Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Scrap driving licences of those who can’t read: HC
Jaipur/New Delhi:29.05.2019
Observing that an illiterate person is “virtually a menace for pedestrians” on the road, a single bench of the Rajasthan high court has directed the state government to withdraw driving licenses given to persons who can’t read signboards, warning signs and other signals.
The court has directed the transport authorities to issue appropriate instructions, lay down guidelines and take action in cases where licenses were issued to persons unable to read and write.
TOI has a copy of the court order. While dismissing the writ petition of one Deepak Singh, who requested the court to direct the transport department to issue him a driving licence for a heavy motor vehicle (HMV) though he was illiterate, Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma said, “In the opinion of the court, Motor Vehicle Rules are required to be framed not only for the benefit of persons who seek licenses but must also take into consideration the public who are using the roads.” TNN
Jaipur/New Delhi:29.05.2019
Observing that an illiterate person is “virtually a menace for pedestrians” on the road, a single bench of the Rajasthan high court has directed the state government to withdraw driving licenses given to persons who can’t read signboards, warning signs and other signals.
The court has directed the transport authorities to issue appropriate instructions, lay down guidelines and take action in cases where licenses were issued to persons unable to read and write.
TOI has a copy of the court order. While dismissing the writ petition of one Deepak Singh, who requested the court to direct the transport department to issue him a driving licence for a heavy motor vehicle (HMV) though he was illiterate, Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma said, “In the opinion of the court, Motor Vehicle Rules are required to be framed not only for the benefit of persons who seek licenses but must also take into consideration the public who are using the roads.” TNN
NAGPUR AT NO. 3
At 47.8° C, Chandrapur in Maharashtra world’s hottest
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Nagpur:29.05.2019
Boiling at 47.8° C, Chandrapur was the hottest place in the world on Tuesday as per El Dorado which monitors temperatures across the globe. Nagpur recorded 47.5° C, putting it at No. 3. Jacobabad in Pakistan was the second hottest at 47.5 degrees.
According to officials of the Regional Meteorological Department (RMC), Nagpur’s highest May temperature of the last few years was recorded on May 23, 2013, when the maximum temperature was 47.9° C.
Two other cities from Vidarbha — Bramhapuri and Wardha — also figure in the top 15 hottest cities in the world. While Brahmapuri was at no. 5 with 46.9 degrees Celsius, Wardha was at no. 9 with 46.5.
Other Indian cities in the top 15 are Ramagundam (No.4) and Adilabad (No. 11), both in Telangana, and Banda (no.12) in Uttar Pradesh. A reader in Nagpur sent a picture of a dead bird saying it must have collapsed due to the intense heat “as no external injuries were visible”.
At another spot in the city, the top layer of an asphalted road appeared to be melting.
Temperatures have been continuously rising since the start of ‘nau tapa’ period started four days ago. The nine days of intense heat occurs as the Earth is closest to the Sun during the summer months.
At 47.8° C, Chandrapur in Maharashtra world’s hottest
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Nagpur:29.05.2019
Boiling at 47.8° C, Chandrapur was the hottest place in the world on Tuesday as per El Dorado which monitors temperatures across the globe. Nagpur recorded 47.5° C, putting it at No. 3. Jacobabad in Pakistan was the second hottest at 47.5 degrees.
According to officials of the Regional Meteorological Department (RMC), Nagpur’s highest May temperature of the last few years was recorded on May 23, 2013, when the maximum temperature was 47.9° C.
Two other cities from Vidarbha — Bramhapuri and Wardha — also figure in the top 15 hottest cities in the world. While Brahmapuri was at no. 5 with 46.9 degrees Celsius, Wardha was at no. 9 with 46.5.
Other Indian cities in the top 15 are Ramagundam (No.4) and Adilabad (No. 11), both in Telangana, and Banda (no.12) in Uttar Pradesh. A reader in Nagpur sent a picture of a dead bird saying it must have collapsed due to the intense heat “as no external injuries were visible”.
At another spot in the city, the top layer of an asphalted road appeared to be melting.
Temperatures have been continuously rising since the start of ‘nau tapa’ period started four days ago. The nine days of intense heat occurs as the Earth is closest to the Sun during the summer months.
Rider loses ₹6L in insurance for not wearing helmet
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Madurai:29.05.2019
Not wearing helmet as a pillion rider has meant a loss of ₹6 lakh for a 27-year-old man who survived a two-wheeler accident with serious head injuries in 2013.
The Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal, Madurai, after computing all factors had arrived at an award of ₹45.5 lakh to the victim. However, the tribunal reduced the compensation by ₹6 lakh and directed the insurance firm to pay him ₹39.5 lakh, holding the petitioner responsible for not wearing a helmet.
The solace to the petitioner, M Vigneshwaran, is that he had sought a compensation of ₹40 lakh.
He was grievously injured after the two-wheeler he was riding pillion on collided with another bike near Avaniyapuram bypass road in Madurai in 2013.
Vigneshwaran was working as a junior technician in an engineering works company in Ambattur Industrial Estate, Chennai.
On January 16, 2013, he was riding pillion with a friend who had crossed the road to reach the fuel station when a bike coming in the opposite direction collided with their two-wheeler, according to the petition.
The petitioner suffered injuries to the brain, apart from external injuries all over and was treated as an inpatient at a private hospital in Madurai for three months.
He also underwent treatment at a hospital in Kerala and has been undergoing physiotherapy.
The insurer of the other two-wheeler contended that it was the petitioner and his friend who were responsible for the accident. “They swerved without proper signalling, taking the motorist by surprise,” the insurance firm submitted.
The tribunal judge, P Thangavel after perusing the submissions made held that the grievous injuries to the petitioner were to his head and him not wearing a helmet at the time of accident was an important reason for them. Citing a previous Madras high court judgment, the tribunal judge held that 15% of negligence should be fixed on the petitioner for not wearing a helmet.
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Madurai:29.05.2019
Not wearing helmet as a pillion rider has meant a loss of ₹6 lakh for a 27-year-old man who survived a two-wheeler accident with serious head injuries in 2013.
The Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal, Madurai, after computing all factors had arrived at an award of ₹45.5 lakh to the victim. However, the tribunal reduced the compensation by ₹6 lakh and directed the insurance firm to pay him ₹39.5 lakh, holding the petitioner responsible for not wearing a helmet.
The solace to the petitioner, M Vigneshwaran, is that he had sought a compensation of ₹40 lakh.
He was grievously injured after the two-wheeler he was riding pillion on collided with another bike near Avaniyapuram bypass road in Madurai in 2013.
Vigneshwaran was working as a junior technician in an engineering works company in Ambattur Industrial Estate, Chennai.
On January 16, 2013, he was riding pillion with a friend who had crossed the road to reach the fuel station when a bike coming in the opposite direction collided with their two-wheeler, according to the petition.
The petitioner suffered injuries to the brain, apart from external injuries all over and was treated as an inpatient at a private hospital in Madurai for three months.
He also underwent treatment at a hospital in Kerala and has been undergoing physiotherapy.
The insurer of the other two-wheeler contended that it was the petitioner and his friend who were responsible for the accident. “They swerved without proper signalling, taking the motorist by surprise,” the insurance firm submitted.
The tribunal judge, P Thangavel after perusing the submissions made held that the grievous injuries to the petitioner were to his head and him not wearing a helmet at the time of accident was an important reason for them. Citing a previous Madras high court judgment, the tribunal judge held that 15% of negligence should be fixed on the petitioner for not wearing a helmet.
Next step in higher education: Single-entrance-fits-all exam
Multiple Tests For Institutions, Add To Financial Burden, Stress Of Students
S Vaidhyasubramaniam 29.05.2019
All through May and June adding to the preparatory stress of students is the schedule of entrance exams held across the country. It involves careful planning and booking of limited tickets to appear for the limitless tests for professional college admissions. This multiplicity exam syndrome needs to be fixed to avoid student distress and expenses. Can the entrance exam archipelago be broken to create a smooth system that is studentfriendly? Yes, here is how, with a little bit of history.
In the US, the evolution of college entrance examination is but more than a 100-year-old germination that stands today as an agent of change. The College Entrance Examination Board was conceptualized in Columbia University in 1900 under legendary Harvard University president Charles Eliot. The present ‘entrance exam anarchy’ we see in India was termed ‘education anarchy’ in the early 1900s where each postsecondary institution had its own entrance exam. Eliot’s common college admission entrance exam was branded elitist in the pre-world war era. However, through a series of postworld war reforms and an evolutionary process of continuous change, the college board continues its research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators and schools. Initiatives like the EQUITY 2000 and Pacesetter & Transition 2000 aim to address the multiple school boards and other institutional factors.
In India, the concept has seen various policy and process changes to accommodate varying degrees of diversity across different states. Some have a purist entrance exam approach, some a mixedmethod entrance and school marks and some like Tamil Nadu have only school exams for professional college exams.
NEET changed the system of medical college admissions with many states not being able to adjust to the velocity with which it struck. To ensure a harmonious construct, the National Testing Agency (NTA), as envisaged by the National Education Policy of 1984, was established as an autonomous body in 2018 and now administers JEE, NET, NEET, CMAT, GPAT and more. This national entrance exam asset, when fully operational, aims to develop, administer and assess about 150 lakh candidates annually across the country and abroad, covering more than 500 cities and 5,000 test centres. This is a huge task that needs to ensure that all sections of society are touched, accommodating different state needs.
As much there is no need to overemphasise the need for national entrance exams there is a need to understand each state’s local conditions — academic and social. The NTA needs to create a strategic plan through consultative mechanisms to ensure all stakeholders — state governments, statutory bodies, civic societies, students and parents are taken into confidence to address concerns.
The first issue is reducing the multiplicity of entrance exams especially by private institutions who set application deadlines to oxygenate their revenue lifelines. To begin, tests like JEE can be made mandatory for deemed universities which seem to be creating the maximum ‘multiplier effect’ in student and parental stress – physical, mental and financial.
When a single exam is being conducted, it is essential to accommodate a substantial regional/state specific content in national tests to ensure there is equitable participation by students from diverse backgrounds. For instance, the American College Board continuously evolves to ensure an inclusive participation to make the college admission system fair to everybody without ivory tower elitism.
Fundamental questions need to be raised on the need for JEE (Advanced), capitation fee, entrance exams becoming more elitist and affordability of access.
All of this takes time and college entrance exam reform is no child’s play nor an overnight remedy. It took more than 150 years for the US to wriggle out of its problems and it still has new problems due to rapid changes in the socio-demographic and educational ecosystem. The latest news that rocked the establishment was the admissions scam in top US universities that Operation Varsity Blues exposed in March.
The story in India is no different but can definitely be differentiated positively by taking progressive steps to achieve equity and excellence concurrently. The easiest way to begin is by making JEE (Main) and its equivalents mandatory for deemed universities. Will NTA 2.0 do it? It’s a worthy wait.
(The author is vice-chancellor of SASTRA Deemed University)
Email your feedback with name and address to southpole.toi@timesgroup.com
THE MULTIPLICITY EXAM SYNDROME NEEDS TO BE FIXED TO AVOID STUDENT DISTRESS AND EXPENSES
Multiple Tests For Institutions, Add To Financial Burden, Stress Of Students
S Vaidhyasubramaniam 29.05.2019
All through May and June adding to the preparatory stress of students is the schedule of entrance exams held across the country. It involves careful planning and booking of limited tickets to appear for the limitless tests for professional college admissions. This multiplicity exam syndrome needs to be fixed to avoid student distress and expenses. Can the entrance exam archipelago be broken to create a smooth system that is studentfriendly? Yes, here is how, with a little bit of history.
In the US, the evolution of college entrance examination is but more than a 100-year-old germination that stands today as an agent of change. The College Entrance Examination Board was conceptualized in Columbia University in 1900 under legendary Harvard University president Charles Eliot. The present ‘entrance exam anarchy’ we see in India was termed ‘education anarchy’ in the early 1900s where each postsecondary institution had its own entrance exam. Eliot’s common college admission entrance exam was branded elitist in the pre-world war era. However, through a series of postworld war reforms and an evolutionary process of continuous change, the college board continues its research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators and schools. Initiatives like the EQUITY 2000 and Pacesetter & Transition 2000 aim to address the multiple school boards and other institutional factors.
In India, the concept has seen various policy and process changes to accommodate varying degrees of diversity across different states. Some have a purist entrance exam approach, some a mixedmethod entrance and school marks and some like Tamil Nadu have only school exams for professional college exams.
NEET changed the system of medical college admissions with many states not being able to adjust to the velocity with which it struck. To ensure a harmonious construct, the National Testing Agency (NTA), as envisaged by the National Education Policy of 1984, was established as an autonomous body in 2018 and now administers JEE, NET, NEET, CMAT, GPAT and more. This national entrance exam asset, when fully operational, aims to develop, administer and assess about 150 lakh candidates annually across the country and abroad, covering more than 500 cities and 5,000 test centres. This is a huge task that needs to ensure that all sections of society are touched, accommodating different state needs.
As much there is no need to overemphasise the need for national entrance exams there is a need to understand each state’s local conditions — academic and social. The NTA needs to create a strategic plan through consultative mechanisms to ensure all stakeholders — state governments, statutory bodies, civic societies, students and parents are taken into confidence to address concerns.
The first issue is reducing the multiplicity of entrance exams especially by private institutions who set application deadlines to oxygenate their revenue lifelines. To begin, tests like JEE can be made mandatory for deemed universities which seem to be creating the maximum ‘multiplier effect’ in student and parental stress – physical, mental and financial.
When a single exam is being conducted, it is essential to accommodate a substantial regional/state specific content in national tests to ensure there is equitable participation by students from diverse backgrounds. For instance, the American College Board continuously evolves to ensure an inclusive participation to make the college admission system fair to everybody without ivory tower elitism.
Fundamental questions need to be raised on the need for JEE (Advanced), capitation fee, entrance exams becoming more elitist and affordability of access.
All of this takes time and college entrance exam reform is no child’s play nor an overnight remedy. It took more than 150 years for the US to wriggle out of its problems and it still has new problems due to rapid changes in the socio-demographic and educational ecosystem. The latest news that rocked the establishment was the admissions scam in top US universities that Operation Varsity Blues exposed in March.
The story in India is no different but can definitely be differentiated positively by taking progressive steps to achieve equity and excellence concurrently. The easiest way to begin is by making JEE (Main) and its equivalents mandatory for deemed universities. Will NTA 2.0 do it? It’s a worthy wait.
(The author is vice-chancellor of SASTRA Deemed University)
Email your feedback with name and address to southpole.toi@timesgroup.com
THE MULTIPLICITY EXAM SYNDROME NEEDS TO BE FIXED TO AVOID STUDENT DISTRESS AND EXPENSES
Emergency exit slide of Vistara flight creates flutter
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Chennai:29.05.2019
Emergency exit evacuation slide of a Vistara flight got deployed soon after passengers disembarked from a Port Blair-Chennai Vistara flight at Chennai airport on Tuesday.
Sources said the incident created a flutter after the chute used to evacuate passengers during emergencies got deployed when the flight was at parking bay. There was no safety risk to passengers as all of them had disembarked.
Vistara in a statement said, “After arrival of flight UK 834 in Chennai from Port Blair, the emergency evacuation slide at the front-right exit door got accidentally deployed after most passengers had disembarked. The cause of the deployment is being investigated. The aircraft returned to service soon after with a minor delay.”
The aircraft was grounded for sometime and was checked by the airline's engineers and the chute was fitted again and the plane was cleared for its next leg of journey. Airport officials and DGCA may investigate the incident based on the report filed by the airline because it involves passenger safety.
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Chennai:29.05.2019
Emergency exit evacuation slide of a Vistara flight got deployed soon after passengers disembarked from a Port Blair-Chennai Vistara flight at Chennai airport on Tuesday.
Sources said the incident created a flutter after the chute used to evacuate passengers during emergencies got deployed when the flight was at parking bay. There was no safety risk to passengers as all of them had disembarked.
Vistara in a statement said, “After arrival of flight UK 834 in Chennai from Port Blair, the emergency evacuation slide at the front-right exit door got accidentally deployed after most passengers had disembarked. The cause of the deployment is being investigated. The aircraft returned to service soon after with a minor delay.”
The aircraft was grounded for sometime and was checked by the airline's engineers and the chute was fitted again and the plane was cleared for its next leg of journey. Airport officials and DGCA may investigate the incident based on the report filed by the airline because it involves passenger safety.
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