EDUCATION

Teachers ecstatic over class with Kalam
Monica Sharma

Chandigarh, September 3
In less than 24 hours before President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s scheduled visit to the city, the teachers are enthused about his arrival. In fact, over 970 teachers from 25 government and 40 private schools in Chandigarh are doing their homework well to avoid any faux pas during the interaction with the President on Thursday.

For the purpose of avoiding last minute hiccups and also to have some say in the education policy by forwarding their suggestions to the President, the teachers of so many schools today prepared a catalogue of issues they would like to draw Dr Kalam’s attention to.

The reason for all the anxiety was not hard to see. There would be little time tomorrow to think and ask in case they got an opportunity to interact with the President, the teachers were sure of the fact.

The issues they wish to touch include budgetary allocation to the schools, stress on students forcing them to end their lives, besides ensuring elementary education for all.

Giving details, Principal of Sector 15 DAV Model School, Ms Rakesh Sachdeva, asserted that education should be top on the priority list while allocating the budget. As such more money should be allotted to the schools. Currently, the budget was “just not sufficient” compared to the expenditure involved.

Regarding the curriculum, she asserted that the syllabus was giving more tension to the students, than helping them out with their careers. “There was a vast difference between the preparations for the annual examinations and for competitions, resulting in enhanced stress. Also, the gap between theory and practical was ever increasing.

In the absence of adequate counselling, the students were being forced to take the extreme step. Referring to the sharp increase in the number of suicides by the students in the city, she asserted, “We would be requesting him to look into the matter so as to save precious lives”. About 15 teachers from her school are expected to interact.

A teacher added that for the past 50 years they had been trying hard to achieve the goal of elementary education for all, but the success rate was very low. “The government must make concrete plans,” she added. “That’s why we will be asking for President’s intervention in the matter”.

Also, the salaries of the school teachers, both private and government, were not “respectable enough”. Teaching, she commented, is a noble profession, still it is low paid and fails to attract talent. Something should be done about it”.

“Whatever the issues are, the session, we are sure, is going to be enriching,” Principal of St John’s High School Pushpinder Cheema concluded. About 15 teachers from her school will be participating.

Parents’ musical sojourn with tiny tots
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 3
It is that time of the year when Strawberry Fields Kindergarten resonates with sound, music and rhythmic movements. Parents are taken gently into the `library’ and allowed to sit back and soak in the ambience readying themselves for the musical journey which is soon going to get them misty-eyed and sentimental. For as Simran, mother of 4-year-old Sahil, says: “When I ask him what he did at school, he normally tells me tid bits or just smiles and expresses his happiness at going to a fun-filled kindergarten. Coming here and actually seeing what they have learned as part of their music lessons then comes as a big surprise. When did they learn all this and truly they seem to have enjoyed every bit of it.”

It is the school’s way of bringing parents into their fold and taking them through a day of the child’s activities where music plays such an integral role incorporating all the elements of moral values, general awareness, cognitive, social and emotive development. Carefully chosen songs aid the child in his spoken abilities honing his pronunciation, diction, accent, vocabulary and comprehension.

According to Mr Atul Khanna, Director of the Durga Das Foundation, “instead of blindly thrusting Western songs onto children in the name of English medium, we opt for very simple, easy to follow songs representing day-to-day sights, objects and happenings from the child’s life making the music class an extension of their regular routine. In places difficult words are substituted with easy ones and purely Western ideas are modified to suit the Indian culture and temperament. Which is perhaps why the children pick up these songs so effortlessly and are often seen humming them as they jump, skip and run along.”

Come September is a week-long musical sojourn. Each day a different group of parents is invited to the school library which is the venue for the cozy and intimate presentation. Set against a backdrop done by the teachers with the assistance of the children, the ambience is ideal. Characters from the songs come alive and scenes are graphically illustrated as you juxtapose the larger than life cut-outs or the cheery animal and fairy-tale characters who seem to be friendly companions to the children who stand against them singing in gay abandon.

If nursery has chosen to sing about the ‘bee hive’, ‘wheels of the bus’, ‘pigeon house’, ‘engines’ and the importance of wearing ‘sunshine smiles’, Lower KG goes a step forward and tells you that “God always listens’ and Upper KG wisely talks of their ‘circle of friends’, the ‘Octopus’ and of things that ‘give them joy’. 

Symposium at PEC
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 3
The local centre of the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE) will organise a two-day national symposium on “Emerging trends in networking and mobile telecommunication” from September 5 to celebrate the golden jubilee of IETE, coinciding with the silver jubilee celebrations of the IETE’s local centre, at Punjab Engineering College.

Justice O. P. Verma, Punjab Governor and UT Administrator, will inaugurate the symposium on September 5 at 10 a.m. Prof K.K.Aggarwal, Vice-Chancellor, GGSIP University, New Delhi, and President, IETE, will preside over the function. Mr Prithpal Singh, CMD, BSNL, will deliver the keynote address.

From Schools
Scholarship for Mohali school boy
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 3
Rahul Babbar of Shivalik Public School, Phase 6, SAS Nagar, was selected for the National Talent Search Examination NTSE Scholarship from the Punjab region. The test was conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi.

He is the only one who has cleared the test from the Ropar district. After clearing a district and state-level test, he qualified for the national level test and underwent a gruelling interview. The scholarship entails various other incentives from the government of India to pursue higher studies.

Tree plantation: Tree plantation day was observed at MDAV High School, Sector 22, here today. A senior member of the Managing Committee, Mr Bhalla, Principal R. Arya, teachers as well as students planted saplings on the school campus. Later, the students were told of the importance of trees and the need for planting more trees.

Club formed: A socio-educational club was formed by Mr Bahadur Singh to identify working children in the age-group of 6-14 years and to get them admitted to regular schools , Adult Education Centres , non-formal educational centres or night schools with the help of the members of the club.

The club will also work against various social evils and spread awareness through social functions, plays, skits, cultural functions and sports in various parts of the city.

At a meeting of the club held here today, office-bearers were elected unanimously. While Mr Bahadur Singh was chosen as President, Mr S.R. Chahal was chosen Senior Vice President and Mr Jasbir Singh Maloya was selected Vice-President.

NTT results: DAV school bags top positions
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, September 3
DAV Model School in Sector 15 today bagged nine out of first 10 positions in the second and the fourth semester examinations of the Nursery Teacher Training (NTT) course. The results were declared by the UT Education Department on September 1.

Giving details during a press conference, Principal Rakesh Sachdeva said except for the second position, all toppers were from her school. Shivani Arora of the school topped in UT by securing 90 per cent marks in the examinations.

Deepshikha bagged the third position by securing 88.8 per cent. Anjuli with 88.1 per cent marks stood fourth. Sandeep with 87.89 marks bagged the fifth position and Silky with 87.68 per cent got the sixth position. Prabhjot with 87 per cent scored seventh position. Pallvi with 86.3 per cent secured eighth position. Vishali with 86 per cent got the ninth position. Rosy and Megha with 85.68 per cent marks shared the tenth position.

The Principal added that the NTT course, done from institutes affiliated to the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE), was accepted. 

College students block traffic
Our Correspondent

SAS Nagar, September 3
Students from various colleges blocked traffic near the Balongi Chowk here today in protest against a change in some rules of Punjab Technical University.

The students had earlier planned to block traffic near Kharar but the police did not allow them to do so. They then blocked traffic near Balongi Chowk which was lifted soon after the police reached the site. The students, who have been demanding a change in the rules had earlier given memorandum to various officials of the Department of Technical Education in this regard.

PUTA to observe black day on September 5

Chandigarh, September 3
The Panjab University Teachers Association PUTA has decided to observe the Teachers’ Day on September 5 as the ‘black day’. A decision to this regard was taken at the executive meeting of the association here today. TNS

COURTS

District Courts
PUSU chief Kang granted bail
Our Correspondent

Kang had surrendered before the UT Judicial Magistrate(First Class), in a case on September 1. Kang had been released on the bail by the UT Additional and Sessions Judge in the case but as he failed to attend the court on last hearing thereafter the court had issued arrest warrants against him.

Matharu submits list of names

An Akali party worker belonging to Ropar, Mr Gurmeet Singh Matharu, today submitted a list containing names and addresses of 67 Congress MLAs including Chief Minister of Punjab in a suit filed against them for impleading them for not declaring their assets as per the election manifesto of the Congress in a local court. Mr Matharu has filed a suit through his counsel Mr N.S Minhas. The case was adjourned for October 15 by a local court.

Appeal of Anand’s wife referred to another Bench
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 3
Truth is in a state of suspended animation. Over 20 years after Deputy Inspector General (DIG) J.S. Anand’s body was found in the Sukhana Lake, his convicted wife’s appeal, along with that of two other relatives, is still pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The hearing of the case resumed today, but the matter was referred to another Bench by Mr Justice Amar Dutt of the high court. The conviction orders in the case were also passed by Mr Justice Dutt when he was UT District and Sessions Judge.

It was on July 13, 1983. At about 7.30 am, two police officials discovered DIG Anand’s body in the lake. Initially, the police claimed that the DIG had committed suicide. The matter was, subsequently, referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after doubts about the police theory were raised.

Taking up the case, the premier investigating agency registered a first information report in the matter on July 23, 1983, before carrying out a probe into the incident. After completion of investigation, a charge sheet was submitted before the court of competent jurisdiction.

The prosecution had alleged that Indu Anand had caught hold of the DIG’s throat before he collapsed. Believing him to be dead, he was thrown in the lake where he died due to drowning.

Claiming to have been implicated in the case, Indu Anand, her son Sandeep Singh alias Nicky and DIG Anand’s nephew Sumanjit Anand alias Sandy had denied all the allegations against them and had asked for a trial.

After hearing the arguments and going through the documents, Mr Justice Dutt, the then District and Sessions Judge, on March 11, 1996, had held the three guilty culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 - part II of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

CULTURE

Bollywood mania at NIFD
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, September 3
Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukherjee, Priety Zinta, Raveena, Urmila, Sanjay Dutt and Vivek Oberoi — they were all there, dancing to the thumping beats of rhythmic music. Visitors to "Bollywood mania fresher's party" held at the National Institute of Fashion Design (NIFD) today had a gala time.

The theme of the party was on “Bollywood mania”, the mood was created by the display of mega movie posters and placards. This was not all. Students dressed up in "filmi style" also imitated the dialogues of different stars.

Different rounds included body language and brain teaser to judge Mr and Miss fresher. Rubina, a first year B.Sc student was declared Miss Fresher. Anuj, a first year student of fashion designing diploma, was declared Mr Fresher.

Heena was declared Miss Personality, Shaina Miss Catwalk, Jaspreet Miss Talented. Govind and Manoj were declared Mr Personality and Mr Hunk, respectively.