The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

Anomaly in Class XI admissions
Monica Sharma

Fears reserved

For the first time, perhaps, the Education Department is holding interviews for the reserved category before the general category.
The decision is likely to create confusion as the students belonging to the reserved category, even ones higher on the merit, will apply for admission in the same.
Merit in the reserved category is likely to be higher as a result of this decision.

Chandigarh, June 28
In a clear departure from the standard procedure adopted for admissions to Class XI in Government Senior Secondary schools in the city, the UT Education Department is holding interviews for the reserved category a day before interviewing the general category candidates. The decision is likely to cause “confusion and chaos” among the students.

Till now, candidates belonging to the general category were being interviewed first, followed by reserved category candidates. According to a senior official in the Education Department, “This way the students belonging to the reserved category but higher on the merit, used to get admission in the general category. In the process, seats were saved in the reserved category for the students belonging to the category but lower on merit”.

Giving example, he added, “If a student belonging to the reserved category, having a score of 90 per cent in the Class X examination, applies for admission in Class XI, he will get it in the general category, saving a seat in the reserved category for a student with less marks. But now, as the interviews for the reserved category are being held a day before the general category, all the students, even the ones having good score, will apply for admissions”.

He added: “As now even the brilliant students will also be applying for admission in the reserved category, only students with good academic record will be able to make it. Not-so-brilliant students, belonging to the reserved class, would suffer in the process as they will neither be able to get admission in the reserved category, nor the general category”.

Agreeing with him, a principal of a government model senior secondary school said: “Perhaps, the students with very high percentage will not apply for admission in the reserved category as they would surely get admission in the general category. However, students with, say 65 per cent, would be the worst sufferers. They wouldn’t know when to apply for interviews in which category”.

As per information available in the prospectus issued by the Chandigarh Administration, “All candidates seeking admissions under any reservation that is SC, sports, physically handicapped, defence, paramilitary personnel and freedom fighter’s children and grandchildren will appear for the interview on July 3”. However, students with marks ranging from 87 per cent and above to 80 per cent and above have been asked to appear for interviews on July 4.

Justifying the decision to hold the interviews for the reserved candidates before the students belonging to the general category, a senior official in the Education Department submits, “Seats will be saved in the general category in the process”.

Refuting the allegations regarding confusion being created in the process, the officer said: “No, there will be no confusion. From my personal experience I can say that candidates with high score, belonging to the reserved category, always apply for admission in the general category”.

GC-11 may open doors to fairer sex
Parbina Rashid

Chandigarh, June 28
Students of Government College, Sector 11, can look forward to a brighter horizon as the college authorities have decided to open its doors to the fairer sex. Taking cue from DAV college, Sector 10, which has recently become a co-education college, Government Collge is also planning to follow suit. The college authorities have already sent a proposal to the office of the Home Secretary to introduce co-education system at the under graduate level and is waiting for the final nod.

“It has been a month since we sent the proposal to the authority concerned regarding the conversion to the college into a co-ed one,” said Dr S.N. Singla, Principal of the college , who is now waiting for a reply before starting to make the initial moves. The college already has co-education system at the post graduate level.

Meanwhile, the teaching faculty and the staff are more than ready to welcome the change. “The move is highly applaudable and comes at the right time, looking at the downward slide of merit of the students,” said one of the teachers on the condition of anonymity. “The fairer sex is expected to bring healthy competition and thus will raise the standard of results of the college,” he added.

“Now- a- days, it is an established fact that girls are doing much better than boys in general resulting in a shortage of seats for them and hence converting this all-men college into a co-ed one, would cater to the ever increasing population of girl students seeking admission in colleges,” said another teacher.

Interestingly, the girls colleges of the city are recording very high percentage in the admission process and these colleges are turning down a lot many deserving girls and forcing them to seek admission private institutions. “Those private colleges are charging a very high fee and so if one college opens its doors to female students, it would come as a respite for those who can not afford such astronomical fees,” said a teacher.

It is not only the prospect of healthy competition that brightens up the hopes of the staff, but the psychological aspect of the two genders growing up side by side is another factor that has gained support from all. “Now in the modern society it is important for both boys and girls to grow up together to instill respect and healthy attitude towards each other,” said a teacher.

The college, which was established in 1953, had been started as a co-education college before two colleges, one for girls (Government College for Girls) and one for men were carved out from the original one which was housed in Government High School in Sector 23 in those days. This partition came in 1966 and the two colleges were shifted to their present sites.

An attempt to introduce co-education system was made by Prof K. Atmaram in the year 1979 for the B. Com classes which continued for a few years and proved to be a big success. “Quite a few girls had joined the B.Com classes during that period and a girl topped the stream in the very first batch,” said Prof Atmaram who is wholeheartedly supporting the latest move of the college.

The system was discontinued during the tenure of Dr R.K. Behl, who was the principal of the college from 1989 to 1992. Though the college does not have a recorded history as to why the co-education system was abolished, general speculation was that the responsibility of handling boys and girls proved too much for the college authorities.

The college, which is waiting for the final approval, is mentally prepared now to take up the responsibility with renewed vigor. “We just hope that the approval comes before the admission for the new classes begin. That way we would not lose one more year,” said the teachers.

Ms Varsha Joshi, Director, Public Instructions (Colleges), said the matter was under consideration. Reluctant to give any further information on the issue, Ms Joshi said this was a serious matter and a lot of things had be taken into consideration before making any comment.

PU to institute 17 new scholarships
Sanjeev Singh Bariana
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 28
With a view to instituting scholarships for promoting quality research, Panjab University has decided to institute at least 17 new scholarships from the forthcoming academic session.

Of the total, as many as 10 scholarships will be handled by PU independently, while seven scholarships will be managed out of the funds given to the university as a potential centre for excellence. Details of the subjects will be decided by the university later. However, a number of these scholarships will be applicable to the field of Bio-medical research and allied fields.

Prof K.N. Pathak, Vice-Chancellor, said that the scholarships will commence from August onwards. The university will pay a scholarship amount of Rs 2,500. However, the amount is likely to be enhanced later this year keeping in mind the ‘real life requirements’.

The scholarship will be of particular interest to research scholars who are not getting the benefits of the NET examination where scholarships amounts are paid by the University Grants Commission.

It is pertinent to mention that the university has decided that Ph.D admissions will be based on a special entrance examination from this session onwards. The candidates who have qualified the NET examination are not required to appear in the examination. The university has commenced the examination to give “more credibility to the research activity”.

The university is full of cases of research activists where the results of research were far below average. Borrowings from two or more earlier works were reproduced in a new form for a degree. It is generally accepted that the general level of path-breaking findings expected in research in new areas was ‘far below expectations’.

The university is, however, yet to issue a clarification on the status of in-service teachers who have not cleared the NET but were keen to follow the Ph.D research.

The university Research Scholars Forum in a representation to the Vice-Chancellor had sought a “university research scholarship scheme to provide scholarships to research scholars on the campus as most of the universities of the region were doing’.

Research scholars have also sought that the thesis and dissertation evaluation by external as well as internal examiners should be made time-bound within a fixed period of three months and a special letter in this regard should be sent along with the thesis and dissertation to the examiner. They have sought the facility of an ‘e-mail’ account as available for the teachers.

The university has also witnessed a steep hike in the fee for Ph.D and M Phil thesis submission. Quarterly submission of progress reports of research scholars has been sought. Research scholars need to be provided with inter-disciplinary and inter-departmental facilities for research.

A senior research scholar said the university has several scholarships for other fields even at the lower level which went unclaimed each year because the amount involved as stipend for students was so paltry that there were hardly any applicants.

The University authorities acknowledge the fact and are looking for a way out. The university is hands-tied in case of several scholarships which have been instituted by people who cannot be contacted now and ‘legally’ the university cannot independently dissolve or combine two scholarships.

PU results
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 28
Panjab University today declared results of a number of engineering courses besides other classes, according to an official press note. The courses for which results were declared include: Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical (IV and V semesters), Computer Science Engineering (I, III and V semesters), Mechanical (VII semester) and E and Ec (I semester); MA I (Gandhian and Peace Studies) and MA II (French).

The university has also declared results of certificate and diploma course in Russian; certificate, diploma and advanced diploma course in German; and advanced diploma in French. The result of MA I (Economics) will be declared tomorrow. Copies of the result gazette will be available at the enquiry counter on all working days.

DISTRICT COURTS
Bail granted

Chandigarh, June 28
An accused, Juggal Kishore, allegedly involved in a fake ration card case was granted bail by a local court. He was granted bail on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 25, 000 with one surety. It was alleged that the accused, along with others, was involved in makinh of forged ration cards.

Remanded

The Punjab Police Constable arrested by the UT Police in a case of assault was today remanded to judicial custody by a local court. The accused, a resident of Khuda Ali Sher, was booked by the UT Police on October 23, 2001, under Sections 324 and 326 of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly assaulting the complainant, Mr Balbir Singh.

Meanwhile, in another case an accused, Mukhiya, arrested by the UT Police for allegedly sodomising a minor boy was remanded in judicial custody today by a local court. The accused was arrested by the city police on June 27 for allegedly sodomising his 11 year-old servant in Sector-42.

Fine display of talent by kids
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 28
After a long time, one witnessed a fairly professional conclusion to a summer workshop. As over 40 children who participated in the month-long workshop conducted by the Jaspal Bhatti Academy, exhibited their talent on the stage of Kalagram, one could not help wondering what wonders a disciplined training could make at times.

The workshop of dance, theatre, acting, art and craft today culminated in a series of presentations which encompassed all that is good and bad in the society. From presentations that catered to the lighter instincts to the ones that tickled social sensibility, the show had everything. The most striking part of the evening was unlimited confidence of children, who, with their sound performance, could easily have taken on the best of actors in town.

In both the plays that portrayed the stinking attitude of society towards pain and dejection of the weaker lot, the kids beautifully brought home the themes. So whether it was Jatinder Singh Brar’s Punjabi translation of the renowned Krishna Chandra play “Toya” or a medley of Sardar Gursharan Singh’s “Aurat” and G.S. Chani’s “Main jala di jaungi”, little actors fitted the roles perfectly. They justified the significance of the themes they were reflecting.

“Toya” was a perfect satire on the society which has the tendency of looking through people’s misery. This play reflected the social indifference, which is widening with every passing day.

“Aurat”, the second play presentation of the evening virtually questioned the society’s demeaning attitude towards women.

Apart from these sensitive themes, there were about three full-fledged dance and music sequences like “Chidian” and “Chanda Mama” to keep the mood of the evening light.

Apart from performing arts, the kids also put together an exhibition of art and craft products which they created during the workshop.

The show was structured jointly by Sumit Sood, who provided the overall guidance and also anchored today’s concluding programme, Gulshan Sharma, who was the dance director and Sonia, who was the art director.