Page 337 - Education
JNU panel to complete probe into misconduct allegations against professor in 2 weeks
The Delhi High Court today gave Jawaharlal Nehru University's Internal Complaints Committee two more weeks to complete its investigation into the alleged misconduct of one of its professors, accused of sexually harassing women students. The varsity had sought three weeks to complete the probe, saying it received the high court's May 29 order - directing the committee to take a decision within three weeks - on June 19 and, hence, it needed more time to complete the investigation. The request was opposed by the lawyer of the women students seeking suspension of professor Atul Johri, against whom eight FIRs have been filed alleging sexual harassment. Justice Vibhu Bakhru then granted two weeks' time to complete the ICC proceedings after both the sides agreed. Advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for the women students, told the high court that the May 29 order was made available on the court's website that same evening and there was no need for the university to wait until June 19 to ...
WB Edu min announces salary hike for para teachers
West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee today announced hike in the salary of para teachers effective from March 1, 2018. Para-teachers are those who assist teaching in schools and are not full-time teachers. Chatterjee announcing the pay hike at a rally of TMC para-teachers wing, said 22,085 of them at the primary level and 26,585 at the higher secondary level will be benefitted by it. He said, parateachers in primary schools will get a monthly salary of Rs 10,000 from the present Rs 5,954, from now on, while those in higher secondary schools will draw Rs 13,000 every month from Rs 8,500 at present with effect from March 1, 2018. Women para-teachers will get maternity benefits and their retirement age would be 60 years.
Students, teachers of Manipur University launch relay hunger
Post graduate students and teachers of Manipur University today started a relay hunger strike at the gate of the varsity campus here demanding the removal of vice chancellor Prof Adya Prasad Pandey, as the impasse in the university entered its 40th day. The hunger strike was started after a series of sit-in protests and rallies by the students and teachers. The hunger strike will continue till July 24, Manipur University Teachers' Association (MUTA) Spokesperson Prof M Ranjit said. Since May 30 the Manipur University Students' Union (MUSU) and MUTA are holding sit-in protests and rallies in the campus demanding the removal of the vice chancellor alleging that Pandey has failed to fill up key posts in the university, indulging in contract works, irregular in attending office and spending lavishly on tours outside the state at the expense of the university. Pandey had earlier denied all these charges leveled against him. Six Deans and five head of departments have already
No cut in reservation for OBCs in medical courses: Fadnavis
There will be no reduction in the reservation for students from Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in admissions to medical courses in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said today. He was replying to a question raised in the state Assembly on whether reservations mandated by the Constitution would be affected due to theregion-wise quota for admissions in medical colleges. Seeking to assuage such fears, Fadnavis said, "The OBC reservations will stay and there will be no reduction even by 0.05 per cent. If such instances come to our notice, the admission process will be stopped." The issue was raised by D P Sawant (Congress) during the Question Hour. The region-wise reservation for admissions in medical colleges was in existence since many years, Fadnavis said. He said there were only a few medical colleges in the state's Marathwada region. There were chances that students from the region may face difficulties in seeking admissions in medical colleges elsewhere, he .
HRD grants 'Institutions of Eminence' status to six public and private institutes
The HRD Ministry today granted "Institutions of Eminence" status to three public and three private institutes, enabling them to get full autonomy and special incentives to project them as "world class universities". While the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry will grant Rs 1,000 crore funds to the three public institutions in the next five years, the private institutes, however, will not be eligible for government funding. The government granted "Institutions of Eminence" (IoEs) status to IIT-Delhi, IIT-Bombay and the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in the public sector, and Manipal Academy of Higher Education, BITS Pillani and Jio Institute by Reliance Foundation in the private sector. The move is part of a scheme of the HRD Ministry to select 20 IoEs 10 public and 10 private that will enjoy complete academic and administrative autonomy. However, the Empowered Expert Committee (EEC) headed by former chief election commissioner N Gopalaswami picked six ...
Ericsson expands 'Connect to Learn' initiative in India
Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson on Monday announced the expansion of its "Connect to Learn" initiative in India under which the company's mobile broadband solutions would provide Internet connectivity to 34 education centers run by Smile Foundation across five regions in India.
IIT Delhi, IISc among 6 Institutions of Eminence
The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry on Monday announced that six institutes -- three private and three public -- as Institutions of Eminence(IoE), entitling them to more autonomy and grants from the government.
JU VC urges students' union members to call off hunger strike
Jadavpur University Vice Chancellor Suranjan Das today met members of a students' union, observing hunger strike over the past three days in protest against the new admission procedure, and urged them to withdraw their stir. Das insisted that it was his job to implement the orders of the university's executive council, the highest decision-making body of the institute, but he was "willing to look for a solution" keeping the interest of students in mind. "So long I am occupying the VC's chair, I have to go by the decision taken by meeting of EC. What I feel about the issue at a personal level doesn't matter. However, I do have the interest of students in mind," he said. Around 20 members of Arts Faculty Students' Union (AFSU) started a hunger strike on July 6, two days after the university announced that it would admit undergraduate students in English, comparative literature, Bengali, history, political science and philosophy on the basis of board marks, reversing its ..
Woman cook dismissed after throwing away food touched by lower caste student
A woman cook was today removed from a government school in Rajasthan's Udaipur district after she allegedly threw away the midday meal touched by a girl student who belonged to a lower caste, the school principal said. The action was taken after a video went viral on the social media in which the class 8 girl, belonging to the Meghwal community, is purportedly shown narrating the incident of the caste-based discrimination against her. "The cook tendered her apology for discriminating against the girl, but the locals were not pacified and wanted action against her. Therefore, a decision was taken to remove her," Sushil Arya, the principal of Government Girls Higher Primary School-Utarda, Udaipur, told PTI. On July 2, Kamla Vaishnav had allegedly misbehaved with the girl for touching the midday meal cooked in the school because of her lower caste antecedents. Moreover, she also threw away the food only because the girl had touched it. Resentment grew among the locals as the video went ..
Microsoft partners with Rajasthan government on digital literacy
Microsoft India on Monday said it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Rajasthan government to improve the integration of technology in teaching and skilling of students and educators in government colleges.
Parents satisfied with quality improvement in Delhi govt-run schools: ASSOCHAM survey
Schools in the National Capital Region (NCR) must emulate the model of Delhi government-run schools in terms of making much-needed improvements to facilities and teaching methods, noted a parents' satisfaction survey conducted by ASSOCHAM. The state governments of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Rajasthan having thirteen, seven and two districts that, along with NCT of Delhi, make up the NCR, must take a cue from Delhi government and allocate large chunk of their budget to education, according to the survey conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and Social Development Foundation (ASDF). The industry body interacted with about 3,250 parents in districts falling in NCR whose children are studying in local government schools. The survey was conducted during summer holidays in May-June to ascertain the views of people in general about their level of satisfaction in government schools of their respective districts. "Almost all the parents were of .
Pearson India launches Comprehensive Preparatory Resources for PTE Academic Test Takers
Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic, the world's leading computer-based test of English proficiency for immigration and study abroad, recently launched a collection of resources to help prepare test-takers for the PTE Academic.This is a fresh addition to Pearson's bestsellers including The Official Guide, now available as an Indian reprint. To make the preparation plain sailing for students, Pearson has introduced two brand-new volumes of tests, tips and preparation planners in the Practice Tests volume 2 and Practice Test for Aspire C1.Additionally, with an aim to make the process of learning hassle-free and fast, PTE Academic is now upgraded with the exclusive and official PTE Academic Active app, which assists the learner to access PTE Academic learning and practice material on an easy-to-use interface. Each PTE course can be unlocked on the app by the unique user code provided to the test-taker in the title they purchase.Vikas Singh, Managing Director, Pearson India said, ...
Institution of eminence status to six public, pvt sector institutes
The Human Resource Development Ministry today granted institution of eminence status to three public and three private institutes in the country. The government granted institution of eminence status to IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay and IISc Bangalore in the public sector while Manipal Academy of Higher Education, BITS Pillani and Jio Institute by Reliance Foundation were granted institution of eminence tag in the private sector. "The #InstituteofEminence are important for the country. We have 800 univ, but not a single university in top 100 or even 200 in the world ranking. Today's decision will help achieve this," HRD minister Prakash Javadekar said in a tweet. In an another tweet, the minister said "while today's decision gives virtually full autonomy, it will also ensure that no student will be denied opportunity of education with various measures like scholarships, interest waiver, fee waiver and ensure all equity principles".
KG student dies in Bihar hostel, 2 detained
A six-year-old student died under mysterious circumstances in a private residential school in Patna on Monday, triggering violent protests against the management, police said.
'Education system needs to incorporate cultural values'
Rajasthan Minister Arun Chaturvedi said today the country's education system needs to incorporate cultural values. Speaking at a function here, he said that India's education system and culture suffered a lot under the British rule. He said: Today, education system is only about achieving degrees. We need to incorporate values in education. UGC chairman DP Singh said a teacher can set an example by his or her good conduct. He also said the higher education institutes should have a department of joy or 'Anand Vibhaag'.
Indefinite fast on at JU, Partha meets Governor
The indefinite fast by a few students at Jadavpur University (JU), protesting the varsity's decision to scrap admission tests for undergraduate courses, continued for the third day today even as education minister Partha Chatterjee met Governor K N Tripathi to find a solution to the impasse. Governor House sources said that Chatterjee visited Tripathi this afternoon and held a long discussion with him over the issue. Though Chatterjee did not speak to the media about what transpired in the meeting, the source said it could reflect in a couple of days in solving the crisis at JU. The executive council (EC) of Jadavpur University had decided to scrap admission tests for six humanities subjects and had announced it would admit undergraduate students in English, Comparative Literature, Bengali, History, Political Science and Philosophy only on the basis of marks. Arts Faculty Students Union (AFSU) Chairperson Somashree Choudhury said the indefinite fast by 20 students of ...
JU row: BJP urges government hold dialogue, students continue protest
The BJP on Sunday held the Mamata Banerjee government primarily responsible for the ongoing stalemate in Jadavpur University over the decision to scrap admission test for six under-graduate courses and urged it to start dialogue with the varsity authorities and students' union to find a solution.
Indefinite fast on at JU demanding entrance exam
The indefinite fast by some students of the Arts Faculty Students Union (AFSU) at JU, protesting against the varsity's executive council's decision to scrap admission tests for undergraduate courses, continued for the third day today. The executive council (EC) of Jadavpur University (JU) had decided to scrap admission tests for six humanities subjects and had announced it would admit undergraduate students in English, Comparative Literature, Bengali, History, Political Science and Philosophy only on the basis of marks. AFSU Chairperson Somashree Choudhury said the indefinite fast by 20 students of the arts faculty, since July 6 late night, will continue as the deadline for revoking the executive council's decision to scrap the admission test expired at 12 noon today. "We will discuss our future course of action at a meeting tomorrow morning, including boycott of classes, while the fast will go on till our demand is met," Chowdhury said. Meanwhile, the Jadavpur ...
Miscreants set on fire indoor stadium in Manipur univ campus
Unidentified miscreants set on fire the indoor stadium in the Manipur University campus here, police said today. The miscreants set on fire the indoor stadium in the university campus at Canchipur at around 11.20 pm last night, they said. Fire Brigade personnel rushed to the spot to douse the fire. Police said they are investigating the matter. A large number of students had yesterday marched to the chief minister's office to demand removal of Manipur University vice-chancellor Prof Adya Prasad Pandey.
TN govt opposes Centre's decision to conduct NEET twice a year
The Tamil Nadu government today opposed the Centre's decision to conduct NEET twice a year, while the opposition DMK slammed Union government for "creating confusion" over the exam for entry into medical colleges. School Education Minister K A Sengottaiyan said the state's stand was the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) should be conducted only once a year. "We will take the matter to the notice of the Chief Minister (K Palaniswami) and further take it up with the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and the Union Minister concerned," he told reporters at Coimbatore. He said students cannot appear for NEET twice in the same year as a "six-month period will be short." Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar had yesterday said that engineering and medical entrance exams JEE and NEET would now be conducted online and twice a year by the newly formed National Testing Agency (NTA). Responding to the announcement, DMK Working President M K Stalin slammed the Centre for