Madras HC Warns Private Schools Of Contempt If They Insist Upon Collection Of Entire Fees For Upcoming Academic Year [Read Order]

Madras HC Warns Private Schools Of Contempt If They Insist Upon Collection Of Entire Fees For Upcoming Academic Year [Read Order]: Taking 'serious note' of violation of its order dated July 17, 2020 pertaining to collection of tution fee by unaided private institutions, the Madras High Court warned the erring institutions

Dad refused to purchase smartphone, boy kills self

Dad refused to purchase smartphone, boy kills self

A 14-year-old boy allegedly killed himself at his residence at Siruthondamadevi village near Panruti after his father refused to purchase a smartphone for him to take online classes.

Published: 01st August 2020 03:39 AM 

By Express News Service

CUDDALORE: A 14-year-old boy allegedly killed himself at his residence at Siruthondamadevi village near Panruti after his father refused to purchase a smartphone for him to take online classes.

According to police sources, Vignesh (14), son of Vijay Kumar, a cashew farmer, had been studying in class X at a private school in Panruti. Owing to the lockdown, the school had been conducting online classes for students.

“The son had been forcing his father to purchase a smartphone for him to attend online classes, like the rest of his friends. Vijay Kumar had assured to buy him the phone, once he makes some money selling the cashews,” police said.

However, on July 29, disappointed over not getting a phone, Vignesh hung himself from the ceiling fan, using his mother’s saree, the police added. He was rushed to Panruti GH, but died the following day, as per the police report. The Kadampuliyur police have registered a case for an inquiry.

Power shutdown in parts of Chennai on August 3. Here's the full list

The supply will be resumed before 2 pm if the works are completed, said a Tangedco statement.

Published: 31st July 2020 09:27 PM 

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: To facilitate maintenance, power supply to be suspended in parts of Chennai between 9 am and 2 pm on Monday (August 3). The supply will be resumed before 2 pm if the works are completed, said a Tangedco statement.

The details of areas as follows:

In the areas of Selaiyur: Kannan Nagar, IOB Colony, Ponniamman Koil Street, Selaiyur, Karnam Street, Raja Iyyer Street, Ranganathan Street, Muthalamman Street, Part of Velachery Main Road, Elumalai Street, New Balaji Nagar, Mullai Street, Avvai Street, Bharathi Nagar, Bajanai Koil Street, Madha Koil Street, Palayathan Street, Part of Ranganathan Nagar, Burma Colony Harington Road, Easwaran Koil Street, Ramasamy Street.

In the areas of Tondaiarpet: Cornation Nagar, TNSCB Quarters, J.J Nagar, Sudhandirapuram, Sigiranthaplayam, Motchapuram, K.H Road, Meenambal Nagar, Bharathi Nagar, Bharathi Nagar Quarters, Kamaraj Nagar, New Sasthiri Nagar, Jeeva Nagar, Driver Colony, E H Road, Thiyagappa Chetty Street.

Vels Institute announces V-SAT results

Vels Institute announces V-SAT results

The scholarships are targeted towards students who are facing financial challenges to continue their higher studies, especially due to the pandemic.

Published: 01st August 2020 03:43 AM 

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Vels Institute of Science, Technology & Advanced Studies (VISTAS), announced its Vels Scholarship Admission Test (VSAT) results. Over 10,000 students from Tamil Nadu and other states took part in the online admission test and more than 3,000 students have availed scholarships.

The scholarships are targeted towards students who are facing financial challenges to continue their higher studies, especially due to the pandemic. Based on their V-SAT scores, the selected students will avail scholarship under five categories (100%, 75%, 50%, 25% and 10%) which will enable them to pursue their dreams of higher education.

Students who had appeared for the scholarship test can now check their results on http://www.velsuniv. ac.in/VSAT.asp. Ishari K Ganesh, founder and chairman, Vels Group of Institutions, said, “We are glad to have been able to identify deserving students through our V-SAT exam and provide them with an opportunity to pursue higher education. Congratulations to all the students who have succeeded and qualified for scholarship.”

Digital certificates are enough for provisional admission to jr college

Digital certificates are enough for provisional admission to jr college

1.8.2020

—

Vinamrata Borwankar

Mumbai:

For first-year junior college aspirants in the state, digital statements of their Class X marks, certificates or an undertaking would be enough for provisional admissions amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a circular issued on Thursday, the school education department has stated students applying under various quotas can upload their relevant documents online. In case students do not have the documents or are unable to upload them due to technical difficulties, they can give an undertaking that they would submit the original documents at a later date. The students’ admission until then would be provisional.

Similarly, students will also be able to use the digital statement of marks received for their Class X results in case they do not have a hard copy of the marksheet. “Considering the current situation, students can upload the digital statement of marks. The students can submit the school leaving certificate or passing certificate to be verified later," said the circular.

Students would have three months to submit the original documents.

The Phase I of form filling, which requires students to fill out personal information and marks, will be opened up on August 1. Students will also be able to access the admissions information booklet in a few days.

State govt scraps pension for Emergency detainees

State govt scraps pension for Emergency detainees

Decision Taken In View Of Shortage Of Funds

Prafulla.Marpakwar@timesgroup.com

Mumbai: 1.8.2020

The cash-strapped Uddhav Thackeray-led state government on Friday scrapped the pension scheme for Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) detainees during the Emergency to mobilize funds for tackling the Covid-19 pandemic. The proposal was approved in the cabinet meeting held on June 2 and presided over by CM Thackeray.

A one-page order issued by the deputy secretary (general administration) S M Khode states that since the state government is facing acute shortage of funds in view of a slowdown in the economy, it has been decided to scrap the pension scheme for detainees during the Emergency from 1975-77 with immediate effect. “In view of huge revenue deficit, the government has decided to wind up the pension scheme,” Khode said in his order.

The decision is being viewed as a major setback for former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who had on June 7, 2018 drafted the scheme to provide pension of Rs 10,000 per month to detainees during the Emergency era. Thackeray has cancelled a large number of key policy decisions taken by the erstwhile Devendra Fadnavis government, the most significant being the waiver of Rs 1.5 crore stamp duty granted to an organization associated with the RSS.

On the pension scheme, a senior GAD official said that after Fadnavis declared the scheme, out of 5,000 MISA detainees in the state, 3,267 applied for pension, and pension was approved for 1,179 persons. For the financial year 2018-19, a budgetary provision of Rs 42 crore was made, of which Rs 29 crore had been disbursed.

BJP’s chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye took strong objection to the state government’s decision, saying it was politically motivated. “In our opinion, those people who fought against the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi are also freedom fighters as they fought for the basic rights of people. After due consideration, Fadnavis had approved the pension scheme for MISA detainees,” Upadhye said.

There had been demands earlier that those detained and arrested during the Emergency years should be given a citation too.

IoEs to take lead in rolling out 4-year degree courses

IoEs to take lead in rolling out 4-year degree courses

Manash.Gohain@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:1.8.2020

Some of the 20 “institutions of eminence” will be asked to take a lead in rolling out the four-year degree programme announced in the National Education Policy this year itself while other IoEs can follow suit if they wish to adopt the programme in the 2020-21 academic session.

The move to initiate the roll-out of the four-year degree is among some features of the NEP that will be implemented in this year itself. The first of its kind Academic Credit Bank (ACB) will also be ready by December 2020. The draft of Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill will be placed in the public domain for feedback in September 2020 before taking it to Parliament. The framework for the common entrance test for admissions to higher education institutions (HEIs) will also be ready by February-March 2021 and the first test is likely to be delivered in May 2021.

In August 2019, the government offered IoE status to 20 HEIs, which include four IITs, Banaras Hindu University, Delhi University and 10 private institutions, among others.

According to higher education secretary Amit Khare, some IoEs can start the fouryear-multidisciplinary undergraduate programme with multiple exit and entry options immediately. “The phase-wise implementation of the NEP will start from this month itself. IoEs will be encouraged to start immediately in 2020-21, because 20 IoEs are selected and some of them have already signed the MoU. And they can have multiple entry and exit because by that time the credit bank would have become operational,” said Khare.

The secretary said other central universities which are ready can join by 2021 and latest by 2022. Regarding the ACB, Khare said it will be pilot-tested first in a few IITs and central universities before introducing it nationally.

The common entrance test too would be ready by February-March 2021 and the first test is likely to be delivered in May 2021 immediately after the Class XII Board exams.