For 100% result and reputation, many schools ask ‘weak’ students to leave

CHENNAI: To what extent would schools go to secure 100% results in the board examinations? 

Some institutions provide extra coaching for students and others conduct a series of practice tests. There are schools that provide special classes for stragglers to get them up to speed. 

But several schools — and this is no secret, even though they go out of their way to be discreet about the practice — make a list of students in Class 9 and Class 11 that they think could fail if allowed to take the board examinations the next year. The schools simply ask these students to leave immediately and join another school. 

A majority of these schools ask students who perform poorly in Class 9 and Class 11 to choose between repeating the class or leaving and joining another school with a pass certificate. 

A popular matriculation school in Adyar recently gave more than 10 students of Class 9 a choice: Repeat the class or leave with a 'pass certificate'. "Four of 14 students passed a retest but the others were given the option," a student of the class said. "It was sad to see some of my friends face such a tough situation." 

The school principal, however, denied detaining the students or asking them to leave. "We never fail students. We hold a retest for the poor performers and allow them to continue, even if they've only scored 20%," he said. 

Experts and academicians say more schools than ever before are now sending out poor performers a year before the board examinations, absolving themselves of their responsibility for the students as soon as they walk out of the school. School heads, like K Vasudevan, principal of Prince Matriculation Higher Secondary School, said the institution detains Class 9 students who fail in important subjects like mathematics, physics and chemistry. "It becomes very difficult for them to perform in Class 10," he said. 

According to education department rules, students cannot be detained till Class 8 or sent out while studying in Class 10 or Class 12, matriculation schools director R Pitchai said. However, Class 9 students don't have the privilege. It is close to impossible for parents to secure a Class 10 or Class 12 seat in a good private school, so the children end up in government or governmentaided schools. 

Tamil Nadu High and Higher Secondary School Graduate Teachers' Association state vice-president K G Baskaran, who is a teacher at a government-aided school in Kancheepuram, says as many as 20 of the 50 Class 10 students in our school have been cast away by private schools. He said schools do not show any compunction about asking children to leave in Class 9 even if they were students of the school since Class 1. 

"It would be better for schools to take action at an early stage and help poor performers improve or counsel parents and change schools well before the end of Class 9," Baskaran said.

UP Technical University finds unique a way to check impersonation

LUCKNOW: Learning lessons from last year's large-scale impersonation, UP Technical University (UPTU) has introduced some changes in the state entrance examination-2014 for admissions to technical colleges. Candidates appearing for the exam will have to write two to three sentences in their own handwriting on the first page of the question paper booklet. Since exam is objective type, there was no proof of whether the applicant and the examinee were the same. 

Another major change is in the admit cards. Officials said this year, admit card will have two columns for candidate's signature and their thumb impression. All candidates can download their admit card. 

In one column, candidates signature and thumb impression will be scanned from their application forms. In the second column, candidates will have to fill in signature and thumb impression in front of the invigilator while taking the exam. 

There will be two columns for the candidate's photograph. While one column will have a scanned copy, the candidate will have to put a colour photograph to be attested by a gazetted officer or the head of the institution last attended by the candidate. 

The admit card will also have a barcode printed on it to ensure no proxy candidate takes the exam.

New PhD programme

A PhD programme to boost quality research was launched last week. The Intel PhD sponsorship programme is being supported by the government of India. 

"There is a need to shift the focus to innovation and IT creation. This programme encourages research, which is the need of the hour both for Intel and India" says Kumud Srinivasan, president , Intel India. 

The programme will provide research opportunities for students in cutting-edge technology as well as provide a platform for sharing industry knowledge and mentoring from senior technology leaders at Intel through industry fellowships, research travel grants and contingency grants to the selected students. 

"We have identified different areas of research — parallel computing , architecture, graphics, sensing, validation , power management , perceptual computing , communication — and the applications will be evaluated on these areas. Professors will nominate students. As of now, we have targeted 20 institutes which can participate in the programme. The idea is to accelerate the rate of innovation in these institutes that we have chosen," she said.

Lucknow University to begin its admission process in mid-May

LUCKNOW: Lucknow University will begin its admission process for undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD simultaneously in the middle of May.

All admissions will be closed by July 15 for UG courses while PG and PhD admissions will end by July 31. In associated colleges, UG admissions will close by August 31 and last date for PG admissions is September 30.

The application process for UG will begin 15 days after the declaration of class XII results. For PG, admissions will begin 15 days after UG results are out. The admission coordinator for UG is Praveen Naggar whereas PG admissions will be convened by Kamaluddin. PhD admissions will be supervised by Amita Bajpai.

For admission to both the university and colleges, a combined form for admission, enrollment and examination will have to be filled up. "We will strive to get information from colleges online," said SB Nimse, the university's vice-chancellor.

No direct admission for JRF candidates

The admission committee on Friday ended the option of direct admission for candidates with junior research fellowships (JRF) to PhD. Both JRF and non-JRF students will now have to appear for tests. Admissions will be on merit only. Earlier, JRF candidates were exempted from taking the test and given preference in admissions. The remaining seats would be open to non-JRF candidates.

VIT to open new university near Bangalore in 2015

CHENNAI: VIT University will soon open a private university near Bangalore in Karnataka. The new university, which will initially offer BTech courses, will start functioning in the academic year 2015-16. 

"The state has passed legislation required and we are now constructing the university. We are confident of setting up the facilities in a year," university chancellor G Viswanathan told reporters on Thursday. 

Around 1.94 lakh candidates from across the country and overseas have registered for the VIT Engineering Entrance Exam this year. They will be competing for 4,100 BTech seats. Close to 1.66 lakh students took the test last year. 

The candidates will take the exam at 137 centres in 112 Indian cities and in Kuwait and Dubai. Andhra Pradesh accounts for the most candidates, with 37,298. It is followed by Uttar Pradesh (28,337), Bihar (18,861), Maharashtra (14,801) and Rajasthan (12,839). In Tamil Nadu, 12,555 students have applied to take the exam . 

"TN students are apprehensive about taking competitive entrance exams. Fewer students from here take the exam than from other states. The candidates from TN are mostly CBSE students and most are from Chennai," Viswanathan said. The computer-based test will be held from April 9 to 20, and the results will be announced on or before April 28 on various websites, including www.vit.ac.in. Counselling will begin from May 19 to 22. 

The university offers 100% fee waiver for central and state board toppers. The top 50 in VITEEE will receive a 75% fee waiver, and the next 50 will get a 50% waiver. The university will offer a 25% waiver for those placed between 101 and 1,000 in the exam. 

Under the Support The Advancement of Rural Students programme, the university will offer a 100% fee waiver to government school Class 12 toppers from rural areas in each TN district who do the best in the entrance test.

Maulana Azad National Urdu University mulls centre for religious studies

HYDERABAD: The Maulana Azad National Urdu University (Manuu) is planning to set up a Deeni Taleemi Markaz or the Centre for Religious Studies in the city with a view to developing "moderate and balanced" leadership among students in various fields.

The central varsity, which has developed a concept note on the project, held a workshop on its campus on Wednesday which saw the participation of noted educationist P A Inamdar. "Given the deterioration in the traditional value system I am confident that the University Grants Commission would endorse the idea of the centre," vice-chancellor Mohammed Miyan told the participants at the workshop.

The concept note pointed out that due to the tremendous decline in the fundamental human values in modern times, the deprived and vulnerable sections such as women, senior citizens and children are being subjected to violence and exploitation.

Against this background a Supreme Court judgment of 2002 had asked for the inclusion of teachings from religions and basic human values in the education system, the note explained.

The mission of the new centre will be to remove lacunae in the education system and curricula and help in creating a social order with high human values. The tradition of peaceful co-existence and communal harmony should be inculcated in students and help them take up leadership in religion, education and society in general.

The objectives of the centre include strengthening and promoting the composite culture of India and help students from religious schools and other non-traditional institutions to join the national mainstream.

Ahmedullah Khan, former dean of School of Law, Osmania University, spoke about the 2002 SC verdict and said that it provided a good base on which the centre could be started. Khaja Shahed, pro-VC of Manuu, said with suggestions from experts and support from the government the university will be able to open the centre soon.

Singapore's methods inspire Maharashtra education board

PUNE: Arithmetic, in most state board schools, is taught by the paper-and-pen method. However, the scene may change as the board is contemplating a move to adopt some of Singapore's teaching and learning methods.

Primary school children in the island nation solve mathematical problems in a concrete, pictorial and abstract process. First, they get hands-on training with chips and dice, then they move to a pictorial representation of mathematical concepts and in the third step to numbers and symbols for solving problems.

Minister of state for education Fauzia Khan and other officials of the state education department were in Singapore recently to study the country's education system.

Khan told TOI, "Their education system lays emphasis on building and strengthening the fundamentals of mathematics and language at the primary level. They make sure that students learn through experience. The stress is on creativity and physical education."

So impressed was the team that the state education department issued a government resolution on March 5, stating that 20 officials will be sent to Singapore in two batches to see how primary education is imparted there.

Khan said 40-minute physical education sessions are planned minute-by-minute. "Here, physical education often means taking students to the playground. I was impressed with the teacher recruitment process too. They recruit candidates and train them to teach. We have teachers with degrees who are recruited to teach in schools," she added.

She said adopting some techniques may not even need policy decisions. "The structure of a physical education class can be replicated and may not need any permission from the government. However, decisions like teachers' training and creativity classes, will need government intervention," Khan said.

School education secretary Ashwini Bhide said, "Government officials who go to Singapore will see one of the best education systems. As of now, the emphasis is not on adopt a particular education system, but to expose them to other systems." Bhide said the state government may consider a similar study tour of Israel

Education experts said a conducive environment in consultation with principals and teachers was necessary for any change.