EDUCATION

Observers to be appointed to check copying cases: Kehar Singh 
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Dec 7 — For minimising the cases of copying in examinations conducted by the Punjab School Education Board, observers will be appointed for centres from where cases of unfair means have been reported.

Dr Kehar Singh, Chairman of the board, said this while talking to mediapersons here. He said the observers would be appointed on day-to-day basis.

Dr Kehar Singh also said four control rooms would be set up to check any malpractices during the examinations. He said even though the decision had not be finalised, but hotlines were likely to be installed at Jalandhar, Faridkot, Bathinda and Mohali.

For affiliation with the CBSE, he said Punjabi would have to be introduced as a compulsory subject in Class X. Schools already affiliated with the board would be given a no-objection certificate only if Punjabi is mandatory till Class X, he disclosed.

Giving information about the changes in the syllabus of the board, he said history of Punjab had been introduced from the current session for all schools affiliated with the board. However, question papers would not have questions on the history of Punjab this year as all schools could not get new books in time, said Dr Kehar Singh. He also said agriculture, physical education and computers would be introduced as additional subjects for Class X from the next session.

On Sanskrit as an additional subject, he said the marks scored in the subject would be written on the certificate, but not added in the aggregate.

He said computer education had been initiated in nine model schools run by the board in rural areas of Amritsar, Moga, Muktsar and Ferozepore. Ten computers had been installed at all these centres and now a similar centre at Aliwal village of Ludhiana is under proposal, he said.

Exam dates: confusion among MTS College students 
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Dec 7 — Much confusion prevails among students of Master Tara Singh Memorial College for Women over the dates of the half yearly examination. Certain students of B.Com first year who came to the college today to write their examination were told to go home as the datesheet had been changed.

Irked over frequent changes in the datesheet, the students staged a dharna outside the Principal’s office along with the agitating teachers and said they were not able to prepare well for the examination. They said they were earlier told their examinations would commence on December 6. A few days later, they were informed that the examinations would be held in January and they stopped preparing for the tests. They said they were again told to come to take examinations as per the earlier schedule and, however, no test was held today.

The Principal, when contacted, said the old datesheet with minor changes had been put on the board two days ago and there should have been no confusion. ‘‘It is clearly mentioned that the examinations scheduled to be held from December 6 to December 8 will be held later from December 26 to December 28 and that the examinations will begin from December 9,’’ she said.

The students, however, alleged that the datesheet with changes was displayed on the board this morning and that there was no prior information. They said when they came to the college in the morning, they were told to go away as Thursday and Friday had been declared as preparatory holidays. Again they said this notice was put on the board in this morning and it caused them much hassles.

The Principal, however, stated she had put the notice yesterday and that some students might have torn it. She said the students might have been instigated by their teachers.

The students said they were worried over the issue of the acceptance of their examination forms with signatures by the Principal. They demanded that some surity about the acceptance of form should be given to them.

Meanwhile, Professor K. B. S. Sodhi, president, Punjab and Chandigarh Teachers’ College Union, has told teachers of the local colleges who are not going to Delhi to stage a dharna outside the office of Principal of Master Tara Singh Memorial College on December 12. He said this was being done in protest against the management as it was not taking any decision regarding the continuation of the services of the Principal.

Principal asked to get VC’s approval
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Dec 7 — The management of Master Tara Singh Memorial College for Women has decided to grant four days’ leave to Principal Ms Kuldip Kaur to get the approval of the Vice-Chancellor of Panjab University regarding continuation of her services.

Ms Rajinder Kaur Gill, senior lecturer, Hindi, will be the officiating Principal from December 8 to December 11, stated Mr Sarwan Singh, vice president of the management in a press note here today. If Ms Kuldip Kaur is able to get the approval of the VC, she will continue her services from December 12 otherwise she will be relieved from her post, he said.

Prize distribution function 
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Dec 7 — The prize distribution function of the painting competition organised by a Hindi daily was held today. The following were the results.

Group A — Dipali Goyal 1, Harsimran Kaur 2 and Ruchika Chauhan 3.

Group B — Gaurav Uppal 1, Ramneek Kaur 2 and Tusheer Kaur 3 (all from DAV Public School).

Group C — Vibha Babbar 1 (Sacred Heart Convent School), Rubeka Sharma 2 (DAV Public School) and Leeza Bhatia 3 (R.S. Model Senior Secondary School).

Group D — Kuldip Singh 1 (GGN Public School), Gagandeep Singh 2 (DAV Public School) and Navneet Jain 3 (D.D. Jain College).