EDUCATION

Grant of precious 15 minutes to examinees lauded
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 13
The decision of the Central Board of Secondary Education to allow 15 more minutes to examinees of the board classes has been welcomed by teachers and students alike. While they are unanimous that it will allow students to attempt the paper in a better way, the CBSE’s disapproval over conducting a number of pre-boards has not gone down well with most of them.

The principal of Manav Mangal School, Sector 21, Mr Sanjay Sardana, said that it was a student-friendly step. “With an additional 15 minutes at their disposal, the students will be able to overcome the examination jitters. It will help them in being mentally prepared before they actually get down to writing.”

He however added that on the issue of conducting pre-boards, the schools should be given all liberty. “The school should have the right to choose how it wants to prepare its students for the examination. In view of the boards decision, the school may carry on with the pre-boards in the name of revision tests,” Mr Sardana maintained.

A teacher at DAV Public School, Sector 8, Ms Aruna Bhardwaj, appreciating the decision to give extra 15 minutes for examinees stated: “It will help ease students tension. It will also provide students enough time to settle down, thoroughly read the paper and attempt it according to their preparation.”

From the same school, Inderpratap Singh, a Class X student, held that “The board should not restrict the number of pre-boards. It is only revision of the syllabi which helps build our confidence. The school ensures that we are able to give our best shot in the finals”.

Another students of Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 8, Jyoti Kaushal said: “The decision will help us prepare our strategy for appearing in the examination. Earlier, our seniors would often complain that they had no time to read the paper and began attempting as soon as they got it in their hands since it was lengthy, leading to a complete mess up in the last half-an-hour.”

Protest at PU against paucity of hostels
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, July 13
The Panjab University Students Union (PUSU) activists led by its president, Amandeep Singh held a protest against the university authorities for their failure to provide accommodation in hostels to many deserving students taking admissions in various departments of the university.

Affected students, who have failed to get hostels, gathered outside VC office and raised slogans against the authorities. They demanded that they should be provided accommodation in hostels with immediate effect.

Amandeep Singh said, “Every bonafide outstation student is entitled to hostel facility and authorities can’t refuse him/her this facility. Officials are not performing their duty properly. They don’t even bother to listen to the problems being faced by students. Some students have been waiting here for the past so many days to get a room in a hostel, but authorities are refusing to accommodate them”.

According to Simerpreet Singh Sidhu, press secretary of PUSU, “PU should first properly accommodate old students in hostels and then it should start new courses and think of increasing the number of seats in the existing courses. The hostel mess and canteens are still closed while the new session has already begun”, he complained.

According to a press note issued here by Prof Nirmal Singh, Dean, Students Welfare and Dr Meenakshi Malhotra, Dean, Students Welfare (Women), “admission to the Panjab University hostels is being made according to the allocation chart already circulated to the chairpersons of the teaching departments. Seats are allocated on merit basis. As and when admission process in all teaching departments is over, only then it will be possible to re-allocate the vacant seats depending upon the availability of rooms. Students who have not been able to get hostel accommodation, so far, are requested to bear with us and wait for their turn accordingly”.

On-the-spot fee deposit facility at PU
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, July 13
State Bank of India, Panjab University, Chandigarh branch, has started on the spot fee depositing facility for the centralised counselling for B E/B Arch and BE Chemical Engineering and Technology students who are attending the first counselling for admission to these courses at university auditorium here today.

Mr Parody Kumar, Chief Manager, also guided students about availability of loans for higher education and other products available with State Bank of India for the welfare of the general public and also Information Technology Initiatives started by the SBI like ATM facility for fee depositing and Internet banking for general banking. There is a separate counter for availing on the spot education of loans.

Date extended

The last date for submission of application forms for admission to various courses in the Department of Evening Studies, Panjab University, has been extended up to July 18, according to Prof J.K. Gupta, Dean of University Instruction, PU.

BA I results out

The result of BA I (Regular College Students) examination conducted by the university in April/May 2005 have been declared.

The gazette will be available at new enquiry of the university tomorrow at 4 pm onwards and also on all working days. The result will also be available on the university website www.puchd.ac.in and can be accessed through SMS after 4 pm.

To know the result through SMS, the candidates should go to “writing message” on the mobile phone, type class code no. BA1C leave one space followed by the roll no. and send it to 700. No telephonic result enquiry will be entertained according to Controller of Examinations, PU.

Students throng PU for admission to engineering courses
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, July 13
A huge rush of students was witnessed at Law Auditorium of Panjab University today as admissions to various courses for the general category started. Students had a tough time as they had to wait for long hours for their turn. Combined admissions to the University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET), Panjab University, the Chandigarh College of Architecture (CCA), Sector 12, the Chandigarh College of Engineering and Technology (CCET), Sector 26, the Department of Chemical Engineering (DCE), PU, and Punjab Engineering College (PEC), Sector 12, here are being held.

In PEC, only six seats are vacant under metallurgy in the all-India quota and for UT two seats are vacant in production. At the CCET all seats are empty. In the UIET, 12 seats are vacant in electronics and 29 seats are available in computer science. At the DCET, 16 seats are vacant in chemical engineering and 12 are available in food and technology.

PU denies admission to rank holder
Swarleen Kaur

Ravi Kumar

Chandigarh, July 13
Panjab University has refused to acknowledge the toil of a deserving student. Ravi Kumar failed to secure admission to M Sc (Hons School) in microbiology despite the fact that he got the first rank in the entrance test conducted for the admission to the course by Panjab University. The reason given by the university was that there was no seat in the general category.

However, the test was conducted for seats under both the general and the NRI categories. The department now says that it has only five seats under the NRI category and Ravi Kumar was asked to opt for an NRI seat.

Unable to pay the huge sum needed to secure a seat under the NRI quota, the Banaras-based topper said, “I came to Chandigarh because I wanted to avail myself of better facilities at Panjab University. I don’t have the money to join under the NRI quota. After making several rounds of his office, I met Vice-Chancellor K.N. Pathak but he gave me no assurance regarding my admission”.

The head of the Department of Microbiology, Mr R.P. Tewari, too, expressed his inability to take any constructive step. He said: “My hands are tied and I am just following the guidelines.”

The availability of seats in M Sc (Hons School) also depends on the result of BSc (Hons). It was also mentioned in the prospectus that there may not be a vacant seat in the general category in microbiology.

Vice-Chancellor K.N. Pathak said, “The seats for this course depend on the result of B Sc (Hons). It happens that sometimes there may not be any seat”.

Amandeep Singh, president of PUSU, said, “There must be some open seats in the general category in the Microbiology Department also. For a deserving student an additional seat can be created in the general category by the university.”

Ravi Kumar is hoping against hope that justice will be done to him and his merit will be recognised.

CULTURE

Myriad moods on display
S.D. Sharma

A group of five young woman artists from Kurukshetra University have coalesced their imaginative and aesthetic skills to craft a spectrum of over 60 painting works.

The impressive maiden group show featuring their paintings in acrylic and oil medium at the Government Museum and Art Gallery here was inaugurated today by eminent artist, Malkit Singh.

The exhibits offer varied themes expressed in myriad moods and artistic excellence. Depicting the magnificence of the panoramic views of nature which had left an indelible mark on the mind of Dehra Dun-born Anupma Sharma, the group leader, had dwelt on mythological and contemporary themes. Clouds, landscapes and illustration of winter, autumn and spring season depicted through the moods of a woman is a spectacle to eyes and a nourishment to soul.

Her twin sister, Deepika Sharma, too, had a blend of religious tradition and modernity. Her imaginative intensity is perceptible in “Udaan”, a series of paintings symbolizing the growth of a human, gradually shaping his presence and recognition in the society.

Too young to assimilate the concept of her works, Saroj Gurjar attributes her credible creations to her study and interaction with people from all walks of life. This was apparent in “Abhilasha”, a series of eight paintings on relationships. Similarly, another set of works is a tribute to ‘womanhood’ showing her slumbering status to attain the volcanic courage fighting the male chauvinism.

Pooja Ghangas in a bold attempt has bared the male hegemony in the society. Besides “Chakravyuh” denoting the vicious cycle of life the radiant ‘Swastik’ too deserves as mention. The painting works of Priyanka Dundwal exude romance, ecstasy and the curious wait besides ‘Landscapes’ documenting her trekking experience. However, the ‘stage’ symbolising the seven stages of a man is of greater philosophical content.

The exhibition is open till July 19 between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.