EDUCATION

Education board, Chinese dept sign memo
Our Correspondent

Mohali, September 28
Keeping in view the utility of education exchange programme, the Punjab School Education Board has signed a fresh memorandum with the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education (JPDE), China.

It had earlier signed a memorandum with the JPDE in 2003 to enhance mutual understanding and explore potential for education exchange.

The new memorandum was signed by Prof Harbans Singh Sidhu, education board Chairman, and Wang Bintai, Director-General of the JPDE, at a function organised in Nanzing during his visit to China recently.

A six-member delegation of the education board, led by Professor Sidhu, had visited China from September 16 to 24.

Under the memorandum, the Chinese Government will invite students and teachers from schools affiliated with the PSEB to China and vice versa.

This would strengthen the socio-economic and cultural ties between the two countries and lead to an overall development.

At a press conference here today, Professor Sidhu said the delegation visited government schools at Suzhon, Changzhon, Youngzhou and Nanzing and interacted with the faculty there.

The delegation also interacted with senior officials of the JPDE and discussed future education plans.

The Chairman said the economic development of China was primarily due to its focus on education, particularly school education.

Education was free and compulsory, classrooms as well as hostels were air-conditioned and every classroom had a projector and laptops. Libraries were also well stocked. Also, the assessment of teachers was done by students. A 6+3+3 system of education was followed in schools.

As many as 35 per cent of the students went in for higher education whereas in India the percentage for higher education at the national level was only eight.

He said a lot of development activity was going on in China and the country was heading towards becoming an economic superpower in the next 10 years.

The other five members of the delegation were: MLA and board member Ashok Sharma, senior scientific officer Shruti Shukla, Adarsh Senior Secondary School Principal Parminder Kaur, Paragon Senior Secondary School director Balraj Singh Shergill and retired Principal from Gurdaspur Lachman Singh.

Hindi celebration concludes
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 28
The Hindi fortnight celebration, organised from September 14 to September 28 at KV High Grounds, Chandigarh, concluded today with a declamation contest.

At the inaugural ceremony of the celebrations, the Principal Ms S.K.Bhatia stressed upon the need to master Hindi as a language. An exhibition on Hindi language was organized by the Hindi faculty. A special competition titled ‘hansi ke golgappe’ was also held in which Shivang Sood and Aashirwad bagged the first prize.Aashirvad also bagged the first prize in solo song competition.

A “kavi sammelan” was also organised. The Vice-Principal, Ms Amita Sharma, expressed the need to propagate Hindi to maintain cultural unity.

Protest by PUSU
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 28
The newly elected PUSU president Abhishek Puri, along with PUSU activists and chemical engineering students, protested in front of the VC office today for arrangement of payment of fee at the departments.

Later the party members led a candle eight march in the university to mark the 100th birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh.

COURTS

HC notice to BCCI
High Court Correspondent

Chandigarh, September 28
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued a notice of motion to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and others on a petition filed by the president of the UT Cricket Association (UTCA), Chandigarh.

In his petition, Col Ajit Singh Judge, president, UTCA, Chandigarh, had sought directions to the BCCI and other respondents to grant affiliation to the UTCA as was recommended long back in 1983.

The petitioner had stated that the UTCA, which came into existence in 1981, had not been given affiliation by the BCCI for unknown reasons. As a result, the affiliation of the UTCA with the BCCI had been hanging fire for the past 20 years.

In 1983, the BCCI deputed a three-member team to visit the city and study the infrastructure of the UTCA. The team, the petition claimed, gave its report in the favour of the UTCA.

Video conferencing to aid of disabled

Chandigarh, September 28
Video conferencing came to the aid of a hundred per cent disabled former airman who gave his testimony while sitting at his home hundreds of metres away in Kerala.

The victim, Beny.P.Varghese had filed a case for compensation of Rs 20 lakh before the Motor Accident Claim Tribunal (MACT) in the court of Additional District and Session Judge, Mr B.K.Mehta.

The Air Force personnel was rendered disabled after suffering injuries when his motor cycle was hit by a tractor in sector 47 in November 11, 2000. After the accident he was taken to Kerala by his family. “Since he could not appear before the court, a lawyer, Mr Moudgil was appointed to witness the testimony of the claimant at Reliance Web World”, said the counsel of the claimant. — TNS