Mushrooming of ETT colleges: Education Dept gets 100 fresh applications

Mushrooming of ETT colleges
Education Dept gets 100 fresh applications
Archit Watts/TNS

Jammu, June 17
More students from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan are seeking admission to the elementary teachers training (ETT) course in colleges and institutes here. At present, 439 colleges and institutes are offering the course across the state.

A senior Education Department official said the number of students was increasing every year because the four states had recognised the ETT certificate issued by the J&K State Board of School Education (BoSE).

In view of the increase in the demand for the course,100 applications have been received by the Education Department seeking approval for setting up ETT institutes, say sources, and add the department is,however, still to grant the approval.

Educationists believe that deficiencies in the system like attendance being not compulsory and no requirement of proper infrastructure are the reasons behind a quantum jump in the number of such institutes and colleges. In the 2009-11 academic session, nearly 45,000 students appeared in the exams, with more than 40,000 belonging to other states.

An educationist, Prof Virender Gupta, a former head of the Physics Department in the University of Jammu, said, “The system has collapsed. No one is checking the infrastructure of these institutes and as a result, most of them are running from a single room. It has become an easy way to earn money as agents manage admission and students come here only to take the exams”.

AK Gandotra, assistant secretary, ETT, BoSE, said, “We inspect every institute or college before giving it affiliation. I have never received such a large number of applications seeking affiliation”.

Sheikh Bashir Ahmad, newly-appointed Chairman of BoSE, had said there were some loopholes in the existing system, which would be plugged within two months.

Courtsy: The Tribune

Drive to check sale of substandard pesticides

Drive to check sale of substandard pesticides
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 17
As the sowing of kharif crops is going on in full swing across the state, the Agriculture Department has launched a massive drive to keep a check on the sale of substandard pesticides, weedicides and insecticides.

Earlier, it had been reported that a large number of pesticide dealers were looting farmers by selling misbranded items to earn easy money. Acting over such complaints, the department has decided to check the stock of all dealers throughout the state.

The department has also issued an advisory to the farmers so that they don’t get cheated by unscrupulous dealers.

“The enforcement wing of the department has advised all farmers not to use Butaveer (a weedicide brand) batch No BuTJK0190 and KRICEL (an insecticide brand) batch No KRE1JK/256 as these have been found substandard in the quality control lab of the department,” said a senior officer of the department.

He further said all enforcement officers had been directed to seize the stock of said pesticides under batch No KRE/JK-389 CMO2.

“Similarly, the farmers have also been advised not to use Butaveer (Nanda Dawa) batch No ButJK0190, Benmain (fungicide) batch No MA00908CB and KRICEL (insecticide) batch No KREJK256 as these have also been found misbranded after lab tests,” he added.

He said so far the drive had proved successful and a large quantity of misbranded items had been seized.

“Now, the farmers will have to be aware so that their produce could be saved. First, they should use the pesticide, insecticide or weedicide over a small area so that the result could be checked. If it comes positive, only then they should spray it over the entire crop otherwise it might prove harmful,” said the officer.

Courtesy: The Tribune