Category Archives: Education

Basking in the glow of success

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education
Schoolchildren from various municipal schools in celebration mode at Urban Residential Hostel, Arilova in Visakhapatnam. --- photo: C.V.Subrahmanyam / The Hindu
Schoolchildren from various municipal schools in celebration mode at Urban Residential Hostel, Arilova in Visakhapatnam. — photo: C.V.Subrahmanyam / The Hindu

Students of municipal schools win several prizes in VUDA contest

More than a dozen pairs of feet follow the rhythm of ‘dhimsa’ tunes, elbowing one another and swaying in different variations. It was time to rejoice and commemorate for the students from various municipal schools as they secured several prizes in the recent Children’s Day competition organised by VUDA under various heads — western dance, folk dance, and drawing.

This year, 50 students from four schools – Urban Residential Hostel (Arilova), Andhra University High School, GVMC Primary School (Peda Jalaripeta) and Zilla Parishad High School (Thotagaruvu) teamed up to present their creativity at the annual event.

While for most of them it was first time to perform on the stage, a few of them explored the platform for the second time. “Last year, we could not win in folk dance contest. This year, we were determined to give it our best shot,” says Tulasi, a Class VIII student of AU High School as her team grabbed the first prize in folk dance category.

More than securing prizes, what appears to be the encouraging fact is the cultural exchange that the students look forward to. “The challenging part is that our dancing skills should be on par with the ones from corporate schools. We were able to learn a lot from them while they made us feel comfortable during the contest,” says Chinna Lakshmi, a Class VII student.

Those who belong to the neighbouring villages of Araku Valley had an added advantage. “We were able to choreograph ourselves effortlessly as we have grown up watching ‘dhimsa’ dance all through our childhood. This helped us gain an edge over others,” says Uday Kiran, a team member.

Advantage of camps

Sharing their happy moments, founder member of Andhra University Evergreen Engineers Trinadha Rao Sabbi, who facilitated summer camps for these teams, says: “Our mission to equip these children with creative skills proves to be fruitful. After a couple of summer camps, they are independent enough to train others. Moreover, seeing their expertise, a couple of organisers invited them to participate in their programmes.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Rani Devalla / Visakhapatnam – November 21st, 2014

Proud moment for AU

Education, Records, All
Andhra University Vice-Chancellor G.S.N. Raju receiving the Indira Gandhi National NSS Award from President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photo: By Arrangement / The Hindu
Andhra University Vice-Chancellor G.S.N. Raju receiving the Indira Gandhi National NSS Award from President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photo: By Arrangement / The Hindu

The university receives three national awards for good show in NSS activities. Andhra University Vice-Chancellor G.S.N. Raju received the award on behalf of the university in the best upcoming universities category.

Andhra University received three Indira Gandhi national awards for good performance in NSS activities. The awards were presented by President Pranab Mukherjee at a function held in New Delhi on Wednesday to mark the late Prime Minister’s birth anniversary.

Andhra University Vice-Chancellor G.S.N. Raju received the award on behalf of the university in the best upcoming universities category.

While he received the award and a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh, NSS Coordinator of the university N.A.D. Pal received the medal and certificate. NSS Programme Officer of Presidency College here Ch. Adinarayana received the award in the Best Programme Officers category. He was given Rs. 20,000 cash award while his college NSS unit was given Rs. 70,000. N. Rahul Paul of AU campus was awarded the national honour in the best volunteer category. He also received Rs. 15,000 cash award.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Special Correspondent / Visakhapatnam – November 20th, 2014

Chandrababu Naidu appreciates GANAM for its plans to rebuild Tenneti Park

Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Nature, Nri's / Pio's
AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu
AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu

Visakhapatnam:

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu appreciated the efforts of Gitam Alumni Association of North America (GANAM) on Monday for its initiation to rebuild Tenneti Park located near Kilasagiri.

The CM expressed satisfaction on this new initiative to convert the park into a major tourist attraction.

The CM said that he was confident that the Gitam University and its Alumni network would implement the project successfully as they planned.

GANAM initially donated Rs 60 lakh to the project.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC  / November 18th, 2014

A special day for milk and cheese!

Business & Economy, Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Science & Technology
Dairy technology students display milk-based food products during the ‘Dairy Festival’ at Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University in Tirupati on Friday. — Photo: K.V. Poornachandra Kumar / The Hindu
Dairy technology students display milk-based food products during the ‘Dairy Festival’ at Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University in Tirupati on Friday. — Photo: K.V. Poornachandra Kumar / The Hindu

SV Veterinary University students put on display a wide array of milk products during ‘Dairy Festival’

The ‘Dairy Festival’ held on the Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University campus here on Friday turned out to be a day of milk and cheese, ghee, curd and whey.

Inaugurating the event, Vice-Chancellor Manmohan Singh pegged the growth rate of the dairy sector at 10 per cent and foresaw a rise in career opportunities in the industry for qualified people. The array of dairy products on display contained samples of cow milk, goat milk, skimmed milk, toned milk and standardised milk.

The event also offered an opportunity to students of Dairy Technology to showcase their talent.

They prepared and put on display milk-based products such as doodh peda, rasmalai, raitha, shrikhand, basundi, jamun, rabri, dharwad peda, lassi, kalakhand, kundha, milk cake and channa jelly. They also explained the benefits of each product.

The chaddar cheese, made after fermentation for six months and kept at a moisture level of 47 to 55 per cent, drew the attention of many.

Similarly, the students also proved that whey, the residual liquid separated from the coagulated solid, could be used to prepare cool drinks and soups. As part of the ‘Earn While You Learn’ programme, the students put the products on sale.

“The products are of high quality and affordable. We make close to 50 per cent profit, which helps us meet our daily expenses,” a fourth year student said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by A.D.Rangarajan / Tirupati – November 15th, 2014

Services of Abul Kalam Azad recalled

Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All
Yogi Vemana University Vice-Chancellor B. Syamasundar and faculty members paying tributes to Abul Kalam Azad in Kadapa on Tuesday. / Photo: By Arrangement / The Hindu
Yogi Vemana University Vice-Chancellor B. Syamasundar and faculty members paying tributes to Abul Kalam Azad in Kadapa on Tuesday. / Photo: By Arrangement / The Hindu

The invaluable contribution of India’s first Education Minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad for expansion of reach of education to masses and improvement of its quality was recalled on the occasion of his birth anniversary on Tuesday.

Participating in the National Education Day observed in this connection, educationists and other dignitaries paid rich tributes to the man who played an instrumental role in the establishment of the University Grants Commission and the Indian Institutes of Technology. Addressing the faculty and students of Sri Padmavati Mahila Viswa Vidyalayam (SPMVV) at Tirupati, School Guru Eduserve’s Project Manager Prabhakaran predicted a rise in number of courses offered online and said that the online mode of education would facilitate expansion of learning to the grass-root level rather than the face-to-face mode of instruction. The programme was held by SPMVV’s Department of Communication and Journalism.

In a separate event, the members of Muslim Joint Action Committee (MJAC) paid homage to Maulana Abul Kalam Mr. Azad and recollected his contributions to the country. Yogi Vemana University (YVU) Vice-Chancellor B. Syamasundar garlanded Mr. Azad’s portrait in a function held at Kadapa. On the occasion, Mr. Syamasundar pointed out that Azad had rightly accorded more priority to education policy than the industrial policy. YVU Registrar C. Sambasiva Reddy said Azad had strove for national integration and tolerance to all religions. Coordinator of History and Archaeology Ramabrahmam explained Mr. Azad’s role in the independence movement and his support to reservations.

Paying tributes to Mr. Azad at the Congress office, District Congress Committee president Shaik Nazeer Ahmed said Azad had strived for the poor, weaker and downtrodden sections.

At Chittoor, the district administration celebrated the birth anniversary of Azad in a grand manner with the participation of a big number of students, teachers and officials. Mayor Katari Anuradha flagged off the rally with about one thousand students at Gandhi Circle and it passed through arterial junctions culminating at Ambedkar Bhavan.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Andhra Pradesh Bureau / Tirupati-Kadapa-Chittoor, November 12th, 2014

Children’s festival planned from Dec. 11

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education

ChildrenANDHRA05nov2014

To strengthen the culture and tradition, Srirama Charitable Trust, L Kota in Vizianagaram district is conducting a three-day Children’s Festival 2014 on its premises, starting December 11.

Announcing the dates of the festival here on Tuesday, chairman of the trust T. Subba Rao and secretary K. Madhuravani said that the platform is open for all the schoolchildren across Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram districts. “The objective of the festival is to encourage children to exhibit their creativity and involve them in fun-filled activities,” they said.

The festival includes competitions such as poetry recitation, essay writing, elocution, painting, singing and dancing, among other groups. Students from nursery to Class X can take part in the competition which is divided into three categories – sub juniors (Nursery to Class IV), juniors (Classes V to VII) and seniors (Classes VIII to X). Interested candidates should bring letter of permission from their respective schools.

Apart from free entry, breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided to the participants free of cost. Last date for registration is November 30. Winners can walk away with trophies, cash awards and prizes. Further details can be had by contacting 9441140375 or 7382030399 or by logging on to www.sriramacharitabletrust.org.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Staff Reporter / Visakhapatnam – November 05th, 2014

Waltair Kendriya Vidyalaya students bring laurels to school

Education, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

Students of Kendriya Vidyalaya ,Waltair, have done the school proud by bagging medals in the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghatan National Sports meet and also being selected for the Japan cultural exchange programme.

B Tejasri, student of Class XII, has won three individual gold medals in athletics and eight girls formed the volleyball team that won the championships. Four boys were part of the runners’ up team at the Boys Volleyball National Championships. One girl won a silver in athletics, one boy bagged a bronze in athletics and another the bronze in boxing, school principal PK Purohit announced here on Saturday.

Doing the school proud were three students who were selected to be a part of 126-member KVS cultural exchange team visiting Japan under the Japan East Asia Network of Exchange of Students and Youth Programme (JENESYS 2.0).

The three – M Monica Bhavani, K. Tejaswini and M. Manikanta Sai – would be leaving for Delhi on Monday and from there they would be leaving for Japan on a 9-day all-expenses paid tour of Japan.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Special Correspondent / Visakhapatnam – November 01st, 2014

15-year-old helps save the day

Education, Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Science & Technology
Executive Vice-chairman and Director of National Institute of Amateur Radio S. Ram Mohan and Tom K Jose of Hyderabad who played an active role in the relief works of the recent Hudhud Cyclone. Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu
Executive Vice-chairman and Director of National Institute of Amateur Radio S. Ram Mohan and Tom K Jose of Hyderabad who played an active role in the relief works of the recent Hudhud Cyclone. Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu

Uses his Ham radio skills to gather vital information during Hudhud. One contact talked about trees falling at a Jain temple in Bhimli and resulting in precarious conditions. The young Ham immediately passed on the information to senior officials, who in turn directed their field personnel.

For a week, Tom K. Jose kept his studies aside, travelled to a cyclone-hit city and used his Ham radio skills to contribute to disaster management.

When Hudhud swept through Visakhapatnam disrupting its communication network and a team of amateur radio (Ham) operators from the city were sought, the 15-year-old student of Little Flower Junior College, Uppal, volunteered for the task.

With his call sign, VU3TMO, Tom was stationed in the control room set up at Visakhapatnam Police Commissionerate and spent long hours collecting messages from other team members spread over the cyclone affected areas and passed them on to the administration for relief measures.

The intermediate first year student, who got his Ham licence at the age of 13, along with colleagues, operated under adverse conditions, often skipping meals and spending long hours before the radio, waiting for it to crackle with messages. “For seven days, I was at the Visakhapatnam Police Commissionerate and one day at the District Collector’s office at Srikakulam and made anywhere up to 500 contacts,” says Tom.

One contact talked about trees falling at a Jain temple in Bhimli and resulting in precarious conditions. The young Ham immediately passed on the information to senior officials, who in turn directed their field personnel, and the situation was attended to. Another was a contact from Bangalore who was desperately trying to locate his brother and sister in the Hudhud affected area. “We operated without checking the watch or caring whether it was day or night. We had to just sit in front of the radio and wait for a contact,” he says.

Tom, who got his licence when he was in class 9, explores the Ham world and so far, has contacted more than 150 countries and received appreciations for his operational skills from Ham associations from different parts of the globe, including US, Germany and Japan. He comfortably juggles his hobby with studies and says, “Each night after studies I spend 30 minutes to 45 minutes with the radio apart from a brief tryst in the morning before going to college.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Telangana / by T. Lalith Singh / Hyderabad – October 26th, 2014

Painting contest a big draw

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education
Students take part in painting competition in BZ High School, Chittoor, on Sunday. Photo: K. Umashanker / The Hindu
Students take part in painting competition in BZ High School, Chittoor, on Sunday. Photo: K. Umashanker / The Hindu

The alumni of the 130-year-old Bangarupalem Zamindar Government High School, have been conducting the painting competition for the schoolchildren for over two decades

At a time when fine arts are receiving a raw deal in schools and colleges, a group of friends in Chittoor, the alumni of the 130-year-old Bangarupalem Zamindar Government High School, have been conducting the painting competition year after year for the schoolchildren for more than two decades.

The 1982 Class X batch of the BZ High School embarked on the mission to promote competitive spirit among the students of various schools in the district headquarters town, when they came out with their first series of competitions in painting, essay writing, elocution and sports in 1992. Since then, it continues to be an unbroken chain of success with overwhelming response from students and parents, many of whom happen to be the alumni of the BZHS.

K. Karthikeyan and C.V. Nityananda, friends from their kindergarten days in Chittoor, are in the forefront of holding the contests. Both being sportsmen and lovers of painting say they hope to continue the tradition and make it an everlasting institution in the service of fine arts. They are elated to say that they cherish strong support from their batch mates in this regard.

On Sunday, nearly one thousand students from all over Chittoor and surrounding areas thronged the BZHS to take part in the painting competition. “We have split the categories into juniors from 6 to 9, and seniors from 8 to 10 classes. Separate prizes are created for girls and boys. In all, we will be giving nearly 100 prizes for those contesting here. Parents are coming in large numbers to support us every year. We are coming out with contemporary themes like child labour and environment protection for the young minds,” the duo said. The organisers distribute drawing sheets and pens to all the contestants, and crayons and other painting stuff to the poor. The Kannemara Library, which holds a unique collection of books for all, sponsors the contests.

“Subjects of drawing and painting are much neglected ones in the schools now. But, these aspects go a long way in moulding the children into meaningful citizens in future. We also plan to introduce more areas of fine arts and sports in our competitions for the students soon,” they said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by K. Umashanker / Chittoor – October 13th, 2014

‘Become change agents to enrich lives’

Education, Leaders

Visakhapatnam  :

The 21st century will be a defining one for India and her children thanks to infrastructure development and improving connectivity due to greater emphasis on science and technology, Prof S V Raghavan, scientific secretary in the office of the principal scientific advisor to the government of India, said here on Monday while exhorting the students of Andhra University to become change agents to enrich the lives of their fellow countrymen.

Delivering the 82nd Andhra University convocation address, Prof Raghavan said science can no longer be perceived as elitist and cut off from routine and mundane societal problems. Elaborating on the continuum between science and society, Prof Raghavan pointed out that a scientific approach towards an idea helps refine it and sharpen it.

He also dwelt on one of the most exciting ideas taking shape in India. “The National Knowledge Network  (NKN) is a game changer for India as it has connected 1,300 institutions spread across the country, thereby bringing the collective wisdom available across the country together and making it accessible by annihilating distance.”

Providing an example of how NKN, which is touted to be the largest knowledge database, Prof Raghavan said through NKN a patient requiring critical attention can be diagnosed and treated remotely with the help of expert opinion.

The architect of NKN said while NKN was the backbone for connectivity and access to knowledge bases, it was the student community that formed the backbone of India.

Speaking on the occasion, AU vice chancellor Prof GSN Raju said the varsity had received the highest funding of Rs 320 crore from the state government as compared to other state varsities. The AU VC also pointed out that the varsity had received Rs 35.97 crore in grants from the UGC and directorate of science and technology for research projects, over and above the Rs 1 crore received by the Delta Studies Centre which has been jointly set up by AU and ONGC.

Pointing out that AU had introduced 17 new courses in various fields, conducted 75 national and eight international seminars and workshops in the 2013-2014 academic year, he said wifi and ICT facilities were being developed on the campus in collaboration with Google and a new three storied building had also been constructed with the help of Rs 90 lakh donated by AU alumni.

During the convocation, more than 225 PhD degrees were presented and 16 medals and 13 prizes given to some of the PhD recipients. More than 426 prizes and 155 medals were presented to outstanding students and research scholars on the occasion.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / September 30th, 2014