EDUCATION

MCD rebuts claim on school’s adoption in Bandook Wali Gali 
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 16
The all-powerful Standing Committee members of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) today said that the renovation work in Bandook Wali Gali school in the walled city was done by the corporation and not by the Union Minister of State for Sports and Culture. He donated only one hundred desks and a few toys for the students. The members denied the claim of the Union Minister that he had adopted the school.

The Standing Committee pressurised the Chairman, Mr Ram Babu Sharma, to move a preamble before the Standing Committee and the House to make a clear-cut policy for the participation of NGOs and other private organisations which are eager to improve the educational status of the corporation’s schools.

The committee members said that a memorandum of understanding should be signed between the NGO and the corporation before it starts helping the school administration for the betterment of schools. Points mentioned in the MOU should be followed. The Adharshila school in Pitampura did not take permission from the corporation before supplying the furniture and toys in the school located in Bandook Wali Gali.

Denying the claim of Mr Goel, the Municipal Commissioner, Mr Rakesh Mehta, said that no permission was taken by the Adharshila for donating furniture and toys and all renovation work was done by the engineering department of the corporation.

The Chairman of the Standing Committee, Mr Ram Babu Sharma, said that in 2000, the corporation had passed a resolution that the NGOs and the private organisations could adopt government schools to improve their teaching standard. But before adopting the school, an MoU should be signed between the NGO and the corporation.

He said that adoption had different meaning which would be misused by the NGOs in future. Therefore, certain change was required in the resolution. A preamble will be moved before the committee to make an amendment in the earlier resolution.

He said that the corporation wanted to make the status of government schools on a par with the private schools with the help of NGOs.

Plan to give computer training to govt schoolteachers
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, July 16
In a bid to popularise computer education in government schools, the Haryana Government has drawn up a comprehensive plan to provide computer training to one teacher of every government school. The Minister of State for Education, Mr Bahadur Singh, told mediapersons at Gohana, about 35 km from here, yesterday that the state government, under the new education policy, had introduced computer training for students of Class VI in government schools.

He said while the previous government had failed to take any step in this regard, the present INLD government, headed by Mr Om Parkash Chautala, had also introduced English language from Class I in government schools.

Regarding the leakage of question papers in the annual examinations conducted by the Board of School Education, Haryana, this year, he disclosed that the state government had already set up a committee to conduct a thorough probe, in addition to the vigilance inquiry.

CAMPUS
DU reforms: All hype and no action?
Smriti Kak

Just as the Delhi University prepares for a new academic session, armed with “academic reforms”, a faction of the University teachers has dismissed the claims as a mere eyewash.

The Academics for Action and Development (AAD), led by its Chairman, Dr. S S Rathi has alleged, “despite the big hype about the academic reforms and upgradation of syllabi, the actual performance of the DU authorities on these issues has been absolutely dismal”.

The AAD pointed out that the university has delayed the implementation of the revised courses including BSc (Honours) in Botany and BA (Hons) in Economics.

“After a long and extensive academic exercise, the revised syllabi for BA (Hons) Economics, Botany (Hons) and Masters in Geography were submitted to the university authorities by the respective faculties”, said Dr. Rathi adding, “some of these syllabi were submitted more than two years back”.

He further said: “the VC took inappropriately long to seek comments of some outside experts despite the fact that each of the Faculty in DU has five outside experts nominated by the VC on behalf of the Academic Council and others who are involved in the exercise of syllabi revision”.

Dr. Rathi, to substantiate his claim against the VC’s ‘delay’, said: “BCom and MCom students continue to study topics regarding certain Parliamentary Acts that have been repealed and replaced way back in 1991”.

The AAD also blamed the University for not taking concrete steps to clear the confusion that has emerged in the School of Correspondence Courses and the delay in its conversion to the Campus of Open Learning.

Dr. Rathi said that despite the declaration that all results must be declared before July 15, a large number of students from various courses are still awaiting results. “While there is a need to strengthen the tutorial / preceptorial system, which is the best instrument for implementing the internal assessment, the decision regarding formal contact hours needs to be reviewed”, he said.

VS Prasad appointed NAAC director

Prof. V S Prasad has been appointed as the Director of the National assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), Bangalore. Vice-Chancellor of Dr. B R Ambedkar University, Hyderabad, Prof. Prasad held many important academic and administrative positions in his career spanning more than three decades.

As Pro Vice-Chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Prof Prasad initiated a large number of programmes for promotion, co-ordination and quality assurance of distance education in India.

Till recently the Executive Committee member of NAAC, he was also the recipient of the Best Teacher award in 1991 from the Government of Andhra Pradesh.

ISO 9001 for Trump and Gates

Trump and Gates have become the first MBA Coaching Institute to be awarded the ISO 9001 certificate. The certification was given by SWISO GmbH, Switzerland for Quality Management Systems.

The institute offers lectures taught on multimedia projectors with focus on one to one interaction and interactive learning sessions.

Free seminars and trails are conducted for interested students. Students are provided tips on speed maths and speed reading and lectures on memory improvement are also held.

FIIT JEE awards toppers

FIIT JEE organised a felicitation ceremony for the students who have managed to joins ranks with the IITians.

With 1,716 selections in the IIT-Joint Entrance examinations, the institute is basking in the success of these students who have enrolled for various programmes offered by FIIT JEE.

Prizes were given to the students who have scored the top 10 ranks. It was pointed out that all the top five ranks have been grabbed by FIITJEEians.

Opportunities in hospitality sector

Those between 17 to 28 years of age and an intermediate in any stream with excellent communication skill are eligible for programmes at the AHA.

Learn Hindi at La Trobe University

La Trobe University’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Michael Osborne, has announced the appointment of a senior academic to teach Hindi at the University. The university is fostering the cultural links between India and Australia.

The Chairman of the Australia-India Council, Prof. Robin Jeffrey, has encouraged a commitment of the council to provide up to six travelling fellowships each year to Indian scholars with an interest in Australian Studies and to work at the universities for a period up to three months.

Highlight problems of the underprivileged via TV

Former Governor of UP and Goa, Mr Romesh Bhandari, called upon the television professionals to use the power of the medium to highlight the problems of the under privileged sections of the society.

Accusing the politicians for gross mismanagement, Mr. Bhandari described the present day politicians as unprincipled and dishonest and said that the political system needs to be cleansed and the constitution amended.