Schools juggle pre-boards & Republic Day rehearsals

Ludhiana: Schools across the district are working to balance ongoing pre-board examinations with preparations for the Republic Day celebrations scheduled to be held at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU). Principals said students are participating actively in rehearsals, but the pressure of pre-board tests requires schools to adjust schedules by either conducting exams earlier in the morning or coordinating them around practice sessions held both on school premises and at the PAU venue.Prep begins after official notificationPrincipals, head teachers and in-charges recently received a notification directing them to begin preparations for the Jan 26 programme. The education department has assigned duties to staff members from various schools to ensure that the ceremonies and rehearsals proceed without disruption.Dances, cultural performancesFor the Bhangra segment, students from Ramgarhia Senior Secondary School Millerganj, Teja Singh Sutantar School Shimplapur, Dashmesh Senior Secondary School, NM Jain School, Govt Senior Secondary Smart School PAU, Senior Secondary Smart School Multipurpose and SOE Jawahar Nagar are preparing under the supervision of Manpreet Kaur, principal of Ramgarhia School, and Jaswinder Singh, principal of SOE Sector 32.Several schools are also practicing Giddha for the event, including Govt Senior Secondary Smart School PAU, Govt Girls Senior Secondary School Bharat Nagar, Govt School for Girls Jawahar Nagar, PM Shri School Cemetery Road, Khalsa School for Girls Civil Lines, Govt Girls School Gill, Ramgarhia Girls School and Guru Nanak Public School, Janta Nagar. The overall in-charges for this category are Vishvkirat Kahlon, principal of SOE Model Town, Surchana Pandher, lecturer at Multipurpose School, and Suparjit Kaur, Punjabi mistress at SOE Model Town.Cultural activities will feature students from Spring Dale Public School, BVM Kitchlu Nagar and Police DAV School Police Lines. This segment is being coordinated by Tej Varinder Kaur, principal of Basti Jodhewal Govt School, Hardip Kaur, principal of SOE Millerganj, Charanjeet Kaur, principal of PM Shri Cemetery Road, and Navninder Kaur, head teacher at Dhandari Kalan High School.PT, Band, and Scouts & GuidesThe PT show will be handled by Kulveer Singh, DSC, and Anup Kumar, lecturer in physical education at SOE Jawahar Nagar. Band presentations will involve SOE Baddowal and SOE Jawahar Nagar, with Harjinder Saini and Rohit Rani serving as in-charges. Participation for scouts and guides will come from Govt Senior Secondary Smart School PAU, PM Shri Cemetery Road, Govt Senior Secondary Multipurpose, GSSS PAU, SOE Model Town and Multipurpose Govt School.Instructions & rehearsalsSchools have been instructed to ensure that cultural performances do not exceed five minutes. All audio tracks must be recorded in HD quality and submitted beforehand in pen drives. Despite the ongoing exam schedule, principals said students remain enthusiastic about the preparations.Deputy DEO (secondary) Amandeep Singh said that around 25 government schools are participating in the PT show, about ten in Giddha and cultural items, and three to four private schools in additional activities. He added that transportation and other logistical arrangements are being finalised. Rehearsals at the PAU venue have already begun and are being held at 10 am each morning.