EDUCATION

PU academic’s system needs to be changed: Former VC
Smriti Sharma
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 1
“The academic system needs to be changed and it’s time for the faculty and students to get together and formulate fresh ideas which should be incorporated,” said Dr R.P Bambah, former vice chancellor, Panjab University while addressing a gathering today during a symposium on “Panjab University: Past, Present, future”.

“There is a need to upgrade the curriculum to keep abreast with every developing technology and competitive scenario in a global context,” he added. Congratulating the members of faculty, staff, students and all the present on the occasion of diamond jubilee, Dr Bambah said that the university is not confined only to the close quarters of the campus.

Instead more than 170 affiliated colleges are its extended arms. It’s among the top ten universities in the country, he said.

The other participants in the symposium included Prof G.K Chadha, former VC Jawahar Lal Nehru University, New Delhi, Dr M.M Puri, former VC, PU, Prof K.N Pathak, former VC, PU, Prof R.C Sobti, VC, PU, Prof Anil Wilson, former VC, Himachal Pradesh University, Prof P.K Khosla, VC, agriculutral university, Palampur and Prof R.P Bajpai, VC, Guru Jambeshwar University.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr M.M Puri said, “ This University stands for pride. Since 1882 this university has produced noble laureates, authors, thinkers, scientists and is still counting”. Dwelling upon the importance of striking a rapport with the students, he said university teaching wouldn’t be meaningful if the teacher doesn’t stimulate the thinking of the students that ultimately leads to creation of knowledge, new vistas of minds and aspirations.

Expressing his concern over the present status of the university, he said the university hasn’t blossomed as it could have been. It has the capacity to touch new areas of knowledge and has a long way to go. He stated that in the next fifteen years the areas pertaining to social sciences and humanities need to be strengthened.

Prof K.N Pathak shared his experiences as the vice chancellor of the university from 2000-2006 and listed out the achievements of the university during his tenure. He also suggested that to increase the standards of academic excellence furthermore at least 50 new faculty members below the age of 35 should be added to the present number.

Prof R.C Sobti, vice chancellor of the university stated his vision and a seven-point mission for the university through a visual presentation. Listing out the goals to achieve for the university, he said there are about 32 per cent eligible students who have an access to higher education in Chandigarh and there is an uphill task to increase it further.

PU Diamond Jubilee
A melange of dance, music brings campus to life
S.D. Sharma

Chandigarh, October 1
After day-long deliberations on a series of programmes and policies on the opening day of the historic diamond jubilee celebrations of the Panjab University, the alumni, guests and audience were treated to a delightful musical bonanza at the PU Law auditorium in the evening here, today.

Since all the participating teams and artists were the proud winners of inter-university laurels in the last youth festivals in their respective realms of classical and folk musical art, the performances were obviously at the pinnacle of perfection. The artists brought alive the richness, grace, twang and verve of the folklore which virtually translated the soul of Punjabi pastoral culture.

The much-awaited programme, organised by the department of youth welfare, got off to a serene start with a ‘Saraswati Vandna’ performed by the students of Ramgarhia College Ludhiana. The auditorium, which got pervaded with the calm contemplation suddenly reverberated with the pristine folk flavour of Haryanvi ‘Goomaer’ dance presented by students of Dev Samaj College, Ferozepur city.

Gulrez Akhtar spelt a high pitched virile but immaculate rendition of ‘Mirza’ - a folk form rarely attempted by girls. The ‘tappe’were also well received before the gidha danseuses from LR DAV College, Jagraon, floated across the stage, dancing straight into the hearts of the intrusive audience. Dazzling dancer Rajwant Kaur, crowned ‘Gidhiyan di Rani’, led the team.

Highlight of the programme, however, was the folk orchestra presented by the girl students of Guru Nanak Khalsa College, Ludhiana. The artists playing folk instruments that are mostly on the verge of extinction, was also a hit. Audience lauded young Kirandeep drumming dhol, Jaspreet on been and algoza, Kamaldeep on sarangi and Amandeep on flute.

The prodigious virtuoso Naval Mehta spelt magic in sleek presentation of a ghazal, which won him national award. Sarita Sharma doled out a song while Puneet presented a mimicry item.

The grand finale came with the majestic bhangra performance by GHG College, Gurusar Sudhar. The jubilant danseurs depicted a joyous farmer in a village mela.

Acclaimed academician actor Surinder Sharma conducted the cultural programme with admirable competence.

Earlier, the elite alumni of the Panjab University participated in the ‘PU Alumni Meet - Evolving Partnership’ as part of the diamond jubilee celebrations at the same venue.

Prof R.C. Sobti, while welcoming the guests, highlighted the achievements, future plans and constraints, mainly the financial stringency, of the university, in all spheres and called upon the alumni to contribute to the alma mater.

Chief guest Pawan Kumar Bansal delved deep into the challenges and need to evolve strategies to impart best education to the students. He announced a grant of Rs 10 lakh for the Alumni House.

Many alumni of national eminence, including artists thespian Kamal Tewari, Yash Paul, Rani Balbir Tewari, graced the occasion and shared their views. Former police commissioner Dr K.K. Paul, Dr K.S. Raju, Dr S.K. Kulkarni, Dr S.D. Sharma, Dr Naval Kishore, Paramjit Tewari, expressed their views during the alumni meet. The programme was compeered by Dr Archna R. Singh.

Diamond Jubilee celebrations at PU
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 1
Emphasising the importance of higher education and expressing concern over the need to uplift the quality of education in some colleges, Prof G.K Chadha former vice-chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and member, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, kick-started the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of Panjab University with the opening lecture of the celebrations today.

Prof R.C Sobti, vice-chancellor, PU shared that the challenge before the university was to maintain higher academic goals as well as ensure that these remain socially relevant as well.

The function started with the lighting of the lamp by S F Rodrigues, UT administrator and Governor of Punjab. Dr A.R Kidwai, Governor of Haryana, Pawan Kumar Bansal, union minister of state for finance, Prof G.K Chadha, former VC, Jawahar Lal Nehru University, Pradeep Mehra, adviser to the administrator, UT Chandigarh, N.R Puri were among the distinguished guests present on the occasion.

In his diamond jubilee lecture on “How Higher Education is Taking Shape”, Prof G.K Chadha observed, “We have to ensure that our standards of education match global standards to sustain us”.

“Autonomy in the absence of accountability is a barren concept. There is a need for collective efforts to serve the society and humanity at large, particularly for people from rural background”, he remarked.

Rodrigues in his speech said there is a need to take the present enrolment ratio from present 8 percent to a higher level so as to enable India to emerge as a leading knowledge-based society.“There is need for establishing study groups of children who should be trained in ethics, values and performance audit”, he stated.

Dr A.R Kidwai, Governor of Haryana, emphasised the need to improve the quality of higher education and research, as this alone would give competitive edge to our country in future.

Dr R.C Sobti, Vice-Chancellor, Panjab University announced that during the Diamond Jubilee Year, eminent alumni, committed employees with proven track record will be honoured by the chief guests. Amongst others who were honoured today included -Pawan Kumar Bansal, Prof G. K Chadha, Pradeep Mehra, N.R Puri, Dr K.K Paul, Dr Omita Paul, Vipin Pubby, Dr S.D Sharma, IAS, Rashpal Malhotra, Dr B.D Miglani, K.Atma Ram, Dr Girish Sahani, Subhash Chander Kohli, Satya Pal Jain, Dr R.C Mahajan, R.K Saboo, Prof Robert Buchan, Dr R.P Bambah, Dr DVS Jain, Dr V.K Anand, Dr Rajinder Bhandari, Dr K.K Talwar and V.K Bhardwaj.

Pradeep Mehra, adviser to the administrator released ‘University At A Glance’ and Pawan Kumar Bansal released ‘The Journal of Arts’.

Education board needs lesson in fire safety
Kulwinder Sangha

Mohali, October 1
The lives of hundreds of persons working in the seven-storeyed Punjab School Education Board building here are under threat following the failure of the management to make satisfactory fire-fighting arrangements in the building.

Similarly, a private six-storeyed hospital here is also unsafe for patients and others visiting the hospital from the fire safety angle.

What makes the matters worse is that in case of fire in high-rise buildings, the fire brigade is not of much help due to lack of equipment to tackle such an emergency.

The fire-fighting system installed on the premises of the school board headquarters in Phase VIII and Silver Oaks hospital in Phase IX has been found wanting by officials of the fire brigade.

Sources said a team of officials headed by Lakhwinder Singh, assistant divisional fire officer, visited the board office and the hospital on September 25 to inspect the fire-fighting arrangements there.

The directions to carry out the inspection of offices, hotels and other buildings thronged by members of the public were given by the SDM through a letter on September 11.

According to sources, the fire hydrant system outside the building of the education board was found to be in a state of neglect.

The system installed inside the building also showed poor maintenance apart from being old. No sprinkler system had been installed in the basement of the building.

The pump house did not run automatically and neither had the system been maintained properly. Also, there were no hoses. Even the fire detection system did not function properly. Exit points had not been displayed. Loose electrical wiring was found at many points by the inspecting team.

The sources said the board did not have trained staff to handle fire-fighting equipment. Most of them were not even acquainted with the functioning of the system.

The shortcomings found by the inspecting team were brought to the notice of joint secretary of the board Virender Kumar.

The sources said the inspecting team found that fire hydrants at Silver Oaks hospital were also not in working order. Even the automatic fire-fighting system was not fully functional.

The inspection at the hospital was carried out in the presence of Rajinder Tuli, maintenance in-charge, and Satish Kumar, security officer.

Dr Akhil Bhargava of the hospital did not give his comments despite attempts.

From Schools & Colleges
DAV students make Senior Citizen’s Day special
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 1
The students of Class IX of DAV Public School, Sector 8-C, Chandigarh, celebrated Senior Citizens’ Day today, with the inmates of Old Age Home, Sector-15, as part of their PRERNA Senior Citizens’ Club activity. HELPAGE Senior officials, Harvinder S. Bakshi, director, north and Bhavneshwar Sharma, state manager, were also present on the occasion. The children visited the old age home and shared their feelings with the inmates. The kids presented a dance and skit. The inmates blessed the children whole heartedly. The kids presented each of them with a small gift as a token of their love.

PLEDGE: Students of Shishu Niketan Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 22D, took a pledge to follow the philosophy of non-violence and mutual cooperation on the eve of 138th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The students also visited a slum area to apprise the natives of the importance of hygiene and cleanliness.

RALLY: A total of 150 students of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 22, took out a rally on the eve of Mahatma Gandhi birth anniversary. The students also took the pledge of truth and non-violence was taken on the occasion.

PROGRAMME: A cultural programme on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti was held at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 19, here. At Government High School, Sector 46, the students sang patriotic songs, made speeches on non-violence to mark the Gandhi Jayanti celebrations.

Ambala
SEMINAR: A seminar on tally accounting and inventory management was held at St Paul's High School, Ambala City, today. Participants at the seminar were informed that learning programmes were designed to cater to the needs of the employers. The course not only teaches correct usage of English but also fundamental aspects of accounting, book-keeping, taxation and in-depth knowledge of evolving global economic structure.

Patiala
DECLAMATION: Anshul Sharma of St Peter’s Academy, Patiala, won first prize in the inter-school declamation contest organised by St Peter’s Academy, here on Monday. The second prize was bagged by Mohak Mehta of St Luke’s Senior Secondary School, Solan, while the third prize was won by Jeganjeet Singh of St Peter’s Academy, Patiala. The contest, which was open to Shimla and Chandigarh diocesan schools, was held under the patronage of Rev Gerald John Mathias, bishop of the Chandigarh Educational Society, Chandigarh. Kulwinder Chandha, teacher, Our Lady of Fatima Convent School, and Sebastian T. Joesph, principal of St Lawrence School, Samana, adjudicated the contest.

Festivities mark Gandhi Jayanti
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 1
Dev Samaj College of Education celebrated Gandhi Jayanti and organised a blood donation awareness camp and Senior Citizens’ Day today. On the occasion, poster making and slogan writing competitions were held in the college. A cultural program was also organised at the Old People Home, Sector 15, by the social welfare club of the college under the guidance of Dr Seema Sarin and Ramandeep Kaur. The function commenced with a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. The function concluded with a bhangra performance wherein the inmates of the old age home also joined the students.

HAILED: The GGDSD College Teachers’ Union today hailed the decision of the college management to implement ‘encashment of earned leave’ for its employees. The college has become the first college in the city to implement both the provisions of Panjab University Calendar. In April 2007, it became the first college in the city to implement deduction of provident fund on gross salary. The college has taken lead over other colleges with regard to staff welfare schemes also. It is the only college in the city which pays gratuity to its employees through a corpus created with the Life Insurance Corporation of India. The employees of the college are covered for Rs 4 lakh under the group insurance scheme. Teachers get research incentives up to Rs 5,000 for completing Ph.D, M.Phil and for writing articles in national and international journals. Staff of the college is also allowed to make additional voluntary contribution towards provident fund. Prof Rakesh Mehta, president of GGDSD College Teachers’ Union, while hailing the decision of the college management, said “Positive approach of our management, principal and the staff has brought positive results. The college management and the principal have always been considerate towards the legitimate demands of the employees. The Panjab University Calendar has been implemented in letter and spirit.

CELEBRATED: The NSS Unit of MCM DAV College for Women celebrated “World Blood Donation and Senior Citizens Day” today. A team of doctors and volunteers from the Rotary Blood Bank and resource centre, Sector 37, addressed the students and motivated them to donate blood generously. In his presentation, Dr R.P. Handa dispelled various myths and fallacies surrounding blood donation.

CAMP: The NSS unit of GGDSD College, Sector 32, conducted blood testing and dental camp in colony No. 5. Nearly 240 residents of the colony were tested for iron deficiency, blood sugar and blood pressure. Dr Cema Rawal and Dr Anchal, dental surgeons from Govt dispensary, Sector 8, undertook dental checkups and NSS volunteers distributed medicines amongst colony dwellers.

QUIZ: SGGS College of Pharmacy, Sector 26, celebrated World Blood Donation Day today. A techno quiz, street play and slogan writing competition were held on the occaison. Jaswinder Kaur, principal of the college, motivated the students to donate blood and congratulated the winners.