Japanese day-out 

Students of Delhi Public School, Kalinga, had a day with delegates from the Consulate General of Japan in Calcutta recently where vice-consul Manami Kato interacted with them to help them develop a better understanding of Japan and acquaint them with Japanese culture. A calligraphy demonstration workshop was conducted by calligraphy expert Hiroko Nagahama to showcase Japan's unique art forms. The students took part in the workshop with great enthusiasm as they got the opportunity to get hands-on experience on this art using traditional brush and ink.

Science workshop

A cognitive science summit was held to discuss various issues in school education, including ways to bridge the gap between educators and learners and to create interest among children for academics. Centre for Research in Applied Cognitive Sciences, which has developed various products for enhancing learning abilities among children, showcased how cognitive science could enhance the learning abilities of students. Principals and teachers of around 30 Bhubaneswar schools took part in the summit.

Basketball tourney

In an attempt to popularise basketball among school students, the Bhubaneswar Basketball Association will host the 6th Interschool Basketball League for Boys and Girls in Odisha from August 28 to September 3. The league will be held for U-17 and U-14 students. The association, in collaboration with the Basketball India Players' Association, will conduct the seven-day league at Unit-I Indoor Hall Basketball Ground and three different school venues. 

Youth parliament

The 30th National Youth Parliament Competition at the regional level of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Bhubaneswar Region, was organised at Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 3, Bhubaneswar. Around 275 participants from the city's five Kendriya Vidyalayas took part. The competition aimed to strengthen the roots of democracy, inculcate healthy habits of discipline, tolerance of others' views and to enable the student's community to be aware about the functioning of our parliament.

Maths whiz

Class-VII student Yash Mishra and Class-VIII student Swetasnigdha of DAV Public School, Chandrasekharpur, bagged first and second positions in the third and final round of the international Mathematics and Science Olympiad. The winners will get a gold medal, a citation, a tablet and 10-days guided visit to Nasa each. Yash will visit Nasa for the second time after his success last year. More than 25 lakh students from India appeared in the first round of the Olympiads and only 28 students were selected for the final round. 

Quiz champs

The 7th edition of the Aditya Memorial Quiz was held at Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, on August 19. The event was organised by Aditya Memorial Foundation in association with Loyola School, Bhubaneswar. A total 135 teams from 35 schools had a tough fight to make it to the final round. DAV Public School, CDA Cuttack, bagged the winner's trophy, followed by DAV Public School, Chandrasekharpur, and DPS Kalinga as first and second runners up respectively.

Social initiative

As part of socially smart Bhubaneswar initiative undertaken by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, a special public interface session was conducted with adolescent girls at BMC Library in Bapuji Nagar. Over 60 girls took part in the session where officials of city agencies along with women police personnel briefed the participants on various crimes against women and available legal provisions to safeguard their rights. Mentioning the various precautions that can be taken to avert any crime in the neighbourhood, suggestions to organise "Ama Police" programme at community levels for more effective redress of safety issues were raised by the participants. Many girls shared safety related issues that they faced in their everyday life, both in their neighbourhood inside the slum and study areas.

NEED OF THE HOUR

The state government has decided to regulate private coaching and prepare a draft bill to this effect. The draft bill for the Odisha Coaching Institutes (Control and Regulation) Act, 2017, will come into effect once it is approved in the Assembly. The Telegraph asks stakeholders their opinion on the move and its effects

We welcome the Odisha Coaching Institutes (Control & Regulation) Act, 2017, and hope that it will help the students to differentiate between good and sub-standard coaching centres. Education should not be turned into a business and it is the responsibility of the coaching centres to provide better facilities and quality education.

Bandita Mohanty, private coaching centre owner 

The government should have brought the legislation earlier. Private coaching centres often lure students with colourful brochures and advertisements. Before joining these centres, the students hardly get the chance to know the qualification of their faculty members. Besides, the coaching centres do not have any fixed responsibility. But the provision of mandatory registration will force them to take some level of responsibility. 

Naresh Mohanty, private coaching centre owner 

The move was the need of the hour to maintain quality of education. Though the act has the provision of hiring retired teachers, the coaching centres should also rope in unemployed youths with the desired qualification. The students are highly dependant on the coaching centres and most of them don't attend classes in their schools or colleges. The parents should sensitise the students to first attend classes in their schools and colleges. 

Basudev Chattoi, former CHSE chairman

Coaching centres are vital for job aspirants. These centres often attract aspirants with advertisements and claims of success by their former students. But the students don’t have a way to ascertain the faculty members' educational qualifications. Most coaching centres also charge hefty fees from students and there is no uniform fee structure. We hope that the act will bring uniform fee structure. 

Satyajit Swain, banking aspirant

The government should initiate concrete steps to encourage students to attend classes during their higher studies. While attendance is a strict issue in schools, the scenario is different in colleges. Most students do not regularly 
attend classes in colleges despite having quality faculty members there and rather depend on coaching centres. The government should take steps to ensure that the 
students attend maximum classes in their colleges.

Sushree Ankita, student