Yogesh Avasthi

Udgam has 704 parents as fans; calls this an attempt to keep parents posted on latest happenings at the school By Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Sunday, January 31, 2010 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=2010013120100131031721247434d40a9 ) In an age of fast-changing technology, educational institutions are doing their best to match steps with the latest. After websites and blogs, community networking sites are the latest for schools to keep parents of students updated about who’s winning what and what’s happening when. Udgam School for Children’s Facebook page is a brimming example of how a school remains connected with parents in an easier, faster and interactive way. The school, which created its ID on November 18, 2009, has 704 fans (read parents). The number is steadily increasing. The school feels that being on the networking site has helped in getting quick responses from parents, and is interactive unlike normal webs

State Election Commission wants to introduce online and SMS voting for year-end municipal corporation elections By Yogesh Avasthi, Dilip Patel Posted On Thursday, January 28, 2010 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=2010012820100128022902514349daf61 ) You book your seat in a multiplex and even order a pizza by sending an SMS. Now, loosen up your fingers to engage in a more solemn exercise: voting. The state election commission is working on a new system wherein you will be able to vote in local polls either by sending a message from your cellphone or by making a few clicks on the internet. The system, if approved by the Gujarat government, will be introduced by December when the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and civic bodies of five other cities will hold a ballot. The election panel, in fact, has asked technology companies to submit their tenders today for setting up the ‘Online Voting System’. The panel’s b

NSUI candidate contesting in GU Senate polls from UG commerce seat distributes old question papers among voters; her ABVP By Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Thursday, January 28, 2010 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=20100128201001280228394832693eb0e ) With elections for students’ representatives in the Gujarat University Senate round the corner, contestants in the fray are trying to outsmart each other in electioneering taking innovative routes. While a few are trying to woo voters online, some are showering gifts. But NSUI’s Krishna Patel stands out. Contesting for the prestigious UG Commerce seat, Patel is distributing photocopies of question papers of previous years among students to help them prepare for final exams. She thought it would be the perfect way to woo voters. Collecting the question papers of previous years of B Com, BBA and BCA from the varsity store, she photocopied them placing her visiting card on the

CCTV cameras at all eight gates of the society will keep residents safe inside and unwanted visitors outside By Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Monday, January 25, 2010 It was named a Chhavni (encampment) and soon it will turn into one. Satyagraha Chhavni, one of the city’s oldest and poshest societies, is all set to get close-circuit TV cameras to keep residents safe in and unwanted visitors out. The society is divided into seven sectors that stretch from Satellite to Ramdevnagar. Residents have decided to get the CCTVs installed at all its eight gates. Society secretary Archana Kandarp Amin said, “We were worried about rising incidents of thefts in surrounding areas. We do have security guards manning the gates. We also shut some of the gates at 11 pm. But we felt a need to tighten security further.” For this, the residents decided to get CCTV cameras installed. “We will put at least 20 CCTV cameras. The data will be saved for 10 days. We have invited tenders from security firms, w

70-year-old inventor waits for patent to his invention which he says is all-weather, can withstand more heat and is easily maintainable By Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Monday, January 25, 2010 Pic - Jignesh Vora Necessity is the mother of invention. So when Ramanlal Tirkar’s scooter conked out on a rainy day due to a blown spark plug, he decided to invent a better one. And that he did. The gritty 70-year-old’s application for a patent is under process. Tirkar says his invention can be serviced, used in any vehicle, has a longer life and increases engine efficiency. It is also a solution for starting trouble, he says, as Tirkar explains the making of the device. The spark plug for an internal combustion engine is made from stainless steel and comprises a center electrode, plug shell, ground lectrode, a height adjusting bolt, an insulator, outer jacket, gasket, terminal nut washer and a lock nut. The speciality of this spark plug, Tirkar says, is that each part can be dismantled f

(AM Test Drive) In 2009, only TWO cases of high decibel honking were registered by the city traffic dept. Little wonder why Amdavadis are still living with audio harassment from blaring vehicle horns By Hemington James, Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Friday, January 22, 2010 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=20100122201001220232241716d8af079 ) Incessant, loud honking plagues Ahmedabad, like any other burgeoning metro. Why doesn’t the noise stop? Maybe, because there are laws in place which, like many laws in place, are not enforced. Here’s a (really) small piece of statistic that may tell you why in Ahmedabad loud honking is not taken as a serious issue. In 2009, only TWO cases of vehicle drivers violating prescribed decibel levels were registered by the city traffic police. The only detail AM could prise out about these cases was that while one vehicle was detained, other other case went to court. AM carried out a test-

Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan has issued a notification to Kendriya Vidyalaya No 1 in Shahibaug to merge its second shift with the first By Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Friday, January 22, 2010 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=2010012220100122023205437dc65aa25 ) A sense of uncertainty has gripped 550 second shift students of Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 1 in Shahibaug with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) deciding to merge it with the first from April 1 this year. In a letter issued on January 13, KVS has directed the KV No. 1 to merge its classes in the second shift with those in the first. All students of second shift would be accommodated in the first shift and a few might be sent to nearby KVs, it stated. Adjustment problems Despite the assurance, the second shift students of KV No. 1 in Shahibaug are a worried lot. They believe it would be difficult for them to adopt to new timings. They are also afraid of going to ne

L D Arts College students are not the only ones with appalling general knowledge levels. They have the company of many By Yogesh Avasthi And Dhwani Pathak Posted On Thursday, January 21, 2010 (Ahmedabad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=2010012120100121030023177f1178fe8 ) They were all born intelligent and ignorant. Nearly 20 years of education later, they still remain intelligent, yet ignorant. Really, what feat has their education achieved? On Wednesday, Mirror reported that only eight out of 130 students cleared a tough general knowledge test at LD Arts College, leaving the principal stunned. So we decided to check out the GK quotient of their counterparts in six other educational institutions in the city — St Xavier’s College, H L College of Commerce, H K Arts College, Smt S R Mehta Arts College, C U Shah Science College and Gujarat Vidyapeeth. The result: They are no better. This should serve as a wake-u

130 students of LD Arts College took a general knowledge test recently, but only eight passed it By Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Wednesday, January 20, 2010  ♦ Which country is the world’s largest producer of milk? It’s India. A fifth-grader can give this answer in a twinkling, but several college-going students couldn’t even after cudgelling their brains for more than an hour. Amdavadi youths’ poor general knowledge was exposed when LD Arts College conducted a surprise test recently. Of the 130 students who took the multiple-choice GK test, only eight managed to give enough correct answers to pass the 90-minute exam. This outcome left the college’s principal, Mahipatsinh Chawda, and academics Mirror spoke to completely stunned. “This is the level of basic knowledge among college-goers. It’s quite shocking,” he said. “I decided to conduct such a test for our students because I suspected that they were not reading enough to increase their general knowledge.” Chawda said that the

For the first time in Gujarat University’s history, a reading of Sundarkand has been organised on the campus By Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 03:48:50 AM ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=2010011920100119034850872ace8e163 ) The Gujarat University (GU), it seems, has decided to turn to the Almighty to better its standing among educational institutes. The varsity, along with JG Group of Colleges, will organise a religious ceremony on its campus today at 6 pm. During the two-hour service, bhajans and verses of Sundarkand will be recited and other ceremonial niceties will be carried out. This is the first time in the university’s 60-year-old history that such an event, whose chief guest is none other than GU V-C Parimal Trivedi, will be organised on its premises. Some student leaders allege Trivedi is trying to ‘saffronise’ the varsity by organising such events. Trivedi, however, says he didn’t

Amdavadi students welcome the decision of KVS to fix maximum permissible weight of schoolbags By Yogesh Avasthi and Sohini Srinivas Posted On Saturday, January 16, 2010  KVS eases bag burden of students Injured birds were brought in GSRTC buses from rural areas. Only sterile surgical equipment, dressing material and suture was used to treat them Taking a laudable step towards easing the burden of books on students’ back, Kendriya Vidyalya Sangthan (KVS) has laid down weight norms for the bags to be carried to schools. In a circular to all its principals, the KVS has stated that bags of students in Class I and II should not weigh more than 2 kg. The maximum permissible limit is 3 kg for Class III and IV students. The prescribed weight is less than 4 kg for students between Class V and VIII, while the upper limit is 6 kg for students in Class VIII to XI. Giving a thumbs up to the decision of KVS, Amdavadis urged other schools in the city to follow suit. “If KVS can set weight

For the first time in the history of Gujarat University, students will write final examinations in their respective colleges By Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Wednesday, January 13, 2010 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=2010011320100113023601388d055b976 ) Almost 3 lakh undergraduate and postgraduate students of Gujarat University will now be able to take the varsity examinations in their own colleges. For the first time since its inception, Gujarat University will do away with the system of holding the final examinations at different centres, university authorities said. Henceforth, students won’t have to run from one place to another to appear in examinations at various centres depending on their subjects. Colleges will be entrusted with the responsibility of invigilation and providing space to its students. The university will, however, oversee it, besides providing the question papers and examiners, the authorities

Mt Carmel School conducts exams under much-needed yet ridiculed open book examination format, students give thumbs up By Yogesh Avasthi and Tanushree Bhatia Posted On Saturday, January 09, 2010  ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=201001092010010903091175dda045fa ) Taking a giant leap towards producing smart students and not bookworms, Mount Carmel School became the first school in the city to introduce open book examination system despite the state government’s decision last September to keep it in abeyance for a year. The girls’ school decided to go for the open book exam system in its unit test that started from January 7 primarily to ease the exam fear among students. It is also aimed at discouraging the practice of mugging up lessons. And Carmelites are loving it. Exam time is no more testing times for them. Hailing the new exam system that tests analytical skills, Mount Carmel students said they were fearless a

Tripada organises special screening of 3 Idiots for its students and their parents on Sunday By Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Saturday, January 09, 2010  ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=201001092010010903030006dee8d3f2 ) Impressed by the recent hit 3 Idiots and the questions it raises about the current education system, Tripada Education Trust has organised a screening of the film for parents. The trust has invited students and their parents to watch the movie at a multiplex on Ashram Road on 17 Jan 2010 morning. The movie will be shown on three screens simultaneously between 8-11am. A circular asking parents to join in, encouraged them to ‘travel within our child and explore his/her world’. Parents were asked to pay for the move tickets at the school office. “Around 1,000 people can watch the movie at the three shows,” said Pratiksha Parikh, principal of Tripada School. “The event is not compulsory, but I advise ever

The Vidyavihar Kul pledges to put this money into reviving khadi, afforestation and providing scholarships to students of its alma mater By Yogesh Avasthi, Mehul Jani Posted On Thursday, January 07, 2010 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=20100107201001070250412606daebad6 ) They are calling it annual project 2009-10. Members of Vidyavihar Kul, the alumni association of CN Vidyalaya are out on a cause. Actually, three causes - khadi, environment and education. A grand rally which the Vidyavihar Kul is organising on February 7 will be the beginning of its initiative. The alumni association plans to collect Rs 72 lakh this year through sponsors; from this, it has pledged to use Rs 60 lakh for its objectives. The association wants to set aside Rs 25 lakh for the scholarships, Rs 10 lakh for promoting khadi, Rs 15 lakh for the green cultivation project and Rs 10 lakh for the state government’s Kanya Kelvani Project. Alumni

Unlike last year when GCET was held in July, GTU will conduct the test for MBA and MCA aspirants in May; move aimed at speeding up admission process By Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Wednesday, January 06, 2010 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=2010010620100106033004941154df29b ) The Gujarat Technological University (GTU) has decided to conduct the entrance test for MBA and MCA aspirants early this year. Sources in the varsity said that the Gujarat Common Entrance Test (GCET) would be held in May instead of July. The move, they say, is aimed at helping MBA and MCA colleges finish their admission procedures earlier and ending uncertainty students face when their enrolments are delayed. In 2009, an estimated 23,000 students eyeing a degree in business administration or computer applications took GCET in July. An online GCET was introduced by the GTU for the first time last year. ‘Move will benefit MBA, MCA aspirants’ “T

Gujarat Kumar Vinay Mandir on the campus founded by Gandhi has not received govt grant for past eight years; Registrar writes to employees about the decision By Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Tuesday, January 05, 2010  ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=2010010520100105023730789a29ca187 ) With no grant received for the past eight years, the Gujarat Kumar Vinay Mandir school in Gujarat Vidyapeeth may soon close down. Vidyapeeth Registrar Rajendra Khimani has written to employees of the school informing about the possibility of closure. The letter dated December 19, 2009 mentions that since there has been no grant from the state government to run the school, “we wish to close down this school. The government, if wishes, can accommodate its teachers in other schools. The pay of the teachers and their qualification are at par with the state education department’s grades”. Founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1935, the school was amon

Gujarat Commissionerate of Higher Education will publish theses in its journals and newsletters from June 2010 By Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Monday, January 04, 2010 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=201001042010010403080657eb251845 ) Your research work will no more remain a documentary evidence of brilliance, gathering dust in voluminous files. If it’s rich with information, you will get public appreciation from this year. Gujarat Commissionerate of Higher Education has decided to publish innovative theses in its journals and newsletters from June 2010. They will be posted on its website as well. The state commissionerate has initiated this step to encourage researchers and recognise their hard work following the University Grants Commission’s emphasis on research. It is also aimed at boosting the quality of their work. All the college and university teachers in Gujarat, who have completed their research, will be e

Harinesh Pandya and his organisation has helped more than 1.5 lakh people gain access to information through the RTI Act By Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Saturday, January 02, 2010 http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Sachin%2020dulkar§id=68&contentid=20100102201001021627553566819e858 ) (Pic - Manish Mistry) Helping hands Soon after the Right to Information Act came into effect, confusion abound. Officials, applicants and organisations had no clue about the rules. Neither did they know whom to approach. That’s when Harinesh Pandya and his NGO Janpath, who were already working on the right to freedom of information, decided to make the knowledge accessible to all. Born was Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel, a forum of organisations and activists working on RTI. Till date, the panel has helped 1.5 lakh people. These include applicants who seek information under the RTI act and also officials who are ignorant of its rules. The panel has a helpline on w

Tutorial fees will be refunded if the teacher clears the examination which tests an individual’s knowledge of English By Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Saturday, January 02, 2010 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=2010010220100102032503849d1476ea7 ) The state government has decided that from this year, college teachers - nearly 5,000 in the state - will have to take SCOPE exam mandatorily. Society for Creation of Opportunity Through Proficiency in English or SCOPE is a state government programme aimed at teaching the language to the youth. The programme, launched about three years ago, had since also covered government officials, school and college students. This is the first time, however, that a college teacher will have to appear for the exam, according to a Commissionerate of Higher Education directive. Attending the tutorials spread over 90 hours, however, won’t be mandatory for those teaching English as a subject

Ahmedabad Railway Division has awarded Central Warehouse Corporation and a private agency one-year contracts to rid the trains and yard of the menace By Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Wednesday, December 30, 2009 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=200912302009123002564390548537850 ) After several failed attempts to eliminate the rats that scurry along railway platforms, trains, and in the yards, the Ahmedabad Railway Division is now doling out Rs 25 lakh to pest control companies to get rid of the menace forever. Central Warehouse Corporation (CWC) has been given a Rs 5-lakh contract for the railway station yard while a separate Rs 20-lakh contract has been given to a private agency to curb rat menace in the trains. The infestation is so large that the division decided to rope in firms that are better equipped to solve the problem. The CWC was itself plagued by the problem as it has grain godowns. That is how it set up a

In a couple of months, the Ahmedabad-Delhi-Ahmedabad Suvarna Jayanti Rajdhani Express will get LBH coaches that are spacious, safer By Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Tuesday, December 29, 2009 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=200912292009122903314381290207ec2 The Shatabdi Express between Ahmedabad and Mumbai has got ‘em. Soon, the Ahmedabad-Delhi-Ahmedabad Suvarna Jayanti Rajdhani Express will get them too. Ahmedabad Railway Divisional Manager Ashok Garud told AM that in nearly four months from now, the Rajdhani Express will be fitted with the sleek LHB (M/s Linke Hofmann Busche) coaches that are more spacious, comfortable and safer. “The proposal sent to the Railway Board is expected to be implemented in a few months,” Garud said. The coaches currently being used in the train were fitted in 1989. “Not that they are in a run-down condition, but the Railway wants the makeover soon,” he said. Rajdhani and Shatabdi are A-gra

MCI to prepare database of medical, dental college teachers to stop fudging of faculty figures to evade derecognition, get more seats By Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Monday, December 28, 2009  ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=20091228200912280258113084661ace5 In a bid to stop fudging of faculty figures at medical and dental colleges facing derecognition and dramatic transfer of teachers from one institution to another before inspections, the Medical Council of India (MCI) has decided to introduce an online monitoring system. The regulatory body will prepare a detailed database of the faculty members associated with 284 medical colleges and 282 dental colleges in India and post it online. It will include names of the teachers, their employment details and the institutes they are associated with. These data will help MCI cross-check the veracity of the list of faculty members tabled before it by a medical institution du

The management of Tripada School decides to incorporate a chapter on traffic norms in curriculum from next year By Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Sunday, December 27, 2009 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=20091227200912270259106537c01d97 ) With an objective of inculcating traffic sense among students,Tripada School is set to introduce a chapter on traffic in syllabus from the next academic session. Like civic sense, instilling traffic sense among the future citizens is the responsibility of the school, believes management of Tripada Education Trust which owns three schools in the city. With this move, Tripada trust will become first in the country to educate students on traffic norms and regulation at school level. Catching them young “We intend to use the concept of ‘catch them young’ to ensure that the children follow traffic rules. Thus, we have decided to introduce a chapter on traffic from class III to VII,” said