Workshop on ASL at BCM School Ludhiana

Workshop was attended by 62 teachers from 29 schools

Ludhiana: 16th May 2014: (Education Screen Bureau):
Speaking and listening are considered to be the essential skills of real life, in the present Global market. Effective spoken communication (speaking skill) requires being able to express your ideas and views clearly, confidently and concisely in speech, tailoring your content and style to the audience and promoting free-flowing communication. Whereas listening skills are ways to help us listen to something more effectively and be able to comprehend the message being communicated. Good communication skills improve and raise the self-esteem of a student. 

Central Board Secondary Education- Delhi essentially desires that the students acquire proficiency in Communication Skills by the time they leave the portals of the school. CBSE has in the CBSE CCE Scheme introduced Assessment of Speaking & Listening Skills in Classes IX, X & XI. CBSE collaborated with Trinity College of London for developing Assessment Criteria and for Training of teachers of English.

CBSE has also made it mandatory for CBSE Affiliated Schools to organize six days Capacity Building Training Programs for teachers on various themes. CBSE has also empanelled agencies for imparting this training. PROF. (DR.) B. L. HANDOO & TEAM (IECS)-NOIDA is such an agency (Pan India).

A TWO DAY Workshop on ASL for Teachers of English of CBSE Affiliated Schools was conducted on 15-16 May 2014 at  BCM Arya Model senior Secondary School, Shastri Nagar, Ludhiana. 
Mrs. Heemal Handoo (Bhat), Mrs. Pallavi Sethi and Prof. (Dr.) B. L. Handoo were the Resource Persons.
The workshop was attended by (62) Sixty Two teachers from (29) Twenty Nine prestigious schools of Ludhiana, Jallandhar, Phagwara and surrounding areas. 

The Schools were:
1. GURU NANAK PUBLIC SCHOOL, SARABHA NAGAR, LUDHIANA (5)
2. GURU GOBIND SINGH PUBLIC SCHOOL, PAKHOWAL ROAD, DAAD, LUDHIANA (2)
3. BCM SCHOOL, BASANT AVENUE, LUDHIANA (2)
4. ATAM DEVKI NIKETAN, KIDWAI NAGAR, LUDHIANA (2)
5. BCM SR. SEC. SCHOOL, SECTOR-32-A, URBAN ESTATES, CHANDIGARH ROAD, LUDHIANA (2)
6. GMT INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOL, KAKOWAL ROAD, NEW VISHAL NAGAR, LUDHIANA (2)
7. BHARATIYA VIDYA MANDIR SR. SEC. SCHOOL, KITCHLU NAGAR, LUDHIANA (2)
8. ARMY PUBLIC SCHOOL UNCHI BASSI, LAMIN, DASUYA, HOSHIARPUR(2)
9. BAL BHARATI PUBLIC SCHOOL, DUGRI, LUDHIANA (1)
10. SPRING DALE SR.SEC. PUBLIC SCHOOL, SHERPUR, LUDHIANA (3)
11. BLOSSOM CONVENT SCHOOL, LEELAN MEGH SINGH, JAGRAON, LUDHIANA (2)
12. HVM CONVENT SR. SEC. SCHOOL, LUDHIANA (2)
13. BHARATIYA VIDYA MANDIR SR. SEC. SCHOOL, SHAHEED UDAM SINGH NAGAR, LUDHIANA (2)
14. DRISHTI DR RC JAIN INNOVATION PUBLIC SCHOOL, PAKHOWAL ROAD, LUDHIANA (2)
15. ST. THOMAS SCHOOL, BROWN ROAD, LUDHIANA (2)
16. AMRIT INDO CANADIAN ACADEMY SR. SEC. DAY BOARDING INSTITUTION, LADIAN, LUDHIANA (2)
17. G N P S KILAPUR ROAD, MULLANAPUR, LUDHIANA (4)
18. S K PUBLIC SR. SEC. SCHOOL, BEHIND POWER HOUSE, TALWANDI, FEROZEPAR (2)
19. B C M SR. SEC., BASANT CITY, PAKHOWAL ROAD, LUDHIANA (2)
20. B C M ARYA  MODEL SR. SEC. SCHOOL, SHSTRI NAGAR, LUDHIANA (3)
21. MGM ADARSH NAGAR, JALLANDHAR (2)
22. MGM URBAN ESTATE, JALANDDHAR (2)
23. SAFFRON PUBLIC SCHOOL, PHAGWARA (3)
24. NEW GMT PUBLIC SCHOOL, LUDHIANA (1)
25. NANKANA SAHIB PUBLIC SCHOOL, KILARIPUR (1)
26. N.S.P.S. (2)
27. DCM PRESIDENCY, LUDHIANA (2)
28. TAGORE PUBLIC SCHOOL, LUDHIANA (2)
29. DON BOSCO PUBLIC SCHOOL, LUDHIANA (1)        
Teachers were eager participants, highly motivated and eager to learn. The interactive workshop had a host of activities for transfer of skills. Teachers were given drills in phonetics and speaking skills for language functions. The teachers were also educated about the Communicated Approach to be followed in teaching of English. They also learnt of the procedure to be followed in Assessing Speaking & Listening Skills.
Classroom Management and Role of a Teacher in teaching of Communicative English and developing Speaking & Listening abilities was also dealt with.

Dr. Paramjit Kaur, Principal of the host School welcomed the participants. She thanked the Schools for an overwhelming response. She expressed her gratitude to Prof. (Dr.) B. L. Handoo for having organized the workshop with the help of his CBSE empanelled Team.
Dr. Paramjit Kaur also announced that the next ASL 02-Day Workshop would be organized on 18-19 July 2014, for Teachers of English from Schools that could not be accommodated in the present Workshop. This Workshop may have participation of Schools that deputed some teachers to to the present one.

The Team is scheduled to hold its next workshop on Classroom Management at Mehta Vidyalaya, Bharti Bhawan, Kasturaba Gandhi Marg- New Delhi, on 17’Th May 2014. 

Two Days ASL Workshop at B.C.M. Arya School Ldh

Indeed highly informative and interesting workshop

Ludhiana: 15th May 2014: (Education Screen Bureau): 
Two day workshop is being conducted at BCM Arya Model Sr. Sec. School, Shastri Nagar, Ludhiana.  The resource persons for the workshop were Prof. (Dr.) B.L. Handoo (Educational Consultant and Advisor  CBSE, New Delhi),  Mrs. Heemal H. Bhat  (Master Trainer and Examiner for Trinity College of London) and Mrs. Pallavi Sethi,  (CBSE ASL Pilot trainer and Cambridge Trainer Examiner.) The eminent resource persons trained the teachers from various schools of Ludhiana as Oral Examiners for ASL. They provided the teachers with guidelines and parameters to be followed for assessment and also emphasized on the objectivity and unbiased approach for grading purposes. More than 62 teachers  from  about 30 schools were  equipped with adequate  pedagogical  skills to evolve the students into confident orators who can express themselves  fluently  and accurately.
Dr. Handoo initiated the session with an effective introduction of ASL, Its principles and objectives. The experienced resource person also explained various types of practices – controlled, force and various techniques to assess speaking skills like role-play, dumb charades and story completion.
Through various individual, close pair and group activities; he explained the rubrics of assessment to the teachers. Video tapes of assessments being conducted was a valuable input to understand the methodology of conducting an oral exam. 
Ms. Heemal. H. Bhat extolled the city teachers for their command in English and classroom  management techniques as well as shared listening and speaking skills with the teachers. The workshop also offered teachers a platform to clear their doubts pertaining to the class room activity and the CBSE pattern of Assessment.
Ms. Pallavi Sethi explained various parameters and specifications of ASL covering various topics like Mapping CBSE Objectives and performance descriptors. She also dealt with Phoneticss Classroom Management and role of a teacher.
Dr. Paramjit Kaur, Principal deliberated on the need of professional development for teachers to enhance their knowledge and skills. This workshop provided not only essential knowledge but also a great opportunity to share experiences both on technical and regulatory issues.
It was indeed highly informative, interactive and interesting workshop.

Double Shift a Disastrous Step

Fri, Dec 21, 2012 at 11:18 AM
To
Hon’ble Smt. Sheila Dikshit
Chief Minister of Delhi
Secretariat, I.P. Estate
New Delhi-110002
20.12.2012

Sub:  Permitting Double Shift for Private Schools a Disastrous Step 

My dear Chief Minister

Undoubtedly, the Department of Education, Government of NCTD is controlled by the private schools lobby which is quite apparent from the constitution of Delhi School Education Advisory Board which is totally dominated by the private schools representatives. What has flowed from such an Advisory Board is not a surprise to us.

As reported in the news-papers of 20/12/12, the Delhi School Education Advisory Board headed by Delhi Education Minister Prof. Kiran Walia in its meeting of 19/12/12 has decided to permit unaided private schools to run a second shift after regular school hours. We strongly condemn this decision as we are of the view that the same is opposed to the interest of the children and is also contrary to the provisions, letter and spirit of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.

It is submitted that the Advisory Board has completely overlooked the Report of the NCERT Committee on Development of a Policy Framework for Implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 in Schools in NCT of Delhi (March 03, 2010) which amongst others recommended that “All double Shift schools would need to be forthwith converted to single shift schools, with the teacher pupil ratio as specified in the Schedule”. (Copy of the Report is enclosed)

The reasons in support of the aforementioned recommendation are mentioned in Clause 1.1 of the Report which is reproduced as under:-

“The committee noted that the right of the child to a ‘formal’ (recognized) school is clearly stated in the Act in Section 3 and the ‘full time’ nature of such school becomes more than apparent when this Section is read with the Schedule to the Act, which at serial No. 4 specifies 45 working hours for each teacher per week; which for a six day week works out to 7.5 hours per day.”

When double shift school system is not good even for government schools, we fail to understand as to how it would be good for private schools.  An argument was raised during the Advisory Board meeting on 19/12/12 that girl students would not be safe in 2nd shift of the school. Counter argument came that as happened in the government schools, private schools would also run morning shift for girls and after-noon shift for boys. The members of the Advisory Board have totally forgotten the fact that the boy students studying in the after-noon shift of the government schools are the most neglected lot as literally no education at all is taking place. The members have also forgotten that the question of safety and security is equally important for both boy and girl students. Needless to say, such a step would also adversely affect the students’ right to play.

The aforesaid issue had also come for consideration earlier by the Delhi Education Department during the tenure of Shri P. Krishnamurthy, the Director of Education. The Director, taking into consideration the recommendations of the above NCERT Committee had expressed its disagreement with the private schools’ request to allow them to run double-shift schools.  It is submitted that there is no valid and just reason which requires the Department to take a different view now.

We humbly submit that permitting these unaided private schools to run double shift schools would be disastrous. There is an urgent need even for the government to convert its double shift schools into single shift schools for the benefit of the students.

We hope and expect that in the interest of quality education to the students, you would consider the matter seriously.

With regards

Ashok Agarwal, Advocate
National President, AIPA
M-09811101923

Inderjeet Singh Gambhir
National General Secretary, AIPA
M: 09810133325

                                                                                   Report of the Committee 

24th Foundation Day of National Open Schooling

23-November-2012 19:03 IST
Speech of Dr M M Pallam Raju, UnionMinister

I am glad to be here on this very important day, a momentous occasion, which marks the 24th Foundation Day and the beginning of the Silver Jubilee Year Celebrations for NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling).
I would like to congratulate each and every person associated with NIOS for working towards building this institution with sincerity and unfailing dedication.
A mighty banyan tree that provides shade and shelter to thousands, grows from a humble seed. Similarly, NIOS has grown from a modest project in the Central Board of Secondary Education to an institute of national importance, catering to the educational needs of the disadvantaged, the masses who are unable to access the formal school education, who are deprived of education due to various reasons.   
The Govt. of India has always given due importance to education and its efforts towards providing quality school education to all culminated in the enactment of the Right of Children to Free & Compulsory Education Act, 2009.
The two flagship programmes of the MHRD – Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan - are aimed at universalization of elementary and secondary education respectively. After the success of the SSA, pressure has come on to the secondary level. The Govt. is now all set to extend the RTE Act to the secondary level.

The NIOS is playing a very significant role in both these programmes. In fact, NIOS has a crucial role to play in the country’s endeavour towards universalization of secondary education. The RMSA Framework recognizes the role of Open Schooling and states that:

“Despite massive expansion of educational facilities in Secondary Schooling, a large number of adolescents and youth in the concerned age groups will not be able to take advantage of formal schooling during stipulated school hours that often coincide with the productive labour required in rural areas for agriculture and in urban areas for a variety of income generating activities particularly for lower middle class and poor families. It is necessary to design, create and establish alternative educational provisions for such prospective learners.  As a result of experimentation and initiatives in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) the Open Schooling system has emerged as an alternative school education system.”

NIOS has emerged as the largest open schooling system in the world. And, as I have already mentioned, NIOS is going to be the key to open the door that will lead to the cherished goal of education for all at secondary level.
It has been estimated that at least 15 % of the relevant age group, i.e. 14years to 16years will be channelised through the open distance learning system at the school level. This accounts for more than one crore children in the context to be provisioned for secondary level education through this alternative schooling systems, as many of them just cannot go to a regular school due to their socio-economic disadvantage. The open schooling system is meant to supplement and complement the formal system to provide “education for all”, especially for educational development of disadvantaged groups, particularly the scheduled castes (SCs), the scheduled tribes (STs), minorities, other backward castes (OBCs) and differently-abled children. The Open schools in the country, consisting of the NIOS at the central government level and 17 State Open Schools, therefore, would have to take up this agenda vigorously so that vulnerable sections of the society and those living in difficult contexts may also reap the benefits of education. The basic philosophy of such approach is to reach the unreached and unreachable.
The revolution brought about by the growth of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has empowered the operationalisation of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) System and opened various ways for adopting a flexible, constructivist, learner friendly and multi-channel approach to teaching learning process which is essential for creativity, leadership and scholarship leading to total development of human personality and in responding appropriately to the challenges of education related to numbers, credibility, quality and equity, thus paving the way for lifelong education. I have been told that NIOS has made whole hearted efforts to harness the power of ICT for enhancing the learning experience of its learners. NIOS makes use of media and technology effectively in its programmes. They provide online facility for admission and other student services. They have launched Mukta Vidya Vani that involves audio streaming through the internet for reaching out to their learners. They are also in the process of starting a Community Radio. I congratulate them for all these achievements. 
The demographic dividend is favourable for India and our young population is going to be an invaluable asset, if equipped appropriately with knowledge and skills empowering them to contribute effectively in the overall development of the nation. Considering the magnitude of the challenge in terms of the need for nearly 500 million skilled workers by 2022, the need of the hour is to pool all the resources and provide skill training in all possible modes, be it face to face or through distance learning.  I understand that NIOS has a good number of vocational education and skill development programme. It provides opportunities to interested learners by making available a variety of vocational courses through open and distance learning (ODL) mode.  For the vocational education blended learning approach, using both open distance learning methodologies and hands on training, is followed by them. NIOS is working towards linking their vocational courses with the National Vocational Educational Framework. As I understand a pioneering attempt is also made to assess the prior learning of our unorganised workers and certify them to give due credit to their skills acquired in an informal set up. I wish NIOS all success in this endeavour.
The contribution of NIOS is praiseworthy even in the realm of adult education. They work closely with the Sakshar Bharat Programme for the education of adult neo-literates. NIOS has been entrusted with the task of Basic Literacy Assessment for those illiterate adults who have undergone the Basic Literacy Programme of the National Literacy Mission Authority. I’m amazed at the stupendous task accomplished by NIOS in this regard. I have been told that more than 2 crore adults have been assessed during last two years for the basic literacy programme by NIOS and about 70% of them have been certified. NIOS does not stop at that. They have made provision of continuing education of adult neo-literates under the Equivalency Programme in collaboration with NLMA. The Open Basic Education Programme of NIOS provides this opportunity to neo-literates at 3 levels – ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ equivalent to class 3, 5 and 8 respectively. This is a noteworthy contribution of NIOS that has no substitute. 
NIOS has been functioning effectively as the National Resource Organization in the field of open schooling, just like NCERT is doing for the formal system. I’m happy to know that they have established a Capacity Building Cell for training open schooling functionaries and a Research and Development Cell for promoting research in this field.
NIOS has extended its wings outside the country too. They have emerged as world leaders in open schooling, particularly among the Commonwealth and other developing countries. I’m happy to know that the Secretariat of COMOSA (Commonwealth Open Schooling Association) is located in NIOS and Chairman NIOS is the Chairperson of COMOSA. Several countries approach NIOS for capacity building of their functionaries. They have recently trained faculty members of Bangladesh Open University. Training of functionaries from Afghanistan is on the cards.         
Striving for excellence in all spheres and activities by an Institution is not a onetime effort.  Rather to excel one has to do even the most common things in an uncommon way.  And to do so, “people of excellence go the extra mile to do what’s right”. I once again congratulate NIOS for its accomplishments and contribution for building not only a literate India, but an educated and empowered India, reaching out to the unreached, the disadvantaged, the have-nots, helping them to live a life of dignity and self sufficiency.     

BK/VSB

Non-Payment of salary to teachers

Fri, Sep 21, 2012 at 3:09 PM                                            5th & 6th PAY COMMISSIONS                                 
HC Issues contempt notice to private schools    
The Delhi High Court today issued contempt notice to a private school, Rukmini Devi Jaipuria School, Rajpur Road for not paying salary and arrears to its teachers as per the 5th & 6th Pay Commissions.

Hearing a contempt petition filed by the aggrieved teachers through advocate, Ashok Agarwal, a single bench comprising Justice Rajiv Shakdher directed the school to reply to the contempt notices by 14 December 2012.

The contempt petition has been filed against the school for disobeying the earlier court order dated 11/052012 in which a Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw had directed the erring school to pay the salary as well as arrears with effect from 1/1/1996.

The Delhi High Court had held that the teachers of unaided private schools are entitled to same pay and emoluments as those of government schools. Rejecting an appeal by a private school, a bench of Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw upheld the single judge's order directing Rukmini Devi Jaipuria School, Rajpura Road, to pay arrears of salary to its teachers with effect from January one, 1996.

Directing the school to pay the arrears in four weeks, the bench also imposed a cost of Rs 30,000 on it.

The court dismissed the school's argument that the pay commission recommendations are only applicable to the government-aided schools and not to private schools.

The court accepted the contention of Ashok Agarwal, the counsel for the teachers, that it's a travesty of justice that the teachers are denied their lawful salary without any justification.

The court also held that the employees of all unaided recognised private schools are entitled to benefits of pay and emoluments from January 1, 1996, the date the fifth pay commission recommendations became applicable and the schools cannot deny or delay the same on the ground that it could not recover fee from the students.

Only recently, the Justice Anil Dev Singh Committee for Review of School Fee had found as many as 143 Delhi Unaided Private Schools which claimed to have increased the fee consequent to the order of the Directorate of Education dated 11/2/2009 but have not implemented the recommendations of Sixth Pay Commission.

Ashok Agarwal, Advocate
M-09811101923
21.09.2012

DD Jain Memorial College for Women

MP Manish Tiwari inaugurated the Computer Lab

On September 14, 2012, Mr. Manish Tiwari, Member Parliament inaugurated the Computer Lab constructed in Devki Devi Jain Memorial College for Women, Ludhiana with the contribution of Rs.5,00,000/- sanctioned by Sh. Tiwari. He was accompanied by Sh. Pawan Deewan, District President of Congress, Mrs. Pinky Bansal, Councilor, Sh. Sham Sunder Malhotra & Sh. Jasbir Chadda, Ex-Councilors. Mrs. Punam Sareen, Officiating Principal welcomed the honourable guests and gave a brief account of the achievements of the institution. Samaj Rattan Sh. Hira Lal Jain expressed his gratitude to Mr. Tiwari for taking keen interest in the empowerment of women through the medium of education. Sh. Manish Tiwari in his address asked the young students to join the work force of the country after the completion of their studies to speed up the economic growth of the nation. He also assured that there will be no dearth of funds in providing the infrastructure to improve the quality of education. 
Sh. Kedar Nath, President of college Managing Committee, Sh. Raj Kumar Jain & Sh. Shanti Saroop Jain, Sr. Vice Presidents, Sh. Sheetal Kumar Jain, Vice President, Sh. Bipin Jain Secretary, Sh. Surinder Kumar Jain, Manager, Sh. Arvind Kumar Jain, Joint Secretary, Sh. Shiv Desh Bandhu Gupta, Sh. Amrit Lal Jain, Sh. Prem Kumar Jain & Sh. Rajiv Jain thanked Mr. Tiwari and reiterated that they have high hopes from young and charismatic leader like Mr. Tiwari who can lead the country to great heights. 

To mark the teachers’ day

An interactive session at the New Public High School 

To mark the teachers’ day, the Bharat Jan Gyan Vigyan Jatha (BJGVJ) held an interactive session at the New Public High School, Ghumar Mandi, Ludhiana to create awareness regarding promotion of healthy environment. Dr Arun Mitra, General Secretary BJGVJ along with Sh.M.S.Bhatia and Sh.Sohan Singh attended the function. Mrs.B Rai Dhanda and Sh.Sukhdev Singh Jhajj – Principal welcomed the guests. The students were called upon to developed environment friendly habits in the form of conservation of water and maintain hygiene. Environment has to be kept clean for good health.