NEWS TODAY 22.11.2024

 

HC asks govt to declare nursing students’ results for ‘19-20 & ‘20-21

HC asks govt to declare nursing students’ results for ‘19-20 & ‘20-21 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK  22.11.2024

Bhopal/Jabalpur : A division bench of the MP High Court, seized a PIL over 'fake' nursing colleges operating in the state, on Thursday directed the state govt to declare the results of students for the academic sessions 2019-20 & 2020-21. It further ordered that all the eligible nursing and paramedical colleges in the state for the session 2024-25 will be affiliated with MP Medical University. The court also directed that the list and shortcomings found in the colleges declared 'unfit' to operate should be enumerated on MP Nursing Council’s website. 

President of the Law Students' Union, Vishal Baghel, filed a PIL raising the issue of alarge number of 'fake' nursing colleges operating in the state, particularly in the tribal areas, which don't have the requisite infrastructure or manpower to run the nursing courses. In the course of the hearing, the HC ordered a probe by CBI into the credentials of all the nursing colleges in the state and whether they have the requisite facilities to operate nursing courses. The CBI gave a clean chit to 169 nursing colleges, pointed out deficiencies in 74 but said that they can be rectified, & found 65 colleges unfit to operate.

Later, the court constituted a three-member committee headed by Justice Rajendra Kumar Shrivastava, to examine whether the 74 colleges with deficiencies that could be cured, actually do it within the given time frame and decide on adjusting students of these colleges to other colleges in the meantime. The 65 nursing colleges found unsuitable for operation will be shut, & their students will not be adjusted to any other college, said court

Jobs tough to come by, Indian students in US turn babysitters

Jobs tough to come by, Indian students in US turn babysitters

Nirupa.Vatyam@timesofindia.com 22.11.2024 

TIMES OF INDIA BANGALORE 

Hyderabad : It was once the best of times. But for students in the US now, it appears to be getting worse by the day. While as per US norms students are allowed to take up only on-campus work, many used to find part-time (illegal) work outside to cover their expenses. But with such part-time work too becoming difficult to find in the current market, to make ends meet a lot of students have turned to finding jobs next door — babysitting. Students from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and elsewhere are now tapping into the Indian community settled there to find a way out of a financial hole. This is also a preferred option for many girls as it provides for a safer work environment and they get paid anywhere between $13 and $18 per hour, with some even covering food, accommodation, or both. 

“I babysit a six-year-old boy for about eight hours a day and get paid $13 an hour. I also get a meal for taking care of the boy,” said a student from the Hyderabad studying in Ohio, adding that it was way better than working in a local store or gas station as the job is within the community she lives in.

Another Telugu student in Connecticut said she is provided with food and accommodation by her employer. “I have to take care of a two-and-a-half-year-old six days a week. For those six days, food and accommodation are taken care of by the girl’s parents. On Sundays, I stay in my friend’s room,” the 23-year-old said. 

She said she gets paid only about $10 an hour, but was more than happy to take the job as her rent was covered. On an average a student spends about $300 per month on rent in the US. According to the Open Doors 2024 report, there are about 39,000 Indian students in Texas, 20,000 in Illinois, 13,500 in Ohio, and 7,000 in Connecticut. Of these, about 50% are Telugu students.

Delhi is losing an average of five trees per hour

Delhi is losing an average of five trees per hour 

Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Delhi Residents’ Plea Against Felling Of Trees For Overbridge 

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesofindia.com 22.11.2024 

New Delhi : With Delhi losing on an average five trees per hour and the city facing life threatening pollution levels, the city residents seem to have woken up to the importance of trees in their life and one resident asso ciation of a colony on Thursday approached SC against cutting of trees for the construction of a foot-over-bridge. The Resident Association of Inderpuri in central Delhi fi led the petition to restrain railways for constructing a foot-over bridge at Railway Halt near the colony as 15-20 trees would have to be cut for the project. 

The petition was mentioned before a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih agreed to hear its plea and listed it for Fri day. “It is of paramount importance to note that the protection and preservation of existing trees has a direct and proportional effect on the protection of the environment in the National Capital. The inaction of the authorities concerned to protect the existing trees has a direct and proportional effect on the health and well-being of the applicant and the general public including the violation of their right to a clean and healthy environment, which is implicit in their fundamental right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution,” the petition, filed through advocate Manan Verma, said.

HC: Waving black flag not defamatory

HC: Waving black flag not defamatory 

22,11,2024 

Kochi : Kerala high court has ruled that waving or showing a black flag, even at a CM’s convoy, does not constitute defamation or an illegal act. Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas said such an act cannot be interpreted as defamatory under Section 499 of IPC. The high court reinforced the constitutional right to peaceful protest and rejected the criminalisation of symbolic acts of dissent.

The ruling came as the court quashed a case against Congress workers Simil, Phijo, and Sumesh Dayanandan from North Paravoor in Ernakulam district. Police had charged the trio with waving a black flag at the CM’s convoy on April 9, 2017, allegedly intending to defame him. TNN

Docs flag removal of respiratory med depts from MBBS syllabus

Docs flag removal of respiratory med depts from MBBS syllabus 

NMC Justified It Saying It’s To Reduce Load 

Anuja.Jaiswal@timesofindia.com 22.11.2024 

New Delhi : Members of Indian Chest Society (ICS) have expressed concern regarding the recent removal of specialised respiratory medicine departments from the MBBS syllabus, as outlined in the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) 2023 guidelines that took effect this year. The alteration comes at a time when there is an increasing prevalence of respiratory disorders associated with pollution and various pulmonary conditions in many parts of the country, especially in the national capital and neighbouring areas. 

Medical experts have criticised National Medical Commission’s justification for re ducing the academic load on MBBS students, noting it as an unreasonable stance, given the growing need for primary physicians to address the surge in respiratory conditions. Dr GC Khilnani, director of respiratory medicine at PSRI Hospital and ICS (north zone) chair, highlighted India’s position among the world’s most polluted nations. He pointed out that PM2.5 exposure exceeds WHO safety guidelines for over 99% of Indians, requiring urgent action to reduce pollution and strengthen medical facilities. The health consequences are significant, with respiratory and cardiovascular conditions worsening when the air quality index turns hazardous, particularly affecting vulnerable groups. 

The Poseidon study, published in The Lancet in 2015, showed respiratory symptoms constitute over half of all medical consulta

tions in India. Dr Khilnani stressed the need for systematic improvements, particularly in developing comprehensive respiratory healthcare infrastructure, to address pollution-related medical challenges. As the chairman of respiratory medicine, critical care and sleep medicine at Saroj Superspeciality Hospital and Jaipur Golden Hospital, and vice-president of ICS, Dr Rakesh Chawla emphasised how respiratory medicine departments are essential for diagnosing and treating complex breathing disorders while backing broader health initiatives. He cautioned that removing these specialised departments would severely impact patient care, particularly in managing tuberculosis (TB), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and pollution-related illnesses. Such actions would impede India’s efforts to eradicate TB, he added.

PG NEET seat matrix not neat on KEA site: Aspirants

PG NEET seat matrix not neat on KEA site: Aspirants 

SruthySusan.Ullas@timesofindia.com 22.11.2024 

Bengaluru : The display format of PG NEET seat matrix on the website of Karnataka Examinations Authority has created confusion among aspirants over the seats available for option entry. The option entry for medical postgraduate seats began on Nov 19 and is open until 4pm on Nov 22. However, when the option entry began, it triggered confusion about the seats available as many colleges displayed streams they did not have.

 “For instance, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, a super-speciality hospital, was showing seats for ENT, obstetrics and gynaecology (OBG). Similarly, other colleges like Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health, a paediatric speciality hospital, and Sanjay Gandhi Hospital of Trauma and Orthopaedics, which is a trauma and orthopaedic speciality hospital, were also showing ENT and OBG. How is this possible?” asked a parent, who is also a doctor. 

“A seat matrix was initially released by the directorate of medical education. But when we logged in with the personal ID and passcode, several non-existent seats were shown. I, for instance, opted for surgery in Kidwai. It is now reflected in my preferred list. This is very misleading. Does this seat exist?” asked another student. She added that many of her friends also opted for seats that are not reflected in the original list. The students also raised concerns that fees are not reflected on the website. “There is only one more day for option entry. No fees were mentioned until Thursday evening. In some of the seats, there are two fee categories. What if we opt for one, and the fee falls into the higher category? There was a lack of clarity for close to two days after the option entry began,” she said. 

However, KEA said that all colleges in the option entry show all the courses, irrespective of the streams available in the hospital. “This does not mean that they will be allotted these seats that do not exist in a college. Students can check the streams available with each college and apply accordingly. We will change this 

display in order to avoid any more confusion,” a KEA official pointed out. Need to train surgeons in paediatric orthopaedics Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health will start a new super speciality course MCh (Master of Chirurgiae) in paediatric orthopaedics with a yearly intake of three students from this year. With this, the institute will become the only one in the state to offer this. Its director Sanjay KS said, “Bone and joint problems are one of the commonest causes for outpatient consultations and admissions, which forms a huge health burden in the community. The orthopaedic speciality training is mainly focused on adult issues as the cases of trauma and other diseases are more in the adult community, and the paediatric problems are different. Therefore, there is a need to train the surgeons in the field of paediatric orthopaedics, which will benefit society at large in the long term.”

Docs warn against giving antibiotics to kids suffering from viral infections

Docs warn against giving antibiotics to kids suffering from viral infections

Yashaswini.Sri@timesofindia.com 22.11.2024 

Bengaluru : Doctors are urging parents to think twice before administering antibiotics to children sans advice, cautioning that unnecessary use not only fails to treat common viral infections but also contributes to the alarming rise of antibiotic resistance. “Cold, cough and mild fever in children are overwhelmingly caused by viruses, which antibiotics cannot treat,” said Dr Manvanthar M, senior specialist in paediatrics and PICU at Aster RV Hospital. 

He recently led a study, examining 104 respiratory infection cases from Bengaluru, revealing that 60% were viral, while only 40% were bacterial among children. A majority of viral cases were caused by Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) at 52%, followed by influenza (33%), H1N1 (17.4%) and rhinovirus (14.2%). He added, “Influenza peaks in Aug, while rhinovirus and RSV dominate in Sept. Viral illnesses spread rapidly — if a father falls ill today and the child the next day, it’s likely to be viral. Unlike bacterial pneumonias, which require antibiotics and longer recovery times, viral pneumonias often improve within 48 hours with proper care.” Dr Yogesh Kumar Gupta, paediatrician at Fortis Hospital, supported this stance, saying that 90% of the 30-35 children he sees daily with respiratory illnesses are viral cases.

 “Rampant misuse of antibiotics, especially for viral illnesses, is fuelling antibiotic resistance, a growing concern. If unchecked, we may face a future where routine infections become untreatable,” he added. Dr Vishal V Jali, consultant intensivist and paediatrician, Motherhood Hospitals, told TOI that out of every 100 infection cases among children he sees, 70 are viral. “Children’s viral illnesses often re solve with time and care, while bacterial infections, though less common, need targeted antibiotics. Judicious use is vital to protect children’s health now and in future.” Dr Ravali Polepaka, consultant paediatrician, TriLife Hospital, highlighted the widespread misconceptions about antibiotics. 

“Many parents believe starting antibiotics early ensures quicker recovery or limits disease spread. This leads to self-medication, using leftover prescriptions, over-the-counter antibiotics, or even those meant for siblings or adults. Others stop or change antibiotics within 48 hours if there’s no improvement, which is counterproductive. The first step is identifying whether the illness is bacterial or viral, and then assessing its severity. For mild cases like cold or flu, letting the illness run its course is better to prevent resistance. If antibiotics are prescribed, it’s crucial to complete the full course to avoid recurrence

B’luru’s private universities open door wider for foreign faculty

B’luru’s private universities open door wider for foreign faculty

SruthySusan.Ullas@timesofindia.com 22.11.2024 

Bengaluru : Private universities in the city are on a recruitment spree for foreign faculty. In their attempt at internationalisation, many are hiring people from other countries, mostly as guest faculty, even while they aspire for full-time recruitment. Alliance University, which currently has two fulltime international faculty members and 42 visiting ones a year, plans to recruit 20 such faculty members in the near future. 

The initiative is to “enhance academic excellence and foster a globally diverse learning environment”, the university said. “Job postings have been published on platforms such as LinkedIn and UniJobs to reach a wide and relevant audience,” said Jyothsna Pais, deputy director (HR), Alliance University. Dayananda Sagar University doesn’t have full-time faculty but currently invites foreign professors for a shorter period of 15-30 days. The university, which currently has around 15 such faculty members a year, also plans to start recruiting them full time. Presidency University, which has regularly hosted 20 international visiting faculty members so far, is looking at making full-time recruitments for the coming academic year. While recruitments are smooth, thanks to international collaborations and a dedicated Office of International Affairs, visa processing and administrative formalities can sometimes pose challenges that require careful navigation, said Sivaperumal S, dean (academics) and director of International Affairs, Presidency University. 

“We call them for a shor ter period because bringing foreign faculty from developed nations for a longer period is much more expensive. We, on the other hand, are charging a mid-range fee (on students). Even while we intend to recruit full time, compensation is a challenge. There are those who are ready to come to India for a lower salary, as everyone sees India as one big opportunity. But then, you have to know them personally to recruit them,” said a private university recruiter. Service mindset  Established universities have full-time faculty members. Christ (deemed to be) University has 13 full-time faculty members from the US, Australia, Russia, South Korea, Italy, among others, teaching Western classical music, the atre, Korean language, and international studies. “We hardly find candidates with a PhD in Western classical music in India. Similarly, many major schools of theatre are from Russia and the US,” said registrar Anil Pinto. 

“They come with a service mindset. They have a sense of giving back. Many of them come through personal networks or walkins. They look for a sense of security and clarity on the kind of institution they belong to.” Some of the universities take the help of consultants to hire faculty from abroad. “The association of foreign nationals with private universities is mainly in the form of guest faculty. Hiring foreign faculty as regular staff is still a distant reality, although with growing collaborations, many private universities have started paying attention to it. That said, many private universities are intensifying efforts to hire faculty from Europe, the UK, and the US. We’ve been approached by a few Bengaluru-based universities to hire foreign faculty from Europe, Latin America, and Australia. The requirements are specifically in the emerging areas of AI, ML, and management,” said Kalpesh Banker, managing partner, EduShine Search Partners, a recruitment firm specialising in the higher education sector.

Jobs tough to come by, desi students in US turn babysitters

Jobs tough to come by, desi students in US turn babysitters

Nirupa.Vatyam@timesofindia.com 22.11.2024 

 Hyderabad : It was once the best of times. But for students in the US now, it appears to be getting worse by the day. While as per US norms students are allowed to take up only on-campus work, many used to find part-time (illegal) work outside to cover their expenses. But with such part-time work too becoming difficult to find in the current market, to make ends meet a lot of students have turned to finding jobs next door — babysitting. 

Students from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and elsewhere are now tapping into the Indian community settled there to find a way out of a financial hole. This is also a preferred option for many girls as it provides for a safer work envi ronment and they get paid anywhere between $13 and $18 per hour, with some even covering food, accommodation, or both. “I babysit a six-year-old boy for about eight hours a day and get paid $13 an hour. I also get a meal for taking care of the boy,” said a student from the Hyderabad studying in Ohio, adding that it was way better than working in a local store or gas station as the job is within the community she lives in. 

Another Telugu student in Connecticut said she is provided with food and accommodation by her employer. “I have to take care of a two-and-a-half-year-old six days a week. For those six days, food and accommodation are taken care of by the girl’s parents. On Sundays, I stay in my friend’s room,” the 23-year-old said. She said she gets paid only about $10 an hour, but was more than happy to take the job as her rent was covered. 

NEWS TODAY 22.11.2024

 

NEWS TODAY 20.11.2024

 

Call to save asst. professor from alleged victimisation in Periyar University

Call to save asst. professor from alleged victimisation in Periyar University

Periyar University has placed an agenda to remove the assistant professor from service. File Photo

K. Prem Kumar, also general secretary of PUTA, was placed under suspension on March 5, 2022, for allegedly leaking the agenda of the Syndicate meeting to media

M. Sabari  20.11.2024 

Salem

The Association of University Teachers (AUT) and Periyar University Teachers Association (PUTA) demanded an urgent intervention of the Tamil Nadu Government and Higher Education Department to save an assistant professor from victimisation in Periyar Varsity. The university placed an agenda to remove the assistant professor from service.

K. Prem Kumar, an assistant professor in the history department at Periyar University, and also the general secretary of PUTA, was placed under suspension on March 5, 2022, for allegedly leaking the agenda of the Periyar University Syndicate meeting to the media. Last week, the university circulated the agenda to the Syndicate members for the ensuing meeting on November 22 in which the university has placed an agenda to remove Mr. Prem Kumar from service.

AUT president M.S. Balamurugan said this was a clear vindictive action of the Periyar University administration. The university was continuously violating the rules. Within 24 hours of notice issued to Mr. Prem, he was placed under suspension. After 26 days of his suspension, the university preferred a sexual harassment complaint from a girl student and without following rules, the then registrar (in charge) personally lodged a complaint directly to police and Mr. Prem was arrested.

Later, the university constituted three internal complaints committees (ICC), contrary to the POSH Act and UGC regulations. Not satisfied with these actions, in the 113th Syndicate (held on May 18, 2023), the university placed an agenda to remove Mr. Prem from service and realising the illegality, the administration withdrew that agenda.

Again, in the 114th Syndicate meeting held on November 6, 2023, the agenda was placed by the university, but in a majority decision (10 out of 18), the agenda was rejected, terming that punishment was not proportionate to the charges and it was severe, Mr. Balamurugan added. Demanding urgent intervention in this issue, Mr. Balamurugan said the university again placed the same rejected agenda before the ensuing Syndicate on November 22. So the Tamil Nadu Government and the Higher Education Department should direct the ex-officio members of the Syndicate of Periyar University to act against the illegalities of the university administration and save the assistant professor whose future was in peril, the AUT president added.

PUTA president V. Vaithianathan said that keeping Mr. Prem under suspension for 33 months was illegal. Now, the university was trying to remove him from service. “We demand all the Syndicate members, especially Periyar University Association of Self-Financing Colleges (PASAM), which has four Syndicate members, to place their dissent on this agenda and save the assistant professor from this vindictive action,” Mr. Vaithianathan added.

Responding to the AUT and PUTA’s call, PASAM secretary K. Rajavinayakam said that on November 22, a meeting would be held with the PASAM executive members. “PASAM does not go against the welfare of a teacher. As of now, this is our stand and on November 22 morning, we will take a decision,” Mr. Rajavinayakam added.

Periyar University Vice-Chancellor R. Jagannathan was not available for comments.

Salem teacher faces action for taking part in event honouring EPS

 Salem teacher faces action for taking part in event honouring EPS

The Hindu Bureau

 

Salem 20.11.2024 

The Tamil Nadu Education Department has taken disciplinary action against a teacher for participating in a function to felicitate former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami.

On Sunday, on behalf of various farmers’ associations, a function was held at Mecheri to felicitate Mr. Palaniswami for implementing the 100-lake scheme in the district. At the event, R. Seetharaman, alias Thambaiah, an English teacher at Ariyampatti Panchayat Union Middle School, praised the former Chief Minister on behalf of one of the associations.

The Education Department took disciplinary action against Mr. Seetharaman on Monday.

In a letter to the Director of Elementary Education, the Tharamangalam District Educational Officer (elementary education) A. Raju said his office received complaints against Mr. Seetharaman that he was not reporting regularly for duty at the school, and that he was doing AIADMK party-related work and functioning as the Cauvery Surplus Water Committee president while in government service.

The official added that Mr. Seetharaman was spending time talking on the phone and browsing his laptop during school hours, and not taking classes. An inquiry was conducted at the school on November 14, and Mr. Seetharaman admitted that he was a functionary of a politically affiliated farmers’ association. Based on the inquiry, disciplinary action was taken against him.

Devising a foolproof system to ensure credibility of NEET

Devising a foolproof system to ensure credibility of NEET 

Recommendations suggested by a seven-member committee to reform the exam have met with mixed reviews as experts weigh in on the options to check pilferage and other malpractices 

Rajlakshmi.Ghosh@timesofindia.com 19.11.2024 

Months after it was constituted, a high-level committee, headed by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan, has proposed major reforms to the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) in the wake of this year’s paper leaks and exam irregularities. Experts claim the reforms were much needed to bring back the credibility in the examination system while advocating the need for multistage examination process and restricting the number of attempts and exam centres. The seven-member panel that submitted its recommendations on November 1, suggested some key recommendations, which include implementing a hybrid examination model where question papers would be transmitted digitally while students can use OMR sheets for answers. 

This method while strengthening the security will ensure the release of exam questions closer to the start of the exams, thereby reducing the risk of unauthorised access. The committee further proposed adopting a multiple-stage format similar to JEE to manage the large volume of applicants, along with limiting the number of attempts to create a more equitable examination landscape. Presently, candidates are allowed to take the NEET UG exam an unlimited number of times. The proposed change is also expected to motivate candidates to prepare more competently for their attempts. 

Further, to make the examination’s security more foolproof, the panel recommended reducing dependency on outsourced services and private test centres. The panel recommended that NTA should instead incre ase its permanent staff and the number of exam centres under its direct control. Currently, exams are essentially conducted in government-run institutions, with private  centres used only when necessary. A key proposal from the panel involves the development of a ‘Digi Exam’ platform, which draws inspiration from the successful implementation of the Digi Yatra initiative at Indian airports. This platform is expected to leverage biometrics, including facial recognition technology, to facilitate secure candidate identification and authentication. By adopting this approach, the NTA can move towards a more effective and paperless process for registration, exam access, and remote testing. Going digital “The ecosystem should be developed in a phase-wise manner before implementing such measures as not all class XII students are tech-savvy or computer literate. 

These initiatives should ideally be started at the NEET PG level,” says a senior faculty member from a Delhi-NCR medical college, sug gesting further the need to set up high-speed electronic printers at the exam centres to digitally print the question papers and minimise manual intervention. The centres should be owned and manned by NTA’s own employees who are adequately trained to manage the exam process. Further, in a high-stakes exam like NEET UG, a two-stage process, as per the recommendations, will eliminate a large percentage of candidates at the prelims stage, leaving the more serious candidates to compete for the final exam. “This will help improve the quality of candidates enrolling for counselling and college admissions. Additionally, the ratio of the number of seats to students will be reduced. 

But multiple sessions for a single exam much like JEE does not give students a clear picture about the difficulty level of each session, nor are they convinced about the use of normalisation for calculating the scores which may invite controversy the way NEET PG 2024 did,” says the faculty. Highlighting some of the key outcomes of the hybrid mode of exams, Dr Amit Gupta, professor, De partment of Surgery, AIIMS Rishikesh, says, “It will check to some extent pilferage of question papers. At one go, the question papers will be displayed on screens throughout the country. Thereafter, students can write their answers on the OMR sheets if the exam is in pen and paper mode, and online if it is a Computer-Based Test (CBT). A uniform CBT format might be an issue in the remote and rural interiors due to uneven internet access, giving rise to technical glitches.” He further adds that the same hybrid format is used in the OSCE exam (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) by National Board of Examinations (NBE) to assess candidates’ clinical competencies and knowledge of medical procedures in postgraduate examination. 

“The hybrid mode would face some issues like technological failures, insider collusion, or inadequate monitoring of exam conditions, which might persist if not carefully managed. Digitally transmitting question papers should have strong encryption and secure channels,” cautions Dr B Unnikrishnan, dean, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education. Multistage exam Since the number of candidates appearing for NEET exam far outweigh the number of candidates in any other national-level entrance exam, it would be better to have a multistage exam process, such as a NEET Prelims and NEET Main/Advanced just like JEE, says Dr Gupta, adding it will make the job of NTA easier and eventually lead to the smooth conduct of the examination. 

Moreover, restricting the number of attempts will give all candidates a fair chance to crack the exam considering there is presently no bar on the number of attempts, Dr Gupta says. However, Dr Unnikrishnan reasons that limiting attempts might affect candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds. “Students who have access to better resources, coaching, and preparation might fare better, making it harder for those with fewer opportunities to compete effectively,” he say