South African team to visit PAU
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, January 9
A delegation from the Department of Agriculture, South Africa, under the leadership of Prof G.M. Nkondo, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the university of Venda for Science and Technology, will visit Punjab Agricultural University on January 11. The other members of the delegation will be Mr M. Kgowedi, ASD, Agriculture Education and Training; Mr L. Nagada, Director, Education and Research, Eastern Cape Province; Mr M.H. Ramaboa, Principal Agricultural College, Northern Province; Dr F. Njobe, Consultant Kagiso Trust; and Dr Jumbeam, Head, Science Department, University of Transkke.

Apart from holding discussions with the Vice-Chancellor, Dr K.S. Aulakh, and other senior officers of the university to explore the possibilities of mutual collaboration, the delegation will also visit the Department of Plant Breeding, Soils, Genetics and Biotechnology, Farm Power and Machinery and hold discussions with scientists to have an insight in the working of teaching, research and extension programmes of the university. The delegation will also visit the Museum of Social History of Punjab and Water Resource Museum.

EDUCATION

Interaction programme for principals
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, January 9
A mass interaction and training programme for the principals of schools affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) was organised at the USPC Jain Senior Secondary School, Jamalpur, here yesterday.

Mr Ashok Ganguly, Chairman, CBSE, expressed his views on “total quality management”. He threw light on the important principals of teaching to be adopted and put forward for the new proposals of the CBSE to conduct all-India engineering, architecture and pharmacy examinations in 2002 and introducing a new curriculum and a new set of books for various classes from April, 2002.

Mr Puran Chand, Joint Commissioner, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, delivered a lecture on “professional developments’ and Mr M.C. Mathur, Additional Director of Education, spoke on “administrative developments”. Ms G.K. Itten, principal of the host school, was also present on the occasion.

Merger of PAU departments on the cards
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 9
The Academic Council of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), which meets tomorrow, is likely to approve the merger of six departments of the College of Basic Sciences and Humanities into three. “The move has been necessitated due to financial and research work needs,” sources said.

About the agenda of tomorrow’s meeting, sources said the main issue to be discussed was the merger of the departments as recommended by the Peer Review Committee on academic changes.

The approval would mean the merger of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics with the Department of Physics, the Department of Bio-Chemistry with the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Fisheries with the Department of Zoology. All these departments come under the College of Basic Sciences and Humanities.

The Board of Studies of the college has already approved the proposal.

Students rehearse R-day parade
Our Correspondent

NCC students from different colleges rehearse for the R-day parade at the Master Tara Singh College for Women, Ludhiana, on Thursday. —IV

Ludhiana, January 9
With the NCC students rehearsing for the Republic Day parade, preparations seem to be on for the district-level function.

Students from various colleges are seen rehearsing for the parade at Master Tara Singh College. While 10 students are from the host college, the others include those from Ramgarhia Girls College, Sanatan Dharam Pracharak College and Khalsa College for Women.