Anna University temporary teaching staff fear job loss

After putting in years of service, the temporary teaching staff of the Anna University are facing an uncertain future as the university has called for fresh applications for the same post.
 
Published: 07th July 2018 05:04 AM | 

 

Anna University (File | EPS)

By Nirupa Sampath

Express News Service

TIRUCHY: After putting in years of service, the temporary teaching staff of the Anna University are facing an uncertain future as the university has called for fresh applications for the same post.

The temporary teaching staff, who are referred internally as “teaching fellows”, though paid only one-fourth of the pay of the regularised teaching staff, form as much as around one-third of the teaching faculty strength in many of the departments.

Kept on contract-based employment for years together now, they are under the grip of fear about losing the jobs since the university’s notification last month called for fresh applicants for temporary teaching posts.

A temporary teaching staff, on condition of anonymity, said “Temporary staff work harder and extra-hours than permanent faculties at the institution. As most have spent over five to ten years here, it is only fair to make us permanent.”

Some of them Express spoke to have been working over a decade in the university on temporary basis.

Explaining how the system works. a teaching fellow said, “After the six-months contract expires, they renew the contracts leaving a few days gap, when we won’t be allowed to sign attendance. Because, as per university norms anyone working for three years continuously must be made permanent staff. So they deliberately restrict us from having a continuous service period.”

The only solace the teaching fellows had recently was the assurance given by the university’s Vice-Chancellor M K Surappa that their pay will be hiked and there will be annual appraisals. No salary hikes were given to them since the Vice Chancellor’s post was lying vacant for nearly two years before Surappa’s appointment in April.

But on the other hand, the university’s recent notification does not give any preference to those already working in the university as temporary teaching staff for years now. This has led to fears whether those working for years now in the university will be terminated.

“As most of the teaching fellows have worked in the institution for more than three years, we should be made permanent”, said, Raghu (name changed) a temporary teaching staff of College of Engineering, Guindy. Such temporary teaching staff number around 270 in total in the Guindy and Chromepet campuses of the university.

NEET Tamil grace mark: Order reserved

The Judges observed that the Board had been entrusted with the future of the students and should have verified its question paper properly before the examination.

  Published: 07th July 2018 05:05 AM | 

By Express News Service

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court reserved its orders on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), seeking compensatory marks for Tamil medium students, who appeared in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) this year, citing the flaws in the Tamil medium question paper.

A division bench, comprising Justices C T Selvam and A M Basheer Ahamed, heard the answers given by the CBSE to the four questions posed by them during the previous hearing regarding the steps taken by the Board in identifying and compiling the English words, i.e. the technical and scientific terms incapable of being translated into Tamil, and in educating the Tamil medium students and teachers about such words.

Assistant Solicitor General (ASG) V Kathirvelu and counsel for CBSE G Nagarajan contended that the Board did not play any direct role in translation of question paper to regional languages as it appointed only translators suggested by the States.

At the time of publishing answer key, CBSE had clearly stated on its website that students can register their complaints and grievances, said the ASG, further defending the Board and the government. In addition to this, the counsel for CBSE argued that the petitioner did not have the locus standi to file the litigation since only aggrieved persons can move to the Court in this case.

He went on to add that it was not the responsibility of the CBSE to inform or educate teachers about translating scientific terms as they themselves, as teachers, will be well aware of it.

Hearing the submissions of the counsel, the Judges raised a question asking why CBSE had published the NEET result a day prior to its originally scheduled date of results, and that too within just few hours after the same bench announced the first hearing into the PIL.

Coming down heavily on the Board for saying that the students had not come forward to complain when the answer keys were published, the Judges asked what is the use in correcting mistakes in the question paper after the examination was over. They also questioned the Board whether it mentioned in its notification that it was also inviting complaints regarding the question paper.

The Judges observed that the Board had been entrusted with the future of the students and should have verified its question paper properly before the examination. They expressed that it was the duty of the Board to ask the State government to produce a list of scientific terms that do not have an equivalent word in Tamil and inform the same to the students prior to the exam.

Earlier, senior counsel NGR Prasad, who appeared for the petitioner T K Rangarajan, submitted a list of words that were wrongly translated in the Tamil medium question paper with their correct version.

Court’s criticism

Coming down heavily on CBSE for saying that the students had not come forward to complain when the answer keys were published, the Judges asked what is the use in correcting mistakes in the question paper after the exam was over

Interim protection to film maker extended

Madurai: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court extended the interim order passed by it on an anticipatory bail petition, restraining the police from arresting documentary filmmaker Divya Bharathi by 10 days citing that the FIR registered against the filmmaker, as revealed by Additional Advocate General (AAG) K Chellapandian during the hearing, was registered at the Gudalur Police Station in the Nilgiris, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Madras High Court, Justice G R Swaminathan passed the order giving a breather to the petitioner to approach the Principal Seat. The filmmaker had approached the court seeking protection against arrest by police, claiming that policemen in plainclothes have been trying to detain her illegally without any warrant. She had also submitted that she was not informed on what charges was she wanted by the police.

Unable to pay fees, Tamil Nadu schools stop issuing Transfer Certificates forcing students to discontinue education
Three of the petitions were received from the parents who all belonged to Kalaimagal Matric Higher Secondary School at Kattumanarkovil and Bharathidasan Matriculation School at Perumathur.
 
Published: 07th July 2018 07:45 PM | 



Image used for representational purpose.

By Express News Service

CUDDALORE: For the past two years, Swathi has not received her transfer certificates from school prompting her to discontinue her education dreams. Hailing from a poor background, Swathi after completing her class XII was unable to pay her full fees resulting in the school to stop issuing her transfer certificate.

Complaints from a private school, especially from a single private school at Kattumannarkovil was received by the education authorities in the education grievance that has been set up exclusively to solve education-related issues in the district that was held on Saturday.

On Saturday the education grievance was held at the district collectorate premises that witnessed the Chief Education Officer Personal Assistant Murugan taking over along with two District Education Officer Selvaraj and Asha Christie Emarald where a total of four new petitions were received by the officers.

Three of the petitions were received from the parents who all belonged to Kalaimagal Matric Higher Secondary School at Kattumanarkovil and Bharathidasan Matriculation School at Perumathur near Bhuvanagiri. Kannan, one of the parents who has sent his ward to Kalaimagal school in a detailed complaint said that the school has been constantly demanding him for fees despite his ward being admitted under the Right to Education Act. "

The school has been showing discrimination towards my child by making him sit in the last and his teachers demanding the ward to pay the fee inside the class putting my child in difficulty. Myself a hotel supplier I am unable to pay the fee forcing me to admit my child under the Right to Education Act, however, the school has been constantly demanding for fees", Kannan said in a grieving manner.

In another issue, Ganesh and Kamlesh studying in Bharathidasan Matriculation school have been made to undergo several hardships after the parents failed to pay the last term fees. The school made Ganesh studying in class IV miss his annual examinations and his brother studying in class II admitted under RTE to sit out of the classroom. The education authorities after receiving the complaints have called for an enquiry in the next few days through which the issue will be sorted, said Murugan, the CEO.

Make rural service must for doctors before first promotion: Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu

Rural service must be made compulsory for doctors for at least three years before first promotion to help rural people get medical care, else they will feel neglected, said Vice-President.
 
Published: 09th July 2018 04:51 AM

 
Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu at the convocation of Dr MGR Medical University in the city on Sunday | Express

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Rural service must be made compulsory for doctors for at least three years before first promotion to help rural people get medical care, else they will feel neglected, said Vice-President
M Venkaiah Naidu, on Sunday.

Speaking at the 30th convocation of Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University, he said doctors should first interact with patients, understand their problems. Only after that they should do medical test for right diagnosis of the disease before starting treatment. Doctors should also have focussed attention to patient welfare, he added.

Naidu also said public private partnership in medical care delivery system is also important, but the government should monitor private partners to see that quality in medical care was not compromised.

“The quality of education in medical colleges is the life blood of India’s healthy future. So, the government should ensure it is clean and provide the required vitality to the entire healthcare system in our country,” he said.

S Geethalakshmi, Vice-Chancellor, said 11 new courses in post basic diploma in nursing in  various specialities have been approved and the courses will begin soon. Also, an MoU is proposed to be signed with the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras for technical expertise and support for conducting web courses in all disciplines, through National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL).

Later, State Health Minister

C Vijaya Baskar awarded degrees and diplomas to a total of 20,372 candidates under the faculties of medical, dental, Ayush and allied health science courses at the Dr MGR Medical University.

Promised jobs on Singapore cruise, 20 men from Telangana cheated

ITI graduates, lured through alumni groups on social media, lose passports and Rs 30,000 each.
 
Published: 08th July 2018 05:49 AM | 



The men from Telangana, who filed a complaint that they were cheated by a fake company, at the Commissioner’s office | Martin Louis

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Around 20 persons from Telangana have filed a complaint with the police Commissioner’s office here that they were cheated after they were promised jobs in a Singapore cruise. Each of them had given Rs 30,000 to a person on his assurance. The men had studied in ITI and were lured through alumni and their groups in social media. They were promised jobs in a Singapore-based luxury cruise under different job profiles, such as chefs, helpers, drivers and technicians.

“We got an information from one of our seniors who had passed out of college. He posted a message on WhatsApp groups claiming that a company called ‘Prima technologies’ in Nesapakkam in Chennai is acting as a consultant to get jobs in a Singapore-based luxury cruise. Since we are all from Telangana, we did not know the language and one Karthik, asked us to visit Chennai in January, when he took us for medical check-up in ‘Gulf Medicare’ on Ellis Road,” said S Ahmed, a victim.

The members had allegedly handed over Rs 30,000 to Karthik on the assurance that they would get jobs. Six months after they gave the sum, they did not get any response. They visited the centre at Nesapakkam only to find that they had been cheated.

“Around 30 of us from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, were cheated. Twenty of us formed a group to file a complaint at the commissioner’s office. We lost our cash and gave away our passports during the medical checkup. We visited the place five times last month and the police refused to take the complaint. Only on Saturday did they accept the complaint,” said Rajesh from Telangana.The police are said to have told the members that their passports will be returned soon, but there is no guarantee for getting back the cash.

Kerala man arrested for posting fake job ad for Chennai Metro Rail
According to police, S Sreejith, a native of Tirur of Malappuram district in Kerala allegedly created a fake website www.cmrlco.org and duped the job aspirants with fake recruitment advertisement.
 
Published: 08th July 2018 09:01 PM |

 

Chennai Metro. (File photo)

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: A managed 34 from Malappuram district of Kerala who allegedly created a fake website resembling that of Chennai Metro Rail Limited and posted a fake recruitment advertisement was arrested on Saturday.

Police said S Sreejith, a native of Tirur, allegedly created a fake website www.cmrlco.org, and duped job aspirants with fake recruitment advertisement.

A few months ago, an advertisement in the name of CMRL went viral after many shared it through social media. The candidates were reportedly asked to give `4,000 and more, to apply for the jobs.

On being informed, CMRL denied publishing any advertisement for recruitment. Subsequently, its General Manager lodged a complaint with Chennai Police. The cyber crime wing of Central Crime Branch registered a case.

The investigation revealed that Sreejith had stolen the design, photos and contents from the original website of CMRL, www.chennaimetrorail.org and developed a fake website www.cmrlco.org and cheated job aspirants.

The arrested man was later remanded to judicial custody, police said.

Gujarat MBBS aspirant pulled up for hiding facts

Student claimed she applied in TN only, but had applied in Gujarat too.
 
Published: 08th July 2018 05:57 AM | Last Updated: 08th July 2018 05:57 AM
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has pulled up an MBBS aspirant for producing a bogus nativity certificate for selection and admission to a college in Tamil Nadu as well as for suppressing facts. “If any allotment has been granted to the student, it shall stand automatically cancelled without an order being passed by the authorities. If, for any reason, the candidate is allowed to continue the course in this State, then the degree that may be obtained, is not a valid one, as students like the petitioner herein, may, fraudulently obtain an interim order and complete the course,” Justice S Vaidyanathan, hearing the case, said.

The judge was dismissing a writ petition from Aparna Rajendra Kumar, a resident of Gujarat, for a directive to the Tamil Nadu selection committee for admission to MBBS/BDS courses for 2018-19 to consider her claim for admission to the course on the basis of her nativity certificate of Chennai. Aparna claimed that she had applied for the course only in Tamil Nadu and not in any other State.

When the petition came up for hearing, Additional Advocate-General C Manishankar told the judge that she had already applied for the same course in Gujarat. Noting that it is unfortunate that the petitioner has come before the court with a false statement, Justice Vaidyanathan said though strictures could be passed against the petitioner for approaching this court with unclean hands, the court deferred from doing so, taking note of the tender age and that she being a girl, her future should not be ruined. Hence, the petitioner’s candidature in Tamil Nadu need not be considered.