EDUCATION

Students, teachers seek grace marks
Our Correspondent

Doraha, April 24
The descriptive type questions asked in the office management and secretarial practice paper of BA (part III), as against the prescribed instructions, thus leading to the shortage of time, has lead the students and teachers of the subject to demand grace marks from Punjab University, in this regard.

Prof Deepak Kumar, Guru Nanak National College, Doraha and Prof Harwinder Kaur, Master Tara Singh College for Women said, ‘‘The question paper relating to BA (part III) office practices-II held on April 20,2001, was a lengthy one and could not be solved by the students within one hour’s allotted time. In the evaluation scheme, it has clearly been mentioned that the questions should be short and objective type covering at least one question from each unit and candidates will have to attempt five out of nine questions.

Since the questions are supposed to be objective and short answer type, the time has rightly been allotted as one hour. But the questions set for B.A.(part III) are neither objective nor of short answer type, as for instance, question number 1 of Unit-I says- ‘Define Stationary and Supplies. What methods can be adopted for its purchase. Also state purchase- procedure’. Each question carries 12 marks. The paper, thus being purely descriptive, could not be solved within an hour.’’

It is also pointed out that in the supplementary examination of the paper taken in 2000, the time allotted was of three hours by which the students and the teachers remained under the impression that the timing had been increased to three hours instead of one hour and the students had been preparing accordingly. So the students had a double-stand to be granted grace marks.

|The students, on their own part, were very resentful, as due to the incompletion of the paper, their future was in lurch.‘‘ Moreover why should we suffer for the negligence shown by Punjab University while setting the question paper,’’ said office management students.

Five school trustees quit
Our Correspondent

Khanna, April 24
Five members of the local AS High School Trust and Management Society, which runs four educational institutes in the city, have resigned from the managing committee against the alleged unbearable conduct of the president of the trust.

In their resignation letter they alleged that a cheating case in the XIIth class examination, as reported by the DPI (S), Punjab, had brought a bad name to the AS Senior Secondary School. This was done to favour a student related to one of the office-bearers of the managing committee, they said.

They said that the resignation by the office-bearer and a probe into the case would have pave the way to bring the guilty to the book, but the president through his report and Press statement had tried to shield them. It became clear that the president was patronising the culprits, they said.

A committee was constituted by the management to inquire into the cheating scandal and it was to submit its report on April 21. They alleged that the president in a meeting on April 21 read out a report, but it was not signed by other members of the committee.

They said in the light of these facts the members, Mr Vijay Sharma, Ms J.S. Lotey, Mr Kamaljeet Singh, Mr Raj Kumar Sahnewalia and Mr Vijay Diamond had decided to resign from the managing committee.

HEALTH

IMA branch office-bearers
Our Correspondent

Fatehgarh Sahib, April 24
The following have been elected office-bearers of the local branch of the Indian Medical Association: patron — Dr G.L. Goyal; president — Dr N.S. Bawa (Bassi Pathana); general secretary — Dr Girish Bither (Sirhind); joint secretary — Dr Kuldip Kumar (Bassi Pathana); treasurer — Dr (Ms) Nisha Sood (Sirhind). 

ADMINISTRATION

Vikas Pratap takes over as new DC
Our Correspondent

Fatehgarh Sahib, April 24
Mr Vikas Pratap has taken charge as new Deputy Commissioner here. While addressing mediapersons after taking charge he said the media should play a constructive role and highlight public problems. He said mediapersons should work as a link between society and the administration. He cautioned the reporters to report only authentic news and they should also take the verson of affected person. He said journalism was a nobel profession and its sanctity should be maintained at every cost. He assured the mediapersons of full cooperation and transparent working.

Mr Bhushan Sood, state vice-president, Punjab Chandigarh Patarkar Parishad, and journalists Surjeet Sahi and Narinder Modi also addressed.