No pay for 3 mths, nurses block highway

No pay for 3 mths, nurses block highway

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Panipat:30.06.2020

The nursing staff of NC Medical College, a Covid-19 hospital here, blocked the Panipat -Rohtak highway in Israna on Monday in protest over not being paid salaries for three months.

The protesters said they were working round-the-clock in difficult circumstances, without caring for their own lives, but they have not been getting their salaries on time and it was getting difficult to make ends meet.

They asked the management to also increase their salaries, pay them a Covid allowance and provide adequate safety kits.

The road was blocked for around half hour. To pacify protesters, police and local tehsildar Jagdish Chander reached the spot and assured them resolution of their problems.

Court stays move to hold exam for science admissions

Court stays move to hold exam for science admissions

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chandigarh:30.06.2020

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday stayed the decision taken by Board of School Education Haryana to conduct science examination compulsorily for those students who opted for science stream in Class XI.

The science examination of Class X could not be conducted by the board on account of lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic. The court has also issued a notice to the state education board as well as the state government, seeking their response on the issue.

Justice Manjari Nehru Kaul of the HC passed these orders while hearing a petition filed by NISA Education through its president Kulbhushan Sharma and Haryana Private School and Children Welfare Trust. The petitioners challenged the move, citing press notes dated June 7 and June 12, issued by the state education board, directing the students willing to opt for the science stream in Class XI to take an examination. The authorities of schools were also directed to upload the consent of such students for the examination on the website of the board by June 17, failing which the report/result of the students would be treated as ‘zero’.

Pankaj Maini, counsel for the petitioners, submitted that they are primarily aggrieved from the decision taken by the board to hold the examination of science for those students who opted for the subject in Class XI and exempted students of other streams.

According to the counsel, such a decision of board is not only discrimination with students opting for science subject, but also in a situation like pandemic, it would be extremely difficult for the schools to arrange infrastructure to hold the examination.

The HC was also informed that the higher and technical education departments of the state of Haryana has already decided through a notification issued on June 23 to defer the examination to be conducted by the university and colleges of state of Haryana by promoting all the students.

The petitioners submitted that the Board of School Education Haryana can also adopt the same criteria vis-avis the students of secondary examination by declaring their results to protect the students and the schools from facing severe hardship.

The science exam of Class X could not be conducted by the board on account of Covid-19 lockdown

50% staff of govt schools can report for work: Admn

50% staff of govt schools can report for work: Admn

Kamini.Mehta@timesgroup.com

Chandigarh: 30.06.2020

Confusion in government schools on Monday over the number of teachers to be allowed to report for work spurred the UT education department to let principals call 50% teaching and non-teaching staff till further orders.

Rubinderjit Singh Brar, director school education, said, “The schools will be asked to call 50% of staff to schools. The matter was discussed but a decision was awaited.” The discussion had taken place last week.

The orders said, “The department of school education, UT, has decided to allow principals/heads/ in-charges of all government and government-aided schools to call teaching and non-teaching staff to the extent of 50% till further orders by following social distancing and hygiene safety.”

On June 9, the department had first issued orders allowing school heads and principals to call 25% teaching and non-teaching staff for urgent administrative works from June 15.

Sources said the department had discussed calling 50% of staff to schools from June 29 in a meeting held on July 23. Other points like conducting of online admissions for pre-nursery to Class IX and suggestions for holding compartment exams for Class IX students were sought.

Teachers were told to maintain a daily record in a diary and make online videos and assignments for each week. “The department could any time ask the cluster head to provide videos and assignments for online teaching,” sources said. School heads of government schools were also asked to share details of vacancies. This because many teachers are expected to retire in September.

Back to work

The orders said, “The department of school education, UT, has decided to allow principals, heads, in-charges of all government and government-aided schools to call teaching and non-teaching staff to the extent of 50% till further orders by following social distancing and hygiene safety.” On June 9, the department had first issued orders allowing school heads and principals to call 25% teaching and non-teaching staff for urgent administrative works from June 15.

CJI didn’t drive bike, so no rules flouted: Officials

CJI didn’t drive bike, so no rules flouted: Officials

Vaibhav.Ganjapure@timesgroup.com

Nagpur: 30.06.2020

Chief Justice of India Sharad Bobde’s photos on a high-end Harley Davidson bike — that appeared in several newspapers and went viral on social media — has attracted criticism for not wearing a helmet and a face mask, thus violating driving rules and Covid-control norms.

Justice Bobde couldn’t be contacted, but his office clarified that he only took a feel of the superbike and did not flout any rules as being projected on social media. “The CJI was on a morning walk on the Raj Bhavan premises when his close family friend, who deals in bikes, informed him about the arrival of the latest model of the popular Harley Davidson (Limited Edition CVO 2020) in the city. The bike was brought to Raj Bhavan for a demonstration by a representative of the company. The CJI inspected the bike and appreciated it. He didn’t even ride the motorcycle. He just sat on it,” officials, who didn’t want to be named, told TOI.

They said the CJI was wearing a mask when he started out for his walk, he removed it while inquiring about the bike. “There’s no question of wearing the helmet as the CJI wasn’t riding the bike. If one carefully sees the picture, the bike was stationary and on the side stand. The CJI was simply sitting on it. The company’s representative explained the functioning of the bike to the CJI. During video conferencing, no one wears a mask as it creates hurdles while speaking. Even in minister level conferences, many don’t wear masks while talking for the same reason,” they said.

Protests get louder as GTU readies for July 2 exams

Protests get louder as GTU readies for July 2 exams

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:30.06.2020

The Gujarat Technological University (GTU) has begun preparations for conducting theory exams from July 2 amid growing protests from students and political organizations demanding cancellation of the exams.

On Monday, protesters burnt an effigy of GTU vicechancellor Naveen Sheth. As many as fifteen members of National Students Union of India (NSUI) were detained for the protests held outside the VC’s residence, said sources.

In a separate incident, members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Monday threw bangles at the varsity’s registrar to protest the selection of members in the admission committee.

GTU officials clarified that they have allowed students to opt out of the exam. For such students, the university will hold exams after the Covid-19 crisis is over, they added.

GTU has received registration applications from 54,500 students who want to take the pen-and-paper exams from July 2.

The varsity has also given the option to students to opt for online descriptive type exams that are to be held from July 17.

While most of the universities in Gujarat have deferred the examinations after facing student protests, the GTU examination council recently reiterated its stance to hold the theory exams in July as announced earlier. Currently, exam hall tickets are being issued online to students.

The protests will continue in the coming days, said sources in NSUI. Although the exams are being conducted with the consent of students, many students are currently seen opposing it.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) panel had recently recommended to the Union HRD ministry to scrap the final-year examination for all colleges and universities. A final decision in this regard is expected this week, sources added.

Earlier, the UGC had recommended that the varsities cancel the intermediate exams, but the new proposal asks them to cancel the finalyear or terminal semester examinations as well. This decision was taken after many educational institutions expressed their inability to conduct final-year exams in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Protesters burnt an effigy of the GTU VC on Monday. In a separate incident, protesters also threw bangles at the varsity’s registrar office

Covid-19 suspect visited 7 hosps in 12 hrs to get treatment

Covid-19 suspect visited 7 hosps in 12 hrs to get treatment

Kiran.Parashar@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru: 30.06.2020

A suspected Covid-19 patient, 45, from Gottigere, visited seven hospitals before he was admitted to Prakirya Hospital in north Bengaluru.

On Friday night, the man developed breathing problems and was taken to a private hospital in Jayanagar, where he was refused treatment because there were no beds. From there, he was taken to Victoria Hospital where he was not admitted because of non-availability of bed. Then a few of his friends started calling hospitals for help. At 11.30pm, they approached a hospital in Jayanagar which said it was full. The family then tried calling up a hospital on Bannerghatta Road where also there were no beds. Then, they reached out to a private hospital near Kengeri which said there were no ICU beds.

The family requested that let him be checked, but none of them responded. The patient was then taken to a hospital on Bannerghatta Road where his chest x-ray was taken and he was told that he needs admission immediately. So, the family went through the BBMP control room and reached out to Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases but was told there were no beds available.

The family returned home at 3am. On Saturday, the family reached out to Prakriya Hospital which admitted him. The first report found him positive for Covid-19.

Two SSLC students to miss all exams as their dads test +ve

Two SSLC students to miss all exams as their dads test +ve

They Appeared From Different Places In Arsikere

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hassan:30.06.2020

Two SSLC students, who are primary contacts of Covid-19 positive cases from Arsikere in Hassan, were unable to write the science paper on Monday as they were sent to a quarantine centre on Sunday evening. Though these two students have tested negative, they will not be allowed to write the rest of the exams as their second Covid test needs to be done. The two students had written the Maths paper on Saturday.

The two had different exam centres in Arsikere. The father of one of them is a security guard at a government residential school, about 5km from the town, which has been made a quarantine centre. He tested positive on Sunday. The second student’s father is barber and he too tested positive on Sunday.

Meanwhile, 18 students, who were exposed to a positive SSLC student from Mallipatna in Arkalgud, attended the exam after their test came back negative. They were not even treated as primary or secondary contacts as proper physical distancing was maintained, all students had worn masks and the exam centre was sanitised, said DDPI Prakash.

Those students who have tested positive and primary contacts sent to quarantine will not be allowed to write the exam, he added.

INCHING CLOSER: SSLC examinations will get over on July 5

Cop on duty near centre gets infected

Mysuru:

A policeman who was on SSLC examination duty has tested positive for Covid-19, leading to concerns among government authorities and parents.

However, T Narasipura block education officer (BEO) N Swamy and police said there is no need to panic as the constable did not enter the examination hall at all.

According to sources, the constable was deputed for SSLC examination-related duty on Saturday. “Health department officials informed us that the constable tested positive. I visited the examination centre today and carried out an inquiry. He didn’t enter the examination centre at all,” said BEO Swamy.

According to police sources, the constable was deputed to divert vehicles near the examination centre. “He didn’t visit the examination centre,” said local police officers.

Meanwhile, the T Narasipura police station has been sealed down. TNN