The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

EDUCATION

Confusion over elementary school proposal
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 31
Demanding more clarity into the various aspects of the proposed elementary schools, the Government Primary Teachers’ Association, Punjab, has expressed uncertainty over the smooth functioning of these schools.

Stating this in a press note, Mr Piara Singh Dhillon, president of the association, said that there was much confusion among the primary teachers over the working in the elementary schools. He said the teachers wanted to know why the restructuring of schools was required for availing a grant from the Centre.

He said they were not clear regarding the time period necessary for the formation of elementary directorate.

Mr Dhillon said if the primary and middle classes were merged as elementary schools, the high schools would be left with just two classes and senior secondary schools would get four classes. He said the teachers wanted to know how a school would function with just two classes.

Besides, the members of the association said a plus two qualified staff with Elementary Teachers’ Training would not be able to teach maths and science to students of Class VIII. They said such teachers would be able to handle only Class I and II students and the rest of the classes would have to be assigned to teachers with BA, B.Ed qualification.

Under such circumstances, JBT and ETT qualified staff would get very few seats, they said. They pointed out that this also goes against the statement of the Education Secretary and Education Minister that elementary schools would have only ETT qualified staff.

The members also sought a clarification regarding various contradictions in the new structure of the schools.

City lacks coaching centres

Ludhiana, August 31
Lack of coaching centres for civil services examinations and Service Selection Board interviews in the city is compelling hundreds of aspiring candidates to move out of the city for fulfilment of their ambition.

While there are scores of centres for the preparation of medical, engineering and management entrance examinations within the city, there are hardly any coaching centres for IAS, IPS and allied services examination and for interviews of defence services. After completing graduation, several youngsters plan to prepare themselves for these examination while simultaneously applying for postgraduate courses. Besides, several others who have completed professional courses have a desire to go in for these examination while they apply for jobs or start practising on their own in the city. But their dream remains unfulfilled for the want of a coaching centre in their own city.

While majority of such students are forced to drop the idea of applying for the civil service examinations, the rest who are highly motivated leave their job or higher education and move to Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Patiala or Delhi in pursuit of their aim. Besides paying for the coaching fee, the students have to shell out money for lodging, food and commuting.

Mandeep , who wanted to appear in her civil service exams, had to go to Chandigarh and then to Patiala for the preparations. ‘‘It was difficult to come out of the home and adjust at a new place while uncertainty of getting through in examination loomed in my mind. Besides, expenditure on availing paying guest facility and travelling was quite high. What hurt me the most was the wastage of precious time because of travelling to the place,’’ she said.

Shikha, another candidate preparing for Service Selection Board interview for Army, said that she had to daily commute to Jalandhar by bus for over a month. ‘‘Time, money and energy went waste while travelling and by the time I reached back, I used to feel so tired that I could hardly spend any time on self-study. I could have prepared in a better way had the city got any facility of a coaching centre for the purpose. Besides, the bus services are so poor and conditions in them are deplorable,’’ she added.

Even parents of such candidates feel the need to have coaching centres. They said that it was an increasing burden on them and on their wards to send them out of the city for preparation of examination. Ms Parveen Dhaliwal, a parent, said that it was a very difficult situation to send her daughter for three-month coaching of the civil service examinations in Chandigarh. At the time when she was preparing for her test and working hard on it, there was no one to take care of her diet and other daily needs. Since I am working, I could not accompany her to Chandigarh. I tried to get several books for her so that she could do self-study at home, but later we felt that there was a need to join a coaching centre for it helped in proper orientation, adopting specific learning methodologies, answering her daily problem besides imparting in her the much needed spirit of competitiveness from her batch mates.

Owners of several coaching centres, while talking to Ludhiana Tribune, said that opening a coaching centre for such examination in the city was not much profitable. Mr Rajinder Grewal, an owner of a coaching centre at Civil Lines, said, ‘‘In this city of businessmen with very few motivated candidates, running a coaching centre for civil service examinations and defence services interviews would be a non-viable occupation.’’ — S.S.

Principal seeks assistance from traffic police
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 31
Mr Kuldeep Singh, Principal, Gujaranwala Guru Nanak Khalsa College, has urged the SSP, Mr H.S. Sidhu, to take action against those students of his college who park their vehicles on the Major Sham Singh Road and create problems for residents of the area.

The residents have complained to the Principal, area councillor and the administration that the haphazard parking by students makes it difficult for then to move on the road. Moreover, these students urged obscene and abusive language which is difficult to tolerate. The women and girls feel scared to use that road because of these boys.

A visit to that road at around 10 a.m. reveals that it is virtually converted into a parking area. The boys, who had parked their vehicles on the road, said, “We have to park our vehicles here due to lack of parking space on the college premises.”

Mr Kuldeep Singh, however, said, “There is adequate parking space in the college, but these students park their vehicles outside to save monthly parking charges and to avoid restrictions on their movement during college hours.” He admitted that the residents had complained to him, but he could not persuade the students to park their vehicles on the college premises. He has now asked the traffic police and the SSP, Ludhiana, to send some traffic cops to toe away the vehicles of these erring students.

COURTS

FROM COURTS
SHO acquitted in corruption case
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 31
Gurpreet Singh, SHO of Division No 4, has been acquitted in a corruption case, for want of evidence by the special Judge, Mr G.R. Banyal. He was facing the charge of taking a bribe of Rs 5,000 from Mr Sukhjit Singh of Bhai Randir Singh Nagar on February 9, 2000, when he was posted as the SHO of the Sadar police station, Ludhiana.

According to the prosecution, the Vigilance Bureau had raided the Sadar police station along with the DSP, Raikot, Mr Shamsher Singh, and had recovered the money from the pocket of Gurpreet Singh. Thereafter, he was booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act. He remained in judicial custody for a number of days. Later he was granted bail.

Earlier, the complainant had reported to the Vigilance Bureau that one Darshan Kumar had lodged a false report against him at the Mirado police post falling under the jurisdiction of the Sadar police station, Ludhiana. Upon which he was called at the police station by the then SHO, Sadar, Gurpreet Singh. He was told that a report had been lodged against him alleging assault and the report was supported by a medico-legal report.

The SHO threatened that he would be put behind the bars unless he payed Rs 10,000 to him. He insisted that Rs 5,000 must reach him by the evening, alleged the complainant before the Vigilance Bureau.

It was further alleged by the complainant that he had narrated the whole incident to his friend, Mr Balwinder Singh, who suggested him to report the matter to the Vigilance Bureau and subsequently a complaint was lodged.

But during the trial, complainant retracted from his earlier statement given to the vigilance authorities. Finding no evidence against the accused, he was acquitted.

CONVICTION: The Additional Sessions Judge, Mr G.R. Banyal has convicted Saini Singh of Ropar and sentenced him to undergo imprisonment for three years on the charges of illegally possessing one pistol of .12 bore along with two live cartridges.

Santokh Singh of Ropar has also been sentenced to one year imprisonment for illegally possessing a spring actuated knife. Both the accused were nabbed by CIA staff, Ludhiana, in 1999.