Tamil Nadu SSLC results by noon today

The directorate of government examinations will release the Class 10 board exam results at 1.30pm on Monday. Around 11.5 lakh students had registered for the exam this year.

This is the first year that students of four boards — Matriculation, Anglo-Indian, Oriental and state board —wrote the exam based on the common school syllabus. This was also the first time that students in the state board schools attempted science practical exams.

The results, which are usually out by the end of May, are delayed this year because the exams were postponed from March end to the first week of April. The state decided to delay the exams as students got their textbooks only two months after schools reopened, thanks to the court battle over common syllabus.

The state has decided to incorporate security features such as the photograph of the candidate and a unique quick response code, to prevent forgery, in the certificate.

Cut-offs to go up

With the number of students scoring high in class XII CBSE this year, in almost all the streams, it is likely that the cut-offs will go up. It became a topic of national debate last year, when the cut-off for BCom went up to 100% at Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC).

However, PC Jain, principal, SRCC, assures that the cut-offs will not be as high this year. "The cut-offs for BCom (Honours ) have been increasing in the last few years. This year we will make sure the cut-off does not reach as high as 100%. Also, for economics, we will ensure the percentage is realistic. Yet, cut-offs are likely to remain high as the overall class XII scores are rather good this year too."

Since a good number of students have scored well in subjects like psychology, economics, business studies, physics, and even in humanities, colleges across the university believe the first cut-off list released will be high though the percentages will come down with the second list.

According to JM Khurana, dean, students' welfare, with students performing well in CBSE again this year, the cutoffs are bound to be higher, but nothing can be said before the registration begins . Also, since many students these days go for professional courses, aspirants must not panic and wait for the cut-offs to be released. At Hans Raj College, the cut-offs are likely to be highest in computer science, economics, electronics, physics and the biological sciences. "The cut-offs are not going to drop in any case in the popular colleges. Subjects like computer science, electronics and the sciences will see a high percentage. We will have to be cautious while preparing the first cut-off list," says VK Kawatra, principal, Hans Raj College.

Colleges including Hindu and Lady Shri Ram (LSR) maintain that the first cut-off list will be high as they will be playing safe. However, Pratibha Jolly, principal, Miranda House, believes it is too early to say how the cut-off lists will turn out. "Only once we have the pre-admission forms data available with us, the picture about the cut-offs will be clear," she says.

Registration

June 4, Monday

The forms will be available at 12 head post offices and eight colleges - Miranda House in north campus, Atma Ram Sanatam Dharam College near Dhaula Kuan, PGDAV College and Gargi College in south Delhi, Bhagini Nivedita College near Najafgarh, Rajdhani College at Raja Garden, Swami Shradhanand College in Alipur and Shyam Lal College in east Delhi.

Online

Students wanting to apply online will have to log on to the university website - www.du.ac.in. After that they will be given a unique password, using which the centralised online form can be accessed. The online form will be a copy of the over-the-counter OMR form

Teachers’ association to approach governor over fraud in Bharathiyar University polls

The war of words between the Association of University Teachers (AUT) and vice-chancellor of Bharathiyar University C Swaminathan rose to fever pitch on Wednesday, with the AUT choosing to write to the governor claiming that the recent election to the senate search committee was fixed.

The AUT has alleged fraud in the search for the new VC to Bharathiyar University. It said that the election to the senate search committee was flawed. The allegation has serious implications as it affects the entire process undertaken to elect a new vice-chancellor for the university.

"The VC ensured that his own man was elected as the search panel member of the senate," said C Pitchandy, general secretary, AUT. However, when contacted, Swaminathan said all due democratic process was followed in the elections to the search panel of both the senate and the syndicate.

In a press release, the AUT said it will write to the governor, who is the chancellor of the university, to reorganise the election process. The allegations and counter-allegations are being made against the backdrop of the election of S Saravanakumar, owner of Cumbum College of Arts and Science, as the senate search committee member.

The election was hotly contested by the AUT, whose candidate N Chenthamarai took only 65 votes while the candidate allegedly put up by the VC won 114 votes.

The AUT argues that the senate elections were fixed to favour the VC after the syndicate elections were decided unanimously. The higher education secretary had nominated the syndicate candidate to the search panel for choosing the VC and he had been elected unopposed.

According to the AUT, Saravanakumar is too inexperienced to be the senate search committee member, but the VC sees it as a pure battle of ballots. "In a democracy, the losing party should not grumble. I don't understand what the hue and cry is about. I know both candidates - Chenthamarai and Saravanakumar - very well. How can they say only Saravanakumar will propose my name when he hasn't even done so?" asked the VC.

The AUT also accused the VC of destroying the moral fibre of the senate and mobilising voters to win a numbers game.

All India Council of Technical Education issues directives to curb ragging

Adopting stringent measures to curb ragging in engineering and technical institutes, the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has issued fresh directives including mandatory submission of affidavit by the students. The new guidelines will be applicable from the upcoming session.

According to the new directives issued by the apex body for technical institutes in the country, students and their parents will have to submit an affidavit mentioning that the students would not be involved in any form of ragging.

"It is a good step taken by AICTE. It will help in curbing the menace in a bigger way. The affidavit will keep students away from ragging incidents," spokesperson of Madhya Pradesh Association of Technical and Professional Institutes, B S Yadav said.

Students living in hostels will have to submit two affidavits. "Hostellers will have to submit the affidavit mentioning that they would abide by the rules on anti-ragging. They also have to submit an affidavit stating the same about the hostel. Students will have to mention categorically that they would not be involved in ragging in the hostel," Yadav said.

The technical institutions and engineering colleges have been also asked to display specifically the anti-ragging measures at the entry and exit gates of the institutes. "Institutes will have to clearly mention the names and numbers of members of the anti-ragging committee. This will help students approach the authorities concerned," Yadav said.

In the new guidelines, it has also been mentioned that students found guilty of instigating his fellow students would also be treated guilty. The AICTE launched the anti-ragging drive in 2009. The latest guidelines have been inculcated in the previous guidelines. The new guidelines states that in case engineering colleges and institutions fail to abide by the rule, they might have to face cancellation of their affiliation.

Tagore's texts made into pictorial editions

Three children's texts written by Rabindranath Tagore have been produced in pictorial editions in Hindi, English and Bengali by the traditional "pata chitra" painters of West Bengal.

The project "Tagore Tells and the Patua Paints" sponsored by the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT) will unveil May 31 at the Triveni Kala Sangam.

Tagore, who pioneered children's education in India created one of the most innovative alphabet and language primers, "Sahaj Paath" (Easy Lesson).

The project is a tribute to Tagore's creativity and contribution to children's literature, SAHMAT said in a release.

The poems "The Parrot's Tale (Tota-Kahini)", a tale in prose, "Birpurush (The Hero)" and "Diner Alo Nibhe Elo (Daylight is Fading)" have been composed in picture verses by 11 young "pata chitra" painters or "patua".

The "patua", a community of nomadic painters, were from Medinipore, a traditional stronghold of "pata chitra" painters in West Bengal.

The poems comment on the contemporary school education system in India and teach children the importance of being courageous and honest.

The scrolls were designed at a workshop in Kolkata between May 11 to 18. Two of the 11 "pata chitra" painters - who pictorially narrate stories in scrolls - were familiar with the works of Tagore while the rest were ignorant about his literature.

The painters created 32 art works based on three of his poems at the workshop.