EDUCATION

Schoolteachers meet Education Secretary
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 29
A delegation of the Ph D and M.Phil School Teachers Association, Punjab, met the Education Secretary, Punjab, Mr R.S. Sandhu, on Friday and demanded special increment for the school teachers having Ph D and M.Phil degrees on the pattern of college teachers.

Ms Kanwaljit Kaur Ball, president of the association, urged the Education Secretary to provide at least five increments to the Ph D and three to the M.Phil school teachers on the pattern of college teachers. Dr Jagvir Singh Ramanpura suggested reservation of 10 per cent seats in the schools for the Ph D and M.Phil candidates. The delegation also demanded relaxation in experience for these candidates at the time of recruitment.

Mr Sandhu reportedly listened to the demands of the delegation and said they could be appointed as experts for the In Service Training Centre and DIET. The standard of training institutes would improve considerably with their appointment in these institutes, he said. Dr Ball suggested the appointment of such teachers as school inspectors in their respective districts. The delegation also urged to appoint them as subject experts at the time of recruitment.

Mr Sandhu reportedly assured the delegation of an early decision on its demands. Next meeting of the association would be held on August 5 at 10.30 a.m. at the Government Senior Secondary School for Boys, Jawahar Nagar, Ludhiana.

Tripti wins inter-school Vedic lecture contest
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, July 29
Tripti Arora of Sargodha National Public School won top honours in the inter-school Vedic lecture contest organised by the District Arya Sabha, Ludhiana, at Arya Samaj, Dal Bazaar, here today.

She spoke on ‘Dharamyodha Guru Gobind Singh’.

Simmi of BCM High School, Focal Point, bagged the second prize with her excellent oration on the life of revolutionary Ram Parsad Bismil, while Vikas Goyal of Shanti Niketan Adarsh Vidyalaya got the third prize for his lecture on ‘Om, the best name of God’.

Those who were given appreciation awards were Laveena Arora (R.S. Model Senior Secondary School); Kamini Arora (Rashtriya Bal Vidya Mandir); Sonia Kapoor (S.D. Girls Senior Secondary School); Pooja Gupta (Ramgarhia Girls Senior Secondary School); Prabhdeep Kaur (Baba Isher Singh School); Preeti Tandon (SKN Model School); and Deepak Jain (St. Joseph High School).

Mr Ranvir Bhatia, vice-president, Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, Punjab, and Mrs Shubh Lata Bhandari, mantri of the District Arya Sabha, gave away prizes. Students from 16 schools of the city participated in the contest.

Earlier, a ‘yagya’ was performed by the Ved Parchar Mandal under the supervision of Pandit Surinder Kumar Shastri.

Swami Sadanand, in his presidential address, said it was Maharishi Dayanand who started a literacy campaign for women and ensured that they were allowed to read the Vedas.

Mr Roshan Lal Arya, president, Arya Sabha, Ludhiana, said it was unfortunate that ultrasound scan was being misused for female foeticide. He called for a total ban on this practice. He also demanded the second-language status for Hindi in Punjab and arrangements for teaching Sanskrit in the state’s schools. He reiterated Arya Sabha’s commitment to making the young generation aware of India’s rich heritage and culture.

Vanamahotsava observed
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 29
The Department of Extension Education, Punjab Agricultural University, observed vanamahotsava at Government Model High School, Ramgarh, under its youth programme, here yesterday.

Dr G.S. Saini, Professor of Extension Education and Coordinator, Youth Programme, in his inaugural address exhorted the school children to keep their surroundings and environment clean.

He said the clean environment not only helped in minimising the incidence of various diseases but also made the surroundings attractive and beautiful. He said the student community should actively be involved in controlling environmental pollution by planting maximum trees.

Dr Ajit Singh shared his views on the importance of forests, methods of plantation, and types of plants to be grown. Dr Anjana Kalra explained about the home science discipline. She said the girls should take training in home science to become self employed.

Students presented a cultural programme on the occasion. They also planted a number of saplings in the open grounds of the school, Ms Malkiat Kaur, Headmistress of the school, paid a vote of thanks to the participants. 

CULTURE

Fashion show organised
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, July 29
To celebrate the onset of the Monsoon, members of Lakshmi Ladies Club organised a ‘Zabardast Fashion Show’ on the club premises here on Saturday. The husbands of the members were the special guests at the occasion. The night was organised for them where they were pampered by their wives.

The programme started with the lighting of the traditional lamp by the Deputy Commissioner’s wife, Ms Bubbly Sandhu. Models from Delhi walked on the ramp in various sequences. There was a ‘suit’ round, a lehanga-choli round, casual round and swim suit round in which the beautiful faces provided a feast to the eyes.

The ‘evening gowns’ round’ with funky cuts and dazzling accessories was the main attraction in the show. The exquisitely beautiful combination of colours and designs gave the models a classic look. President of the club, Ms Abhilash Oswal, presented the vote of thanks on behalf of the club members. 

Sheetal Nayyar is ‘Teej Queen’
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, July 29
To mark the festival of Teej, members of Geetanjli Ladies Club organised a ‘Teej Queen’ contest at the club premises here last evening. Sheetal Nayyar was selected the ‘Teej Queen’ while Pammi Sidhu was declared the ‘nightingale’ of the club.

The programme started with the dance performance by Ambica on a Hindi film number. Ten contestants took part in the contest. The participants Shailja Saggar, Dr Monika Malhotra, Shalu Dabar, Pammi Sidhu, Bindiya, Jasleen Takkar, and Shalini Gupta walked on the ramp very confidently. All participants wore jewellery made of colourful fresh flowers. The two judges for the contest were Ms Apoorva and Ms Dutt. Ms Roshan Gupta, president of the club, presented the vote of thanks.