Govt to form panel to probe univ appointments

Govt to form panel to probe univ appointments

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:13.06.2021

The government will form an IAS officer-headed panel to probe the alleged irregularities in appointments and promotions at Salem Periyar University, Madurai Kamaraj University, and Annamalai University.

“We have received complaints alleging irregularities in appointments in these three universities. Courts also gave directions against these irregularities. After consulting the chief minister, we will form an inquiry committee headed by an IAS officer and will take action based on the findings of the committee,” higher education minister K Ponmudi told reporters.

There were allegations of irregularities in promotions to faculty of Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) and Annamalai University. Some professors said MKU had not acted on Justice G M Akbar Ali committee report, which recommended review of promotions of 40 faculty members. Irregularities in appointments, civil work and procurement at Periyar University in the past 10 years were also alleged.

Ponmudi also said first year admissions to polytechnics will be based on Class IX marks following the cancellation of Class X exams.

Last year, Class IX annual exams were cancelled and admissions are likely to be based on marks in quarterly and half-yearly exams.

Polytechnic students who have exceeded their stipulated time will be given another opportunity to clear arrears.

Admission to engineering colleges would be announced after the government fixes the evaluation criteria.

Medical students foot bill for examiners’ stay?

Medical students foot bill for examiners’ stay?

Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University vice-chancellor Dr Sudha Seshayyan told Express she hasn’t yet received official directions from the government to conduct an inquiry.

Published: 12th June 2021 05:13 AM |

By Sinduja Jane

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Final-year MBBS students at the Government Stanley Medical College allegedly had to pool in money for their external examiners’ “accommodation and food” during the April-May 2021 exams. The Directorate of Medical Education is now going to launch an inquiry, after the father of a student who failed in one subject brought the matter to light.

The girl’s father complained to the college management, saying his daughter had failed as she didn’t pay the money. The Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University, meanwhile, has temporarily suspended the examiners in question from the Panel of Examiners.

Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University vice-chancellor Dr Sudha Seshayyan told Express she hasn’t yet received official directions from the government to conduct an inquiry. “The college conducted an inquiry and submitted a report to us. Since the father alleged money was collected for the exam, the university has taken a call, saying we are not asking anyone to collect money during university exams.”

After the college management received the complaint on May 16, it formed an internal inquiry committee, said committee member Dr S Jaswanth. “In the first inquiry, it was found that the students didn’t receive instructions from any examiners, but collected money themselves after circulating messages on WhatsApp. This student failed as she didn’t perform well. Of the 246 students, 23 didn’t pay the money, but all the rest passed. So the complainant’s allegations are not true.” Another official of the college said a second inquiry will be conducted.

The report on the first inquiry was submitted to the university, and a copy sent to the Directorate of Medical Education. Dr R Narayana Babu, Director of Medical Education, said he received the letter on Thursday, and an inquiry will be launched, in which all students and faculty members will be questioned.

Meanwhile, in her report to the Health Secretary, Dr Sudha Seshayyan said, “Screenshots of messages enclosed by the parent of the said candidate indicate that such collection is regularly being made ‘to show gratefulness to departments’ and to arrange accommodation and food for the external examiners.” The report added that due to the pandemic, exams were conducted online, so the question of accommodation in Chennai for external examiners would not have arisen.

Pending clearance from the Examination Disciplinary Committee, the names of the internal examiners, from the departments of Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Paediatrics, have been temporarily removed from the university’s Panel of Examiners, the report said.

The university’s inquiry report says the complainant obtained 193/300 marks in General Surgery, 127/200 in Gynaecology and 60/100 in Paediatrics, but failed in the General Medicine clinical exam. Final-year MBBS students in other medical colleges in the city said such collection of money is a regular practice. “Once, the external examiner asked for a mobile phone, so the students collected money and provided the phone. We are afraid because the examiners can fail us,” said a student.

எழும்பூர் ரயில் நிலையத்துக்கு வயது 113

எழும்பூர் ரயில் நிலையத்துக்கு வயது 113

Added : ஜூன் 12, 2021 01:53

சென்னை:எழும்பூர் ரயில் நிலையம் துவங்கி நேற்றுடன் 113 ஆண்டுகள் ஆனதையொட்டி அதிகாரிகளும் ஊழியர்களும் 'கேக்' வெட்டி இனிப்பு வழங்கி கொண்டாடினர்.

சென்னையில் பெரிய ரயில் நிலையங்களில் ஒன்றாக எழும்பூர் நிலையம் உள்ளது. இந்நிலையம் 1908ம் ஆண்டு ஜூன் 11ம் தேதி துவங்கப்பட்டது.இந்திய முகலாய மற்றும் கோதிக் கட்டட கலையுடனான இந்தோ - சராசனிக் வடிவமைப்பில் இந்நிலையம் கட்டப்பட்டுள்ளது.ஆங்கிலேயரான ராபர்ட் சிஸ்ஹோம் கட்டடத்திற்கான வரைபடத்தை வடிவமைத்து கொடுத்தார். அக்காலத்தில் புகழ்பெற்ற ஒப்பந்ததாரராக திகழ்ந்த சாமிநாதப் பிள்ளை நிலையத்தை கட்டினார்.

ஆரம்பத்தில் இரு நடைமேடையுடன் துவங்கப்பட்ட இந்நிலையம் தற்போது 12 நடைமேடையுடன் இயங்குகிறது.இந்நிலையத்தில் இருந்து 25 எக்ஸ்பிரஸ் ரயில்கள்; வழியாக 10 ரயில்கள் என 35 ரயில் போக்குவரத்துடன் இந்நிலையம் வழியாக இருவழியிலும் 256 புறநகர் மின்சார ரயில்களும் இயக்கப்படுகின்றன.

தினமும் இரண்டரை லட்சம் பயணியர் வரை வந்து செல்லும் நிலையமாக உள்ளது. கொரோனாவால் தற்போது ரயில்கள் எண்ணிக்கை குறைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.இந்நிலையம் துவங்கப்பட்டு நேற்றுடன் 113 ஆண்டுகள் ஆனதையொட்டி நிலைய அதிகாரிகள் ஊழியர்கள் 'கேக்' வெட்டி இனிப்பு வழங்கி கொண்டாடினர்.

BREAKING - Postpone INI CET By At Least A Month, Supreme Court Suggests To AIIMS

BREAKING - Postpone INI CET By At Least A Month, Supreme Court Suggests To AIIMS: The Supreme Court on Friday suggested to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences(AIIMS) that

EPS-OPS posters war hots up in south

EPS-OPS posters war hots up in south

Madurai:  12.06.2021

Poster wars are hotting up within the AIADMK in the southern districts, with those supporting former chief minister and party joint coordinator Edappadi Palaniswami appearing in Tirunelveli and those in favour of party coordinator O Panneerselvam surfacing in Theni as well. The posters demonstrate the open rift between the EPS and OPS factions.

The ones which appeared in many parts of Tirunelveli district including Mannur two days ago blamed Palaniswami for the AIADMK debacle in the elections. They said his high-handedness and decisions without consulting O Panneerselvam cost them dearly and that the mantle should be handed over to OPS. A complaint has been filed. On Thursday, some posters thanking the MLAs for electing Palaniswami as Opposition leader appeared at Thalaiyoothu in the district. AIADMK sources said cadres loyal to the party are left confused due to such actions of their seniors.

Meanwhile, posters hailing OPS as “protector of the AIADMK fortress”, were put up on behalf of Theni district fishermen’s wing of AIADMK on the Theni- Madurai road.The poster wars are expected to increase before the party’s legislative party meeting on Monday.

Schools told to gear up for next academic year

Schools told to gear up for next academic year

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Trichy:12.06.2021

The school education department has directed principals and administrative staff of government and government-aided schools to start preparatory works to commence the next academic year by visiting their schools from Monday.

A source from the department said, “as the state government has cancelled the Class XII public examination in the view of covid-19 pandemic, several procedures like calculating and preparing the certificates that are required to pursue higher education and related works need to be carried out.” “As admission for the next academic year is about to commence, school managements need to carry out the admission process and distribute notebooks and other government welfare schemes to the students. School campuses and classrooms need to be cleaned,” the source added.

Principals and administrative staff of all state-run and aided schools have been directed to visit their schools, following Covid-19 safety protocols, from next week to carry out these works, said the source.

“From next week, we will also start admitting students for Class XI as their classes are likely to commence from the third week of June based on government guidelines,” said M Ramakrishnan, chief educational officer.

A circular from the department said that if a school receives more applications for a particular group than the permitted class strength, then the school is allowed to increase the cap limit by 10-15% and students should be admitted in the group of their choice. If the number of applications for a particular group exceeds the additional 15% strength, then the student should be selected based on his/ her Class IX marks, the circular added.

“Earlier, the department had asked the school management to conduct an entrance examination if the number of applications exceeds the additional 15% strength and directed teachers to prepare a question paper with 30 questions. After objections raised from multiple corners, they had cancelled the entrance examination and asked the schools to admit based on Class IX marks,” said T Arulanantham, state auditor of Tamil Nadu High and Higher Secondary School Graduate Teachers’ Association.

PhD enrollment in TN went up 19% in 2019-20, says survey

PhD enrollment in TN went up 19% in 2019-20, says survey

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:12.06.2021

Enrollment for PhD in Tamil Nadu increased 19% in 2019-20 compared to the year before, data from the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) released on Thursday showed. The enrollment for MPhil programmes declined by 20% in the state during the same period.

“From Tamil Nadu, 30,600 students (15,828 men and 14,832 women) enrolled for PhD in 2019-20 while 25,820 students registered in 2018-19,” the survey stated. While 9,144 chose to pursue MPhil in 2018-19, the number fell to 7,133 in 2019-20.

Educationists opined that the increase may have been due to PhD being made a minimum qualification for entry-level assistant professor posts in universities that year. Rankings such as NIRF also give more weightage to those with PhDs.

“Statutory bodies such as University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) have prescribed PhD as a minimum qualification for the post of assistant professor in universities. If they want to enter state-funded universities, they need a PhD. This may have been the reason for the spike in PhD enrollment while that for MPhil dipped,” said S P Thyagarajan, former vicechancellor of Madras University. “UGC has also advised all universities not to offer MPhil programmes from 2021,” he said.

Thyagarajan called for improving existing benchmarks for PhD to produce better researchers and teachers.

“State Eligibility Test (SET) was not conducted in the past few years. That could have been a reason for high enrollment in PhDs,” said P Duraisamy, former vice-chancellor of University of Madras, adding that the university has made publishing of two research papers before thesis submission mandatory.

“More students are joining PhD programmes due to increase in government colleges and availability of scholarships,” said S Swaminathan, advisor of NET/SLET association. He added that the government should focus on improving infrastructure to improve the quality of PhDs.