Panchkula, April 5
The results of the middle examination conducted by the Haryana education board were declared today. The pass percentage was recorded at 61.34 per cent. The overall pass percentage of the town saw an increase by about 7 per cent. Last year the pass percentage was 54.17 per cent.

As many as 6,716 students had taken the exams this year, of which 4,120 have cleared the examinations. Shubham of JP Gurukul School, Pinjore, has topped the examination by securing 93 per cent marks. He is the son of Ramesh Lal, a Sanskrit teacher with Government High School, Bitna, and Prem Lata, a housewife.

According to the district education officer Kanta Malik, the private schools had shown a better result than the government ones this year. There are 150 schools in the town, of which 99 are government schools.

The DEO said in Barbala block the pass percentage was the highest at 70.06 with 763 students, out of 1,089, clearing the examination. Morni block recorded the lowest pass percentage of 36.93. Here only 164 students cleared the exam from the total number of 444 taking the exam. Panchkula block recorded a pass percentage of 62.17. In Raipur Rani, the pass percentage was recorded at 60.04.

According to the DEO’s office, Vinod Bhagwat of BN Senior Secondary School has ranked second with 92.83 per cent marks, Ruchi Gupta of Saarthak School, Sector 12-A, has ranked third with 92 per cent marks. Priyanka of City Heart School-10 has ranked fourth with 91.17 per cent marks while Sachin Raghav of Haryana Model School, Sector 10, has secured the fifth position with 90 per cent marks.

Meanwhile, Government Model School, Tharwa, Raipur Rani block, has recorded a 100 per cent result. None from Government Model School, Thathar, Morni block, cleared the examination.

Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, DEO Kanta Malik stated that strict action would be taken against the schools who had performed poorly in the examination. 

Chandigarh, April 5
The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) will hold a skill test in data entry and speed test in computer of the candidates who have qualified the tax assistant (income tax and central excise) examination, 2006, on April 28 and 29.

Deputy regional director N.K. Virdi today said call letters to eligible candidates were being issued.

Those who do not receive letters by April 23 can contact the office of deputy regional director, Kendriya Sadan, Sector-9, Chandigarh, on April 24 and 25, during working hours for issue of duplicate call letter in person. — TNS

Chandigarh, April 5
With a view to helping students displaced from schools that were shut down in the residential areas of Mani Majra, the Chandigarh administration has decided to accommodate them in the existing government schools.

A committee met today to evaluate the arrangements for the admission of displaced students and decided to provide additional sections in the existing government model senior secondary schools in Modern Housing Complex, Government Senior Secondary School and Government Model High School, Mani Majra.

It also decided to start evening classes in all schools, including Government Primary School 1 and 2, Indira Colony, and Government Model High School, Sector 26.

The engineering department has been directed to expedite the construction of a new government high school at Vikas Nagar, Mauli Jagran, and an additional block at the Government Model Senior Secondary School, Modern Housing Complex, Mani Majra.

The municipal corporation has been directed to carve out more school sites in Mani Majra.

The decision on the closure of schools running from residential sites in Mani Majra was taken by the administration on the recommendations of the committee constituted in pursuance of the orders passed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

An official press note said Mani Majra, being an essential part of Chandigarh, could not be given the benefit of any exemption on the grounds sought by private school owners.

“Schools must run in institutional premises, such that the activity of teaching and learning were carried out in an appropriate environment, with commercial consideration irrelevant.”

“As is apparent, these schools continued to operate with impunity, and had made no convincing attempts to deal with problems they have created. It has been officially admitted that around 7,000 students are likely to be affected by these developments. Alternative arrangements for admission to these students will have to be made in other government schools.

Parents of the affected children have been asked to contact principals of government schools for admission of their displaced children.

It was decided to start a second shift in all six government schools situated in Mani Majra.

Chandigarh, April 5
Students of the department of laws, Panjab University, here, today boycotted classes to protest against not having been given enough time to prepare for their examinations. The students led by leaders of the Panjab University Student Union (PUSU) and the Student Organisation of Panjab university (SOPU) raised slogans outside the department’s gate this morning and disbanded classes.

PUSU president Abhishek Puri said the result of the first semester of law was declared on April 4 and the reappear examinations were scheduled to begin on April 14. According to a ruling given by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to the universities, students should be given at least 21 days between the declaration of results and the next examination, he added. “Students came to know on April 4 that they have to reappear on April 14,” he further said.

Highlighting another problem, SOPU President Harpreet Multani said the students had been given very few marks in the internal assessment. System of internal assessment out of 20 marks was started from the session 2006-07 and 5 marks out of these were for attendance.

Multani alleged that instead of improving the pass percentage the internal assessment system had led to more students failing. The pass percentage of the first semester this year had been about 44 per cent.

Puri pointed out that students who attended more than 75 to 80 per cent of the lectures were given only one mark out of five. “There are many flaws in the practice. Either this rule of giving marks for attendance should be abolished or it should be streamlined like in other professional courses i.e. the percentage of marks given is same as the percentage of the lectures attended,” he said.

Dr Shashi Sharma, the head of the law department, said he had already recommended to the university that the examinations of first semester be postponed to April 25. 

Chandigarh, April 5
Unwillingness to respect the verdict of the labour court has spelled trouble for six recalcitrant government servants, including a divisional forest officer (DFO). The labour commissioner today ordered the prosecution of these Haryana officers in separate cases.

The officers facing prosecution were employers of the workers who had moved the court regarding their grievances.

DFO, seed collection division, Pinjore, R.S. Lamba has been ordered to be prosecuted for not honouring the award secured by aggrieved worker Reshma Devi.

Efforts were made at the level of the labour inspector as well as the deputy labour commissioner to implement the award but the worker was neither paid her dues nor reinstated.

In view of the DFO’s reluctance to comply with the labour court’s order, the labour commissioner today ordered his prosecution.

In the second case, executive engineer, PWD (B&R), provincial division, Panchkula, Sanjeev Kumar did not honour the award given by the labour court in Ambala.

He failed to reinstate aggrieved worker Satbir Singh and pay his dues. This prompted the labour commissioner to order his prosecution.

In another case, warden of the youth hostel at Sector 3, Panchkula M.L. Viragi and his fellow warden from youth hostel, Devi Nagar, have been ordered to be prosecuted for failing to honour the award given to aggrieved worker Ramesh Kumar by the labour court.

The wardens refused to pay the dues of worker or reinstate him in spite of repeated efforts made by the labour department.

Similarly, executive engineer, PWD (B&R), Haryana, Chandigarh, Varinder Jakhar and sub-divisional officer, PWD (B&R), sub-division no. 1, Panchkula, B.S. Khakhar will be prosecuted for failing to honour the award secured by aggrieved worker Babu Ram from the labour court in Ambala.

Chandigarh, April 5
Presentations in string puppetry with traditional themes dominated the fourth day of the ongoing Putul Yatra-2007 at the Punjab Kala Bhavan. Noted string puppeteer Raj Kumar Bhatt took centre stage with his troupe bringing alive the grandeur of Rajput king Amar Singh Rathore of the Nagaur kingdom. Bhatt led his team, who are all family members, to weave magic with strings. He handled over twelve strings at a time, depicting routine proceedings at the royal ‘darbar’ of Amar Singh Rathore. Credited with rare participation at the world puppet festival at Washington, Bhatt is optimistic of a better future for the art and the artistes.

Santosh Devi, Sanita and Dulari Masoom, and Jagdish Bhatt, provided folklore vocal music strains interlinking the story line. Thespian Dr Atamjit honoured the artistes.

The programme concluded with a traditional mythological presentation ‘Panchwati’, directed by Soma Shekhar Char of Mudalapya Traditional Puppetry Arts, Karnataka. Though the narrations were in Kannad, the audience enjoyed the movements of the puppets.