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January 20, 2003, Chandigarh, India |
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HAMARA SCHOOL
ST. Joseph's High School came into being in 1981, under the chairmanship of Mr. R. S. Grewal. The school made a modest beginning with 14 teachers and a strength of 400 students.
Initially, it was housed in a residential building and had classes upto the VI standard. The school met with quick success and soon spread to six residential buildings in Sectors 8 and 9. The first batch of class X appeared for the ICSE in 1986 to which the school was affiliated earlier in 1984.The founders of the school had a vision to make St. Joseph's Sr. Sec. School a most sought after institution. The school today stands apart from others for its multiple approach to education. Teachers here feel that a child's academic education is incomplete if there is no character building and personality development. "Over the years," says Ms Simar Grewal, "we have laid utmost stress on imbibing in children moral and cultural values and a healthy respect for their parents, elders and teachers. Our dedicated trained and highly qualified staff, besides being a friend and guide to the students, put every effort in moulding them into persons of substance and inner strength. It is our belief that this inner strength and character prepares for the rigours and challenges of adulthood, equal emphasis is laid on the environment in which the child grows. All this has been possible due to the guiding spirit, perseverance, vision, steadfastness and a sense of purpose of school's founding chairman Mr. R. S. Grewal. Thrice the students of this school, topped the I.C.S.E. Board Examination in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula. Today, the school has its own building in sector 44 D, with over 1747 students and 80 staff members. Having 44 classrooms, the school complex is spread over five acres. It is equipped with excellent laboratories for computers and the science subjects. The school also has an internet and intranet connections. The library came up in July, 1982 with 40 books in stock. Today, the library boasts of 7117 books, 25 Video Cassettes and 20 Audio Cassettes. The school also has a proud record in co-curricular and sports activities. A cricket academy has been established in the school. This academy is imparting practical coaching to the budding cricketers of the city. Two huge halls in the basement are used exclusively for holding school functions, dramas, debates and inter house competitions. Presently, the school has gained affiliation to the CBSE and the first batch of class X is scheduled to appear for the CBSE in 2004. Class XI will be introduced in the school from April 2003 with the Humanities. Commerce and Science streams. Education through love and compassion rather than the rod is school's aim. It is for this reason that the school has excelled in all fields be it academics, sports and co-curricular activities. |
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‘Schools should introduce vocational training’
What are your views on present state of education?
The present state of education is not very encouraging. Presently there is more stress on academic education and is degree centric. It does not prepare us for the rigours of life. We need to know the true meaning of education. Intellectual education influences the head and values based education influences the heart. Education that does not train the heart can be dangerous. If we have to educate and build character in our students then we must achieve a minimum level of moral and ethical values. Honesty, compassion, courage & responsibility are the fundamental traits on which education must build character. A morally educated person will be better equipped to move up in life than a person who is educated but morally bankrupt and the best place to imbibe these values, is the school. What can be done to reform education? Education needs to be tailored to meet the ever changing job situation. Mere acquisition of a degree is no guarantee of getting a job. Schools should introduce vocational training so that a student who does not go to college can atleast work in the trade he is trained and earn his/her livelihood. Why is discipline important in a student's life? Discipline is the most important aspect of a child's personality, Nothing in life is achieved without discipline. Children brought up in a loving and disciplined environment end up respecting their parents and elders better than others, and become law abiding citizens. At times it is difficult to understand the benefits of moral values and discipline, but we need to practice discipline whatever may be our age. We achieve success in life when we don't succumb to what we want to do but do what we ought to do, that requires discipline. How important is religion in a student's life? Religion is and should be an integral part of education. Religion teaches tolerance, truthfulness, honesty and a sense of oneness. It teaches us to respect the life and liberty of other human beings. It also teaches us to look beyond ourselves and shun violence. It is a bonding factor in our lives.
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My school A school is an institution in which teachers and students live together. Only a few schools in Chandigarh have such a system. St. Joseph's Sr. Secondary school is one of them. The teachers here are helpful and cooperative. The students perform their best and even our Principal Mrs. Sethi is always enthusiastic to help the students. Our motto for God and Country is apt as we have achieved a lot so that we can serve our great nation and God. The school has all the latest facilities to educate the students in a modern way and to make them better citizens. I consider my school the best. This school has helped me to make my life more meaningful. Kabir Arora, Class IX B
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Flowers Oh! Lovely flower Oh! Lovely flower From where are you born, I want to know You smell so sweet I want to know. You're small in size But very beautiful to us From where are you born, I want to know Oh! Lovely flower Oh! Lovely flower. Chandni , Class VII DMy mother Mother is like a flower, She blooms Like a friend, who takes the problems, Like a wife she handles the house Like a mother she helps us in our work Mother is the main bond between children and the other family members, some are working but then also she handles all problems of the family, Our India is also known as motherland every one in the world has a mother some are orphan, but they have a special mother. Every time caring and that is God The stages of human life Children often wish to be grown ups and the latter wish to be young again. Each stage of human life has its own enjoyments and pains. Happiness lies in enjoying each stage without any regrets. If childhood enjoys all cares and pleasures, it has its own constraints as the child is not free to do anything he wishes. Similarly the life of a grown up is also hedged with many limitations. He cannot afford to play all the time because if he does he will
starve. Hard work brings many advantages to grown ups. Though old age is supposed to be the worst yet it need not to be unhappy. In old age one can have the satisfaction of being wise ands can give advice to others. Shifali Mittal, Class VIII D |
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Students
design ethnic village Chandigarh, January 19 The project is important not only because it is the first occasion when Haryana Tourism has engaged students to lend shape to a prestigious government project but also because it is for the first time that the tourism authorities are creating a replica of a typical Haryanavi village. Rai, located at Murthal close to Sonepat, has been chosen especially because of its strategic location along the national highway. It is located half an hour away from the Delhi. Speaking about the project, to come up at a cost of Rs 20 lakh, the Managing Director, Haryana Tourism, Ms Navraj Sandhu, said the department was evolving special quarters (each comprising rooms with traditional Indian courtyards) at the complex. These quarters will be interspersed with features typical of a Haryanavi village. The tourism authorities have retained most of the features suggested by the CCA team, including village
‘chaupal,’ pond area, ‘baithak’, courtyards, shops and amphitheatre for folk performances. Ms Sandhu informed that work on the ethnic village work is already underway at Rai, which is being developed as a destination point for tourists. The project has been evolved after thorough “architectural” survey of interior Haryana villages in Rohtak, Meham and Sonepat areas. The students, led by the principal,
CCA, Prof Rajnish Wattas as landscape consultant, toured the region for sometime before zeroing in on the final design. The team included Prof SK Gupta as coordinator, supported by Prof
K.D. Singh and Prof Bipin Kumar. The students are Pallavi, Gagandeep Kaur,
Yashika, Zarren, Sarvadeep Singh, Shalini Bisht, Atit Kumar and Balwinder Kaur. Ms Sandhu added that the final design provided for attractive features that will help the cause of tourism at Rai. “The design draws from the art and architecture of traditional ‘havelis’ of Haryana. The whole village will give the feel of Haryana. We will serve local cuisine and through a host of activities like bullock-cart ride and rope walking, we will transport rural Haryana into the tourist complex at Rai. The design also provides for a water body, representative of a village pond.” Entry to the village will be dotted with majestic arches. The village boundary wall will be visible from the highway and will bear motifs found in Haryanavi ‘havelis’ and houses. |
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NOTES Tribune News Service The courses cost 5-7 times, even more, when compared to the normal courses in colleges. Worst still, they have been totally unable to deliver the expected results in matters pertaining particularly to the expected employment. The BBA was thought to be a prelude to the Masters in Business Administration and the BCA was thought to be a prelude to the masters’ course. It would be unfair to blame the courses alone for the failed results. The market conditions have not been very comfortable, particularly after the bomb episode at the World Trade Center. Another course which received equal attention of the students and parents was M Sc (Information Technology). Even this course is witnessing a downward trend. A senior faculty member of the University Business School, which is of national repute, on a note of anonymity said that the department had not been properly contacted by the university authorities before commencement of the courses. It is also worthwhile to mention that when the courses were introduced there was a lot of pressure, even from certain fellows, to have the courses run in certain colleges which had originally been found insufficient in infrastructure by the university. “When too many colleges were offering the same course and the market was already slow in placements, the results expected from such courses can be well estimated”, a fellow said. It is worthwhile to mention that a normal graduation degree costs between Rs 600 to 1000 annually in government colleges, about Rs 5000 in private colleges and the same time the prices for certain self-financing courses were as high as Rs 20,000 or more. There is no arrangement on part of the colleges or the university to make arrangements for job opportunities after the degrees as there is negligent interaction with the industry. All seats for the BCA courses in Hoshiarpur and Ferozepore zone were not filled. The BBA course has also faced closure in several colleges. In Chandigarh alone Dev Samaj College for Women, Sector 45, and GGS College for Women have already closed the course. Other colleges which have sought disaffiliation in the course include Arya College, Ludhiana, GGN Khalsa College, Ludhiana and RSD College, Ferozepore. Reliable sources said that the number of colleges seeking disaffiliation were likely to increase in the future. The university is yet to take a final decision with regard to these colleges. DAV College, Malout, has sought disaffiliation in the BCA course this time, adding to the already growing list. SD College, Moga, and Dasmesh Girls College, Badal, have sought disaffiliation in the B Com courses. Arya College, Ludhiana, has also sought disaffiliation in the M Sc (IT) course. At least five colleges had sought disaffiliation in the last Syndicate meeting. The management courses were dominating the centrestage in education for the last several years and science students have been amongst the worst sufferers. It is also pertinent to mention that same courses started by the neighbouring universities are witnessing a similar fate. IAS coaching: Besides, focus on general studies, the centre for the first time will give orientation to the students in five optional subjects, including geography, history, political science, public administration and sociology. Prof Jitender Mohan, a national Fellow of the ICSSR and an expert in the field of personality development, delivered the inaugural address. Banking on his experience, Professor Mohan called upon the aspirants to strive for excellence, which is the key to success in today’s competitive world Swami Vivekananda: Mr Goel said the message of Swami was that spiritual power was inherent in all human beings. He brought out the relevance of the master’s ideas for inculcation among the youth of today. Punjab cut in grants: Principal P.S. Sangha, general secretary, said the move of the Finance Department if approved by Punjab would lead to closure of nearly 100 colleges in the near future. He also expressed concern over the uncertainty of continuation of plus two classes in the colleges, as the Punjab government plans to shift them to schools. Closing of plus two classes in colleges would not only harm the financial aspect of the colleges but also render a large number of staff as surplus. Principal Sangha said if this move of the government was not stalled it would lead to a large-scale retrenchment of the employees. He regretted that the Punjab and Chandigarh College teachers’ Union instead of focussing on these bigger issues which threaten the very existence of non-government colleges was indulging in the local college feuds. He urged the Teachers Union and the Non-Teaching Employees Union to sink their differences and launch a joint struggle to safeguard their and institution’s interests. Annual convocation: Statutory committees: Members of the Board of Finance are Mr S.S.Virdi and Dr Ajaib Singh. Members of the revising committee which meets under the chairmanship of the Vice-Chancellor include Mr Mukesh Arora, Mr J.S. Gill, Principal R.C. Jeewan and Prof S.M. Handa. Prof V.K. Bansal, Principal Tarsem Bahia, Mr Anmol Rattan Sidhu and Dr Keshav Malhotra have been appointed as members of the regulation committee. The university has constituted two ‘standing’ committees to look into the unfair means cases (UMCs) detected during various university examinations. One committee comprises Prof Bhuvan Chandel, Prof S.S. Kumar and Mr M.G. Gandhi. The other committee includes Principal H.S. Soch, Mr R.S. Verma and Dr S.L. Sharma. The Youth Welfare Committee includes Principal A.C. Vaid, Principal Satinder Dhillon, Mrs Madhu Prashar and Dr Jagwant Singh, besides others. Prof R.D. Anand has been made the Chairman of the Joint Consultative Machinery (JCM). Other members include Mr V.P. Sood, Mr Pawan Valecha and Mr S.S.
Hundal.
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Schools
return to regular timings Chandigarh, January 19 President of the Private Schools Association, Mr D S Bedi, said that schools had decided to revert to their respective regular timings. Besides, holidays for junior classes declared by private schools would no longer continue. Following a UT Administration directive, all government and private schools in the city had been closed for a few days till January 15. Although government schools and senior classes in private schools re-opened on January 16, students of class - II and below in private schools continued with holidays. “It is now back to regular school schedules,” an Education Department official told TNS. “All schools in the city are expected to revert to normal functioning times tomorrow,” he added. The move by the UT Administration to close schools till the time severe cold conditions continued had initially met with resistance from managements of private schools. The re-opening of schools on January 16 had resulted in some confusion and attendance had reportedly remained thin in some private schools as a few institutes affiliated to the Independent Schools Association had resumed regular classes, despite a decision to the contrary.
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PCCTU memo to minister Chandigarh, January 19 A statement issued here said that the department had not even cleared the UGC mandate to extend time up to December, 2004, for undergoing refresher courses. The union had demanded immediate order on payment of rural area allowance and house rent allowance on government rates to the staff of rural colleges as promised by the Chief Minister. Meanwhile, the state government has agreed with the union’s view that 10+two classes should be retained in colleges and not shifted to schools. The government has agreed to look into the legal aspects of enactment of a law to ensure regular salary to staff.
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North India
Vidya Bharti quiz SAS Nagar, January 19 The competition was held in three groups, with teams participating from Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and New Delhi. The following are the results: Junior group: Sharda Sarvhitkari Sr. Sec. School, Sector 40, Chandigarh, 1; Geeta Vidya Mandir, Gohana, Haryana, 2; and Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Joginder Nagar, HP, 3. Senior group: Halwaria Vidya Mandir, Biwani, 1; Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Swarghat, HP, 2; and Geeta Bal Bharti, New Delhi, 3. Seniormost group: Halwaria Vidya Mandir, Biwani, 1; Swami Shivananda Sarvhitkari, Morinda, 2; and Geeta Bal Bharti, New Delhi, 3. Ms Veena Dada, OSD to the Chairman, Punjab School Education Board, was the chief guest. |
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PEC holds contest for hostel cooks Chandigarh, January 19 The scheme, to be implemented in phases, aims at improving the hostel infrastructure and environs as well as intra-hostel activities of students. Different items of food were prepared during the competition and senior college functionaries, including the Principal, wardens, and hostel office-bearers, were present. The cooked items were judged by an eight-member team, which included six women. The winners of the competition, in order of merit, are Achchar Singh, Surjeet Singh and Tarsem Lal. They were given prizes by the college Principal.
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CET put off Chandigarh, January 19 This has been done because the date clashed with examinations of neighbouring universities.
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Malik launches Haryanavi album Chandigarh, January 19 Only about a year back, Harvinder had pioneered the area and launched two music albums under the titles ‘Git Pit, Git Pit’ and ‘Gutarghoo’. After the success of these two albums (at least in native Haryana), Harvinder has now come out with the third one under the label of ‘Desi Ka Pavva. One of the highlights of this album (with eight songs) is that for the first time ever Harvinder, as a producer, has recorded a Haryanavi qawwali along with the gambit of other songs. Another unique thing about this extremely tongue-in-cheek take on beauty is the fact that it has been sung as well as set to music by Ram Niwas, a high ranking officer in Haryana bureaucracy who, in his musical avatar, has proved to be quite talented. Malik recalls, “Prior to the recording in Mumbai, music director Vaishnav Deva was skeptical of Niwas’s vocal skills. But finally everything fell into place.” That is not all about the new album. It also offers more surprises than one. Also featuring alongside Ram Niwas is Altaf Raja, India’s leading non-filmi singer, who has held ground in the qawwali section. Produced keeping in mind the dearth of soft, stirring musical scores in Haryanavi language, ‘Desi Ka Pavva’, stores al lot for music lovers in Haryana. Replete with a healthy, entertaining fare, the audio album has a number of firsts to its credit: on the one hand it presents famous singers like Altaf, Raja and Sapna Awasthi to the Haryanavi music scene for the first time; on the other it also introduces three of Haryana’s newest and most glorious talent to audience everywhere in Haryana. Among lyricists are Subhash Sharma and Rajesh
Phougat. |
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Navy band to perform at Sukhna Chandigarh, January 19 Invitations to VVIPs in the city to witness the band performance are being sent by the Chief of Naval Staff’s office.
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