Coimbatore private schools stop students with pending fees

Coimbatore private schools stop students with pending fees

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Coimbatore:06.09.2021

District chief education officer (CEO) N Geetha said she had been receiving complaints from parents about private schools preventing their wards from attending physical classes, as they have failed to settle the pending fees.

“I have received seven such complaints in person on the first day of school reopening. My office continues to receive such complaints. We have asked the schools not to disallow the students from attending the classes,” she said.

Geetha has also warned of action against the schools if she were to receive written complaints from parents, as the state government had asked the schools not to prevent students from attending the classes.

A senior official with the CEO office said while some cases were genuine, there were also deliberate attempts by parents not to pay the fees.

Pointing out that a parent, who had enrolled three daughters to a private school, hadn’t paid their fees last year, the officer said while the former was ready to pay the first term fee for the current academic year, he was reluctant to pay the pending fees.

“I had lost my job during the pandemic last year. While I have managed to get back to work, it will take time to set my finances right. I can pay the first term fees of this academic year, but I can’t afford to pay the pending fees,” said the parent who approached the CEO office seeking intervention.

The official said the school management was not ready to forgo the pending fees of all the three children. “We too find it unfair on our part to ask the schools to make unreasonable fee waivers.”

Academicians said the issue was mostly faced by the schools on the outskirts of the city, while the known ones in the city with a higher fee structure were able to collect the fees, as they were preferred by the parents who could afford the fees.

Admission to the first category of schools, they said, depended on the quality teachers. “To retain teachers, the schools need to pay them more. Since the fees collected from the students is the main source of their revenue, the schools are insisting on payment of pending fees.”

D C Elangovan, general secretary, Federation of Associations of Private Schools in Tamil Nadu, said the high court had a few months ago asked the schools not to insist on fees from parents, who were facing financial issues.

Polytechnic lecturers exam from Oct 28 to 30

Polytechnic lecturers exam from Oct 28 to 30

06.09.2021

Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB) announced that polytechnic lecturers recruitment exam will be held on October 28 to 30. Around 1.26 lakh candidates had applied for the exam that was scheduled in May last year and postponed due to the pandemic. The exam will be a computer-based test. The board had notified 1,060 vacancies in government polytechnic colleges in 2019. TNN

Ex-Union health secretary Keshav Desiraju dead

Ex-Union health secretary Keshav Desiraju dead

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:  06.09.2021

Bureaucrat, scholar and public health expert Keshav Desiraju, a former Union health secretary, passed away on Sunday at a city hospital, where he was admitted following health complications. He was 66.

He died on the birth anniversary of his illustrious grandfather S Radhakrishnan, former President of India, which is celebrated as Teachers Day.

An IAS officer from the 1978 batch of the Uttarakhand cadre, he held several key positions in Tamil Nadu and at the Centre. He grew up in Mumbai, where he first heard M S Subbulakshmi, on whom he penned a critically acclaimed book, “Of Gifted Voice: The Life and Art of M S Subbalakshmi”.

He had a masters degree in economics from the University of Cambridge and a masters degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

Expressing his condolences, chief minister M K Stalin said Desiraju was a multi-faceted personality whose interests extended beyond bureaucracy and administration.

He was known for his advocacy of mental health and improving public health. Desiraju was one of the architects of the National Mental Health Policy 2016.

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, former Union minister Jairam Ramesh, and CEO of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant took to social media to express their condolences.

Jairam Ramesh told TOI that he had close ties with Desiraju and recalled meeting him as a child. “His aunt and my mother were school mates. His uncle and my father-in-law were school mates. He moved to Chennai to be near his aunt and also for his passion for carnatic music. I was planning to call him and was shocked to hear about his death,” Jairam Ramesh said.

Waste dump on lake bed extends to road

Waste dump on lake bed extends to road

Chitlapakkam Residents Fume As Restoration Efforts Go Waste

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:  06.09.2021

Despite directions from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the garbage dump on the banks of Chitlapakkam lake hasn’t been cleared, much to the chagrin of the residents, who initiated a civic movement to revive the lake. The waste mound now stretches to the road.

A segregation unit and an incinerator were set up on the Chitlapakkam lake bed a year and a half ago. Waste collected by the town panchayat is taken to this segregation unit for sorting and then taken either to the incinerators or dump yard. But this sorting is not being done regularly and the waste has been piling up, say residents. The town panchayat with 18 wards and around 50,000 residents collects 11 to 15 tonnes of waste daily.

The water body saw a reprieve owing to residents’ associations’ consistent efforts over several years — both physical and virtual — by filing petitions in courts and by creating awareness through social media campaigns. A portion of the lake was used as a garbage dump by the public and the local body for decades and there were several encroachments. “Despite restoration efforts, the lake bed is used for sorting waste,” a resident said.

Residents complain that unsorted waste now extends from the lake bed to the nearby road.

According to a member of civic action group, Chitlapakkam Rising, the garbage has not been cleared for weeks together despite repeated complaints. Stray cattle and dogs feed on the garbage, which is harmful to them, the member said.

“The recent rain has made things worse. The stench from the area is so strong. The water body is right at the entrance of the town panchayat limits, it is not very welcoming,” said K Thiru, a resident.

Residents say the rotting muck also pollutes the groundwater in the neighbourhood.

Sunil Jayaraman, another member of Chitlapakkam Rising, said NGT directions to clear the garbage hasn’t been adhered to by the town panchayat authorities.

Earlier this year, NGT had suo motu directed the town panchayat to shift the solid waste management resource recovery park on the Chitlapakkam lake bed and also observed that solid waste management rules have not been followed. It had also asked for a factual report from TNPCB and Chengalpet district collector on the matter.

When contacted, an official with the town panchayat told TOI that the waste would be cleared soon and that they are planning to move some of the waste to a recycling unit in Keerapakkam.

SOURCE OF POLLUTION: The NGT had asked panchayat officials to shift out the garbage segregation unit from the Chitlapakkam lake bed

Acting on tip, cops stop rekla race, seize 14 horses; 53 arrested

Acting on tip, cops stop rekla race, seize 14 horses; 53 arrested

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:  06.09.2021

Police on Sunday morning stopped a rekla race that was to be held at a ground in Veerapuram near Avadi. Police seized 14 horses and nine mini trucks. Fifty-three people were arrested.

Police received a tip about a rekla race being organised on Sunday and reached the spot to find mini trucks arriving with the horses and carts. The arrested included organisers Mohammed Irfan, 26, of Mount Road, Prakash, 32, of Saligramam and Dinesh, 27, of Virugambakkam. Hari and Saravanan, who were among thr organisers and were earlier questioned, are absconding. Police learned that they had shifted the race venue to Vallakottai Murugan temple in Sriperumbudur after realising that police were deployed at the venue in Veerapuram. They had alerted participants about the change through WhatsApp. Sources said the organisers awarded winners ₹1,000 to ₹5,000. “The prize money, winners and details of horses were shared on WhatsApp itself,” said an investigating officer.

State police in 2020 prohibited organising rekla races as roads were blocked causing traffic disruptions and animals were abused.

New award to celebrate teachers

New award to celebrate teachers

Chennai:6.09.2021

To inspire and motivate teachers during the Covid-19 pandemic, The Times of India in association with Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, has instituted the ‘Teacher’s Excellence Award’. Teachers from Tamil Nadu can register, nominate themselves under various categories such as years of experience, stream, grade they handle.

Registrations will be open till September end. For more details teachers can visit www.amrita.edu/tea2021 . This will have zonal and state winners, shortlisted by an eminent jury panel. An independent partner will audit the process.

Launching the award, school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi on Sunday, said, “Government school teachers are very well informed and go through competitive and aptitude tests to qualify. Government schools have smart classes, science and maths kit and teachers who can handle the advancements well. We are looking for counsellors to offer mental health support to students and teachers, and also provide career guidance to Class XII students.”

A session on emotional intelligence and experiential learning was conducted with expert speakers Dr Shoury Kuttappa and Ruchi Mohunta. TNN

Weekend and festival travel picks up pace

Weekend and festival travel picks up pace

Tourism Experts Bullish On Footfalls As Vacationers Head To Favourite Getaways

After a lull of more than a year, people have begun travelling for leisure during extended weeking holidays includingfor vinayaka Chaturthi and Puja. The boost is also because companies are switching from work from home to work from offices.

Booking trends show Chennai, Kodaikanal, Ooty, Yercaud, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Puducherry, Goa, Jaipur and Srinagar are the destinations searched or booked in September and November, as per data from online portals. Travel agents too are reporting a similar trend.

Nishant Pitti, CEO and co-founder of EaseMyTrip, said that compared to August 2021, there was a jump of almost 63% for the long weekend of Vinayaka Chaturthi on September 10-12, 2021 in terms of forward air bookings. “Earlier, we noticed a jump of 54% for the long weekend of Janmashtami...”

A strong vaccination drive and the recent decision on RT-PCR exemption are playing a crucial role in improving the travel sentiment. “Our booking trends reveal destinations such as Goa, Jaipur, Leh, and Srinagar have recorded huge growth in passenger volumes flying out of metro cities.”

Ritu Mehrotra, regional manager (South Asia) at Booking.com, said that with more Indians getting vaccinated and ease in travel restrictions, travel intent was being converted into bookings. “... As per data from our platform, some of the top booked destination in South India by Indian travellers from September to November 2021 include Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pondicherry. We are also seeing intent for international travel pick up with France, Uk ,Canada, Maldives and Switzerland being top searched destinations from September to November 2021."

In the post-pandemic world, there is an increased emphasis by travellers on health, safety and flexibility while booking accommodation. “When it comes to accommodation, besides hotels which is one of the top preferred accommodation choices by travellers, alternative accommodations such as resort, guesthouse, homestay and apartments are also preferred,” she added.

M K Ajith Kumar of Asia Pacific Travels said many people prefer destinations that can be reached by a long drive because families do not want to mingle with people on public transport. Bengaluru, Puducherry, and Yercaud are popular.

T Sundar, who plans to travel to Bengaluru next week, said, “I have been stuck at home for more than a year. I wanted to take a break.”

People are also spending money to experience the best during travel. Nishant Pitti said, “More business class tickets signifies that travellers are now spending more on travel as well. Bookings for 4 and 5-star properties have almost doubled as travellers prefer high-end hotels owing to safety issues. The average stay duration has also gone up from 3.2 days to 4.7 days.”