Chandigarh, December 27
In a significant development, the National Council of Teachers Training (NCTE), New Delhi, has issued new norms and standards for secondary teachers education programme (B.Ed). With this, the NCTE has tried to tide over the crisis being faced by education colleges throughout the country.

The NCTE has relaxed the minimum qualifications both for lecturers and principals of B.Ed colleges. Earlier, it was compulsory that the principals/lecturers should be MA (55 per cent) and M.Ed (55 per cent) with Ph.D. Now, the NCTE has circulated norms that a lecturer in education should be MA M.Ed or MA B.Ed with 55 per cent marks. M.Phil/Ph.D will be the desirable qualification, particularly doctorate in education ‘and/or’ education management, for principals and lecturers. It is now clear that hundreds of education colleges, which are being run without qualified staff, will face no difficulty under the new norms.

Second, B.Ed colleges have been facing a crisis as the number of students seeking admission have dropped considerably and seats have been lying vacant. It was due to the fact that the minimum qualification for admission was BA/BSc with 50 per cent marks. Now students with 45 per cent marks will be eligible to get admission in B.Ed colleges with five per cent relaxation for SC/ST/OBC candidates.

The NCTE has further tightened the noose around education colleges, which have been violating norms for establishing libraries on their campus. It is alleged that some of the colleges used to procure thousands of copies of books of only some authors in order to show a large number of books. Now, the NCTE has made it compulsory that there should be at least books of 1,000 different titles in libraries.

Mohali, December 27
In their bid to celebrate the onset of the new year in a unique way, students of DAV Public Senior Secondary School, Phase X, resolved to do their bit for taking education to the doorsteps of the underprivileged. A chosen group of students under the prestigious ‘Shradha’ project of the school visited the children of deprived sections at the local labour colonies to exhort them to join free-of-cost classes run by the school on its premises in the coming academic session. “We had been running these special classes at our institution but after the inhabitants of an adjacent colony were uprooted from here, the teachers associated with the project started visiting the students at their homes in order to follow up their efforts. We are providing them books, stationery and other material for basic studies at their doorstep,” said principal Jaya Bhardwaj who led the group of teachers and students to the labour colony. She said after Mohali, the school would expand to the villages situated in its vicinity and labour colonies of Chandigarh in order to take educational facilities to the maximum number of underprivileged.

Kharar
PLACEMENT DRIVE: Kotak Life Insurance held a placement drive at the Chandigarh Business School, Landran. The drive was meant for the students of MBA final year with any specialisation. As many as 100 students from Chandigarh Business School, Landran, and Apeejay College, Jalandhar, participated in the drive. Those selected will be offered a post of sales manager with an annual package of Rs 2 lakh along with performance related incentives.

NSS CAMP: Doaba College of Education is conducting a 10-day NSS camp, which was inaugurated on December 21. Dr Paramvir Singh, co-ordinator, NSS, programme officer, Punjabi University, Patiala, inaugurated the camp. He highlighted the history and services offered by the camp which had its origin in Punjab. Dr Sukhjinder Singh, programme officer, cited the importance of such camps. 

Chandigarh, December 27
It was indeed a rich tribute to the majesty of Indian classical dances, especially Bharatnatyam that a French national, Devyani had not only mastered the realm of this dance genre but completely devoted her life for its propagation the world over, as a cultural ambassador.

Her adroit mastery over the intricate and finer nuances of Bharatnatyam was eloquently discernible at a captivating dance recital held at the Government Museum Auditorium here today as a part of the ongoing Chandigarh New Year fest.

Attired in an elegant costume, Devyani took the centre stage only to spell magic with in every sequence of presentation. While the opening ‘Ganapti’ rendered in calm thoughtful mood marked the pious surrender of the dancer towards the ‘Tridev’, Brahma ,Vishnu Mahesh to sought their blessings and consecration of the dancing space. In the varnam’ sequence, Devyani, virtually submerged in devotion as inspired by the nature praises the diverse attributes of Shiva through soothing and splendid choreographic movements.

She was at her best in executing the various moods with Abhinya set to ragamalika, the garland of melodies. She was more expressive in Padam while defining the claims of Gopika before Yashodha that the naughty Krishna is blessed with the divine super power and is not an ordinary child prodigy but an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Devyani concluded with a thrilling Thillana weaved in the melody of raga ‘Drabari Kanra.’

Amarjit Narang of AIR conducted the programme. Earlier talking to this correspondent, Devayani disclosed that all her choreographies on richly woven rhythmic patterns and a high spiritual content which transcends the stories of the Hindu mythology had originated from her faith in the best dance tradition of the World.

“Bharatnatyam skilfully embodies the primary ingredients of dancing like mood, music melody and perfect timings which fascinated me while learning it in France but at the age of 18 the ICCR scholarship brought me to India. The rich cultural heritage has transformed my vision and perceptions and I feel at home in India and in Chandigarh on my fourth show here in the city beautiful. The Indian dancers are more disciplined, learned and practice religiously. As all the Indian classical dances are entangled with the references of mythological deities and wisdom of sages and seers, the dance repertoires are endowed with sanctity and worship,” maintained Devyani.

However, she laments that there are only 20 per cent takers of classical dances in India and France as compared to contemporary and modern dances. Learning classical music is imperative for a dance student, she feels.

Devayani is Master of Arts, French Honours, PHD- level from Sorbonne University, Paris, and a prolific writer and actor. Devyani had been rightly honoured with top Indian and International awards.

Little Champs, all aged from Delhi and other cities, who had participated in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Antakshri, and other competitions, doled out the hit songs. Little Sukanya opened up with Sarasvati vandna before presenting ‘Vada raha pyar mein’, ‘ruki ruki thi zindagi.’