Why can’t you issue digital certificates, HC asks DU

Why can’t you issue digital certificates, HC asks DU

Plea By MBBS Students For 2018 Degrees

Abhinav.Garg@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:  23.07.2020

Unhappy that doctors are being forced to approach court rather than tackle Covid-19, Delhi high court on Wednesday asked Delhi University why it couldn’t go digital for issuing degrees, certificates and marksheets.

“Students, especially doctors providing their services during the pandemic, ought not to have been forced to approach this court for seeking their degree-certificates, especially when they graduated two years ago,” Justice Pratibha M Singh noted while hearing a plea by five MBBS graduates of Lady Hardinge Medical College seeking their certificates two years after their graduation in 2018.

“Most of DU is under lockdown and there is very minimal physical interface between students and the administration. There is no reason as to why DU should not be adopting technically advanced methods to ensure that the students are not inconvenienced,” the court said. No student should have to approach courts for issuance of marksheets, transcripts and degree certificates, which ought to be provided by DU in the natural course within a reasonable time, it added.

“DU ought to take a pragmatic approach in this matter,” Justice Singh said while advising the university to consider “the option of setting up a special cell, which will entertain requests of students on email for digital certificates, marksheets, transcripts etc.” It should also install the software necessary for issuance of degree certificates with security features, to be sent online through email in a timely manner, the court said, asking the joint director of DU Computer Centre and the dean (examination) to appear virtually on Thursday.

The court wants to examine the feasibility of setting up such a cell, which will also enable students to have a proper interface with the university during the pandemic.

The petitioners have submitted that they wished to apply for their residency programmes in the US and take United States Medical Licensing Examination, for which August 15 is the last date for uploading the degree certificate. However, despite representations, DU has not indicated any date for issuing the degree certificate.

The university told the court that it was taking steps to give the tender for printing the certificates swiftly and the deadline for submission of bids was August 1. Bids will open on August 3 following which the contract will be signed, it added.

But the court noted that the process was long drawn and would not serve the purpose of students who had deadlines for submission of their documents and posted the plea for further hearing on Thursday. The judge also pointed out that most institutions had made alternative arrangements during the lockdown for issuance of digital certificates, marksheets and ranscripts online, along with digital signatures and security features.

HIGH COURT SAYS

There is no reason as to why Delhi University should not be adopting technically advanced methods to ensure that the students are not inconvenienced

Madras univ VC search panel to interview 12 shortlisted candidates on July 28

Madras univ VC search panel to interview 12 shortlisted candidates on July 28

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:  23.07.2020

Amid intense lobbying, the Madras University vice-chancellor search panel has shortlisted 12 candidates for interview scheduled on July 28. The panel headed by Jawaharlal Nehru University vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar has sent a communication to the shortlisted candidates for the interview.

P Maruthamuthu, former vice-chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University and P Ramasamy, former vice-chancellor of Alagappa University are the other two members of the panel. “The list includes four professors from Anna University,threefrom MadrasUniversity and one from Bharathidasan University. A former director of IISER (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research) and two former vicechancellors of state universities are also in the race,” a source close to the selection process said.

Thecandidates arelikely to be askedto presenttheir vision for the university and possible plans to bring the institute out of the existing financial crisis and ideas to generate funds for the university. The candidates were asked to submit their vision in pro forma.

After the interview, the panel will suggest to the governor-chancellor for appointing the newVC.In Total,177 professors including 33 from outside the state applied to the top post of the prestigious university. The search committee shortlisted 43 candidates based on age, experience and fluency in Tamil. The committee then ranked the candidates based on their experience and academic positions.

A former vice-chancellor and a professor from Anna University are said to be the leading contenders.

Professors from the university said the institution is in a very bad financial condition and need a good academic leader to bring it back on track. “There is no fund with the university to disburse salary to the staff members from August. The new VC will have a tough initial few months. We are hopeful the chancellor will pick the able candidate to guide the university during the tough times,” professors added. The university’s previous vice-chancellor P Duraisamy completed his tenure on May 26.

Allahabad University constituent colleges teachers can now become professors

Allahabad University constituent colleges teachers can now become professors

TNN | Jul 19, 2020, 04.04 AM IST

PRAYAGRAJ: The teachers of the constituent colleges of the Central University of Allahabad will now be able to become professors. For this, Dean College and Development (CDC), Prof Prashant Agarwal, has invited applications which can be submitted till July 31.

The qualifying teachers will have to submit their applications to the principal of the college, after which, further process will start. Earlier, there was no post of professor in colleges and the teachers had to retire from the post of associate professor.

With this, more than 100 teachers of the constituent colleges of AU will now get a chance to become professors and will be able to do their research work.

However, to become a professor, a teacher will have to have an experience of three years as an associate professor. For this, the applicants will have to go through the same process which is followed for the recruitment of teachers. On behalf of Dean CDC, Prof Prashant Agarwal, all the principals have been instructed to seek applications from the teachers by July 31.

Screening of application forms will be done after the application process is completed. After this, a selection committee will be constituted at the college level, headed by the chairman of the governing body of the college. This committee will take interviews of the qualified teachers after the screening process is completed. After this, the list of the selected teachers will be sent to the governing body of the college.

After the governing body’s approval, the names of the selected teachers will be sent to the Vice Chancellor in a closed envelope. After the approval from the VC, the governing body will disclose the names of the teachers promoted.

“Principal teachers of all colleges have to apply for qualifying teachers by July 31 after which the process would follow the lines of the teacher recruitment”, said Prof Aggarwal.

GTU students can pick 1 of 3 exam formats

GTU students can pick 1 of 3 exam formats

TNN | Jul 22, 2020, 04.39 AM IST

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Technological University students in final-semester undergraduate, postgraduate, and diploma courses will have to choose any one of the three exam options till July 23. The options were made available from Tuesday, when the university issued a circular laying down the guidelines for Summer 2020 exams for all affiliated colleges.

The students can take online exams starting July 30, or pen-and-paper exams to be held from August 17, or special exams to be conducted in September.

The dates for the September exams are yet to be announced. All exams will follow the MCQ (multiple-choice questions) format.

Students who do not select any of the three options will by default be considered for the special exams in September which will be in the pen-and-paper format.

Students who opt for the online MCQ exams will have to first compulsorily take trial tests, the dates of which will be announced soon on GTU’s official website.

Candidates can take the online MCQ exams using laptops, desktops, tablets, or cellphones. A consistent internet speed of 512kbps is recommended.

No more lockdown in Karnataka, economy also important: CM BS Yediyurappa

No more lockdown in Karnataka, economy also important: CM BS Yediyurappa

TNN | Jul 22, 2020, 06.33 AM IST

BENGALURU: Hours before the weeklong lockdown imposed in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts comes to an end at 5am on Wednesday, the state government decided not to extend it further.

Addressing people of the state through TV news channels and social media platforms, chief minister BS Yediyurappa said on Tuesday there would be no more lockdowns in the state. “Lockdown is not the solution for controlling the spread of the pandemic. Resource mobilisation is equally important for a government to function. People need to get back to work since the economy is also very important,” Yediyurappa said in his 20-minute address in Kannada.

While the lockdown has ended, night curfew between 9pm and 5am and Sunday curfew will continue till July 31.

According to guidelines issued by chief secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar, restrictions on movement of people and vehicles will continue in containment areas across Bengaluru. All major markets — including KR Market, Yeshwanthpur Market and those on Silver Jubilee Park Road — which are among the containment areas in the city, will be sealed to prevent crowding. All major markets in the state will be shifted to large open spaces or APMC yards. Districts which have recorded a high number of Covid-19 cases will also adopt similar measures.

With this, the state will return to July 1 status when the government released the guidelines for Unlock 2.0.

Wear mask and wash hands, stresses CM

According to Unlock 2.0, all activities except educational institutions, international air travel, Metro, cinema halls, gyms, swimming pools and liquor consumption at bars and pubs will resume.

Yediyurappa stressed that maintaining social distancing and wearing masks is the solution. “The only way to fight coronavirus pandemic is to compulsorily wear mask, wash hands and maintain social distancing. Each citizen has to take care of his/ her health by strictly following the guidelines,” he said.

Yediyurappa admitted the situation had got out of hand after the initial success. “We were successful in the beginning but in recent days, especially in Bengaluru, Covid cases have increased. People who came from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu added to the problem,” he said. Experts have advised to focus on “5T strategy” — trace, track, test, treat and technology — to control the spread, he added.

He also responded to opposition Congress’ allegation of misappropriation in purchase of equipment and said not a rupee has been misused.

About 5 lakh e-pass applications received, 3.2 lakh rejected: Chennai Corporation

About 5 lakh e-pass applications received, 3.2 lakh rejected: Chennai Corporation

The reasons for rejection are that many people apply without any specific reason and relevant documents, Commissioner G Prakash said.

Published: 21st July 2020 09:53 PM 

Chennai Corporation building 

By Nirupama Viswanathan

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Chennai corporation has rejected 3,29,829 applications for e-passes while approving 1,61,754 of the total 4,92,149 requests through the online portals.

“The reasons for rejection are that many people apply without any specific reason and relevant documents. In these cases, we cannot take the risk,” Commissioner G Prakash told reporters.

“Further, some are applying multiple times. In these cases also, it’s rejected,” he added.

However, in case of genuine reasons, the civic body’s team is working 24x7 to scrutinise and approve, he went on to say.

In the Tamil Nadu e-pass emergency portal, as on Monday, 38,734 passes were approved for medical emergencies whereas 90,436 were rejected. It has approved 9758 passes for marriages so far and rejected 24,270 applications. For deaths, 7264 passes were approved and 18,356 rejected.

Applications for passes to come to Chennai from elsewhere were also scrutinised. The destination districts are given the authority for approving or rejecting passes.

In the city corporation’s emergency pass portal, 5209 applications for passes were approved for medical emergencies and 14,977 rejected. For marriages, 1957 applications were approved and 3328 rejected.

For deaths, 1005 passes were issued and 2055 applications rejected. A total of 28,531 people had applied through the portal.

Engineering aspirants worried as Anna University yet to release affiliated colleges list

Engineering aspirants worried as Anna University yet to release affiliated colleges list

Students find it hard to verify if a college of their choice is affiliated to the university on its website.

Published: 21st July 2020 10:31 PM 

By Sushmitha Ramakrishnan

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Anna University has already conducted online inspection of engineering colleges for affiliation this year. However, as the complete list of the affiliated colleges is not yet uploaded on the website, it is causing worry among engineering aspirants and their parents.

The registrations for the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions (TNEA) 2020 started on July 15. Over 75,000 candidates have already applied. Students, however, find it hard to verify if a college of their choice is affiliated to the university on its website. Only eight institutions in the Chennai district have so far been listed on the website as on Tuesday evening.

"My son will be a first-generation graduate. He scored 493 out of 600 in the exam. I told him he should study only in a college affiliated to Anna University," said Mutharasu, father of an engineering aspirant from Thiruvallur district. "My son, however, does not know which college he should apply to. He says he is not sure if the colleges in Thiruvallur district are affiliated to Anna University," he said.

Many other students and parents have echoed the complaint.

Affiliation granted to over 400 colleges for 2020-21

A top official from Anna University said Anna University has already granted affiliation for over 400 institutions. "We have completed the inspection for over 90 per cent of the institutions that applied. But about 10 per cent are yet to submit some of the required documents," the official said.

The official added that the university cannot publish the list of affiliated colleges on the website yet fearing that it may lead to legal complications. "Last year, the institutions that were still in the process of submitting documents moved the court when we released the real-time update of affiliated institutions. So we are waiting for the process to be completed," the official added.

Online inspection

The varsity is completing the process to completely go online this year. "We are not able to travel to colleges and people are not ready to go. AICTE did it online and we did the same. If there are any concerns, then we may visit the college physically later," said MK Surappa, the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the institutions.

T Purushothaman, the Secretary of TNEA, said the colleges have been given time until August 15 to receive affiliation. "Students will start filling in their choice of colleges in August. Colleges should receive their approval by then. Right now only registration for counselling is going on," he said.