Pandemic Lesson for Scientists, Students: Be Honest

Pandemic Lesson for Scientists, Students: Be Honest

Research fraud, exam cheating are two worrying outcomes of science & education in Covid times

SK Sarin

04.09.2021

The Covid pandemic generated unprecedented scientific urgency to search for new treatments and vaccines, resulting in over 100,000 scientific publications in 2020, purportedly for rapid dissemination of knowledge and for abating human suffering.

In the race to be faster, scientific journals diluted their multilayer peer review criteria and slashed average turnaround time from 60 days, to sometimes less than a week. Inevitably, scientific misconduct and fraud happened.

HCQ, mask, ivermectin papers

Many such papers were retracted after publication. The most painful flameout was the Surgisphere scandal: Twin articles published in two of the world’s most prestigious medical journals, The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine, related to hydroxychloroquine and its cardiovascular side-effects.

In another instance, Annals of Internal Medicine backtracked on a highly-cited paper it published in April 2020, that asserted face masks were ineffective in preventing the spread of Covid. The article had included just four study subjects, but the misinformation led to careless exposure and infection in millions. Such publications demean the very foundations of science.

A flawed ivermectin preprint paper showed that this anti-parasite drug reduced Covid death rates by more than 90%. However, this July 14, the paper was withdrawn from the preprint server, ‘Research Square’, due to scientific dishonesty.

Revenues of pharma companies making ivermectin had swelled over months, and unsuspecting patients had paid for scientific misinformation.

Even Nobel-winners cheat

Frauds and misconduct have been common in the history of science. ‘Nobel prize winners’ are no exception. Frances Arnold of Caltech announced a retraction from Science last December and nearly half a dozen ‘Nobels’ had in the past accepted misconducts.

Scientific integrity is perhaps declining. But ethics are more essential than ever now. In pandemic times, we rapidly need new information, which should be unbiased and trustworthy. Moreover, there should be honest and prompt public admission of errors by the scientific community.

Covid is going to be with us. So science must regain its ethical centre. The pressure of incomplete enrolment of patients in clinical trials, lack of adequate consumables and kits for carrying out basic science experiments, research workers being away for months due to lockdown and above all, no money with funding agencies to support ongoing scientific projects, are reasons given for altering ‘facts and findings’.

Sponsors and funding agencies should help. Research funding and human resources need to be increased several fold without political meddling.US scientists recently requested President Joe Biden not to politicise research.

Dishonest students

There’s ‘academic dishonesty’, too. Unethical behaviour to gain an unfair academic advantage during online learning and assessments are common now – nearly 50% students in different parts of the world accept indulging in such dishonesty, with excuses such as: It’s not such a big deal, it’s not really cheating, it’s my teacher’s fault or everyone cheats.

Even good students get tempted due to the unstructured assessment system in a pandemic. Besides producing semi-educated and inappropriatelyskilled students, such conduct will have long-term ramifications. A generation of ‘ethically compromised’ children will soon populate India.

Solutions have to come from parents and society. The Academic Integrity Office of the University of UC San Diego found 1,042 students guilty of integrity violations last year. We need such offices of academic integrity in our colleges too. Maybe an independent National Agency for Scientific and Academic Integrity as well.

The meaning of ‘education’ and ‘learning’ rather than ‘passing out’ needs to be drilled in our systems. We need to initiate dialogues on values and build ethics in teachings and curricula in school and college education.

We do not want our physicians and scientists to be corrupt. Tomorrow is Teachers’ Day. An appropriate occasion to remind ourselves of why education and research must be ethical.

The writer is Director, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences

Three more doctors resign from BJMC, total 7 in 3 days

Three more doctors resign from BJMC, total 7 in 3 days

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:04.09.2021

Without naming anyone, Dr Rajnish Patel, president of Gujarat Medical Teachers’ Association (GMTA), said that the senior doctors are resigning not due to the physical duress they experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic, but ‘mental distress’.

After resignation of Civil Hospital superintendent and dean of BJ Medical College among four top doctors, three others including Dr Dinesh Rathod and Dr Shailesh Shah put in their papers. The resignations however were not accepted till Friday night.

“If you observe, majority of these doctors are institutional/departmental heads. It can only be inferred that they might be facing mental harassment or pressure from above. They all performed exceptionally during the pandemic and are the most qualified doctors the state has,” said Dr Patel. “But still they are citing personal reasons to put in their papers. If all are resigning with such a succession, it needs introspection from above.” Dr Patel told TOI that the departure of some of the most experienced hands would hamper the preparations for the third wave of Covid-19.

Dr J P Modi, former medical superintendent of Civil Hospital – who had resigned on Wednesday – told media that he has not resigned under duress. “Not all officers are the same, many visited the hospital regularly and understood our operational issues,” he said without naming any person.

Retired government teachers appeal for DA

Retired government teachers appeal for DA

04/09/2021

Special CorrespondentCHENNAI

Retired teachers have appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to reinstate dearness allowance which has been withheld.

The teachers said that while the Central government had released prospectively the DA payment that it had suspended from January 2020 to July 2021 at 11%, the State government had in its Budget announced that the DA payment would be withheld for another nine months.

The Tamil Nadu Retired College Teachers’ Association has pointed out that the government employees and pensioners had been hard hit, and the COVID-19 pandemic had hurt them further.

‘Fundemental right’

They said that DA/DR is a fundamental right of an employee and pensioner and is meant for survival of the employee and pensioner against erosion of wages and pension. The association cited the rules that protect the payment of salary/pension to government employees, and appealed that the government revoke its decision to withhold the DA and disburse it.

பயிற்சி டாக்டர் பணி இயக்குனருக்கு உத்தரவு

பயிற்சி டாக்டர் பணி இயக்குனருக்கு உத்தரவு

Added : செப் 04, 2021 00:22

சென்னை:அரசு மருத்துவக் கல்லுாரி மருத்துவமனைகளில் பணிபுரியும் பயிற்சி டாக்டர்களுக்கு, கூடுதல் பணி நேரம் ஒதுக்கப்படுகிறதா என்பதை, மருத்துவ கல்வி இயக்குனர் கண்காணிக்கும்படி சென்னை உயர் நீதிமன்றம் உத்தரவிட்டு உள்ளது.

சமூக சமத்துவத்துக்கான மருத்துவர் சங்க பொதுச்செயலர் ரவீந்திரநாத் தாக்கல் செய்த மனுவில், 'அரசு மருத்துவக் கல்லுாரி மருத்துவமனைகளில், பயிற்சி மருத்துவர்கள் மற்றும் மேல்படிப்பு மாணவர்களை, எட்டு மணி நேரத்துக்கும் அதிகமாக பணியாற்றும்படி நிர்ப்பந்திக்கின்றனர்.'பணிச் சுமை காரணமாக சிலர் தற்கொலை செய்துள்ளனர்.

எட்டு மணி நேர பணி நிர்ணயித்து, 2015ல் பிறப்பித்த அறவிப்பை அமல்படுத்த வேண்டும்' என, கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.இம்மனு, தலைமை நீதிபதி சஞ்ஜிப் பானர்ஜி, நீதிபதி ஆதிகேசவலு அடங்கிய அமர்வில் விசாரணைக்கு வந்தது. மனுதாரர் சார்பில், வழக்கறிஞர் தங்கசிவன் ஆஜரானார்.

அரசு தரப்பில், அரசு பிளீடர் முத்துகுமார் ஆஜராகி, ''கூடுதல் பணி என எந்த புகாரும் இல்லை. புகார் அளிக்க குழு அமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது,'' என்றார்.இதை பதிவு செய்த நீதிபதிகள், பயிற்சி மருத்துவர்கள் மற்றும் மேற்படிப்பு மாணவர்களுக்கு கூடுதல் பணி நேரம் ஒதுக்கப்படுகிறதா என்பதை, மருத்துவ கல்வி இயக்குனர் கண்காணிக்கும்படி உத்தரவிட்டது.

Kerala varsity syndicate okays norms for faculty posting

Kerala varsity syndicate okays norms for faculty posting

It applies to university departments, aided colleges, as per UGC Regulations, 2018

Published: 03rd September 2021 05:47 AM |

Image of Kerala University used for representational purpose. (File Photo | EPS)

By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The syndicate of the University of Kerala has approved the guidelines for appointment of assistant professors in university departments and aided colleges as per the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations, 2018.

As prescribed in the regulations, appointment will be made solely on the basis of the interview that will be held after shortlisting eligible candidates. The syndicate also approved the interview format prescribed in the UGC regulations.

After preparing a shortlist, 10 candidates will be called for interview for a single post and five more candidates for subsequent vacancies. Aided colleges are also free to follow the appointment guidelines ratified by the syndicate. The entire interview procedure should also be video graphed.

Pension revision

The syndicate of also decided to urge the government to withdraw its order which stipulated that the additional financial burden arising out of the pension revision of former university employees should be borne by the varsity from its own fund.

A five-member sub-committee of the syndicate has been tasked with taking up the issue with the government. The pension revision was supposed to be carried out with retrospective effect from 2019. Barring Kerala University that cited fund crunch, all other state universities had gone ahead with pension revision.

Other key decisions

University to urge govt to withdraw order on pension revision using varsity’s own fund

To explore possibility of offering online UG, PG courses through distance mode

Online courses

The Syndicate also constituted a sub-committee to undertake a study on the feasibility of offering online UG and PG courses through the School of Distance Education.

Anna University allows two colleges to start engineering courses in Tamil

Anna University allows two colleges to start engineering courses in Tamil

While Erode Sengunthar will offer 60 seats in Mechanical Engineering stream in Tamil medium, Rathinam Technical Campus will teach Computer Science Engineering in the regional language.

Published: 03rd September 2021 05:38 AM 

Anna University (File Photo | EPS)

By Binita Jaiswal

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Decks have been cleared for Erode Sengunthar College and Rathinam Technical Campus, to start Tamil medium engineering courses, after finally receiving necessary approval from Anna University (AU) on Thursday.

While Erode Sengunthar will offer 60 seats in Mechanical Engineering stream in Tamil medium, Rathinam Technical Campus will teach Computer Science Engineering in the regional language. The All-India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) had granted approval to both colleges long back but both were in dilemma over starting the courses this year as they did not receive requisite permission from AU — their affiliating university.

The colleges were worried over the delay in getting permission from AU as the last date for applying for Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions (TNEA) ended on August 24. Sources said AU was hesitant to grant approval as it doesn’t have sufficient study material in Tamil to provide these colleges. Besides, they were worried that a number of seats might fall vacant as there could only be a few takers for the courses, and placement issues may also ensue.

However, both the colleges are relieved after getting approval from AU. The permission has come late but the colleges are confident of filling up their seats. “We had surrendered the Tamil medium seats to Directorate of Technical Education (DOTE) earlier and had informed that we will admit students only after getting AU approval. Now, DOTE has also postponed the release of rank list for engineering admissions to September 14. All these will favour us,” said V Venkatachalam, principal of Erode Sengunthar college.

‘Several enquiries’

B Nagaraj, principal of Rathinam Technical Campus, said Computer Science stream is in much demand and they are receiving a good number of enquiries for the Tamil medium course. “We won’t face problems in attracting students,” he said

Three students, 3 teachers test +ve in TN since school reopening

Three students, 3 teachers test +ve in TN since school reopening

Contacts Tested, Classes Continue

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

04.09.2021

Trichy/Coimbatore/Cuddalore:

Three school students and three teachers have tested positive for Covid-19 so far in the state since schools reopened on Wednesday. They included two girls in Ariyalur, another in Namakkal and two teachers handling higher secondary classes in Cuddalore.

Among the two Ariyalur girls, one is a Class XII student and hosteller at Annai Lourd higher secondary school in Varadarajanpettai. As she developed mild upper respiratory infection (URI) symptoms, she gave her swab for RT-PCR test at Jayankondam GH on September 1. As the result came positive, she was moved to Jayankondam GH for further care. However, she had attended classes on Thursday. In the other case, a Class IX girl, a day scholar at Nirmala girls higher secondary school, had higher body temperature during thermal scanning at the school on Wednesday. She subsequently underwent RT-PCR test and tested positive even though she had no other symptoms. She did not attend classes on Thursday.

The Class IX student who had been undergoing chemotherapy in recent years, was asymptomatic and was admitted to Ariyalur government medical college hospital. The district health department has collected more than 60 samples from the primary and secondary contacts of the two girls including family members, classmates and teachers. Hostels and school managements were told to ensure the screening process further, she said. The schools have closed the classrooms and blocks used by these students. Officials said the schools will continue to function and students will be accommodated in the unused classrooms.

In another case, a Class X student from Namakkal who attended classes on Wednesday tested positive when her Covid test result came the next day. “All the 300-odd students and teachers underwent test to check for the virus spread. While none of them were found to have contracted the virus, alternative arrangement was made for the students to continue classes from Friday,” said Namakkal DEO A Balumuthu.

In Cuddalore district, two teachers handling higher secondary classes at Jawahar matriculation HSS in Neyveli tested positive for Covid-19. The teacher along with others gave swab samples before the schools reopened on September 1. Their test results which were announced on Friday returned positive following which the school management requested the students who were in contact with the teacher to isolate themselves. A trained graduate teacher posted at Venugopalapuram government GHSS in the district also tested positive. Health officials said the teacher, who started attending school from September 1, was resting in the staff room on Thursday. She complained of nausea and vomiting and was isolated immediately. She and her daughter had given swab samples a day before the school reopened.

One of the cases was caught during thermal screening at a school. A RT-PCR test showed that the student with higher body temperature was Covid positive. She had no other symptoms