EDUCATION

New CBSE question paper format
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 27
To ensure thorough study of the syllabi, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has done away with the system of granting overall choice in attempting questions in the board examinations. Instead, candidates would be given internal choice in questions.

This was disclosed by Mr Pavnesh Kumar, Controller of Examinations, CBSE, at the Regional Office of CBSE in Sector 32, here today, after inaugurating the system of online issue of duplicate documents to candidates.

He said internal choice in the question paper would check selective study by candidates and increase coverage of syllabi. He added the change would reduce stress on the child by providing an optional question on the same topic.

Speaking on the changes introduced in the pattern of the All-India CBSE pre-medical entrance test (PMT), Mr Kumar said that the test would be held in two stages. While students would be given an objective paper in the preliminary stage, the final stage would have subjective questions. “All those who qualify the first test would be allowed to sit for the second test,” he added

Announcing that the preliminary test would be held on April 11 and the final test on May 16 in 2004, he added that the prospectus would be available from October 15 this year.

“We were not satisfied with confining to objective questions alone since various mental abilities go untested. It would also mean more comprehensive study and a shift from tuitions where they were being given practice in attempting objective tests alone,” Mr Pavnesh Kumar added.

Ex-students of St Kabir form body
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 27
Former students of St Kabir Public School, Sector 26 here have come together under the banner of Kabir's Roll of Old Students (KROS).

The school established in 1974 and grown steadily over the years with hundreds of students having passed out of its portals. This being the 30th year of the establishment of the school, its old students have launched a campaign to enrol more and more members and plan social and fun-filled activities.

According to Ms Simrit Jagdev, secretary of the KROS, St Kabir is perhaps the oldest co-educational school in the city and this works to the advantage of the organisation. Many of the former students who have passed out upto the mid-1980s, have their offsprings studying in the same school. With modest beginnings from a residential building in Sector 8, Chandigarh, the school now boasts of a full-fledged building of its own in Sector 26 comprising of spacious classrooms from playclass to Class Xth, well-equipped science laboratories, multi-purpose hall and a cyber-lab.

The KROS will help the younger lot to benefit from the experience and expertise of the elder lot", says Pankaj Chandgothia, president of the organisation. The current intensive membership drive has reaped dividends with over 450 former students registering themselves on the roll of the organisation.

The association has also established a web-site: www.krosonline.com containing essential details about KROS and its major activities. "The ex-students association has had a chequered history with its ups and downs, but now it is going to be working regularly and permanently", according to Simrit Jagdev, the PRO-cum-Secretary of KROS. Its major events includes a weeklong literary-cum-cultural event by the name of "KROSFIRE-99" which comprised inter-school competitions in quiz, fancy-dress, debates etc. This event culminated with a hugely successful cultural evening cum prize-distribution held at Tagore Theatre and chaired by Mr Justice V.K. Bali.

More recently, a blood donation camp was held in the school premises where around 175 units of blood were donated by parents, former students and teachers for the benefit of valiant soldiers who get injured while guarding the frontiers.

The major event coming up is the 30th Founders' Day celebrations slated for October 16, 2003, in the school premises itself. A dine and dance programme is scheduled to be held in the school lawns in the evening with a live band in attendance. A souvenir to commemorate the occasion will also be released which will also contain the directory of members.

The KROS plan to donate money and materials to Sanjay Public School, a school for slum-dwellers in Industrial Area.

Kids get a taste of film production
Parbina Rashid

Chandigarh, September 27
As the three cameras roll and the director shouts — “Action”, the scene reminds you of any film set. The only difference is that the crew, camera men and director here are children. However nobody can judge that they are amateurs as 20 students of Ryan International School, taking part in a 10-day mass media and mass communication workshop, work with such confidence and dedication that would give even a professional a run for his money.

With the media, films and music becoming the staple diet of the young minds, Ryan International Group has decided to use this current lifestyle to their own advantage and inducted these tools as a means of imparting education. Hence was this 10-day workshop, conceptualised by Dr A.F. Pinto, crystallised by Ms Grace Pinto and conducted by Utkarsh Marwah as creative head with help from Shalini Sharma and Naina Sharma as assistants.

This workshop might be a turning point for many a participants who has now added working for mass media as another career option: ‘For the past 10-days we have been working from 9 am to 10 pm and enjoying every moment of it,” says Tushar Gupta. What is more, elated by the joy of creation Saransh Rao, a class VI student has even decided the name of the first film he is going to make — “First Child in Moon” informs Saransh with all his innocence.

These 20 students who belong to class VI and VII have got the taste of every aspect of a production. Right from writing script, to cinematography, online editing, floor management to direction, they have done it all. “We knew nothing about camera or direction when we had joined the workshop, but after just three days we were confident enough to go out to outdoor locations and shoot in front of huge gathering,” say the participants in a chorus. And the result is to be seen to be believed. Anchors giving rave reviews of all the latest Bollywood releases, complete with comments from the real cine goers in their programme called “Filmi Bhaji”, news bulletin, documentary on the life of their own star student Simran Lishu, a dancing sensation and music videos.

“The concept of education through lens hopes to make the students adept in handling the techniques of mass communication so that along with basic education, our children are guided into vocational arenas”, says Ms Poonam Sharma, Head Mistress of Ryan International school, Chandigarh.

The participants of the workshop include Anshita Sehrawat, Akhil Bhardwaj, Abhimanyu Pratap, Ankita, Manteg S Kondal, Nimrat Kaur, Saksham Walia, Saransh Rao, Simrat Singh, Tanya, Tushar Gupta, Karishma Kapoor, Kiran Deep Singh, Rashi Anand, ganimat Singh, Navpreet kaur, Madhav Goyal, V. Harish, Pranav Sharma , Birkaran Singh and Harsimran Kaur. The premiere of this television programme will be shown in Tagore Theatre on September 30.

Role of ozone layer stressed
Our Correspondent

Dera Bassi, September 27
As many as 225 students and teachers were educated regarding vermi compost, environment and ozone layer at a function organised by the Morning Star Fellowship Society in collaboration with the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology in Government High School, Pandwala, near here, today.

Organised to celebrate the International Day for Ozone Layer, the students were also given awareness regarding AIDS. Dr Saxena, principal secretary of the council, who was the chief guest on the occasion, interacted with the students and highlighted the role of the ozone layer.

Dr Basudev Prasad, Deputy Director, CISO, Chandigarh, and other functionaries of the society and the council, were also present on the occasion.

70 take part in paper reading contest
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, September 27
At least 70 students from different government and private schools participated in the second phase of ongoing inter school paper reading and handwriting competitions held at Government Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 33 today.

The competitions were being organised by the Sports Tournament Committee of the Chandigarh Education Department. Competitions were held for students studying in classes V to VII.

The results are as follows. Paper reading contest (English) : First- Arvind Pal, second - Chanpreet and third- Nitin. Paper reading contest (Hindi) : First - Shailesh, second- Javed and third - Kiran. Paper reading contest (Punjabi) : First- Narvinder Singh, second - Ankur and third - Sandeep Singh.

Handwriting competition(English) :First- Saurabh Sharan, second - Shivam Rattan and third - Nikhil. Handwriting competition (Hindi) : First- Arun Kumar, second - Dhruv Prakash and third - Vikram. Handwriting competition (Punjabi) : First - Rajinder Singh, second - Samardeep Singh and third - Amritpal Singh.

Fancy dress contest held
Our Correspondent

SAS Nagar, September 27
An impressive show was put up by children at an inter-school fancy dress competition organised at AIMS Kindergarten in Phase II here today.

Children dressed in colourful costumes tried to present their best to the audience.

Ms Manjot Kaur Bhullar, Chairperson of the school, said the competition was divided into two categories depending on the age of participants.

Ms Bhullar said in the below five years category, the school had received 45 entries while there were 30 entries for the second category. Following are the names of the students who had won prizes in the contest — Below five years category: Divyank, AIMS Kindergarten (I), Mannat, Greenwood (II), Saubhavi, Maplefield (III), five-10 years category: Mishal Rao, Sacred Heart (I), Roha, Sherwood (II), Anmol, DPS (III).

Students win contest
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, September 27
Five students from two schools, who won the Wagon R Rang Bharo contest, were awarded bicycles by Joshi Autozone at a function organised here today.

The students, who were awarded were Gaurima Mittal and Kanika Gupta from Hans Raj Public School, Panchkula, and Gayatri Pasricha, Neelam and S. Prabhakar from Tribune Model School, Chandigarh.

Prizes were given away by Mr Hardeep Brar, Regional Manager, Maruti Udyog Limited.

Student's tributes to Balwant Gargi

Chandigarh, September 27
It was a virtual homecoming for Amrik Gill, famous theatre artiste from the city who has made it big in tinsel town Mumbai. Having sought guidance under Balwant Gargi, who was the founder-director of the Department of Indian Theatre at Panjab University, Amrik Gill today returned to the same department to pay tributes to his mentor and guide, who taught him ways of the medium of theatre and the richness of its elements.

Amrik was in the city today to remember Balwant Gargi and read out pages in his memory to the students of the Department of Indian Theatre in PU. — TNS

Lecture on role of SC today

Chandigarh, September 27
The Panjab University Teachers Association will organise a public lecture on “Public interest litigations and the role of the Supreme Court in the era of liberalisation” tomorrow.

Mr Prashant Bhushan, a advocate at the Supreme Court, will deliver the lecture at the auditorium of the University Business School in the evening. — TNS

Exhibition opens
Our Correspondent

SAS Nagar, September 27
An exhibition of paintings, collages and drawings was inaugurated at the Institute of Fine Arts in Phase IX here today. The exhibition, was put up by Ravinder Sharma.

COURTS

77 cases settled

Chandigarh, September 27
Seventy seven cases were settled and a sum of about Rs 36.18 lakh was awarded, besides cash recovery worth Rs 4.35 lakh was made from borrowers today at a Special Lok Adalat, organised on the premises of the UT State Legal Services Authority, Sector 9, to settle the outstanding dues of Punjab & Sind Bank, Chandigarh.

The special Lok Adalat was held under Mr Justice N.K. Sodhi, Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court-cum-Executive Chairman, State Legal Services Authority, Chandigarh. The Lok Adalat was presided over by Mr Sant Parkash, Member Secretary-cum-Judge Permanent, Lok Adalat, Chandigarh.

Sant Parkash, Member Secretary-cum-Judge, UT Permanent Lok Adalat, highlighted the aims and objectives of the authority envisaged in the Legal Services Authority Act, 1987. Giving details, Mr Sant Parkash added that a Permanent Lok Adalat was also functioning daily in the District Courts Complex, Sector 17, Chandigarh, where all civil cases, including matrimonial disputes, bank loan matters, land acquisition cases, matters relating to industrial disputes, landlord tenant controversies, revenue matters, motor accident claim and criminal cases of compoundable nature were got compromised and settled amicably between parties.

He further added that any party from any class of general public desiring any such case to be settled through the Lok Adalat could move an application to the court concerned for referring the case to the Permanent Lok Adalat. A person even before going to court could also make an application on plain paper without court fee and also send by post to this authority for getting any dispute of any nature amicably settled through the Permanent Lok Adalat. The award of the Lok Adalat is a decree and shall be final with no right of further appeal. — OC

CULTURE

Faint appeal for peace
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 27
“All our strength lies in union; all our danger in discord”.

Taking a dig at the contemporary socio-political milieu, sold out to forces of disruption, “Black with Equal”, the black comedy presented by Vikram Kapadia’s group Masque, bared our “pugnacious” race on stage.

Weaving in the techniques of theatre and those of the language, Vikram Kapadia, the writer and director of the play, structured a sensible story, that began with peace and ended with discord. Using the symbol of a cooperative society in a plain neighbourhood, the writer talks of sensitive issues that demand urgent social attention. The title of the play is symbolic of diversions that mark human tastes and expectations. It has been beautifully employed to tell that no two people think alike. If one wants normal tea, with normal sugar, another wants black tea with equal, the sweetening pill, sans sugar.

Sets in the play, presented at Tagore Theatre by Oorja Entertainment, were humble, meant to extend the theme that downplays belligerence. As curtains rise, members of Jagruti Cooperative Society, Khar, in Mumbai meet to discuss routine issues about the flats and their maintenance. Something that takes off from the purpose of easing tensions and offering solutions to problems assumes grave proportions as members of the society aim barbs at each other. Harmony of the talk is lost in parochial talk that feeds on the petty issues of communalism, ethnicity, violence. disturbance and killings.

Ramneek Patel (played perfectly by Utkarsh Majumdar), Chairman of the Society, is the man trapped between the disgruntled society members who throw away peace at the drop of the hat. As Patel’s efforts to reestablish peace in his house, which is the venue of the meeting fail, he concludes that the whole world has been divested of harmony. There is nowhere one can go, with the universe reeling under violence.

Beautifully written and strongly presented, the play made a faint appeal for peace, declaring in subtle tones that in the race of life, love alone will lead humans on the road to redemption. Violence will finally breed violence and spell doom....as it does in the climax of “Black with Equals”. The strength of the production was simple rhetoric.

The cast of the play included Lovleen Mishra, Satyajit Sharma, Vikram Kapadia, Dinyar Torandaz, Kumud Mishra, Rachna Shah, Shreyas Pandit, Chirodeep Mitra, Meena Patel and Uday Chandra.