Yogesh Avasthi

Kajal Chavda appears with her newborn for college prelims so she would save a year Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Friday, February 24, 2012 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/20120224201202240218427443ddb026/Mother-of-all-tests.html ) Exams are always stressful. But it is more hassling if you are a mother still breastfeeding your newborn. That, however, did not stop Kajal Chavda — who gave birth to a baby on February 4 — from appearing for her prelims at B D Arts College for Women at Lal Darwaza. The 24-year-old has been taking the newborn to college with her. She writes her exam on the same desk that her baby lies asleep. “The baby needs to be fed frequently so the college allowed the baby to be with me during the examination. There are two exams a day: 8 am to 11 am and from 11.30 am to 2.30 pm. The baby is asleep through most of it. If he wakes up, I feed him and hand him over to my husband Mukesh or mother-in-law who wait outside,” says Kajal. Testing times Kajal’s deliv...

GSHSEB officials claim despite the best efforts, board exam anxiety persists among students and parents in the state Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Wednesday, February 22, 2012 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/3/20120222201202220156004899fe8b69d/Help-I-am-scared-of-the-word-%E2%80%98Board%E2%80%99-.html ) A nervous Class X student, who called the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board’s (GSHSEB) helpline, claimed “I am not afraid of the exams, the prefix ‘board’ makes me nervous”. This call for help sums up the anxiety faced by lakhs of students in the state preparing for their board examination. In fact, according to the GSHSEB officials, three years after the board launched its helpline to ease anxiety issues of students, the problem persists. It’s not just students who feel the pressure, but also their parents. The helpline received only 400 calls in 2011, which is less compared to 2010. But still the numbers are high. Nervous nail-biting, feeling dizzy at th...

A diploma holder, Sharad Parikh overcame barriers of a middle-income group family and set up his own firm that produces solar water heater Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Tuesday, February 21, 2012 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/3/2012022120120221193846122c874b5df/A-green-entrepreneur-at-18-.html ) A diploma holder, 20-something and an entrepreneur. Sharad Parekh’s introduction doesn’t end here. Surpassing his friends and batchmates who are yet to take their first step towards their goal, he is already living his dream. “Where there’s a will, there is a way. But the most important thing is to believe in self,” says Sharad who went through all the hardships a boy of a middle-income group family faces but realised his dream of setting up a firm that produces eco-friendly lifestyle product. A futuristic After obtaining a diploma in mechanical engineering from Nirma University in 2010, Sharad lapped up a job with IFB at Pune as service engineer with a Rs 2.4-lakh package. “But ...

State Higher Education Department to introduce law as a subject in first year for BA, BCom and BSc students from the new academic year Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Sunday, February 19, 2012 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/20120219201202190135294867c50c5e2/Let%E2%80%99s-make-it-legal.html ) College students in the state are set to take a leap in awareness about their rights at home, in society and at the workplace if the state government’s programme to introduce law as a compulsory subject is in place from the new academic year. At present only about 5 per cent of students who study Bachelor of Law know the fundamentals of law and its application, while 95 per cent of students, other than management students who might have some knowledge about business laws, are mostly unaware of the laws of the land and its applicability. To ensure that youngsters learn the basics of law which will be useful to them at every stage of life, the state Higher Education Department has decided...

Of 34,300 students eligible for recruitment, only 4,300 students have received job offers this year. By 2015,  lakhs of students will have to compromise on salary, job profile if colleges do not improve on quality of education and skills being imparted Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Saturday, February 11, 2012 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/2012021120120211021707263589690ce/Placements-give-88-undergrads-a-miss.html ) The job market is not so welcoming, especially for new graduates. Of 34,300 youths studying engineering, MBA and MCA across the state, only about 4,300 have managed to secure jobs during placements. And several of those who found employment, compromised on salary and job profile, say experts. Today, few students except those with above average marks, can expect a come-hither from a deep-pocketed firm. Nearly, everyone else is struggling. Of about 15,000 engineering students in the state, only 2,700 found jobs during placements held between June 2011 and Janu...

Her 90% disability has not prevented Himani Dave from living life on her terms; she is an S Y BCom student and wants to make a career in computer animation Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Friday, February 10, 2012 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/201202102012021002252847963389ad3/Grit-Guts-and-Gumption.html ) It cannot get better than this or it cannot get worse than this. It depends on how you look at it. A 23-year-old girl with multiple deformities and 90 per cent disability has set an example for normal human beings with her never-say-die-spirit. Every moment is a struggle, every day a battle. For more than two decades, Himani Dave has persisted, to enjoy every moment and live life on her own terms. Her parents, Arun Dave and Sunita, have been her pillars of support. Life has never been easy for Himani, a second year BCom student of Umiya Arts and Commerce College for Girls. At birth, she was detected with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a condition causing extremely fragile bones. S...

The draft report of the study conducted among class V students says that Gujarat is among the four states where overall student aptitude has fallen. But officials here argue that the data collected in more comprehensive surveys by state agencies and NGOs paint conditions in Gujarat to be much better Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Thursday, February 09, 2012 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/3/2012020920120209015017900a833e819/State-officials-dispute-NCERT-findings.html ) Educationists and officials in state have reacted with dismay to the NCERT survey that shows learning achievement of class V students of Gujarat to be much lower than their counterparts in states like Uttar Pradesh and Odisha. While they wait for the final report, they point out that the data collected during more comprehensive surveys by state agencies and some NGOs paint conditions in Gujarat much better than those depicted by NCERT survey. “Conditions in Gujarat are certainty better than those in some of the ...

GMDC awards contract to science institute to carry out topographical survey, geological mapping and to assess bauxite reserves in 31 villages of Jamnagar Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Saturday, February 04, 2012 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/20120204201202040141152525b6c62c9/MG-wins-Rs-14cr-bid-to-provide-data-on-natural-resources.html ) It is a shot in the arm for research in the state. For the first time in Gujarat, and probably in the country, the government has awarded a commercial tender to provide data on quality and quantity of natural resources to a single department of an educational institute. This will not only boost research at M G Science Institute, which has won the contract, but also encourage other science colleges to follow the same path. It will also give fillip to interaction between industry and academic institutes. The GMDC Science & Research Centre awarded the Rs 1.4-crore project to the geology department of M G Science to carry out topographica...

The Railways to introduce LHB coaches in Ahmedabad-Delhi Rajdhani Express. They are safer, more spacious and comfortable than existing compartments Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Saturday, February 04, 2012 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/3/2012020420120204012027869a6a67630/March-to-bring-safer-comfy-railway-ride.html ) The onset of summer is set to bring a cool jaunt for Amdavadis as the Railways plans to introduce LHB coaches in Ahmedabad-Delhi Rajdhani Express by the first week of March. The elite passengers of Ahmedabad-Mumbai Shatabdi Express have been travelling in the comfy LHB compartments for past one-and-half years. But more than comfort, these sleek and spacious coaches are safer than the conventional compartments. “For long, we have been waiting for the nod to introduce the new coaches. Finally, the approval has come from the Railway Board. We have got one rake. The second rake and additional coaches will arrive by February 20. We will be able to run the train with ...

Three-member panel to suggest changes to facilitate research across the state and stop delays in awarding doctoral degrees Yogesh Avasthi Posted On Wednesday, February 01, 2012 ( http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/3/20120201201202010137459013700c479/Govt-to-make-PhD-timebound-affair.html ) Bottlenecks in research and doctoral study will soon be a thing of the past if the government’s decision to implement a new plan from the new academic year goes through. The Department of Higher Education has set up a three-member committee to fix a time frame for universities across Gujarat to decide on a doctoral thesis from entrance test to notification. The committee comprising Dr Shashi Ranjan Yadav, vice chancellor of Krantiguru Shyamji Krishna Verma Kachchh University; Dr Harish Padh, vice chancellor of Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar and Dr Dakshesh Thakkar, vice chancellor of Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, will submit a report within two months to the government. ...