Schools forced to admit ‘recommended’ students
Vimal Sumbly
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 15
Sometimes being reputed and important turns out to be a liability. That is what the managements of some top schools in the city have learnt. Just because the schools rank among the top, they are flooded with recommendations, from everybody who matters asking them for admission of one candidate or the other.

While the politicians are always there with scores of representations, it is the officers of the administration and police who try to assert the most when it comes to the admissions. Right from a Station House Officer to the senior officers, everybody comes with some recommendations "which have necessarily to be accommodated".

The school managements said, the politicians, however, are not a problem as they do not turn vindictive the way officials do.

Sources in various schools revealed that even the officials of the state Vigilance Bureau (of the Punjab Police), which have no concern with the schools, have also started exerting themselves for getting candidates admitted to various schools.

The Vigilance Bureau is the latest entrant into the race for admissions. It was only after the bureau got too active with its pursuit of corruption cases against politicians that it started extending its influence over the admission in schools.

The worst hit are a couple of schools only. The sources in the school disclosed that in case they overlook or ignore the recommendation of any official at any stage, they are harassed later in the year with vengeance. Be it the stopping of the school buses on various pretexts, checking the canteen supplies or levelling the allegations of under hand donations.

Two years ago, a senior officer in the local administration had allegedly instigated one of the candidates parents who could not manage admission, to file a public interest litigation (PIL) against some schools accusing them of taking under hand donation. The PIL was later withdrawn.

The schools are apprehensive that the same story might be repeated again as it is not possible to accommodate all the candidates. The number of applicants is always several times more than the vacant seats. 

Students showcase talent at science exhibition
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, January 15
Mr Harban Das Johar , Education Minister, Punjab has exhorted the students to acquire excellence in the field of science and technology to capture job opportunities available at the international level. He was addressing students and teachers after inaugurating 33rd State Science Exhibition here today.

The State Institute of Science Education has organised a state level science exhibition at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Bharat Nagar, Ludhiana. The theme of this exhibition as specified by the NCERT is “Recent trends in science and technology”.

Mr Johar said the Education Department has chalked out a comprehensive plan to search the talent in respect to science and technology by organising science exhibitions at tehsil, district and state level and claimed that these exhibitions proved to be a catalyst in sharpening talent of the students. He said the state had produced great scientists like Satish Dhawan, Mr Hargobind Khurana and Kalpana Chawla. He also appreciated the efforts made by the scientists of the Punjab Agricultural University.

About 175 models have been exhibited at the exhibition in which 434 students and 237 teachers are taking part. The main attraction of the exhibition is chart - making, teaching, — aids, and quiz contest for junior and senior students.

Mr Nahar Singh Gill, Mayor, Ludhiana Municipal corporation, presided over the function and said models prepared by the students would help in providing knowledge to local industrialists and the students of technology.

The Ludhiana DEO Secondary and the DEO Elementary said the Education Minister has given instructions to all schools to visit this state level exhibition.

Teachers call on education officials
Our Correspondent

Khanna, January 14
The district unit of the Punjab Pardesh Teachers Union has met the District Education Officer (Secondary), Mr Yash Pal Mehra, and the District Education Officer (Elementary), Ms Harvinder Kaur, to discuss their problems.

The press secretary of the union, Mr Ajit Singh Khanna, said here today that various issues, including the release of GPF slips, were discussed with both the officials. The officials informed the teachers that the department had sent the GPF cases up to December 31 to the Circle Education Officer, Nabha.

HEALTH

Award for  paediatrician
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 15
Dr B.K. Jain, Head of the Department of Paediatrics at the DMCH was awarded the fellowship by the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (FIAP) during the 42nd annual conference of Indian Academy of Paediatrics. It is the highest and the prestigious honour of the academy. Dr Jain is the only paediatrician from Punjab this year who received this national award.

SPORTS

GNPS boys for international meets
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, January 15
Two students of local Guru Nanak Public School, Sarbha Nagar, have been selected to participate in the international tournaments. A press note issued today by the school Principal read that Rattan Singh and Ankur Wadhwa, both students of Class VIII, have made their school proud as their names figure in the list of players to tour Sharjah and USA, respectively.

Rattan Singh will be the member of the Indian squad to take part in the All Gulf Cricket Tournament (u-13 years) scheduled to be held at Sharjah from January 18 to 28. This tour is being arranged by the Cricket Coaching Trust, Delhi, run by former Indian leg spinner and captain Bishan Singh Bedi. Meanwhile, Ankur Wadhwa, a budding taekowando player, figures in the list of players released by the Haryana State Taekowando Association which will take part in the 14th Annual US Open Taekowando Championship to be held from March 2 onwards at Atlanta, USA.

Khalsa College bags trophy
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, January 15
Continuing with their all-round performance, the students of the local Khalsa College for Women, Civil Lines, brought laurels to their alma mater clinching the overall trophy in the Inter-College Cultural Competition held at A S College for Women, Khanna, yesterday.

Dr Varinder Kaur Thind, Principal, Khalsa College for Women, said that during the one-day competition participants took part in 15 events and the eves of the college competed in 14 disciplines. They won as many as 20 prizes and also annexed the overall trophy. Dr Thind, while congratulating the winners, exhorted them to continue performing in this fashion in future also.