EDUCATION

Delhi’s primary schools lack hygiene, 
sanitation: Experts
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 28
Lack of health, hygiene and sanitation in primary schools in the Capital has reached alarming proportions and needs to be tackled on a war-footing, cautions a multi-disciplinary group of educationists, social scientists and communication experts.

This was stressed at a workshop on ‘Value-based learning-centred approach for promoting health, hygiene and sanitation in primary schools’ held recently in the Capital under the project, Parivartan. The project has been sponsored by Unicef with support from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and implemented by SAKSHI, an NGO.

Giving details of the workshop, the project coordinator, Dr D. Anand, today said the recommendations of the workshop included recognising students as “agents of change”. Where “hygiene cannot be taught, it needs to be learnt and can be better covered through co-curricular activities, including a newsletter by students,” he held.

The experts were unanimous in their opinion that in practice, not many schools and less so primary schools had been able to develop a practical, easy-to-use school health records system that would offer an approach for promoting health care of the children attending these schools.

“The primary schoolchildren, within the age group of five and eleven, are the most susceptible to contract any of the major communicable diseases prevalent in India. Early detection with prompt action for prevention may reduce the severity of the disease leading to reduction of risk to life,” Dr Anand said.

The importance of fostering value-based education towards health and sanitation could not be ignored as more than 50 per cent of the students attending primary schools belonged to slum and resettlement colonies in the national Capital, he added.

It was imperative that teachers, during their training programmes, were made familiar with the epidemiological scenario of communicable diseases in the areas where schools were located, he said.

He said the experience of ‘Project Parivartan’ had shown that primary schoolchildren would take the initiative to undertake community-based programmes for preventive care against seasonal communicable diseases like cholera, malaria, dengue and hepatitis.

Dr Anand pointed out that the multi-dimensional aspects of environmental health with limited participation of common people had impeded the progress on two counts — provision of safe drinking water supply and use of toilets. This had been identified as a crucial factor for change in the attitude and lifestyle of children covered by the Parivartan, he said..

He said India had the largest primary school system in the world and the number of primary schools established within walking distance covered about 90 per cent of the population in most states in the country. “This, in itself, requires review, planning and implementation of a health programme for primary schools to enhance the value and importance of primary education in India.”

SCHOOL BUZZ
Modernites raise welfare funds with elan and panache
Smriti Kak

Songstress Anamika had Modernites grooving to her peppy numbers as she performed in the Modern School grounds last week.

The carnival-cum-concert at Modern School, Barakhamba, had something for everyone. There was pulsating music for those who love to dance and let their hair down. There was tastebud-tickling fare for the foodies and games to entertain.

The goal of the event was to raise funds for a variety of student welfare facilities that the school is in the process of creating. These include renovation of the school’s old building, institution of a scholarship fund, expansion of sports facilities and the upgradation of the school’s science laboratories to a state-of-the-art level.

The event was sponsored by Morepen Laboratories and co-sponsored by the MTNL. While the students had a blast, the school authorities were content that they had killed two birds with one stone. Said the Principal, Mrs Lata Vaidyanathan, “We are happy to have created an event that combines a good cause with the young people’s favourite form of entertainment.” The Modernites are surely modern!

Newspaper for kids

The Minister of Transport, NCT of Delhi, Mr Ajay Maken, released Little Angels World, an English fortnightly, last week.

The newspaper is a combination of fun as well as information. It contains educative stories, jokes, cartoons, unknown facts, news, views and opinion.

The newspaper spokesperson, Mr Ashwin, said that there was need to cater to the children as there was no forum for them to voice their sentiments and highlight their reactions.

A ‘Kids Own Parliament’ has also been created, where schools will send their nominees to represent their views at periodical sessions.

Tour de force

Laughing Cow, a brand of French cheese, is organising an extempore speaking competition for the schools in Delhi. The competition is being organised for the students from class 4th to 7th in over 100 schools in the Capital.

The underlying objective for organising the competition is to build confidence and develop oratory skills among the students. The competition will test a host of factors like audience response, presentation skills, content and diction.

A variety of topical subjects are included in the competition, which will trigger off thought-provoking responses.

The winners from each school will represent their schools in the inter-school competition schedules for July. The winners from each class will get a school bag and insulated water bottle. Besides, there will be consolation prizes for the participants.

Earth day

The students of Bal Bhavan Public School, Mayur Vihar II, celebrated Earth Day recently.

The occasion was marked by a series of cultural programmes like poem recitation, speech, making, skits on environment and mono-acting. The event was flagged off by lighting the ceremonial traditional lamp by the chairman of the school, Mr G. C Lagan.

The chief guest, Dr L. M Saxena, gave the concluding speech while the Principal, Mr B. B Gupta, exhorted the students and the teachers to step forward and join hands to save the environment

Polio awareness

The students of Queen's Mary at the polio awareness campaign.

PRINCIPAL SPEAK
Mamma mia! Let me unburden myself

A child enters a whole new world when it steps in the school for the first time. It has a divine heart and an untraced intellect. It has no judgement of the right or wrong. I have tried to think for the child and advise to the parents and teachers about his/her tender feelings in an innovative way.

O. S Shekhawat, Vidya Niketan School, Faridabad.

COURTS

Life sentence for killing husband 

Faridabad, April 28
A woman, convicted for murdering her husband last year, was sentenced to life term by the Court of Additional Session Judge, Mr S. S. Lamba. Her brother-in-law and son, however, were acquitted due to the lack of evidence. According to the prosecution, the accused along with her son, Mahesh, had lodged a complaint with the police on September 26, 2001, that Jeetram (woman’s husband) was murdered by three persons. His body was found in a field.

The FIR named Darshan, Sudesh and Mamman as the main accused. The woman, identified as Chanderwati, “helped” the police to recover the pistol that was used to kill Jeetram. However, there was some dispute over the money deposited in a bank by the deceased. Later, in a dramatic twist, the woman changed her statement and told the Panchayat of Manpur village that Jeetram was mentally upset and had committed suicide by using the firearm. Subsequently, the suspicion was directed towards the woman, who admitted during interrogation that she killed her husband for the money and disposed of the body with help of her son and brother-in-law. TNS

16 judicial officers appointed in Capital
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 28
Sixteen new officers to the Delhi Judicial service have been appointed by the government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

According to a Delhi Government notification, the new appointees are: Vinod Yadav, Sandeep Yadav, Ajay Goel, Madhulika Dutt, Anil Kumar Sisodia, Anand Swaroop Aggarwal, Dig Vinay Singh, Amit Kumar, Vikas Dhull, Anuradha Shukla, Sidharth Sharma, Ashutosh Kumar, Mukesh Vatsa, Samita Arora, Ruby Alka Gupta and Sanjeev Kumar Malhotra.

All the 16 judicial officers have been posted as Civil Judges by the Delhi High Court. They have been asked to report to the District and Sessions Judge at Tis Hazari.

Those already in service have been directed to obtain necessary permission from their respective head of department and assume charge of the new assignment “without availing of any joining time”.

After their joining, the judicial officers will be given necessary training, an order issued by the Delhi High Court Registrar General Bharat Bhushan on Saturday said. 

Lok Adalat settles 6 cases
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 28
Six cases relating to the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) were settled at a Lok Adalat organised by the Delhi Legal Services Authority. Additional District Judge Sunil Gaur settled six cases out of 15 cases across the table and the remaining nine were adjourned. Cases placed before the Lok Adalat pertained to the complaints about electricity, health and property tax departments. These cases were pending in various courts for 10 to 15 years, a release said today.

Mass fast: Activists of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) today observed a mass fast to protest against the communal violence in Gujarat and to reiterate their demand to oust the Narendra Modi government in that state.

The protesters, who gathered at Shivaji Park on Minto Road on the 13th day of their campaign, accused the Modi government of stoking the communal fire. DPCC president Subash Chopra said the time had come to intensify the stir as the “belligerent” Chief Minister of Gujarat was in no mood to stop his “tyranny”.