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TOI : PUNE: The state government has appointed a core group for the accreditation of primary and secondary schools in the state. A government resolution to this effect was issued on July 3. The core group will soon go on a tour to Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to study their accreditation process in schools and later submit a report on it.

While Suman Karandikar, an educationist from the city, has been appointed as president of the committee, Shakuntala Kale, deputy director of Maharashtra state council of education research and training (MSCERT) has been appointed as member, along with three others.

Kale said, “I received the notification on July 3 and a meeting of the members will soon be held to decide the future plan of action.”

The members will visit the three states in the coming days in order to study their assessment process and the functioning. Later, a report will be submitted.

In a bid to keep a check on the quality of secondary schools and to standardise their functioning, the state government will soon start accreditation process of secondary schools across the state.

State education minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil has already appointed the Quality Council of India (QCI) and Educare, a non-governmental organisation to do the job. Besides quality, the accreditation committee will also review how effectively the schools use the grants given by the state government.

Educationist from Aurangabad, S P Javalkar, Vilas Kulkarni of Educare, Jagannath Patil, advisor, national assessment and accreditation council (NAAC), are the other members of the core group, while Suvarna Kharat, additional secretary, school education and sports welfare, has been appointed as member secretary of the group.

Kale added, “During the tour, we will also study how the assessment of schools under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan is undertaken, among other things.”

The accreditation will be done on the lines of NAAC, the accreditation committee for…More

TOI : PUNE: Around 2,200 old and precious Marathi hand-written manuscripts, ranging from 14th century to 19th century will now find a place on the world wide web, thanks to the efforts of the former librarian of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI), V L Manjul. The manuscripts range from the writings of different saints, biographies, purana granthas and translations from Sanskrit to Marathi by prominent writers like Vaman Pandit and Mukteshwar. It took almost six years for Manjul to locate these manuscripts, a collection which also includes about 100 copies of the Dnyaneshwari,’ the oldest being a copy made in 1630.

“These manuscripts are assets of different institutes like the BORI, Deccan College, Pune Marathi Granthalaya and from various parts of the state such as Pune, Mumbai, Satara, Kolhapur, Karad and so on. The collection includes about 250 manuscripts which are currently in the possession of the Marathi Manuscripts Centre,” says Manjul. The organisation has been founded by Manjul himself to preserve such rare manuscripts which he says are a treasure-trove for those who want to learn about ancient Marathi literature.

“I have been a librarian in BORI for almost 40 years. So, I can appreciate the value of these manuscripts. My aim behind making them available on the internet is to make them accessible to people all over the world,” he says. Manjul has also compiled all these manuscripts in a descriptive catalogue with all their relevant details, including the name of the author.

The manuscripts will be uploaded on a website created by the South Asian Studies Centre of the Deccan College, a centre established by the Chicago University to enable studies of the Marathi language. “If a person in some corner of the US wants to study the writings of some Marathi saints, he should be able to do so without any problems,” Manjul states. The work of uploading the material has already started…More

TOI : PUNE: The National Talent Search (NTS) examination 2009-10 for Std VIII students from recognised schools in the state will be held on November 8, according to the exam schedule released by the Maharashtra State Council of Examinations (MSCE).

Close to 1.20 lakh students, including those from the economically backward classes (EBC), annually appear in the exam, which is the flagship scheme of the National Council for Education Research and Training, for identifying and nurturing academic talent through monthly scholarships from secondary to higher education level.

The NTS exam is held in two stages with the stage-I examination conducted at the state level through the respective state councils of examination, to test the mental and scholastic ability of the students in social sciences, sciences and mathematics.

Stage II involves a written examination at the national level, which tests mental as well as scholastic abilities besides involving a personal interview. Only those students who qualify at the national level written exam are invited for interview.

Speaking to TOI, the Pune-headquartered Maharashtra State Council of Examinations commissioner, Ram Ithape said, “The NCERT awards 1,000 monthly scholarships, each of Rs 500, to select students from the national level exam merit list.”

He said, “The scholarships are awarded on the basis of the quota allotted to each states and Union Territories. For Maharashtra, the quota is 496 scholarships. These scholarships remain in effect till the concerned student finishes his or her higher studies upto the PhD level.” A separate merit list is prepared for EBC candidates, according to the scheme announced by the NCERT, he added.

Important Dates

* Last date for submission of application forms through schools: August 31

* Stage-I state-level NTS exam: November 8

* State-II national-level NTS exam: May 9, 2010

Application Forms

Computer-readable (OMR) application forms will be issued to schools through the Zilla Parishad education officer (secondary)….More

TOI : PUNE: In a move to check colleges from exploiting diploma-holders seeking direct second-year admission to engineering and pharmacy degree courses, the state director of technical education (DTE) has made the multiple-round centralised admission process (CAP) mandatory for all such lateral entries.

All engineering colleges are instructed by the DTE against filling any direct second-year seat through lateral entry at the college level. A notification to this effect has been posted by the joint DTE for Pune region, G P Chaudhari on the directorate’s official website. Colleges found violating this norm will have to pay heavy monetary penalties, the notification stated.

The lateral entry scheme provides for a diploma-holder with first-class marks to seek direct second-year admission to engineering and pharmacy degree courses. The DTE determines the quota for such lateral entries on the basis of the first-year engineering and pharmacy degree course results.

Seats falling vacant on account of failure in the first-year degree course, are made available for lateral entries. Apart from this, 1/6th of the sanctioned intake for engineering and 1/10th of the intake for pharmacy courses at a given college are made available for the diploma-holders.

For instance, against an intake of 60 seats for an engineering degree course, if 47 students pass in the first-year of that course than the remaining 13 seats, which fall vacant due to failures, will be filled through lateral entries. Plus, 10 seats (1/6th) will be available for the diploma-holders. In case of pharmacy, six seats (1/10th) are made available to the diploma-holders.

Post-declaration of the first-year engineering and pharmacy results, the colleges are required to furnish online the details of vacancies on account of failures at their institution, to the DTE. On compilation of such data received from all institutions, the DTE effects the seat allotment for lateral entry after securing applications from the aspirants through the designated centres.

However, colleges tend to…More

TOI : PUNE: The centralised admission process (CAP) for admissions to first-year junior college (FYJC, standard XI) in the city and Pimpri Chinchwad, has been withheld in view of the ongoing legal tussle in the Bombay high court over the state government’s controversial 90:10 quota policy for SSC and non-SSC board students.

Speaking to TOI, newly appointed deputy director (education) Sunil Magar, who heads the Std XI CAP committee, said the panel did not want to commit any contempt of court by going ahead with the admission process prior to settlement of the legal tussle.

Magar said, “From our side, we have completed all the work and are ready with the release of the provisional list for allotment of seats. However, we have to ensure that there is no contempt. We will wait for the court’s ruling, which may come on Monday.”

According to D N Sheth, principal, S P college, which is the nodal agency for Std XI CAP, the state government has taken a stance in the court that it won’t go ahead with the admissions unless the issue was settled. “We anticipate Monday’s hearing to provide some solution. The CAP committee will meet at 11 am on Tuesday to take a further call on the admission process,” said Sheth.

Post-SSC results on June 25, the Std XI CAP had begun with the sale of admission forms and submission of the same, simultaneously, at the designated application form receipt centres (ARCs) from June 26 to July 4.

The CAP committee was to release the provisional list for the bi-focal science stream seats at 1 pm on July 6. Subsequently, it was to release the provisional list for the other streams (science, commerce and arts).

Magar issued a press statement on Sunday stating that the provisional list for bi-focal science stream won’t be released as scheduled, due to the court matter.

Meanwhile, on…More

TOI : PUNE: The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML), which is set to start a free travel scheme for students of Stds V to X, has appealed to eligible schoolchildren to submit applications to avail of the initiative before July 10.

According to the PMPML, the forms are available free of cost at the 14 ward-level Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) offices. The forms, which have to be submitted at the ward offices, will require the signature of the school headmaster or principal. The students will also need to submit two photographs.

As the scheme is applicable only for students staying within PMC limits, the aspirants also have to submit a photocopy of a residential proof, such as a ration card, PAN card, telephone or electricity bill or voter identity card of a parent or guardian.
Programme on public health

A community-based programme on public health, Swachtha Abhiyaan’, was organised at the Ghole road civic ward office on July 4. The programme was aimed at inspiring and empowering people to promote individual hygienic practices which directly impact public health. The event also attempted to bring together businesses, community groups, schools, governments and individuals. The programme was organised by Fullerton India Credit Company Ltd. Suresh Jagtap, deputy civic commissioner (solid waste management) attended the event.

Stir against privatization of education

The All-India Student’s Association (AIASA) will organise a nation-wide protest on July 10 against the proposed “privatisation of education” by the Union government. The association has alleged that acceptance of the recommendations of the Yashpal committee will lead to privatisation of the education sector.

ST workers plan chakka jam

Demanding 40 per cent grade pay for the state transport employees, the Maharashtra state transport union’s action committee has threatened a chakka jam’ strike.

According a press release issued by the committee, it was given an assurance that there will be an 86 per…More

TOI : PUNE: A medical practitioner from Haryana has alleged that three unidentified persons duped him of Rs 10.50 lakh after promising to give his son admission to a Pimpri-based private medical college. The incident happened on June 29 at Pimpri.

Prabhudayal Shriramkishan Sharma (50) of Uklana road, Haryana, has lodged a complaint at the Pimpri police station. The police have booked Vinayak Mane, Amit Kumar and Sukesh Kumar in this regard.

According to sub-inspector B D Nalwade, Sharma’s son Nitin passed his 12th standard exam this year and wanted to study medicine. The complainant was referred to Sukesh Kumar by a friend who told Sharma that his son has got admission to a medical college in Jaipur in this way.

Nalawade said that when Sharma contacted Kumar, he told him that the admission process to the Jaipur medical college had already been completed. “Kumar told him that he could help Sharma get admission in a medical college in Pimpri. He asked Sharma to send the necessary documents and gave him the contact numbers of Vinayak Mane and Amit Kumar.”

On June 29, Sharma and his son came to Pimpri and met Mane and Amit near the medical college, said Nalawade. Mane took them to the college and told them that a management meeting was going on and that he would later talk to officials regarding the admission. He then took Rs 10.50 lakh and some documents from them, asked them to wait in the visitor’s room and disappeared with the money.

Print Emai…More

TOI : PUNE: Amidst the ongoing water crisis in the city, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has alleged that water tankers are doing brisk business and that the owners are selling the water at almost seven times the cost at which the water is bought from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, BJP city unit vice-president Sandeep Khardekar said the PMC charges Rs 200 for a water tanker of 10,000 litre capacity. However, many tanker owners sell this water at a cost of Rs 800-900 per tanker. In fact, he said, the rate was much higher in many areas.

“We have submitted a memorandum to the municipal commissioner demanding that the PMC put some norms in place for water tanker rates,” said Khardekar.

When contacted, a PMC official said that the PMC indeed had no mechanism to keep a check on rates at which water was being sold by tanker-owners.

The BJP has threatened to agitate if the PMC fails to formulate norms for rates of water tanker in the next two days.

Print Emai…More

TOI : PUNE: Music has, time and again, been called the best de-stresser by people of all age groups, so it is but natural that engineer Amit Besetty turns to his guitar and his group of musically-inclined friends every weekend to unwind. “I love music of just about any genre. I forget everything when I’m jamming with my friends, be it on the terrace of my building or at one of our homes, any place works just fine,” he smiles.

While Besetty jams to relax, there are others who combine this chilling time’ to practice their music and learn new things. Lead guitarist of the popular band Silver, Savio Sebastian, calls jamming sessions the perfect place for exchanging ideas. Sebastian recalls how the band slowly came together at one of these sessions. “I was jamming with some other musicians when Rishi (the bassist) heard me. We started jamming together and then the other members, Amit and Mahesh, joined us, each at some or the other jam session,” he says. The songs played at these jam sessions vary from originals to improvisations of different tracks.

For Kevin, weekend jamming sessions make for good relaxation and enjoyment. “I was in college when I realised that among my friends someone played the guitar, another the bass or the keyboard, and so one day we just decided to get together and put the instruments to good use. It started off like that and after some time we finally formed a band,” he says. While this bunch started off by playing popular tracks, as the sessions progressed they improvised and added new things in their free-style’ jam sessions where they played any tune “and the vocalist would take it from there”.

Airforce pilot Kiran Bhaskar finds such sessions soothing. “It is also a very good way of learning new styles of music. A lot of people also jam with the idea of forming…More

TOI : PUNE: The civic administration of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) admitted in the general body (GB) meeting that bills of Rs 101 crore are still to be cleared.

M M Savale, PCMC superintending engineer, gave this information while replying to a question raised by NCP corporator R S Kumar. Savale said that the PCMC has not paid bills to contractors for two reasons: One that there are no funds and the other reason being that there is no allocation for the projects.

The civic administration made the admission after Kumar made a strong and relentless demand to know the amount of pending bills with the PCMC. Kumar was responding to the annual budget of PCMC for 2009-10 tabled by Dnyaneshwarrao Bhalerao, chairman of standing committee, before the GB on Saturday.

Kumar demanded to know the total amount of pending bills since April 1, 2009. He said that as per his information the total amount is Rs 125 crore. He questioned as to how the projects were being implemented even though there is no allocation for them. “The PCMC will have to pay Rs 125 crore for the pending bills as a result the budget tabled before GB is not a surplus one,” Kumar said.

Kumar complained that the officials tell the corporators there are no funds when they approach them for ward-level works. But on the other hand the PCMC is spending money on works that have not been approved. He warned the officials that if he is given wrong information then he will complain to the state Urban Development Department (UDD). Following this, Savale made the above disclosure.

Kumar demanded action against officials due to whom the work was completed without prior approval.

Kumar also demanded that the civic administration make public the list of 140 liquor traders who have evaded octroi and not paid fine of Rs 30 crore.

Independent…More