Society needs more happy musicians than unhappy doctors -

 Society needs more happy musicians than unhappy doctors -

 The Times Of India

The real pandemic in India is suicide, but like the proverbial ostrich, society has buried its head in the sand, claim academics and mental health practitioners

Rajlakshmi.Ghosh@timesgroup.com

Few days ahead of the NEET exams, four medical college aspirants in TamilNadu took their life allegedly due to fear of failure. This brought back the issue of psychological pressure gripping the young adults.

“Such instances highlight the need for institutional support as well as counselling facilities for students who are appearing for competitive examinations,” says Kiran Ambatipudi, associate DOSW (Student Wellness), IIT Roorkee. The institute offers 24x7, free-of-cost counselling service to help students.

Society, according to Dr Prerna Kohli, clinical psychologist, pays far too much attention to financial and academic success. “Parents need to teach their children that failing is normal and encourage them to have a Plan B ready, just in case Plan A fails.” If it isn’t exam stress, social pressures and the taboo to openly discuss suicidal thoughts may create communication barriers for the students. “Clinically speaking, mental illness, a history of suicide in the family, sexual or physical abuse and impulsive behaviour are some of the key drivers. Additionally, ineffective coping skills with day to day circumstances and poverty may prompt some to take extreme steps, Kohli adds.

HEIs must rise to the fore

“Many institutions are emphasising on holistic education and making adequate provision for recreation, physical exercises and counselling facilities to provide end-to-end support. Parents’ sensitisation programme can also be incorporated to facilitate support,” Ambatipudi suggests.

Full report on educationtimes.com

Girl, 13, dies by suicide after dad scolds her for skipping online classes -

 Girl, 13, dies by suicide after dad scolds her for skipping online classes -

 The Times Of India

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Erode:21,09,2020

A 13-year-old girl died by setting herself ablaze at Nanjai Puliyampatty near Gobichettipalayam on Sunday after her parents scolded her for watching movies, songs on mobile phone instead of attending online classes.

V Hemamalini, daughter of K Velumani, was studying in Class VIII in a government school at Bungalowpudur. Around 6am on Sunday, Velumani went out with his wife for work. Around 8.30am, their neighbours contacted Velumani on his mobile phone informing that smoke had been billowing out from his house.

Velumani rushed back home and attempted to break open the door but it was locked from inside.

Meanwhile, the Bungalowpudur police reached the spot based on an alert from Gobichettipalayam fire station.

Police personnel entered the house by breaking open the main door and found Hemamalini dead with burn injuries inside the kitchen. The body was sent to the Gobichettipalayam government hospital for post-mortem.

Preliminary investigation revealed that Velumani scolded Hemamalini for watching movies and songs on mobile phone. “Sometimes, she did not attend online classes too,” police said, adding that she had been upset since Velumani scolded her on Saturday.

A case was registered and further inquiry is on.

HEIs preparing to restart skill training on campus - The Times Of India

HEIs preparing to restart skill training on campus - The Times Of India

c-Puniti.Pandey@timesgroup.com

After releasing the standard operating procedure (SOP) for the reopening of schools, the government has now announced the precautions that the higher education institutions (HEIs) need to follow for restarting classes. The SOPs have been released for skill training and technical institutes offering courses that need to conduct laboratory work.

“IIT Madras has allowed research students to use the laboratories in the campus following regulations given out by Tamil Nadu government. The students have to follow 14 days of quarantine before joining the classes,” says V Jagadeesh Kumar, dean, IIT Madras. The institutes are waiting for state government's decision to resume class for all the courses in the campus.

“Tamil Nadu government has ordered all educational institutes in the state to remain shut till September 30. Students at our institute will return to classrooms in phased manner, once the state and the central government give directives. With the present infrastructure, hostel capacity and classroom size, it will not be possible to bring all students to campus in one go. Currently, only research students who require practical training are allowed in the campus” he adds.

Sona College of Technology, Salem, has planned to conduct blended classes. Around 50% of the students will attend classes through virtual mode while the other half will learn at the campus. The training activities will be organised in a staggered manner to avoid overcrowding.

“We have allowed students from PhD programmes requiring laboratory and experimental works to attend classes by following strict guidelines indicated in the SOP. The management will ensure that all students and teachers at the campus are wearing masks throughout the conduct of the teaching. Students will not be allowed to share items like laptops, notebook, stationary etc,” says SRR Senthilkumar, principal, Sona College of Technology, Salem.

CBSE compartment exams from Sept 22 -

CBSE compartment exams from Sept 22 -

The Times Of India

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:21.09.2020

Compartment examinations for classes X and XII of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will be held from September 22 to 30 at 247 exam centres in Delhi. The board has issued a set of guidelines that schools and students need to follow as precaution against the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the notice, the board said that “due to the unprecedented situation created by Covid-19, CBSE has taken measures to ensure a safe and conducive environment to hold the examinations.” The heads of the schools have been directed to comply with the direction issued by CBSE for the compartment examinations. Schools have been told to ensure smooth movement of students and teachers on exam days, use police support to prevent crowds outside exam centres and ensure water and electricity supply during the exams. Also, provide health support if required.

The board has increased the number of examination centres from 500 to 1,268 this year, all over India, to maintain social distancing and also provide centres near the students’ residences. Class X students will appear in maximum two subjects and Class XII students in one subject.

Banks cannot deny copy of statements to borrowers’

 Banks cannot deny copy of statements to borrowers’

22/09/2020

 Special Correspondent CHENNAI

The Debts Recovery Tribunal, Chennai, has ruled that banks cannot deny copy of account statements to customers even in cases where the borrower has discharged the debt or defaulted.

“Every customer of a bank is entitled to have copies of their statement of account(s) from the banker and the bank is under contractual obligation to furnish it. Maybe the bank is entitled to charge for the copies but it cannot deny the right to have a copy by virtue of the contract of lending entered between the bank and the customer,” said N.V. Badarinath, presiding officer, Debts Recovery Tribunal-I, Chennai, in his order.

The verdict was in the case of NPT Offset Press Pvt. Ltd., an MSME, and the State Bank of India.

As per court records, the Debts Recovery Tribunal had directed NPT Offset to pay ₹16.35 crore due to SBI. Later, both the parties agreed for a one-time settlement for about ₹2.62 crore. NPT Offset had then moved the tribunal, seeking to acquire its bank statements.

The tribunal rejected the bank’s plea that the firm was precluded from demanding copies of its account statements having accepted the one-time settlement.

When a borrower had accepted and complied with the one-time settlement scheme promoted by the bank, it could not be said that the borrower was debarred from asking for their account statements, it said.

Notice to State, UGC, MKU

 Notice to State, UGC, MKU

22/09/2020

Staff Reporter Madurai

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday ordered notice to the State government, UGC and Madurai Kamaraj University in a PIL petition that challenged the conduct of final semester examinations.

A Division Bench of Justices M. Sathyanarayanan and P. Rajamanickam ordered notices in the PIL petition filed by R. Murali, former Principal of Madura College, who also served as the Academic Council, Senate and Syndicate member of the university. He challenged the mode of conduct of the examinations.

The petitioner said the State had passed an order to conduct final semester examinations to various colleges through online, offline or by blending both online and offline modes. Permission was granted to the university to conduct the exam only through online mode. Under these circumstances, the university issued a notification for the conduct of the examination by adopting the online mode. The students after writing the test in an A4 size paper were asked to take a photo of the same and send it to the university through WhatsApp. This was not online mode and credibility of the exam was at stake. Parents were asked by the university to act as supervisors. This was a mockery of the system.

The case was adjourned to October 15.

UGC approves academic calendar guidelines for first-year UG and PG

UGC approves academic calendar guidelines for first-year UG and PG

As per the guidelines, academic session 2020-21 may commence from November1 for first year students.

Published: 22nd September 2020 04:55 AM 

 By Pearl Maria Dsouza

Express News Service

BENGALURU: The University Grants Commission on Monday approved the academic calendar guidelines for first year undergraduate (UG) and post graduate (PG) students for the academic session 2020-21, in view of the pandemic. Based on the recommendation of the expert committee, the officials have come out with an academic calendar for admissions and examinations for the first year PG and UG students.

As per the guidelines, academic session 2020-21 may commence from November1 for first year students. However, if there is a delay in the declaration of results in the qualifying examination, the universities may plan and start the academic session by November 18, the commission said.There is no hard and fast rule on holding online and offline classes, Bhushan Patwardhan, vice president of UGC, told The New Indian Express.

Merit or entrance-based admissions for these students should complete by October end and the remaining vacant seats should be filled up by November 30, the UGC has suggested. “Institutes that complete their admission process sooner can start their academic year earlier and need not have to wait until November 18. The leeway was given considering the situation in Maharashtra, where examinations will end by October,” Patwardhan said.

The commission said that a full refund will be made on account 

of cancellation of admissions/ migration of students up to November 30. This means that the entire fees including all charges will be refunded to the students (Zero cancellation charge). Thereafter, on cancellation or withdrawal of admissions up to December 31, the deduction of not more than Rs 1,000 can be made as processing fee.Universities have been advised to curtail their vacations for the timely awarding of degrees to the students.

SSLC supplementary exams start with maths 

The SSLC board on Monday started the supplementary examinations for more than 2.1 lakh students across the state. The exam began with the Mathematics paper. Students, who are Covid-19 positive, are being allocated room in the Covid Care Centre. However, the board did not give out any figures of number of students who attended the exam on Monday.

Teachers oppose English in UG courses

 Teachers oppose English in UG courses

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:22.09.2020

The joint action council of college teachers (JAC) of Tamil Nadu has opposed the move to introduce professional English, a specialised course to improve command over the language, across all undergraduate degrees from 2020-21.

“It is surprising that the higher education   department wants to teach professional English with subject teachers instead of language teachers. Only language teachers can improve the command over the language,” M Krishnaraj, convener of JAC, said in a release. The JAC criticized the vice-chancellors of state universities for not properly advising the government on standard procedures for introducing a course. The move is facing much criticism as subject teachers have been asked to teach professional English and allotment of academic hours is becoming difficult as universities have to remove a core subject that would alter the course combination.

Int’l flights on but response remains sluggish -

Int’l flights on but response remains sluggish -

The Times Of India

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:

International flights may have resumed under the ‘air bubble’ concept early this month but passenger response is sluggish. Most of the flights have hardly 100 passengers or less as only those who have emergencies or those who are returning to rejoin families are flying.

On Sunday and Monday, the airport handled only 1,500 passengers including arrivals and departures though there were 16 flights. Most of the flights are to the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

An airport official said, “Passenger numbers are erratic. Some of the flights have good load factor while others have only around 100 passengers which is quite low for international flights. We expect the passenger numbers to pick up gradually.”

Quarantine restrictions is a major stumbling block, he added. Though rules have been relaxed in such a way that people who have a Covid-19 negative test certificate can get exemption from a full institutional quarantine, people hesitate.

“It is not easy to get a test done abroad and the tests are expensive too. So many people are deferring their trip till rules will be relaxed further. More people will travel if the need for quarantine is scrapped,” he added.

Many flights from Europe and the US are allowed under the ‘air bubble’ scheme via Delhi but in spite of the demand for people to return to Chennai only 40 to 50 passengers are there on a flight from the US to Chennai via Delhi. A majority of the passengers on these flights get down in Delhi.

Nevertheless, airlines have approached the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to start more services under the ‘air bubble’ concept.

An official said that more airlines are eager to resume international operations. “British Airways has already started their service from Heathrow while Lufthansa is waiting to resume services to Frankfurt these are the two popular European destinations the airport used to have in the pre-shutdown days.” However, frequency is less. This is also considered as a factor that has impacted the passenger flow.

Basheer Ahmed of Metro Travels said, “Students have started to travel to Europe and the UK. We have bookings to Dublin while many people have started to fly to Dubai and Muscat to join duty and also to rejoin families. Air fares are competitive in private airlines which is supposed to encourage more travellers. But still the passenger numbers are not that high.”

More international flights may start in October or November. Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore, Colombo and Dubai were some of the popular routes from Chennai in the pre-shutdown days.

Airline officials hope that IPL may trigger the habit of leisure travel.

Server error forces students to courier answer sheets -

Server error forces students to courier answer sheets -

The Times Of India

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:22.09.2020

A majority of students who took the online exam conducted by the University of Madras on Monday struggled to download question papers and upload answer scripts due to server-related problems.

Many post offices in and around the city were crowded with students sending answer sheets to their colleges by speed post. Some students also rushed to the colleges to submit answer scripts.

As per guidelines, students have to download the question paper using a login id and password, and upload written answer scripts.

B Siva, a final year BCom student, said he wrote the advanced cost and accounting exam on Monday. “But I was not able to download the question paper. With the help from our department, we got the question paper.I was also not able to upload the answer scripts and couriered those to my college,” he said.

Dinesh, a final year student from the visual communication department of a city college, said he went to his college to submit answer scripts.

A professor from a city college said they have formed WhatsApp groups for final year students to distribute question papers. “Out of 100 students, around 20 were able to upload answer scripts,” he said.

There were crowds outside college campuses as students gathered to submit answer scripts. “Students had to post their answer scripts within three hours. There were huge crowds at post offices. Fearing they may not be able to send their answer scripts and acknowledgement on time, many went to the colleges,” principal of a city college said.

A University of Madras official said students were not able to upload answer scripts due to lack of bandwidth at their homes. “The university allowed the students to courier their answer scripts to their colleges or submit in person wherever possible. Server issues were addressed by a team of experts,” he said.

SBI offers up to 2 yrs more for repaying home & retail loans

 SBI offers up to 2 yrs more for repaying home & retail loans 

- The Times Of India

Borrowers Will Have To Show Loss Of Income

Mayur.Shetty@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:

State Bank of India will provide relief to home and retail loan borrowers impacted by Covid-19 in the form of either a moratorium of up to 24 months or by rescheduling instalments and extending the tenure by a period equivalent to the moratorium granted.

The moratorium period can be extended by a maximum of two years, India’s largest lender said Monday, setting the tone for other banks, specially PSU players.

In line with RBI’s onetime relief, the scheme is available to borrowers who had availed of a home loan before March 1, 2020, and were regular in repayments until the Covid-19 lockdown. But the borrowers will have to demonstrate that their income has been hit because of the pandemic.

“For the purpose of restructuring, the bank will depend entirely on the customer’s assessment of when they expect their income to be normalised or to get employed,” said SBI managing director C S Setty said while announcing the scheme.

HDFC, ICICI may follow SBI’s lead by end of Sept

The country’s largest lender has been the first to roll out a protocol for restructuring loans of retail borrowers who were affected by Covid-19. Other lenders including HDFC and ICICI Bank are expected to follow suit before the end of the month. To facilitate borrowers to understand their eligibility for restructuring, SBI has launched an online portal to enable borrowers check their eligibility for all retail loans. This includes home, education, auto, and other personal loans. The restructuring will give breathing space for a borrower until their income is normalised or they get re-employed. Also, they will not be classified as defaulters or non-performing assets. The downside is that the bank will charge 35 basis points extra as interest since the RBI needs them to set aside additional provisions for these loans. This means that despite initial relief over the tenure of the loan, the borrower will end up paying more than on a regular loan without restructuring.

“We have put in place a scheme for restructuring and it is available to borrowers through our internal portal. We have also intimated borrowers but don’t expect much of traction for restructuring given the inquiries,” said Rajkiran Rai, MD & CEO, Union Bank of India.

HDFC Bank has put in place a facility to submit online applications. The bank has said that it will report the loan to the credit bureau as ‘restructured’ and as per norms, all loans availed will be classified as restructured even if only one loan is being restructured. “The dues for the moratorium period can be capitalised. Or else it will be very strenuous for the borrower to repay. Capitalising the dues will reduce the pressure on the borrower and we are also working on this by elongating the term of the loan,” said Siddhartha Mohanty, MD & CEO, LIC Housing Finance. He added that even if the loan term is extended, typically home loan borrowers end up pre-paying their loans by seven to ten years.

Retired govt doctor in Ariyalur claims nationalised bank refused to give loan as he didn't know Hindi

Retired govt doctor in Ariyalur claims nationalised bank refused to give loan as he didn't know Hindi

Hurt by the treatment allegedly meted out to him at the Gangaikondacholapuram branch of a nationalised bank, 76-year-old C Balasubramanian served a legal notice to the bank’s manager.

Last Updated: 21st September 2020 10:29 PM 

C Balasubramanian had an account at the Gangaikondacholapuram branch of the nationalised bank since 2002. C Balasubramanian had an account at the Gangaikondacholapuram branch of the nationalised bank since 2002. By P Thiruselvam

Express News Service

ARIYALUR: Can a bank loan be refused simply because the applicant does not know Hindi? That is the allegation put forward by a retired government doctor in Ariyalur district. 

Hurt by the treatment allegedly meted out to him at the Gangaikondacholapuram branch of a nationalised bank, 76-year-old C Balasubramanian served a legal notice to the bank’s manager through an advocate. 

Balasubramanian alleged that the manager refused him a loan after he told him he does not know Hindi. He is seeking Rs 1 lakh as compensation for the mental stress he has undergone.

The notice, sent via registered post and received at the bank, stated that denial of loan for not knowing Hindi could be termed as deficiency in service. The notice said that if the compensation is not paid, the Ariyalur district consumer court would be moved. A copy of the notice has been sent to the chief grievance redressal officer of the bank.

Balasubramanian, lives in Jayankondam in Ariyalur district, having retired from the Jayakondam Government Hospital in 2001. He has had an account at the Gangaikondacholapuram branch of the nationalised bank since 2002.

76-year-old C Balasubramanian

Ten days ago he went to the bank branch seeking a loan to build a commercial complex on a piece of land he owned.

Balasubramanian said he met with bank manager Vishal Kamble. The doctor said that Kamble asked if he knew Hindi as the manager was from Maharashtra and did not understand what Balasubramian was saying.

According to Balasubramanian, he replied that he only knew Tamil and English. This allegedly resulted in a heated argument over the language in which the duo should converse. The doctor claims that the manager denied him the loan due to the language issue, without even considering his application.

"The manager also told me that my land documents were in Tamil, and he could not check them. I was very hurt by this treatment. I am a senior citizen and a 15-year account holder, I don’t deserve to be treated this way; being denied a loan without even checking my bank documents,” he lamented.

Local residents said that this was not an isolated incident. According to locals, Kamble rarely interacted with customers and it was the assistant bank manager who handled most of the customers there.

When The New Indian Express reached out to Kamble for his version of events, he said, “my higher-ups have asked me not to talk to the media about this.”

“Had he said that the bank could not give a loan for some other reason, I could have reached out to other banks. However, effectively saying that loans will be given only to customers who know Hindi is not right. Does that mean that the bank will not give loan to anyone who doesn’t know Hindi?" Balasubramanian asked.

High Courts Weekly Roundup

High Courts Weekly Roundup: Week Commencing From September 14, 2020 Till September 20, 2020 Allahabad High Court 1. Elected Representative Not Enjoying The Will Of The People Can't Be Permitted To Be In Power Even For A...

MBBS exams likely to start in first week of Dec

 MBBS exams likely to start in first week of Dec

Sumati.Yengkhom@timesgroup.com

Kolkata:

The pandemic has pushed back the professional MBBS examination schedule. The West Bengal University of Health Sciences (WBUHS) has pegged the tentative examination date in the first week of December for first-year professional MBBS, second-year professional MBBS and third-year professional MBBS — part I and part II — in order. But the delay in conducting the examination may rob many students from the minority communities who get scholarship from the government.

Due to the pandemic, MBBS classes had been stalled for several weeks initially. Currently all classes are being conducted online, but all practical classes remained cancelled. WBUHS on Friday had asked all medical colleges to complete training and teaching, including practical classes and internal assessments, within two months of opening of the medical colleges. Examinations may be conducted 10 days after that. “If it takes longer for colleges to reopen we may have to consider going for online assessment,” said S Batyabal, principal RG Kar Medical College.

About 10,000 medical students in the state get yearly stipends between Rs 17,000 and Rs 33,000 under scholarship schemes. Since these students come from poor families, many send part of this scholarship amount to their parents.

“The scholarship has to be renewed every year. This year, the last date of renewal is November 15. The students need the marksheet to apply for the renewal. Now since examination has been pushed back, where will they get the marksheets?,” asked AK Maity medical educationist, who was attached with SSKM Hospital.

WBUHS vice-chancellor Rajendra Pandey said students may face financial hardship sans the scholarship benefits. But he maintained that promotion will be done only after examination. “We cannot promote students without examination. The government is working out ways so that these students continue to benefit from the schemes,” he said.

CU reduces exam time after UGC’s disapproval

CU reduces exam time after UGC’s disapproval

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: 20.09.2020

Calcutta University has decided to allot 30 minutes to download question papers and upload the answer scripts and keep the question papers unchanged for the undergraduate terminal semester and final-year examinations. This was among several modalities that CU decided upon, two days after receiving a letter from the University Grants Commission, which, in no uncertain terms, informed them about their disapproval over allotting students 24 hours to submit answer scripts.

On Friday, CU officials held a faculty council meeting, followed by the UG and PG Board of Studies meeting, where vice-chancellor Sonali Chakravarti Banerjee placed the letter sent by the UGC. As per the resolution, the UGC guidelines of April 29 specified that the duration of the terminal semester or final year examinations can be reduced from three hours to two hours.

A senior teacher said, “The VC pointed out that as per the UGC’s revised guidelines on July 6, the exams can be conducted offline, online, or blended (online + offline) modes.” “Thus, CU has the option of conducting the theory exams based on multiple-choice questions or using OMR sheets in the three modes. If an institution evaluates its students by giving more than the stipulated time, then it will be categorized as an assignment-based assessment,” explained the teacher The Board further resolved to strictly abide by the UGC guidelines.

CU has called a meeting of all the affiliated college principals on Monday at Rajabazar Science college to discuss the terminal semester exam details. The sudden alteration of modalities has sent jitters among the college principals. “Students in the city are unlikely to face any issue with internet connectivity. But what about those who live in the suburbs and villages? They may study in a college in Kolkata, but live in remote areas. They are going to face challenges due to the time-bound examinations. The internet connectivity will be slow and even many will have to take the exams from local internet cafés because few students have the luxury of availing a laptop. Also, we can’t expect candidates to write the exams on their smartphones,” said a college principal.

Univ extends admission date

Calcutta University on Saturday extended the last date of admissions to the various undergraduate programs in the affiliated colleges for both honours and general courses up to the end of October. Till now, CU had asked the colleges to complete their admission process by September 25. “The decision was taken as many students from other boards are yet to find a seat due to the huge marks influx in the West Bengal Higher Secondary Examinations this year,” a principal said. TNN

கூகுள் ட்ராஸில் 30 நாட்கள் பிறகு கோப்புகள் தானாக நீக்கப்படும்: கூகுள் அறிவிப்பு

கூகுள் ட்ராஸில் 30 நாட்கள் பிறகு கோப்புகள் தானாக நீக்கப்படும்: கூகுள் அறிவிப்பு

கூகுள் சேமிப்பகத்தில் உள்ள அழிக்கப்பட்ட கோப்புகளை 30 நாள்களுக்குப் பிறகு குப்பைத் தொட்டியிலிருந்து (ட்ராஸ்) தானாக நீக்கப்படும் என கூகுள் அறிவித்துள்ளது.

கூகுள் டிரைவ் என அழைக்கப்படும் கூகுள் சேமிப்பகம் தங்களது பயனர்களுக்கு கோப்புகளை சேமிக்கும் வசதியை வழங்கி வருகிறது.

தற்போது, ​​கூகிள் டிரைவ் குப்பைத் தொட்டியில் (ட்ராஸ்) உள்ள எல்லா கோப்புகளையும் காலவரையின்றி வைத்திருக்கும் முறை நடைமுறையில் உள்ளது. முன்னதாக குப்பைத்தொட்டி (ட்ராஸ்) பயனரால் காலியாக்கப்படும் வரை காலவரையின்றி தக்கவைக்கப்பட்டு வருகிறது.

இந்நிலையில் அக்டோபர் 13 முதல், கூகுள் சேமிப்பகத்தில் உள்ள குப்பைத் தொட்டிகளில்(ட்ராஸ்) சேர்ந்த அழிக்கப்பட்ட கோப்புகளை அதன் இயங்குதளத்தில் இருந்து 30 நாட்களுக்கு பிறகு தானாக நீக்கும் வசதி அறிமுகப்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது.

இந்த புதிய நடைமுறை குறித்த அறிவிப்பை கூகுள் நிறுவனம் தங்களது பயனர்களுக்கு தெரிவித்து வருகிறது.

Dailyhunt

இந்தியாவிலும் ஆரம்பமாகும் ஆப்பிளின் ஆன்லைன் ரீடெய்ல்... இதில் என்னவெல்லாம் கிடைக்கும்?

 இந்தியாவிலும் ஆரம்பமாகும் ஆப்பிளின் ஆன்லைன் ரீடெய்ல்... இதில் என்னவெல்லாம் கிடைக்கும்?

க.ர.பிரசன்ன அரவிந்த்

இந்தியாவில் வரவுள்ள ஆப்பிள் இணைய ரீடெய்ல் சேனலில் கல்விக்கென பிரேத்யகமான விற்பனை மையமும் உருவாக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

அமெரிக்காவின் முன்னணித் தொழில்நுட்ப நிறுவனமான ஆப்பிள் நிறுவனம் இந்தியாவில் முதன்முறையாகத் தனது இணைய ரீடெய்ல் சேனலைத் திறக்கவுள்ளது. இந்த நிறுவனம் இதுவரை இந்தியாவில் இணையம் மூலமாக இ-காமர்ஸ் முறையிலும் விற்பனை நிலையங்கள் மூலமும் தனது தயாரிப்புகளை விற்பனை செய்து வந்தது. இதையடுத்து செப்டம்பர் 23-ம் தேதி முதல் இந்தியாவில் தனது ரீடெய்ல் சேனலைத் தொடங்கவுள்ளது.

இதன் வழியாக ஆப்பிளின் எல்லா தயாரிப்புகளும் இந்தியாவில் விற்பனை செய்யப்படும். மேலும், இதோடு இந்தியாவில் உள்ள ஆப்பிளின் சர்வீஸ் நிலையங்களின் முகவரியும் இதில் இடம்பெற்றிருக்கும். இதில் பொருள்களை வாங்க யு.பி.ஐ மூலமாகவும் பணம் செலுத்தலாம். அதே சமயம், 'கேஷ் ஆன் டெலிவிரி' வசதியும் இடம்பெற்றுள்ளது.

ஆப்பிள் நிறுவனம்

இதுகுறித்து ஆப்பிள் நிறுவனம், "இந்தியாவில் இணையம் மூலமாக ரீடெய்ல் மார்க்கெட் தொடங்குவதற்கு மூலம் எங்கள் தயாரிப்புகளின் மீது மக்களுக்கு ஆர்வம் ஏற்படும். இதன் வழியாக வாடிக்கையாளர்களுடன் நேரடியாகத் தொடர்புகொள்வதற்கு வாய்ப்பு ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது. இப்போது வரை உலகம் முழுவதும் ஆப்பிளின் இணைய ரீடெய்ல் விற்பனையகம் நல்ல முறையில் வியாபாரம் செய்து வருகிறது" எனத் தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

இந்தியாவில் வரவுள்ள இணைய ரீடெய்ல் சேனலில் கல்விக்கென பிரேத்யகமான கடையும் உருவாக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. லேப்டாப், ஐபாட், டேப்லெட் மற்றும் ஆப்பிளின் ப்ரீமியம் ஆதரவு வசதியான ஆப்பிள்கார் பிளஸூம் இதில் இருக்கும்.

ஆப்பிள் மேக் புக் புரோ - இந்தியாவிலேயே இதுதான் பெஸ்ட்  ஆஃபர்!

தற்போது இந்த இணையதளத்தில் ஆப்பிளின் தயாரிப்புகள் மட்டுமே இடம்பெற்றிருக்கும். இனிவரும் காலங்களில் இதர மூன்றாம் தரப்பு (third party accessories) பாகங்களும் இடம்பெற்றிருக்கும். இதன் வழியாக இந்தியாவில் அடுத்த மாதம் நடைபெறவுள்ள தீபாவளி விற்பனைக்கு ஆப்பிளும் தயாராகி வருகிறது.

இந்தியாவை பொறுத்தவரை, மொத்த ஸ்மார்ட்போன் சந்தையில் 2% மட்டுமே ஆப்பிள் வசம் உள்ளன. ஆனால், கடந்த சில ஆண்டுகளில் ஆப்பிள் தயாரிப்புகளின் விற்பனை இந்தியாவில் அதிகரித்துள்ளது. இதைப் பற்றி உலக தகவல் நிறுவனம் (International Data Corporation) வெளியிட்டுள்ள தகவலில், ``இந்தியாவின் பிரீமியம் பிரிவு சந்தையில் 48.8% பங்கு ஆப்பிள் வசம் உள்ளது. இது கடந்த ஆண்டு 41.2 சதவிகிதமாக இருந்தது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது. இப்போது வரவுள்ள இணைய ரீடெய்ல் விற்பனையகம் மூலம் இந்த சதவிகிதமானது அதிகரிக்கும்" என தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

இந்த இணைய சேனல் மூலம் மேக் கணினிகளுக்கு வாடிக்கையாளர்களே கஸ்டம் கான்ஃபிகரேஷன் செய்துகொள்ள முடியும். இந்த வசதி இந்தியாவில் இதுவரை முழுமையாக அமல்படுத்தப்படவில்லை என்பது கவனிக்கத்தக்கது. இவற்றுடன் ஐபோனுக்கான டிரேட் இன் புரோக்ராமும் அறிமுகப்படுத்தப்படவுள்ளது.

கடைசியாக, ஐபேட், ஏர்பாட்ஸ், ஆப்பிள் பென்சில், ஏர்பாட்ஸ் ப்ரோ ஆகியவற்றை இந்தி, தமிழ், மராத்தி, பெங்காலி, தெலுங்கு, கன்னடம் மற்றும் ஆங்கிலத்திலும் பயன்படுத்தும் வசதியும் கொண்டுவரப்பட்டுள்ளது.

Madras high court helps medical student join Jipmer

Madras high court helps medical student join Jipmer

Sep 12, 2020, 02.34 PM IST

PUDUCHERRY: The Madras high court came to the rescue of a medical student in securing admission for post-doctoral certificate course (PDCC) in paediatric oncology in Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer) after a private medical college refused to return his original certificates despite two directions from the court.

Justice N Anand Venkatesh, while restraining Jipmer from cancelling the student's allotment in PDCC, passed an interim order directing the institute to provisionally admit him in the course. The judge passed the interim direction following a petition filed by Alpoor Tharun Tej, who had completed MD (paediatrics) at Aarupadai Veedu Medical College and Hospital (AVMCH) in Puducherry, a constituent college of Vinayaga Missions Research Foundation (VMRF), a deemed university. Advocate Stalin Abhimanyu appeared on behalf of the student.

Tej had earlier accused the college of refusing to return his certificates unless he paid 'exorbitant' fees over and above the fees he had already paid. The high court had directed AVMCH to return all certificates of Tej after getting an affidavit from him declaring that he would pay the fees fixed by the fee committee constituted by the Puducherry government.

However, AVMCH refused to honour the high court order and insisted on the student to furnish a bank guarantee for balance fees of Rs 57.6 lakh in favour of VMRF until the fee committee fixed the fees.

The student again approached the high court, which declared that 'furnishing a bank guarantee is not within the scope of the orders passed by this court' earlier and directed the AVMCH to abide by the interim orders. AVMCH yet again refused to honour the high court's order.

The time offered by Jipmer to the student to submit his certificates and join PDCC expired on September 10. The student approached the high court highlighting his plight that on the one hand AVMCH refused to issue his original certificates despite two directions from the court and on the other hand Jipmer fixed September 10 as the last date to submit his original certificates to join PDCC and praying for an appropriate direction to Jipmer. The court directed Jipmer to admit the student in PDCC.

Plan to let private hospitals offer standalone PG courses

Plan to let private hospitals offer standalone PG courses

At present, only medical colleges that have been offering the MBBS programme for at least three years are allowed to offer PG (MD and MS) courses, once they fulfill the specified criteria.

Published: 19th September 2020 08:26 AM 

By Sumi Sukanya dutta

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: In what could open the door to a major shift in the way specialist doctors are trained in India, the country’s top medical education regulator is considering allowing private hospitals to offer standalone postgraduate degrees without having the prerequisite of an MBBS programme.

At present, only medical colleges that have been offering the MBBS programme for at least three years are allowed to offer PG (MD and MS) courses, once they fulfill the specified criteria. The Medical Council of India’s (MCI) Board of Governors has recently constituted a five-member committee, under AIIMS, Delhi director Dr Randeep Guleria to examine the proposal and finalise its modalities.

“The move is aimed at fulfilling the wide gap between demand and supply of specialist doctors within a few years,” said a senior member of the MCI Board of Governors. Certain private hospitals are allowed to offer two-year DNB degrees under the National Board of Examination, now considered equivalent to PG, but the training offered through the programme is often viewed as inferior when compared to PG degrees, said sources in MCI. 

Officials in the medical education regulator said the proposal was being taken forward to ensure the issue of shortage of specialists in even states with limited numbers of medical colleges is addressed. “Medical colleges in the country are concentrated largely in southern states and Maharashtra. States with the highest population have the worst doctor-population ratios,” said an MCI official. “This issue won’t be resolved unless we come up with major reforms, like the proposed one,” the official added. 

Expert feels MCI should rethink plan

The proposal comes close on the heels of another plan by the MCI-BOG to allow PG doctors to complete a three-month residency in district hospitals across India under the District Hospital Medical Residency Scheme which may push the PG seats by about 10,000 within a year. As of now, there are about 40,000 PG seats in medicine in the country.

Not everybody however is enthused by the idea.“I feel that the regulator is confused and many of its proposals and decisions contradict its stance and this includes the present plan,” said Dr Arun Kumar, former director of the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences in Patna.

“For instance, many private medical colleges which are designed to train doctors are not allowed to offer PG courses due to the strict MCI norms while DNB courses are offered in hospitals which are only focused on the clinical part and don’t provide quality training,” he said.

“If private hospitals are given permission to offer PG, how will the students get trained in basic sciences and pre-clinical and para-clinical subjects?” Shouldn’t the regulator pay attention to ensure medical colleges are competent instead of allowing revenue stream for private hospitals, he asked.

Varsities to launch new courses

 Varsities to launch new courses

State panel recommends inclusion of four- and five-year programmes

20/09/2020

 G. Krishnakumar KOCHI

The Higher Education Department has asked universities in the State to initiate steps to launch new undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in innovative areas by November 1 this year.

These include four- and five-year programmes recommended by an expert committee set up by the government. The universities have been told to receive applications from accredited government and aided colleges and unaccredited aided colleges managed by Scheduled Tribe trusts.

Each college could apply for short-listed courses in the order of priority. As these courses are suggestive, any other course recommended by the universities concerned may also be included, according to a directive issued to the Registrars of Kerala, Mahatma Gandhi, Calicut, Kannur and APJ Abdul Kalam Technological Universities. All varsities need to seek the permission of the Chancellor expeditiously to start the programmes by November 1.

The four- and five-year courses may be launched this year only in colleges with adequate facilities and having a National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) score of 3.26 or ranking under 100 in the National Institute Ranking Framework, 2020. The universities should recommend the courses considering the syllabus and evaluation. The assistance of faculty from outside higher educational institutions offering similar courses can be sought while preparing the syllabus and credit requirements.

The universities should consider and implement changes in the examinations proposed by the committee headed by Sabu Thomas, Vice Chancellor, Mahatma Gandhi University, this year itself. It should shift from memory-based testing to creative learning expressed through assignments, presentations and academic writings and earning of substantial credits through online courses from the prescribed list of global online courses. The government order said the target of increasing the gross enrolment ratio in higher education to 48% from the present 37% by 2030 can be achieved only by a collective effort by all stakeholders. This called for timely changes in the exam system as well to ensure qualitative improvement of the learning outcomes.

Some of the innovative programmes suggested by the expert committee included four-year courses in Epidemiology, Nanoscience and triple-main programmes in Modern Biology, Astrophysics and Disaster Management.

Salary cut may be limited to five days instead of six

 Salary cut may be limited to five days instead of six

20/09/2020

Special Correspondent THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Amidst opposition from many quarters, the government has commenced the groundwork to deduct the salary of employees for six months to raise funds to overcome the financial crisis in the wake of COVID-19.

To give relief to employees, the government is considering deducting salary for five days instead of six days every month till February 2021. Relief from the salary cut for those who have availed themselves of the refundable loan from the provident fund and those who have taken the Onam advance and to exempt those having salary up to ₹30,000 is also under consideration.

Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac has already held talks with the recognised unions. Most of the union representatives have opposed the move. Dr. Isaac has asked the union leaders to give their views in writing.

Prof-Left unions such as the Joint Council, Federation of State Employees and Teachers Organisation, NGO Union, and the Secretariat Employees Association came out with statements on Saturday opposing the salary cut.

As per rule, the government has to issue a Government Order for all Cabinet decisions within 24 hours. The delay in issuing the salary cut order was reportedly due to the consultations with the recognised unions as announced by the Chief Minister. Following opposition from the Left unions, Dr. Isaac has convened a meeting of employees unions on Tuesday. With three consecutive holidays from Saturday, the department is trying to issue the Government Order on Tuesday itself. The proposed salary cut from September, to be known as COVID-19 Income Support Scheme, will also attract 9% annual interest till it is deposited in the PF on April 1, 2021.

Students face problems in uploading answer scripts

Students face problems in uploading answer scripts

20/09/2020

P.A. NarayaniMADURAI

A section of final year students from various institutions affiliated to Madurai Kamaraj University, including autonomous colleges, have flagged several issues while scanning and uploading their answer scripts in PDF format after the completion of the examinations.

G. Balamurugan, a final year undergraduate student from an autonomous institution, said there were several technical snags with the college server, when many students tried to upload their scanned answer sheets after completion of the exam. “They have set a deadline of one hour after the completion of the exam to upload the answer scripts. Students often get apprehensive as they are unable to upload them within the deadline,” he said.

Also, there are difficulties in scanning and uploading all the pages of the answer script in PDF formats from mobile phones as it consumes a large quantum of data, he added.

For many students, especially those from interior pockets, the options of sending the answer scripts by courier or submitting them in person at the educational institutions are not viable, said Students Federation of India district secretary S. Veldeva.

G. Senthil, another student of an autonomous college, said they were instructed to submit the scripts in person at the college, in addition to uploading them. “Many students from rural pockets cannot reach the college on time,” he said.

Karthik of District Youth Federation of India said many students from underprivileged families do not have access to the necessary digital infrastructure to complete the online exams. “There are a few cases where two students from a family have to upload the answer scripts within an hour by using a single smartphone,” he said.

Mr. Veldeva said many students were unable to attend the online classes that were held for the last semester during the pandemic. “Hence, the online exams must be scrapped. Instead, they can evaluate the students based on an assignment,” he said.

Civil hospital ‘forgets’ to do postmortem

 Civil hospital ‘forgets’ to do postmortem

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Rajkot: 19.09.2020

A 70-year-old accident victim’s grieving family in Gondal were subjected to more trauma after they were asked to bring his body to the Rajkot Civil Hospital allegedly because doctors there forgot to conduct his postmortem.

The furious family members of Batuk Kandoria, who died in a road accident on September 12 in Gondal town, had a heated altercation with the staff at the hospital on Friday. After Kandoria succumbed at the civil hospital at around 5am on Friday, his body was handed over to the family who took it to Gondal, 40 km from Rajkot.

Babu Kandoria, younger brother of the deceased told TOI: “We completed all the post-death rituals at home. Just as we were about to start for the crematorium, I got a call from hospital saying that we are required to take my brother’s body back Rajkot civil hospital.”

“The person who called me said they had forgotten to perform the mandatory postmortem,” Babu said.

At around 10:30am, the deceased’s kin again travelled to Rajkot with his body for the procedure. Finally, it was handed over to them again at 2:30pm.

Dr. Pankaj Buch, medical superintendent of the civil hospital, could not be contacted for comments despite several attempts.

“Had there been even half an hour’s delay in calling us, how would they have conducted the postmortem?” Babu asked.

Relatives of accident victim forced to bring back his body from Gondal to Rajkot Civil Hospital just 30 minutes before the cremation

45% engineering seats likely to go vacant in Gujarat’s colleges

 45% engineering seats likely to go vacant in Gujarat’s colleges

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:19.09.2020

The Admission Committee for Professional Courses (ACPC) today announced the provisional merit list for engineering courses according to which 27,261 candidates have been chosen. This will leave about 45% seats or about 22,791 seats vacant for the admission committee.

In all there are 64,782 seats this year of which ACPC is given the task to fill 50,051 seats. The remaining seats are to be filled by the self-financed colleges. In the provisional merit list, 23,483 candidates are from Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Board, 3,390 are from CBSE, 256 are from ICSE, NIOS 87 and 45 are domicile candidates. This year, the total number of seats for engineering has reduced as compared to 73,345 engineering seats last year. As many as 6,000 seats have been reduced after closure of five self-financed colleges. In the case of government colleges, there is a reduction of 2,130 seats in faculties like EC, IC, power electronics, mining and production engineering.

Earlier this week, 900 new candidates were registered after ACPC extended the deadline for online registration for the third time. The final merit list is expected to be announced next week. The deadline was first extended from August 8 to August

28. It was later revisited and a new deadline of September 5 was given for registration. By then, as many as 29,000 students had registered online. The admission committee however decided to extend the deadline given the large number of vacant seats in engineering colleges. But only 900 fresh candidates have registered, leaving about half of the total engineering seats empty.

There are currently 66,128 seats available in degree engineering colleges.

Of these, 9,086 seats are of 16 government run colleges, 1,622 seats of four grantin aid colleges, 543 are of 2 engineering institutes run on PPP model, 29,134 are of 72 self-financed institutes (SFIs) affiliated with Gujarat Technological University and 24,013 are of 38 SFIs associated with private universities in the state. The remaining 204 seats are of an autonomous college.

The admission process for engineering and medical courses is expected to be completed only by November following which students will start attending college from December, according to sources. As a result, students are likely to be behind schedule by at least one semester in the new academic year, sources added.

Sex workers use tech to beat pandemic blues

Sex workers use tech to beat pandemic blues

Petlee.Peter@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru: 19.09.2020

Mallika (31), who also has the street name Rani, has had a regular spot near the Majestic bus terminal for the past six years. She would ply her trade with travellers and locals and used her earnings to feed her two children. But the Covid crisis and lockdown left her out of work and penniless. She’s one of the many commercial sex workers who lost their livelihood due to the pandemic after social distancing and avoiding physical contact became a norm.

Well-paid, English-speaking sex workers made the shift to remote technology early during the lockdown. Conventional workers, those on the streets, have not been so lucky and almost driven into starvation. Now, they too are taking the tech route to make ends meet and some NGOs in the city are training them to handle smartphones for sex work, not just to attract clients but also stay vigilant with its safety features and tracking technology.

With Covid-19 keeping away clients, sex workers in city have started using online options and host one-on-ones through apps

Most women cover faces during sessions; recording not allowed

Kurian George is a Kochi-based spice trader who used to frequent Bengaluru with his friends. He usually stays at a posh hotel in the CBD. They are friends with a courtesan who goes by the name Laila and her friends who meet George and his friends at his hotel suite for parties often. “It was monthly entertainment for me and my friends but the pandemic nixed all our travel plans,” he said.

He and his friends started engaging with Laila via with video-telephony app Zoom. She said: “This is my business and I need to hold on to my regulars or they’ll look for other options. During the lockdown, I began a Zoom session and sent invites to clients for single and group sessions.”

According to Laila, many co-workers also started online options and oneon-ones are often through Whatspp, Telegram or Kik Messenger while group meets are hosted on Zoom, Skype and Google Teams. The steamy sessions unfold often with women covering their faces with strict no-no to recording by the receiver. She accepts payment in advance through e-wallet options.

Elsewhere, a transgender person from Ulsoor (street name Saroja) is an active member on gay dating apps. “I used to stand on MG Road but Covid completely killed my livelihood. Then, one of my regulars introduced me to video chatting and helped me open an account on Paytm,” says the 36-year-old who has been meeting clients online through Whatsapp video. Saroja introduced three friends to online interactions and receiving payments through e-wallets in advance.

Survey among workers

Solidarity foundation, a Bengalurubased NGO, conducted a survey among women sex workers on cellphones they own and their knowledge on smartphone usage. “We did among 100 workers, mostly from the lower sections of the society, and found many aren’t very savvy with smartphones but most received demands from clients to use it for online interactions,” said executive director Shubha Chacko. Her team has been training them to use smartphones not just for work but also safety through apps to send location information to peers. “They’re often secretive about their profession and use of smartphones is a double-edged sword. We teach them pros and cons and to remain vigilant and not fall for recordings or photography,” she adds. Nisha Gulur, coordinator, Karnataka Sex Workers Union, an initiative to tutor workers on smartphone usage to protect their livelihood has been planned.

Row erupts as Google drops Paytm from app store, then brings it back

Row erupts as Google drops Paytm from app store, then brings it back

Digbijay.Mishra@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:19.09.2020

High drama unfolded on Friday afternoon as Google removed mobile payment app Paytm from its Play Store, citing breach of its gambling restrictions, before bringing it back again by evening. Paytm’s fantasy gaming application was also removed ahead of the start of the IPL on Saturday, and was not back till the filing of this report.

The removal of Paytm, which takes away the ability to get new users, elicited widespread disapproval among India’s startup ecosystem as the tech giant’s unit Google Pay competes with it in India.

Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, who said Google was acting like “judge, jury and executioner”, told TOI it was notified in the morning that app was being taken down due to a cricket sticker promo on payments it was running. In the promo, a user who collects five stickers gets a cashback.

‘Google misusing its influence on internet eco’

Many such schemes run across other payment platforms as well. It had also received warnings for promoting Paytm First Games, a sports fantasy platform, on its main application thrice. As Paytm’s app was taken down, Google, without naming Paytm, said in a blog post that it doesn’t allow online casinos or support any unregulated gambling apps that facilitate sports betting. “This includes if an app leads consumers to an external website that allows them to participate in paid tournaments to win real money or cash prizes, it is a violation of our policies,” the US-based internet search giant said. Other online fantasy platforms like Dream11, MPL and My11Circle have also not been available on Google’s Play Store for the last couple of years due to its policy.

Sources said Google’s action was led by Paytm promoting its fantasy gaming unit though its main app. “They (Paytm) were promoting links of Paytm First Games within the main Paytm app. If you click on it, it will take you to the fantasy gaming platform of Paytm, which includes betting. That’s not allowed as per Play Store policy. That's why the app had to be taken down," a person close to the development said. While betting is not allowed in India, various state high courts have called fantasy sports a game of “skill” and not of “chance”, making it legal as of now.

But even as Google does not allow fantasy gaming apps on its app store, these platforms are allowed to advertise on its search engine, which several experts have pointed out as contradictory policy.

The development for Paytm First Games came at a critical time as it has outlined a Rs 300-crore marketing and advertising budget for the next 12 months, starting with IPL. Removal from Google Play Store blocks its main channel to acquire new customers.

Many in the startup ecosystem have questioned if Google’s moves are indicative of misusing its influence on India’s internet economy. Unlike markets like the US where Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS have equal market share, in India the former rules with 90-95% share of smartphones.

No pay for mths, man leaves two toddlers on road

No pay for mths, man leaves two toddlers on road

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:  19.09.2020

A 35-year-old man left his two toddlers on the road after he did not receive his salary for the last three months. A heart-wrenching video of the two toddlers crawling on the road in Civil Lines went viral on social media. Police said they brought the children to the police station and traced the family after which they were restored.

The man, Mukesh (name changed), works as a clerk for a cooperative society in Delhi.

Speaking to TOI, Mukesh said: “I had been regularly going to the administrative head’s office demanding my wages. I do not have money to buy milk for my children and today when I could not meet him again, I left the kids outside his house and left. I don’t know how the kids reached the road.”

“A call was received around 3pm informing police about two male infants on the road. A team reached the spot and the children were brought to the police station. With the help of woman constables, they were fed,” said a senior police officer.

Schools won’t reopen at least till Oct 5

 Schools won’t reopen at least till Oct 5

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:19.09.2020

Schools in Delhi will remain closed till October 5, the government announced on Friday. Hence, under Unlock 4.0, even students of classes IX to XII will not be called to school for consultation from September 21, as suggested by the Centre’s guidelines.

The directorate of education earlier sent a communication to the schools following the central guidelines, but education minister Manish Sisodia had said the final decision would be taken closer to the date.

According to a DoE order issued to all schools on Friday, “Online classes and teaching-learning activities will continue as usual and the heads of schools are authorised to call teachers/staff for smooth conduct” of any work. The institutes have been asked to inform guardians through school management committee members, text messages and phone calls.

Ameeta Mulla Wattal, principal of Springdales School, Pusa Road, said she would call teachers to schools. “The CBSE registration for classes X and XII will have to be completed,” said Wattal.

Following the previous communication, many private schools had conducted a survey among parents and most of them had said they were not in favour of children returning to school. Most institutes wanted students who will appear for the Boards next year to come for one-to-one interaction with teachers and practical classes.

“The order has been changing from time to time on the basis of Covid-19. The cases are still on the rise, parents are not comfortable about sending children,” said S K Bhattacharya, chairman of the action committee, an umbrella body of private schools.

It will be a welcome step by private schools if physical classes resume after October 5, Bhattacharya said. “During this period, the government should work on formulating practical SOPs for schools — regular checking, whether buses should be allowed.”

DOE ORDER ON FRIDAY SAYS

Online classes and teaching and learning activities will continue and the heads of schools are authorised to call teachers or staff for smooth conduct of any work