Students miss NEET: Three teachers suspended in MP

Students miss NEET: Three teachers suspended in MP

TNN | Sep 29, 2020, 12.03 PM IST

KHARGONE: Khargone district education officer (DEO) has suspended three teachers in the case of nine students failing to appear in NEET. Apart from this, a proposal has been sent to stop the increments of two officers.

As per official information, Khargone DEO KK Dongre has suspended Dasnaval primary teacher Prince Gupta, Segav middle school teacher Durgavati Gupta and Kelly primary teacher Geeta Bhatnagar with immediate effect.

A proposal has been sent to divisional commissioner to stop two increments of Segav block education officer ML Verma and Segav excellence school principal Sandeep Kapadnik.

Due to negligence in duty, nine students could not attend NEET held on September 13.

They were entrusted with the responsibility of arranging a bus to ferry students to the exam centre in Indore and bring them back.

Khargone collector Anugraha P, taking cognizance of the case, had directed action against the guilty after meeting with the deprived students, their parents and government officials. She had also instructed to arrange coaching for the students.

Univ sits on proposal to set up Ambedkar studies department - The Times Of India

Univ sits on proposal to set up Ambedkar studies department - The Times Of India

Shanmughasundaram.J@timesgroup.com

Chennai:1.10.2020 

Thirteen long years have passed since the Thiruvalluvar University (TU) got the nod to establish the department of Dr B R Ambedkar Studies and a chair in Ambedkar’s name.Theuniversity,however, is yet to set them up.

The proposal to establish the department of Dr Ambedkar Studies was placed before the university in December 2006. The syndicate discussed and approved the proposal following which it was sent to the governor. The governor’s nod came in February 2007. Things stand there till now.

Meanwhile, the assent of Dr Ambedkar Foundation under the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment to create Dr B R Ambedkar Chair with a seedfundof ₹50lakhhad been pending since 2005 as the university made no efforts to set it up. “Since 2005, we have been reminding every vicechancellor to establish the chair and starting the department (Dr Ambedkar Studies)but not much has been done,” said I Elangovan, former syndicate member of the university and president of Thiruvalluvar University Employees’ Union.

The previous vice-chancellor, K Murugan, constituted a seven-member board of studies to frame the syllabus and come up with other requirements. But the task was not accomplished, he said.

He added that apart from the seed money, Dr Ambedkar Foundation was ready to provide additional financial support to sustain the activities if the university was ready to allocate a separate building or a wing of a building to run the chair. “Till 2010, the university was functioning on the premises of Vellore Fort and did not have sufficient infrastructure. However, no steps were taken after the university moved to a new campus at Serkadu,” he said.

Professor K Anthony Baskaran, one of the serving syndicate members, had raised the issue in the first meeting held after the new VC Thamaraiselvi Somasundaram took over last year. She had assured to take necessary steps. “Though the present VC launched a number of new courses, she did not take this department forward,” Baskaran said.

Thamaraiselvi, when contacted,saidshewasunawareof the board of studies formed by the former VC. She said, “We will form a committee soon and take necessary steps to establish the department of Ambedkar Studies and the chair. Getting the approval is easy but funding is a difficult task.”

HC stays G.O. requiring deemed varsities to obtain NOC for agriculture courses

HC stays G.O. requiring deemed varsities to obtain NOC for agriculture courses

30/09/2020

Mohamed Imranullah S. CHENNAI

The Madras High Court on Tuesday stayed the operation of a Government Order issued on July 28 directing all deemed universities to obtain no objection certificates (NOCs) from the government within six months for conducting agriculture or allied courses and not to admit new students until such NOC was obtained.

Justice N. Anand Venkatesh granted the interim stay on petitions filed by SRM Institute of Science and Technology and Vellore Institute of Technology challenging the G.O. on the ground that the State government had no authority to force the deemed universities to obtain NOCs from it.

Senior counsel G. Masilamani and Chitra Sampath told the court the G.O. had been passed by referring to the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations of 2004 and 2016, though all deemed to be universities across the country were now actually governed by the UGC (Institutions deemed to be universities) Regulations of 2019.

Mr. Masilamani contended that the regulations in vogue do not require the deemed universities to obtain NOCs from the State government. Central Government Senior Panel Counsel B. Rabu Manohar, representing the UGC, also told the court that there was no necessity for institutions deemed to be universities to obtain clearance from the State governments.

He brought it to the attention of the court that an association of self-financing agricultural colleges had already filed a writ petition seeking a direction to the government to implement the G.O. and prevent all nine deemed universities, that were offering agriculture and allied courses, from admitting students this year. The UGC had prepared a counter affidavit to that petition taking a stand that the government had no role to play in conduct of agriculture and allied courses by deemed universities, he said.

Jipmer won’t conduct MBBS entrance test from current year

Jipmer won’t conduct MBBS entrance test from current year

Admissions will be made through NEET, says director

01/10/2020

Special CorrespondentPUDUCHERRY

The Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer) will not conduct the MBBS entrance examination from the current year, with the admission process being handled by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), Directorate-General of Health Services, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

In a press note, the Jipmer Director made it explicit in the wake of rumours circulating in relation to admission counselling for MBBS seats that from the current year, Jipmer’s own MBBS entrance test had been discontinued and all admissions at the institute would be made through the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). Hence, counselling for the candidates who have qualified in NEET 2020 would be conducted by the MCC.

The allotment of seats on the Puducherry and Karaikal campuses would be done as per Jipmer’s existing policies for reservation and domicile regulations. The details are available on the Jipmer’s official website www.jipmer.edu.in

MD/MS admissions

In keeping with a communication from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, admissions to the postgraduate courses (MD/MS/DM(6 years)/M.Ch (6 years)/MDS) at Jipmer, Puducherry, for the January 2021 session will be made through a Combined Entrance Examination for Postgraduate Courses at Institutes of National Importance (CET-INI), along with those for seats at the AIIMS, New Delhi, PGIMER, Chandigarh, and NIMHANS in Bengaluru.

The test will be conducted by AIIMS, New Delhi, on November 20 at several centres around the country. Interested candidates are advised to visit the website, www.aiimsexams.org for online registration (the last date is October 12).

All applicants are required to visit the website regularly since all subsequent corrigenda, addenda and updates will be available there.

No convocation

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure the safety of all stakeholders and to abide by the restrictions imposed by the Central and Puducherry governments under the Epidemic Act, Jipmer will not conduct its annual convocation this year.

All degree certificates will be sent to the registered addresses of the students.

All the eligible students have to register themselves in the format available on the Jipmer website.

T.N. decision cancelling arrear exams not right’

T.N. decision cancelling arrear exams not right’

G.O. declaring all students as passed without an assessment is against Act: AICTE

01/10/2020

Mohamed Imranullah S. CHENNAI

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has told the Madras High Court that an order issued by the State government on August 26, cancelling the arrear examinations for all arts and science, engineering and MCA students except those pursuing the final year of their course, was not in accordance with its guidelines.

In a counter-affidavit filed in response to a public interest litigation petition preferred by professor and former vice-chancellor of Anna University E. Balagurusamy, the AICTE said, “The Government Order declaring all the students as passed without an assessment by way of examination is against the AICTE Act.”

The counter, served on the litigant’s counsel, E. Vijay Anand, went on to state that the AICTE is a statutory body which has to lay down norms and standards for technical courses, curricula and physical as well as instructional facilities. It also prescribes the staff pattern, their qualifications and the assessment pattern for students.

“A degree cannot be awarded to a student who has failed in a large number of courses. This is not acceptable to industry too.

‘Against guidelines’

In view of the said G.O., all students, even those who have paid fees for arrear examinations, have been declared as passed, which is totally against the guidelines,” read the counter-affidavit signed by M. Sundaresan, southern regional officer of AICTE, on behalf of the council.

In his affidavit, Mr. Balagurusamy stated that he had chosen to file the PIL petition to save the quality of education, the future of students and the reputation of universities.

He said the government’s decision had demoralised meritorious students who had cleared all papers without any arrears.

“The G.O. will definitely lower the educational standards of students and universities,” Mr. Balagurusamy said.

Railway Board approves operation of 7 special trains

Railway Board approves operation of 7 special trains

Four will be intra-State, while three will go to Kerala

01/10/2020

Special Correspondent CHENNAI

After getting approval from the Railway Board on Tuesday, Southern Railway will operate four intra-State and three inter-State trains on a daily basis from Friday.

In a press release, Southern Railway said it would operate Nellai Express (Egmore-Tirunelveli), Podhigai Express (Egmore-Sengottai), Tejas Express (Egmore-Madurai) and Rameswaram Express (Egmore- Rameswaram).

Nellai Express will begin its first trip from Tirunelveli on October 2 and from Egmore on October 5. Podhigai Express will be operated from the city on October 3 and from Sengottai on October 4.

Similarly, Tejas Express will start from Egmore on Friday with the return trip slated for 3.15 p.m. the same day.

Rameswaram Express will start on Friday from Rameswaram railway station.

Southern Railway will also operate three inter-State trains to Kerala. These will be the Alappuzha (Alleppey) SF Express (Central-Alapuzha), the Ananthapuri Express (Egmore to Kollam) and the Karaikal-Ernakulam Express.

All of the trains, except the Tejas Express, have been proposed to be run on a daily basis.

‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ in State from Oct. 1

‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ in State from Oct. 1

01/10/2020

The Tamil Nadu government is set to launch the Centre’s ‘One Nation, One Ration  Card’ scheme on Thursday. The scheme will allow  ration cardholders to collect their monthly entitlements from any public distribution system (PDS) outlet  in the State.