Asiad 2018: Indian rowers win quadruple sculls gold
Jakarta, Aug 24 : Indian rowers Sawarn Singh, Dattu Bhokanal, Om Prakash and Sukhmeet Singh came up with a superb performance to win gold in the men's quadruple sculls category at the 18th Asian Games here on Friday.
This is only the second gold for India since they started participating in the rowing events at the Asiad. The first was won by Bajrang Lal Takhar in men's singles sculls at the 2010 Games.
The Indian team clocked a time of 6 minutes and 17.13 seconds while hosts Indonesia clocked 6:20.58 to take the silver. Thailand had to be content with the bronze at 6:22.41.
The other Indian rowers in the men's section also enjoyed a successful day with bronze medals coming in the lightweight single sculls and lightweight double sculls categories.
Dushyant started India's campaign on the sixth day of the Asian Games on a positive note by bagging the bronze medal in the men's lightweight single sculls final.
The 25-year-old, who had also clinched a bronze at the 2014 Asiad, clocked a time of 7 minutes and 18.76 seconds to finish the competition at the third place.
South Korea's Hyunsu Park (7 minutes and 12.86 seconds) secured the gold while Hin Chun Chiu (7 minutes 14.16 seconds) bagged silver.
India bagged another bronze when Bhagwan Singh and Rohit Kumar finished third in the men's lightweight double sculls final. Clocking a time of 7 minutes 04.61 seconds, the Indian pair were at the third place in the finals.
The Japanese pair comprising Masayuki Miyaura and Masahiro Takeda secured gold, while Byumhoon Kim and Minhyuk Lee of South Korea clinched silver.
But the Indian women's four team turned out to be a disappointment as they finished sixth and last in the final. Continental powerhouse China won gold with 7:05.50 while Vietnam (7:14.52) and Indonesia (7:19.02) took silver and bronze respectively.
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Over 760 private schools shut down in 5 years amid 'rigid norms', 'harassment' in Bengaluru: Report
Bengaluru: In a concerning trend for the city's education sector, at least 762 private schools in Bengaluru have closed down over the past five years, a staggering 26 percent of those granted permission to operate, according to government data.
Between 2019-20 and 2023-24 academic years, the Department of School Education and Literacy gave the green signal to start 2,905 private unaided schools, of which 762 closed down.
The data, as cited by Deccan Herald on Sunday, shows significant discrepancies across districts. While Vijayapura saw the highest number of new schools at 292, only five closed. In stark contrast, Bengaluru South saw 255 new schools, with 85 shutting down within five years. In Bengaluru North, the number of schools permitted were 75, and 56 of them shut down within five years of commencement.
School managements are attributing the closures to rigid norms imposed by the department after 2018, alongside what they describe as harassment by local officers. D. Shashi Kumar, general secretary of the Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, told DH that one of the key obstacles has been the mandatory requirement of half-an-acre land for new schools, which many find financially unfeasible. Additionally, he noted that schools now must navigate multiple departments, including fire safety and building plan approvals, compared to the previous single-point contact with the education department. He further mentioned that they have submitted petitions to the government numerous times about harassment.
Private school representatives said a majority of the schools which closed down were budget schools affiliated to the state board, the report added. The COVID-19 pandemic also contributed to these closures, disrupting the demand and supply chain, especially in cities like Bengaluru, which has a huge migrant population. The exit of migrant families led to a sharp drop in student enrolments, especially in budget private schools. The rising cost of establishing a new school—at least Rs 20 crore—and the challenge of maintaining a minimum student strength have further added to the burden on school managements.
Another factor cited by private school managements was the rise in the number of chain (franchisee) schools and the entry of corporates into the education sector. “Parents are attracted towards other board schools and so-called corporate and fancy chain schools,” management representative of a private school in the capital city was quoted as saying by the publication.
He added that the increase in the number of CBSE and ICSE schools has also contributed to the closure of state board schools, which, according to him, face discrimination at the local level compared to other boards.
