காலாண்டு, அரையாண்டில், 'ஆப்சென்ட்'டா? 10ம் வகுப்பு தேர்வில் பெயிலாகும் அபாயம்

காலாண்டு, அரையாண்டில், 'ஆப்சென்ட்'டா? 10ம் வகுப்பு தேர்வில் பெயிலாகும் அபாயம்

Added : ஜூலை 05, 2020 23:20

சென்னை; காலாண்டு, அரையாண்டு தேர்வுகளில், சில பாடங்களில் தேர்வு எழுத தவறியவர்கள், பத்தாம் வகுப்பு தேர்வில், தேர்ச்சி பெற முடியாத வகையில், தேர்வுத்துறை இயக்குனர் அனுப்பியுள்ள சுற்றறிக்கை, சர்ச்சையை ஏற்படுத்தியுள்ளது.

கொரோனா தொற்று பரவல் காரணமாக, தமிழகத்தில், 10ம் வகுப்பு பொதுத்தேர்வு, முழுமையாக ரத்து செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளது. பிளஸ் 1ல், ஒரு பாடத்திற்கான தேர்வு நடக்காததால், அந்தத் தேர்வும் ரத்து செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளது. இதில், 10ம்வகுப்பு மாணவர்களுக்கு, காலாண்டு, அரையாண்டு தேர்வு மதிப்பெண் அடிப்படையில், ௮௦ சதவீதமும், வருகைப்பதிவு அடிப்படையில், ௨௦ சதவீத மதிப்பெண்ணும், ஒவ்வொரு பாடத்திற்கும் வழங்கி, மதிப்பெண் பட்டியல் தயாரிக்க உத்தரவிடப்பட்டது. வழிகாட்டு நெறிமுறைஅதன்படி, 80 சதவீத மதிப்பெண் வழங்கும் பணிகள் முடிந்து விட்டன. மீதமுள்ள, 20 சதவீதத்துக்கு, வருகை பதிவேடு அடிப்படையில் மதிப்பெண் பட்டியல் தயாரிக்கும் பணிகள் நடந்து வருகின்றன.

இதற்காக, தேர்வுத்துறை இயக்குனர், பழனிசாமி வெளியிட்டுள்ள வழிகாட்டு நெறிமுறைகள்:பள்ளிகளுக்கு நீண்ட நாள் வராதவர்கள், படிப்பை பாதியில் விட்டு விட்டு மாற்று சான்றிதழ் வாங்கியவர்கள், மரணம் அடைந்த மாணவர்கள் உள்ளிட்டோரை கணக்கிட்டு, அவர்களின் விபரங்களை தனியாக சேகரிக்க வேண்டும்.

இந்த மாணவர்களின் விபரங்கள், எந்த காரணத்திற்காகவும், பத்தாம் வகுப்பு தேர்ச்சி பட்டியலில் இடம் பெற்றுவிடக்கூடாது.காலாண்டு, அரையாண்டு தேர்வுகளில், அனைத்து பாட தேர்வுகளுக்கும் முழுமையாக வராதவர்கள், சில பாடங்களில் தேர்வு எழுதாதவர்கள் ஆகியோரை, 'ஆப்சென்ட்' பட்டியலில் சேர்க்க வேண்டும்.இவ்வாறு, அதில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.

இதனால், பல மாணவர்கள், 10ம் வகுப்பு பொதுத்தேர்வில் பெயிலாகும் அபாயம் உள்ளது.எதிர்காலம் பாதிப்புகாலாண்டு, அரையாண்டு தேர்வின் போது, உடல் நல பிரச்னை, தங்களின் ஊர்களில் நிகழ்ந்த விழாக்கள், வேறு சில நிகழ்ச்சிகள், குடும்ப பிரச்னை போன்றவற்றால், சில மாணவர்கள் தேர்வுகளில் பங்கேற்கவில்லை.அப்படிப்பட்ட மாணவர்களை, தற்போது தேர்ச்சி பட்டியலில் சேர்க்காவிட்டால், அவர்களின் எதிர்காலம் பாதிக்கப்படும் அபாயம் உள்ளது.

இதுகுறித்து, ஆசிரியர்கள், பெற்றோர் கூறியதாவது:பத்தாம் வகுப்பு பொது தேர்வுக்கு விண்ணப்பித்த, அனைத்து மாணவர்களும் தேர்ச்சி பெற்றதாக அரசு அறிவித்துள்ளது. இந்நிலையில், காலாண்டு, அரையாண்டில் சில பாடங்களில், ஆப்சென்ட் ஆன மாணவர்களை தனியாக கணக்கிடுவது தேவையற்றது.எனவே, இந்த ஆண்டு, 10ம் வகுப்பில் சேர்ந்து, காலாண்டு, அரையாண்டு தேர்வின், சில பாடங்களுக்கு தேர்வை எழுதாவிட்டாலும், பொது தேர்வுக்கு விண்ணப்பித்திருந்தால், அவர்கள் அனைவரையும், தேர்ச்சி பெற்றவர்களாகவே அறிவிக்க வேண்டும்.இவ்வாறு, அவர்கள் கூறினர்.

Open-book exams: Under fire, DU lists ways to avoid online glitches

Open-book exams: Under fire, DU lists ways to avoid online glitches

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: 06.07.2020

A day after students had to deal with various glitches during the first day of mock tests for the much debated final open book examinations (OBE), Delhi University (DU) on Sunday tried to explain issues “based on inputs received from stakeholders and persons concerned with the OBE mode of examinations”.

Of the 14 queries answered by DU, the most common was the problem faced during finding question papers. The university’s examination branch said the problem was probably linked to the way students were looking for a specific question paper.

They were probably trying to get a specific question paper not available on the portal or searching with titles of subject/courses that were not in the system, the release stated. “Students may be advised that this is purely a mock test and any sample paper may be used for writing and they can take any paper of choice,” the exam branch said.

On students having problems with downloading question papers on their mobile phones, DU said the device must have internet connectivity and downloading features. Around 68% of the candidates registered through mobile devices, it pointed out.

“Students are advised to enter the correct name of the portal as notified by the examination branch and is available on the university website, and also to check internet and other requirements,” the release suggested.

On the portal taking 10-15 minutes to open, DU said this might be due to multiple users visiting the website multiple times without completing a past activity. The students have been advised to check internet connectivity while visiting the site/portal of examinations. “All messages and information at a particular button and related activities must be read before moving to the next activity,” it added.

The exam branch clarified that on the day of the examinations, students would be allowed to download their question paper. They will also have an extra hour for downloading question papers and uploading answer sheets. Students have been advised to follow instructions as the final exams are scheduled to begin on July 10.

ACT OF DISSENT: North Campus was vandalised by unknown people on Saturday night with ‘No to OBE’ graffiti painted on the signboards and college gates. While no one so far has claimed responsibility, a few students said the move was an outcome of the frustration they had been feeling with DU’s indifference to their concerns. DUSU president Akshit Dahiya said the union condemned all acts of vandalism. DU officials are yet to respond on the issue

No vaccine before ’21, science min says in release, deletes it

No vaccine before ’21, science min says in release, deletes it

Date Dropped To Strike An Optimistic Note?

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:06.07.2020

A fresh controversy erupted over India’s Covid-19 vaccine timelines with a department of science and technology (DST) press release first mentioning and then deleting a reference to the antidote being unlikely to be ready for mass use before 2021.

Days after an Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) communication to participating institutes that the Bharat Biotech vaccine should be ready for launch for public health use by August 15 sparked concerns over ethical and medical issues, the printand-retract fiasco only made matters worse for the government. The DST press release was essentially an academic tract explaining the various vaccine options being developed around the world and the regulatory approvals to two Indian companies among 11 candidates that have entered human trial stage.

Top science academy says ICMR head’s Aug 15 vaccine deadline is unfeasible

The Indian Academy of Sciences decried the ICMR DG’s directive on speedy trial for Covid vaccine and fixing an August 15 deadline for it. “As a body of scientists, including many who are engaged in vaccine development, IASc strongly believes that the announced timeline is unfeasible,” it stated. P 13

Nod for human trial marks beginning of the end: Science min

But DST release ended with the observation that none of the vaccines was likely to be available before 2021.

Seen in the light of ICMR’s clarification on Saturday that it was not seeking to short-circuit due processes, the DST release seemed to further set the record straight. However, the decision to delete the 2021 reference only fuelled speculation why the release was edited. The reason perhaps was that DST sought to strike an optimistic note, which with regulatory approvals for human testing, there was a “silver line in the dark clouds” that would mark “the beginning of the end”.

In a letter on July 2, ICMR director general Balram Bhargava had said the government aimed to launch India’s first locally made vaccine against Covid-19 for public health use by August 15 and asked clinical trial sites for Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin to fast-track processes to meet the timeline. A day later, ICMR clarified that it was seeking to cut red tape and not get around safety measures and made no reference to the August 15 deadline.

While the July 2 letter stirred the medical and scientific community, public health experts questioned the ethics and credibility of ICMR’s position. In this context, the initial statement from the DST saying a vaccine was unlikely to be launched by 2021 attracted attention and was seen as further course-correction.

“With the announcement of Covaxin by Bharat Biotech and ZyCov-D vaccine by Zydus Cadila, the proverbial silver line in the dark clouds of Covid-19 appears at the horizon. Now, the nod given by the Drug Controller General of India for conduct of human trial for the vaccines marks the beginning of the end,” the DST said.

It added that India had emerged as a significant vaccine manufacturing hub and local firms accounted for 60% of vaccine supplies made to Unicef. “The vaccine for novel coronavirus may be developed anywhere in the world, but without Indian firms involved, the production of required quantity is not going to be feasible,” it said.

Govt doc charged ₹1.1L for 24-hr treatment in Hyd pvt hosp, detained over unpaid bill

Govt doc charged ₹1.1L for 24-hr treatment in Hyd pvt hosp, detained over unpaid bill

06.07.2020

Amrita Didyala & Mahesh Buddi TNN

Hyderabad:

A senior doctor from the Telangana government-run Fever Hospital has alleged that she was detained for two days by a private hospital in Hyderabad for failing to pay part of her ₹1.13 lakh Covid-19 medical bill for just 24 hours of hospitalization.

“Despite being a diabetic, I was not given food and insulin on time. When I reached out to the Chaderghat police, they refused to lodge my complaint saying it was a billing issue and they were helpless,” Dr Sultana told TOI.

The 52-year-old civil assistant surgeon, who was rushed to Thumbey Hospital by her folks late on July 1when she felt severe discomfort after contracting the virus, says she tried the police control room thrice in the night, but could not get any help.

Her four other family members, including daughter, niece and brothers, are currently Covid-19 positive. She and her brother have now been shifted to Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences for treatment.

“I have been insulted, called names. Four people came and harassed me. They denied me food, kept torturing me mentally and did not let me meet my brother who is also admitted in the hospital in the adjacent room. I was not able to take it anymore and ultimately made a payment by credit card and got myself discharged at 4am this morning [Sunday],” she told TOI.

“They charged me ₹1.15 lakh only for one day (up to July 2). I paid ₹40,000 and I don’t have any money now. They detained me since yesterday [July 3] morning for the amount and today they have injected me with 10 units of insulin without giving me food for the next two hours. I was going into hypoglycaemia… Please help me,” she wrote in a complaint addressed to the station house officer, Chaderghat.Dr Lalu Prasad Rathod, president of Telangana Government Doctors Association, has demanded a probe by the government.

Full report on www.toi.in

Kuwait’s plan to cut down on foreign workers worries India

Kuwait’s plan to cut down on foreign workers worries India

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: 06.07.2020

A draft bill to reduce the number of foreign workers in Kuwait has been deemed constitutional by the legal and legislative committee of the Gulf state’s National Assembly.

While the bill still has to be vetted by another committee, as Kuwait chalks out a more comprehensive plan to cut down on foreign workers, it has led to fears in India that as many as 7-8 lakh Indians could be forced out of Kuwait if the bill is enacted into law.

The bill proposes that the number of Indians, who form the largest expatriate community in Kuwait, be reduced to 15% of the country’s 4.8 million population. Indians number about 1.4 million in the country and 15% quota would mean their presence reducing to around 6.5-7 lakh.

The bill, however, proposes similar quotas for other nationalities too. It calls for reducing the number of Egyptians, who form the second largest expatriate community, to 10% of Kuwait’s total population.

Kuwait is also a top source of remittances for India. In 2018, India received close to $4.8 billion from Kuwait as remittances. With its own citizens turning into a minority, Kuwait has been working to reduce its dependence on foreign workers. The bill is seen as a manifestation of the fact that Kuwait no longer wants to remain an expat-majority nation. Covid-19 and the slump in oil prices have also been contributing factors.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Gulf News reported last week, there has been a spike in anti-expat rhetoric as lawmakers and governmental officials call for reducing the number of foreigners in Kuwait. In the middle of this, Kuwait’s PM Sheikh Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah proposed reduction in the number of expats from 70% to 30% of the total population.

Official sources said the Indian embassy was closely following developments related to the proposed legislation. India has so far not made any statement on the issue. India has often in the past played up the role of the Indian community in Kuwait as an important factor in bilateral ties.

The bill proposes that the number of Indians, who form the largest expatriate community in Kuwait, be reduced to 15% of the country’s 4.8 million population. About 1.4 million Indians reside in Kuwait

Is online Open Book Exam feasible in India

Is online Open Book Exam feasible in India

Rajlakshmi Ghosh finds out if online exam model can become the new norm of assessment despite the resistance it is facing from students

06.07.2020

With the University of Delhi (DU) postponing the online open book exam (OBE), questions regarding the feasibility of the exam continue to rage. Amid opposition from teachers and students, it is pertinent to ask what would constitute an online open book exam and how critical is it to conduct them at this stage?

Workable solution

“The exam is implemented to assess the conceptual understanding, critical thinking and analytical skills of the students,” says Neelesh Kumar Jain, director (officiating) of IIT Indore where 263 final year BTech students took online open book examination. “The decision was taken to avert stress for the graduating students as delaying the exams would have hampered their placements,” Jain adds. The institute developed an in-house Technology Enabled Evaluation (TEE) platform for the delivery of the question paper and the receiving of the handwritten answer sheets. “Since it is an open book concept, most of the questions are based on case studies and practical problems, to maintain the fairness of the examination.”

As open book exams have invited a fair share of resistance, Mujibullah Zuberi, controller of examinations, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) says, “The concept is new for both faculty and students and not everyone is receptive to change. We should have a judicious mix of exam models to help ease pandemic-induced trauma/stress.” On the subject of open book exams creating a ‘digital divide’, Zuberi clarifies that the exam requires only limited internet usage, mostly for downloading the question paper during the commencement of the exam and uploading the answers sheets.

“However, the internet speed and connectivity, availability of electricity and hardware are major concerns for many. These factors need to be addressed,” Jain says.

Future lies in digital evaluation

MK Surappa, VC, Anna University, Chennai, says, “In a country of one billion mobile force, are we to assume that most students do not have mobile/online access? Conducting examinations is imperative to pass the students. In the current COVID-19 crisis, online open book exams will work best for our over 1 lakh final semester students, many of whom are spread across the country.” The university, he says, plans to conduct the online OBE soon where students will be asked “MCQs due to time constraints”.

Tasmac shops record sale of ₹171 crore on Saturday

Tasmac shops record sale of ₹171 crore on Saturday

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:  06.07.2020

Tasmac wine shops across Tamil Nadu witnessed a spike in sale recording revenue to the tune of ₹171 crore on Saturday, after the state government announced complete lockdown on all Sundays to contain the spread of coronavirus. The liquor outlets had an additional business of ₹25 crore when compared with sale during weekends as Tasmac wine shops are closed on all Sundays this month in view of the complete lockdown.

According to Tasmac sources, Madurai region topped the sale in the state with revenue of around ₹41 crore, followed by Tiruchirappalli region comprising liquor outlets in central districts that witnessed the second highest sale of nearly Rs 39 crore.

While the western regions of Salem and Coimbatore accounted for ₹38 crore and Rs 35 crore respectively, the Chennai region comprising shops in Chengalpet, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts had sale to the tune of ₹20 crore. The sale in Chennai region, which is operating with nearly 150 shops in three neighbouring districts, doubled when compared with weekdays. Tamil Nadu has , 4,500 Tasmac wine shops.

“The value of sale will increase during the next three Saturdays as 70 more Tasmac wine shops would be reopened in Chengalpet, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts from Monday,” a Tasmac source said.

The 70 liquor outlets that would be reopened on Monday had remained shut since June 19 when the intense lockdown came into effect.

However, shutting down Tasmac wine shops on all Sundays will cause revenue loss to the state owned marketing corporation. Had the liquor outlets been operating, alcohol sale would have generated revenue to the tune of ₹400 crore.

“We will incur losses for three Sundays, which is usually ₹135 crore on each Sunday, since the excess sale on Saturdays will compensate the income for one Sunday,” the Tasmac source said.

Tasmac is a cash cow for the state government that has generated revenue of more than ₹30,000 crore during the last two financial years.

According to Tasmac sources, Madurai region topped the sale in the state with revenue of around ₹41 crore