Orphanage feels orphaned
HUDA charges exorbitant
By Geetanjali Gayatri
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, Oct 28 — "Behind each name is a face; Within each face are questioning eyes; The eyes have a story — the story of every child; Each story could have a future and you could make that happen if you act now.''

Thus begins the brochure being prepared by the Bal Sadan Association, a charitable institution working to rehabilitate orphans and destitute, to invite donations for construction of an orphanage at a site allotted by the Haryana Urban Development Authority in Sector 12-A, recently.

With over 20 children between the ages of 8 to 15 cramped in a one-room set in Hamirpur village in Sector 4 here, the trust comprising seven members is spending sleepless nights over the generation of funds for initiation of the construction work. A trustee says: "The children are growing in number and years and it is becoming essential to separate boys and girls. Paucity of space does not permit us to put our ideas into practice.''

Going to school, spending their waking hours playing and fighting with each other just like any other child in their age group, the inmates of Bal Sadan are an animated lot. However, they have their moments of solitude when they think of the long road ahead without parents. Some even face mental trauma for the reason.

Yet after a while, the children manage to bury their sorrows and plunge into the excitement their extended family generates to keep them happy and away from the vacuum of being parentless. Regardless of the fact that they sleep on the floor and study without tables, the 23 inmates make the most of each waking hour of their life, learning the ropes and carving out an existence, besides an identity for themselves.

Besides looking after their welfare, the trust is busy trying to muster support against the high rates being charged for the site by HUDA. "We are planning to appeal to the Governor of the state to reduce the cost of the site which has been given on lease to us. Also, we will ask for waiving off the lease amount which is to be charged from us. We can hardly make both ends meet and rely on donations heavily to carry out our activities. These leave little scope to pay the exorbitant charges being demanded from us,'' an executive-member of the trust says.

Another member says that most of the donations that come are in kind while cash is the need of the hour since construction at the site is scheduled to commence in January next year. "Though help in kind is as important for an association like us, the funds for construction are foremost on our mind and any help in this direction is appreciable,'' he says.

Also, the trust is approaching various schools and has appealed to various voluntary organisations and institutions to come forward and contribute towards the project. "Our personal contacts are going to play a big role. However, some schools have also promised funds by way of collection from students,” it says.

Meanwhile, from the little accommodation at its disposal, the association is running vocational courses for the inmates who have fared badly in studies and sending the rest to school. Even the blue print of their future course of action is ready with the trust.

Poor results in MA (English)
Students blame teachers, lecturers put it on pupils
By Poonam Batth
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 28 — The results of the postgraduate examination in English, particularly of the colleges affiliated to Panjab University and of the Department of Correspondence Courses, PU, declared recently present a dismal picture of students' performance.

An analysis of MA part II results and a look at MA I results of this year show that despite colleges receiving huge grants of Rs 1 to 2 lakh from the UGC for strengthening postgraduation education, the resultant output is shocking.

Besides the Department of English, PU, instructions in MA English are being imparted through Department of Correspondence Courses, Department of Evening Studies, PU; newly opened Regional Centre of the University at Muktsar and six colleges affiliated with the university. The colleges are Government College ( Boys), Sector 11; SCD Government College, Ludhiana; G N Khalsa College for Women, MT Ludhiana; Government College, Hoshiarpur; GHG Khalsa College, Gurusar Sudhar and Dev Samaj College for Women, Ferozepore.

Of the total 827 candidates, who appeared in the MA part II examination in April 1999 from the university, only 513 passed. Of these 513, only 126 candidates secured more than 50 per cent marks i.e, a second division. While the minimum percentage required for eligibility for lecturership is 55, only 48 students scored 55 per cent and above marks, which is less than 6 per cent of the total candidates who appeared in the examination.

The data contained in the gazette shows that of these 48 students, 27 belong to the Department of English, PU; 10 are from SCD Government College, Ludhiana, three from GN Khalsa College for Women, Ludhiana; seven from the Department of Correspondence courses and one is a private candidate. Hence, only students of two of the six colleges have fared well.

Prestigious colleges like Government College, Sector 11, Chandigarh, and Government College, Hoshiarpur, which were much sought after for this course have no candidate scoring 55 per cent and above marks this year. Even GHG Khalsa College, Gurusar Sudhar Dev Samaj College for Women, Ferozepore have drawn blank in this category. Of the total 200 private students, only five students have got more than 50 per cent marks.

Prof Kulwant Singh, a senior English lecturer in Government College, Sector 11, attributes the poor results mainly to the stuff of students, who have no proper background in English, particularly English grammar and language. He pointed out that even students, who have studied in public and convent schools have a poor base in grammar. Moreover, students who are really serious about the subject join the university department and only the residual stuff come to colleges.

Another lecturer lamented that students do not attend classes and since there is no system to make them accountable, there is no check. Few students who fare well in the part I examination ultimately shift to the Panjab University department in MA II. He revealed that of the total 35 students who were admitted to this course in MA I two years back, only 8 appeared for the MA II examination this year. Even the drop rate in the university is quite high for most students join MA I classes only for admission to various hostels in the campus and do not appear for the exams.

Contrary to this, Dr Shelley Walia of the English Department, PU, pointed out that " the university at the time of granting affiliation to the colleges for starting these courses must ensure some kind of accountability.'' The teachers for these courses ought to be well qualified and have access to better library facilities. He said that in the department, not only are the students provided with the latest material on various topics, but are repeatedly asked about their problems. The department subscribes to 'Times Literary Supplement' and ' New year Reviews of Books', two of the best review journals of the world.

Prof Bhupinder Singh, a senior English lecturer, highlighted the need to have the latest journals in the college libraries such as Journal of Common Wealth Studies, Modern Fiction Studies, Textual Practice so that teachers and students can use the same for preparing for the latest topics in the UGC syllabus and the postgraduation course.

He said specialised teachers should be there for teaching various papers for better results."We have limited options due to non-availability of teachers for certain topics,'' he added.

The students on their part blame the teachers for poor teaching and lack of involvement. Sources reveal that there are hardly teachers who have done PhD on the faculty of many colleges, as most of them are MA/M.Phil with just 50 per cent score in the final exams, who often depend on stereo type notes.