Deemed university cannot breach fee-hike cap: UGC

State’s medical students attach UGC’s order to plea for lower fees in the SC. UGC gives deemed status to high-performing institutes and departments of various universities in India, allowing them to set guidelines for admissions, fees, course work, syllabus and setting up of research centres.

EDUCATION 

Updated: Feb 23, 2019 13:07 IST

Hindustan Times, Mumbai

The UGC regulations make it mandatory for all state governments to set up a fee-fixation committee to look into fees charged in deemed institutes. (Saumya Khandelwal/HT PHOTO)

The University Grants Commission, in a gazette notification issued on Thursday, said that deemed universities, including those offering medical and engineering courses, can’t charge fees higher than the amount prescribed by UGC’s expert committee.

The notification may not bring immediate relief, as the order can’t be implemented with a Supreme Court (SC) hearing on a public interest litigation (PIL) from Tamil Nadu on the issue pending. However, parents of medical students from Maharashtra’s deemed institutes have used the notification to file a petition in the SC to demand cap on fee hikes.

UGC gives deemed status to high-performing institutes and departments of various universities in India, allowing them to set guidelines for admissions, fees, course work, syllabus and setting up of research centres. Parents have been demanding a blanket ban on the “exorbitant” annual fee hikes in deemed medical institutes.

In June 2018, a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the Madras high court, to fix the tuition fee structure for all medical courses offered by deemed universities in Tamil Nadu, taking into consideration their financial statements and annual returns. Prima facie, the court asked the universities in the state to not charge more than ₹13 lakh an annum, much lower than their fees of ₹25-30 lakh. “A Delhi-based institute challenged in the SC the Madras high court’s order. Consequently, there is status quo on the Madras high court’s decision. Our petition [in the SC] seeks that it be lifted,” said a parent from the state who is one of the petitioners.

“Deemed medical institutes in Maharashtra charge anywhere from ₹8-25 lakh an annum and can hike fees every year. The amount is impossible to pay for many of us,” said a parent of a medical student from the state.

The UGC regulations make it mandatory for all state governments to set up a fee-fixation committee to look into fees charged in deemed institutes.

The new rules mandate 20 years of existence, impeccable National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grade points for minimum three consecutive cycles and making it to the top 50 or 100 ranks of the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF) to get deemed status.

“The new UGC rules are clear and will check the ongoing trend of fee hikes in deemed universities. Our petition stands a better chance, now with the regulation in place,” said another parent.

First Published: Feb 23, 2019 13:07 IST

Tamil Nadu: Man kills friend for sharing casteist video they made on TikTok

A 28-year-old man was allegedly killed by his friend for uploading a casteist TikTok video that the duo had made.


Published: 24th February 2019 05:56 AM 

Representational Image

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: A 28-year-old man was allegedly killed by his friend for uploading a casteist TikTok video that the duo had made. The video, that had targeted an oppressed community, had caused unrest among members of the community in the village of Thalambedu at Tiruvallur.

A police officer said Venkataram, 31 and his friend Shiva, 29, both daily labourers, belong to a dominant community. They recently made a TikTok video depicting the other community in bad light.

A few days later, Shiva allegedly uploaded the video to social networking sites and it went viral. A few people, belonging to the oppressed community in the same village, staged a protest in front of Venkataram’s house and lodged a police complaint, calling for action against the duo. Meanwhile, Venkataram’s family informed him that the police were looking for him.

Realising they might end up behind bars, the duo went into hiding. In an effort to draw them out, police detained Venkatram’s father for questioning. This irked Venkatram who became angry at Shiva for uploading the video. He allegedly struck an inebriated Shiva with a blunt instrument, killing him. He then surrendered at the Tiruttani police station, where he was booked under Section 302 (murder) of IPC. Further investigations are on.



TikTok trouble

February 9, 2019: A 19-year-old painter was arrested by the police for creating a fun video clip on the 'TikTok' app showing him walking outside a police station. The video went viral.
January 25, 2019: Two men were arrested from Salem for shooting a similar video using a police jeep.

All colleges older than 20 years can be recognised as deemed universities

College older than 20 years can now hope to get deemed university status, as per new rules framed by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Published: 23rd February 2019 08:25 AM |

Image of UGC head office used for representational purpose (File photo | PTI)

By SU M I SUKANYA DUTTA

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: College older than 20 years can now hope to get deemed university status, as per new rules framed by the University Grants Commission (UGC). UGC officials told this newspaper the new norms stipulate that National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC ) grading of an institute should be above 3.26 for three consecutive years and there should be minimum 2,000 students—with at least one third of them registered in PG and research courses— in order to get the status.

Also, the institutes should have at least 100 teachers and a teacher-student ratio of 1: 20. In addition, the institute should figure in the top 100 list of overall best institutes of higher education as per the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings or in top 50, in case of a specific category of NIRF ranking carried out by the Union Human Resources Development Ministry every year.

“These new norms have been brought in to simplify the process and at the same time ensure quality of the institutions that get the tag,” a senior UGC official said. Deemed universities will also be sub-categorised. Type one institutions will be those with NAAC grading of over 3.51 and will be allowed to open three campuses in five years.



These institutions will also be permitted to open offshore campuses. Type two institutions will be those under NAAC grade of between 3.26-3.51 and will have permission to open two campuses in five years. All deemed universities can also start correspondence courses as per the new guidelines.

Bribing too amounts to committing crime: Madras High Court

Asserting that persons who make such payment are also to be equally blamed, the judge said the intention of such persons becomes questionable.

Published: 24th February 2019 06:02 AM 

Madras High Court (File | EPS)

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Holding that paying money to secure jobs in government and related organisations or seats in medical colleges will also amount to committing a criminal offence and that such persons will be held liable for abetment of the offence, the Madras High Court has directed the DGP to give public announcement on a regular basis conveying the message to the public.

The court is encountering similar cases where it is alleged that money is being collected from innocent people on false promises of getting a job in government or in a public-sector undertaking or a medical seat. It is unfortunate that persons who are paying money do not understand that jobs or medical seats cannot be purchased and it has to be secured on merits and based on eligibility and that no one can get such jobs by paying money, Justice N Anand Venkatesh said.

There is a selection process for every post and every aspirant has to go through the process to get a job. Similarly, medical seats cannot be procured by paying money. Candidates must write entrance exams like NEET and only based on the marks secured in such examination, seat can be secured.

Asserting that persons who make such payment are also to be equally blamed, the judge said the intention of such persons becomes questionable. It is not as if in every case, the person who makes the payment is innocent and they know that they are trying to knock of a job or a seat by indirect means. This attitude can be curbed only by means of bringing an awareness among public that no one can secure jobs or seats in colleges by mere payment of money, the judge said granting bail to one Atrinbosco, who was arrested for duping many persons to a tune of `20 lakh for securing jobs.

Karnataka

PG medical fees in government colleges likely to quintuple

STAFF REPORTER

FEBRUARY 24, 2019 00:00 IST

Students who are pinning their hopes on bagging a PG medical seat in government colleges will have to dig deep in to their pockets as the State government is planning a five fold increase in fees for the 2019-20 academic year. Sources in the Medical Education Department confirmed this development and said that the final percentage of hike in government colleges will be decided in the coming week.

Currently, the tuition fees in government medical colleges per annum ranges from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 20,000 based on the type of seat. In addition to this, students also have to pay university and hostel fees.

According to sources, the PG medical degree (clinical) fees is likely to pegged at Rs. 1 lakh, an increase from the existing Rs. 20,000. Similarly, the paraclinical PG medical degree fee is likely to be fixed at Rs. 50,000 from the previous Rs. 10,000. The PG medical degree fee for pre-clinical is likely to be fixed at Rs. 25,000, up from Rs. 5,000 in the 2018-2019 academic year.

P.G. Girish, director, Medical Education Department, said the State government had discussed the hike and said that details would be announced next week. “The State government will also increase the stipend for students. For several years, we have not hiked the PG government medical fees. It is necessary to improve infrastructure in colleges. Last year, we had hiked the MBBS and BDS fees and the hike in PG medical and dental fees this year was inevitable,” he said.

Hike in dental colleges undecided

However, the department is undecided on the quantum of hike in degree and diploma fees in government dental colleges. “While the dental fees will also be hiked, we have not yet arrived at a consensus on the percentage of the hike,” a source added.

Several student organisations have decided to begin a movement to urge the government to withdraw its proposal to hike the PG medical and dental fees.

They have also urged the government to rethink its decision to implement the 15% NRI quota in government medical and dental colleges.

We have hiked the fees for PG courses by 15% for private medical and dental colleges. The fee structure for government medical and dental colleges will be announced next week.

P.G. Girishdirector, Medical Education Department

This is highly condemnable. The steep hike shows that the State government is commercialising medical education which will make it a distant dream for students from lower socio-economic families.

N. PramodState president, All India Democratic Students’ Organisation

Varsity council questions high re-evaluation fee

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, FEBRUARY 24, 2019 00:00 IST

At the academic council meeting of the University of Madras on Saturday, members questioned the high fee for re-evaluation and reappearance.

Several members said students found it difficult to pay thousands of rupees towards re-evaluation. They said a student paid Rs. 85 per paper for examination. For re-evaluation, the student paid Rs. 1,000 per paper.

Hanifa Ghosh, principal, Chevalier T. Thomas Elizabeth College, said about 300 good students had failed and were forced to apply for re-evaluation in the college. Re-evaluation results showed a difference of 25 to 30 marks, she said. How could there be such mistakes in evaluation, she asked.

Vice-chancellor P. Duraisamy explained that evaluation was done by college teachers. In every semester, as many as 7.5 lakh answer papers were evaluated by the university and this time, only 17,640 candidates had applied for re-evaluation, he noted. But members maintained that by not releasing re-evaluation results early, students were forced to pay the exam fee for re-appearance. The V-C said he would raise the issue at the next Syndicate meeting.

A few members complained of delay in paying travel allowance to professors who came for evaluation. A separate TA/DA section under the purview of the Controller of Examinations would be set up for speedy disbursal of travel expenses, the V-C said.

M.N. Nambiar: on-screen villain and real-life hero

B. Kolappan

CHENNAI, FEBRUARY 24, 2019 00:00 IST

A legend with legends:M.N. Nambiar with Sivaji Ganesan; and right, with MGR.Special ArrangementSpecial Arrangement

Late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa penned the foreword for a book authored by his grandson, to be released on March 7

The title, Nambiarswami: the good, the bad & the holy , encapsulates the personality of M.N. Nambiar, on and off the screen. He played the villain in films, but was a good man off it, leading a spiritual life as a staunch devotee of Lord Ayyappa and making a pilgrimage to Sabarimala more than 200 times over a 70-year period.

The book, by the late actor’s grandson M.N. Dipak Nambiar, will be released on March 7, on the occasion of his birth centenary. Late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who starred with Nambiar in a number of films, had written the foreword, describing him as ‘pure-hearted’.

The book will also be released in Tamil in a couple of months. The publisher is Harper Collins.

“The inspiration for the title came from the western classic: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and I have slightly altered it,” said Mr. Dipak, a software professional who started writing the book in 2004 when Nambiar was alive.

He prefers to address his grandfather as Nambiarswami, as he first took him to Sabarimala when he was seven. He continues to make the pilgrimage regularly — 42 times to date and counting — despite losing his left leg in an accident four years ago in the U.S.

Mr. Dipak, the son of Nambiar’s daughter Sneha, had the opportunity to see the life of a great person up-close, since he grew up in his grandfather’s house. Nambiar would reminisce about his early childhood, his struggle during the drama days, his entry into films, his best friend MGR, and the person who was the most important to him and whom he loved the most — his wife Rugmini. “She truly was the epitome of the proverb ‘Behind every successful man there stands a woman’,” Mr. Dipak said.

Besides capturing the vignettes of Nambiar’s life and the funny anecdotes that he recalled from his 71 years in Tamil films, the author has interviewed industry stalwarts to know their experiences with him.

Friendship with MGR

While MGR and Nambiar were known for the intense hatred they had for each other in films, they cherished an envious friendship in real life. It was MGR, who accompanied Nambiar to “see” his bride Rugmini.

“She walked in, escorted by her sisters. I had learned to control my emotions as an actor, but I leaned over and whispered to MGR that though I liked the girl, I thought one of her sisters looked prettier,” Mr. Dipak quotes Nambiar as saying.

Another incident explains the bond between MGR and Nambiar. “MGR was the best man for the wedding and he could not make it on time because it was raining heavily and the transport was running late. The muhurtham time was elapsing fast but I refused to tie the thaali till I saw MGR. Luckily, a completely drenched MGR ran into the hall with a few seconds to go, gesticulating with an upward motion of his hands to say go ahead,” Nambiar said.