State varsities fail to comply with RTI

HYDERABAD: Educational institutions in the state have turned out to be one of the biggest violators of the Right to Information Act. About 11 educational institutions, mainly universities, have failed to furnish the mandatory information as part of section 4 (1) (b) of the RTI act to the Information Commission. Every state government body is supposed to provide their complete details to the commission, which then uploads it on their website. This information includes details such as the functions and budget allocation of the organization, role, designation and remuneration details of all the employees, important documents held by the department among others.

The erring institutions are JNTU, Anantapur, Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University, Hyderabad, Yogi Vemana University, Kadapa, Satavahana University, Karimnagar, Vikramasimha University, Nellore, Krishna University, Machilipatnam, Mahatma Gandhi University, Nalgonda, Palmuru University, Mahbubnagar, Rayalseema University, Kurnool, B R Ambedkar Open University, Srikakulam and AP Hindi academy. These institutions have also failed to provide the details in their own website, as per the state information commission's annual report for the year 2011.

Surprisingly, the officials of these universities displayed poor knowledge of the Act. "We do regularly send data to the council for higher education and not the information commission," said V Sankar of JNTU-Anantapur when quizzed on the issue.

He later admitted that they were not aware of this particular section of the RTI Act. "If the information commission asks us, then we will work on it," he said. S Khaleel-ur-Rehman, registrar of Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University (JNAFAU) said, "If the commission wants us to send any particular information then we can just be briefed about the format and we would oblige."

The information commission has decided to summon the university representatives soon. Jannat Hussain, chief information commissioner of the state, said, "Since they have not been complying with the Act, we will now force them to do so. We will summon them soon and give a time limit to get their act right. Even after several years of the Act, how can they be not aware of it?", Hussain said.

Source : TOI

EAMCET 2012 : Government for release of ranks, marks together

Five students were booked for malpractice during Eamcet examination in Kurnool — they reportedly appeared for the exam with fake hall tickets. Another student was caught with a cellphone inside the exam centre at Kadapa. Both incidents took place during the engineering exam in the morning session. This year saw a record attendance for Eamcet: the exam in engineering stream saw 96.44 per cent attendance, while it was 95.18 per cent in medical stream.

No cases of malpractice were reported for the medical stream exam. Eamcet, incidentally, has raised security levels, including installation of jammers at medical examination centres, after new techniques of copying came to light in 2010. Significantly, while officials had till date said Eamcet marks would be released on May 24 and ranks would be announced after the announcement of Inter advanced supplementary exam results, Prof. Rao on Saturday said the date is yet to be decided. “There is no decision yet whether to announce marks and ranks separately, or do it simultaneously,” he said, adding, “We will follow the government’s directions.”

The government is learnt to be in favour of announcing marks and ranks simultaneously on June 1, instead of releasing marks on May 24 and the ranks later. Meanwhile, some students expressed disappointment over Saturday’s exam, saying the question papers were lengthy and they had to leave some questions unanswered due to insufficient time. Senior professors said Chemistry would be the deciding factor for success in medical stream and Physics in the engineering stream.

There was no problem with the ‘one minute late norm’ in engineering stream this year, though there were reports of nearly 20 students missing the medical exam for having reached the centre after the cutoff time.

Tech colleges seek fee hike

The managements of engineering colleges have linked the quality of education to the fees students pay. At the fourth general body meeting of the Consortium of Engineering and Professional Colleges Management Associations of AP here on Sunday, the managements categorically stated that unless the government increases the fees significantly, they cannot provide quality education.

“The government and AICTE repeatedly talk about the need to provide quality education to engineering students, but they have fixed the fee at just Rs 31,000 per annum. Even a play school charges more than this amount. Parents are paying fees for their wards in schools ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh per annum. How can the government expect us to provide quality education in engineering colleges for just Rs 31,000? For that, we need to appoint qualified senior professors, whose salaries are over Rs 1 lakh per month. We are forced to appoint unqualified B.Tech students as teachers in engineering colleges, which is reflecting in the form of poor results,” said Nimmaturi Ramesh, general secretary of the consortium.

In an ultimatum to the government, they said that they would collect fees from poor students who relied on the fee reimbursement scheme, if the government failed to release the first installment (25 per cent of the fee amount) to colleges by July, and will issue a public notice to this effect. They demanded scrapping of management quo-ta and filling 95 per cent of seats in the convenor quota, and the allotment of remainder 5 per cent to the NRI quota. They sought hike in fees immediately as per the SC orders.

“Categorisation of seats as ‘convenor’ and ‘management’ quota seats itself is illegal. The government should immediately abolish this. Also, the government has allowed some colleges to fill 15 per cent of seats under an NRI quota against the AICTE norm of 5 per cent,” Mr Ramesh alleged.


Source : DC

EAMCET 2012 : Grace marks solve physics puzzle

The Eamcet committee on Sunday admitted that there were three errors in the physics Eamcet question paper in the Engineering stream, and in three questions in the medical stream which had two options as correct answer. Students who appeared for the engineering exam will get either three grace marks or the questions will be deleted from the valuation. In the case of Medical stream students, though they will not get any grace marks for multiple correct answers, they will be awarded marks if they mark any of the two given correct options as the answer.

“A decision over awarding grace marks or deleting erroneous questions from valuation for engineering students will be taken by the Eamcet committee later. It will be announced as part of the final key which will be released along with Eamcet results in the first week of June,” said Eamcet convener N.V. Ramana Rao. The committee on Sunday released the initial key for Eamcet held on Saturday across the state. The three errors admitted in the physics paper were 85, 106, 113 in Code-A, 96, 106, 119 in Code-B, 81, 88, 115 in Code-C and 86, 93, 116 in Code-D respectively. The Eamcet committee made it clear that there were no errors in maths and chemistry subjects in the Engineering stream paper.


Source : DC

Last edited by shanth; 05-14-2012 at 06:09 PM.

Tech college fee hike to cost state dearly

The fee reimbursement burden on the state exchequer is expected to increase manifold as per the recent orders of the Supreme Court pertaining to a fee hike in those engineering colleges that come forward to implement AICTE pay scales for faculty. Concerned, the state government has initiated an assessment exercise to ascertain the exact nature of the financial burden.

The government has allocated Rs 3,500 crore for fee reimbursement this year to finance nearly 27 lakh students from socially and economically weaker sections to pursue professional and other courses in higher education. The government expects the amount to shoot up to Rs 10,000 crore if the fee is increased by 40 per cent.

The SC has allowed an increase in fee, ranging from 7 per cent to 42 per cent, in 13 colleges that submitted all the financial statements and directed that the fee be revised in respect of other colleges too who give their undertaking before the Supreme Court within a week from May 9, regarding implementation of AICTE pay scales for faculty.

The government expects that an estimated 2,000 professional and other colleges may approach the Supreme Court for a fee hike with an undertaking that they would also implement the revised pay scales and adhere to quality education and required infrastructure.

“If the apex court permits their plea, the burden of the state government on the fee reimbursement scheme to all the eligible students, belonging to the SC, ST, BC, EBCs, minorities, and PHCs on a saturation basis will go up by leaps and bounds from the present Rs 3,500 crore. This likely scenario will have far-reaching consequences on the state’s finances and may affect the government’s efforts to improve the quality of education, particularly primary and secondary education,” highly placed sources in the government remarked.

With mounting arrears, the government had to release Rs 5,250 crore for the scheme last year. The government expects that the B.Tech fees will increase to Rs 50,200 on an average: Currently, the fee is Rs 31,000 per annum.

Source : DC

Colleges accused of selling NRI seats

A fresh controversy is brewing over seats under the NRI quota in the state's engineering colleges, with the association of college managements seeking a CBI probe into the largesse allegedly offered to a select few institutions. While the AICTE norms stipulate that only 5 per cent of seats should be allotted under the NRI quota, the state government allows managements of some elite institutions to offer 15 per cent seats to students who can afford them, it is alleged.

This is done by substituting the clause “in lieu of NRI” to the NRI quota in a direct violation of AICTE norms. Taking advantage of this, some top engineering colleges openly sell these seats, it is alleged.

The Consortium of Engineering and Profe-ssional Colleges Manag-ement Associations of AP has now demanded a CBI investigation into the issue, alleging that some “unscrupulous ministers and government officials” have relaxed the rules with kickbacks from certain elite institutions. Mr Nimmaturi Ramesh, general secretary of the consortium, said: “A college with 600 seats is allowed to admit 90 students in NRI quota by relaxing these (AICTE) norms. That way, these colleges get undue benefit up to Rs 9 crore.

“They offer kickbacks to ministers and officials concerned to secure relaxation. We demand a CBI inquiry.” As part of the ploy to get admissions under the NRI quota, students who fail to get seats on merit through Eamcet are asked to get a letter from an NRI, stating that he/she will sponsor the student.

However, in reality though, the student's parents pay the entire fee, it is learnt. As part of NRI quota, the government allows college managements to collect $5,000 per annum as prescribed by the Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee. This amounts to nearly Rs 2.5 lakh per candidate. The regular fee is Rs 95,000 per annum. Besides, while the AICTE norms specify the fee for admissions under the NRI quota can be paid only in dollars, these colleges accept the money in rupees, thereby flouting another stipulation, it is alleged.

Source : DC

Fate of Eamcet to be decided on May 28

The fate of the Eamcet will depend on the outcome of a crucial meeting convened by the Union human resource development (HRD) ministry on May 28 to take a final call on holding the national common engineering entrance test (Iseet) from 2013. Officials in the higher education department expect the confusion surrounding Eamcet to end once the HRD ministry convinces the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) to the joint Iseet. The 40 per cent weightage for 10+2 marks in Iseet has become a bone of contention with the IIT faculty and alumni opposing it.

The Union ministry of health has already decided to hold the national eligibility-cum-entrance test (Neet) for medical seats from 2013-14 academic year as per the directions of the Supreme Court. AP, too, expressed its willingness to adopt Neet from the 2013-14 academic year. However, it has not decided on joining Iseet the absence of clarity from the HRD ministry.

Source : DC

EAMCET results around June 15

The Intermediate supplementary results are likely to be released any day between June 12 and 15 paving way for release of EAMCET results along with marks and ranks two days after the Intermediate results are released.The EAMCET officials need just a day or two after receiving the data of passed students from the Board of Intermediate Education.

The Inter results assume significance since the government has already taken a decision on releasing EAMCET marks and ranks together after the supplementary results are out. It means students have to wait for more than 20 days to know their exact rank. However, most students can calculate their ranks since they already know their scores from the EAMCET key released.


Source: The Hindu

Common, complicated 2-tier test for IITs, NITs and IIITs

Joint entrance test for IITs, IIITs and NITs from 2013‎‏

Starting 2013, a joint entrance examination will be held for admission into the central funded engineering institutions such as IITs, NITs and IIITs. The councils of the IITs, NITs and IIITs on Monday decided to have joint entrance test for engineering colleges that come under these three councils.

According to the decision taken, for the first time, the class XII examinations will count towards entrance. There will be 50 per cent weightage to the class XII examinations and the rest of the 50 per cent to the main test.

As there are many boards that conduct the class XII exams, therefore, the marks will be neutralised on percentlile basis through an appropriate mechanism. All aspirants will have to appear for a main test and an advanced test, both to be held on the same day. The top 50,000 students in the main test will have their advance papers evaluated for IIT merit positions.

For other colleges apart from IIT, the weightage is: board – 40 per cent, main test – 30 per cent and advance test – 30 per cent. Earlier, the IITs had resisted having a joint test with other institutions, following which the two tier system was evolved. The IITs though have agreed that if the formula works for the first three years, they may agree to do away with two tier system and have just one exam.

Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, who made the announcement after chairing a joint council of IITs, NITs and IIITs, said the selection of the candidates for the IITs and other central institutes would be different even as all the aspirants will have to go through all the steps under new format. This system will replace the IIT-JEE and AIEEE.

The states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana have agreed to adopt the new formula.


Source : IBN Live