The Hindu             30.01.2014

IGNOU launches course in urban planning

Special Correspondent

It will focus on how to meet the challenges of rapid urbanisation

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), which has been offering distance education courses in various subjects, has now entered the urban planning and development sector.

Challenges

Realising the challenges lying ahead for planners and policy makers in view of increasing urbanisation, the university has introduced a one-year postgraduate English diploma course in Urban Planning and Development. It is mainly aimed at councillors, civil engineers, architects, real estate promoters and those who are handling development projects in municipal corporations, municipalities and town panchayats.

S. Mohanan, Regional Director of IGNOU-Madurai Regional Centre, told The Hindu on Wednesday that the admissions for the January session had commenced.

He said that soon he would write to District Collectors and Corporation Commissioners to encourage their town planning staff to join the course.

Efficiency

This distance learning programme was designed by the varsity’s School of Extension and Development Studies to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of the people working in urban planning divisions and non-governmental organisations.

An introductory note prepared by IGNOU said urbanisation had created various problems with regard to transportation, unauthorised housing and construction and displacement of people. Mr.Mohanan said any graduate could join the course, the fee for which was fixed at Rs.2,800.

“Support needed”

“Soon I will also meet the Collectors of the districts coming under the jurisdiction of Madurai Regional Centre and seek their support. Municipal authorities can sponsor their senior employees as it will help them address the challenges of growing urbanisation and find ways to tackle them,” he noted. The IGNOU-Madurai Regional Centre covers 15 districts and the overall student enrolment in this admission season had been encouraging, he added.

Admitting inmates of Madurai, Coimbatore and Tiruchi prisons to suitable courses and skill development programmes and opening of a programme centre for law in Government Law College in Madurai were among the other priorities of the centre, he pointed out.

The Times of India               03.01.2014

Coporation to serve free food for Class 10 and 12 students

COIMBATORE: Special coaching classes for 10th and 12th standard students of all 26 corporation schools will now commence on a nutritious note as the civic body has started serving free food items to these children daily. It is to encourage students attending special revision and remedial sessions conducted after regular school hours ahead of the public examination. The civic body will serve a variety of puttu items accompanied with sundal and soup to the students before they hit their text books.

"The corporation school students have been performing extremely well in the public examinations and we are trying to encourage them to perform better in the coming exams," said SM Velusamy, mayor, Coimbatore municipal corporation.

The refreshment serving program for students was included in the corporation budget presented in February and the civic body had allocated Rs 1 crore for the purpose. The menu has soya sundal, karuppu kondai kadalai (dark chickpeas) sundal, rahgi puttu, corn puttu, rice puttu, vallarai soup and thuthuvalai soup on offer. They will be served one item from the sundal variety and one each from the puttu and soup variety on a daily basis. The city corporation has entered into an agreement with a local eatery from where the food will be supplied to the schools every evening. The total cost estimated for a student is around Rs 25 and it will be paid by the corporation.

"Each day we will serve a new item from the fixed menu to the students. This is the first time a municipal corporation is serving green and healthy food to 10 and 12th standard students," said H Vasantha, chief education officer, Coimbatore municipal corporaion.

City mayor SM Velusamy launched the program in the presence of senior corporation officials at Anupparapalayam school on Thursday evening. As of now there are 2,507 10{+t}{+h} standard students from corporation schools are gearing up for the examination. About 2,427 students are taking up their Class 12 examination. Corporation officials also added that they will monitor the quality of food provided to the students.