Exclusive: Meet Delhi boy Saumya Sharma, who topped IIT JEE Main 2016

Soumya Sharma, a student of FIITJEE South Delhi centre, has bagged top position in the city by securing 325 out of 360 marks.

The results of IIT JEE Main have been declared on the official website on April 27. Over 12 lakh students from across the country tested their skills on the JEE Main 2016, held in three phases earlier this month.  

The paper based exam was conducted on April 3 and computer based exam on April 9 and April 10.

Soumya Sharma, a student of FIITJEE South Delhi centre, has bagged top position in the city by securing 325 out of 360 marks."Making it to the IITs is the dream of every Science student. Having worked really hard towards this goal, I was confident of scoring well in JEE Mains. Credit goes to the stupendous coaching mechanism employed at FIITJEE which brings the best in every student. FIITJEE teachers work diligently on our concepts, making sure we know what we are studying inside out. However, I am not celebrating yet.

When talked about the future plans, she candidly replied, "I am returning to my studies with renewed focus as I do not want to leave any stone unturned before the JEE Advanced."

While the other student Ankit closely grabbed the second position by  scoring 321 out of 360 marks.

Little higher than one lakh general category aspirants have cleared the milestone, and now they will appear for the final round of JEE Advanced 2016 to compete for a little more than 5,000 coveted IIT seats. Selection to other prominent Engineering colleges like NITs, IIITs and all the government funded technical institutes will be done on the basis of a cumulative score of 40 percent of the normalised marks, one which is being given to the student in the Class 12 board exam, while the remaining 60 percent marks would be obtained in JEE-Main.

Mr. R L Trikha, Director, FIITJEE says:
"FIITJEE was the fruit of realization that the secondary education system in India was not good enough to train young minds towards deep conceptual pursuit of Science education. Even students who do well at school often fail to do well in competitive examinations because they lack conceptual understanding despite having a good IQ. The success of our students at JEE each year bears testimony to the fact that our way of teaching has succeeded in bringing the best in students. We are very proud of the achievements of our students and teachers.

Source: Indiatoday.

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Irani unveils web platform for inclusive higher education

NEW DELHI: The HRD ministry has unveiled an ambitious plan to facilitate web-based learning, involving applying for courses and accessing material online, to increase the reach and quality of higher education.

HRD minister Smriti Irani in a tweet outlined the structure of Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (Swayam) which promises linkages and assistance for web-enabled learning.

The massive open online courses (MOOCS) platform will aim to create a student experience that begins with creating learning plans and providing information to prospective students about the courses that are available. The Swayam flow chart will allow students to check their eligibility and then proceed for preview and availability of teaching in fields of their interest.

The next step is contact with course coordinators for more detailed information. Application and successful registration lead to access to course materials as the learning process gets under way and now, as students begin following schedules, they can network with other learners to set up a shared workspace. These workspaces can be homes or any available public space and the interaction can go up with online communication with other course-takers.

Mid-module assessments and guidance from supervisors are intended to keep students on track and up to the mark in their academic work that includes self-assessment. Successful course completion will lead to earning credits followed by a course review exercise and the next level of learning in the programme will get under way. Completion of requisite number of modules will lead to qualification at par with regular learning.

The elearning programme has been structured to deliver results and improve inclusion as the admission processes to colleges and schools are unable to accommodate a growing number of applicants.

Source: TOI

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NEET 2016: Supreme Court gives go ahead to two-phase entrance exam

Finally the confusion of students, who wish to take admission into various medical colleges, cleared as the Supreme Court on Thursday, April 28, gave a nod to the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) schedule for organizing the entrance examination in two phases this year.

Earlier in the day, the apex court had reserved its order on whether the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) would be conducted from this academic year or would be held from next year onwards.

The CBSE had proposed to hold NEET in two phases. According to the board's proposal phase 1 of the examination was to be held on May 1, 2016 and phase 2 was to be conducted on July 24.

The board was originally scheduled to conduct the All India Pre-medical/Pre-dental Entrance Test (AIPMT) on May 1 for which 6,67,637 candidates are scheduled to appear from 1,040 centres in 52 cities, including abroad.

The results of both the phases of examination will be combined and declared on August 17.

Many states and private medical colleges had opposed holding the NEET exam for this year and requested that they be heard in detail before any final order is taken in this regard.

On April 12, the SC had quashed its earlier controversial judgement scrapping single common entrance test (NEET) for admission to MBBS, BDS and PG courses in all medical colleges.

Source: Indiatoday

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MH-CET or NEET: Students worried about MH-CET to be held on May 5

With a few days remaining for the Maharashtra Common Entrance Examination (MH-CET), the students in Maharashtra are worried about the report that National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) will be made compulsory from this year.

With a few days remaining for the Maharashtra Common Entrance Examination (MH-CET), the students in Maharashtra are worried about the report that National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) will be made compulsory from this year. The Maharashtra CET examination is scheduled to held on May 5. 

MH-CET has to be conducted: Government official

While the state government is still deciding whether to request a review by a higher bench of the Supreme Court or file a fresh appeal, "MH-CET has to be conducted because students are giving the test not only for medical courses but for engineering courses as well. So the exam will be conducted," said an official from the government.

'It will be unfair if we decide not to hold the examination at the lat minute': Deputy Secretary of higher education

The state government is still unsure about the future steps though 4.09 lakh students have registered for MH-CET.

"We need to examine this judgment of the Supreme Court before taking a stand. But it'll be unfair to students if at the last minute we decide not to hold the MH-CET examination," said Kiran Patil deputy secretary of higher and technical education.

AIPMT Exam: May 1, May 24. Results: August 17

A two-phase single common entrance test for MBBS, BDS and post-graduate courses have been ordered by the Supreme Court. The phase one examination of the All India Pre Medical Test (AIPMT) will held on May 1 and the second phase will be held on July 24. The results will be announced on August 17.

'Supreme Court's directive will put students under a lot of  pressure': Coaching class owners

The coaching class owners in the state feel that the Supreme Court directive will put students under a lot of  pressure.

Surbhi Joshi from a city based coaching Institute told HT, "NEET is only applicable for MBBS and Dental courses, but what about students who want to opt for paramedical courses like homeopathy, pharmacy, physiotherapy, etc? These students will have to appear for the MH-CET so the state government will have to hold the examination on May 5."

'State government needs to take a clear stand', says aspirant

The students are worried as the syllabus pattern of MH-CET and NEET are different. "The state government needs to take a clear stand in this matter, because it'll be unfair to leave us in the lurch," said one of the aspirants. 

Source: Indiatoday.

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EWS admission: Delhi Govt sends new notification to schools

In view of the revelations that were made during inspection of records of EWS admissions in private schools, the Delhi government has issued fresh instructions to school managements and directed them to strictly comply with it.Keeping in view the revelations that were made during inspection of records of EWS admissions in private schools, the Aam Aadmi Party-led government has issued fresh instructions to school managements and directed them to strictly comply with it.

The Delhi government has told the schools to submit the data of all admissions made under the category after the inspections revealed that some of the private unaided recognised schools were not giving admissions to the extent of 20 percent (as mandated) to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) children. According to the rules, EWS children should be given admission in all fresh admissions made in upper classes other than entry level.

What does the new notification state?

"Schools must maintain proper records and registers including student admission and withdrawal register, student attendance, etc. No tuition fee is to be charged from the students admitted under EWS/DG category and if any school has charged then it is supposed to refund the same immediately under proper intimation to the Directorate of Education (DoE)," a communication sent by the government to school principals said, according to PTI.

"Schools have to provide free books, school uniforms and writing material to each and every student admitted under EWS/DG category. Income certificate issued by the competent authority declaring the total annual family income less than Rs 1 lakh is a valid document for admission whether it is in the name of mother or father of the child," it added.

After 300 schools were identified as defaulters for not sharing the status of admissions, 24 teams had been constituted by the DoE earlier this month to randomly inspect the records of EWS/DG category admissions in private schools in the national capital.
The process of nursery admission which started from January 1 was scheduled to conclude by March 31. However, as the schools haven't yet completed the process under the first draw of lots, the admission process is still dragging on.The second draw of lots will be conducted once the department is aware of the status of vacant seats, according to DoE officials.

Source: Indiatoday.

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Why are IIM graduates earning 10,000 a month?

More the number of B-schools crop up in India, the further the students get from getting a suitable job. Rather, a large number of B-school graduates are unemployed.

More the number of B-schools crop up in India, the further the students get from getting a suitable job. Rather, a large number of B-school graduates are unemployed. According to a recent ASSOCHAM study published in Firstpost . these graduates earn "less than Rs 10,000 a month, if at all they find placements."

1,031 candidates from Chandigarh qualified for the IIT-JEE (Advanced) 2016

ASSOCHAM marks the root cause:

India has as many as 5,500 B schools

The quality of education exhibited at premium B-school, IIM can't be matched 

Only 7 percent MBA graduates get the job that too mostly from IIM, ASSOCHAM Education Committee (AEC) noted

As many as 120 new B-schools are expected to start in 2016; the number of B-school seats has tripled in last five years

These B-schools show a lack of quality control and infrastructure

The faculty of these schools has been a problem as well since the teaching profession is also declining in our country

Students are neglected by faculty in Tier 2 and 3 colleges, which obviously reflect on their performance

"There is a large mismatch in the aspirations of graduating engineers and their job readiness." Around 97 percent engineers pass out each year, however there are jobs for only 18.43 percent employable in IT and 7.49 percent in core engineering

ASSOCHAM Secretary General D S Rawat said that the quality of higher education in India across disciplines is poor and does not meet the needs of the corporate world.

What are the possible solutions?

"The need to update and re-train faculty in emerging global business perspectives is practically absent in many B-schools, often making the course content redundant

These schools need to re-work on their fee-structure, as students pay a hefty amount of Rs 3 to Rs 5 lakh on a two-year MBA programme, while they earn only Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000.

What the B-schools have to say?

Dr. Debashis Sanyal, Dean, Narsee Monjee Insitute of Management Studies (NMIMS) says:

"The survey has taken the B and C grade colleges as part of its study and hence these results"

 According to Sanyal, the lowest package at NMIMS is of Rs 17.09 lakh and students get at least Rs 23 lakhs

 Dr Sanyal further refuted the study that only 7 percent B-School graduates get jobs. "The top institutes in the country, be it in Tier 2 towns like Bhubaneswar too have 100 percent placement," he said.

Source: Indiatoday

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40,000 engineers from India to be hired by Japan

The Japan government came to the rescue of thousands of engineers from India with the proposal of mass hiring.  

The Japan government had come to the rescue of thousands of engineers from India with the proposal of mass hiring. Not only this, the Japanese authorities have even offered Japanese language programmes in different universities for these students.

Where is the hiring being done from and why?
Recently, 10 officials of Silver Peak, a Japanese firm, visited Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU)- Belagavi, in order to judge the technical skills of engineers

Also,  they visited other engineering colleges in different parts of the Karnataka for recruitment

According to recent Hindu Report, a representative from Japan on meeting the minister said, "Since several reputed engineering colleges are located in Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka, we are keen on hiring engineers from here."

The one and only reason why Japan government has showed interest in hiring engineers from Karnataka is the exceptional online question paper delivery  system that has been take on by the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU)

Moreover, in this question paper delivery system,  there are no chances for any leaks and it is considered as the safest system till now

Further, the higher education minister has assured  to give full support in this regard. 

MoU signed for the hiring process: 

To get more assurance on this hiring, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between Japan government and the university.

For providing students with job, the Minister for Higher Education T.B. Jayachandra recently had a detailed meeting over this massive hiring.

Details of hiring process:

As many as 40,000 engineers will be hired

The recruitment will be done in different stages

After the hiring gets over, the selected candidates will be given one-year-training in Japan only

Learning Japanese language would be the main criteria for getting selected

Soon, they will also start hiring process of four lakh nurses to work for old people in Japan.

Source Indiatoday.

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UP Police Computer Operator Admit Card 2016 for May 19 exam available.

The Uttar Pradesh Police has released the Computer Operator Admit Card 2016. The exam for the same post will take place on May 19, 2016.

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Police has released the Computer Operator Admit Card 2016. The exam for the same post will take place on May 19, 2016. Candidates can login at http://uppbpb.gov.in or directly athttps://www.digialm.com/EForms/html/form4149/index.html to download the admit card.

The two-and-a-half-hour exam comprises 160 questions and will be of 200 marks. It

contains multiple choice questions. There is no negative marking.

How to download UP Police Computer Operator Admit Card 2016

Visit the official website of Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment And Promotion Board, Lucknow.

Click on “Admit card of Computer Operator”

Enter the required fields and then press the submit button.

Admit card will be displayed on the screen.

Download admit card.

Take its printout for future reference.

Source: Znews

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1,031 candidates from Chandigarh qualified for the IIT-JEE (Advanced) 2016

In the recently declared JEE (Mains) 2016, Chandigarh performed well with 1031 candidates qualified for the JEE (Advanced) which is scheduled to be held on May 22.

In the recently declared JEE (Mains) 2016, Chandigarh performed well with 1031 candidates qualified for the JEE (Advanced) which is scheduled to be held on May 22. 

As many as 1,54,032 candidates qualified for the JEE (Advanced) 2016

Out of 12.07 lakh candidates who have appeared for the JEE Main (2016) exam, only 1,54,032 candidates qualified for the JEE (Advanced) of which 75,859 are from general category and 78,173 are from reserved categories. Around 2,073 candidates from Punjab and 4,358 candidates from Haryana have qualified for the JEE (Advanced) 2016.

The ranks of students will be finalised only after the declaration of the CBSE 12th Board results on June 30. 

Chandigarh based IIT-JEE trainer Kunal Singh says:

Chandigarh based IIT-JEE trainer Kunal Singh told Indian Express."Sixty percent weightage is given to the marks obtained by students in IIT (Main) and 40 percent weightage is given to the 12th board marks. Only after the CBSE results are out will the ranks be finalised. For now, CBSE has only declared the scores for JEE Main 2016 for students who took the exam online/offline." 

The CBSE also released the cut-off marks for JEE (Advanced) for different categories. This year the cut off marks for the JEE (Main) examination has changed. The JEE Main (2016) cut-off marks for  the general category students is 100 marks less than last year's cut-off at 105. However, this year the cut off marks for scheduled caste category  increased from 50 to 52 and 44 to 48 for the scheduled tribe category students. The cut off marks for the other backward castes students remain 70 this year. 
"The cut-off marks for the general category are almost the same as last year. In 2015, the cut-off marks for general category were 115, whereas that in JEE (Main) 2014 were 105. Decrease in the number of candidates appearing for the JEE exams in the last two years and the increase in complexity of the exam explain the consecutive decrease in cut-off marks for JEE (Mains)," he added. 

Source: Indiatoday.

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Direct recruitment of 12,935 senior teachers in Rajasthan

In view of the scarcity of senior teachers in the state, Rajasthan government has decided to directly recruit 12,935 teachers.

Minister of State for primary and secondary education, Professor Vasudev Devnani has said that the process to recruit the senior teachers would soon be initiated.

He revealed that the finance department has given a go ahead for hiring senior teachers for different subjects.

Out of the 12,935 teachers to be hired, 50 percent would be placed in the current financial year. The remaining posts would be filled up gradually in the financial year 2017-18.

Devnani has instructed the concerned officers to initiate the required procedure for filling up of the posts.

He further said that hiring of senior teachers for various subjects would help the schools in providing education in an effective manner to the students.

He hoped that the step would eventually lead to an increase in the number of admissions in the government schools. Besides that, apart from providing qualitative education it would also help solve the problem of teaching for different subject’s.

Source:Indiatoday.

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Delhi University PG admissions 2016 begin: New admission policy, schedule and exam centres

The schedule and new policy for admissions to 66 post graduate courses for the upcoming academic session 2016 to 2017 has been announced by the Delhi University.

The schedule and new policy for admissions to 66 post graduate courses for the upcoming academic session 2016 to 2017 has been announced by Delhi University (DU). The online registration for admissions to these courses will be starting today i.e on April 28 and will continue till May 24 midnight. Interested, eligible candidates may start applying for the same after 6 pm.

According to newspaper reports, earlier, the admissions process was scheduled to begin from April 25. But due to some technical problems, it got delayed. The entrance examination would be held between June 19 to 23.

What is new?

For the first time, the university will be conducting the entrance exams for admission at six centres across the country - Bengaluru, Nagpur, Delhi Jammu, Varanasi and Kolkata. Earlier, the exams were only conducted in Delhi.

Questions for the examination would be multiple choice questions. The duration for the same will be two hours. The question papers will be framed in both Hindi and English language

Foreign language courses including Persian will have subjective questions as well

Except for the foreign language papers, no subject will have subjective questions

Registration fee

For general and OBC candidates: Rs 500

For SC/ST candidates: Rs 250

 These changes in the admission policy have been made on the basis of recommendations of an 18-member standing committee comprising deans of various faculties. Around 8,000 students are to be enrolled for the 2016 to 2017 academic session. There is a common application form for centralised registration for the applicants.

The admission seekers will be able to access all the necessary documents and information like admit card, centre allocation, results, group discussion and interview venue through online medium electronically.

Source: Indiatoday.

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Institutes in Kota shine again in JEE (Main) 2016

The institutes in Kota shine again in the recently declared JEE Main 2016. The students especially from Allen Career Institute, Career Point Institute Kota, Motion IIT Academy and others have performed really well.

The institutes in Kota shine again in the recently declared JEE Main 2016. The students especially from Allen Career Institute, Career Point Institute Kota, Motion IIT Academy and others have performed really well. Around two lakhs successful aspirants of this year will sit for JEE Advance on May 22. 

Topper in Rajasthan: Utkarsh Gupta, says Ashish Sharma

Chief Executive Officer of Resonance Eduventures Private Limited, Ashish Sharma said their student Utkarsh Gupta was the topper in Rajasthan with a score of 335 marks and the second topper Sidhant Kar is also from their institute with a score of 327 marks.  

 Words of wisdom by the Director of Allen Career Brajesh Maheswari:

Director of Allen Career Institute, Brajesh Maheswari Told HT, Shaswat Aggarwal tops from the institute with a score of 325 marks while three of their students Aman Bansal, Ankit Dhankad and Syamantak Kumar scored 320 marks and 25 students have scored 300 marks each. 

Cut off marks of the year 2016

This year the cut off marks for the JEE (Main) examination have been changed. The JEE Main (2016) cut off marks for  the general category students is 100 marks less than the last year (2015) which was 105. However this year the cut off marks for scheduled caste category  increased from 50 to 52 and 44 to 48 for the scheduled tribe category students. The cut off marks for the other backward castes students remain same this year, 70.

Source:Indiatoday.

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Govt begins planning for second edition of International Yoga Day

The government is all set to organise the second edition of International Yoga Day.  For this, the government will be engaging  5,000 candidates each from UT educational department and Panjab Universit.

After the successful completion of International Yoga Day that was held last year on June 21, the government is all set to prepare for its second edition.

The secretary of Ministry of Ayush, Ajit M Sharan, who is also the chairman of the event, recently held a meeting to discuss on various proposals for organising similar event in Chandigarh.

Plans for this year:

For the second edition, the government has planned to engage over 5,000 candidates each from UT educational department and Panjab University

This year also, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be participating in the event

In the recent Indian Express report, Sharan also said that as per the requirements, the number of candidates might increase

Also, the government is hopeful of getting 8,000 students for the mega event

The event will jointly be held by Punjab, Chandigarh Administration and Haryana

The Art of Living, Patanjali and other similar groups including foreign officials will be taking part in the event

The venue would be announced within few days

For organising the event, the government even reached out to Chandigarh and  other states like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Also, the central government has proposed to schedule a one-month yoga training camps will be set up at various places in the Chandigarh city and under the supervision of Dr Dinesh Brahmachari.
While speaking about the last year's event, Sharan said, "At the moment, we are not thinking of setting any new record. All I can say is that it's going to be a big function and we are expecting mass participation."

Last year data:

Around 35,000 people attended the Yoga session that lasted for 35 minutes

The mega event set a new record at the Guinness World Record for organising the largest yoga class at single venue

Last year was Rs 7 crore was spent to organise the session. 

Source: Indiatoday.

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PhD students 'forced' to do research on govt schemes in Gujarat

In a first, the Gujarat Government has issued a list of possible topics related to various government schemes, for PhD students in the state to do research on.

In a first, the Gujarat Government has issued a list of possible topics related to various government schemes, for PhD students in the state to do research on.

The list issued to the universities includes some of the famous government schemes like Mahatma Gandhi Swachhata Mission, Kanya Kelavni, Gunotsav, Garib Kalyan Mela, Vajpayee Bankbable Yojna, Mukhyamantri Amrutam (MA) Yojna, etc.

According to PTI, the move has received opposition due to the following reasons:

Some academicians feel that the government should not force subjects upon students and guides, and if somebody decides to do research on a government scheme, it should be conducted independently.

Congress reacted very sharply, insisting that this kind of research would never be independent.

"It is least likely that PhD conducted on government schemes will be independent as government will influence their outcome because they will never want the scam behind its schemes to come out in the public. Universities here are already far behind other states in terms of research output. By dictating PhD topics, it will only worsen the quality of research," said Manish Doshi, state Congress spokesperson.

Reasons given in favour of providing the list:

A U Patel, an adviser to the Knowledge Consortium of Gujarat (KCG), an independent society headed by the commissioner of state higher education department, which has come out with the list of topics said that the reason behind the move was to ensure critical evaluation of the government schemes

"Government has asked the universities to suggest the students and their guides that they may choose from the topics offered by it, so that the outcome of the research could be used to improve the schemes," he said

"To conduct an independent evaluation of government schemes, KCG framed a range of topics on which students in our universities could conduct PhD. The study, survey, analysis, and overall outcome will help improve the schemes. The university will ask PhD guides to suggest 3-4 topics to their students to pick up for PhD," Patel said

For instance, for Kanya Kelavni, a scheme for girls education, it suggests students may review and prepare a road map for future of the scheme

It wants government to explore analytical models for strengthening quality of primary education through Gunotsav, another scheme to evaluate the quality of primary education.

Source: Indiatoday

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Extremely high temperature forces authorities to direct Ranchi schools to close early

Heat wave propels Ranchi authorities to direct schools to change their closing timings to 11.30 am.

Keeping in view the record breaking heat wave that the country is experiencing, schools in Ranchi have been directed to change their timings to close maximum by 11.30 am, an official said on Tuesday, April 26.

Following are the steps taken by the authorities to ensure that students don't fall victim to the heat wave:

According to IANS, the official said that the new timings would likely to be implemented from today, April 27.

All the classes up to eighth standard will close at 10.30am and classes from ninth to 12th standard at 11.30am, he said.

Why was the directive issued?

Once the summer capital of undivided Bihar, Ranchi has been experiencing temperatures well above 40 degree Celsius since April 1.

On Monday, April 25, a schoolgirl reportedly died due to sun stroke.

The intense heat has caused about 15 deaths in Jharkhand so far, with places like Jamshedpur and Daltanganj having touched scorching 45 degree Celsius.

There is also acute water crisis in Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Daltanagnj and some other parts of Jharkhand.

Source: Indiatoday.

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DU textbook calls Bhagat Singh a terrorist, Smriti Irani says it's 'academic murder'

In a shocking blunder made in a Delhi university textbook titled ' India's Struggle for Freedom', freedom fighter Shaheed Bhagat Singh has been referred to as a terrorist.

In a new controversy, freedom fighter Bhagat Singh has been called a terrorist in a Delhi University textbook titled India's Struggle for Freedom. According to reports, Bhagat Singh's compatriots, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Surya Sena and many others who fought and died for India's freedom have been labelled as 'revolutionary terrorists'.

The Chittagong movement has been referred to as a 'terrorist act' in the book, and the killing of Sanders has been called an 'act of terrorism'. After the factual mistake was pointed out, many renowned historians and authors have come forward and urged the authorities to rectify the mistake.

This book has been in circulation for almost two and a half decades now. The Janata Dal (United) on Wednesday said it will raise the issue in the Rajya Sabha. "We will be raising the issue of Delhi University textbook referring to Shaheed Bhagat Singh as a 'terrorist' in the Rajya Sabha today," JD-U general secretary K.C. Tyagi told ANI.

 Union HRD Minister, Smriti Irani also called in to suggest that no amount of intellectual cover could be used to demean those who have lost their lives. She termed the error as an 'academic murder'. She told Times Now,  "If I am to be called intolerant to ensure that Bhagat Singh is not called a terrorist, then that is a tag I will proudly wear."

She also gave an assurance that corrections will be made in the chapter and that the disapproval would be expressed to the university

Source: Indiatoday.

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Uttarakhand to become hub for higher studies: GUV's 'Best University Award' given to G B Pant University

Governor Dr K K Paul recently made various efforts to make Uttarakhand state, a hub /centre of excellence for higher education.Governor Dr K K Paul recently made various efforts to make Uttarakhand state, a hub /centre of excellence for higher education. According to a TOI report,  governor's best university award was given to G B Pant University on the basis of the performance of the state universities. On Tuesday a meeting was conducted in regards to higher education and these awards were presented to acknowledge the good work.

So as to improve the quality of higher education in the state, he honoured VCs of four universities at the secretariat at the beginning of the meeting, as a part of governor's initiative. He also announced that for the year 2015, the award /running trophy has been given to the G B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar and the university's VC, Dr Mangla Rai, was awarded with the running trophy, appreciation letter and an amount of Rs one lakh for the university's library.

The second place was given to Kumaun University, Nainital and universitiy's vice-chancellor, H S Dhami was presented with a letter of appreciation and Rs 75,000 for the university's library. Doon University bagged the third position and was given a letter of appreciation and Rs 50,000 for the library.

Uttarakhand Technical University (UTU) came fourth in the line and got a letter of appreciation and Rs 25,000 for the library.

These universities were awarded after their performance was monitored on the following 16 parameters:

NAAC approval

Smart campus

Research publications

Patents

Schedule of convocation

Schedule of exams and results

12 B status of UGC and receiving grants    
    
Student-teacher ratio

Placement record

Tutorial status

Report of the progress of villages adopted by the university

Creation of centre of excellence

Coordination with the industrial sector under their CSR plan

Source: Indiatoday.

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Lucknow University invites application for courses in tourism

The Institute of Tourism Studies, Lucknow University, has invited applications for admission to two postgraduate courses, two undergraduate courses and two diploma courses for the academic session 2016-2017.To apply, candidates can download the form from the website www.its-lu.org . They are required to fill the form accurately and in neat hand handwriting, attach a self attested photocopy of the documents mentioned in the form (as per the requirement of the course opted) and paste a latest passport size photograph in the appropriate place, said Prof Manoj Dixit, director, Institute of Tourism Studies, University of Lucknow.“Attach a demand draft of Rs 1,000 (for Gen and OBC) and Rs 500 (for SC and ST) for candidates applying in Post Graduate courses. For candidates applying in Under Graduate courses, one must attach a demand draft of Rs 800 (for Gen and OBC) and Rs 400 (for SC and ST),” he added.

The application fee should be in form of demand draft in favour of “ITS LU Admission” payable at Lucknow. Duly filled form with required documents and demand draft must be posted/couriered/ hand delivered to: The Director, Institute of Tourism Studies, University of Lucknow II Campus, Jankipuram, Lucknow-226 031 (UP) India.For Post Graduate courses, candidate must be a graduate in any stream, for under graduate and diploma courses, candidates must be 10+2 or equivalent. Forms will be on sale until May 20 and screening tests will be held from June 1 to 5. The final admission list will be published on June 15, and classes will start on July 1.

“India’s events industry is still nascent, yet it holds great potential. In recent years, India hosted a number of national and international events like the Balloon Air Show, Defense Expo, Auto Expo, Commonwealth Games, Indian Premier League (IPL), Khajuraho Dance Festival and other well-known reality shows. Organizing such events requires professionals to handle them in a scientific manner for them to succeed,” Prof Dixit said.

“The ITS has introduced a post-graduate programme named MEM, which aims to nurture trained professionals. This course has also been recognised by the ministry of tourism, Govt. of India for which they have given financial assistance to develop the programme.”

Important dates:

Sale of forms : Upto May 20

Screening tests : From June 1 to 5

Provisional merit : June 10, 2016

Final admission list : June 15, 2016

Class start : July 1, 2016

source; HindustanTimes.

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JNU orders release of fellowships, degrees for all students

JNU has issued orders to release the fellowships of all students who had claimed that their degrees and fellowships had been stopped due to their alleged involvement in the controversial Afzal Guru event.

JNU students’ union president Kanhaiya Kumar, Khalid and Bhattacharya were arrested in a sedition case over the event and are now out on bail.

“Orders have been issued to all concerned departments that the fellowships and degrees be released to the students,” an official said.

Two students — Shweta Raj and Rama Naga — had alleged that the university had refused to release their fellowships claiming that they were still under suspension over the February event.

Another student Chintu Kumari claimed that the administration had refused to give her MPhil degree and marksheet saying it has been blocked due to ongoing enquiry into the incident. Students, on Thursday, held a protest and met university officials.

The university said that the holding back of degrees and fellowships was due to ‘a technical error’.“The inconvenience happened due to a technical error as the order about revoking of their suspension was not yet sent by the chief proctor’s office to various departments. But it has been done now,” an official said.

Source: Hindustantimes

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IIT-B to offer fast-track B Tech programmes

MUMBAI: Students at IIT-Bombay can complete their BTech programme in just three-and-a-half years instead of four from the coming academic year.

The radical move to offer a fast-track B Tech degree as an option to students across courses was taken in a recent senate meeting of the institute. Students who are keen on completing the course faster, can choose to take up additional credits and complete their course in just three and a half years.As of now, none of the older IITs have started offering the fast-track BTech, but, IIT-Kharagpur is moving towards it and plans to implement it from the 2017 batch.

"In the final semester, students are free to opt for internships, start work on their entrepreneurial venture or spend a semester abroad at any institute as an exchange student. They will be free to opt for anything. The finer details of the plan are yet to be worked out. The provision is applicable to students from the current batch itself, so they can start accumulating credits from the next academic year," said the director of IIT-Bombay, Devang Khakhar.

He added that these students, who complete their coursework in three-and-a-half-year, will be eligible to sit for the placements in December and start working immediately too once they are placed."Once the students complete their course in three and a half years, they will be asked to leave the campus. Students will be given a provisional statement of marks, but the final degree certificate will be given to the students only during the institute's convocation," said Shubham Goyal, external general secretary of academic affairs (undergraduate). The provision is currently applicable only for the BTech students, whether it can be extended to dual degree students will be decided on case-to-case basis, said Goyal.

Students can start accumulating additional courses after the completion of the first year. "They can choose to do any courses that they wish to. For some courses, which will require the student to have completed a pre-requisite course, they will have to choose it after second or third year," said Goyal. The system will enable the students to learn at their own pace, without any stress. However, there will be a limit on the campus stay. Though students can take more than six years to complete their BTech programme too, they will not be allowed to stay on the campus beyond that, said a student.

Beyond six years, students will have to make alternative arrangements outside the campus. This will also help the institute's administration, which is anyway facing a shortage of accommodation facilities for the ever-increasing strength.
While around 15 students from every batch are keen to complete their course and leave the campus, once the system is institutionalised, there will be more takers, said a student.

IIT-Kharagpur, is probably the only institute to have moved to a partial flexible credit system. Director Partha Chakrabarti said, "We are anyway allowing students to take up micro-credits in their final semester. We have already introduced a flexible system to allow students to learn at their own pace. The fast-track B Tech programme will be offered by 2017 as we are bringing about the changes in phases. Sixty per cent of the work is already done and implemented."

Source:TOI

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School asked to remove negative remark from certificate

Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights asked a Chembur school to issue an appropriate school leaving certificate instead of the one issued earlier with a negative remark.The Commission on Friday, while hearing the case of the 16-year-old child of Ryan International School, Chembur, asked the authorities to remove the remark of 'problematic child' which was mentioned as the reason for leaving the school. Secretary of the commission, A N Tripathi said, "It was inappropriate on the school's part to write such a remark. The school has agreed to it and is going to issue a new school leaving certificate for the child." The commission also gave time to the school to respond to the remaining complaints ot the parent until the next hearing. The parents have been fighting the case in the commission since a corporal punishment incident in October 2015.

The parents have requested the commission to recommend police investigation in harassment case that their son was subjected to in the school. "We will move the school tribunal and also go for a private complaint against the school after the commission's judgement," said the father. The boy already has secured admission in an Airoli school.

Source: TOI

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Maharashtra State board to conduct supplementary exams from July till August

The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBHSE) has issued a statement on Friday that the supplementary exams of Higher Secondary (Class XII) and Secondary (Class X) will start from the month of July to August.The official announcement was made followed by the decision of Education Minister Vinod Tawde to ensure that students won't miss out an academic year.

Chairman of Maharashtra State Board Gangadhar Mhamane says:

The chairman of Maharashtra State Board, Gangadhar Mhamane told Indian Express  that last year ,the re-exam experiment was extremely successful. "Of the 1.39 lakh students who appeared for the SSC re-exam in July last year, nearly 35,000 passed. It meant that students got a chance to secure admission to junior colleges in the same academic year. We hope that this year, many HSC students who fail exams will take benefit of this facility and clear their papers," he said

Mhamane said that students should note that from this year supplementary exams will be held in the month of July and August. "Once the results are announced, we will give the schedule for supplementary exams and forms will also be made available," he added.

Source :Indiatoday

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