Teachers, students sweat it out in the sun
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 15
The condition of students and teachers of Government Middle School, Field Ganj, is becoming more miserable with rise in temperature. The school is devoid of even the basic amenities like power or water and it has become almost impossible for the students and teachers to continue in such conditions.

However, their woes are not limited to the lack of power and water, the eight-room complex has just one safe room that too without a single window. The other two rooms where the children sit have gaping holes in ceilings and walls. The uncemented floors of these rooms are broken and there is not a single bench for the students, who have to sit on worn out mattresses. Since the other five rooms are very unsafe, they have been either been locked from outside or broken pieces of bricks and other construction material have been dumped there.

But three rooms are not enough for the students and there is no verandah or covered portion for them outside the rooms. The remaining students have to sit out in the sun to attend their classes. In scorching heat, some students sit underneath a tree but that too is not enough. The rest of the students sit in a line just outside a wall of a class-room to protect themselves from the scorching sun.

There are no toilets for 85 students studying in the school. The three toilets that were there earlier are now totally broken. The students, therefore, have no other option but to use toilets of an adjoining marriage house. Since there are no taps for drinking water in the school, a few students are sent to the same marriage house to fetch some water in plastic bottles. The boundary wall of the school is also broken at various points making trespassing very easy. The teachers alleged that the children of the locality played in the ground in the evening causing even more harm to the building and school property.

According to teachers of the school the district education officials were aware of the deplorable condition of the school. The school which was being run at the primary level for the past 50 years was upgraded as a middle school three years back. However, the teachers of the school have been promoting the students only to Class VI and after that they are shifted to Class VII in Government High School on Shahpur Road. The teachers said since the government had sanctioned just one post for middle school, they felt that they could not do justice to students especially those of board class.

The teachers maintained that they had been recently given a grant for the repair of building under Sarb Sikhya Abhiyan Scheme but they had to send it back as they were not authorised to use it in a rented place. The school is being run in a place rented out by the Mittar Sabha of the adjoining rented marriage house. The Punjab Government had refused to vacate the building from where the school is being run for the past over 50 years and the matter was now in the court.

The teachers said there was no conducive atmosphere for them to take classes and added that they had requested the education department to shift them to Government Girls’ School on Kamran Road or Government High School on Shahpur Road as soon as possible.

Govt schools fare better in plus 2 exam
Our Correspondent

Mandi Ahmedgarh, May 15
Class XII students (science group) who appeared in the examination conducted by the Punjab School Education Board through government schools have fared better than those who appeared through private schools.

All 26 science students of Government Senior Secondary School, Sandaur, got through in the examination. Mr Shember Singh, Principal of the school, said 15 students got first division. “Had the board authorities prepared merit list as usual, Sandeep Singh, a student of our school, who secured 408 marks out of 450, would have figured in it,” he claimed.

Mr Bhupinder Singh Bath, Principal, Government Senior Secondary School, Kanganwal, said all 15 students of his school got through in the examination and most of them got first division.

However, at Government Senior Secondary School, Dehlon, two out of 47 science students could not make it. Fifteen students from the school secured first position.

At Guru Har Gobind Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Bahadurgarh, 11 out of 32 students flunked in Chemistry. Of the 26 students at the local MGMN Senior Secondary School, two failed and four got reappear in one paper.

MBA aspirants serve notice on PAU
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 15
Alleging change of rules for admission to MBA in Punjab Agricultural University, aspirants who had appeared in the Management Aptitude Test (MAT) held on the campus on May 2 have served a legal notice on the Vice-Chancellor, the Controller of Examinations and the All-India Management Association (AIMA).

The candidates said on page number 183 of the prospectus-2004 released by the AIMA, it was clearly stated that ‘‘The group discussion and interview of the candidates who qualify the entrance test with 50 percentile (30 percentile for wards of NRI, NRI-sponsored and industry-sponsored candidates) will be held on June 20 at the PAU, Ludhiana.’’ The aspirants said no other condition had been imposed by the university for admission till the time the entrance test was held.

The candidates said the university had issued its own prospectus after conducting the entrance test in which they mentioned an additional condition on the page number 27. It read, ‘‘The candidates obtaining 50 percentile in the composite test and 50 percentile in Indian and Global Environment Test separately will be called for interview and group discussion.’’ They said no such clause of passing with 50 percentile in individual tests had appeared in the notice of MAT prospectus.

They demanded that the addition of subsequent clause of passing Indian and Global Environment Test with 50 percentile be withdrawn within a period of eight days failing which they would file a writ petition in the High Court.

580 students get scholarships
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 15
The Nehru Sidhant Kendra Trust organised a scholarship and prize distribution function at Nehru Sidhant Kendra here yesterday. As many as 580 students received scholarships worth Rs 8,85,280. Ms Shveta, a student of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital received an amount of Rs 5000 equivalent to her half yearly hostel charges. 

As many as 41 meritorious students of 11 schools, including BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School, CFC Public School, Kundan Vidya Mandir, Rashtriya Bal Vidya Mandir, RS Model School, Sacred Heart School at BRS Nagar, Sargodha Khalsa Girls’ High School, SD Girls’ Senior Secondary School, Tagore Public School, USPC Jain School and NM Jain Model School received their first half yearly installment amounting to Rs 1200 per student.

The first instalment of scholarship was also given to 427 students of 13 government schools, besides several other public schools like BCM School on Focal Point, Guru Nanak Khalsa Girls’ High School, Brahmrishi Bawra Shiksha Niketan, Jamuna Model School, RS Model School, SD Girls’ School, KVM, city branch, and Guru Nanak High School at Sargodha Colony.

Besides, prizes were also distributed among winners of inter-school declamation contest organised by the trust on May 4 this year. Among the speakers in English, Shireen Bhatt of Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, BRS Nagar, stood first. Malvika Sharma of Kundan Vidya Mandir was declared second. Jashan Sandhu of Sacred Heart Convent Senior Secondary School, Sarabha Nagar, stood third. Consolation prize went to Harsimranjit Kaur of GGN Public School.

Among the speakers in Hindi, Tarunpreet Chawla of DAV Public School, BRS Nagar, clinched the first prize. The second prize was bagged by Sahibpreet Kaur of Kundan Vidya Mandir, city branch. Third prize went to Anuradha Pandey of BCM Senior Secondary School, Focal Point. Megha Singhania of Sat Paul Mittal School, Dugri, won consolation prize.

Brahmjot Kaur of Guru Nanak Public School, Sarabha Nagar, bagged the first prize among speakers in Punjabi. Taranjot Kaur of CFC Public School and Chamanpreet of Guru Nanak International Public School shared the second position. Third rank was obtained by Nisha of BCM Senior Secondary School, Focal Point. Consolation prize went to Manpreet of GGN Public School.

Special appreciation awards were given to young participant, Aseem Pandher of Sat Paul Mittal School and Sahibpreet Kaur of Kundan Vidya mandir, city branch. The overall trophy was bagged by Kundan Vidya Mandir, Civil Lines.

Mr Dinkar Gupta, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Ludhiana, was the chief guest. He called upon the children to follow the footsteps of Pandit Nehru and participate in shaping the future of India. Mr Prem Nath Gupta, President of the trust, was the guest of honour. Mr Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice President of the trust, said that the trust gave scholarships worth Rs 15 lakh to the students by way of scholarships, award and orations every year.

Road safety quiz held
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 15
Senior section students from Government Girls’ Senior Secondary School, near Division Number 3, participated in a traffic safety quiz organised by TVS Scooty here yesterday.

Students of Classes IX, X and XII were given a written test of 50 multiple choice questions on road safety. Among Class IX students, Madhu Bala stood first, followed by Shivani Bhatti. Neelam Rani of Class X stood first while Monika Rani bagged the second prize among participants of the same class. Kafia stood first among participants of Plus Two, to be followed by Kusum. 

Exhibition on home decor inaugurated
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 15
Two enterprising young women, Ranmeet Kaur and Pragati Gandhi, have put up an exhibition comprising more than 50 paintings and hand-made antique mirror frames at the Sutlej Club. The exhibition was inaugurated by Dr Surjit Patar, president, Punjabi Sahitya Akademi, here this morning. The exhibition will conclude tomorrow.

A collection of paintings by Ranmeet Kaur from the RK School of Creative Arts shows that she has been inspired by nature and her experiences. The paintings are in various mediums like oil on canvas, acrylic on canvas, pencil sketches and pen paintings.

She has had no formal training in art, yet she is more of an artist than a designer. She had worked as a designer for an international brand of hosiery.

The exhibition has some exquisitely carved mirror frames by Pragati Gandhi. She has been inspired from old designs of “chippendale” from a fragment of the ceiling cornice in Paris’s Palais du Louvre and from the neo-classical age of King Louis XVI.

Each design is exclusive and a collector’s delight. A mirror framed in bright orange sun’s rays can add colour to any room. Art of various continents has been incorporated into the mirror frames.