EDUCATION

SCHOOL BUZZ
Record number of entries for Manav Sthali tourney
Smrti Kak

Manav Sthali Organisation is organising the 30th Smt. Chandravati Bhatnagar memorial Manav Sthali Open Table Tennis Tournament at the NDMC Talkatora Stadium from the 19th till the 24th of this month.

The highlight of the tournament is the record number of entries received. There are about 1200 entries received for the tennis tournament, which is a record in its own right.

This year also marks another first. A new category, ‘Blossoms’, for children below four years of age, has been introduced. The other categories include ‘Midgets’, ‘Tiny-Tots’ (girls and boys), Kids (girls and boys), ‘Cadet’ (girls and boys), ‘Sub Junior’, ‘Boys Singles’ and ‘girls Singles’.

The tournament was inaugurated by lighting of the traditional lamp by the founder of Manav Sthali, Dr V. K. Bhatnagar. The finals and prize distribution ceremony will be held on the 24th in the evening. Lt-Governor of Delhi, Mr Vijai Kapoor, has consented to preside over the function.

Speaking at the inauguration Dr Bhatnagar said that a school’s early attention and the ability to inculcate in a child affinity towards sports can be the only way to meet the long felt need of our country to produce champions of International standards.

Annual exhibition

An annual exhibition was held in the Bal Bhavan Public Schools. The two-day exhibition had on display models created and designed by students during their summer vacations.

The exhibition was divided into two categories, the primary and the senior wing. The primary sections had put in efforts to depict the cultural richness of various states in the country. Students from classes VI to XII gave display of their mettle through the models based on scientific principles.

A model, based on Industrial Effluent Treatment Plant, prepared by Deepak Aggarwal, Nikhil Goyal, Ankit Sharma, Kartik Grover and Pravesh Garg, was appreciated as one of the best.

Another model based on the Delhi Metro Rail done by Afaque Ahmed, Ayush and Karan Bagga was also lauded as one of the better models. A model on the Okhla Sewage Plant made by Vividh, Sankalp, Neeraj, Vishwas, Alisha and Rakesh also went on to prove the versatility of the students.Apart from the Science-based models, there are models based on chapters in the English subject. These projects, which were displayed using multi-media tools, were commendable.

Building inaugurated

The inauguration of the school building of DPS Dwarka took place on the 12th of this month.

A presentation of tableaus depicting the diversity and richness of the Indian culture was the highlight of the programme. Mr Arun Jaitly was the chief guest while the president of the DPS society, Mr Salman Khurshid, presided over the function. The guest of honour was Mr Narendra Kumar, Chairman, DPSS.

Principal, Ms Aruna Ummat apprised the gathering about the various facilities that the school offers.

The school will have four junior and senior science labs, two computer labs and two well-stocked libraries. A reverse osmosis treatment water plant will ensure the availability of clean water and the school has a 100 per cent power back-up.

Session for the parents

The special centre of Sadhu Vaswani International School for Girls organised an interactive session for the parents of the special students earlier this month. Principal, Mrs Rastogi in her welcome address emphasised on the need for these sessions. She stressed that such meetings are necessary to ensure the success of the students.

Special educator Ms Geeta Narayana stated the objective of the programme and informed the parents about the IEP (Interactive Educational Programme). The parents were given a chance to not just interact with the faculty members, but also express their views and concerns.

PRINCIPALSPEAK
Self-justification: An act of whitewashing our flaws!

Often, we go through our life wearing dark glasses, which magnify the errors of others but blind us to our own and provide a cover-up for our shortcomings. These glasses carry the brand name ‘self-justification’. I came across the following words by an anonymous writer, which capture the tendency of self-justification found in each one of us if we are not careful.

When the other fellow acts that way, he’s ugly

When you do it, it’s nerves.

When he’s set in his ways, he’s obstinate

When you are, it’s just firmness.

When he doesn’t like your friends, he’s prejudiced

When you don’t like his, you are simply showing good judgement of human nature.

When he tries to be accommodating, he’s polishing the apple

When you do it, you’re using tact.

When he takes time to do things, he is dead slow

When you take ages, you are deliberate.

When he picks flaws, he’s cranky

When you do, you’re discriminating.

Are you really discriminating? Do others also perceive your actions and behaviour in the same way as you do? An honest answer lies within you. When you justify yourself you are only trying to gloss over your flaws and inadequacies and befooling yourself. It is easy to condemn others, but difficult to live up to the paradigms by which you measure others. Blinded by a sense of self-worth, you refuse to recognise this fact. You are intolerant of others and thus judgmental.

Wisdom, however, lies in using the same scale to measure and see another’s actions as we would see our own. Remember others are assessing you too. “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and the measure you use, it will be measured to you “(Matt. 7.2 NIV).

Another tag that comes along with self-justification is ‘shirking responsibility’.

As a child, when I did something wrong, I tried to blame it on someone else. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. Today it’s still hard for me to take responsibility for my mistakes. However, experience teaches us that each person is held accountable in the book of life for what he does. We can make excuses or put the blame on others but the pinpricks of conscience will trouble us. Take this example you are quick to condemn a fellow student who is caught cheating. But on another day you find that you yourself are not adequately prepared for an exam.

Your resort to using unfair means, to do your paper well and justify your action saying that it’s only this once, for after all you cannot disappoint your parents. And then you go on to put the blame on others for your lack of preparedness by saying that the party you had to attend went on far too late into the night or some one had stolen your notes or whatever-in short you are not at fault. You would hate to use the word ‘cheating’ for your act. Is it anything else?

Justifying a wrong act or a weakness will not whitewash the flaw it covers. Your real strength lies in admitting your own mistake and laughing at yourself. Remember that when you point a finger at others, the other four are pointing towards you.

Madhu Chandra, Principal, Birla Vidya Niketan

Gabriel is here to make tongue-tied kids articulate
Smriti Kak

What remains to be seen is how effectively and innovatively Julia works her magic on the Indian children.

No respite for freshers, they keep getting the ‘jhatkas’
Biswajiban Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 21
Students out to enjoy their first whiff of freedom from school will have to do without respite for some time. Ragging, albeit not the hardcore type, continues despite the penalty being expulsion, suspension or fine with a public apology. It may also take the shape of withholding scholarship and other benefits.

Colleges in the Capital have also asked their security guards to keep extra vigil due to the Supreme Court order last year that if an institution fails to curb the ragging menace, the University Grant Commission or the funding agencies may consider stoppage of financial assistance to that particular college.

The Principal of Kamala Nehru College said, “We have deployed additional security guards and also posted some anti-ragging squads to discourage ragging. The guards have been asked to move outside the college, on the campus and keep a special watch on the canteen.”

Seniors, predictably, don’t like this snooping tantamount to interference. A second year college student said, “I was ragged last year. We too want to have fun. It is harmless. It is our way of making friends.” Many did manage to pull a fast one on the security guards.

Similar was the feeling in Lady Shri Ram College for Women. “It is fun to rag Science students, said an Arts student, standing ‘tall’ in front of some juniors.

At Sri Venkateswara College, Dhaula Kuan, students were not allowed to stand near the gates when the juniors were walking in. “ The juniors think they are smart. They enter in groups to escape ragging. But that does not matter. We rag all of them together”, said a student.

The presence of security guards and volunteers made no difference. Ranu Ghosh, a student of Gargi College, who had been ragged, said, “ I was scared initially but only for a moment. When I realised I was being ragged, I became confident. The seniors wanted me to buy Pepsi and ice cream for them. That was not difficult. We became friends later.”

At Delhi University strict vigil is being maintained, especially between 12 noon and 6 pm. Students are told to leave the college premises before junior students enter.

Admitted the Principal of PGDAV College, “The guards are not allowing students to stand outside the gate. But normal ragging is taking place on the campus.”

The Supreme Court last year, in an order on a writ petition filed by the Vishwa Jagriti Mission to prevent ragging in educational institutions, had said that if an institution failed to curb ragging the University Grants Commission or the funding agency may consider stoppage of financial assistance. The institution should constitute a committee consisting of senior faculty members and hostel authorities and a few senior students to keep a constant watch to prevent ragging.

At PGDAV College:

A group of boys see a girl student walking into college. They decide to rag her. The boldest one from the group approaches her.

Boy: “Buy me a Pepsi?”

Girl: “What Pepsi…for what?”

Boy: “You are being ragged. Now be a sport and buy me one.”

Girl: “Okay”

Boy: “Then, scoot!

At Kamala Nehru College:

Better get your song ready. And also you have to shake a leg. For a song and dance act is on show here. And that might gave you a jhatka.

DAV felicitates Sahib Singh Verma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 21
The Union Labour Minister, Mr Sahib Singh Verma, was felicitated by the DAV College Managing Committee here on Saturday for his association and contribution towards this movement. He was also given a citation.

The DAV has been involved, through men and material, in the reconstruction and rehabilitation in Gujarat, particularly the villages in the rural and urban areas.

Padma shree Gyan Prakash Chopra spoke about the educational and other social activities of the DAV Managing Committee towards promotion of education and environment in India and abroad.

Children from various educational institutions of DAV presented a cultural show. The function was attended by principals, teachers and students of DAV schools with other associates of DAV.