Chandigarh, May 9
Students of the government schools of the city are in for a treat as the Chandigarh education department in association with the department of tourism and the Chandigarh industrial and tourism development corporation (CITCO) has chalked out a special trip for them. The department has planned to take them for local sight seeing and to the Light and Sound show at Government Museum, Sector 10.

The schools have been instructed to collect Rs 5 from each willing student after getting written consent from their parents. Since the hop-on-hop-off open-roof double-decker bus cannot enter all areas, a bus from the ITI, Chandigarh, will take the school children from Hotel Shivalikview at 9.30 am and 1.30 pm and back as per timing suitable to them. For the Light and Sound programme at Government Museum, the students will be taken at 6.30 am onwards for which buses would be made available on demand. There will be two tours of 50 students (4 hours duration) daily. However, the schools can make their own transports arrangement also.

Regarding the charges, DPI (S) S.K. Setia stated that the total concessional charge by CITCO would be Rs 20.

The department of tourism will provide literature, pictures, post-cards and badges to all students. A guide would also accompany the students.

The education department is also chalking out training camps, including mountaineering for the government school students.

The department has received a letter from the directorate of mountaineering and allied sports, Manali, regarding this programme at various places in Himachal Pradesh. Besides, this the administration is also planning to hold training camps for students in the UT forest areas. 

Chandigarh, May 9
Panjab University vice-chancellor Prof R.C. Sobti, accompanied by dean, College Development Council, Prof S.K. Sharma, deputy registrar (secrecy), AR (general), office superintendent (fee checking) and students employees grievances redressal officer, visited Baba Kundar Singh College, Muhar, and Dashmesh Girls College in Badal district of Muktsar, to study the problems faced by the colleges affiliated to Panjab University in Ferozepur and Muktsar districts.

About 20 principals from Ferozepur and 13 principals from Muktsar participated at the meetings. After listening to the grievances of principals, the vice-chancellor said he would try his best to see that students may not have to come to Chandigarh for depositing the fee and for that he was in touch with State Bank of India which would collect the fee from students at all branches. He added that he would make sure that the fee would be collected at the regional centres from the next session.

He further said a single window enquiry system was already in practice wherein students could give their complaints at 11 am and get their reply at 3 pm on the same day. However, if some documents were required to be presented by the students, then they would have to come again.

He revealed that the results of compartment candidates had already been declared and the DMCs sent. He added that the results of all classes will be declared by June 20 and no result would be declared without having prepared the DMCs in advance. This time, the results would not be sent to the colleges by post. The principals would collect the result of their students within three days from the declaration.

Taking notice of the difficulties being faced in the proper use of pupin cards, he assured that he would try to find a long-lasting solution to the system.

In view of the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, he said the process of affiliation of the colleges would be completed by May 15 and no document regarding affiliation would be accepted after the stipulated date.

Regarding the diamond jubilee celebrations, he announced that in June an examination mela would be organised at Panjab University to solve problems related to examinations.

Regarding private academies, he asked the principals to send their suggestions to check the growth of these academies. Taking harder stance, he said no relaxation would be given with regard to general conditions for affiliation. He added that on surprise visits, the syndicate had decided to disaffiliate four colleges. He further made it clear that the university would not give M.Ed classes to the new colleges. B.Ed colleges would not be allowed to increase their seats till they fulfil the conditions imposed by the inspection committee.

Rules for grant of NSS to colleges would also be examined, he said. Making a fervent appeal, he asked the colleges to adopt at least one village and guide the students for taking the CET. He declared that technical courses would be started in the college at Muhar village provided the village panchayat gave land and infrastructure for the same by the end of June this year. 

Chandigarh, May 9
Ambedkar Centre, Panjab University, Chandigarh, and Yuvsatta, an NGO working in Chandigarh slums, organised an orientation programme for marginalised women living in slums and villages of Chandigarh on the university campus here today.

At least 65 women and panchayat members attended the programme on socio-economic empowerment of poor.

Prof R.C. Sobti, vice-chancellor, who inaugurated the programme, highlighted the dangers of social inequality and termed underdevelopment in Chandigarh slums as a blot in the face of City Beautiful.

Appreciating the work done by some NGOs in the field of women empowerment through self-help groups, he emphasised the need for removing intermediaries between producers and consumers, who make huge profits at the cost of both.

Raksha Dhand of SS Memorial Educational Society, Chamkaur Sahib, shared success stories of self-help groups formed by their NGO.

The workshop was chaired by Lalit Joshi, chairperson, Chandigarh Social Welfare Board. She talked about various schemes initiated by the boards and the means to avail of requisite financial assistance for relevant schemes.

The success story of Bangladesh and also other parts of the country like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, etc. was a proof of the potential of micro-financing schemes implemented by self-help groups.

The purpose of the programme, he said, was to motivate and train the unemployed, home-based marginalised women. Jasbir Kaur, panch of Khuda Ali Sher, offered to organise next such programme in her village to reap in the benefits of self-help groups.

Chandigarh
SEMINAR: Over 200 CAT aspirants assembled together for an interactive seminar organised at Arts College and Museum, Sector 10, on Wednesday. Shweta, alumni of IIM Ahmedabad, who is a teacher with the Art of Living foundation, and Dr Deepali Sharma, who is currently working on a research project from the Centre of Advanced Studies in Behavioural Sciences from Stanford University, were the eminent speakers on the occasion.

MBA aspirants at an interactive seminar organised at Government Arts College and Museum, Sector 10, Chandigarh, on Wednesday. — A Tribune photograph

The seminar began with an inspirational video, followed by a talk by Ankur Malhotra, director of the centre.

Experts guided the students on the best B-schools, various sections in the CAT exam, and how to face the group discussions and personal interviews. — TNS

Chandigarh
KV WORKSHOP: As many as 62 primary teachers of the local Kendriya Vidyalaya participated in a three-day workshop on communicative English, held at KV 2, here, on Tuesday. The resource persons were Jatinder Kaur, PGT (English), OCF, Sector 29, Chandigarh; Kusum Lata, PGT (English), KV-31 and Aruna Dhiman, TGT (English), KV 2, 3 BRD, Chandigarh. Later, Ranjana Bassi, principal, KV2, 3 BRD, and Tripta Singh, vice-principal, distributed certificates to the participants at the valedictory programme. — TNS

Mohali
COMPETITION: Techno Byte’07, an inter-school competition, was organised by Saint Soldier International Convent School, here on Wednesday. More than 20 schools participated in the competition. Devika and Ramneek, students of Shemrock Senior Secondary School, Sector 69, bagged the first prize for a presentation on globalisation. SSP Mohali Ranbir Singh Khatra distributed the prizes. The judges were professionals from Shaid Udham Singh College, Tangori, and NIIT, Mohali.

KIDS CELEBRATE: Euro kids celebrated a summer fruit day on Wednesday. The children were introduced to summer fruits available in the market. They were dressed up in colours of the fruits and their teacher painted their faces. Sangeet Growar, the principal, added that the event was held to signify the importance of fruits. The school wore a festive look. — TNS

Chandigarh, May 9
The joint commissioner, municipal corporation, Faridabad, Ballabgarh zone, today filed an affidavit before the Punjab and Haryana High Court stating that residential premises which were being used for commercial activities had been sealed following the court’s directions.

The joint commissioner submitted in the affidavit that commercial activities in sectors 7 and 10 of the housing board colonies had been stopped after the sealing.

On April 18, encroachments by shopkeepers on road berms and green belts were removed. As many as 45 shopkeepers were challaned under section 238 of the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act,1994, on April 26.

A similar affidavit was filed by Faridabad DC Brijender Singh in which it was stated that no commercial activities had been regularised and the administraton was acting appropriately.