EDUCATION

Teachers plan stir against delay in new appointments
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, December 31
The Primary and Elementary Sikhya Bachao Front consisting of eight unions of primary teachers, has welcomed the decision of the Panjab Government to start the elementary teacher training class from January 27 for which the front had been struggling for the past three 3 years.

In a joint press note, leaders of the front Piara Singh Dhillon, Mr Pritpal Singh , Ajit Singh Mand , Mohinder Singh Heer, Harjinder Pal Pannu, Gurjit Singh Bajwa, Karan Raj Singh Gill, Rajinder Singh, Baldev Krishan Moudgil and Karam Singh Sohava, said that this decision was in the interests of the primary teachers.

They condemned the law passed by the Panjab Assembly on December 15 to make recoveries from the highly qualified teachers, who had achieved the higher pay scales, during their service according to a decision of the Supreme Court of India. They announced to start a struggle against this “black law” and also to challenge the law in the court. A meeting of office-bearers of the front and affected teachers would be held on January 8 in Ludhiana at 11.30 a.m..

These leaders also supported the struggle by un employed ETT teachers against the delaying tactics of the government to appoint primary teachers. They further announced that the front would also start a agitation for this demand. A meeting of state presidents had been summoned at Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall, Jalandhar, on Jan 2 at 11.30 am.

A dismal year for education
Asha Ahuja

Ludhiana, December 31
The year 2004 was a dismal year as far as the education scenario is concerned. The whole year saw teachers of colleges and schools disatisfied,who help protests.

Students of several colleges went on strike on flimsy grounds. Schools organised functions with monotonous repetitions, showing lack of originality.

Primary teachers have been unhappy since the time the government announced the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan. Teachers lament that they were not consulted while drafting this plan. It was decided by a few bureaucrats, without keeping the ground realities in mind. Eight organisations of primary and middle school teachers joined hands to form a front against “wrong” policies of the government. They wanted vacant posts to be filled and promotions granted.

The Punjab and Chandigarh College Union (PCCTU) also kept on agitating throughout the year. It wanted the government to give 95 per cent grant-in- aid of private colleges. They wanted parity in salaries of DPEs, and librarians with other teachers, besides the house rent allowance.

The Unemployed Elementary Teachers Union held a protest rally yesterday to remind the government to fill vacant posts. Throughout the year unemployed teachers kept striving to get 18,000 posts filled, but in vain. If teachers were unhappy, so were students. Students of Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College went on strike when one of the teachers allegedly slapped a student. The matter was finally sorted out and the students were able to save a semester. Similarly, students of SCD College, SDP College and the Khalsa College for Women also went on strike.

As far as schools are concerned, commercialisation of education has become the norm. Pre-nursery and nursery schools have mushroomed in the city. Anxious parents send their children to such schools so that they can get admission to prestigious schools. Some of these schools charge exorbitant fees, but parents are willing to shellout money for the sake of their kids.

To be one up on the other, schools celebrated functions like teej, rakhi and Independence Day in advance to get coverage in the print media. Too many functions meant a burden on parents as they had to spend money on providing different costumes.

PCTE student tops BBA II semester exams
Our Correspondent

Navtej Singh

Ludhiana, December 31
Navtej Singh, a student of Punjab College of Technical Education (PCTE), Ludhiana, has bagged the first position in the BBA second semester examinations held by Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar. PCTE students have bagged the first, second, third, eighth, ninth and 10th positions in the BBA second semester university examination held in May, 2004. Dr K.N.S. Kang, Director, PCTE, stated, “In university results declared so far PCTE students have bagged 37 first positions in the university in various semester examinations of MBA, BBA, MCA and BCA since its inception in August 1999.”

Navtej Singh, a student of BBA, has bagged the top position in the second semester university exams by getting 88 per cent marks, a communique of the PCTE. Navtej scored 528 out of 600 marks. Preeti Kalsi secured the second position by scoring 87.6 per cent marks and Madhuri Garg bagged the third position by securing 85 per cent. Anmol Bansal secured the eighth position by scoring 83.33 per cent. Gagandeep Singh secured the ninth position. She scored 82 per cent marks. Karandeep Kaur bagged the 10th position in the university.

Annual function at Florence school
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, December 31
An annual prize distribution function was organised at Florence Day Boarding Public School , Jagirpur Road, here today. Mr Ashwani Sharma, secretary, Punjab Government, was the chief guest.

The function started with a song invoking God’s blessings. Students had presented a ‘very colourful cultural programme comprising songs and dances.

The bhangra and giddha were performed with a lot of vigour and the students’ colourful dresses fascinated the parents.

The Principal, Ms Inderjit Kaur Sidhu, read out the annual report highlighting the achievements of the school. Earlier, Mr Dalbir Singh Sandhu, Director, welcomed the other guests, Mr Harwinder Happy, Mr Harish Tandon, former councillors and Gurdial Singh “Beeta”, Sarpanch.