EDUCATION

Youth Parliament’s yen to check food with high saturated fat 
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 26
School students from across the country have urged the government to regulate the production and sale of food products with high content of saturated fat in view of their harmful effects on health.

Participating in a youth Parliament on Health, the students from 10 cities of the country said the majority of children were fast food addicts, so a check on these foods was a must to ensure a healthy future for them.

The 10 cities represented in the ‘Parliament’, were Lucknow, Jaipur, Bhubaneshwar, Panaji, Kottayam, Hyderabad, Simla, Mumbai, Ghonda and Delhi.

Since these foods have excessive use of hydrogenated fat, having high content of fatty acids, coupled with minimal physical activity are increasing the risk of heart diseases, obesity, diabetes and cancer, they pointed out in a resolution passed by the ‘Parliament’, organised by the Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth (HRIDAY) and Student Health Action Network (SHAN) here.

The students demanded a food policy which enables all citizens to access and consume cereals, pulses, edible oils, vegetables and fruit as per the dietary guidelines set by the Indian nutritionists.

The Parliament also recommended that the agriculture policy should focus on providing health food to all sections of population at affordable prices. Through another resolution, the students urged the government to hike tax on tobacco products as increased prices were a strong deterrent for consumption of the harmful substance.

Quoting studies, they said a rise of 10 per cent in the prices of tobacco products lowered their consumption by eight per cent in low and middle-income groups. Besides, higher income generated from the increased tax can be invested in health promotion programmes as have been done by many countries like Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Nepal, they said.

The students also took note of the loss of thousands of lives of young people and children in road accidents and disability arising out of that, and passed a resolution, asking the government to make roads safe for children.

They wanted the government to provide safe pedestrian pathways, protected cycle lanes and signaled zebra crossing so that people could move safely without using motor vehicles.

SCHOOL BUZZ
Olympiad to sensitise students on environment
Smriti Kak

The Green Olympiad, an annual environment examination for schoolchildren conducted by TERI in association with the Hero Honda Motors and the Ministry of Environment and Forests, was held in the national Capital for the third consecutive year.

The theme for this year’s Green Olympiad was ‘Water’. The examination was structured with innovative concepts that were designed not just to test the knowledge of the students but also to educate and sensitise them.

The two-hour exam tested the children’s knowledge on subjects like biotechnology, health, climate change and sources of energy. While the Ministry awarded meritorious students scholarships, outstanding performers from the best 32 schools would participate in the Terraquiz 2003.

Science and Arts Fair

Bal Bhavan, Public School organised a Science and Arts Fair for students of classes IX to XII. More than 200 students participated in the fair, which comprised of about 55 models based on various science subjects, including Physics, Biology and Chemistry.

A project that drew maximum attention was the impact of Tulsi on the efficiency of petrol.

Around 100 students participated in the Arts fair. Students put together things like glass paintings, wall hangings, dustbins and napkin holders.

The chief guests on the occasion, Prof. O. P. Sharma, of the Centre for Atmospheric Science, IIT, Delhi, and Dr Ila Mehrotra, senior lecturer, Maharishi Valmiki College of Education, praised the efforts of the students. Later, certificates and prizes were awarded to the students for their efforts.

Helping the physically challenged

A hydraulically operated barrier-free bus for wheelchair-bound schoolchildren.

HPS Social Welfare Foundation has announced that it would provide a hydraulically operated barrier-free bus for the wheelchair bound schoolchildren. The bus would be presented to the Amar Jyoti Charitable Trust later this year.

The bus will be inaugurated by social activist, Ms. Kiran Nadar, and fulfils the norms laid down by the government.

“The foundation assists the physically challenged to become self-sufficient and productive members of the society. It has particularly encouraged computer training programmes, including several training programmes for the visually and orthopaedically challenged”, pointed out Mr Vinod Khanna, director, HPS Social Welfare Foundation.

Table Tennis Tournament

A table tennis match in progress during the Jaspal Kaur Memorial Open.

The 16th Jaspal Kaur Memorial Open Table Tennis Tournament was inaugurated by Dr Subhash Arora, principal, Mata Jai Kaur Public School. Apart from the various clubs and academies, 40 schools participated in the nine different categories.

Neha Aggarwal won the women’s single title and Rajiv Ghai of Indian Oil bagged the men’s single title. Jyoshita Bhushan and Deep Shikha Verma of the host school won the second and the third place in the girls’ single and girls sub-junior category.

The chairman of the school, Sardar Surjit Singh, presided over the closing ceremony and the principal, Dr Avtar Singh of GNPS, Punjabi Bagh, gave away the prizes.

Training workshop for parents

Internationally acclaimed sports trainers from the Australian Sports Commission, Judi Myers concluded a one-day interactive training workshop for parents at the Heritage School, Gurgaon. The workshop dealt with areas including communications, motivation, teamwork, evaluation, safety and delegation. The aim of the workshop was to look at practical games and activities that will highlight the skills required of a good leader.

Western Musical Festival

The DPS Society organised an ‘Inter-DPS Western Musical Festival’ at the DPS, Indirapuram. The festival was attended by over 400 students who performed soul stirring music held in various categories, including solo, duet and group. The highlight of the function was the performance by Stephen Marazzi. To help the students get a better insight into the world of Western music, a power point presentation on all aspects of music was also held.

The festival concluded with the valedictory function wherein the students were awarded miniature pianos and a book of songs as mementoes.

Schoolchildren visit Kashmir

Students of Vishwa Bharati Public School, Noida, interacting with J&K Chief Minister.

Students of Vishwa Bharati Public School, Noida, were on an eight-day tour of the Kashmir Valley. Most of the students were children of Kashmiri Pandits who had been dislocated and had settled down in the NCR region. It was a nostalgic moment for the children who were visiting their ancestral homes for the first time.

The 27 children, including 13 girls were on a visit on the invitation of the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mr Mufti Sayeed. The visit by the school children was part of confidence building measures initiated by the state government.

The children excitedly spoke about their visit to Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Khir Bhawani, Shankaracharya Mandir and Hazratbal. The children said that the visit had made them aware why Kashmir is called the ‘Paradise’ on earth.

Surabhi Razdan, a student of class VIII, said she felt on top of the world after visiting her motherland. For Akshay Kaul it was a very emotional moment to see his ancestral home in ruins.

The Chief Minister interacted with these children and sought their views on Kashmir, particularly about the beauty of the valley. The children also met a host of other dignitaries on the visit. All of them expressed the desire to visit their ancestral homes with their parents when the situation returned to normal.

Input by Parminder Singh

Principalspeak
Admitting your mistake, the toughest job of all

One of the most difficult and painful things to do in life is to admit one’s mistakes. We hesitate to confess our mistakes and are equally reluctant to express regret, and it is a rare person who tries to make amendments or even render a heartfelt apology. This forms the root of human strife. It leads to lack of inner conviction and brings discomfort and unhappiness. It also leads to misunderstandings with others, often ending in enmity and hatred. Not only that, refusing to acknowledge and accept reality becomes a mindset. We begin to distort reality and build doubts and fears. So, we must understand that making a mistake is not the end of the world, but repeating, defending and lying about it can spell disaster.

Madhu Chandra Principal, BVN