EDUCATION

Lecturers oppose UGC notification
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Feb 21 — A majority of the college lecturers of Panjab University have opposed the recent notification of the UGC to make Ph.D a compulsory eligibility criteria for the post of principal. The lecturers have said that the degree cannot increase the administrative skills of a principal.

As per the notification, Ph.D would be mandatory for all the lecturers who wanted to be promoted as principal. It also said that the Ph.D qualification would also be applicable to the principals who were selected for the post after December 24, 1998, through a duly constituted committee and were now seeking appointment in another college.

Following this notification, the Syndicate of the Panjab University had approved of the notification at its last meeting. However, a majority of the lecturers of the university have opposed this move. Several lecturers have even requested the Vice-Chancellor of the university to hold talks with the UGC officers and tell them to reconsider its decision.

Opposing the notification, Professor K.B.S. Sodhi, president of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union and a lecturer at GGN Khalsa College, said that the UGC should roll back the new eligibility criteria set by it. He said that several other factors like teaching record and administrative qualities of a lecturer were more important factors for the post of principal in any institute. Ph.D qualification had nothing to do with the post.

Expressing his views on the same notification, Mr Satish Sharma, a senator of the university and lecturer, Arya College for Boys, said that only 15 per cent of the total lecturers at PU affiliated colleges were Ph.D qualified. These included few lecturers of Hindi, Punjabi, chemistry and commerce subjects. He also said that very few lecturers of physics, maths and economics were Ph.D qualified and making the degree compulsory would present lecturers of the subjects from qualifying for the post of principal.

Mr Sharma said that he had asked the PU VC to tell the UGC officers to reconsider the new legibility criteria set by it. He suggested that in an alternative way, the principals may be given a time of five to eight years to complete the degree after they are appointed.

‘Food industry should cater to needs of rural people’
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Feb 21 — Dr Jaspinder Singh Kolar, Director of Extension Education, PAU, has said that the food processing industry should tune itself to the needs of the rural people. He expressed these views while inaugurating a 10-day training course in food processing for PAU teachers, entrepreneurs and farmers organised by a Netherlands expert under the auspices of Netherlands Management Cooperation Programme (NMCP) here today. He said that at present most of the processed food catered to the needs of urban people only and were within the purchasing power of the higher income groups.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr (Mrs) S.K. Mann, Dean, College of Home Science, emphasised that for consuming nutritious and perishable foods like milk, vegetables and fruits throughout the year, these must be processed and preserved, otherwise these would be available only seasonally.

Mr K.R. Jain, Indian representative of the Netherlands Management Cooperation Programme, said more such training courses could be organised in cooperation with the university to provide expertise to the university teachers and scientists in food processing.

Dr K.S. Sekhon, Dean, Postgraduate Studies, PAU, and Mr Ajay Bector, Director, Cremica Food Limited, also addressed the participants of the training programme.

Village without school
From Our Correspondent

MACHHIWARA, Feb 21 — The people of the nearby Marewal village, have been awaiting the government’s order to open their primary school since 1995. The delay in the process has put them to inconvenience. One of them, Mr Daljit Singh, president of Lok Bhalai Sabha, a social organisation,told Ludhiana Tribune that the village panchayat had received a grant of Rs 1 lakh to construct a school building by the end of 1994.

After constructing two rooms and a verandha, the gram panchayat approached the concerned to start a new primary school. They were told by the officials concerned that it was not easy to establish a primary school due to lengthy departmental proceedings. But to solve their problems, a branch of the primary school of any nearby villages would start working soon, the officials assured.

However, no one has opened any branch in their village. Their kids are forced to go to the nearby villages school to continue their study. With the passage of time, the building has also taken on forlorn look. The cattle are grazing in the premises nowadays.

Non-teaching staff stage dharna
From Our Correspondent

DORAHA, Feb 21 —The non-teaching staff of Guru Nanak National College, Doraha, today staged a dharna in front of the Principal’s office in protest against the Punjab Government’s failure to accept their pending demands. According to Mr Sohan Singh Hans, president of the Doraha unit, and Mr Sukhpal Singh Dharni, secretary, the protest is regarding the non-implementation of pension-cum-gratuity scheme and delay in the release of arrears and house rent allowance.

CULTURE

Cultural festival
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Feb 21 — A cultural festival will be celebrated in the memory of Justice Gurnam Singh, former Chief Minister of Punjab, at his native village, Narangwal, in Ludhiana district Sunday on March 4, 2001.

The function will be organised by Justice Gurnam Singh Memorial Foundation. Many popular Punjabi singers will participate in this mela.