One-way airfare to Canada costs students 10% of total course fee

One-way airfare to Canada costs students 10% of total course fee

Non-Acceptance Of RT-PCR From India Forces Detour

Parth.Shastri@timesgroup.com

Ahmedabad:12.07.2021 

Parents of Hansal Khatri, from Ghatlodia were in for a shock when they started checking availability of flights to Canada. “I have admission in a PG diploma course for business management at a university in Canada for Fall semester (starting September). I need to be there by the last week of August,” he said. His entire course fees is Rs 20 lakh while current one-way airfare by carriers such as Air India is Rs 1.75 lakh to Rs 2 lakh – accounting to 10% of total course fees.

“The tickets were costing between Rs 50,000 and Rs 70,000 in January this year. While it was still costly, we justified it due to Covid conditions. But air fares rising three times is too much when majority of passengers during this time are only foreign-bound students,” said Amit Khatri, his father. “As he has already secured admission, we have no option but to shell out the money, but it is not fair," the father felt.

It’s not just students – even regular passengers are bearing the brunt. Naranpura resident Subhash Ghonchala said a one-way ticket for his daughter-inlaw from Ahmedabad to Toronto, Canada on July 5 cost Rs 1.77 lakh which was three times the normal price of Rs 70,000.

It’s not just students – even regular passengers are bearing the brunt

Covid has pushed up travel costs

More than money, my daughter-in-law and her baby had to go to Toronato via Belgrade in Serbia where there was a stay of 2 nights and one day to get RTPCR test done. So, she went from Ahmedabad to Toronto via Mumbai-Frankfurt-Belgrade-Frankfurt- Toronto,” said Subhash Ghonchala .

Sanket Patel (name changed), 21, said he had deferred his travel to Canada due to the second wave in May. “My visa expires in December. While I’ll still wait a month to get the economic deal, what if third wave starts or Canada changes its rules? There’s a strong buzz there would be relaxation in some categories announced in the last week of July, but it’s always a gamble,” he said. “Getting the visa was a great feeling, but it’s now turning into desperation.” Travel and visa consultant Sabina Advani said Covid-19 specific sanctions imposed by countries have pushed up travel duration and cost of travellers.

“Countries like Canada do not accept Indian RT-PCR reports mandating travel via third countries for RT-PCR reports. For the US, currently there is a 14-day quarantine in a third country hotel. We are hopeful of Maldives and Dubai opening post July 15 which would be preferred by Indian travellers due to easy availability of Indian food,” says Travel and visa consultant Sabina Advani .

Due to these rules, travellers are going via Mexico, Belgrade and Armenia currently where 14-day quarantine stay with meals pushes the ticket price to upwards of Rs 1.75 lakh on confirmed flights.

Sameer Yadav, a citybased student visa and immigration consultant, said that there are a few sites offering cheaper tickets. “But often the travellers are not going for it – the chances of flight cancellation are high. Currently there are no direct flights to Canada, and most are taking detours. While the cancellation amount comes back, it cannot help the students who have to reach Canada in a time-bound manner,” he said.

Protest to safeguard students’ future is not unlawful: HC

Protest to safeguard students’ future is not unlawful: HC

K Kaushik@timesgroup.com

Madurai:12.07.2021 

A protest with an intention to safeguard the future of students cannot be construed as unlawful assembly, the Madras high court has said while quashing the final report filed against people who staged a protest seeking action against 30 bogus nursing and paramedical colleges in 2016.

The prosecution case was that the four petitioners along with others belonging to Abdul Kalam Latchiya India Party carried out a protest without prior permission against the bogus institutions and blocked the road disrupting traffic in Dindigul on April 14, 2016. Based on a complaint from the sub inspector of police, Dindigul Town North police registered a case against the protesters under sections 188, 143 and 145 of IPC. The police also filed the final report which was taken cognizance of by the Dindigul judicial magistrate II court. The four petitioners had filed the petition seeking to quash this report.

Justice G Ilangovan observed that for taking cognizance of offence under Section 143 of IPC, the ingredients under Section 141 of IPC must be brought on record. It appears that the petitioners and others staged a protest to initiate necessary action against bogus nursing and para medical colleges which spoiled the life of students. The court observed that there is no material on record or collected during the investigation to show that the agitation ended in violence. Hence, the ingredients of offence under Section 141 of IPC are not applicable to the present occurrence.

The judge said that in Section 145 of IPC, the words “unlawful assembly” are mentioned. The petitioners and others held the agitation with an intention to safeguard the future of students and hence it should not be considered as unlawful assembly.

“Registration of case and filing of final report may not be considered to be proper since the right of agitation has been recognized and that too conducting the agitation without any violence cannot be considered to be per se illegal,” observed the judge. Though only four people had approached the court, the judge quashed the final report in its entirety.

Online courses: UGC calls for applications

Online courses: UGC calls for applications

12.07.2021 

The University Grants Commission invited applications from higher educational institutions (HEIs) entitled to offer online programmes without prior approval of the commission. The portal to submit online applications will be opened from July 15. Institutions can visit the UGC’s website www.usc.ac.in/deb for further details and updates. The commission amended the University Grants Commission (Open and Distance Learning Programmes and Online Programmes) (Amendment) Regulations, 2021 making NAAC accreditation valid for next three academic years. TNN

No Covid-19 deaths in Chennai after 139 days

No Covid-19 deaths in Chennai after 139 days

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:12.07.2021 

Not a single person in Chennai succumbed to Covid-19 in the last 24 hours. After 139 days, the district witnessed zero covid deaths on Sunday. Another 19 districts in Tamil Nadu also recorded no Covid deaths today.

The number of fresh infections has continued to decline, with 2,775 cases on Sunday.

With 47 deaths, TN's cumulative death toll increased to 33,418 -- third highest in the country next to Maharashtra (1,25,878) and Karnataka (35,835). Tamil Nadu's present case fatality ratio, however, continues to hover around 1.3%.

One lakh get jabs

The state vaccinated 1,02,904 people on Sunday. Health Minister Ma Subramanian said TN totally needed11.5 crore vaccine doses but only 1.6 crore doses were supplied by the Union government till date. All the five lakh doses, which the state received on Saturday, were dispatched to all districts the same evening. Another 3 lakh doses were expected late on Sunday so that vaccination could continue on Monday, he said.

Chennai and its neighbouring districts received 82,500 doses and rest were distributed to other districts. In southern districts, long queues were spotted outside most vaccine camps as the drive resumed after a twoday gap. Almost 40% of fresh cases were reported from the western region. Coimbatore topped the chart with 298 new cases, followed by Erode (198) and Salem (175) in the region. Thanjavur stood second in this chart with 210 new cases.

Infection numbers were dropping at a brisk phase in Chennai (171 new cases) and its neighbouring districts. Similar trends were observed at other major cities in the state such as Trichy (108), Madurai (35).

In 29 of the 38 districts in the state, the discharge rate outpaced the new infection count. Even in the remaining nine districts, the gap was significant only in Thanjavur (201 new cases and 116 discharges).

Pondy schools, colleges to reopen on July 16

Puducherry:

Schools in the Union territory will reopen for students of Classes from IX to XII from July16 after the Union territory witnessed a drop in the rate of incidence of Covid-19 infection. All colleges in the territory will also reopen on July16. Chief minister N Rangasamy made an announcement in this regard on Sunday.

The territory did not report a Covid-19 death in a day after a span of more than three months. There were145 fresh Covid-19 cases even as 213 patients recovered bringing down the total number of active cases to1,505 on Sunday. Puducherry has maximum active cases with 1,156 followed by (214), Mahe (101) and Yanam (34). So far 5.85 lakh doses of the vaccine (including the second dose) have been administered. TNN

More countries open to travellers sans vax

More countries open to travellers sans vax

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:12.07.2021 

In what could be a sign of revival of international travel, nine countries have opened their borders for people to travel to without vaccination.

Turkey, Egypt, Maldives, South Africa, Ukraine, Serbia, Uzbekistan, Ethiopia and Russia are allowing passengers who have not got vaccinated against Covid-19. But visitors will have to carry a RT-PCR test report along. Except in Turkey, quarantine is necessary in the other countries only if tested positive. Maldives will be open for travel from July 15.

This move by the nine countries is a blessing for travellers looking for a short vacation. It also leaves people who work in the Middle East and the US with more options for transit and the mandatory 14-day quarantine before heading to the destination, since the locations have banned direct travel from India.

Travel and tour operators said travellers who have been looking for options to spend more than14 days outside India, so that they can enter Dubai or transit via Dubai to other countries such as the US, can now fly to Maldives, Egypt or Russia. People have been entering Dubai, which is open for tourists, via other countries.

Basheer Ahmed of Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) said, “Many people who work in the US and the Middle East are stuck here because they are not allowed to fly directly from India. People have been travelling to Saudi Arabia and the US after staying for a few days in another country. Now, they can travel to Dubai too. More countries opening up is also helping people who want to try and have a vacation. Those who are returning to India from the US also now have more transit options.”

J Sethuraman of Travel XS said this definitely is a way out for people because they have been stuck for more than a year unable to travel. “When Maldives opened last year, Indians were the biggest clients for the country. It will be similar this year too,” he said. “The countries allowing people without quarantine will help boost travel and is a plus,” Sethuraman said, but added that vaccination is key for international travel in the long run.

கிளம்பிட்டாய்ங்கய்யா... ‛வாட்ஸ் ஆப் வெரிபிகேஷன் ஸ்கேம்' திருடர்கள்: ஓ.டி.பி.,யை சொல்லிடாதீங்க

கிளம்பிட்டாய்ங்கய்யா... ‛வாட்ஸ் ஆப் வெரிபிகேஷன் ஸ்கேம்' திருடர்கள்: ஓ.டி.பி.,யை சொல்லிடாதீங்க

Updated : ஜூலை 11, 2021 10:39 | Added : ஜூலை 11, 2021 10:34

மதுரை: 'அடிச்சு கூட கேட்பாங்க சொல்லிடாதீங்க' என வடிவேலு காமெடியில் வருவது போல் 'ஓ.டி.பி.,யை - ஒன் டைம் பாஸ்வேர்டு' சொல்லிடாதீங்க... 'வாட்ஸ் ஆப் வெரிபிகேஷசன் ஸ்கேம்' என்ற திருடர்கள் கிளம்பிட்டாங்கய்யா... கிளம்பிட்டாய்ங்க'... என சைபர் வல்லுனர்கள் எச்சரிக்கின்றனர்.

வாட்ஸ் ஆப் செயலியை 'கூகுள் பிளே ஸ்டோரில்' பதிவிறக்கி நம் அலைபேசி எண் பதிவு செய்து பயன்படுத்துகிறோம். நம் அலைபேசி எண்ணை தங்கள் போனில் உள்ள வாட்ஸ் ஆப் செயலில் பதிவு செய்து நம் தகவல்களை திருடுபவர்கள் தான் 'ஸ்கேம்' திருடர்கள். இவர்கள் நம் எண்ணை அவர்கள் வாட்ஸ் ஆப்பில் பதிவிடும் போது நம் அலைபேசி எண்ணுக்கு 4 இலக்க ஓ.டி.பி., எண்கள் வரும். உடனே நமக்கு போன் செய்து 'தவறாக உங்கள் எண்ணுக்கு ஓ.டி.பி.,வந்து விட்டது தயவு செய்து கூறுங்கள்' என மூளைச் சலவை செய்கிறார்கள்.

நாமும் ஏதோ ஒரு அவசரத்தில் யார், என்ன என்று கேட்காமல் ஓ.டி.பி.,யை கூறி விட்டால் அவ்வளவு தான் நம் 'வாட்ஸ் ஆப் சாட்' முழுதும் திருடர்கள் அலைபேசியில் ஓப்பனாகும். இந்த நேரத்தில் நம் அலைபேசியின் வாட்ஸ் ஆப் செயலி 'லாக் அவுட்' ஆகிவிடும். ஆனால் அதை கவனித்து மீண்டும் நாம் 'லாக் இன்' ஆகும் இடைப்பட்ட நேரத்தில் நம் தகவல்கள் திருடப்பட்டிருக்கும். வாட்ஸ் ஆப்பில் நண்பர்கள், குடும்பத்தினருக்கு நாம் அனுப்பிய ஏ.டி.எம்., பாஸ்வேர்ட், ஆதார் எண் உள்ளிட்ட பல ரகசியங்கள் திருடர்கள் கையில் சிக்கினால் நம் கதை கந்தல் தான்.

இதில் இருந்து தப்பிக்க நம்பகமான நபர்கள் தவிர வேறு யார் போன் செய்து ஓ.டி.பி.,யை கேட்டாலும் சொல்லவே கூடாது. பிரவுசிங் சென்டர் உள்ளிட்ட இடங்களில் ஏதாவது ஆவணங்கள் பெற செல்லும் போது நம் அலைபேசிக்கு வரும் ஓ.டி.பி.,யை அங்குள்ளவர் ஆவணத்திற்காக தான் பயன்படுத்துகிறாரா என்றும் கவனிக்க வேண்டும்.

'வாட்ஸ் ஆப் செட்டிங்ஸ்' மாற்றுங்கள்

தகவல் திருட்டை தடுக்க சில 'செட்டிங்'குகளை மாற்ற வேண்டும். வாட்ஸ் ஆப் செட்டிங், பிரிவில் அக்கவுண்ட் தேர்வு செய்து 'டூ ஸ்டெப் வெரிபிகேஷன்' கிளிக், எனேபில் செய்து 6 இலக்க பின் நம்பர் கொடுக்கவும். இதை செய்தால் திருடர்கள் ஓ.டி.பி., வைத்து நம் அலைபேசி எண்ணுள்ள வாட்ஸ் ஆப்பில் நுழையும் போது பின் நம்பர் கேட்கும்.

Rural teachers fight a losing battle to keep kids in ‘class’

TOI+

Rural teachers fight a losing battle to keep kids in ‘class’

In Bihar alone 1.4 crore students are without digital devices. To make sure education reaches all, teachers are trying everything from evening classes to phone recharges

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

11.07.2021 

With lockdowns shutting schools across the country, students have struggled to access remote learning. In some places, they wait for their parents to return from work so that they can access lessons sent by the teacher on WhatsApp. Some land up at neighbours’ homes asking to use their smartphones. Others watch non-interactive recorded lessons on TV. But the struggle isn’t theirs alone.

Teachers across rural India spoke about how they were attempting to ensure their students didn’t fall behind with measures that range from open-air classes to recharging phones.

Biswajeet Bodo, head teacher of Jugal High School in Bamunpukhuru village in Assam’s Tezpur district, and his colleagues have been conducting classes in open spaces or in Nam Ghars, places of congregational worship, since only around 150 of the 480 students in the school have access to smartphones.

“During the first wave of Covid, we picked five venues in five villages around the school, called the students of that particular area and taught them in the open. But that had to stop as the number of cases was very high in the second wave,” Bodo said. “Then we made arrangements with families that have mobile phones to lend them for 90 minutes to those who don’t have devices,” he said.

The lack of digital devices among students was acknowledged by the education ministry in a submission on six states to a parliamentary standing committee last month (see box). In states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, nearly 70% of students don’t have access to a digital device. In Bihar, as many as 1.4 crore or 38% don’t have a device.

Teachers are trying their best to be flexible. Nasim Ahmad, who heads an Urdu medium primary school in the Khijurtoli village near Ranchi, said that 100 of the 186 students have access to their parents’ mobile phones. “We have two-hour open-air classes for those without phones. For those who do, we conduct classes from 7 pm onwards, after their parents return from work,” he said.

Anil Kumar Pradhan, who teaches in a government school in the Lahanda village of Odisha’s Sundargarh district, said that even when students had access to a smartphone, they didn’t have access to the internet. “So, once a week we visited their homes to teach them whatever is possible,” he said.

Even in a state like Kerala, that ranks high on development indicators, internet access has been a problem in rural areas. Michael Sebastian, from the organisation Samagra Siksha Kerala in Idukki, said students in the state have been watching classes that are aired on television. But in Idukki, where there are many tribal hamlets, many homes don’t have continuous power supply.

Sebastian said they set up public study centres where education volunteers can help the children. “More than 1,000 students, including the tea estate workers’ children, attend TV classes in these public study centres,” he said.

OUT-OF-REACH RECHARGES

Even when there’s a phone and internet, there are hurdles like lack of money. “The parents told us when there is no food in the house how can they recharge the phones? There are many children whom we assisted by recharging their parents’ mobile phones,” said Ahmad, the teacher from Jharkhand.

In Andhra Pradesh, Satnarayan Sastry said that the state government had deposited Rs 15,000 in the bank accounts of mothers whose children are enrolled in the schools but only a few bought phones with the money. “The government offered a laptop or Rs 15,000, and a majority opted for the money. But that money was mostly spent on other essential things as many don’t even have enough for food,” he said.

GETTING THEM BACK IN SCHOOL

Most teachers also admitted that there is a growing learning gap with students’ performance declining significantly. Educationist and former CBSE chairperson Ashok Ganguly pointed out that online education is an interim measure and not a real education. “Learning loss can be addressed through innovative measures such as SMSes which assign students engaging activities,” he said.

Then there is the problem of dropouts. The education ministry said nearly 55 lakh children are out of school just in the two states of Jharkhand and UP. Educationist Meeta Sengupta said dropout rate can be reversed with school-wapsi or Back to School programmes. “This is an opportunity to get schooling right, where schools reach children, rather than forcing children to come into regimented schooling,” she said.

BRIDGING THE GAP: With no internet or digital devices, students are forced to attend classes in the open in Odisha’s Sundargarh district