NCCE overall champions in Synergy - 2003
Our Correspondent

Panipat, April 6
Nemi Chand College of Engineering (NCCE), Israna, bagged the overall championship at the two-day national level cultural and technical festival, ‘Synergy - 2003’, which concluded on the college premises on Saturday evening.

The college won the first position in as many as eight out of 12 cultural events including solo song, solo dance, group song, mehandi, rangoli and four out of nine in technical events, which included project display in electronics and mechanical, big fight and on-the-spot programming. Vishal and Sumit of DCE, Delhi, won the paper presentation in applied sciences, Ashish and Rishi of HCE, Jagadhary, in electronics and communication and Sumit and Praveen of JMIT, Radaur, got first position in computers.

Around 120 students of 35 colleges from Haryana, Delhi, Punjab and Chandigarh participated in the festival.

The Commissioner and Special Secretary of Technical Education, Haryana, Mrs Shakuntala Jakhu, distributed prizes among winners. Addressing the students, Mrs Jakhu stressed that learning was a continuous process and “we should never forget the social relevance of education”. She asked the students to contribute towards social service and use one’s knowledge for the welfare and service of others.

The chairman of the College Management Committee, Vijay Gupta, and the principal, Mr S. Gupta, also spoke on the occasion. Later in the evening, famous folk singer Sarvjit Singh Maan presented a programme of Punjabi folk songs.

SCHOOL BUZZ
Graduation ceremony, an occasion of unbarred bliss
Smriti Kak

Students of GHPS, Vasant Vihar, participating in a cultural programme.

A graduation ceremony is always a moment of a déjà vu combined with just the necessary amount of nostalgia, however, if it is a ceremony of four-year-olds, the occasion is unbarred bliss.

Various schools in the city organised their nursery graduation ceremony in the week gone by. In GHPS, Vasant Vihar, students participated in cultural programmes depicting various festivals of India using dance and music as the medium.

In Shemrock School, Green Park, the kids were given a farewell in Mc Donalds. In between gulping burgers and fries, the children also sang rhymes on various topics including one on traffic rules. Dressed up as a glass of milk or a fruit, these children also recited the need for eating health foods and its advantages.

Game stalls, tables stacked with goodies and the promise of a good time awaited the graduating students in Mother’s Pride. While the children had a merry time, it was the teacher who appeared more nostalgic.

New branch of Kidstown

Kidstown, a new pre-nursery school for children, has opened its branch in Vigyan Vihar. The school offering the latest in teaching methodology was inaugurated by Mr Naseeb Singh, MLA and Mr Ramesh Pandit, Councillor.

The inaugural function was marked by a number of events, like baby show, fancy dress competition and a smart parent contest.

Theme for a dream

Kangaroo kids presenting a musical concert, ‘Theme for a dream’.

Kangroo Kids organised a musical concert for the students. Titled ‘Theme for a dream’, the concert was a success from the word go. Poised and perfect, the students performed with an unbelievable panache.

From the catterpillar’s wriggle to the monkey dance, the students had every foot in the auditorium tapping. The chief guest at the function was Dr Shyama Chona, Principal, DPS, R K Puram, who expressed her wish to turn a child again.

We are told the children also managed to win over Shah Rukh Khan who had been a guiding force, even though he could not make it on the big night.

Annual Day

Darshan Academy celebrated its annual day on March 23. The theme selected for the day was ‘Introspection Diary’ that sought spiritual uplift of students as well as the staff.

The chief guest was Sant Rajinder Singh, an accomplished a scientist, who is known for his teachings on the science of spirituality.

An issue of the school magazine, ‘Darshanika’ was also released on the occasion. A convocation ceremony was organised for the pre-schoolers and a prize distribution ceremony was also organised.

Sports Day

Kids Elementary School, Ashok Vihar, organised its sports day. Students participated in numerous events, like drill, races and performed songs.

Learner’s Castle, Hudson Lane, also organised its annual sports day, offering students a chance to put their best foot forward, whether it was a garbage race or a balloon race.

The Indo-Korean Club also demonstrated Taekwondo. Races for the parents and the teachers were followed by the prize distribution ceremony.

Innovative games

Funskool India has launched the ‘Take Anywhere Games’ that can be carried anywhere. These games are a set of five innovative games that help in developing the mental faculties of the children. Games like Math-Magician from the mind game category tests and enhances a child’s familiarity with mathematical calculations. The games have been categorised to enhance the IQ and also provide recreation.

PRINCIPALSPEAK
Ensuring a healthy future for our children

A truth that is “universal” and one can never tire of repeating is ‘Health is Wealth’. The touchstone of true education is the “well-being” of a pupil and its aim is to help children grow into healthy, enlightened citizens, with a high self-esteem and the ability to receive and contribute richly to their environment, society and nation. The health of our students reflects the health of the nation. Since children spend a major part of their day as well as twelve formative years of their life in school, it is vital that educational institutions should address their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

Since children have been the mainstay of my life in these 30 years of my professional life, it is a matter of grave concern for me that a large section of children in India, especially from the underprivileged sections of the society have been denied their right to learn, play and grow in a safe, fair and healthy environment. The infrastructure in most schools in rural and urban areas is inadequate and far from desirable.

We are indeed lucky to have been educated in coveted institutions, where we flourished in a healthy environment and thus today we in turn have tried to provide a safe and healthy environment in our schools. Today, most progressive schools, like ours in urban centres, provide high quality infrastructure, all possible facilities and a safe environment crucial for the healthy growth of children. I shall be focusing on problems faced by children in these schools.

The students in these schools face complications, a result of urban lifestyles, where pollution, competition and stress have taken their toll. Obesity, lethargy, stress and depression are more prevalent among children coming from the privileged sections of society.

Thus, it is vital for the schools to take on the onus of monitoring the growth of the child. It is necessary for every school to have a health care centre, where a medical record of every child should be maintained.

A growth rate graph should be maintained where height, weight and other parameters of growth are regularly marked. Obesity and aggressive behaviour could be partially controlled through encouraging students to give up stimulating sweetened drinks like ‘Colas’ and so on. The teachers could initiate this process by bringing healthy food in their own lunch boxes, joining the students in the break-time and eating in their midst, encouraging them to try healthier food.

This works very well especially with younger children, who look up to their teacher as a role model, emulate her and thus adopt sensible eating habits. The school canteen could replace fried snacks and Colas with non-fat snacks and flavoured milk, fresh fruits etc.

The sedentary lifestyle at home, travelling by cars, spending long hours before the TV have resulted in lethargy. Thus, most progressive school like ours, have encouraged physical activity in school hours, through emphasis on games, P T, etc. Yoga and mediation, introduced into the curriculum, have empowered the students to cope with ailments like headaches, breathlessness and debility. However, physical health of a child is only one aspect of good health.

Every school must also nurture a vision for mental health programme. By ‘mental health’, I mean the well-being of a child, which would equip him with skill and self-esteem for a life time.

Schools are miniature representations of society and thus need to be protective and promotional. Schools should lay great emphasis on the role of a teacher, who should share the responsibility of a child’s growth along with the parents. Counselling and guidance are integral to the role of a teacher.

A healthy relationship between a teacher and the student is a vital life-force and the essential nourishment needed for a child’s growth. The in-built systems in the schools like the assembly and house system can also be used as a platform. This year on experimental basis, the BVN teachers prepared insightful and invigorating talks on ‘Stress Management’.

They addressed the children in the assembly for one full month before the final examination and the exercise proved to be very fruitful.

It is important for teachers to provide space to the students, where their conflicts and dilemma resulting from various social influences and external factors can be debated and discussed. I am optimistic that with a positive approach to life we can ensure a healthy future for our children.

Madhu Chandra, Principal, Birla Vidya Niketan