PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
64th ANNUAL DAY   
01/12/2008            

Chief guest of the evening Lt Gen SS Dahiya, AVSM, VSM, Mrs Bindu Dahiya, Col VN Ratnakar, Director Birla Education Trust, members of School Governing Council, Old Boys, Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen and my dear students. It is with a great deal of pleasure that I welcome you all this evening to the 64th Annual Day and Prize Giving Function of Birla Public School, Pilani. We consider ourselves privileged to have in our midst such a versatile personality as Lt Gen Dahiya, AVSM, VSM an illustrious aluminous of this school.
General Dahiya has been introduced to you by the Director. I would only say that each member of BPS family feels proud to welcome him back to his alma-mater after 52 years. Years that have made him a tough army man, a fine sportsman and a distinguished soldier. Indeed each one of us is proud of your achievements.

Your presence this evening ladies and gentlemen is a tribute to education and schools in particular, that is as it should be, because it is schools that are shaping the future. Our school has great heritage and illustrious past which means responsibility to the present and the future. The Annual Day is an auspicious occasion and the most important function of the school. On this day we not only welcome the guests and parents but also our old student members of VINOBA we reward our talented students for their achievements in academics, games and extra curricular activities. In this way by blending the past with the present we try to create a bright future.
Today we pay homage to our great patriarch late Shri GD Birla whose soul continues to guide and inspire us. Our school Motto Shraddha, Gyan, Karma is our guiding philosophy which propels us towards a meaningful future. The school is now making tremendous progress under the dynamic leadership of Syt B.K. Birla, Syt S.K. Birla and the Director, Birla Education Trust. We believe in academic excellence as well as all round development of personality but changing times dictate that we give more emphasis to the former without ignoring the latter because the quality of a school is now judged by the quality of results. With this background I shall now take up each facet of our activity one by one :-

Academic results
This year out of 83 students who appeared in Senior Secondary examination, 74 secured 1st division and 06 secured 2nd division. Master Ankur Murarka topped the Science stream with 90.8% marks followed by Master Rahul Yadav with 90%. Master Digant Mittal topped the Commerce stream with 80% followed by Master Sukhnandan Singh with 78%.
183 students appeared in X class. Master Arpit Garg topped the school with 93.6% marks and Master Shrey Jain was second with 93% marks.
Master Salil Jain, Mater Arpit Garg and Master Abhinav Chauhan secured 100 out of 100 marks in Mathematics in class X Board examination.
Master Arpit Garg, Master Sahil Jain and Master Abhinav Chauhan of class X and Master Ankur Murarka and Master Rahul Yadav of class XII got CBSE Merit Certificates.
Master Rahul Yadav, Master Nishant Agarwal and Master Ankur Murarka were admitted to BITS Pilani in August 08.


Academic Activities.
Master Kishan Raghuvanshi and Master Changez Khan bagged the first and third position respectively in All India Hindi Debate organized by Itihaas Parishad held at BSSS, Pilani. Our school got the first position among the participating seventeen schools.
Master Kishan Raghuvanshi also got third position in the Sharda Devi Goenka Hindi Debate held in Goenka School, Pilani.
Inter House English Debate results are as follows :-

Housewise Position.
Vashishtha House - First
Kanad House - Second
Katyayan House - Third

Individual Position.
Master Shaunak Saha - First
Master Chaitanya - Second
Mas. Utkarsh Shankar - Third

Science Week was celebrated in the school during 11 – 15 Nov. 08. Activities included an Essay Competition, Paper reading competition, Science Quiz, and presentation on the success of Chandrayana Mission by Master Siddharth Arya. Celebrations ended with a talk on Semiconductor technology by the Chief Guest Dr. D. Chaubey of BITS. Our school bagged the first position in Inter BET schools Science Quiz competition held at our school during Nov 08.

5th All India Vidya Niketan Diamond Jubilee Memorial English Debate was held on 31 August 08 in MP Rose Hall. A total of 13 schools participated. Topic was “Nuclear deal with USA will have positive effect on India US relations.” Event was won by debaters from Mayo Girls School, Ajmer. Master Chaitanya of our school bagged the second position.

Mr. YK Kulshreshtha and Mr. MM Pathak, Senior Teachers (Physics) attended IPSC Physics Teachers Workshop on 09th and 10th Aug 08 held at Lala Kamlapat Singhania Education Centre, Gotan (Nagore).

Master RS Shivmani student of class V was awarded for his painting on Energy Conservation in state level painting competition conducted by Ministry of Power , Government of India in Jaipur on 14th Nov 08.

Five students of Junior Section won medals for their performance in IPSC Yoga competition held at Birla Balika Vidyapeeth, Pilani.
 

12 students escorted by Mr. Manoj Pareek participated in a cultural fest “Srijani 2008” held at Kolkata, organized by Ashoka Hall group of schools from 09 – 10 July 08. Our students performed remarkably well in almost all the events.

Mr. Gaurav Dubey, Senior Teacher (Physics) attended a workshop of Physics HOTS organized by National Progressive School Conference at Rohini, Delhi on 30th and 31st August 08. Total of 32 schools from different parts of the country participated.
 

Mr. Atul Mishra, Senior Teacher (Hindi) attended State level Summer Convention of Spic Macay held at Ranakpur, Kota on 02nd & 03rd August, 08. Dr. Malvika Mitra presented “Kathak Naritya” in MP Rose Hall on 09 Sep 08. Ustad Zameel Khan (Mangniyar Soofi Gayak) gave his presentation in MP Rose Hall on 21 Sep 08.
 

Master Aditya Vikram Sharda of class XII got consolation prize in Clay Modeling in IPSC Art Competition held at Vidyadevi Jindal School, Hissar.
 

45 Commerce students of class XI & XII escorted by Mr. KK Acharya, PGT Commerce visited Parle Biscuits (Pvt) Ltd. and Ginni International Ltd. at Nimrana (Alwar) on 18th Nov 08. They also visited IITF in Delhi. These visits helped them in getting exposure to business functioning.
 

Eight Biology students of class XII escorted by Mr. Vivek Kumar, PGT Biology visited Sawai Man Singh Hospital, Jaipur on 20 Nov 08. The visit helped our students to appreciate the nuances of medical profession. Boys also visited BM Birla Science and Technology Centre, Jaipur to witness the movement of celestial bodies in the Planetarium.
 

Communal Harmony week was celebrated from 19th Nov to 25th Nov 08. A series of activities were conducted as part of the celebration. National Flag Day was celebrated on 25 Nov 08.

Membership
Our school is a member of :-
 

The Indian Public School Conference (IPSC)
National Progressive Schools Conference (NPSC)
Round Square International
United Schools Organisation (USO)
International Schools Organisation (ISA)
We participate in activities of above organizations to give much needed exposure to staff and the students.
Scholarships.
We have two schemes. 04 boys from class XI and XII will be availing Sri Aditya Vikram Birla Memorial Scholarship in this session.
Master Uttam Krishna and Master Deepak Sangwan are availing IPSC scholarship of Rs. 25000/- each.

Prefectorial System
This year have revived the Prefectorial System. The investiture ceremony was held during August 08. Master Suyash and Master Sandeep Khushwaha were appointed school prefects. They head a team of 12 Prefects. They have done a wonderful job.

Information Technology

Technology integration is our primary focus area. A smart board has been installed in AV Room which has improved the quality of academic transaction. This year we have procured 27 Computers so that all departments have integration through LAN. All teachers are now using technologies though we have to go some way before our staff can be labeled tech savvy.

N.C.C.
Boys of Army, Naval and Air Wings went to attend their Annual Training Camps at Vrindavan, Kanota Dam and Jaipur respectively under supervision of Mr. MK Pareek, Mr. Umesh Prasad and Mr. Aniruddha Kumar.
25 Cadets of NCC Army Wing escorted by ANO Mr. MK Pareek attended CATC at Vrindavan during Sept 08. Our Cadets performed well. During CATC our school contingent won eight competitions.
15 Cadets of NCC escorted by Mr. Aniruddha Kumar attended CATC/Pre RD Camp held at Jaipur from 15th to 24th Nov 08. Our Cadets won four competitions held during the Camp.

Competitive Exams

IPSC GK Test
Was conducted on 21 Sep 08. Total 1042 students participated. Master Sarthak Gupta got 1st position Master Sumit Sinha got IInd position and Master Harsh Jain got IIIrd position. From Middle Section, Master Gaurav Mishra got I position, Master Anurag Singh got IInd position and Master Umang Aggarwal got IIIrd position.

Macmillan International Assessment of Indian School Exam.
was held on 09th and 10th Sept 08. 50 students of class XII, 56 of class XI and 73 of class X appeared in the aptitude test. The result of Assessment will be declared in the month of Dec 08.

Dr. Amarjeet Singh Science Trophy Test (Jr.).
Master Umang Agarwal of class VIII got first position and Master Paras Mahendiratta of class VIII got Second position among all BET Schools.

NTSE Exam
45 boys of class VIII appeared for NTSE Exam on 16 Nov 08 held at Modi Girls School, Jhunjhunu.
STSE Exam.
39 boys of class X appeared for STSE Exam on 23 Nov 08 held at Birla Senior Secondary School, Pilani.

Sports
During May 08, All India IPSC Under 17 Football tournament was hosted by the school. Motilal Nehru School of Sports, Rai won the Championship. Master Sandeep Khushwaha of our school was declared the best player of the tournament.
 

This year we also hosted the All India IPSC Under 14 Football Championship. I am happy to inform you that we won the championship.
 

Being winners of IPSC, our under – 14 Football team participated in the All India Suparoto Cup held at Delhi. In the league phase we beat Sikkim, Sri Lanka and Manipur. Considering that 64 teams including 10 from abroad participated, our boys gave a good account of themselves.
 

Four players from our school also participated in under – 14, National Football Championship held at Goa.
 

CBSE Cluster Athletics Championship was held at Birla Senior Secondary School, Pilani during October 08. From our school Master Kulvinder Gurjar, Master Manish Saini, and Master Virendra Aggarwal secured Second, Third, and Second positions in Shot put, 100 M, 200 M and all the boys have been selected for the CBSE National Cluster.
 

Seven students of our school participated in National School Games (Athletics) which was held at Sardar Sarovar Stadium, Kolkata from during June 08 and represented theIPSC team.

Nine students participated in IPSC Swimming which was held at Yadvinder Public School, Patiala during Sept 08. Four of our swimmers were selected for National School Games.

School Aquatic Meet
Following boys were declared `Best Swimmers’ during the Inter House Aquatic Meet 2008 :-
 

Senior Section : Master Piyush Ranjan (Panini)
Middle Section : Master Dhruv Tokas (Buddha)
Junior Section : Master Vipin Kumar (Kumargriha)
Master Dhruv Tokas was declared “Fastest Swimmer of the School”.
 

School provides excellent sports facilities in all disciplines and efforts are on to qualitatively improve the performance of our boys in all games.

Tours & Excursions
30 boys along with Social Science teachers proceeded for Village Excursion to “Beri” village on Bicycles. The boys interacted with the local people of the village. The boys and staff stayed over night and enjoyed the “Camp Fire”.

Class XI boys proceeded on a Cycle Tour to the holy `Dargah’ at village – Narahar. The students enjoyed the trip. And later also visited Birla Museum.

Our boys from classes I to XI proceeded for Tours and Treks during March - April 08 in total 13 groups to different destinations including Alawar, Bharatpur, Agra, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Ranakpur, Chittor, Udaipur, Mount Abu, Jim Corbet, Nainital, Bhimtal, Chandigarh, Shimla, Chail, Kufri, Chamba, Dalhauxi, Khajijar, Jwalaji, Dharamshala, Kullu Manali, Solang Nala, Rohtang Pass, Bangalore, Kunoor, Ooty and Mysore.


Celebrations

Teachers Day was celebrated on 05th Sept 08. On this occasion, a Symposium on “Collaborative learning” was organised in the school. Director BET Col VN Ratnakar was the Chief Guest. In the afternoon a staff Vs boys Cricket match was organised.
59th Republic Day was celebrated on 26 Jan 08 Mr. Terrain (USA) was the guest of honour. The Principal took the salute and inspected the guard of honour and the parade consisting of all three wings of NCC.
 

On 14 Aug 08 BET Inter Institutional Patriotic Song Competition 2008 was held. Prof. L.K. Maheshwari, Vice Chancellor BITS was the Chief Guest. Three residential and five non-residential schools participated. Our school won the competition.
On 31 Aug 08 Madam Maria Montessori ‘s birthday was celebrated in the Junior Section. Prof. RN Saha, Dean BITS Pilani as the Chief Guest. Tiny-Tots of Junior wing presented an excellence programme. Our Junior wing was established under the guidance of Madam Maria Montessori.

Training Workshops
Training of our teachers is a priority area. The aim is to ensure continuous updation and self renewal so that our integration with the knowledge society is seamless. This year following workshops were held :-
 

A workshop on `Reading Comprehension’ and `Creative use of dictionaries’ sponsored by Macmillan India during Dec’ 07. Resource person was Ms. Permila. 41 teachers from BET schools participated.
A workshop on `How to maximise performance in CBSE Exams’ was held during Oct 08. Resourse person was Ms. Nivedita Menon. 22 teachers attended.
Another workshop on “Use of Drama in English teaching” was conducted by M/s. Macmillan India during Nov 08. Resource person was Dr. Kuljeet from University of Delhi. 18 teachers attended.
A workshop on Library Management was organised at Birla Shishu Vihar. Resource person was Dr. Ishwar M. Bhatt, Librarian, BITS Pilani. It was attended by Senior and Middle Section Librarians.
Mrs. Jayanti Devi, our Middle Section Librarian attended a workshop on Information and Communication at Hyderabad University.
A workshop on Science Teaching was held at Birla Shishu Vihar. Six teachers from our school attended to gain useful tips about teaching of Science at Secondary level.
Birla Balika Vidyapeeth our sister institution organised a workshop on creative teaching of Hindi. Three of our teachers attended.
Science Workshop was held in Birla Public School during Dec 07. Mr. BN Mehrotra, M Sc, MS Wisconsin (USA) and Mr. Virendra Srivastava, MSc, MEd, LLB Associate of Chelsa College for Science Ed. University of London (Retd.) were the Resource Persons. This workshop was organised by M/s. Frank Brothers. Director BET Col VN Ratnakar also addressed the audience on “Teaching of Science”. The following points were covered by the Resource Persons :-
 

Teaching Science.
Preparation of Question Papers.
Marking Scheme.
 

A workshop on effective use of English Language Laboratory was organised on 27 Aug 08. Resource person was Mrs. Neelima Vidge. 16 teachers attended.
Mr. YK Kulshrestha, HOD (Physics) and Mr. MM Pathak, Sr Teacher (Phy) participated in a Physics workshop held at Lala Kamalapat Singhania Education Centre, Gotan (Nagaur) on 09 & 10 Oct 08.. Prof HC Verma was the Resource Person for the workshop.
On 07 Oct 08 a Symposium cum workshop was organised by Commerce department on Global Financial Crises. Faculty of Economics and Commerce of all three schools attended the same along with 10 students from each school.
Science Leadership Programme. Three topper students of class X Master Sahil Jain, Master Simran Dhillon and Master Shrey Jain participated in “SCIR Programme for Youth on Leadership in Science” on 11th and 12th Nov 08, held at CEERI, Pilani.
On 22 nov 08, Dr. VN Dhaulakhandi, Director Birla Museum addressed all the Science teachers on “Use of functional Models in Science Teaching”.

Visits

Trustees Syt. BK Birlaji and Dr.(Smt.) Saralaji Birla along with Ms. Zeneith Jeaid, Ambassador of Ethiopia and some other dignitaries visited the School on 03 April 08. The visitors praised the efforts being made by the school towards the overall development of the boys.
Mr. John Mason, Educational Consultant visited the school during 17th – 19th April 08 and gave useful inputs about academic and infrastructural practices.
 

Mr. Keith Wolfson, educational expert from Australia visited the school and carried out detailed assessment of various issues. These two reports will help the school in initiating useful practices so that BPS can regain its position as one of the top Public Schools.
 

Lt Gen Prakash S. Choudhary, the Director General NCC, visited the school and addressed the staff and students in Lotus Hall. This is the first ever visit of a DG NCC to the school. The VIP interacted with the students for more than two hours and planted a tree near Godhuli Stadium.
 

On 20 Jan 08 all the members of teaching staff attended the meeting held at BBVP. The Trustee Syt. S.K. Birla spoke in the meeting. He advised the staff members to be loyal to the organization and hoped for 100% results.

On 21 Jan 08 the Trustee Syt. S.K. Birlaji visited the School and interacted with the staff.

On 25 Jan 08 Mr. Terain from USA, an Ex-Teacher of Birla Public School during 1961–1963 along with his family members visited the school and addressed staff and students during the Morning Assy.

New Projects
A number of new infrastructural projects have been added/initiated to provide better facilities to the residents :-
 

Renovation of Panini House.
Development of Tennis Complex including a Practice Wall. Soon we will have a state of the art Tennis Complex.
Renovation of Squash Courts.
Security wall & fencing of Swimming Pool.
Renovation of Badminton Hall.
Improvement in campus layout.
Provision of diesel water boilers.
Water harvesting system for the campus.
Security perimeter fencing all around the campus including Loyalka Kothi.
New class room furniture.
Smart board in AV Room.

Future Projects

Next year following projects will be undertaken :-
 

Renovation of Senior Mess.
Construction of Sports stores and seating arrangements in Athletics Field.
Air cooling of Houses.
Renovation of Kanad House.
Construction of new A.V. Room.
Parents arrival lounge & room.
Laying of internal campus roads.
Athletics Track.
Future Plans.
Parent Teacher Meet.
Collaborative and Activity based learning.
Social Work.
Training for Competitive Examinations.
Examination Reforms.
New Practices.
Rationalisation of boarding strength.


Condolences
Demise of Smt. Manorma Deviji Birla.
Condolence meeting was held in BITS Auditorium on 30 July 08 on account of sudden demise of Smt. Manorama Deviji Birla, wife of Syt. Dr. KK Birlaji. Staff of BITS & BET offered two minutes silence for the departed soul.

Demise of Syt. K.K. Birlaji.
On 30 August 08 Syt. K.K. Birlaji , our benevolent Chairman, guide and an outstanding visionary left for his heavenly abode. It is indeed a great national loss. Condolence meetings were held in the school and also at BET Lawns.
Demise of Lt Col J.B. Sharma.
Our former Principal Lt Col J.B. Sharma also left for his heavenly abode on 25 October 08 at Kathmandu (Nepal). Condolence meeting was held in the School on 25.10.08. Few members of staff also attended Condolence meeting held at his residence at Ghaziabad.

Staff News
Mr. A.B. Sati has been appointed as Headmaster of Middle Section. I am sure his vast experience will be useful in shaping our Middle Section as an effective feeder to Senior Section.

Every year some staff leaves the school to be replaced by others. This year Shri Hem C Pande, PGT Social Science left the school to join Siwani Public School, Siwani (Haryana) as Principal. Mr. RK Sharma, PGT Biology joined Sanskar Bharti Public School near Rewari as Principal. Mr. RK Wadhwa, TGT English left and joined as Principal of Modern School, Ganganagar. The tradition of BPS staff contributing to national educational growth continues. In addition Shri Satyawan Jatain, PGT Economics also left the school to join the KVS.

The new staff to join the school are Smt. Anita Khatri, TGT Science, Ms. Aditi Bahukhandi, TGT English, Smt. Radha Sharma, TGT English and Dr. KC Chaturvedi, PGT Chemistry.

Old Boys News
Our Old Boys are a valuable asset to the school. Most of them are doing excellent work in their organizations and many occupy top positions in the hierarchy. We are proud of them and we request them to play a constructive role in the growth of the school. I would like to place on record their commitment to their alma-mater and mention about positions held by some of them :-
Lt Gen V.K. Singh, AVSM, YSM, General Officer Commanding-in- Chief, Eastern Command, Kolkata.
Vinod Rai 1965 batch : He is Comptroller and Auditor General of India

Rakesh Mittal (1983 - Vyas) - President & COO of USA software company CORBUS.
Sanjeev Lohia ( 1982 – Vyas)- Director, Urban transport, Ministry of Urban development, Govt. of India.
Dr. J.P. Agarwal (1982-Katyayan) World Renowned Cancer Surgeon in Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.
Dr. Harjeet Singh Bajwa ( 1966-Panini) is Doctor in Canada since 1976.
Dr. Sewa Singh ( 1966-Patanjali) is Cardio-therapist Surgeon in Canada.
Dr. Surinderpal Singh Dalal (1966-Katyayan) owns a 500 bedded Hospital in Georgia, USA .
Dr. Ghashyam Chaudhary (1982- Vyas) is Doctor in UK.

Goals formulated by the Trustee

Our trustee Syt. S.K. Birlaji has laid down following goals for the school :-
To move towards higher aggregate academic achievements in CBSE exams. This year goal is 80%.
To improve Human Relations within the community.
To instill moral and civic values in the boys.
To ensure all round personality development of boys.
Trustee has also emphasized additional stress to be laid upon training in English and Mathematics.


Conclusion
I am most grateful to Col VN Ratnakar, Director, Dy. Director (GA), Dy. Director (Finance) and other officers of BET for all valuable help and guidance. My sincere thanks to other organizations like BITS, CEERI, Birla Museum, RSEB, CMO Birla Sarvajanik Hospital, CMO M.S. Singhi Eye Hospital, District Administration, and the Local Police. Without their cooperation and assistance we could not have worked so smoothly. I am grateful to Dr.(Mrs) M. Kasturi, Principal Birla Balika Vidyapeeth, Mr. Satyendra Kumar Principal Birla Senior Secondary School, Mrs Madhu Dimri Headmistress Birla Shishu Vihar and their staff for their continued cooperation in joint activities. My special thanks to members of the Press and the media.
I must thank the Administrative Staff for working hard and making sure that BPS looks better than ever before.
I would like to thank most gratefully our Chairman and members of the Governing Council as well as the School Managing Committee for their continued support. It is because of their interest in BPS affairs, which motivate us to achieve higher academic standards, and have continued to encourage the future development of the school and guide its destiny.
Last but not the least, the unfailing devotion and diligence of the teachers and administrative staff has made this a rewarding year for the whole community. Our teachers are fully dedicated to their task and do their best for the students. They spent extra hours to prepare the boys for all activities so that they achieve their highest potential. I express my sincere gratitude to them.
I would specially like to compliment BPS Boys who in recent times have shown good discipline and setting good standards. Well-Done Boys!
I wish to and this report on a personal note. I joined the school on 02nd August this year and after four months I am in a position to state that long and sustained hard work is required to revive all public school practices and commence new ones so that the school truly reflects a public school ambience in all respects. Such journeys are usually long and little painful. I request my staff, students, old boys’ , parents , management and every one concerned with running the school to extend helping hand so that within the foreseeable future BPS becomes one of the top public schools of the country. In the end I thank you most warmly ladies and gentlemen for accepting our invitation and obliging us with your gracious presence.