Education

That afternoon, we had been looking for the Durga Book Store in Shivajinagar. I had been told that it might still be there, a bookstore where residents of Frazer town and Benson town had shopped in the 50s as had others from the city. There were many who had memories of going there during their school days. It had been the popular bookstore at that time. We found it. It was still there. Just across the road from Russell market. In a little lane off the Noronha road, right at the corner. When we went in there, it was in…

Let me introduce you to a livewire 5th grade kid I tutor in Bengaluru - Let's just call him Mo (obviously not his real name). All Mo wants to do with his life is to go to the National Defense Academy and join the Indian Army. Mo meets a Mig Yes, he is slow with reading English, and very hesitant while speaking it, thanks to his less-than-lousy Kannada medium education so far at the free local Government School. But he understands what you say in English completely.   Mo & Co. learn to pose He and I work on his…

Students pursuing their master’s in physical education from Bangalore University (BU) are not provided with a proper sports ground, which eventually results in fewer number of physical education teachers in the city. After the students graduate in Masters in Physical Education, they are required to clear the National Eligibility Test (NET) in order to apply for jobs in primary and high schools for the post of PEd teacher. There is only one college affiliated to BU that provides the course of MPed, University College of Physical Education. The college has one ground where students train in multiple sports. The SoftCopy…

With the month of March marching in, there arises a common fear among students - the fear of examinations. The Central Board of Seconday Education(CBSE) has commenced its Class 10th and 12th Annual Examinations all over the country. The exams conducted by this board are some of the toughest exams faced by the students. Therefore, the students are under a lot of pressure from different sources like parents, teachers and peers to do their very best. Meanwhile, the Pre-University Education Board of Karnataka (PUE) is also conducting exams for 2nd PU from March 12th. The Karnataka PUE Board examination is…

A story about water, 18th Jan 2013, 10:30 am, at Puttenahalli Lake.   Once upon a time, near large apartment communities, an Ashy Prinia searched for a place to lay her eggs. The land was parched and dry and there wasn't a bush or tree in sight. Finally she found a depression in the ground and using her tiny claws she made a hole and laid her eggs. The eggs hatched and the Ashy Prinia took care of the babies until they were big enough to fly.   "Is that it?" you will enquire. To which we will reply, "No it isn't,…

Puttenahalli Lake played host to the first ever public science show, by children, on Sunday 15th Dec 2013. The event was conducted by Merry Go Learn (an IIT/IIM alumni initiative), in association with Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT). Students from Standards 1 to 8 who are attending sessions at Merry Go Learn, applied concepts of science and maths to perform interesting experiments, that left many in the audience, parents included, absolutely amazed. The show included a quiz, a do it yourself stall with children making their own kaleidoscopes and an exciting treasure hunt. Apart from creating awareness through practical…

PNLIT, in association with Merry Go Learn, invites you to the FIRST EVER SCIENCE SHOW conducted by students - an environment awareness initiative.  A never before opportunity for 4-13 year olds to - * Get involved with a range of exciting performances - be it helping Sherlock Holmes decipher invisible clues, playing with vibrations to create amazing sounds or watching jaw-dropping chemical reactions in a giant toothpaste* Participate in quizzes and win exciting prizes* Get their hands dirty with science - make their own kaleidoscopes, floating rings, lava lamps and much more.Students in the age group 4-13 years and their parents…

Let me confess something first. I might have written books for kids, but till now hadn’t interacted with them much. Not the ones who are in the 9-13 years of age. Actually, not many at all. For writing, I had used the kid inside me. So when I committed myself to doing detective workshops at schools with Bookaroo, I had a whole week of sleepless nights! If I haven’t handled one kid, how would I deal with 100+? Would they get the mystery I had created? Would they like solving it? Would they be bored and fidgety? My first workshop…

Just two months away to welcome a New Year, Kannada Wikipedians celebrated the completion of 10 years of journey towards building a free encyclopedia for Kannada. Wikipedians from different part of the state gathered today at H Narasimhaiah Hall, National College, Basavanagudi to witness the event. The stage was adorned by the father of the modern Kannada dictionary, Nadoja Prof G Venkatasubbaiah, the chief guest, along with T R Anantharamu, Senior Scientist (retd), Geological Survey of India, Abhaya Simha, National Award fame Cinema Director and U B Pavanaja from A2K (Access To Knowledge.) Prof Venkatasubbaiah handing out mementos to Wikipedia…

Nazia Hanifa, 31, a resident of Jayanagar, is frustrated about her career. The reason: she wanted to be a scientist, but did not get a suitable job after completing her Masters in Microbiology. After working for six years in a multinational company without any promotions, she quit her job earlier this year to be a homemaker. She is now considering taking up a course on business analysis, so that she can restart her career. Nazia says that if she had got the right advice in her college to take up right courses and subjects, things would have been different. “If…