krishan Lal Rahela, Mr Shekhar Sahota, Mr Parshottam Nahar, Mr Bhag Ram Sidhu, Mr Rakesh Ghai, Mr Raj Kumar Sahota, Mr Vijay Manchanda, Mr Bishamber Dass, Mr Jagdish Dadri, Mr Raj Kumar Bhatti, Mr Harish Kumar and Mr Sikander Sidhu also addressed the meeting.

CULTURE

Spot painting in artist’s memory
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Aug 28 — In the memory of artist Sobha Singh, Ludhiana branch of Asian Club today organised a spot painting competition at Gupta Model High School.

There were 33 participants who painted flowers, cartoons and posters on Kargil Vijay Divas and population explosion. They were grouped into three categories. In the 6-9 years age group, Shivani Verma stood first followed by Suruchi and Barkha. In the second group which had students in the age group of 10 -13 years, Shilpa Miglani stood first followed by Neha and Shelka. Navjot, Shilpa and Ravi stood first, second and third, respectively, in the 14-16 age group.

Mrs Anita Darshi, Assistant Commissioner (Grievances), was the chief guest. Mr Harbir Singh Bhanwar, journalist and son-in-law of Sobha Singh, inaugurated the function. Also present on the occasion was Mr Sukhminder, managing director, Asian Club. The judges were Mrs Amrit Arora and Ms Babita.