Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) scheme will ensure all round development of children

Heading India’s one of the best schools is not easy. Newsline caught up with Dr D R Saini, Principal of DPS R K Puram for a tête-à-tête and the conversation reeled from his days in the hostel to the CBSE’s Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) scheme.

Dr D R Saini is also the President of the Delhi Basketball Association. He is a member of the Organising Committee, Commonwealth Games 2010 and is Vice-Chairman of the Bowling Federation of India.

We have had principals speak on the CCE scheme very openly, both against and in favour of. What are your views on the topic?

Yesterday, Chairman of CBSE Vineet Joshi was at the school. And he spoke to the teachers and parents about the continuous and comprehensive evaluation. According to me, this is a very good system. It is meant for all round harmonious development of the child. It will promote child’s inherent talent. It will take into account both the scholastic and non-scholastic activities into account.

There have been voices from certain quarters that CCE will reduce the competition among children and the competitive edge that students always wanted will not be there.

Competition will be there. Every child will aspire to get an A grade. Advantage will go to the weaker. Now the student who secures 91 per cent will be on an equal footing with a student who secures 100 per cent marks. So, it’s a good thing.

With CCE in place for Class IX, do you find students taking more interest in other activities like drama clubs, eco clubs?

Yes, now there is an increased interest in other activities. CCE has reduced the focus on academics, though our school is still the best in academics, I find students taking keen interest in activities other than just academics. There will no longer be rote learning.

So, is the CCE is in favour of the children?

Completely. You see, there will be a four-page report card now onwards that will be given to the students at the end of class X. Earlier, a child would be under a lot of pressure on the day of exam, even parents and teachers would be under stress. CCE has made things easier for students.

The CCE will grade the life skills of a child. Do you think life skills can be taught?

That’s where teachers’ role is crucial. Teachers are involved with the students all year through. They are in a better position to judge. But the teachers have to be trained. The problem is that if teachers are not trained, it cannot work.

The ball is in the court of teachers. They have to play a fair role. Earlier they were not in the picture.

In Class IX, CCE is in force. So has the method of teaching changed?

No, the teaching methods are the same. But projects are being given regularly and the weekly tests are in place.

Now that the nursery admissions have begun, are there any changes in the points system this year?

No, we are following last years system. The forms will be available online from December 15, 2009 to January 15, 2010. This year we have chosen the online option as it saves a lot of parents’ time and our time as well.

Dr Saini, tell us something about yourself and your association with the DPS.

(Smiles). I joined the school as a grade IV teacher in 1978. I was promoted to grade III as a TGT. Then I was the deputy head and then head of the department. I became the Vice- Principal in 1995. And In August this year, I became the principal after the retirement of Dr Shyama Chona.

As is evident you have a very old and strong bond with the school. How do you intent to take the name of DPS forward?

Our students are doing very well in all the fields. Our ex-students have excelled everywhere. We have a plan to lay lawn bowling greens inside the school premises and the government has allocated Rs 20 crores to us. It will be used for bowling during the Commonwealth Games 2010. It will be finished by March 2010. We also want to have a footbridge from the school to the sports complex.

Tell us something about the school for the economically weaker section.

We started the school in the second shift for the EWS in 1999. Right now we have about 700 students in the second shift school. We were the first school to initiate this.

How do you spend your leisure time? Who are your favourite authors?

As I reside inside the school, work never stops for me. And whenever I get time I pick up any book to read. I like books by APJ Abdul Kalam.

Sir, it was wonderful talking to you.

Thank you.

No further delay please, CoCom pleads

The home stretch might still be some time away, but the Commonwealth Games Federation's (CGF) Coordination Commission (CoCom) chief Alan Sealy is hoping things fall in place much before that.

Here, along with other members of the commission, Sealy said after three days of inspections and studying reports from various agencies that though there had been progress over the past two months, work needed to be accelerated further.

Sealy said that the commission was concerned that the timetable had been extended by at least three months since the September deadline and that most venues will not be handed over to the Organising Committee (OC) till June.

"We urge the construction agencies to ensure that no further delays are encountered as this will place the OC in a difficult position and compromise final preparations and Games readiness," Sealy said on Wednesday after the commission glossed over detailed presentations from a range of functional areas like infrastructure, security, transport, accreditation, village operations, technology and venue operations.

But Sealy expressed satisfaction at the reports and the increased awareness among Indian officials. "Each session was extensive, with opportunities for us to question the OC and government to provide feedback. A series of action items have been identified and will be summarised in the commission's final report," said Sealy.

"It was certainly helpful to have the representatives of the Commonwealth Games Associations, who will bring their athletes to Delhi as part of this CoCom. Each of them has vast experience of what are the specific needs of their athletes and teams during the lead-in and competition period."

Ousted IWF secretary to contest polls

Squadron Leader Baldev Raj Gulati, the ousted secretary-general of the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF), may have had to resign last month under pressure from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) over the issue of doping, but he is not giving up yet.

Gulati resigned from his post along with all other office bearers after the International Weightlifting Federation was reported to have told the IOA to get a new body in place if it hoped for any kind of reprieve after a string of doping cases.

But Gulati, who has often been blamed for the rampant doping in the country, is hoping to be again among the new set of office-bearers that will take charge after the IOA conducts elections on December 27. "I am not contesting for the post of secretary-general but for one of the other positions," Gulati told DNA, adding that he hoped India would be able to participate in next year's Commonwealth Games.

"Once the final dope test results are out and the penalty is paid (by the IWF or the IOA), the lifters will get a go-ahead for the Commonwealth Games, for which they are currently attending a camp at the Army Sports Institute in Pune," he said. "The penalty has not been announced officially. However, if found guilty we stand to lose half-a-million dollars. But the Sports Authority of India (SAI) is to be blamed for this," Gulati said.

The International Weightlifting Federation, at its executive committee meeting in South Korea last month, decided to put off the punishment for the Indian federation till the individual cases had been dealt with. Under international rules, a national body may be handed a ban of up to four years with fines, if three or more lifters test positive for banned substances during a calendar year.

If a ban of more than a year is imposed, India will have to face the ignominy of being barred from fielding its 'lifters in the October 3-14 Games. India have been banned twice in the past -- in 2004 and 2006 -- apart from escaping with a heavy fine on one other occasion.

U-turn: Games commission says Delhi OC okay, construction not

In October, Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Mike Fennell had said that the functioning of the Organising Committee (OC), and not the pace of building the infrastructure, was a bigger roadblock in Delhi’s bid to deliver a successful Games. “A lot of work remains to be done at the venues but that can be completed on time,” he had said, citing how the Ashoka Hotel, the venue for the CGF General Assembly, was renovated in less than six months’ time.

Two months later, the CGF has changed track, with its Coordination Commission (CoCom), after a three-day meeting to review progress, giving a thumbs-up to the Suresh Kalmadi-led OC, while expressing concerns about the pace of construction, fearing that, in some cases, the competition venues may not be ready until June next year.

“There has been noticeable progress over the last two months, however, with effectively only nine months remaining, the intensity must continue, and in fact, works must be accelerated,” CoCom chairman Austin Sealy said in a statement.

The Commission, Sealy said, was concerned that the timetable for venue completion had, in most cases, been extended by at least three months. “We urge the construction agencies to ensure that no further delays are encountered as this will place the OC in a difficult position and compromise final preparations and Games readiness,” he said.

The eight-member Commission, though, after going through a series of presentations and assessing key functional areas, including accreditation, village operations, security, technology, transport and venue operations, gave the OC a pat on the back. “There was a sense of energy and urgency from Suresh Kalmadi, the chairman of the OC, and the entire Delhi team about getting on with the job, which is a positive, and it is clear that everyone is committed to making these Games a success,” Sealy said.

OC vice-chairman Randhir Singh, who was coordinating with the commission, said Sealy’s feedback was a boost to their morale. “A lot of progress has been made in the last two months and CoCom has acknowledged that. Their positive remarks have given us a lot of confidence,” Randhir told The Indian Express.

The full report is expected to be out by the end of this month. As for the other outcomes of our meetings, a series of action items have been identified and will be summarised in the Commission’s final report on this meeting. CoCom will now share its findings with Fennell, who arrives on Friday for the OC’s Executive Board.

After German stint, Chetan hopes to strike gold at home

India’s top ranked shuttler Chetan Anand has his priorities clear for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

While he admits that a win in the prestigious Syed Modi memorial Grand Prix tournament here will set the right momentum for upcoming international meets next year, he is not too impressed by the lower-ranked foreign players in the fray. “I had won both the individual and team championship bronze in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Now, with the prestigious event being held in India, I would settle for nothing less than gold. To be honest, playing in India amid home support will be easier,” Chetan said, talking to The Indian Express.

The world No 17, though, insists that participation and a good show here will “go a long way in helping Indian players assess their fitness level and all top players should take part in such reputed tournaments. I have participated in Syed Modi tournament a number of times, winning once and reaching the final a couple of times,” he said, adding that the exposure here will also help prepare the Indians for the Malaysian and Korean Super Series events, to be held in January next year.

Talking about his own preparations, Chetan said, “I have been training abroad in patches for the past one year. I play for German Club Berlin where I often play with some of the top players. All this will help me in the Commonwealth Games.” The 29-year-old is content with the development of the game in the country. “Teams are being sent abroad for exposure, including the youth teams. For seniors, I think a trip to Denmark or Indonesia could do wonders,” he said.

Top seeds Saina Nehwal and Chetan Anand notched up contrasting wins to cruise into the pre-quarterfinals of the tournament on Wednesday.

While Saina blew away Juhi Dewangan 21-5 21-2 in just 14 minutes to set up a clash with Chitralekha, Chetan took 29 minutes to prevail over Srujan Nandaluri 21-19 21-12. He will next take on Indonesian Adnan Fauzi in the next round.

Among other results, Anup Sridhar beat Prakash Jolly 21-13 21-15, RMV Guru sai Dutt thrashed Ajay K Kumar 21-8 21-6, Ajay Jayaram pipped German Marcel Reuter 21-16 21-13, P Kashyap trounced K Nandgopal 21-10 21-16 and Sai Praneet B beat Tanvir Gill 21-15 21-17.

In the women’s section, PV Sindhu stunned eighth seed Sayali Gokhale 21-17 21-10, seventh seed Trupti Murgunde beat Sara Naqvi 21-9 21-15, Mohita Sahdev beat Rachita Sahdev 21-11 21-10, Aditi Mutatkar defeated Saili Rane 21-8 21-7 and Neha Pandit brushed aside Nansala Tamang of Nepal 21-9 21-8 to reach the second round.

Drive from Nehru Place to NH-8 gets signal-free

Traffic movement on busy stretch of Outer Ring Road in South Delhi, between Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus and National Highway 8, is all set to improve.

Delhi’s Public Works Department (PWD) will on Thursday open the new flyover at Munirka, bringing much-desired respite to traffic movement in the area.

The Munirka flyover is last in a series of three constructed along the five-kilometre stretch of Outer Ring Road.

While the Nelson Mandela Marg flyover was opened in August 2009, the single carriageway flyover on Rao Tula Ram Marg crossing was commissioned for traffic in November this year.

The opening of the Munirka flyover has now made the drive from Nehru Place to NH8 signal free,” said a senior PWD engineer.

“The three-flyovers were the most crucial flyover projects taken up the PWD in wake of the Commonwealth Games 2010. The three flyovers will facilitate non-stop movement of athletes and officials of 72 participating countries between the Indira Gandhi International Airport and upcoming Commonwealth Games village in East Delhi during the Games in October 2010,” he added.

The 1200-metre long Munirka flyover that covers three important traffic intersections—Vivekanand Marg, Nelson Mandela Marg and Poorvi Marg— was initially expected to be commissioned first.

The opening of the Munirka flyover has come up within a week of the opening of the Raja Ram Kohli Marg flyover in East Delhi.

The Raja Ram Kohli Marg flyover, along with another flyover at Shastri Nagar along the Marginal Bund Road and signal-free ITO Chungi and the Yamuna bridge near Geeta Colony, which was opened last year, has made the drive from Noida to Shantivan signal-free.

The opening of this flyover has come as a boon to residents of East Delhi.

Demand for registering tour operators raised in Rajya Sabha

Members in the Rajya Sabha today raised a demand for registering tour operators in the country to avoid unpleasant atmosphere during the 2010 Commonwealth Games. A Special Mention to this effect was made by Samajwadi Party MP Mahendra Mohan which was associated by many Members in the House.

Ms Anusuya Uikey, BJP, demanded providing passenger amenities in the trains across the country. Mr Prashanta Chatterjee, CPI-M, demanded acquisition of new coaches for Ladies Special trains under the Sealdah Division of the Eastern Railways. Mr Ganga Charan, BSP, raised the voice for creation of separate state of Bundelkhand region falling in between Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh border.

Mr Raghunandan Sharma, BJP, requested attention to striking workers in West Bengal jute mills while Mr P Rajeeve, CPI-M, demanded proposed merger of HMT with defence organisations.