My articles

Election day is independence day!

2011-04-23T17:38:00.003+05:30

Mou Chakraborty

NADIA: For the 200 residents of Kullupara village in Nadia district, the elections have a special meaning. On Saturday, after many years, the residents of the village had the right to move in and out of the village at will and that too for the whole day; it was their independence day.

Located at Kulupara check post on India-Bangladesh border, the village is located on the other side of the barbwire fencing the Indian border. Though very much under the jurisdiction of Indian territory, the village is just 150 meters from Bangladesh.

Comprising only 38 houses, the village dominated by Muslim population has 200 residents of which 105 are voters. The only way of livelihood for these people is cultivating the land adjacent to their huts.

“Because of the strange geographical position of our village we have to go inside India by crossing the BSF check post. The gate is not open throughout the day and is shut by 5pm. Even on Eid the gate does not remain open beyond schedule time. We feel like living inside a jail. It is only on the days of elections that the gate remains open all day so that we can cast our vote and we are truly free to go in and out of the village and get into the other side of the fenced Indian territory,” said Bogul Mondol, head of the village.

Majdiya, the nearest town from the village, is 4 km away. Without any public vehicle available villagers have to walk down all the way to get their daily groceries, and get access to schools, colleges and hospital.

The zik-zak Indo-Bangladesh border also means that villagers have to walk through Bangladesh occupied land to reach another house across the same courtyard. Supriya Khatun, originally a resident of Jibanpur in Bangladesh, was married off to this village in India 20 years back. “I am an Indian at heart now. This is where my husband and family lives and like others I too have cast my vote today knowing very well that no political party would solve our problem.”

Goyeshopur in Chuyadanga district of Bangaldesh is nearer than the nearest town in Bengal. “There is no barb wire on the other side guarding the Bangladesh border. Farmers from that side come here to cultivate the lands belonging to Bangladesh. Sometimes we give them food and water. Our agony however starts when troublemakers from Bangladesh come and disturb our harvest and cattle,” said Jahanara Khatun from her mud hut.

Supriya, Jahanara and their whole clan speaks in chaste Bengali but had the accent that people from Khulna district of Bangladesh use. “Life here is very tough. After 5 pm the BSF closes its gate and we are cut off from India and are at mercy of these people from Bangladesh. We have no roads, no electricity; there are only two tube wells in the village. None of the political parties think about us. No one came for campaigning. Some people from both CPI(M) and Trinamool had come in one day and painted some of the huts with their symbols and names of candidates,” said Mithun Mondol, a 19-year-old resident of the village, now earning his living as a construction worker in Tollyganj.

Located in Krishnagangue Assembly constituency, this village comes under Matihari panchayat, which was won by Trinamool. For the Assembly election the village is voting for Mamata Banerjee but its residents have made it clear that they are not swept by the ‘Maa, Maati, Manush’ slogun of Banerjee. “We have understood that Didi would come to power. So we are voting for her party. This will make our life easy, we will be allowed to bring in fertilisers and our daily ration through the check post and take our harvest to the nearest market for auctioning without much hindrance,” said Saidul Mondol, a first time voter of the village.

“We know that no political part or its leaders will ever visit our village and bring in electricity and construct roads here,” he said.

First ever energy audit to power IIT savings

2010-04-21T13:33:00.001+05:30

Kolkata, April 21

At a time when Bengal is reeling under a power crisis, IIT-Kharagpur has come up with a full-fledged energy audit. The report, the first of its kind for any IIT, throws light on ways to save power. The suggestions will soon be implemented on the campus.

Forty students of IIT-Kharagpur (IIT-Kgp) started the project at the initiative of AIESEC, the world’s largest student-run organization, and Ecozen Solutions, a startup by IIT-Kgp students. “The audit lasted for four months, from January to April, and is the first independent student-run non-credit energy audit initiative in India,” said Shubhanshu Mishra, a third-year mathematics and computing department student and a member of AIESEC. The students were helped in their endeavour by the electrical department faculty.

It was found that IIT-Kgp runs up an annual electricity bill of Rs 11.18 crore and the institute’s gross annual carbon footprint is equivalent to 25,000 tonnes of CO2. There were various aspects to the audit, ranging from electrical to heating, ventilation and air conditioning and fossil fuel consumption.

Several teams, under the technical supervision of senior Ecozen members, worked to assess the status quo by taking regular meter readings, accessing records and talking to on-site personnel. “It was seen that a lot of energy is being wasted in the institution’s kitchens. Energy is wasted when students do not switch off lights, fans or computers. Lights are left on even in the academic building. As responsible global citizens, we should want to change all this,” Mishra said.

The report suggests several infrastructure and behavioural changes to improve the situation. Technical changes were proposed, as were publicity and awareness drives. A competition among halls of residence, assigning consumption targets to departments and launching an aggressive green campaign were suggested. Changes in lighting systems across the institute were examined and the possibility of saving considerable electricity was discovered. Renovation of outdated cooling systems in the old building and building a biogas plant to utilise kitchen waste and save LPG were also suggested.

“The report took a complete view of the energy balance on the campus and identified areas of wastage and outlined proposals for implementation of corrective measures. Possibility of savings by implementation of these plans are twofold: Reduction in CO₂emission and cut-down in energy bills,” said Mishra. The plan to replace HPSV street lights by LED lights alone would lead to around 58 per cent savings in energy.

The authorities are happy with the report and will implement most of the suggestions soon. The dean of students, Souvik Bhattacharya, who helped the energy audit team said, “The students have done an excellent job. With 19 hostels and 7,500 students, completing the energy audit was a huge task. Apart from students of IIT-Kgp, two students from Mexico and Chile were also part of the audit team. Some of the suggestions are reasonably inexpensive and we would try to implement them by the beginning of the next semester.”

Power saving plan of IIT-KGP

Replacement of HPSV street lights by LED lights
Modernisation of corridor illumination by replacing tubes with CFLs
Installing motion sensors in low utilisation areas
Installing master switches in high utilisation areas
Building biogas plants to treat food waste from kitchen and use it for cooking
Installation of solar cooker for boiling water
Renovation of illumination system of central library by reducing the number of lights, installing motion censors and repositioning lights in some places
Installation of online energy meters for academic complex and hostels
Web portal to monitor and display energy consumption in real time
Aggressive GoGreen campaign via posters, presentations, competitions and workshops
Assigning targets to departments and hostels to reduce energy consumption through inter- hall and inter-departmental contests
Using spring-loaded doors instead of sliding doors to reduce extra cooling load on AC
Installation of underground insulated pipes along with pumps to supply chilled water for air-conditioning

Humorous & Feisty Mamata holds court during rail budget

2010-02-25T17:38:00.002+05:30

Kolkata, February 24

Kolkata: When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Pushed into a corner by opposition MPs who called her regional, a feisty Mamata Banerjee delivered telling counterpunches and humour to ensure that she was the last one standing at the end of her two-hour marathon Railway Budget speech.

If former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav’s budget speech are remembered because of its entertaining quality then Banerjee’s oratory tickled the funny bone of parliamentarians and general public glued in front of the television sets. Unlike Lalu, Didi was serious yet her speech will be remembered for the liberal use of improvised Hindi and English laced with bits and pieces of her mother tongue - Bengali. Dressed in a white and green sari and her trademark rubber slippers it was her funny pronunciations laced with her seriousness that many found amusing.

The Railway Minister, who has a strong Bengali accent, also apologised to the House for her pronunciation. “My pronunciation will go wrong if I go fast.... I apologise for my pronunciation,” she said. Banerjee, who was interrupted several times during her speech by members alleging that she was ignoring their constituency, was heard shouting back – “Aap shaant ho ke baitho to dega” (if you sit silently, I will give you), “chillao mat” (don’t shout), “jitna marzi chillao” (shout as much as you want) and “mera jaan kha gaya sab” (they have pestered me so much).

While Speaker Meira Kumar asked the MPs to sit down and let Banerjee finish her presentation, the minister did her bit by frequently interrupting her speech to tell MPs to let her complete the job. “I’m also a human,” a frustrated Banerjee said at one point. And then carried on gamely, not even stopping for a sip of water.

As names of various places of West Bengal came up during her budget speech, the opposition attacked her for being Pro-Bengal. Even as Speaker Kumar continued to pacify the MPs saying “Baith jaiye….baith jaiye” (sit down, sit down), Banerjee stopped reading her speech and said “Ke re” (Who is it?) and tried to spot the MPs creating uproar.

Then looking at Lalu, who had criticised her last year for giving a pro-Bengal railway budget, she deliver her clincher. “One of the Karma Bhumi Express trains will go from Darbhanga to Mumbai” and then chuckled “Laluji kahan hai? (Where is Laluji?)

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who is not known to show her emotions much, was enjoying the way Banerjee held fort for nearly two hours. So when Banerjee reprimanded a MP, saying, “If you don’t listen, I will cut it,” (cancel your constituency’s name from the list)”, making Gandhi clap in glee. Banerjee also pleased Rahul Gandhi by announcing setting up of a bottling plant in Amethi, leading to some noises in the House.

The Opposition MPs once again started shouting when Banerjee begun announcing the expansion plan of Kolkata Metro. The railway minister hit back by saying, “Karte raho…katre raho (Keep shouting).” Before moving on to the next announcement, Banerjee stopped and asked “Kyun chillata hai? (Why are you all shouting?)” Then resorted to colloquial Bengali, “Hath, arre dhat (Shoo! What the hell!).”

She was at her funny best while announcing the state of art skill development centre for railway workers in. Banerjee begun by saying that Beleghata would get one such centre and the house once again became restless. This time the minister tried to pacify the angry MPs and said, “Khaali Bolta Hain…..nahi hain, pehele thik se suno (You all talk too much. Ok I have not given anything to other states. First you all listen properly there is something for everyone).” She then announced that another Centre would be coming up in Cuttack. “Cuttack kahan hai?....Jabalpur kahan hai? (Where is Cuttack? Where is Jabalpur)?” after announcing trains for these places. And just as the MPs had stopped their murmur, she quickly named Coochbehar and Jalipaiguri as two other places where the centre would come up.

And did we forget to mention that the common man crept up in her speech every now and then as she fondly called them “peepul,” her favorite deviation for the word ‘people’.

Peace prevails outside Basu’s ‘haven’

2010-01-19T16:50:00.001+05:30

Mou Chakraborty

January 18, 2010

Kolkata: At 12.30pm on Sunday, Ravi Das set out on an unusual journey from his Halisahar home. The man hit by polio pulled out his hand-driven tri-cycle and kept on paddling until he reached Peace Haven, where Jyoti Basu’s mortal remains have been kept.

The 35-year-old lottery seller cycled all the way alone. “He was the greatest Marxist leader of Bengal. I joined the party 15 years ago inspired by one of his speeches at Brigade Parade ground. The tricycle that helped me to come here was given to me by Jyotibabu,” said Das.

“The moment I heard that he has passed away, I knew that I must see him for one last time at any cost. Immediately, I brought out my cycle and started paddling. Even though there are supporters like me but Jyoti Babu’s death would definitely cost the party dear in the next Assembly election,” Das added.

During the course of his journey, Das survived on peanuts and slept at Sealdah Station all night. But the journey went in vain as police stopped him at the gate of Peace Haven. With moist eyes Das said, “Food and sleep is not important. It is already evening and if I could paddle such long distance, I can wait for one more night to bid farewell to the leader who inspired me to fight in life despite my physical limitations. I will go to the Assembly tomorrow to pay my last respect.”

Not only Das, football Olympian Sailen Manna too turned up at Peace Haven to catch a glimpse of Basu but he too was turned away. “He was a gentleman and the kind of love and respect I got from him cannot be expressed. Whenever I needed a car he used it sent it from Indira Bhavan. The last time I went to meet him he called me in by my name. Today too if he would have been alive and knew I was here to see him he would have called me in,” said 86-year-old Manna with tears in his eyes.

Asit Chatterjee, an official of Mohun Bagan Club who accompanied Manna, said, “From the moment he came to know that Jyoti Basu’s mortal remains have been kept here, he was desperate to come. Now he will have to wait for another day.”

Even though no one was allowed to enter the gates of Peace Haven, 72-year-old Arun Deb, an NRI from Basu’s favorite holiday destination – London, was allowed in. Basu is kept in drawer number 2 in the freezer at Peace Haven while Deb was placed in the one just above him.

If the claim of local resident and CPI(M) supporter Sahil Islam is true, Basu has been kept in the same drawer where his protégé and CPI(M) leader Subhas Chakraborty had been kept after his death last year.

“He came from London with his wife and went to Shillong for a holiday but died on the way due to massive heart attack. They are sharing the same freezer. It is such a strange feeling to know that my father-in-law is sharing the same freezer with the veteran Marxist leader,” said Kaveri Das.

Though there were some emotional moments but the crowd outside Peace Haven comprised mostly locals and showed no sentiments. Only passers-by would stop to find out why the place had such media presence and then walk away.

Now you can become a graduate in six years

2009-12-11T19:50:00.008+05:30

Mou Chakraborty

Kolkata: Come 2010, it will be OK for Calcutta University students to take six laidback years to be graduates. The B.A., B.Sc and B.Com courses will still be three-year courses. But a student will have the leeway to clear his subjects at any time of his choice during the six-year period. He might skip or even fail in a given number of subjects, but will be promoted to the next year under a credit system and no-detention policy adopted by the university.

The university’s Undergraduate Council took a decision on Thursday, blessing the above arrangement. “The university had introduced the Part I, Part II and Part III exam at the end of each year with a view to starting a credit system and a semester system. Now we are introducing the credit system and with it a no-detention policy. Under the new arrangement, a student wouldn’t be detained in a class even he fails in a paper or skips it. He will have six years to finish the course,” V-C Suranjan Das said.

A committee headed by pro vice-chancellor (academic) Dhrubajyoti Chottopadhyay will look into the nuances of implementing the system. It will table its report in three weeks. “We have agreed, in principle, to start a credit system and a no-detention policy. Once the committee tables its report, we will change the university statute,” Das said. “A student may pick any year in the six-year period to complete his course. We will declare him “passed” in that particular year and give him a consolidated mark-sheet. But he will have to spend at least three years on the course,” Das added.

The no detention policy and credit system will be applicable for both honors and general course students.

Highlights

*Exams can be spaced out or clubbed according to a student’s convenience

*No matter how well or badly he does, he will promoted to the next year

*He will have to spend a minimum of three years on the course and must complete it in six years

ICSE snubs Sibal on Class X exams, marks

2009-10-28T20:05:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty, Hindustan Times

Kolkata, October 27, 2009

Unlike the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) board is in no mood to introduce absolute grading for Class X examinations.

The ICSE council also refuses to make Class X exams optional, says its chairman, Neil O’Brien.

In August, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal had declared his intentions of making Class X exams optional.

He also said that those who wanted to write the exams would be awarded grades instead of marks.

Following that directive, the CBSE has already made Class X exams optional and said it would be awarding grades.

But O’Brien disagrees.

“Doing away with marks and awarding only grades won’t be useful,” he said. “If we award just grades, would colleges and universities accept the grades while admitting students?”

His logic: “College and university authorities would look for marks to draw up a merit list. Unless higher education institutions decide to admit students based only on grades and all other school education boards decide on grading, there’s no point in introducing them.”

The ICSE council currently awards grades along with marks.

About 1,600 schools are affiliated to the ICSE and more than 9,000 to the CBSE.

Principals of ICSE schools in the NCR agreed with O’Brien.

“There’s no point in giving grades in Class X and then making marks the basis for college admission,” said Anuradha Chopra, principal of Pragyan School, Greater Noida.

Komal Sood, principal of the Shri Ram School, Moulsari Avenue, Gurgaon, said, “I totally support the ICSE chairman’s views. If change has to be brought, it should happen at all levels. Class XII students should also be graded, and colleges should accept grades while admitting students.”

(With HT inputs from Delhi)

http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/default.aspx?ed=264, http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/default.aspx

Gandhi fuels agri, industry debate

2007-12-08T15:25:00.001+05:30

Kolkata, December 7
GOVERNOR GOPAL Krishna Gandhi might have fuelled yet another spate of controversy. Gandhi, who has been critical of the Left Front government’s policy of forcible land acquisition for industrialisation, refuted the pro-industry belief of the state government on Friday.
What could be his most scathing criticism of the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government, he denied the prevalent thought that industry not agriculture holds the key to the nation’s future. He was talking at a seminar organised by the Indian Society for Soil Sciences at the Indian Glass and Ceramics Research Institute.
“We all know Ramkrishna Paramhansa said ‘taka mati, mati taka’ (wealth is synonymous to land and vice versa). However, we should not misinterpret this and regard soil as fixed deposit, which could be enchased for the use of capital. I am all for industry and capital but industry and capital should not look readily upon soil as an encashable asset, to be put into the profit graph of private capital,” he stated.

According to sources, Gandhi said while soil was very important, the government needed to understand its significance and then decide whether to set up industry or give it away for agricultural purpose. Maintaining his tone, the Governor further said the deciding factor behind converting agricultural land for industrial purposes should be left on the fertility of the soil and not on margin of profit.
“Our natural balance of land should be maintained. Due to topographical reason, North Bengal is prone to landslides. In such a scenario, the plains are important for agricultural,” he said. Gandhi pointed out that it was as bad as trying to irrigate the deserts of Rajasthan for cultivation.
Sources informed that Gandhi also questioned SEZs (Special Economic Zones) and felt that these should not be allowed to come up just anywhere.
Although no media persons were invited for the seminar, contents of the Governor’s speech trickled out. Sources believe the speech is likely to bite the Left Front government hard enough and Gandhi would continue to be an eye sore, both for the administration and CPI(M).
Although the Governor has been critical of the steps taken by the sate government and its industrial policies ever since forcible acquisition of land at Singur, Gandhi gave vent to his angst and desperation in a statement following the police firing on peaceful demonstrators at Nandigram on March 14. Although he did not criticise the state government directly, he has often implied that he did not have faith in Bhattacharjee and his government. Recently, he further proved his lack of confidence in the government and Bhattacharjee when he met Marxist patriarch and former chief minister Jyoti Basu, requesting him to appeal for peace at Nandigram.
letters@hindusantimes.com

State aspirants in a fix over admission in BESU

2007-12-08T15:24:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, December 7
Students are confused about the admission process with Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU), Shibpur scheduled to start operating as an Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) from the 2008 academic session.
According to talks between the Centre and the state government, 50 per cent seats would be reserved for students from Bengal. But the confusion amongst students from the state is whether admission will be through the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE) or the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE).
Neither the university nor the higher education department is fully aware of the arrangement. As per the agreement with the state, BESU was to admit students under the state quota through WBJEE, while the remaining were supposed to be filled through AIEEE.
However, Arjun Singh, minister of human resource development had informed BESU vice-chancellor N.R. Banerjea and a team of MPs and BESU officials on Thursday that he would be sending a letter to state chief secretary Amit Kiran Deb next week stating that BESU would work as an IIEST from the 2008-2009 academic session. He also informed that admission would be through AIEEE, including students from the state.
Afterwards, a BESU official had informed Hindustan Times from Delhi that, “For the time being it seems that MHRD wants admission to be through AIEEE. But we would be sure about it only after the official letter is sent.”
But if BESU has to pull out from WBJEE, the structure as well as the address of the JEE board will have to be changed. Till date the institute has acted as the anchor of the WBJEE board. According to practice, the BESU vice-chancellor is the chairman of WBJEE and its office is also located on BESU campus.
The WBJEE office may have to be shifted to Jadavpur University’s (JU) Salt Lake campus and a new chairman appointed. “We really do not know if such a situation will at all arise. Till date, institutions have joined the WBJEE board but no one has left. Only after the letter arrives from the Central government will the situation become clear,” said Bidyut Bhattacharya, member secretary of JEE board.
Currently the WBJEE application bulletin states that 50 per cent of BESU’s total 360 seats will be filled up through WBJEE and that aspirants will have to submit their domicile certificate with the application form. If BESU has to pull out of WBJEE, the board will put up a notice in this regard in the newspapers and inform candidates, informed Bhattacharya.
This means that it would be wise for candidates wanting admission in BESU in 2008 to fill up both the AIEEE and WBJEE examination forms. The application form for both the exams will be available till January 5, 2008. While WBJEE will be held on April 20, 2008, AIEEE will be held on April 27.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Shibpur BE University at par with IITs

2007-12-07T14:33:00.001+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, December 6
IT’S OFFICIAL: Bengal Engineering and Science University will become a central university from next year. It will be the first IIEST, or Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, at par with the IITs.
It was perfect birthday gift in the university’s 150th year. The elevation gives BESU a victory in its competition with Jadavpur University, the state’s other pride in terms of engineering education.
The Centre will inform the state of the decision in writing next week. HRD minister Arjun Singh, however, gave the assurance on Thursday, when he met university officials and state MPs in Delhi.
“It was decided to elevate BESU to the status of an Institute of National Importance (INI) from 2008-09. It will be called IIEST-Shibpur,” said V-C N.R. Banerjea.
An amendment to the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Act will introduce a special schedule to enable the elevation. “That doesn’t mean we will become an NIT,” the V-C clarified. Invocation of the NIT Act is a temporary step; an IIEST Act will be set up as more such institutes come up.
The new breed of institutes will serve two purposes. They will not only hold their own against IITs, but also save the government the cost of setting up new IITs. Others lined up for elevation include Osmania University and BHU’s Institute of Technology.
Students will be admitted through an all-India entrance. BESU will reserve half its seats for West Bengal students. Governance will be shared as per an agreement with the state.
Higher education minister Sudarshan Roy Chowdhury welcomed the elevation. “If the Centre has given the state what it sought, we are happy. I only wonder why they delayed it,” he said.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

FACE-OFF

2007-12-07T14:32:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, December 6
THIS TOO had to happen in Kolkata. For over five months, Rabindranath Tagore faced a short of identity crisis at the Calcutta University (CU). Though the problem seemed to have ended after the universities authorities dismantled a poorly made bronze statue of the Nobel laureate, it has undoubtedly sparked a major row.
The statue was installed on the poet’s birthday this year by the Bengali department’s alumni association. But the statue looked more like Jharkhand Mukhti Morcha chief Shibu Soren than Tagore. Placed bang opposite the Darbhanga Building on the varsity’s College Street campus, the statue became a centre of discussion for its shocking looks. Following criticism of the statue from various quarters, the university finally dismantled it on December 1.
But Ashok Kundu, general secretary of CU Bengali Department Alumni Association, is angry for the treatment meted out to the statue. “We are shocked to see that the university removed the statue without even bothering to inform us. Tagore had once taught in this university for two years and there was no statue of his here. The manner in which the statue has been uprooted has been an insult to us and Tagore lovers,” he said.
The alumni association alleged that vice-chancellor Ashish Banerjee had refused to explain the move. Talking to Hindustan Times Banerjee, however, clarified: “Many people had complained that the statue did not look like Tagore. Even many syndicate members held the same opinion, so we have removed it. We will soon replace it with another Tagore’s statue.”
But the alumni association is not ready to buy the argument. They say the statue was crafted based on a photograph of Tagore taken during his Nobel prize felicitation lecture at CU. The picture was clicked by Bourne & Shepherd, one of the oldest photo studios in the world, and was published in the special edition of the Kolkata Gazette. Renowned sculptor Sunil Pal had overseen the casting of the statue.
“There cannot be any controversy with the look of the statue. The fibre cast was shown to the vice-chancellor and only after he gave the green signal the statue was cast in bronze,” said Kundu.
“At statue unveiling ceremony, transport minister Subhash Chakraborty was present along with many other luminaries and university officials. No one had found anything wrong with it,” he added.
On December 9 the alumni association will register its protest at its annual meeting. “We will launch a signature campaign. Luminaries like Sankha Ghosh, Samaresh Mazumdar, Amlan Dutta and Mahasweta Devi will write about it and the booklets will be distributed to the public,” Kundu said.
After the eight-feet tall statue was brought down, university officials have placed flowerpots in the area. The statue was made at a cost of Rs 8 lakh, which included funds from various alumni and government.
“We will approach chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, who was a student of Bengali, and governor-chancellor Gopal Krishna Gandhi on the issue,” Kundu added.
Writer Sankhya Ghosh feels hurt by the incident. “I personally do not believe that a personality can be respected through statues. But when one was put up in the university it could not have been done with official nod. If the university has dismantled the statue without informing the people behind it, l feel it is wrong.”
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Drama classes to make IIMC students better managers

2007-12-06T15:17:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, December 5
Now Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIMC) students will study dramatics to become better managers. It has been incorporated as part of their optional papaer in strategic management curriculum and the B-school has invited famous theatre group Nandikar to conduct classes.
The Dramatics Society of IIMC has already conducted two workshops with Nandikar for theatre enthusiasts on campus but it was hitherto unrelated to their curriculum. It was during the workshops that Prof Shekhar Chaudhuri, director of IIMC, expressed his desire to incorporate the theatre group’s teaching within the curriculum. “We have invited Nandikar to take two sessions of a module on strategic management. If they accept it then we would like them to take the classes in January next year,” said Bishwatosh Saha, faculty of strategic management at IIMC.
Explaining why a theatre group would be asked to conduct management classes, Saha who is a theatre enthusiast himself, said, “Everything cannot be taught with the help of chalk and paper and this is where Nandikar would come in. Among various other things, the skills of a theatre artiste can help a student become a better negotiator.”
The Nandikar group, which boasts of stalwarts such as Rudraprasad Sengupta, Goutam Halder, Debshanker Halder and Swatilekha Sengupta, is ready to accept the proposal. “Yes, we have received the proposal from IIMC and would definitely accept it. We will send them an official reply accepting the offer soon. There are a lot of things that management students can learn from theatre and we would love to be of help,” said Rudraprasad, the front man of Nandikar.
According to IIMC instructors, management is all about understanding people, getting into their heads and then empathising with them to take both the organisation and the individual forward. Expressed thus, one comes to understand why management can find parallels with theatre. The pauses between sentences when one performs on stage are like conversations one has at the workplace.
Communication, that is so vital to employees, is the fulcrum around which theatre revolves. And it isn’t restricted to the spoken word alone. Its about that stare the actor gives his co-actor, similar to what one would get from his boss, if he were to slack off. It is about articulating oneself to perfection, which would define organisational communication to a tee. And it’s also about being bold or even fearless at times, which is what theatre is all about. More critical aspects of theatre like rhythm of speech and body language would teach students on how it influences little things like even the way we walk. “Theatrical skills can be used in the boardroom as well as in life. If everything goes well, we are planning to make it a permanent fixture in the course,” said Anindya Sen, dean of program and research initiative of IIMC.
Though course details will be finalised once IIMC receives confirmation from Nandikar, topics like voice modulation, situational analysis and conflict negotiation will be part of the class Students would understand their own body and how it works synchronously with the brain, to enhance their power of understanding and react to situations in a better way, a must for managers.
Students are already elated with the prospect of Nandikar conducting classes. “We wanted it to be incorporated in our syllabus and even our director was keen. We are happy that it is finally happening,” said Shipra Sinha, head of the dramatics cell.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Quality control course at ISI

2007-12-03T15:19:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, December 2
To celebrate its Platinum Jubilee, the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) is introducing a first- of-its-kind course on statistical quality control.
Till date, ISI had largely focused on research and the courses offered were also aimed at producing quality researchers. But for the first time, the institute has come up with a course, which will mainly cater to producing a quality workforce for the industry. “Our objective cannot be only to produce researchers for ourselves. Now science has become globalised and we should reach out to the rest of the world by delivering a workforce in a very important area of statistics, which is quality control. Statistical quality control is equally important for the government as well as industry. The area is vast and manpower is less and the course will look to bridge the gap,” said Sankar K Pal, director of the institute.
Till now, ISI offered a six-month programme, statistical development programme, for MStat students, who were then absorbed by the institute to work on statistical data generated for research. But this new course of two years’ duration will have a wider outlook. Apart from MStat students, those with an MTech degree or MSc in physics or mathematics could also apply. “We are currently designing the course content and will be able to offer the programme from the 2008-09 academic session. Hand-picked students from India and aboard will be able to enrol in the programme,” said Pal.
The institute already offers PhD programmes in statistics, mathematics, quantitative economics and computer science, but for the first time it will offer PhDs in statistical quality control also from the 2008-09 academic session. “We have added statistical quality control to the list because this subject is allied towards engineering and is an emerging area,” the institute director said. Apart from students of statistics and those from basic sciences, engineers will be encouraged to take up the PhD programme.
In an age when basic sciences is a lesser attraction for students compared to engineering, the statistical quality control programme can promise the former a lucrative career. “It is true that students no longer want to plunge into the depths of basic science. But then we cannot blame them, as there are almost no lucrative career options. Hence it is the responsibility of institutions to create interesting courses to make the study of basic sciences more attractive,” added Pal.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Seventh IIM foundation stone to be laid at Shillong

2007-12-01T19:48:00.000+05:30

Slug: IIM

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 30

Union Minister of Human Resource Development Arjun Singh will lay the foundation stone of the seventh Indian Institute of Management (IIM) of the country in Shillong on December 1.
This new IIM will be called Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management (RG-IIM) and will aim towards imparting quality management education in the North East. It will be the seventh IIM in the country, the other six being at Ahmedabad, Banglore, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore and Kozhikode.
RG-IIM will start admitting students from 2008-2009 academic session with an annual student intake of 60 in the first year, which will be subsequently increased to 120 in the third year and 180 in the sixth year. RG-IIM will offer Post-graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM), Fellowship Programme in Management (FPM) and Management Development Programmes (MDPs). Besides these RG-IIM also plans to focus on courses like tourism and hospitality management, Management of tele-services and telemedicine, Management of information systems and technology, Subjects of local relevance such as tourism, horticulture and hydel power.
The Government of Meghalaya has provided land of about 120 acres, free of cost for permanent campus of RGIIM at Shillong. Till the permanent campus is constructed, the Institute will function in the temporary accommodation at Mayurbhanj Palace, which has been renovated by the State Government for the purpose.
Rathindra Nath Datta, Chairman of Pricewaterhouse Cooper India, has been appointed the Chairman of the Board of Governors of RG-IIM, Shillong. While the Director is yet to be appointed, Ashok Kumar Dutta, the current director of Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, Kolkata is tipped to be the first Director of RG-IIM, Shillong. The mission of RG-IIM will be to create an institution of excellence having a national character while also considering the needs and aspirations of the people of the region.The faculty of RG-IIM will be at per with the other six IIMs in the country. The central government feels that RG-IIM will be yet another milestone in the development of higher and technical education in the region. And by providing impetus to the progress of this beautiful yet backward region of North East, it would help the government to take a step forward towards fulfilling one of its prime agenda of promoting a balanced development in the country.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Varsity defers semester test

2007-12-01T15:20:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 30
The West Bengal University of Technology (WBUT) has deferred its first semester exam until further notice. Though the varsity has not come up with an explanation, sources in the state higher education department pointed out that many private engineering colleges have misused the management quota and admitted students beyond the permissible number. The university however has denied any botch-up.
While the higher education department is likely to ask WBUT vice-chancellor A. R. Thakur the reasons behind deferring the examination, around 25,000 students would be affected. “Due to some unavoidable circumstances we are deferring the exam. Our academic council will convene next week to announce the alternative dates and we will ensure that the exam is conducted at the earliest,” WBUT registrar S.R. Islam said.
This was the first year when the state government had allowed private engineering colleges to admit 10 per cent of its students under management quota directly, instead of taking them through centralised counselling. The rider, however, was that all students taking admission under management quota would have to be in the merit list of the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE).
This year, WBJEE had published a merit list of 45,000 students, all of whom were given rank cards. According to WBUT rules, students applying for registration under the university would also have to submit their rank cards as proof that they featured in the WBJEE merit list.
University sources said there were problems over issuing registration numbers to students due to the unavailability of their rank cards. This resulted in rescheduling of the first semester examination, although the third, fifth and seventh exams would be held as per schedule. According to sources, the problem with registration has cropped up in computer science, information technology and electronics.
Earlier this week, the heads of some private engineering colleges informed the higher education department that they had admitted excess students this year. However, they had requested the government to allow these students to sit for the exams. According to the rule, all private engineering colleges in the state have to send a list of the candidates admitted along with their ranks in WBJEE to the West Bengal University of Technology. Now questions are being raised if the varsity failed to check the admission of illegal candidates.
Even the SFI has been stressing on transparency in the admission process, followed by private engineering colleges. “We have repeatedly urged the university to publish the list of candidates admitted in the private engineering colleges along with their ranks in WBJEE. If that is done then the admission process in the management quota would become clear,” SFI state president Sudip Sengupta said.
While there are allegations that some of the private engineering colleges might have admitted students who did not qualify in WBJEE under the management quota, many students have complained to the student body that these colleges have denied 10 percent of its needy students half fee waiver and five percent students full fee waiver as fixed by the state government, while introducing 10 percent management quota.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Pledge to protect our heritage monuments

2007-11-27T13:03:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 26
From the next year, students of all schools in Kolkata as well as their counterparts all over India will take an oath on November 19 every year against vandalism of monuments and will pledge to protect them.
The Union ministry of culture has decided to involve school students in the campaign against vandalism of monuments and as a part of this initiative the oath taking ceremony will be organised in schools across India every year. A symbolic beginning was made this year itself with schoolchildren in Delhi taking the oath at Red Fort on November 19. World Heritage Week is celebrated from November 19 to 25, every year to create awareness about the rich cultural heritage of the country.
According to the new plan approved by the minister of tourism and culture Ambika Soni, schools will be requested to administer the oath on its premises and organise at least one visit of their students to a heritage monument during World Heritage Week. In addition, schools would also be asked to organise several outreach events like painting contests, debate, essay contests, cultural programmes on the theme of monuments and our heritage. Besides, talks on preservation of monuments will also be held in schools. Archaeologists from the Archaeological Survey of India will be instructed by the government to render necessary help to the schools in arranging this oath taking ceremony and also organising student visits to heritage monuments every year.
The state school education minister Partha De has welcomed this initiative. “Though my department has not received any such circular yet, we welcome this step and appreciate the measure. The students need to know the importance of our monuments and this initiative would be a step towards ensuring that,” he said.
The aim of the oath would be to make students realise that scribbling on a national monument is a bad practice and needs to be stopped. It would also prepare them to take all necessary steps to protect the monuments by understanding its heritage value. However, some teachers feel it would not make students realise the importance of a monument. “It is a good gesture but students would consider it routine work and would forget about it. On the contrary, if it is made a part of the curriculum and thus a part of their everyday life it would help. If we can make children realise the importance of monuments, then ten years from now when they grow up they would not vandalise them,” said Dipak Das, general secretary of West Bengal Government School Teachers’ Association.
Some teachers, though, are hopeful that the exercise would help students to understand the importance of monuments. “They are the future guardians of our heritage. It is a wonderful idea and though it may be a very small gesture, somewhere deep down they will carry this information all their life and would never get involved in vandalism of monuments,” said Sharmila Bose, principal of Birla High School for Girls.
Mou.Chakarborty@hindustantimes.com

The oath:
I will not scribble on, deface or encroach upon any monument
I will respect all monuments, which are a part of my country’s heritage
I will render all possible help to conserve and preserve our heritage

Chief Minister appeals for communal harmony

2007-11-27T13:02:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty and Rakeeb Hossain
Kolkata, November 26
The Left Front government in West Bengal won’t tolerate anyone trying to destabilise communal harmony in the state. Such people would be thrown out from the state, said chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee amid controversy and criticism over the West Bengal government’s stand on the Taslima issue and the agitations in Kolkata.
He was attending a function organised by West Bengal Minority Development and Finance Corporation (WBMDFC) on Monday. “What we just do not want is trouble over religion and caste here. If that happens, it will be dangerous and will spell doom. This is not the culture in West Bengal. We have stayed together hand in hand and will always stay that way. I ask those who want to create a rift between us to get lost,” said Bhattacharjee, sending a strong signal that his government was in no mood to surrender to communal forces.
The chief minister added, “We want equal rights for minorities and our government wants you (read Muslims) to come forward, get educated and do well in life. We love Rabindranath Tagore not because of he was Bramho but because he was great poet. Similarly, we love Nazrul not because he was Muslim, but because of his great poetry.”
Bhattacharhjee, however, accepted that the condition in general for the average Muslim was not good, but attributed the problem to the madrasa education system.
“We do accept what the Sachar Committee report pointed out. It’s true that the minority community is lagging behind in almost all sectors, including getting government jobs. But that’s largely because of the education system, specially the madrasa education system. We think the madrasa education system needs to be modernised,” said Bhattacharjee. In the same breadth, he, however, added that it would be wrong to think that Muslims are completely deprived in this state.
Referring to the Sachar Committee report, Bhattacharhjee said what the committee members have not noticed is that, in West Bengal, over 83 per cent land is with poor farmers and many of them are Muslims. Moreover, he pointed out that many among the 66,000 primary schoolteachers in the state are Muslims. The same can be said about jobs in municipalities, the health sector and the police, he said.
“But it’s also true that their numbers are not very high. I can see many Muslim IAS and WBCS officers, but in the lower ranks, the numbers are much lower. And the major reason is that the not-so-well-off people of the Muslim community send their kids to madrasas where the education system is not that developed. We are working towards the development and modernisation of madrasas because along with religion, today’s youth needs to learn English and computers too,” added Bhattacharjee, while giving out educational loans to 274 needy but meritorious Muslim students at the function.
He said that in fiscal 2007-08, WBMDFC would give education loan worth Rs 82 crore of which the first installment of Rs 1.75 crore was doled out on Monday. He, however, was not in favour of quota or reservation for Muslims as he felt the fruits of reservation would go to only the creamy layer of the community as has happened with SC/ ST reservation.
letters@hinduatantimes.com

Girls outdo boys, overall CU pass rate dips

2007-11-27T12:59:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 26
After besting boys in the higher secondary examination, girls have now outperformed boys in Calcutta University’s (CU) BA and BSc exams. But the bad news is that the varsity’s experiment in conducting honours’ exam in Part I itself has not yielded fruitful results.
For the first time in the history of the university, girls have outdone boys in all streams. While the percentage of girls who passed was about 5 to 10 per cent more than boys (see box), in the Part I BSc general course, the difference was almost 20 per cent. “This could be because girls are more studious than boys,” said Onkar Sadhan Adhikari, controller of exam.
While 92.01 per cent students passed the BA Part I honours exam in 2006, this year the figure has gone down to 75.69 per cent. The result is worse in the BSC honours Part I examination. While 83.91 per cent students qualified for honours in 2006, this year only 69.5 per cent have qualified.
This is the second year running that CU is conducting its exams under the 1+1+1 system. In 2006, the university conducted its Part I exam under the new system minus the honours papers. But from this year, students had to take two honours’ papers in the Part I exam. A section of the university feels it is this inclusion of honours exams in Part I, which is responsible for poor results.
Suranjan Das, pro vice-chancellor (academic) did not agree with this line of reasoning. “All universities in the country that follow the 1+1+1 pattern take honours paper exams in its first year. Apart from achieving parity at the national level, the primary reason for taking the honours exams at the end of first year was to make students serious about their attendance and also make them start studying in advance for their honours’ papers.”
However, the university is considering the sharp drop in the pass rate very seriously and would discuss the matter in its under-graduate council meeting. “We will have to find out why this has happened. As of now, we cannot pinpoint at any specific problem area. But we would look into various aspects like examination structure, question pattern, syllabus and the teaching-learning system followed currently. After discussing the matter in our under graduate council we would make the necessary reforms,” Das said.
Some teachers claimed that since the new Part I examination included two honours papers, the pressure proved to be too much on students. Also, after passing the higher secondary exam many students do not have the maturity to grasp honours’ courses in the very first year. Das, however, also disagreed on this account. “While introducing two honours’ papers in Part I exam, the board of studies for each subject upgraded the syllabus so that it could be taught within an year. However, in case of some subjects we may have to do a rethink.”
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com
Exam funda
No of candidates: 1.58 lakh
Last date of submission of review forms: December 17
Comparative pass percentages:
Total Pass % Girls Pass % Boys Pass %
Part I (under 1+1+1 system)
BA honours 75.69 78.69 70.4
BA general 59.2 65.15 52.88
B.Sc honours 69.5 75 64.15
B.Sc general 46.88 60.2 41.57

Part II (under 1+1+1 system)
BA honours 85.24 87.04 81.56
BA general 77.66 80.38 74.26
B.Sc honours 80.52 84.07 76.26
B.Sc general 79.79 86.1 75.82

Rumours force early weekend in schools

2007-11-24T14:44:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 23

A day of unfounded rumours saw some schools on A.J.C. Bose Road and Park Circus closing early.
Located on Ripon Street and A.J. C. Bose Road Crossing, St Augustine’s Day School declared half day for the morning section students. Though attendance for the day section was 70 per cent, authorities allowed the students to go home from 2 pm, provided their guardians came to collect them. “All kinds of rumour like the possibility of fresh troubles and possibility of another curfew were flying around. Even parents got panicky and wanted to take their child home. Hence we decided to let the children off at 2 pm,” said C. R. Casper, rector and principal.
Heavy police and military presence in the area lead many to believe that there might be a curfew. Shritama Maity rushed to A. H. Academy at Elliot Road where her daughter studies in Class V. “I heard from my neighbours army and police have cordoned off the area and there might be a curfew. So I reached school to collect my child and found that a half-day has been declared,” Maity said. Probir Boshak, working in an office at Entally heard rumours of another rally. “Any procession brings back memories of Wednesday,” he said.
Mahadevi Birla Girls High School too fell a victim of the rumours. “We heard that some sort of rally could be organised and since our school is located in a very sensitive area we declared an early holiday,” said Malini Bhagat, principal. The school would be hosting Bombay Rockers on Sunday and are looking forward to it.
“God knows who are spreading these rumours. The area was peaceful but due to the rumourmongers we did not get much customer in the morning and afternoon,” said Karim Khan, owner of a cloth shop at Park Circus market.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Forced holiday for many schools near Ground Zero

2007-11-23T19:04:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 22

Following Wednesday’s trouble, many schools on A.J.C. Bose Road and in the Park Circus area remained closed on Thursday. Some schools in nearby areas were open but registered poor attendance.
Pratt Memorial and St James School, both on A.J.C. Bose Road, opened in the morning but closed after roll call because of almost nil attendance. From a combined strength of 2,500, only 100 had turned up at St James and 200 girl students at Pratt Memorial.
Abhirup Murarka, the father of a Class IV student at St James, said, “Yesterday’s violence took place right in front of my son’s school. Their school bus was damaged and the area was under curfew till morning. In such a tense situation we decided against sending him to school.”
Nearby, The Frank Anthony Public School was open but attendance was low and they cancelled tests scheduled for the day. Parents of Talha Khan, a Class VI student, did not send him to school on Thursday as a car was torched in front of the school the day before. They are still undecided on whether to send him on Friday.
Other schools like St. Augustine’s Day School, Auxilium Convent, Ashok Hall, Loyala High and Mahadevi Birla Girls High School did not take any chance and declared a holiday.
“Over 2,500 students were stuck inside the school yesterday. This is a girl’s school; we have to ensure the safety of students as well as teachers. Many parents requested us not to open the school today. Just closing the main gate was no safeguard from a mob, so we asked the girls not to come,” said Malini Bhagat, principal of Mahadevi Birla Girls High School.
Both La Martiniere for Girls and Boys saw poor attendance. Only 60 per cent students turned up at Birla High School on Moira Street. Birla High School for Boys cancelled scheduled class tests. Birla School for Girls principal Sharmila Bose said, “The girls were stuck for a long time yesterday. They were tense. We knew attendance would be low today.”
Attendance was also low at the only college in the troubled zone, Lady Brabourne. “Less than half the students turned up although they had internal exams today. We have rescheduled the exams,” said principal Sanghamitra Mukherjee. On Wednesday a mob had tried to gatecrash into the college. The police had to be called in and the students left with police escort.
Assembly of God’s Church on Mullick Bazar-Park Street crossing saw a better attendance in the day session because of pre-board exams.
DPS Mega City declared a holiday, as it could not have operated buses through the curfew area in the morning. South Points Junior Section, too, did not ply bus number 6 in the morning section.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Session change plan delayed

2007-11-23T19:01:00.002+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 22
The school education minister Partha De’s desire to change the current academic session from May-April to January-December may not happen soon.
According to sources, differences of opinion between the minister and CPI(M)s education cell has not been thrashed out and the matter has been referred to the party’s state secretariat.
The education cell headed by former school education minister Kanti Biswas felt that if the session begins from January students would not stand to benefit. The main argument forwarded by De is that the proposed January-December session would add more days to the academic calendar. Teachers would thus have more time to complete the syllabus.
According to the circular issued by the state all government schools and aided institutions should have 200 teaching days in an academic session. But the present April-May session sees most schools managing 132 to 140 teaching days. This is mainly because the new session begins on May 1, which is a holiday and after 12 days of class the one-month summer vacation begins.
Teachers feel that if students get so many holidays at the beginning of the academic session his zeal for studying suffers. With most of the districts affected by flood during the rainy season classes and studies take a back seat. After few more days of class the Durga Puja vacation begins which is followed by half-yearly exams and pre test. If the session begins in January the school education department feels that most of the schools will be able to conduct classes for 175 to 200 days.
The state had a January-December academic session but it changed to April-May in he late 80’s. Despite De and several non-CPI(M) teachers organisations agreeing to the change, both Biswas and the representatives from ABTA, ABPTA and SFI in the core committee of CPI(M)s education cell too could not agree with the minister.
“We do not think this to be the right way to solve the problem,” said a member of the education cell on condition of anonymity. It may be noted that the five-member expert committee formed by the government for this purpose too could not unanimously agree to De’s view.
The committee is yet to present its report to the government. With the kind of opinion divide between De and his party colleagues it seems that the government will have to take a longer time to take a final decision.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Shaken and Stirred

2007-11-22T19:10:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 21
As parts of the city burned school students bore the brunt of violence. The problem worsened as many schools gave over between 11.30 am 1.30 pm when the trouble was at its peak in Park Circus connector, Beniapukur area, Ripon Street, A. J. C Bose Road and Moulali.
Many students were stuck in their institutions for over 5 hours. The horror for many students began with a school bus being attacked outside St James’ School on A.J.C. Bose Road. With broken bottles and tube lights littering the road, neighbouring Pratt Memorial students stayed put inside their institution. Students of St Augustine’s Day School located on A.J.C. Bose Road and Rippon Street crossing suffered from headaches thanks to tear gas shells lobbed by the police to prevent the mob from entering the school premises.
“This is for the first time I am witnessing such pandemonium in the heart of the city. The children were scared and with the violence right outside we decided not to release them unless parents arrived,” said T. Ireland, principal of St. James’. Students of La Martiniere for Boys and Girls got stranded.
One of the worst affected was the students of Mahadevi Birla Girls High School located near Park Circus connector. The authorities shut the main gate and teachers stood behind as shields. “This is a girls school and we have to ensure the safety of students and teachers. The children were hungry but we were helpless. We will keep our school closed on Thursday,” said Malini Bhagat, vice-principal. Anticipating trouble and due to a curfew from 10 pm to 6 am many schools with early morning sessions have already declared a holiday on November 22.
South Point Junior section called back its bus number 6, which had to go through Park Circus area. “There were 40 students inside the bus and we called it back,” said Madhu Kohli, principal of the junior section.
Students of Lady Brabourne College also were targeted with stones being thrown inside. The mob also tried to break down the gate, which was closed. “Fortunately they could not enter but they had trouble in mind. I called up the police,” said principal Sanghamitra Mukherjee. Students with stepped out with police escort after the army was deployed in the area.
St. Xavier’s College did not allow any of its students to leave. Harried parents also were a tense lot with many phoning up schools. Chitto De came from his office at Salt Lake to collect his son from St. James’. When he could not be spotted, De broke down. School authorities explained his son was released as his wife had asked their neighbour to collect him. “I stay in Park Circus and since the network was jammed I could not contact my wife,” De said.
Rikdha Murarka, who was stuck with her daughter inside Pratt Memorial for three hours lashed out at the police. “This is nothing but police inaction. If a violent mob throws stones and bottles the police is expected to control it. The mob was not armed,” she said.
Even schools and colleges away from the troubled zone did not take any chance. Birla High, Ashok Hall, Laxmipat Singhania Academy, Modern High, Loreto House, Heritage School, DPS decided not to release students unless parents come to collect them. The school buses were also held back.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

School with a difference in the city

2007-11-22T19:07:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 21

Kolkata opened its doors to the award-winning Fas TracKids, a US franchise for children’s enrichment programmes. The Colorado based institute started operations on Wednesday with 20 students.
A unique training programme for kids within the age group of six months and eight years Fas TracKids ensures that the child is prepared for school and life. “It is definitely not a substitute for traditional and pre-school. We offer a programme, with a proven track record. The objective is to ensure that there is no books or conventional learning method. “The child should not feel that he has to study. We stress on the fun factor,” said Vasudha Bagri, co-director of Fas TracKids in Kolkata.
The course offered aims at enhancing communication skill among children through application and transfer of knowledge, promoting leadership skills and problem solving. Fas Trackids will help children to cultivate their personality, increase concentration level and set goal for school.
The institution is offering three programmes for students. Fas TrackMusic is a programme for children between the age of 6 months and 8 years. The duration of the programme is one year and includes 12 different CD based lessons to foster self-esteem, social and language skills and stimulates learning. The course includes story telling, plays, singing and use of different props.
For children aged between three to five years, Fas TracTots programme is available. Kids between five and eight can enrol for Fas TracKids. The duration of both is of two years and covers twelve subjects, astronomy, biology, creative literature, creativity, communication, earth sciences, economics, goals and life sciences, mathematics, natural science, speech drama and art and technology.
All the programmes are delivered through DVDs and are videotaped. The child is asked to perform in front of the camera and is shown to their parents. This increases children’s confidence and public speaking skill.
Fas TracKids has 200 centres in 40 countries. There are seven centres in India including Chennai, Cochin, Baroda, Mumbai and Kolkata is the first centre in eastern India. “The units all over the world follow the same programme set in Colorado. If a parent relocates to another country, his or her children can continue their education at Fas TracKids because all units follow the same programme,” said Vishal Shroff, co-director of the Kolkata venture.
Fas TracKids would maintain 8:1 teachers students ratio. Experts from US will train local teachers. Classes will be held one day every week for two hours. Parents will have the flexibility to choose timings according to their convenience.
Registration fee for the programme is Rs 1500. The monthly tuition fee for the music programme is Rs 800, for the Tots programme is Rs 1000 and for the kids programme is Rs. 1250. “There are no examinations but teachers would evaluate the children in class based on their response to the curriculum. Parent teacher meeting would be held once a month,” said Bagri.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Say no to dowry for schoolteachers job

2007-11-21T16:51:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 20
The state school education department has accepted Nisha Sharma of Noida (who in 2003 refused to get married as the groom’s family demanded a dowry) as its guiding light. Schoolteachers will have to declare that they would not accept or offer dowry during marriages in the family before they receive their appointment letters.
Following in the footsteps of the Noida girl, the government department has said that teachers of state-aided schools can’t accept or give dowry for their marriage or for that of their children if they wanted the coveted job.
Students who pass the School Service Commission (SSC) examination scheduled for December 23 will have to sign the declaration during interview. The declaration is to say: ‘I will not offer or accept dowry at the time of my wedding or during the wedding of my sons and/or daughters.” With the increasing incidence of dowry harassments coming to the fore, the school education department has taken this decision.
“The dowry system is a menace and teachers are the role models for the next generation. They should take the step and say no to every form of dowry. If a person believes that he or she won’t accept or give dowry, what’s wrong in declaring it?” said school education minister Partha De.
Increasingly, dowry-related incidents of the involvement of schoolteachers too have been cropping up. The school education department has increased teachers’ salary but officials said that has not stopped some teachers from accepting or asking for dowry.
Till now, students taking the SSC examination had to declare that they have no criminal cases against them and they are citizens of India during their personality test. The dowry declaration will be a new inclusion.
“The job of SSC is to recruit teachers through examinations. During the recruitment process, if we get any complaint along with the poof that candidates are involved in a dowry-related matter, the candidate will be disqualified,” said Ranajit Basu, SSC chairman.
If the SSC receives any complaint against any citizen or a report from the police regarding the candidate’s involvement in a dowry-related case he will be disqualified, but the appointing body itself would not take any action. “After recruitment, the state government will take action against the guilty teacher,” said Basu.
State government employees do not have to give a written declaration regarding accepting or giving dowry in his family. But once appointed, they will have to follow the rules, regulation and obligations mentioned in the service book. The service book stops employees from accepting or giving dowry within his family.
“We do not have to sign a declaration. There can be rules but why would you ask some one to sign it? It is insulting. If they don’t have faith in their employee, why employ them in the first place?” said State Government Employees’ Federation general secretary Partha Chatterjee.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Summer recruitment frenzy at IIMC

2007-11-21T16:48:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 20
The Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIMC) remained the most preferred destination amongst recruiters scouting across all the six IIMs and the best B-schools of the country to offer summer placements to students.
IIMC has managed to get its batch of 290 first-year students placed in a record four and half days. The students will work in various companies across the globe for two months between April and June next year as interns and also get paid. “Normally the IIMs need six days to complete its summer placements, but IIMC despite having the biggest batch size across all the IIMs has managed to place all its students in record time,” said Sarfaraz Khimani, external relations secretary of IIMC.
The students have been offered internships in diverse fields such as investment banking, consultancy, general management, private equity, and even economic research and advisory, normally reserved for highly qualified PhDs and economists. The reason behind the record time spent in recruitment is due to the fact that many top recruiters preferred them to students in IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Bangalore. The highest paying or slot zero companies recruited more students from IIMC than any other IIM. For example, Merill Lynch recruited 18 students from IIMC, while preferring 13 from IIMA.
According to reports coming in from the other IIMs, other slot zero companies who have recruited the highest number of students from IIMC include Morgan Stanley (11), JP Morgan Chase (13), HSBC Global (6), AT Kearney (5) and Mc Kinsey (8). Then there were firms, like Credit Suisse for example, which chose to recruit exclusively from IIMC, picking up 7 students.
“Summer placements is very important for students. At the end of the two-month internship, if the intern and recruiter like each other, the students get pre-placement offers from the company. It means that some already have jobs in the kitty before campus interviews begins. Last year 70 per cent students got pre-placement offers,” said Khimani.
Explaining why the business school was the fastest to place its students for summer internships, Khimani said, “The quality of students at IIMC this year is very good. This can be pointed out from the fact that out of the 10 prestigious Aditya Birla Scholarships given to students across all six IIMs based on academic record, CAT performance, group discussion and personal interview, five went to IIMC students.”
The highest offer made to a summer intern from IIMC this year is Rs 8.1 lakh. While over 140 students received international offers from slot zero companies in New York, London, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey, Dubai and Kuwait, 110 of them accepted the offers. More than 58 per cent of these slot zero offers were made by international investment banks and 37 per cent by international consultancy firms. Last year 93 students from IIMC got slot zero summer placements.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Recruitment frenzy

Company Students recruited
IIM-C IIM-A IIM-B

Merill Lynch 18 13 10
JP Morgan Chase 13 NA 11
Morgan Stanley 11 NA 6
Credit Suisse 7 0 0
HSBC 6 0 5
Rothschild 2 1 2
AT Kearney 5 NA NA
McKinsey 8 NA 4

NA: data not available

From 2008, state to have Santhali medium schools

2007-11-20T19:10:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 19

From 2008 Academic session West Bengal will have Santhali medium schools at the primary level.
“After the constitution included Santhal in its list of languages there has been a steady interest and so we have decided to offer it as a medium of instruction,” said school education minister Partha De. “If the demand is high we won’t mind having a separate Santhali medium school in the area,” he added.
West Bengal was the first state to recognise Ol Chiki as the official script for Santhali. As per the recommendations made by Himangshu Bimal Mazumdar Commission in 1978, books of all subjects are available in Ol Chiki up to Cass IV. The Ol Chiki books for Class V will be ready before the 2008 academic session begins. “We are discussing ways to facilitate Santhali medium of instruction up to Madhyamik level, but first we have to see that the books are ready,” De said.
Currently over 2,15,000 students in West Midnapore, Bankura, Burdwan and Nadia district have shown interest in studying in Santhali. The state government is conducting a survey to see how many more Santhali parents would want their children to study in the in the new medium. Once it is done by December the state government would decide on how many school would offer dual medium of instruction or will be converted into Santhali medium schools.
The school education ministry will hire experts to translate books to Ol Chiki. “I have made it clear that Santhali will be the medium of instruction but it will be within the periphery of Primary Education Board and Madhyamik Board. The Adivasi Socio- Educational and Cultural Association has also agreed to our initiative,” said De.
The state government has already trained some teachers to teach in Ol Chiki and is ready to recruit more teachers if there is demand. The government has also made it clear that even for Santhali medium schools the teacher recruitment norm will be similar to other institutions. Which means that the schools will have to recruit teachers through Primary School Council where as the secondary schools will recruit teachers through School Service Commission. The school education department would also write to the state higher education department to include Santali and Ol Chiki scripts for method teaching in B.Ed course. The Shantali medium method teaching will be included on primary teachers training programmes too.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

BESU inks pact with Belfast university

2007-11-20T19:08:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 19
Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU), Shibpur has tied up with Queen’s University, Belfast (QUB) in order to forge a partnership in technical education research.
Both universities will be exploring possibilities of collaborative research and other academic programmes. According to the agreement students from BESU will live in Belfast and study at the Institute of Electronics, Communication and Information Technology (IECIT), a world-class research centre at QUB built at a cost of $ 80 million. QUB is regarded as one of the top 20 research-intensive universities in UK while BESU has already been shortlisted by ministry of human resource development to become an Institute of National Importance.
“We are planning to have three research centres. The first one will be on water resource and would give special emphasis in arsenic mitigation. The second will be on computer science, IT and VLSI, while the third will deal with material sciences. We are still working on the modalities,” said N. R. Banerjea vice chancellor of BESU.
As per the agreement 20 fourth year students from electronics department of BESU will visit QUB next autumn and would get the opportunity to study and work at the IECIT. “This collaboration between BESU and Queen’s will work towards increasing collaboration between electronics engineers in India and Belfast,” said Chris Gibson, Pro Chancellor of QUB. While QUB will take care of all expenses of the students once they reach Belfast, BESU will arrange for sponsorship to take care of travel expenses. “The foreign exposure for the students will help them in various ways. If we do not get all the twenty students from BESU we would look at other engineering institutions for the right candidate for this programme,” added Banerjea.
QUB will also offer fellowships to three teachers of BESU who are yet to do their PhD. Under this unique ‘Split Students’ programme one year of PhD program will be done in BESU while the rest two will be in Belfast. QUB will pay the doctoral followed 12000 pounds per annum, which would cover their tuition fee and living expense. These research fellows will have one guide from BESU and the other will be from QUB.
BESU’s VLSI centre along with WEBEL and QUB will also offer an incubation program for the engineering students of BESU, which could also be partially funded by QUB.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Respite in the horizon for private schoolteachers

2007-11-20T16:43:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 19
The days of agony for teachers belonging to private schools in Bengal may soon come to an end. The Union labour ministry in its ‘workmen’ list would soon include schoolteachers.
The Union labour minister Oscar Fernandez during his visit to Kolkata on November 18 assured the workwomen’s forum of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) that schoolteachers would soon be included in the list of ‘workmen’. After speaking to the minister, Leena Chatterjee, general secretary of Forum for Teaching and Non Teaching Staffs of Private School of West Bengal said, “The minister informed us that the Central government has initiated the process of including the schoolteacher in the labour ministry’s list of ‘workmen’. The ministry has also simultaneously initiated the process of making all school teachers entitled to gratuity.”
Teachers belonging to private schools in Bengal are currently fighting against various injustices meted out by their employers, which include not offering the salary mentioned in the appointment letter, refusing the teachers’ casual and medical leave, forcing them to work more, denying them maternity leave and above all terminating them without notice when ever the management wishes to do so.
If the aggrieved were brought under the privy of the labour ministry, then it would be a big boost for them to raise their voice against the injustice. The teachers will be covered by the Industrial Dispute Act in case they have any problem with their employers. “If this is done teachers will be able to approach the labour directorate and the matter can be raised at the labour commission or the labour tribunal. The biggest win will be that the teachers will now have protection according to law,” Chatterjee said.
Another big problem teachers face that can be solved by their inclusion in the workmen list is their entitlement to maternity leave. Currently, as per state government rules, a teacher is entitled for 4 months maternity leave. The Central government is also working towards revising the maternity leave Act and extend it to six months. “Contractual teachers of various reputed ICSE and CBSE board affiliated schools in the state are asked to leave the job when they ask for maternity leave. Why will this happen? We will approach the ministry concerned to ensure that the government sees to it that such discrimination is not carried on,” the general secretary of the forum said.
Only permanent teachers of private schools are entitled to maternity leave. But it has been seen that schools stay away from recruiting permanent teachers when others retire and fill up the vacancies with contractual teachers. According to Chatterjee, a day might come when no teacher in a school would be eligible for maternity leave since they are on contract. “It is sad that though the non teaching staff in the schools are covered by labour laws and can have legal cover if they are not given maternity leave, in the case of the teachers it is not the same,” she added.
The West Bengal government too is aware of the of the conditions of private schoolteachers and had initiated the process of ensuring that they are given proper appointment letters, paid the salary promised and entitled to leaves like other employees. But that law is yet to take final shape and in such a scenario teachers feel the new development will help them to fight for their rights.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Now schoolkids come together on Nandigram

2007-11-15T13:28:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 14
It was Children’s Day on Wednesday. But for countless schoolchildren a larger stage was awaiting them and instead of having fun they decided to stand beside the victims of Nandigram. If that was not enough, an SMS sent on behalf of Aparna Sen went to the heads of all reputed schools in the city, urging them to send relief for Nandigram victims.
Even as chief minister of Bengal Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee talking about the attack on the villagers of Nandigram by CPM cadres claimed that ‘they have been paid back in their own coin’ class 2 student of Vivekananda Mission School Sanjiya Mohanty could not stop thinking about the plight of the helpless villagers and refused to take part in the teachers day celebration organised by her school. Taken aback by the sentiments of the child the school has decided to help the Nandigram victims.
“I was surprised when my teachers informed that this child refused to attain the Children’s Day celebration because she was feeling sad for the people of Nandigram. Though not a word about Nandigram was discussed in school but we are surprised to note how students are aware of everything and are getting affected,” said Keya Sinha, principal of the school.
Teachers and students of many schools and colleges participated in the peace rally that was organised on Wednesday. Teachers from Patha Bhavan, of which the chief minister is a governing body member, also participated in the rally. “Many teachers from our school participated in the rally. Currently exams are going on but after they are over, we will collect relief materials for the victims in Nandigram,” said Swapan Das in-charge of Patha Bhavan High School.
Heads of many schools today have received an sms on behalf of Aparna Sen urging to donate relief material for the Nandigram victims. “Yes I have send the sms to some people and they are forwarding it. This is the time when just protesting would not help. Everyone should be beside the people of Nandigram,” Sen said.
Apart from various other schools, which have pledged help for Nandigarm victims Birla High School, South Point High School, Mahadevi Birla Girls High School, Laxmipat Singhania Academy and, Apeejay School are some of the institutions, which have decided to come forward to help the Nadigram victims after receiving the sms. While some students of Apeejay School and Modern High School donated food grains at the peace rally today Birla High School has asked the students to donate relief material from November 15.
Welland Gouldsmith School and Mahadevi Birla Girls High School has given the responsibility to the schools interact club to collect relief material. But even as students and teachers of the schools are showing solidarity they are also carefully taking every step so that their move is not considered political. “I have asked the students not to donate money but other relief material. Since this is also a political issue some parents may feel bad. But our main concern now is whether the relief material could reach the victims as they are still not letting in outsiders in Nandigram, if the relief material does not reach the victims the students will be demoralised,” said Malini Bhagat, principal of Mahadevi Birla Girls High School.
Even as the private schools are trying to stand beside the victims of Nandigram the government schools are staying away from it. Do they fear the wrath of Bhattacharjee?
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

BOX:
This is the SMS from Aparna Sen –
Dear Friends,
Protest is not enuf! Relief is urgently required 4 victims of Nandigram. Pls send old clothes, children’s clothes, rice etc 2 following add:
C/O Mahashweta Debi, W 2C 12/3 Phase 2, Golf Green, Kol 95. Phn 24143033.
Pls 4ward to as many people as possible.
Thanks, Aparna Sen.

Students, teachers to take Nandigram to New Delhi

2007-11-14T15:11:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 13
Call it the Nandigram affect. After intellectuals it is the turn of the students and teachers to hit the road.
Teachers belonging to the All Bengal University Teachers Association (ABUTA) are writing a letter to President Pratibha Patil on the violence unleashed by armed CPI(M) cadres in Nandigram. “We will be sending the letter to the President on Wednesday,” said Tarun Nashkar, general secretary of ABUTA.
The Congress students’ wing, Chatra Parishad representatives have left for the Capital. “We will be meeting Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday and would urge him to visit Nandigram. Cahtra Parishad had won the students election at Nandigram College but the institution could not open due to the violence. Many students have been killed and injured also. We would be urging Rahul to pressurise the state government,” said Sourav Chakraborty, state general secretary of Chatra Parsihad.
Showing their solidarity, a silent rally of about 200 students and teachers was taken within the Jadavpur University (JU) campus on Tuesday. “Is this the party which carried out land reforms in Bengal and turned the fortune of farmers for the better? The brutal killing of farmers has made us realise that the party does not believe in Communist ideology. Land reform was just a weapon for them to come to power and now they have changed stance and are killing innocent villagers,” said Nashkar, who is also a professor of engineering faculty at JU.
JU students have also organised a roadside demonstration in the evening outside the varsity and collecting relief. “Incidents like this are increasingly affecting the popularity of CPI(M) and the Left Front. People are losing their faith in this government and in such a scenario we students have a huge role to play in the agitation,” said Amit Chakraborty, a first year ME student of JU.
The students of Presidency College will also join the protests. Right now they are busy raising funds for the victims of Nandigram. They are not only approaching fellow students and alumnus to donate but would also organise a road show with intellectuals for collecting funds. “What the cadres have done in Nandigram would do credit to a fascist organisation. We are unable to differentiate between Narendra Modi and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. Pleading will not help. The need of the hour is to unite to resist the government,” said Dipanjan Sinha, general secretary of Presidency College Students Union.
Students of Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU), Shibpur have just started to return after their Puja holiday and they too plan to join the protest. Students and teachers of Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta too has expressed heir desire to help the victims. The non-teaching staff of IIT Kharagpur had brought out a peace rally in the campus on November 9. Many students and teachers from JU, Presidency and BESU will be joining the intellectuals’ rally.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

JU students make it big on reel

2007-11-13T15:12:00.000+05:30

HT Correspondent
Kolkata, November 12
SOME STUDENTS of Jadavpur University (JU) have achieved a special feat. Two documentary films made by students of the university’s mass communication department will be screened at the ongoing Kolkata Film Festival. And if that was not enough, the team will release another documentary early next year.
Produced by JU, two documentary films — With the Dreams of Light and Promise of Light — will be screened at the Bangla Academy on November 17. Both these films deal with the university and is of 30 minutes and 13 minutes duration, respectively.
In fact, With the Dreams of Light is the first-ever documentary on JU history. The film depicts the journey of the university since 1906 and how it grew into one of the best academic institutions of the country.
The Promise of Light on the other hand depicts the social service work done by JU students under the National Service Scheme (NSS) in red light areas of Tollygunge.
Seven students from the mass communication department worked on both the documentaries. The team did the research for the films, pre-production work, shooting and the post-production job as well. Mass com student Parag Sarkar directed the films, while his classmate Sounak Sengupta was the production manager.
“A documentary on the history of the university has never been shot before. It is a matter of credit and encouragement for the students that both their films will be screened during the ongoing Kolkata Film Festival. Since the students have shown their potential, the university will work towards letting them handle several such projects,” dean of students Rajat Ray said.
The students are also excited as their film has been chosen in the short-film category. “This is a huge honour for us. It is mind boggling and the joy has doubled because both the documentary talks about our university,” said Sarkar.
The university plans to invite its famous former students during the screening of the documentary films at the film festival.
The university is currently in the process of making 2,000 copies of each film so that it could be sold to interested students teachers, staff members and alumni at a nominal cost. The film will be made part of the university archive. The university is also planning to upload the films on its website so that both present and past students, as well as others across the globe, can access them and learn about JU history.
The filmmakers also want to move ahead and are currently working on another project. Now, they are capturing on reel the chemical engineering department’s ambitious work on flower extracts. The film titled Petal Per Say will be a 30-minute documentary on used flowers and the plight of flower cultivators in Bengal. The team has shot extensively in Shantiniketan, Bagnan, Barisha, Babughat, and Panshpura. The film will show how used flowers can be converted into herbal colour. The documentary will be released by January 2008.
Mou.Chakroborty@hindustantimes.com

Session change decision likely today

2007-11-12T15:14:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 11
The final decision on change in academic session in government and aided schools is likely to be taken on Monday.
School education minister Partha De had expressed his desire to change the academic session from present May-April to January-December but is facing difficulty from various quarters. A five member expert committee headed by the directorate of school education Diben Mukherjee was formed to look into the matter. However, three of the five members had spoken against it. The Higher Secondary Council, Madhyamik and the primary education board are also against the change. The committee will submit its report to De on Monday.
De had also run into opposition from former school education minister and the present head of CPM’s education cell Kanti Biswas. Biswas had changed the academic session from January December to May-April in 1989 to maintain parity with the rest of the country. Three of the fourteen teachers associations are opposed to the change, which also includes the CPI(M) backed All Bengal Teachers Association (ABTA).
De along with 11 other teachers’ organisation wants to change the academic session because this will help schools to increase the number of working days. Though the state has instructed schools to have at least 280 days effectively the session is whittled down to 210 days.
Pro-changers say as January is the harvesting season villagers are flush with money and hence will not have any problem in buying books. However, those opposing the move say the economy has improved and people have disposable money throughout the year.
Those against the change feel that by breaking the all India parity, students from Bengal will find it difficult to seek admission in other states. Hence a suggestion has also been made by some educationists to bring forward the session by one month and make it March-April. However, the school education ministry feels that most of the students do not want to go in another state.
Keeping this in mind the school education ministry has decided not to change the schedule of Madhyamik and HS exams. The session change will only affect students studying till Class IX.
However if the change comes about, the ministry will only implement it from 2009 as publishers need time.
Currently the state has three academic sessions – while the schools in the Hills have January-December academic session. Hence 11 teachers association say that if change happens then Bengal would have one academic session.

Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

BESU may enjoy equal status as IITs soon

2007-11-10T14:19:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 9

Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU), Shibpur’s wait to become an Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) might soon be over. The university is expecting to receive an official communication from the Centre regarding its elevation to an IIEST within this month.
After a meeting with Ravi Mathur, joint secretary of ministry of human resource development (MHRD) on November 5, BESU vice-chancellor N.R. Banerjea said, “Very soon MHRD will be sending us a formal communication informing us about our up gradation to IIEST and announce the takeover of administrative and financial control of the university from the state government.”
The university is currently celebrating its 150th year, and is one of the five institutions that have been short-listed by the Anandkrishnan Committee to be upgraded to an Institute of National Importance (INI) and renamed as IIEST. “This letter will be important to us, because for the first time, the Central government will be making a written commitment about taking the university’s control from the state government and upgrading it to an IIEST,” said Banerjea.
But the letter would not solve all woes related to BESU’s upgrade to an IIEST. The institute wants to get it declared as an IIEST by this month, which the last month of its 150th year. Authorities are hoping that the IIEST bill will be placed in Parliament once the winter session begins from November 15. It is only after that that BESU would be able to start preparing for next year’s admission as an IIEST.
The state government as well as the university does not want any further delay. Higher education minister Sudarsan Roychoudhuri has written a letter to MHRD on November 6, urging it to bring the bill in Parliament quickly. “Since the state and the Centre have jointly agreed upon the upgrade and important decisions like the participatory mode of governance and 50 per cent seat reservation for Bengal students have been accepted by both parties, I have urged the Centre to do the needful at the earliest.”
However, the institute need not despair if the bill is not tabled soon. According to sources within the MHRD, even if the IIEST bill is not tabled during the winter session of Parliament, if it issues an executive order stating that the bill will be passed in the next session and urge the institution to go ahead with governance and admissions, the problem could be solved.
To avoid complications, the MHRD had also offered to draft the IIEST bill by bringing some amendments in the already existing National Institute of Technology (NIT) Bill and create an umbrella statute. But BESU has spoken out against it because, while an IIEST would enjoy equal status with the IITs, an NIT is merely a state run institution adopted by the Centre with a centralised admission process. BESU, however, would not mind if the IIEST bill is clubbed with Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IIESR) bill, which though released through an execution order of Parliament last year, is yet to be passed.
Mou.Chakrabory@hindutsantimes.com

Promoting brand IIM-C globally

2007-11-08T13:41:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 7
Brand IIMC has arrived. The students of Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIMC) are using their annual international business school meet ‘Intaglio’ to make B-Schools across the globe aware of their existence.
Apart from all the leading B-Schools in the country, IIMC has approached over 120 foreign institutions for participation in Intaglio, which will be held between January 4 and 6. Harvard, Ivy League, Stanford, London School of Business, Yale University and National University of Singapore are among the institutions that have been invited.
“We are keen to promote brand IIMC worldwide. We want the students from the best B-Schools to come to the IIMC and what better way to do it than through Intaglio,” said Deepak H a student coordinator of the meet.
The theme for Intaglio is “Reaching Out… Staying Ahead.” The organisers feel that with rapid globalisation old strategies should change. Senseless competition is out and the mantra now is to forge strategic alliances with potential customers, which are other B schools.
Around 2,000 students will be coming from all over the world for the meet. “Since there are common recruiters we have a very good idea about foreign B-Schools. They have heard about the IIM but most have no clue that there are six institutions and each have their identity,” said Deepak.
This year, Intaglio is set to get bigger, with Knowledge Partnerships with Ivy League institutions. The India Business Forum of the London Business School, a forum for academicians and entrepreneurs has confirmed that it will work with Intaglio. Organisers are waiting for more tie-ups with other international schools. “This will be the best platform for the would be managers to display their skills,” said Deepak.
Talking about building brand IIMC he said, “Globalisation has made the world small and many of our students go to foreign shores. The opposite is true for our foreign counterparts. It will be great if we exchange contacts. It will be wonderful if people outside come to know of the IIMs.”
Intaglio also launched it’s new website: http://www.iimc-intaglio.com last week. Anurag Mishra, design coordinator, said, “In just over a week, the site has received hits from 22 countries, namely US, Singapore, Australia, UK, France, China, Zambia and Mozambique. This represents the stature of IIM Calcutta and Intaglio in the eyes of the world.”
Intaglio will have some of the largest exclusive events, encompassing all facets of management, from finance to marketing, strategy to systems and operations. The meet has also received ISO 9001:2000 certification. The Aditya Birla Group will be the title partner of Intaglio 2007-08. Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Drive against gaming piracy soon

2007-11-06T17:11:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 4
The Indian Music Industry (IMI) and Sony Playstation is all set to start their drive against gaming piracy in the city with the help of school and college students.
While an original Playstation disk costs between Rs 2500 and Rs 499 the pirated version is available for Rs 100 or less. Titles like Superman, Spiderman, car races and cricket are some of the best selling pirated disks. One of the reasons for their popularity with students is that the pirated versions are cheap and these CDs and DVDs can run on computers and do not need a separate gaming console.
The console and PC games market in India is worth $ 45 million and over 90 per cent ninety percent of it is pirated. IMI and Sony have already conducted more than 30 raids all over the country.
IMI will also make students aware about piracy. “Students are mostly in the habit of buying pirated disks as they face pocket money crunch and are addicted to gaming. In such a scenario we feel that making students and their institutions aware is important,” said Savio D’Souza spokesperson of IMI.
IMI is also writing to principals of schools and colleges asking them to discourage students from buying pirated stuff. A team of IMI officials will also visit prominent institutions and interact with students. They will also try to get the name of people who are selling these items from the students who their main customers.
IMI feels that parents should also be educated about the harmful affects of piracy. “Today’s parents are too busy to think about all these things and do not mind giving their child Rs 100 to pick up a playstation disk. They do not care if the product is pirated or not. But they should realise that by doing this they are encouraging their child to steal, rob and cheat, as this hurts gaming companies. Parents should also desist from gifting kids pirated CDs in Diwali,” D’Souza added.
IMI has already spotted shops in Vardan Market, AC Market, Shreeram Arcade, New Market and Metro Plaza selling pirated games disks. “Kolkata is an area to watch out for. Our anti piracy team along with the Kolkata Police will soon conduct raids,” D’Souza said.
The Indian Music Industry (IMI) is a consortium of over 75 music companies. It strives to protect the rights of producers by conducting anti piracy drives. Vijay Lazarus, President, IMI, said, “The copyright act isn’t restrictive to music industry only. IMI is working with Sony Playstation to clamp down on unauthorized use of their content.”
Mou.Chakroborty@hindustantimes.com

Pharmacy institute opens city chapter

2007-11-06T17:09:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 5

National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) opened its Kolkata chapter on Monday. The institute offers masters and PhD programmes in various fields related to pharmacy and the first session begins from Tuesday.
The first NIPER opened in Mohali 12 years ago. The Parliament granted permission for seven more such institutes earlier this year. Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Bihar have a NIPER each and Guwahati and Raebareli would have one from 2008.
Union minister for chemical and fertilizers, and steel Ram Vilas Paswan and chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee were present at the inauguration of the Kolkata unit. “NIPER would groom students for research in pharmacy and aim at solving the manpower crunch in this field,” said Paswan.
The Kolkata unit does not have its own campus and would operate from the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology. Its own campus would come up on 100 acres and Paswan requested the state government to look for the land.
The Centre would provide the money for creating infrastructure for the institute.
“There is land in Kalyani and Baruipur. I hope the institute is able to find a good place at any of these places,” the chief minister said.
NIPER is offering M.Pharm in medicinal chemistry, natural products chemistry and pharmaco informatics. “We’ll offer many more courses like biotechnology and pharmacy practice from the coming academic session,” said Ashish Kumar Banerjee, scientist and project director at NIPER.
“Our aim will be to provide skilled manpower and knowledge base for the pharmacy industry so that India does not have to depend on foreign research and can invent and patent its own drugs,” he added.
Candidates who have done B.Pharm or M.Sc in chemistry and cleared GATE or NET would be eligible to apply for admission. NIPER would conduct a national joint entrance test and selected candidates would be called for counselling. There are just 30 students in NIPER Kolkata’s first academic session.
“Our aim is to get the best students with the orientation for research work. Though our intake was very less this year, we would double intake from next session,” the director said.
NIPER Kolkata has its own faculty, but there would also be visiting faculties from Jadavpur University, Bose Institute, Indian Statistical Institute, Indian Institute of Cultivation Sciences, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics and Indian Institute of Chemical Biology.

Mou.Chakarborty@hindustantimes.com

Changes on anvil for PhD in JU

2007-11-03T17:19:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 2

Jadavpur University is all set to change the rules governing its PhD programmes from December to stop plagiarisation of theses and upgrade its quality.
The university has sought recommendations from its arts, science and engineering faculties. The arts and science faculties have already come up with these. The engineering faculty — which faces maximum cases of plagiarisation — is still framing these.
“The university will make several changes needing a change in the university’s statute and act. That cannot be done without passing it at the university’s executive council. We hope all the recommendations are ready by November so that the university can make the necessary changes by December,” said a university official.
If the recommendations are any indication, there might soon be a bar on any Masters degree holder applying for a PhD. Candidates might soon need to clear a written examination followed by interview. His academic record too would be checked. However, those clearing exams like NET and GATE could directly appear for the interview without taking the written test.
Constitution of the doctoral committee, too, could see a change. Till date engineering, science and arts faculties had one such committee each. But burdened with over 150 PhD proposals, they rarely had the time to check if the proposed thesis was worth pursuing or already pursued. But now there is proposal to set up a separate committee for each faculty. The students and guides would have to appear before the committee from time to time and the committee would monitor the thesis’ progress.
JU is also planning to allow inter-disciplinary PhD. Students can choose inter-departmental as well as inter-faculty topics involving a department from the arts faculty, one from science and one from engineering. In case of inter-faculty PhD, the university would decide who the PhD guide or guides would be.
Once the PhD topic is decided, the students would also be asked to undergo ‘course work’ or a basic course to orient all students to do a PhD.
Students who are able to clear the course would go ahead with the PhD work. Those opting out of course work would have to clear M.Phil first.
The university is also debating on the size of the PhD thesis. Some teachers emphasise on both quality and quantity (number of pages); other emphasise on quality.
Students might also have to make a PhD thesis pre-submission defence before the doctoral committee and present a seminar before the thesis is sent for evaluation.
The evaluation pattern too could see changes. The thesis might have to be re-written if the evaluators have minor questions. The university is also likely to fix the elegibility criteria of PhD evaluators, denying PhD guides the independence to choose them.
Mou.Chankarborty@hindustantimes.com

State cabinet says: No BESU pro vice-chancellor for now

2007-11-01T17:18:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 1

The state cabinet on Wednesday decided to defer the agenda for creating a pro vice-chancellor post for Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU), Shibpur.
BESU has been selected by the Central government to be upgraded to an Institute of National Importance (INI) and a bill in this regard is slated to be tabled in parliament on November 15. If BESU succeeds in becoming an INI, the Centre will control the working of the institution, though the state government will have some say in it. Thus, the state decided not to go ahead with giving BESU its long-standing demand of a pro vice-chancellor because it was felt that the move might send the wrong signal to the Centre.
Some in the state government felt the move might make the Central government feel that the state is not ready to hand over the university to the Centre. Another reason behind deferring the creation of the pro V-C’s post till the next cabinet meeting is that if BESU gets INI status, then it would have the IIT mode of governance. And in all probability, the head of the institution will be the director instead of the vice-chancellor. The Centre might not consider the option of awarding the director’s post to the present vice-chancellor. The same might also happen with the pro vice-chancellor’s position.
BESU had asked for the pro vice-chancellor’s post, because the university needs a person who would look after the day-to-day academic activities of the university, as its present vice-chancellor N.R. Banerjea other responsibilities.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

IIT summit to encourage business skills

2007-11-01T17:17:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 1

IIT Kharagpur is taking an initiative to help students become entrepreneurs, rather than job-seekers.
The institute will host a three-day entrepreneurship summit from Friday for students of eastern India. The initiative, the first of its kind by IIT-KGP students, is aimed at helping students of other technology institutes and general degree colleges. “After completing our degree courses, most of us think of taking up a job but few consider becoming an entrepreneur. But we have seen that many students want to become entrepreneurs but do not know how to go about it. This summit will help them understand the various aspects of starting a business,” said Rashmit Ritam Das, a third-year student of IIT-KGP and student manager of the institute’s entrepreneurship cell responsible for organising the event.
About 400 students from various institutes in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, including St Xavier’s College, Kolkata, Jadavpur University, Calcutta University and Heritage Institute of Technology, are participating in the summit.
“We have seen that no matter how much money the government is ready to spend, the students have an inherent fear of starting a businesses venture. They want to stay secure with a monthly salary instead of taking up the challenge of running a business. Summits such as this organised by students for students will help them overcome this fear,” said Dhrubesh Biswas, professor of electronics at IIT-KGP and professor-in-charge of the entrepreneurship cell.
To cultivate a love for entrepreneurship skills among students, the summit will also include contests. Winners will get cash prizes and a chance to get incubation from IIT-KGP to start a business with up to Rs 10 lakh as start-up money. The summit will include workshops where experts will talk about aspects such as entrepreneurs finance, how to ideate and write a business plan, innovation in IT and social entrepreneurship.
Another problem that the students and faculty members would try to address through this summit is how to inspire students who have decided to start entrepreneurship to stick to it. “The problem is that in this part of the world we do not have an entrepreneurship culture. And hence even after getting money, they do not go ahead with their business venture. But this would not happen if the students themselves form a community with the interest in setting up their own business. And that is what summits like this will be doing,” said Biswas.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Lecturer test going in for makeover

2007-10-31T17:16:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, October 31

State Level Eligibility Test (SLET) conducted to appoint lecturers in government-aided colleges is going in for a makeover. The reason, only 2.98 per cent students have cleared SLET and a worried West Bengal College Service Commission (WBCSC), which conducts the exam, has decided to ring in the changes.
This year 8000 sat for the SLET in August. The results published on October 29 make grim reading as only 265 have cleared the exam. Alarmed, the chairman of WBCSC Himangshu Ghosh has informed higher education minister Sudarsan Roychoudhuri about the sharp drop. The commission has also urged a probe by the West Bengal State Council of Higher Education.
In commerce and chemical science only 8 and 7 students respectively have cleared the exam. In life science only 6 students have passed and in economics only two students have crossed the hurdle. The worst affected are earth and mathematical sciences where the pass percentage is zero.
“If the students fails to pass the SLET then it means that colleges will not get lecturers. I have urged the higher education council to call a vice-chancellors meeting at the earliest,” said Ghosh.
“Any exam system has the scope for upgradation but the meeting is also important. Then everyone will understand whether the syllabus or the students is the problem,” said Roychoudhuri.
But Ghosh seems to have pinpointed the problem. The main problem according to Ghosh is that some subjects cover a wide area. For example mathematical sciences also include statistics and computer science. Life science covers subjects like botany, physiology, zoology and microbiology. “A student taking SLET is expected to be an all-rounder and the person may not have the same competency level in all subjects. This could be the reason for not fairing well,” said Ghosh.
While SLET offers only 21 subjects, National Level Eligibility Test (NET) conducted by UGC offers 92 subjects. From 2008 SLET too will offer more subjects like microbiology, physiology, electronics and biochemistry. “We have already spoken to the UGC and would be breaking down several subjects which are in a combination mode. More students hopefully will clear the exams,” said Ghosh. SLET 2008 is scheduled for March.
Though the commission will be offering more subjects from next year, Ghosh feels that students should do away with suggestions. “Most of the students these days do not have an in depth knowledge. This is because they do not do any library work and heavily depend of their private tutor and do suggestive study. Unless this is changed we will not get lecturers for our colleges,” Ghosh said.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Home centres retained for private engg colleges

2007-10-31T16:06:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, October 30

The students of private engineering colleges may get to take their next semester exam starting December 3 from their home centres.
The West Bengal University of Technology (WBUT), which governs all the 58 private engineering colleges in the state, though wanted to scrap do away with the practice of awarding home centres but failed. “We want to scrap home centres but it would not be possible from December,” said S. R. Islam, registrar of WBUT.
The issue will be raised in the university’s executive council meeting next week. The main stumbling block is that about 20 per cent of institutions located in North Bengal do not have another engineering college nearby for students to take their exam. Engineering colleges in Malda, Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, Dooars, Cooch Behar and West Midnapore are facing this problem.
The principals of most institutions have already informed authorities that unless away exam centre is given to all colleges they would not want the university to implement it. Many colleges have also sighted infrastructure problems for hosting exams from another college.
WBUT had tried to rent non-engineering colleges hosting the exams. But problems have coped up here too. “It would not be a problem to rent colleges during December as there are holidays. But our next semester exam is in June and it will coincide with exams of non-engineering colleges. So this cannot be a permanent solution,” said Islam.
About 70,000 students would be taking the exam in December. The university had tried to do away with home centres in June this year but they backtracked after strong students’ protest. “If the university has to do away with home centres then it should be implemented everywhere. Why will we go to another college when our counterparts have a home advantage,” said a student of Narula Institute of Technology.
A section of teachers at WBUT too feel similarly. “Jadavpur University and Bengal Engineering and Science University, Shibpur have home centres for their students. But can anyone raise questions about the credibility of exams. A student who is a cheat will do it anywhere,” said a source in the university. The university however has decided to send more visiting teams to the colleges during the semester exams.
Mou.Chakarborty@hindustantimes.com

Teachers' training to make maths lesson fun

2007-10-31T16:05:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, October 30
Teachers from primary schools in the state will be given specialised training. This is being done so that they can drive the fear of a particular subject from the minds of pupils.
The Diagnostic Achievement Test (DAT) report, which was aimed at making a comparative study of the strengths and weaknesses of students in various subjects in different parts of Bengal, has revealed that most pupils have “scope for improvement” in the subject. Hence, the West Bengal Board of Primary Education has conceived of a plan to train schoolteachers so that they may teach the subject in a manner interesting to students.
“Mathematics and English are two subjects that remain a cause of fear for children in primary schools. If teachers know beforehand the sections which a student fails to understand and also how they can make the lesson easy yet interesting, students would develop a liking for the subject,” said Shulopany Bhattacharya, president of the primary board.
Studies have also revealed that weakness in mathematics is a major cause for the increase in dropout rates amongst students. “Most students lose interest in going to school because they do not understand mathematics. Thus, besides giving them mid day meals and taking other steps to ensure that dropout rates decrease, we will also have to ensure that they love mathematics,” said Bhattacharya.
Teachers will be taught ways of making calculation more interesting by using various teaching aids. “Instead of doing a calculation on the black board, if a teacher can demonstrate it with certain tangible objects in front of their eyes, like for instance, if pupils get to see how 2 + 2 equals 4, they would definitely understand it,” Bhattacharya explained.
Though primary schools would not be able to start mathematics labs like in CBSE schools in the state, teachers will be encouraged to explain to students with live examples.
Well-known mathematics scholars will prepare the curriculum for teachers’ training across the state. Teachers, especially newcomers, would be targeted for the training programme. There are almost two lakh teachers in primary schools and the board will first train a small group of teachers as master resource persons, who in turn, would train some chosen teachers as district resource persons. These district resource persons would then go out to every circle in the districts and impart the training to teachers there.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Recovering national treasures a distant dream

2007-10-30T13:54:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, October 29
There is some bad news for art lovers in the country. Some of the most precious treasures of the country, which are now kept in various museums across Europe can never be brought back, feels eminent art historian and member of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) executive board Kapila Vatsyayan.
In an executive board meeting of UNESCO held in early October, the topic of returning artefacts belonging to various countries, including India that are housed in museums across Europe was raised. But curators of various museums in Europe, which include the British Museum and the Louvre, have turned down the offer.
“They felt art objects which belong to the developing world would be safer in European museums and they need not be returned. According to some curators, these pieces of our heritage will be best preserved in those museums and we would not be able to take care of them in the way it is done by them,” said Vatsyayan. The curators have instead suggested that the countries, including India that want their antiques back can be given a digital version of the original.
In various European museums — paintings, sculptures, metalworks, textiles, furnitures, drawings, and other decorative art — from ancinet India like the Gupta age, Pal age and Mughal age are preserved. According to UNESCO’s 1970 convention, one country cannot take away another country’s treasures by illicit means. But the problem with India is that most of the art objects were taken during the colonial rule.
Asked whether it is possible for India to reclaim its treasures, even if the museums disagree, Vatsyayan said, “The possibility is very low. It is a very complicated legal process and even the Interpol gets into it. The biggest problem is to prove its place of origin and even if it were done, it would be more difficult to prove how it changed hands and ended up in an European museum.”
Though it is illegal to accept any antique without the export clearance certificate from the country of origin, most museums do not follow the rule.
Talking about the loss of Rabindranath Tagore’s Nobel medal, the art historian, who was once a student at Santiniketan and had met Tagore in her childhood said, “Gurudev is much more than the medal and he is in our blood. But I felt terrible and defeated when I see that we could do nothing to bring back the medal. We do not have that sense of pride and ownership for our heritage,” she added.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Massive changes in state Higher Education Council on cards

2007-10-29T15:49:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, October 28

The government is all set to make the West Bengal State Council of Higher Education (WBSCHE) a more powerful body and bring in engineering and other courses under it.
The government will bring a bill during the Winter Session of the Assembly. Established in 1995, WBSCHE is an apex body, which advises the government on higher education policies and also guides the 8 state universities.
After the bill is passed, West Bengal University of Technology (WBUT) under which all the 58 private engineering colleges and 24 management colleges are affiliated, will become a member of the council. “We will try to make WBUT at ease with government intervention,” said an official of higher education ministry.
Apart from WBUT Bengal Engineering and Science University, Netaji Subhas Open University and West Bengal University of Fisheries and Animal Sciences will also become full time members of the council. “The council suggests and recommends academic matters to the universities. Since all universities are autonomous they have the freedom to accept or reject suggestions,” said a member of WBSCHE. “So far no technical or distance education university was a member of the council. It has long been felt that all state universities should become member and this will be done now,” he added.
Apart from four universities the state college service commission would also become a member of the council. “The state college service commission is in charge of recruiting and filling up vacancies. If the commission becomes a member the state could resolve problems in recruiting teachers,” said another member of WBSHEC.
The Council will now also now look after self-financing postgraduate courses in colleges. “Colleges with good infrastructure offer self finance post graduation courses. But the government has received complaints regarding fee structure, lack of infrastructure and teachers. Since the colleges were under the university and not directly under the council so we could not do anything,” said an official of the higher education ministry. “But now the council along with the university will affiliate these courses and the council will monitor them. The state feels that the universities are not always equipped to take care of the self finance courses and we can act as the helping hand,” he added.
The WBSCHE is also scheduled to get a permanent chairman. Till now the higher education minister acted as the ex-officio chairman. The ministry felt that a full time chairman would ensure that the council works smoothly and tackles problems without waiting for the minister.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Spare the rod teachers, understand the child

2007-10-28T13:30:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, October 26
Schools will now have to maintain a dossier on students’ behaviour so that teachers can have a body of information to refer to and study how a student carries himself. This will help them understand the behaviour pattern of each student and help them deal with each student and thus avoid corporal punishment.
In its attempt to curb corporeal punishment in schools, the school education department is coming up with regulations and the maintenance of a students’ dossier will be one of them.
The department will send a circular to all government-aided schools. “The first draft on ways to stop corporal punishment is ready. After another round of discussions, we will be sending a circular to schools by the second week of November asking them to follow the recommendations,” said school education minister Partha De.
The teachers will have to study various facets of a student like his academic progress, areas of interests, hobbies, language skills, behaviour with classmates and how he responds to teachers. Comments on all students under subheads will be maintained. De feels if a child is observed thoroughly it would not be difficult to tackle him. “We have consulted several psychologists and would tell teachers to adopt different tactics for different students. The dossier will make the task easy.”
The school education department will ask schools to conduct regular health check-ups of each student which will have to be incorporated in the dossier. The ministry will ask schools to avail of its school health programme. The schools will also be asked to tie up with local doctors. “Sometimes, a student is reckless not simply because he is a child but because there are several aspects to be taken into consideration like his family background and health. Schools will have to look into that aspect too. At several occasions, due to health problems, a child behaves erratically and teachers and parents end up punishing him without fully understanding his condition. This aspect should also be looked into,” said De.
The dossier, apart from help identify a difficult child, will also help teachers understand the strengths and weakness of a child, De felt. “After the teachers treats a child according to his type, he would also have to keep track of the response. If the child does not respond favourably then the tactics need changing,” said De.
The minister will also make it mandatory to include a chapter on handling difficult students and ways of doing away with corporal punishment in all training programmes and orientation programmes of teachers.The programme will involve not just the school managing committee along with the teachers but also local leaders, doctors and the guardians. Schools will be asked to arrange more cultural programmes so that informal interaction between teachers and students increase and their relationship strengthens. “We understand that teachers have their share of problems and have to address them. But under no circumstances should a child be given corporal punishment in school. If violated, then steps would be taken under the existing code of conduct,” said De.

Box:
* Dossier on every student to be maintained
* It would keep regular records of students on like academic progress, areas of interests, hobbies, language skills, health, behaviour with classmates, how he responds to teachers.
* Government’s school health programme will be rejuvenated to ensure all schools have regular health check up programmes for students
* Teachers will be taught different ways to handle different types of children
* The students response will also be noted in the dossier.
* If response is poor, then tactics has to be changed
* All teachers training programmes will have a chapter on ways to do away with corporal punishment and ways of handling a difficult child.
* A teacher who awards corporal punishment will also face punishment.
* Schools’ managing committees, local leaders, local doctors and guardians will be involved in the programme
* School will have to conduct more cultural programmes to ensure the teacher- student bond strengthens.
Mou.Chakrabory@hindustantimes.com

Presidency College floats its biggest on campus expansion plan

2007-10-26T12:37:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, October 24

It is a mother of all expansions in a college steeped in history and tradition. Presidency College is planning to make a 45,000 square feet construction and add a new four-storied building in its existing campus in College Street. And yes Promode da’s much-loved canteen is also going to get a makeover.
The proposal has been sent to the higher education department, which in turn has lobbed it to the finance department for clearance. The college has proposed to construct a four-storied building behind its historic main building, which is a heritage structure. The Group D employee quarter located in the same area will be relocated behind the library building where a four-storied building will be constructed. The project is estimated to cost the government Rs 5.5 crore and would be completed in two year’s time.
The new building will cater mainly to the Arts department. Sociology, political science, history and English department presently conduct their classes in a scattered manner. They are likely to be shifted to the new building. Bengali and sociology department, which could not expand due to the space crunch are definitely looking forward to their new quarters.
Alert to the students’ sentiment the college will be trying not to demolish Promode da’s canteen or the old gym, which will be given pride of place in the ground floor of the new building. Efforts are on to make sure that the canteen will not be closed for even a day.
Speaking to HT, former student and Trinamool MLA Saugata Roy, said, “Unlike Rakhal Da’s canteen in Calcutta University, Promod Da’s canteen does not have any historic connection. It is not even a heritage structure. I don’t think students would be unhappy if the canteen is given a new look.”
Each department will be given a staff room with separate cubicles for teachers. Five classrooms will be constructed and each will accommodate 45 students. There will be some extra classrooms, which will be used by other departments. The building will be equipped with all modern teaching aids like computers and projectors.
“It will be huge. According to the building plan submitted by the college the new structure will look like the main building from outside. It will be built in such a way that it does not look out of place as it is situated next to a heritage structure. The plan also suggests a bridge to connect the new structure with the main building.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has already sanctioned the plan. “The land behind the main building substantial and one cannot hope to get so much space in central Kolkata. The KMC has also told us that we will not be able to do carry out any more construction in College Street,” said an official of the college.
Hence the college is also looking forward to a second campus where it plans to have a guesthouse, some classrooms and an auditorium. The higher education department has zeroed in on land beside Dhapa in South 24-Parganas for the second campuses of Bethune and Presidency College. “It is in very initial stage. We have just seen the land and will have to speak to the urban development ministry before making any comment,” said an official of the higher education department.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Have solar power? Sell it

2007-10-24T15:32:00.001+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, October 23

THERE IS good news for those using solar energy in Bengal — soon they will be able to sell their unutilised electricity to the CESC and the State Electricity Board to earn money. This will be the first of its kind initiative in India.
The West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WEBREDA) has drafted a proposal in this regard and has presented it to West Bengal Electricity Regularity Commission (WBERC) for approval.
“We are hoping that the commission will be able to implement it from December. And once implemented, all electricity service providers will be bound to buy unutilised solar energy from the household and will have to pay their consumer for the amount of power consumed by them,” said WEBREDA director S.P. Gon Choudhuri.
While the tariff notification is expected from WBERC by December, WEBREDA will launch this first of its kind concept in India from January 1 in 25 houses at Rajarhat as a part of its pilot project.
The process will be simple. A house with solar electricity production unit will have to install a ‘reverse meter’ or ‘export meter’ at a very nominal price. This meter will be installed near the CESC or state electricity board meter box. The consumer will not need separate wiring for using powers from electricity board and the solar cell. Instead once the ‘export meter’ is installed, the power from two separate sources will be switched ‘in’ and ‘out’ automatically.
“A consumer often does not use solar power produced throughout the day. If attached to the grid of the electricity service provider, the extra unit produced will automatically flow into their main line and could be used by others,” explained Gon Choudhuri.
When CESC or state electricity board officials will come to read the meter they will have to check both. The electricity board will have the option to send their electricity bill by subtracting the tariff that it had to pay to the consumer for utilising his solar electricity or may pay the amount to the consumer by cash.
“This concept is there in every developed country. If every household produces 1 KW of excess solar power and if there are 1 lakh houses then the amount of electricity produced will be equal to the amount of power generated by a thermal unit in a day. This will help to curb pollution from emission and power usage,” said Gon Choudhuri.
The WBERC and WEBREDA are now busy deciding on the tariff. “Negotiations are on. We want that those who will sell solar power get preferential tariff from the electricity service providers. The tariff will be act as an incentive and inspire people to have solar power units installed,” said Gon Choudhuri.
But the question is that will electricity boards agree to such an arrangement?
As per the Indian Electricity Act, 2003, electricity boards will have to buy solar power once WBERC implements its decision. “They are bound by law to buy excess solar power from households. They know that power supplied by them is not eco-friendly and are responsible for global warming. This procedure is accepted the world over by service providers to promote green power and the same will happen in India too,” said Gon Choudhuri.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Genetic studies at Asutosh College

2007-10-24T15:31:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, October 23

Asutosh College will soon become the only college in the state to offer an undergraduate course in genetics.
The course will be offered in the self-finance mode from the 2008 academic session. “We wanted to start this course from the current academic session but could not. However, the CU syndicate has already given its approval. It is too late for starting the course this year and hence we will launch it in 2008,” said principal Debabrata Chowdhury. At present, Calcutta University (CU) only offers a postgraduate course in genetics.
The course will cover three aspects of genetics — medical, environmental and agricultural. The college has already drawn up the syllabus for the course, which would include topics such as microbes, plants, recombinant BNA technology, biotechnology, gene transfer method, gene therapy, genetic engineering, DNA fingerprinting, genetically modified crop and transgenic crops and human genome. “Genetics is an inter-disciplinary subject and hence the syllabus will include biology, biotechnology, zoology, microbiology, physics and chemistry,” said Dipak Kar, head of BSc in microbiology and in charge of BSc in genetics.
Talking about the importance of genetics in modern science, Kar said: “Genes are present in every living organism and define their character. To know genes and use them for human development is what genetics aims at. It is a subject of today which students who take up would like immensely.”
The college authorities are optimistic that students who opt for the course will find good placements. “For the past few years, our college has been offering campus placements and since we already have courses such as microbiology and biochemistry we have been getting enquiries from quite a few companies about genetics students,” said Chowdhury.
Students who complete the course can hope to work in the applied area of genetics or go into research work. “The passouts will have a huge role to play in medical science, forensic science and other biomedical-related field. It is a subject with huge opportunities.”
Though the subject is modern, the teachers are finding it difficult to find books for the undergraduate course and are busy culling out reading material from journals and postgraduate and research level books.
To begin with, there will be 25 seats and the college has decided to set a high cut-off mark for applicants. “This is a very serious subject and needs in-depth study and to begin with we would be looking at students who would be able o pull it off,” said Chowdhury. Class XII passouts with physics, chemistry, biology or biotechnology will be eligible to apply.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Now Engineers to take the oath

2007-10-15T13:59:00.001+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, October 14, 2007

We’ve all heard of the Hippocratic Oath that doctors must take before they can launch into their profession of healing the sick.
But, soon, engineers keen to practise the profession in India, too, will have to take a professional oath and register themselves just like lawyers, doctors and architects do.
Engineering is not a registered profession in India, but the Centre plans to formulate a law soon and make registration and taking a professional oath for both practising engineers and engineering graduates willing to pursue the profession mandatory.
The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has already drafted the Bill in this regard and sent it to the ministry of human resources development (MHRD) for approval. And, if all goes well, according to sources within the ministry, the Bill will be tabled in Parliament during the winter session. With this change, engineering will technically become a profession and all Indian engineers will be responsible for their work and can be brought to trial in court for any professional mistake or negligence.
Once the Bill is passed, while completing their graduation, engineers – just the same as lawyers and doctors – will have to take an oath of fulfil their professional duties and their responsibility towards society.
The Centre also plans to form a Council of Engineering, which will give a registration number to all engineers willing to practise the profession. Apart from the council, various other engineering-related registered societies, such as the Institute of Engineers, will also have the power to give a registration number to qualified engineers. Both the oath-taking and the registration number will be mandatory for every engineer in India. Those already in the profession will also have to go through this process.
One of the main reasons for making engineering a registered profession is to help Indian engineers get hired globally. Many First World countries insist that Indian engineers go through a short-term course before joining organisations there. This is because Indian engineers, unlike doctors, do not register themselves or take a professional oath that makes them answerable to authority.
Another reason for this predicament that Indian engineers face on foreign shores is that the AICTE, which recognises all engineering courses in the country, is yet to become a member of the Washington Accord, an international association of accreditation boards from various countries, to seek global recognition. Becoming a full member of the Washington Accord will become easy for India if engineering becomes a registered profession since teaching this course in India needs AICTE approval.
BOX
* Soon, engineers must take a professional oath and register themselves just like lawyers, doctors and architects.
* The Centre plans to bring a law soon and make registration and taking a professional oath for both practising engineers and engineering graduates mandatory.
* The AICTE has drafted a Bill and sent it to the MHRD for approval. It will be tabled in Parliament in the winter session.
* With this change, all engineers can be brought to trial in court for any professional mistake.
* One main reason is to help Indian engineers get hired globally.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Training to curb corporal punishment in schools

2007-10-15T13:56:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, October 14, 2007
The education department has come up with a new formula to curb corporal punishment in schools. It has decided to impart on-the-job training to newly recruited teachers on how to tackle disobedient students and improve their quality of performance.
Talking to Hindustan Times, school education minister Partha De said the training would be of great help to teachers who lack experience in handling children. “It is only after a teacher assumes charge that she or he realises how difficult it is to impart knowledge. So, we have decided to introduce a training programme for new teachers,” he said.
Besides arming them with the skill to understand children and tackle unruly ones, the training will also give the newly appointed teachers a minimum of a year’s work experience. Many teachers recruited through the School Service Commission (SSC) examination lack a formal training and the programme on anvil would fill in the gap, feel academics.
Early last month, the minister had summoned representatives of all teachers’ organisations and had asked them to suggest ways so that students could enjoy the hours in school and teachers could abstain from meting out corporal punishment. Most of the organisations, reportedly, urged the minister to introduce the training and orientation programme for new recruits to solve the problem.
For experienced teachers, the school education department plans to incorporate lessons on how to handle adolescent problems, avoid corporal punishment and make classroom learning a joyful experience in orientation programmes organised from time to time. Though the programmes would not be structured, the government would shape lessons in way that would make both experience teachers and new recruits avoid corporal punishment or use of abusive language in class.
The school education department was expected to come up with steps to combat cases of corporal punishment in schools much earlier. On the delay, De said: “We would have had the programme ready by the end of September, but I had to go to the districts to oversee the flood situation. Everything will be finalised within a week.”
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Extra time for HS examinees

2007-10-15T13:50:00.000+05:30

Kolkata, October 11, 2007
From next year, Higher Secondary examinees will be given 15 minutes extra to read the question paper before the examination begins.
The West Bengal Council for Higher Secondary Education unanimously took this decision at its internal meeting on Thursday. Candidates appearing for the Class XII board examination under the council will be given the question paper at 10am. Students will start writing the examination at 10.15 am and will have to submit their answer scripts by 1.15pm. This rule will also be applicable for candidates taking the HS examination under the old syllabus. Even Class XI students, who will be taking the annual examination in their schools, will be given 15 minutes extra for reading the question paper, according to the directive of the council.
The CBSE board already has the provision for its students for reading the question paper. Explaining why the council brought in this change, council secretary Debashish Sarkar said, “It is a step towards easing the stress of students. If students get extra time, they would be able to read the question paper thoroughly and decide calmly which question they would be able to answer well.”
The National Curriculum Framework had suggested that all national and state boards take steps to ease stress among students. Since 2005, the HS council has introduced nine major changes to relive students’ stress. “The learning process and examinations are the two main reasons for stress in students’ lives. The council will bring many more changes in these areas in future to further alleviate the problem,” said Sarkar
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

JU engineering department to stop exam review & introduce preview

2007-10-11T13:52:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, October 11, 2007
The faculty council of Jadavpur University’s engineering department on Thursday decided to do away with the system of review of answer scripts from the next academic session and instead introduce the preview system.
According to the new rule to be implemented from June 2008, the university will show the evaluated answer scripts of every semester exam to its students prior to the publication of results. It will be mandatory for teachers to show the evaluated answer scripts in the classroom and will be made a part of the university’s academic calendar. The students, however, will not be allowed to carry the answer script out of the classroom or make a photocopy.
Along with the evaluated answer scripts, students will be given a grievance sheet, which they can fill up if they have any problem regarding evaluation. Each grievance sheet will be forwarded to the grievance redressal cell formed especially for this purpose. If the student has a valid point, then the answer scripts will be sent for a recheck. Results will be published with the corrected marks. But if students are unhappy about the way their grievance has been handled, they would not be eligible for a review.
“The university will make necessary changes and form new rules to accommodate preview of answer scripts. But once results are published, no changes can be made,” said Partha Pratim Biswas, a professor of the engineering department and member of its faculty council.
The university feels that preview of answer scripts will be more democratic and also bring in transparency into the system. “The process will not only be more transparent but will also help students understand where and how they went wrong so that they can improve further,” said Biswas. “The process would also ensure that teachers too improve their evaluation standard, as students will be able to see it and make comments,” he added.
However, the university is unsure about what it would do if a student wants to see the answer scripts even after publication of results, through the right to information act. JU will also be strict in ensuring that semester results are published within 45 days of the exam.
Mou.Chakarborty@hindustantimes.com

On a FALSE NOTE this Durga Puja

2007-10-10T14:08:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, October 10, 2007
THE BARD had famously said: “If music be the food of love play on”. But little did Shakespeare know that centuries later copyright laws will be played out to stop music being played in the public sphere.
That’s exactly what going to happen from the next Durga Puja if organisers fail to obtain licence issued by the Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL), the copyright society entrusted with the job of issuing licence for playing music in public places. Any lapse in seeking permission will mean steep penalty and even imprisonment. Almost all music companies are PPL members and royalties collected from issuing the licence goes to them.
This will be the first time that PPL will approach puja organisers to get licence for playing music in the pandal. “This year we will not penalise any organiser for not obtaining the licence. We do not want to spoil the festive mood but we will make them aware about the licensing system so that from next year they start procuring it,” said Soumya Chowdhury, national sales manager (events) of PPL.
As per the Copyright Act of 1957, it is mandatory for those playing pre-recorded music in public places to take prior permission from the PPL. Depending on the magnitude of the event, the music licence fee ranges from Rs 500 to Rs 15,000 and covers music being played at functions by puja organisers. And those failing to procure the licence can end up paying anything between Rs 50,000 and Rs 2 lakh as fine. They might also be imprisoned for six months to three years.
Though this year no one will be penalised for not procuring the licence, from next year before issuing the no-objection certificate to puja committees the local police station will make it mandatory to obtain music licence. PPL along with the Kolkata Police will also organise awareness camps for the purpose.
Explaining why obtaining the licence is necessary, PPL’s eastern regional head Supriyo Mukherjee said: “It is true that CDs played at pandals are purchased and the companies have got their royalty. But they are sold for private use. In this age of sponsorship, Durga Puja has got a commercial tinge. We are here to protect the music industry and whenever music is being used commercially all of them associated with its creation should get the revenue. Else, the industry will become sick like the one in Pakistan.”
Already many big Puja organisers like Shribhumi, Shimla Byam Samiti, College Square, Md. Ali Park, Park Circus Sarbojonin, Ahiritola, Dum Dum Park and Lake Town Sarbojonin have approached PPL for music licence.
Grahams Land Sarbojonin Durgotsav, located beside Indra Puri studio, got the licence from PPL on Wednesday. “As per the government circular this permission is necessary and Rs 500 is nothing if I am promised that I can play anything I want to and will not be harassed by PPL or the police for that. After all Puja is the time for enjoyment and we won’t mind if the music industry gets some money,” said Sanjay Mukherjee of the committee.
But not all Puja organisers are ready to procure a music licence. “It is wrong to say that Durga Puja has been commercialised. It is not an industry and we are not making profits. The sponsors help us to organise a grand puja, which in turn gives temporary employment to many poor people. For organisers it is voluntary service and why should we pay even Rs 500 when we have bought the CD and taken police permission for using loudspeakers. Such moves will mar Puja celebrations,” said Gautam Mukherjee, joint general secretary of Ekdalia Evergreen Club.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

18 BESU students punished for campus violence

2007-10-06T13:46:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, October 6
Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU), Shibpur on Saturday, punished 18 students after they were found guilty of beating up two students. One of the victims is CPI(M) MP Md Selim’s son Russel Aziz. The incident had occurred on the night of October 5 in hostel number 7.
Second-year student Amit Kumar Mondal received head injuries and Russel, a second-year IT student was also injured during the fight. Selim, was in Delhi when the incident occurred, spoke to university authorities after returning to Kolkata on Saturday. He stated that he had full faith in the university administration and was positive that it would maintain a proper academic atmosphere in the institution.
The university called an emergency disciplinary committee meeting, following which, four students have been rusticated from the university and from the hostel. Ten other students have been suspended from the hostel, while four others have been given warnings.
“On Monday, the university will institute an inquiry into the incident. The next step to be taken by administration will also be decided then. All students are important to us and our only aim is to maintain peace and academic atmosphere in the institution. The university will do everything it cab to maintain that,” said a very high-placed official of the university.
Though, the reason behind the fight is not known yet, according to university authorities, the fight was not due to any political reasons. They believe some other problem amongst the students in hostel number 7 might have caused the fight.
This is not the first time that violence has broken out in BESU either. In August last year, second-year student Sounik Basu was critically injured. He had to be rushed to SSKM Hospital and was later operated upon and put on life support system at CMRI.
Members of Independent Consolidation (IC), which controlled the student’ union had alleged that SFI supporters had come to the hostel with hockey sticks and iron rods. But since most hostel inmates were in class at the time, the attackers damaged doors and windows of the hostel and ransacked belongings of IC sympathisers.
According to an IC member, while the vandals were at it, they spied the registrar approaching and they promptly jumped out of second floor of the hostel. In the process, Sounik, an electrical engineering student, was injured after landing in a drain. Then BESU authorities had filed an FIR with Shibpur police station and a large contingent from Shibpur, Howrah and Malipanchghora police stations were deployed on campus for some time.
Five Jadavpur University students had been punished last week after they were found guilty of ragging an arts student. There had been unrest on campus after a section of FETSU had termed the inquiry into the incident as “undemocratic”. Four union office bearers had also resigned after they had differences with this section of the union on Friday.Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

CU gives balnk question papers to the examinees

2007-10-03T13:54:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, October 3, 2007

Calcutta University cancelled the economics and civics paper of its B.Ed examination because more than half of the question paper was not printed.
This is probably the first such incident in the 150 years history of the university that students were handed over incomplete question papers. The economics and civics combined paper started at 2 pm. Within five minutes students discovered that more than half the questions were missing and the pages were blank. “We were shocked to see an incomplete question paper. We informed the invigilators,” said a student after the exam was cancelled.
A chastened university admitted the error and cancelled the paper at 2.15 pm. B.Ed examination was being conducted in two halves and the life science paper went on without any hitch.
The university has already ordered an internal enquiry and if the press where the paper was published is found guilty then it will be blacklisted. Explaining why such an error happened, the controller of examination, Onkarsadhan Adhikari, said, “It was a printing error and we regret it. Though there are people responsible for proof reading the question paper, but once it is printed no one is allowed to open the seal for security reasons. Technically we cannot allow anyone to have a look at the paper before the examination starts. Hence there was no way we could have spotted the error earlier.”
The students alleged that the university has been negligent with the examination system. But the university defended itself. “We conduct 5500 types of examination every year. The number of students vary from over a lakh to a little more than fifty. But till date no such error has occurred. We admit that it is a mistake but we have ensured that no students have suffered,” said Adhikari.
He refused to divulge where the papers were sent. “It is classified information and I cannot divulge it. But we will definitely see how this error occurred and take appropriate steps so that it is not repeated. Those found guilty will not be spared,” said Adhikari.
More than 298 students were scheduled to sit for the paper but the university could not confirm the number. “Students have many combinations. It is difficult for us to know how many students had this combination,” said Debashis Biswas, deputy controller of examination of CU.
The combined economics and civics paper exam was being conducted in ten examination centres four of them were outside Kolkata. The economics and civics examination will now be conducted on October 8 from 2 pm and the venue will remain unchanged.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

JU students in trouble for ragging

2007-10-03T13:51:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, October 3, 2007

Three students of Jadavpur University have been suspended and two others barred from the hostel for ragging a junior and forcing him to strip.
The victim, a first-year student of international relations department, had accused the seniors of harassing him mentally and physically. The ragging continued over a few days in August and the fresher was made to drink kerosene and stand naked in the university hostel for half an hour.
The student lodged a complaint and the case was handed over to the university’s 14- member anti-ragging committee. After a month long inquiry, five students were found guilty. The committee submitted its report in the Executive Council on Wednesday, prompting action against the five students.
“This boy had given a written complain, acting on which we instituted a full-fledged inquiry and the university has now punished the guilty. Since the degree of involvement of the students was different, they have been awarded different punishments,” said Partha Pratim Biswas, a member of the EC.
Two students, Chittaranjan Burman, a second-year student of civil engineering, and Nilton Baidya, a second-year student of chemical engineering, have been suspended for the next semester starting January and expelled from hostel for life. They will not be allowed to enter the university campus, attend classes, take exams or go to the university hostel during this time. Srimanta Karmakar, a second-year maths student has been expelled from the hostel for life while Kazi Imran Alam, a second-year student of chemical engineering, and Nilanjan Biswas, a second-year student of electronics engineering, have been barred from entering the university hostel for a year.
The punishment fuelled protests by the Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students Union (FETSU). Union members gheraoed the EC members till late in the night, demanding that the decision be revoked. “The anti-ragging committee is an undemocratic body. We believe that these five students were not involved in ragging and they have no been given a fair chance to present their case. We want a fair hearing,” FETSU general secretary Amit Chakraborty said.
The faculty expressed shock at the agitation. “We thought the students would support the anti-ragging drive but it is sad to see a students’ union going against it. The anti-ragging committee includes students union’ secretaries from the arts, science and engineering departments. All three students’ representatives were present and put their signatures. How can they avoid responsibility now,” a teacher said.
“The EC’s decision is final and will not be rolled back. Have the protesters thought what would have happened if the university had lodged a police complaint against the five students? It would have meant non-bailable warrants against all of them,” another teacher said.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

CM for students’ unions in private colleges

2007-09-27T13:29:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, September 27, 2007
FORMING STUDENTS unions in private engineering colleges in the state is a strict no-no but the scenario will change if chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has his way.
Speaking at a rally of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), Bhattacharjee said: “There should be students’ representation in the administration of all private engineering colleges in the state. I will take steps to make it happen.”
The 58 private engineering colleges, which are affiliated with the West Bengal University of Technology (WBUT), does not have any provision for students’ representation in its governing body. The WBUT too does not have any such provision.
“The act that led to the formation of the university does not have any provision to allow students’ representation in the executive council or in the governing body of affiliated colleges. To make that happen, the Assembly will have to amend the act,” said A. R. Thakur, WBUT vice-chancellor.
Apart from the WBUT, the National University of Juridical Sciences, Health University and Bengal Engineering and Science University, Shibpur does not have any provision for students’ representation in its executive council, which the state now wants to amend.
“Calcutta University, Jadavpur University and all other state universities have students’ representation in its administration. None of them have been harmed by it. On the contrary, it has been a big help. We are open to it,” said Thakur.
The union move has been a long-time demand of the SFI. “We feel that all education institutions must have democratic environment for both students and teachers. However, that is not the case with private engineering colleges. The administration should understand that the institution belongs to the students too,” said Sudip Sengupta, state president of SFI.
With students’ representation missing in private engineering colleges, they do not have any forum to voice their opinion or register complaints. “Absence of students’ representation makes the administration-student relation similar to that between an owner and a labourer. The students cannot raise their voice about infrastructure problem or any other issue. In case they do so they face disciplinary action. Why should they tolerate this injustice,” asked Sengupta.
The SFI leadership said students’ union has its positive effect. “We often hear of students ransacking private engineering colleges to protest against lack of infrastructure. If there is a union the students will become more responsible and restrained. They will learn how to address an issue and the college administration too will understand what students want,” said Sengupta.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Boardroom turns into stage for budding managers

2007-09-20T20:32:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, September 18
What has management got to do with theatre? Well if the students of Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIMC) is to be believed, theatre would help them to become better managers!
The IIMC organised a drama workshop “A Journey into Theatre” by Nandikar between September 15 and 17. Stalwarts like Rudraprasad Sengupta, Goutam Halder, Debshanker Halder and Swatilekha Sengupta conducted the workshop. About 45 first year students participated.
Explaining how the workshop would help students, Shipra Sinha, president of the IIMC dramatics cell, said, “Management is about understanding people, getting into their heads, and then empathising with them. Management is a lot about theatre. While you are acting you become some one else. The workshop has helped us to understand others. Theatre also helps us to improve our presentation skill.”
The workshop began with a dance sequence choreographed by Goutam Halder. The sequence was an assembly of over twenty 15 second routines assembled to form a medley. Singing and acting classes followed this routine. The students felt that the workshop would help them to become a team person. “Dance sequence needs team work and cooperation. We were divided into groups and moved as one unit. We realised how to teamwork functions and what happens if a group of people work together to achieve a goal,” said Sinha.
Theatre is also about being bold or even fearless at times. Rudraprasad told students, “Theatre is life.” With subjects such as organisational behaviour in their course, students who took part in the workshop felt the workshop would be useful for them.
“The pauses between sentences that one performs on stage, is like a conversation at the workplace. Communication, that is so vital to employees as a whole, is the fulcrum around which theatre revolves. Communication here is not restricted to the spoken word only. It is about that stare the actor gives his fellow artiste, which one often could get from the boss. It is all about articulating oneself to perfection, which would define organisational communication to a tee,” said Sinha.
The theatre workshop also helped students to boost their public speaking skills. “From this workshop we have learnt that a good actor gets into the skin of the character. In the same way when one has to address a large audience you will have to speak with conviction,” said Sinha. Raman Thakral, a student who had difficulty in communicating said, “The workshop helped me understand myself.”
For many students present at the workshop singing and dancing was a first. In the words of Sunil Natraj, a first year student, “I have never sung in the bathroom, let alone on stage. And dance is taboo for me. Yet when I did this, I felt terrific.”
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Face the music for piracy on mobile

2007-09-20T13:12:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, September 20, 2007
IF YOUR cellphone memory card is full with illegally downloaded songs, courtesy your local mobile phone store, then both you and the shop owner will now be branded as music pirates and might end up behind bars.
India has become the first country in the world to crack the whip on music piracy through illegal downloading of songs in mobile phones. The Indian Music Industry (IMI), a non-profit organisation whose members includes major record companies like Saregama India Ltd. (HMV), Universal Music (India), Tips, Virgin Records, and several other prominent national and regional labels, will now train the Kolkata Police to nab the shop owners who charge customers and illegally download songs on their mobile phone’s memory cards.
The annual loss incurred by the government, telephone service providers and the copyright holder due to this malpractice is more than Rs 150 crore. “Music piracy through mobile phone is a little demon but if not nipped in the bud it will grow out of proportion. Instead of catching people using memory chips filled with illegal downloads it will be easy to nab such shopkeepers who provide the service. Therefore, we are training our people who will in turn train sub-inspectors in Kolkata on how to catch such shopkeepers and collect evidence against them,” said IMI general secretary Savio Desuza.
Post-training the police will use a special software to know if a particular computer has illegally downloaded MP3 files. “The police will now know how to detect music pirates and collect evidence against them. It’s a highly technical job, but once the crime is proved the accused can be fined between Rs 50,000 and Rs 2 lakh and face upto two years’ imprisonment,” Desuza added.
Out of 159 million mobile phone users in the country a good number of people are now using sets with memory cards to store songs and other data. If songs are downloaded from service providers then all the associated parties share the revenue. But several mobile phone stores illegally download and transfer more than 200 songs on memory cards for as low as Rs 50-100.
Apart from equipping the police with requisite training to catch such music pirates, the IMI is sending letters to mobile phone companies to make their dealers stay away from such illegal activities.
Transferring songs and ring tones from one mobile to another via blue tooth and infrared also amounts to music piracy. “Mostly youngsters do this and they are unaware how the music industry loses out on crores of revenue for such illegal data transfer. We are also talking to mobile phone companies to tackle the problem,” Desuza added.
India is among the top 10 countries affected by music piracy and loses nearly Rs 450 crore to pirated music.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

They were my golden years...

2007-09-16T20:54:00.000+05:30

Professor Damodar Acharya took over as the director of IIT Kharagpur on June 30, 2007. In his first every media interview Acharya told Mou Chakraborty about his association with the institute and his future plans

How does it feel to come back to your alma mater? Tell us a little bit about your association with IIT Kharagpur.
I have been with this institute for 37 years barring about four and one-half years when I was on lien to Biju Patnaik University of Technology and All India Council for Technical Education. Thus I was never away from IIT as I had my office, quarters and even students pursuing their research work. For two and a half years I have been teaching postgraduate students on weekends. So, this is not really homecoming after a long gap. It is, in fact, one of shouldering greater responsibilities, like becoming a head of the family. While it feels good one is constantly reminded of one’s responsibility of how to make the family stronger and better with the assured welfare of all.

You are the first director of the institute who was also its alumnus. You are also known as a very good administrator, which means more expectation from students, teachers and the whole academia. How will you cope with so much expectation?
Being an alumnus and also a faculty for over three decades, one enjoys the advantages of knowing the system well. One also is passionately attached to the institution and has full appreciation of its rich culture and heritage. I also know people personally and believe in using informal channels of communication in solving many problems. At the same time there are disadvantages like others know about one’s weaknesses. Coping with the high expectation of students, teachers and the entire IIT community including the alumni is no doubt a pleasant challenge. I am happy to say that I have been able to get cooperation and confidence of the entire IIT community.

Please share some of your memories as a student and a teacher?
The six years I spent in IIT as a student were the golden period in my life and helped shape my personality. I learnt more through personal interaction that I had with my teachers. This possibly is the unique feature of IIT system.

IIT-KGP is the first IIT of the country and one of the most respected institutions in the world, how do you visualize its future? What are your plans for the institution?
IIT Kharagpur is one of the best engineering institutes in the country. It is supported by the Data Quest IDC) rankings. The IIT appears in Shanghai ranking of top 500 institutions in the world. It has an excellent academic environment and a teacher-student relationship. The first challenge for the institute is to maintain its leadership position. Its infrastructure including hostels and housing requires urgent renewal. This simultaneously provides an opportunity to give a new look to the campus and an environment appropriate to a world-class institute. IIT is known by its pockets of excellence in both education and research. The next 5 years should see the creation of several such islands of excellence.

As the dean of sponsored research and industrial consultancy system at IIT-KGP, you initiated intellectual property rights (IPR) movement, what new things you want to do as a director?
IIT Kharagpur has definitely done well in the area of sponsored research and industrial consultancy. In the field of IPR movement, the institute has obtained large number of patents, transferred many technologies and even ventured into the arena of offering a law degree programme to engineers/scientists to make them patent attorneys and technical law experts. The effort should now be to go global in attracting leading universities, institutions and industries to the task of Intellectual Property creation through joint research and development.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Now age bar for JEE aspirants

2007-09-16T20:53:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, September 11, 2007
THE WEST Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE) is set to witness a slew of changes from next year. After barring state outsiders from taking the exam, the WBJEE board has decided to introduce a new age bar. Those aiming to crack the JEE will have to be aged between 17 and 24.
This will be for the first time that WBJEE will have age restriction. So long there was no restriction on age or the number of attempts for WBJEE aspirants. “We wanted to restrict the number of attempts to three, but did not go ahead with it on the request of several student organisations. Now, we have decided that as long as a student is between 17 and 24 years of age he can take JEE,” said N. R. Banerjea, board chairman.
The board has also decided to change the exam pattern. JEE had introduced multiple-choice questions (MCQ) from 2005. But in 2008, there will be 80 per cent MCQ and 20 percent objective type questions. “The objective type questions will have to answered in one to three words,” Banerjea said.
Engineering aspirants, however, will have to score 50 per cent marks in Class XII board exam with a combination of physics, chemistry and mathematics. Passing in all these three subjects will be necessary.
“Till date only the medical aspirants had to score 50 per cent combining physics, chemistry and biology but now engineering aspirants will also have to achieve that score,” he said Banerjea. He added they must pass in English.
In JEE 2008, both medical and engineering aspirants will have to take physics and chemistry exam of 50 marks each. In addition, aspiring medicos will have to take a biology test and for engineering aspirants it will be mathematics.
“Unlike 2007, in 2008 JEE we will give extra weightage to any subject as the total marks for each subject has been decided according to its emphasis,” said Banerjea.
He said in view of the medical scam and bar on outstation students domicile certificates would be strictly monitored.
To make the exam system foolproof there would be no centres outside Bengal. The only exception would be Agartala.
“We have formed six sub-committees to take care of various aspects of the exam process,” Banerjea said. The committees will also decide on introducing elements like taking fingerprints of students to zero in on nab fake candidates. “The sub-committees will give their suggestion by September end and only then a final decision will be taken,” he added.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindutsantimes.com

State awards teacher but forgets to give her pension

2007-09-16T20:52:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, September 5, 2007
Jaba Mazumdar, a retired teacher, received top honours from the state government on Wednesday in the presence of the chief minister and Governor. But she is yet to receive her pension more than a year after her retirement.
While addressing the gathering, Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi urged the state government to ensure that pensions and salaries are paid on time. “Today some teachers met me and said if I could help them ensure that the government pays pension and gratuity and their salary on the first day of every month. Will the state government be able to fulfil this small demand of theirs,” asked Gandhi. “Of course,” said Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
Jaba Mazumdar, a retired teacher of Bidhan Chandra Memorial Government Girls High School was one of the ten teachers who received the award. During her 37 years tenure as Bengali teacher of the school she has contributed a lot. But though she retired on June 30 2006, Mazumdar is running from pillar to post for her pension.
Unlike the state-aided institutions, the teachers working in government schools get their pension through finance department and not the district inspector. During her service, Mazumdar had shifted from a state-aided institution to a government school. So when the time came to claim her pension there was some complications.
Though the school education minister Partha De was present at the programme, Mazumdar did not press her case directly. “The file is now going from one desk to another. I do not want anybody’s help. I have become a teacher because I wanted to be in this profession. Even today I feel attached to my school and I can only hope that this problem will be solved very soon,” she said.
However, Mazumdar is not the only teacher going through this hassle. Two of her colleagues retired from the same institution are waiting for their pensions. “Currently I am trying to get attached to an NGO to offer free teaching for needy students. No matter how much problem a teacher has to face I would always like to be one in my next birth,” an emotional Mazumdar said.
The school education minister is not aware of her situation. “We try to ensure that all teachers get pension after their retirement. However, if any of them are not getting their pension, we will take up the mater,” said De.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Second round of counselling in WBJEE

2007-09-16T20:51:00.002+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, September 2, 2007
There is some good news for engineering aspirants. The authorities have decided to hold a second round of counselling after the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has given a green light to a new engineering college in the state.
In a meeting held recently, the Technical Education Department has decided to hold a second round of counselling for the successful candidates of West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE).
“Though counselling was over but with AICTE giving approval to one institution we have decided to conduct another session. They have allowed some colleges to increase their seats and so more vacancies have been created,” said Sajal Dasgupta, director of technical education.
There are about 15000 seats in engineering colleges, all of which have been filled up in the first round of counselling. About 800 new seats have been created in the engineering colleges in the state. The AICTE has also given permission to some of the existing institutions to introduce new subjects. Some colleges have also increased their seats in some subjects from this academic session.
The coordinator of Central Selection Committee (CSC) for Engineering and Technology Ajit Kumar Chattopadhyay said, “We are yet to receive any written communication from the technical education department. But I have heard that they have decided upon the second round of counselling.”
Though the second phase of counselling will start from this month no date has been announced. The first round concluded with rank number 28003. So the second round of counselling will start from rank number 28004. “We concluded our counselling at 27000. However, the outstation quota could not be filled up and hence we had to interview another thousand students,” said Chattopadhyay.
In 2006, the CSC had called students up to the rank of 75000 because most of them did not seek admission in private colleges. But his year counselling was conducted without any hitch. In 2007, 1,10,144 students sat for the WBJEE. Among them 45,000 students were featured in the WBJEE engineering and technology merit list. The counselling begun at Howrah Sara Sadan from June 25 and went on for a month.
(Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com)

IIMC bid to overcome faculty crisis

2007-09-16T20:51:00.001+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, September 3, 2007
One of the premier management institutions in the country, IIMC is facing a shortage of teachers. But they are formulating ways of getting round the problem.
IIMC current faculty strength is 70 and authorities are trying to fill up 20 positions. The problem they are facing is the lack of quality instructors. And with the implementation of the 27 per cent OBC quota, it will require 125 more in the coming years. Though the institute wants to maintain 1:7 teacher student ratio, due to funds crunch and unavailability of quality teachers, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has asked the institution to maintain a 1:14 teacher student ratio.
“Irrespective of implementation of OBC quota, IIMs will have to increase their intake, but the shortage of teachers has become a major impediment. I have thought of some schemes to increase our faculty strength systematically. We have had some discussions but the schemes will be officially adopted only after it is discussed and passed in the faculty council meeting,” said IIMC director Shekhar Chaudhuri.
The first formula that IIMC will consider is taking in people who have studied in reputed institutions and served in high managerial positions for more than a decade. IIMC authorities feel that way the institute will get faculty with industry experience, which in turn will be beneficial for students.
But then everyone from the industry might not prove to be good teachers. So the institute plans to put them through a training program. “Industry people interested in becoming teachers would have to undergo a one-year program after which we will select our faculty from amongst them,” said Chaudhuri.
The institute also knows it would be difficult to lure such people away from their high-paid jobs. To get round that problem, bright students who have completed their PhD in any topic might be considered. During the last academic session less than 10 students took up the fellowship program but not all of them end up becoming teachers. Hence taking in PhDs from other streams could be a winning formula. Once the students are screened and selected they could take a preparatory course and work with the existing faculty for one to two years and then go on to become full time faculty members. “Those having a PhD already have the knack for research and are very academic minded. They could prove to be good teachers,” the IIMC director said.
The institute will also consider the option of taking teaching assistants who would help the faculty. Since remuneration of teachers is not high compared to many other sectors, IIMC is also planning to secure corporate donations and alumni grant to create a pool from which they can offer more money to the faculty.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

PRESTIGIOUS INI STATUS: JU teachers fume, BESU celebrates

2007-09-16T20:49:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, September 7, 2007
IT’S A tale of two campuses — Jadavpur University (JU) and the Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU), Shibpur. It’s a study in contrast. While teachers at the JU are annoyed with their bosses for pulling out of the race for Institute of National Importance (INI), their BESU counterparts celebrated higher education minister Sudarshan Roychoudhuri’s announcement on Friday that the university would be accorded the prestigious status soon. The INI tag is set to come at a time when BESU turns 150 in November.
Upset with the bosses for letting them down, JU teachers alleged that the university was short listed for the INI status but the authorities pulled out of the race and settled for a one-time grant.
“It was a politically motivated move. The authorities discussed the issue with only a few teachers and placed it before the university’s executive council, which is an administrative body. The matter was not placed before academic forums like the board of studies or the faculty council,” said JU professor and general secretary of the All Bengal University Teachers’ Association (ABUTA) Tarun Nashkar.
They feel the university would suffer once the BESU becomes Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST). “It’s only natural for the best students not to opt for JU. We want the university to reconsider its decision as the Anand Krishnan Committee is yet to shut doors on the issue,” Nashkar said.
The mood on the BESU campus was upbeat on Friday. The higher education minister’s announcement that BESU would soon get INI tag brought cheers to all. “As per the Centre’s communication we feel that the INI bill will be introduced in Parliament in the winter session,” Roychoudhuri said at a seminar at the varsity.
But BESU bosses are in a hurry. They are pursuing the Central and the state governments to confer the INI status before November by bringing an ordinance. The Centre is drafting the INI Bill and once it gets the President’s assent, Shibpur’s BESU will be known as the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology.
In another development, the ABUTA has decided to request the higher education ministry to fill up vacant teaching positions in universities across Bengal. “About 30 per cent teaching positions are lying vacant in JU. In other universities it is 60 per cent. This is hampering teaching and research work,” Nashkar said.
ABUTA will also take up the issue with chancellor of state universities Gopal Krishna Gandhi and Roychoudhuri. The outfit has warned of ‘action’ if their demand is not met.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Student drowns inside Jadavpur University

2007-09-16T20:47:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, September 14, 2007
Tragedy struck Jadavpur University on Friday, when a third-year student drowned in a pond inside the campus. The youth had gone for a swim after a football match.
The students’ unions of arts, science and engineering streams had organised a football tournament and a match between the maths and English departments were slated for Friday. Subhashish Mukherjee, third-year B Sc student of the maths department was playing for his side. A good player, he went for a swim in a pond near the metallurgy department at 5pm after the match got over. N ot knowing how to swim, Subhashish drowned. He was rushed to EEDF nursing home and then to AMRI, where he was declared dead.
According to university authorities, the accident could have been avoided if pupils had followed norms set by the university. “We have repeatedly asked students not to go into the pond. There are three notice boards around the pond cautioning them. This is not a school and it is not possible for us to put a fence around all our ponds to make pupils follow orders,” said Rajat Bandopadhyay, registrar of the university.
A pall of gloom fell over the campus after news of the drowning spread. “I am terribly shocked to know a young boy died inside campus. This boy I am told did not know swimming. The three students’ unions organising the football meet cannot deny their responsibility. They should have stopped students from stepping into the pond after the match was over,” said Bandopadhyay.
According to authorities, security guards tried to prevent Subhashish from going for a swim. But, according to them, the youth exchanged words and went for a swim anyway. Following the mishap, the security and friends rescued Subhashish and took him to a nearby nursing home.
Some students, however, alleged that the uncaring attitude of a nursing home also had a hand in the student’s death. “He used to tell us that he could swim and I was shocked to hear he had drowned. We took him to EEDF, but initially they denied him admission. Only after cajoling they agreed but they left him unattended for a long time. They also did not give him oxygen and requested us to take him to AMRI. And after we brought him to AMRI he died. If EEDF had attended to him immediately and administered oxygen, he might have survived,” said Sujoy Konar, a third-year maths student and a friend of the victim.
The youngster’s teachers are equally shocked. “He was a bright and jolly student. Because of that, he was popular amongst both students and teachers. The incident has saddened us deeply,” said Dipak Kesh, a professor of the maths department.
The police have not yet ruled out foul play. “Initial investigations do not indicate any foul play, however, we would be able to clarify only after we get the post-mortem report,” said SP South 24-Parganas Praveen Kumar.Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Govt engineering colleges shout out ‘outside’ students

2007-09-16T20:45:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, September 10, 2007
THE STATE on Monday shut the doors of government-run engineering colleges on students living outside West Bengal. Such students can still take the WBJEE but, irrespective of rank, they can seek admission only to private engineering colleges.
The government gave its two autonomous universities the freedom to follow or ignore this rule, but Jadavpur University welcomed the idea and appeared set to shut out outstation students. “We had wanted such a decision,” vice-chancellor S.K. Sanyal said.
The other university, Bengal Engineering and Science University, will decide after consulting the Centre. “We are slated to become an Institute of National Importance and whatever we do now is will be subject to the Centre’s approval,” vice-chancellor N.R. Banerjea said.
Apart from the two universities, the state has six government engineering colleges —two in Kolkata, including one at Salt Lake, and one each in Kalyani, Jalpaiguri, Serampore and Behrampore. Together with the two universities, they offer nearly 2,100 of the state’s 17,000 engineering seats.
In the last two years, outstation students filled up 25 to 35 per cent in government engineering colleges. The state-run medical colleges, in contrast, take in no one from outside under a policy already in place. The decision on engineering will come into effect from next year.
Higher education minister Sudarshan Roy Chowdhury justified the decision. “Other states have such a policy and we don’t want Bengal to be an exception. Like those states, we too have to think of our own students,” he said.
The state wants its own students to benefit from the subsidised fees at government colleges, which charge only Rs 10,000 a year as tuition fee. “Private colleges charge Rs 43,000 as tuition fee and there are other expenses as well,” an official said.
The WBJEE will also do away with most of its outstation centres, retaining only one (Agartala) out of the present 14. “There are logistics problems, so students will have to come here. We are keeping Agartala as a consideration for Northeast students,” the minister said.
The WBJEE board will meet on Tuesday to discuss changes in the pattern and administration for next year’s examination. The minister wants objective-type questions along with multiple-choice ones. Rules for obtaining domicile certificates will also be tightened.
mou.chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

WBJEE not to be scrapped, reforms in offing

2007-09-16T20:43:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, September 6, 2007
The state is not thinking of scrapping the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination but is planning reforms to make the system foolproof. A meeting in this regard will be held on September 11.
After that meeting, the board will sit for another with the government on September 13 to propose reforms in the exam system. The government was toying with the idea of scrapping WBJEE entirely or reforming the exam system after a recent scam concerning the medical JEE was exposed in July. The racket involved candidates clearing the medical entrance by sending dummy candidates instead to take the exam on their behalf.
Following the discovery, higher education minister Sudarsan Roychoudhuri provided the WBJEE board with some time for self-introspection and had announced in the Assembly that a meeting with the board would take place in September. “We want to make the system as foolproof as we can. For this we would not mind if we have to conduct more than one meeting but we will try to do everything by September,” Roychoudhuri said.
“On September 11 we will discuss and decide upon the date for the coming year’s WBJEE and various reforms related to it. Some administrative matters connected to the exam will also be discussed,” said N.R. Banerjea, chairman of WBJEE board. The government will again meet on July 13 to give final shape to the reforms.
The state had earlier shown interest in adopting the Tamil Nadu model, which does not have any JEE exam for engineering and medical admissions and instead decides on the basis of Class XII results. But now the government only wants to adopt certain aspects, which includes its counselling system. The higher education minister had also asked for possible suggestions to reform the WBJEE model. “I have received quiet a number of suggestions. Even today a medical student gave me some suggestions and we will discuss all of them,” Roychoudhuri added.
Among other things to be discussed during the meeting would be the possible scrapping of multiple-choice questions. Many academics have voiced their opinions against it and the government is also having second thoughts of continuing with the system.
Also on the agenda is strengthening invigilation at exam centres and the state also plans to do away with outstation exam centres for better monitoring. This is because the higher education ministry feels many of the dummy candidates were able to take the exam due to poor invigilation.
The ministry is also considering taking fingerprints of WBJEE candidates, to prevent fake candidates and wants the WBJEE board to become strict about photographs used by examinees, since many aspirants that had sent dummies had used blurred photographs.
There would other changes specific to the WBJEE medical exam also. Many MBBS students want the WBJEE board to increase the number of attempts to take the exam in the eligibility criteria and the government will also discuss that during the meeting.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Magazine from IIM to hit stands

2007-09-16T20:42:00.001+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, September 12, 2007
A NEW finance magazine will soon hit the stands. For a change, students of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, Bangalore and Ahmedabad will bring it out.
Money Manager — a first of its kind pan-IIM magazine — will be coordinated and published by the Finance Clubs of all the three IIMs.
Nivedita Joshi of IIMC, Ashish Kumar of IIMA and Sumit Kumar of IIMB conceived the idea of a pan-IIM finance magazine two months back. They feel that despite the huge rise in jobs in the financial services sector in India, there are very few avenues for students to publish their original ideas and research work. Money Manager, they argue, will fill the void.
Apart from those studying at the three IIMs, students of the country’s top 10 B-schools have been invited to write for Money Manager. The contributors will have to write on corporate finance, behavioural finance, private equity, quantitative finance, financial market and financial instruments.
“Articles are already pouring in. Most financial magazines deal with the latest happenings, but our magazine will let would-be managers to express their ideas on the specified topics,” said Punee Jain, head of IIMC’s Finance Club.
Ecstatic about their new endeavour, first-year student Shubham Singal said: “Finance Club members of the three IIMs have formed editorial teams. While students from top B-schools are sending articles, our panel of professors will select them. The editorial teams will then edit them and handle the production aspects.”
Singhal added: “Faculty members will also select three best articles from every issue and the authors will win cash prize.”
The magazine will have three issues per year and global investment bank Merrill Lynch has been roped in as the sponsor. The 52-page first edition will be launched this month. Students of all the three IIIMs will get the magazine free, while those in the top 10 B-schools will get it through e-mail.
“As profit is not on our minds we have not put a price tag to the magazine. But once we stabilise we will decide on how to reach the market beyond IIMs. We might think of offering subscription to corporate houses. In that case we need to fix a price for Money Manager. At a later stage we also plan to invite past students and corporate bosses to write for it,” said Jain.
The magazine think-tank is starting a blog to spread the word about the magazine among students of the three IIMs. Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

IIT tie-up with US varsity to train schoolteachers

2007-09-16T13:49:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, September 15, 2007
IIT Kharagpur has agreed to a tie-up with University of California, Berkeley (UCB) in the US, to start a teachers’ training academy exclusively for schoolteachers. The focus would be on improving and updating teaching methods for science subjects in the secondary and higher secondary levels.
“The idea was mooted by Nobel laureate professor George F Smoot of UCB, who is currently visiting the institute, and we thought we should take up the proposal,” said Damodar Acharya, director of IIT-KGP, after the institute’s 53rd convocation.
The joint programme will focus in developing curriculum, course materials to be used and course content to train teachers. Emphasis will be on teaching of science subjects and ways of making it interesting and acceptable to pupils. Modern teaching techniques and aids along with an updated knowledge of science is what the programme is aiming to do.
Apart from the regular science subjects such as, physics, chemistry, mathematics and biology, teachers will be given exposure to other subjects like cosmology, environmental science, climate change and energy.
Talking about the collaboration, Smoot said, “UCB already has one such programme, but we are going global with the project, and would be including India also.” The project has gained popularity in the US and the varsity has tie-ups in Kenya, Japan and China. “We are starting off in Indian with IIT Kharagpur, but slowly we would like to be associated with other IITs to get maximum reach,” the Nobel laureate added.
Commenting on the new initiative, the chairman of the board of governors at IIT-KGP Sanjiv Goenka, said: “The dialogue with UCB has already begun. There is a shortage of well-trained teachers in our schools and IIT Khargapur wants to do its part to improve the situation. In the past we had undertaken faculty development programmes for teachers of engineering colleges across the country and now we want to do it for schoolteachers. Our prior experience will surely help us.”
Course material for the undertaking will be conceptualised by December this year. While some teachers will be trained on IIT KGP campus, who will become master trainers, training will also be available online.
The IIT is also going on a massive infrastructure development drive. The institution has been sanctioned Rs 300 crore for developing its infrastructure, which would include construction of 100 class rooms, 200 tutorial rooms and six laboratories. The institute also inaugurated a women’s hostel accommodating 250 on Saturday. The institution is also setting up a tea research centre for Rs 16 crore, a coffee research centre for Rs 3 crore, a telecom research centre for Rs 12 crore and a steel research centre for Rs 20 crore. The institute will spend another Rs 50 crore to develop a research facility on fabrication of semi conductors.
“We are coming up with an energy park, an IT park and a medical biotechnology park. Many Indian and foreign institutions and companies have expressed their desire to use these facilities. Damodar Valley Corporation has offered to invest Rs 100 crore on our energy park project,” said Acharya.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

UGC proposes semester system

2007-09-16T13:47:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, September 15, 2007
EXAMINATION SYSTEM in colleges and universities across the country might be in for an overhaul if the University Grants Commission (UGC) has its way. The UGC wants to introduce semester system, along with grades, in the under graduate and postgraduate levels.
Chairman of the UGC Prof. S. K. Thorat revealed this while addressing a session on the 11th five-year plan at Jadavpur University. The two-day session was kicked-off on Saturday with more than 50 vice-chancellors from various universities in eastern Indian attending it.
“Our colleges and universities follow one-time examination system. But conducting year-end annual exam and promoting students on the basis of it is not scientific. The semester system is more scientific and it is time to implement it,” Thorat said.
Thorat has also proposed to start grading system in college and university exam as is done in Class X and XII board tests. “It is a scientific approach. However, in the initial years if grade is awarded along with marks and then the marking system is completely abolished it will not be of any problem for both students and teachers,” said one of the vice-chancellors present at the meet.
In the 11th five-year plan the UGC has received some proposals for starting semester system and gradation in UG and PG studies. However, before taking a final decision in the matter, the UGC is discussing the proposal in all the four zones of the country.
After the proposal is discussed threadbare, the UGC will conduct a centralised meeting and send the final proposal to the ministry of human resource development for approval.
Thorat also felt that the measure would increase the gross enrolment ratio in higher education throughout the country. “The gross enrolment ratio in higher education in Indian is 10 per cent but in developed countries like the US it is 15 per cent. We will like to increase the ratio to 15 per cent by 2012 and implementation of the semester and gradation systems will give this initiative a big boost,” said Thorat.
Thorat also felt that in order to increase the enrolment ratio all institutes of higher learning will have to increase the mobility of students from one institution to another for research or for pursuing various subjects.
Thorat, however, touched a sensitive issue when he proposed a revision in fees in colleges and universities.Mou.Chakraborty@hindustatimnes.com

Thumbprints to block JEE frauds

2007-09-15T13:30:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, September 27, 2007

THE STATE’S JEE candidates will go through a series of thumbprint checks ahead of next year’s examination, a move to weed out fake candidates.
“Last year many dummy candidates took the entrance, which should not have happened. No we are taking every possible step to ensure that only genuine candidates appear,” said N.R. Banerjea, chairman of the West Bengal JEE Board.
Candidates will give their left thumb impressions on at least three occasions. The first impression will be on the application form, the second on the attendance sheet and the third on the optical marker reader (OMR) — the sheet on which they will answer multiple-choice questions. The board may also ask them for their thumb impressions on the objective-type answer-sheet. If any of the later impressions fail to match the first, the candidate will be put under the scanner.
The thumb impression is part of a procedure followed in IIT-JEE. “It will be one of the steps to check dummy candidates. If any dispute arises on the identity of a candidate, forensic experts will examine the thumb prints and the truth will come out,” the board chairman said.
In another step against dummies, the board will do away with using scanned photographs and ask each candidate to submit six originals. One of these will be on the attendance sheet and another on the admit card, which will be laminated so that no one can tamper with it.
Last year, a coaching centre had sent several dummy candidates. This time, no coaching centre will be allowed to issue forms and prospectuses. These will be available only with United Bank of India (UBI) offices in West Bengal and Tripura. Like the thumb impression, this too is a procedure followed in IIT-JEE, as well as CAT.
“The form will have three parts, one of which will be with the candidate, one with the bank and the third with the board. To prevent cheating, one or both parents of each candidate must sign the form,” the board chairman said.
mou.chakraborty@hindustantimes.com
BOX
· Thumb prints at three stages, starting from filling the form and ending in the examination hall

· Six original photographs, including one each on admit card and attendance sheet

· Form, prospectus only at UBI offices in Bengal and Tripura, none with coaching centres. Copy of form with board, parents’ signature necessary

Sanskrit has 2.5-lakh takers and counting

2007-09-15T13:24:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty & Zia Haq
Kolkata/New Delhi, September 21, 2007

RECENTLY, 32 Muslim students went up to the head of Kashmir University’s Sanskrit department S.Razdan, requesting her to help them learn Sanskrit. Surprised at their interest, Razdan wrote to the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan’s Jammu coordinator, Professor Vishwamurthy Shastri.
The boys’ interest in what’s often considered a dead language is not a one-off case. Doctors, lawyers and even housewives across the country are rediscovering the classical language that goes back 4,000 years.
The latest report of the country's apex body for Sanskrit learning under the Union HRD ministry --- the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan --- reveals that between 2004 and 2006, over 2.5 lakh people have learnt Sanskrit through its “non-formal course”. Among them are 500 doctors, as many lawyers, 4,000 businessmen, 8,000 housewives and 20,000 retired professionals.
The institute had started the course as a pilot project in 2004 with just 5,000 students at 100 centres. Today, there are over 1,000 centres nationwide. “It is remarkable that none who enroll do so for a degree, but for the love of the language. Remember it's a non-formal course,” said the Sansthan's national coordinator Ratan Mohan Jha.
In Kolkata, the new-found interest in Sanskrit has led the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University to open the School of Indian Heritage from the current academic session. “People who know science do not know Sanskrit and those who know Sanskrit do not know science. Increasingly, the scientific community is showing an interest in our ancient science but for that, they will have to know Sanskrit,” said Swami Atmapriyananda, vice-chancellor of the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University.
But why is there a sudden interest in the language. Dr. Atulananda Ramteke, who runs the Agile Orthopaedic Clinic in New Delhi’s Shalimar Bagh, said: “Principles of ancient Sushruta medicine always attracted me. That is why I had opted for the course.”
“The language has so much rhythm, it brings peace to your mind even when you are highly stressed. And once you learn Sanskrit you know how to solve complex management problems,” said S. Gautma, a management graduate from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. He is now pursuing a course in Sanskrit from the Ramakrisha Mission Institute of Culture at Golpark.
letters@hindustantimes.com

State Cracks the Whip on Teacher's Cane

2007-09-14T15:27:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, September 13

TEACHERS GUILTY of corporal punishment, beware. If the government gets to know of it, the government will step in, investigate, and punish you if it finds you guilty.
The punishment will depend on the degree of corporal punishment. It could be as trivial as a verbal warning for minor cases, but serious instances would entail a halt to increments, suspension or even dismissal.
The government’s decision is binding on state-run and state-aided schools. Private schools, too, will be given a set of guidelines, which they may or may not follow.
“We are very serious about stopping corporal punishment in schools. If we come to know about any such incident, we will take up the matter directly and take disciplinary action,” school education minister Partha De said on Thursday, after a meeting on the subject.
The minister discussed corporal punishment with representatives of his department, the directorate of school education, the primary and Madhyamik boards, the higher secondary council, district school inspectors and all teachers’ organisations. The meeting also included health department representatives, psychiatrists, paediatricians and experts on adolescent health.
The minister asked teachers’ organisations for suggestions by September 20. “We will then decide how to deal with teachers who are guilty of corporal punishment. We will set up a mechanism of monitoring such incidents and put someone in charge. We want the plan in effect once schools reopen after Durga Puja,” he said.
De urged the teachers to be particularly cautious with girls. He asked them “not to touch them under any circumstances and also make the girls aware that no one should touch them”.
The government plans to counsel both teachers and parents and explain that they should not put pressure on children. Teachers will also be taught anger management.
“Teachers should understand that instead of hitting or scolding there are scientific ways to handle an unruly child. A psychological insight into the child’s brain will help teachers to address the problem. They can also find ways of relieving stress,” the minister said. mou.chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Storm brews over St Thomas college

2007-08-30T14:45:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 30, 2007
St Thomas College of Engineering, Kidderpore is in the eye of educational storm with the Calcutta Diocese of Churches of North India accusing the prinicipal of taking over the college. Not surprisingly, the principal has denied the charge.
The institution has 240 students. St. Thomas College of Engineering offers B.Tech courses in Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Computer Engineering and Information Technology.
The Calcutta Diocese of Churches of North India (CNI) will take out a rally against the principal of St. Thomas College of Engineering, Sailesh Mukhopadhyay, who controls the institution through a trust.
“The Calcutta Diocese of CNI had formed a body named Calcutta Diocessan Education Trust (CDET) of which Mukhopadhyay was a member. After running the college for four years, the CDET had to hand over charge to the management of St. Thomas School. However, Mukhopadhyay formed another trust for the college. So the AICTE has withheld its approval,” said Reverend Biswajit Biswas of Kolkata Diocese.
The CDET and managing committee of St. Thomas School is seeking legal advice. The CNI is taking out a rally on Friday against Mukhopadyay and his allies. “We are worried about the future of students. We would not tolerate an institution bending rules,” said Reverend Abir Adhikari of Kolkata Diocese.
However, Mukhopadhyay termed the decision to rally as unfortunate. No parallel trust is running the college. The CDET is in charge. Bishop Raju was its chairman but when other members of the trust, which includes representaives from All India Council for Technical Euducation (AICTE) and West Bengal University of Technology asked the bishop to clarify his position regarding land allotment, he started calling the panel illegal,” said Mukhopadhyay.
However supporters of Bishop Raju claimed that CDET is not running the college. “These people want to enjoy financial benefits they earn from the college. They have not bothered to help students from Christian community to take admission here, despite the fact that the institution was specially meant for them,” said Biswas.
Mukhopadhyay has hit back by saying that he has not compromised the students’ future. “AICTE has given extension to our affiliation for the 2007-2008 session. This means that students who have taken admission in our college this year need not worry. We want to ensure everyone that students interest is being catered to,” he said.
mou.chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Women’s cell at Presidency to deal with harassment

2007-08-29T14:48:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 29, 2007
Presidency College is going to set up women’s cell to deal with sexual harassment.
The first women principal of the college, Mamata Ray, took the intiative to set up this cell. “Though our college has till date has no incident of sexual harassment, but having a women’s cell is absolutely necessary. I do not now why our college did not have a body like this. But now it will be done,” said Ray.
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), the central government body, which grades colleges and university, suggested that Presidency College should have a women’s cell. “We will be talking to all before coming up with the cell. This would include students, teachers and non teaching staff of the college,” Ray informed.
After discussions, the college will constitute the cell as per directive from UGC. “We will soon work on the modalities of this cell once we reach a consensus. The college has grievance and a disciplinary cell to check any irregularity in the campus pertaining to discipline. But this cell would solely redress harassment of women, if we find any such cases,” said Ray.
Haren Bhattacharya head of the department of geology and general secretary of Government College Teachers Association however does not believe in making a gender divide. “We should not segregate between men and women like this. But then this is the need of the hour and all national bodies related to education are suggesting this. But while on one hand it will help feel women more secure it may even increase he gender divide.”
The students are happy with such an initiative but are not sure how such cells can prevent harassment. “My friends elder sister studies in Jadavpur University. They had raised their voice against a professor but at the end of the day the answer scripts were withheld. Though the women’s cell was helped them but they went through a tense and traumatic time,” said a student of second year physics student on condition of anonymity.
It is not mandatory for all colleges to have a women’s cell. However colleges who do not have the cell forwards the complaint to the Calcutta University’s (CU) sexual harassment cell. “Our cell was set up four years back. We have got only three cases. Such cells cannot work unless women raise their voice,” said Suranjan Das, Pro Vice Chancellor (Academic) of the university.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

PETA succeeds in getting 'cruel experiments' withdrawn from school

2007-08-29T14:47:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 29, 2007
The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education has decided to withdraw “cruel experiments” on animals and birds to demonstrate the necessity of food and oxygen, prescribed for Class VI students, after a campaign launched by PETA.
A PETA release here said on Wednesday that in one experiment, children were told to starve a parrot to death, or deny water to it till it died or seal a guinea pig in a jar till it suffocated. After coming to know of this from a parent last year, PETA contacted West Bengal Minister of School Education, Partha Dey and urged him to direct the board to abandon the cruel experiments, it said.
Requests were also filed under the Right to Information Act.
“After we received the complain from PETA we had formed a committee to review their claim. The panel recommended the withdrawal of all such experiments which were pertains to cruelty against animals,” said president of WBSSE Ujjal Basu.
A circular has already been sent to all the concerned publishers. “From this year we will not be able to take this step as the books for this academic session has already been published. We have sent circular to all our publishers asking them not to print such experiments from their next edition. Hence from next year the students will not find these experiments,” said the sectary of WBBSE Swapan Sarkar.
The board has now suggested new experiments to replace the older ones, which demonstrates cruelty against animals. The board also feels that there is no definite line to define cruelty. “When we kill a fish, chicken and goats every day and have them for food, we do not think about cruelty. However, when we talk about killing a deer or a parrot it becomes a big issue,” said Sarkar. “We want students to love animals and hope that this will help them to change their perception towards them,” he added.
Deputy Secretary of WBSE Jayanta Joy Chattapadhyay, subsequently directed: “In respect of experiments on animals about the necessity of food and oxygen (group C, Unit III of class VI General Science syllabus), the authors must avoid discussion using rats/birds/toads, instead they can use common pest like cockroach or common air breathing fish (cat fish).”
“This is a victory for all the animals who suffer every day in painful, unnecessary experiments and whose stories must be told,” said PETA’s campaign coordinator Dharmesh Solanki. PTI
mou.hindustantimes@yahoo.com

State draws up lakshmanrekha for schools

2007-08-28T14:49:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 28, 2007
Have a proper infrastructure around 30 kottah or half acre of land before thinking of opening schools. This is the diktat from the state school education department.
Earlier there was no specification and 108 schools had obtained a no-objection certificate from the government. However in most cases ICSE and CBSE boards rejected the application because of the land crunch.
According to the rulebook of the ICSE, a school located in an urban hub must have half an acre of land and one acre of land if it is situated in a rural area. CBSE is asking city schools seeking affiliation to have a minimum of one acre of land and double in rural areas.
“We were embarrassed by the developments. The decision was taken early this month. All schools wanting to seek NOC from the state government should have a minimum of 30 acres. It will be one of the main pre requisite criteria,” said R. K. Ray, joint secretary of school education department.
Even after this, if the schools having the mandatory half acre of land gets a NOC from the state it would not be able to apply for affiliation from the CBSE.
“In any case the demand for CBSE schools is less compared to ICSE schools. It is true that getting one acre of land in a city will be difficult. Bu the schools can always apply for affiliation under ICSE. Moreover, these are the rules of the boards. We are just demarcating the minimum requirement,” said Ray.
The other minimum criteria for getting NOC from the state government is a playground and an NOC from the fire department and proper infrastructure, which includes classrooms of minimum 400 square foot and three laboratories. If the school offers computer science then there has to be a computer lab too. Apart from this, the school needs to have a minimum of thirty students per section and have a well-equipped library.
“The NOC from the fire department is a very important criteria. It is also mandatory for schools to offer specified service condition and privileges to teaching and non-teaching staff. We would also ensure that the trusts or the bodies running the schools are not managed by one family,” added Ray.
mou.chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Dream big and work hard

2007-08-27T14:44:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 27, 2007
Want to have some work experience aboard even when you are in college? Do you want to work for the underprivileged? Do you want to dream big and make most of the opportunities that come your way? Well then AIESEC is the ideal place for you.
AIESEC is a non-political non-profit youth organisation and is present in over a hundred countries. It has 23,000 students from all over the world as members. “This group provides members with a platform for leadership, job opportunities abroad, conferences and an opportunity to work for issues like HIV/AIDS, child rights and corporate social sesponsibility,” said Rohit Adukia, organising committee president for recruitment, 2007 and a second year B.Com student of Bhawanipore Education Society.
Students up to 26 and working professionals up to 36 can become a member of AIESEC. While there is no joining charge, membership form cost Rs 50. Right now the organisation is recruiting members till August 29. “We are looking for young and dynamic individuals who believe in making a difference. Members will be selected on their performance in a group discussion and an interview,” said Adukia, who is currently holding recruitment interviews leading colleges of the city.
The cardinal feature of AIESEC is the “international traineeship exchange programme,” which provides students and working professionals to access interns in countries across the globe. AIESEC currently has more than 700 youth volunteers and close to a 1000 international internship programmes every year where nominees live abroad while working on projects.
“These programmes provide the much requisite exposure to international markets through direct interaction with foreign corporate houses. The combination of a practical work experience in a diverse cultural environment helps an individual to enrich himself. Besides empowering one's CV, it brightens up the career-graph of interns. The icing on the cake is that these exchanges are cost-effective, reliable and hassle-free. Though the student has to arrange for the air fair, their food and lodging are taken care off by us,” said Adukia.
AISEC welcomes students who want to make a presentation of their projects. If approved AIESEC would sponsors the project. For more enquries log on to www.aiesec.org.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Minister’s thumbs down to anti-salwar brigade

2007-08-27T14:40:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 27, 2007
THE OFFICIAL line on the sari-salwar tussle is out. School education minister Partha De has told Bakrahat Girls’ High School management committee members: “Let the teachers wear what they want to”.
The minister’s observation comes after the managing committee members of the school had objected to teachers wearing salwar-kameez.
Eight schoolteachers had reported for duty in salwar-kameez on August 21. This “break from tradition” had enraged the school’s managing committee, guardians, locals as well as students. In fact, policemen had to rescue the teachers, who were locked up in a room and hurled abuses.
The unseeming row made headlines and the minister had to intervene. After meeting the teachers soon after the incident, De held talks with the managing committee members to put across his stand on the issue
Present at Monday’s meeting were managing committee president Tapan Samanta, secretary Anup Ghosh, headmistress Saswati Das, guardian and teachers’ representatives and a police officer from the local police station.
Emerging from the meeting, De said: “ We have discussed the issue. Salwar is OK and I have asked them not to object to it. The teachers can wear anything they want as long as it is not obscene.”
The eight teachers, who had been advised by the minister to skip school after the incident took place, will return to take classes from August 30 in outfits of their choice.
The managing committee members, however, told De that wearing salwar-kameez was not the issue and they had problem with the behaviour and teaching technique of the teachers. There were several complaints against them, they said. “We have not stopped them from wearing salwar. The teachers had raked up the dress row to avoid charges brought against them,” said a member of the delegation on condition of anonymity.
De, however, refused to buy their argument and asked the managing committee to convene an academic council meeting to resolve the problem.
The teachers also refuted charges levelled against them. “All eight of us have very good academic background. Some of us have been teaching here for eight years. There is no complaint with our teaching technique or behaviour. The entire row is over dress code,” a teacher told HT on condition of anonymity.
She added: “At secretary Anup Ghosh’s Future Gems School teachers are permitted to wear salwar, but it was opposed when we wanted to.”
The minister also hauled up the managing committee for involving locals and students in the dispute.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

IITs & IIMs join hand in offering Manufacturing course

2007-08-27T14:31:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 27, 2007
For the first time, Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIMC) — along with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur and IIT Madras — have come together to offer a course in manufacturing.
The course named Post Graduate Programme for Executives for Visionary Leadership in Manufacturing was launched at IIMC on Monday. It is a one-year full-time residential programme aimed at experienced managers to hone their managerial skills in the manufacturing sector. This tri-party joint programme is supported by National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC), of the Central government’s Ministry of Human Resource Development and the Government of Japan.
Shekhar Chaudhuri, IIMC director and member of NMCC, said, “While developing the national manufacturing strategy, NMCC had suggested the development of human resources in this sector. This is the first step towards that aim. Once trained, these managers will be globally competitive. The industry will get visionary managers with a competitive edge, something which the manufacturing industry in the country needs.”
With TATA Motors and other manufacturing units coming to Bengal, this programme will also benefit the state and provide it with much-required manpower.
“The low level of manufacturing growth had an adverse effect on the Indian economy. It has aggravated poverty owing to a mismatch between distribution of the workforce and value addition in agriculture. Manufacturing sector growth can correct this mismatch but that cannot happen unless we have qualified managers whose sole motive will be to boost this sector. That is what this course aims to do,” said Chaudhuri.
To begin with, 32 students have been admitted for the programme. The minimum eligibility criterion was a first class degree in any branch of engineering with minimum five years’ work experience. The selection was done through a written aptitude test followed by an interview by a panel compromising academicians and industry CEOs. While half the course will be imparted at IIMC, the rest of it will be divided between IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras. The course will also incorporate 5-6 weeks of industry visits followed by 11-13 weeks of industry internship.
The students — apart from those sponsored by their offices — will be given campus placement. “The work for the companies will not stop by hiring them but they should know how to retain these people. Attractive offers will not be enough unless they are given empowerment to implement their vision. Only then the manufacturing industry of the country will get a big boost,” said Chaudhuri.
mou.chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Teachers demand Saturday off too

2007-08-26T14:23:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 26, 2007
Citing increasing work pressure as the reason, teachers of 44 government schools across the state have demanded an extra off on Saturdays in addition to Sundays. The teachers have compared themselves with other government employees, who enjoy a break from work on the weekends, to strengthen their case.
At its executive council meeting last week, the West Bengal Government School Teachers’ Association decided to present their wish list to school education minister Partha De this week.
“The workload has increased manifold. School hours have been extended by 45 minutes from the current academic session. Teachers have to conduct eight unit tests, besides the annual examination, which means piles of answer scripts for correction. Class work and homework copies are added responsibilities. Working from 11am to 1.30pm even on Saturdays is the extra load that teachers must be relieved of,” said Dipak Das, general secretary of the association.
According to Das, the West Bengal Service Rules apply for all state government employees, including teachers. “So, if other government employees get off on Saturdays why shouldn’t teachers enjoy the same? Earlier, other government employees worked half-day on Saturdays apart from the second and fourth, which were holidays. But over the past few years, they have been enjoying a break from work every weekend. If the same rules apply to both, why should schoolteachers work for two-and-a-half hours every Saturday?” he said.
Das said teachers of government schools are entitled to a total leave of 151 days every academic year. These include 65 days of listed holidays and vacations, 20 medical and 14 casual leaves, and 52 Sundays. Partha Chatterjee, general secretary of the State Government Employees’ Federation said other government employees could enjoy a maximum of 173 days, including 15 listed holidays, 54 casual, medical and earned leaves and 104 Saturdays and Sundays.
“Earlier, we had 87 days of listed holidays and vacations every year. Now, it has been brought down to 65. We have accepted the cut. But when there is not much difference in work pressure between schools and other government offices, why this discrimination when it comes to off days?” Das said. He also demanded scrapping of the rule of deducting a casual leave if a teacher is absent on a Saturday.
When pointed out that government-aided schools also remained open on Saturdays and teachers there shared a similar workload too, Das said: “Our demand is justified. They (teachers of government-aided schools) can follow us if they want to.”
The association feels including Saturday on the leave list would not affect the quality of teaching. “Almost all English-medium schools in the country hold classes five days a week. Do you think they do this at the cost of their quality of education?” said a teacher.
Das said students, too, were under pressure and classes five days a week would help them beat the stress. It would also give them time to study at home, he contended.
mou.chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Lessons in running students’ union

2007-08-24T14:41:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 24, 2007

The SFI will now reach out to college students to teach them the art of running students’ unions in colleges and universities.
For the first time, the SFI will arrange workshops for students’ union leaders from all colleges, where SFI leads the union or has a unit. At present, the unions at 358 of 400 colleges in Bengal are run by the SFI. “We have taken this step to ensure that our students’ union gains strength. With every passing year, our union base is becoming stronger. It is our responsibility to improve our organisational structure. The leaders will interact with students’ leaders at the grassroots level and groom them,” said Apurbo Chatterjee, state secretary of the SFI.
The general secretary, president and cultural secretary of all SFI-run unions will attend thee one-day workshop, which will focus on a host of topics such as how to build an organisation, what are the education-related issues the students’ unions need toaddress, how to conduct the daily activities of the union as well discussion on ideological issues.
The SFI has drawn up a 25-point guideline, which it will share with the students’ leaders. The students will also be briefed on the organisational structure of the SFI.
The first workshop will be held at Vidyasagar University on Wednesday and at Burdwan University the next day. North Bengal University will host the workshop on September 8 followed by Kalyani University on September 18. A single workshop will be held for all colleges under Calcutta University, Bengal Engineering and Science University and Jadavpur University on September 19.
The SFI has also called a students’ convention in Kolkata on September 27. Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Left Front chairman Biman Bose will address the students on the occasion.
mou.chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

‘IIMs need not worry about quality over implementation of OBC quota’

2007-08-24T14:33:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 24, 2007
IIMs should not have to worry about the quality of intake with the implementation of 27 per cent OBC quota if the students are provided with remedial teaching. This view was aired by Samuel Paul, a member of the oversight committee formed by the ministry of human resource development to look into various aspects of the implementation of 27 per cent quota in higher education institutions including IIMs and IITs.
The oversight committee has already recommended the implementation of OBC quota over the period of 3 years along with the development of requisite infrastructure.
While delivering his speech at the Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS) convention on Emerging India: Strategic Transformation of Indian Industry and Management Education organised at the Kolkata IIM, Paul (also Public Affairs Centre, Bangalore chairman) said, “IIMs should not fear about a slump in quality as regards students. On the contrary, they should organise for the remedial teaching for students from backward class and rural areas. The management institutions are not short on funds and will definitely not have a problem in providing remedial coaching for those weak in certain areas.”
Drawing a comparison with the BPO industry, Paul said, “The BPOs have been recruiting heavily from rural areas by training students in spoken English. It has already been proved that if proper teaching tools are used then weak students too can deliver. The management institutions should look at this model.”
He also urged management institutions not to turn down students because they do not have the personality or spoken English skills required to be a manager but should answer the problem through remedial teaching.
Another problem faced by management institutions is in finding quality faculty. Paul suggested that the small management colleges should come together and offer doctoral degrees to the students jointly. “Out of hundred students getting doctorate degrees every year only 25 come to teaching. If the management institutes offer joint doctoral degrees then they would not only be able to share each other’s infrastructure but can also churn out more doctorates,” he said.
Paul spoke about his worries associated with the deterioration in quality with the mushrooming management institutions. “There are so many management institutions coming up every day. All have different quality levels but who is going to judge their quality? It is high time that we too have accreditation agencies for management institutes,” he said. Paul advised management institutions not to depend on case studies from Harvard and instead take on local examples.
mou.chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

"IIM’s in any case have to increases their intake capacity in the coming years"

2007-08-23T14:35:00.000+05:30

Dr. Shekhar Chaudhuri, director of Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIMC) and former president of Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS) spoke to Mou Chakraborty on the future of management education in India and about IIMC.

The annual convention of AIMS, which is the body representing all the management institutes of the country was held at your campus last week. What are the areas on which the management institutions will have to work in future?
The most important agenda for all the management institutes in the country will be getting good faculty. With corporate making lucrative offers and the management houses failing to match it, most of the best minds are not joining teaching profession. In next one year one of the most important work of AIMS will be to identify ways to get goof faculty and retain them. The scenario at IIMC too is same, we too will have to chalk out plans to get quality faculty.

What are the other areas of management education in which AIMS decided to give more importance?
Well, the quality of management education has to be improved. And for that the most important thing will be curriculum revision. The curriculum should be updated through industry academia interaction. Another way of doing it could know about the best practices of all other management institutions.

With the opening up of Indian economy many foreign education institutions are coming to India. How would the IIM’s in particular face this challenge?
It is true that soon many well known foreign business schools might show interest in coming to India. And we wont be surprised if business schools like Harvard too wants to set up base here. But that would not be of competition o the IIM’s. These schools would not be able to charge anything below fifteen lakh for their courses, where as a student at IIMC have to merely rupees two lakh as course fee. But then the IIM’s too will have to update their teaching tools and techniques. However one good thing that will happen to management education in India if big foreign B-schools come here is that the Indian B-schools with poor academic quality will get wiped out.

It is true that with B-schools mushrooming in every part of India there is a concern with the quality of education imparted by them.
Right. Many of them flout norms set by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). But hen such B-Schools can only be brought to books if AICTE has a strong enforcement team.

Many educationists feel that the proposed twenty seven percent reservation of OBC’s in the higher education institution including the IIM’s would result in fall of quality of education, is the popular view. Do you fear the same?
The IIM’s in any case have to increases their intake capacity in the coming years. In a country with such huge population offering 1500 seats collectively cannot satisfy us. We will have to implement OBC quota once he ministry of human resource development gives us green signal. For that we are already working on our infrastructure development and would ensure that the quality does not suffer.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Students of higher education ministers’ college score a perfect zero in Political science

2007-08-22T14:20:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 22, 2007
ALL POLITICAL science students of Serampore College have failed in the part II general exam of Calcutta University (CU). This year, 372 students from the college had taken the exam and of them 120 students had political science as one of the subjects. Most of the students have scored between 0 and 20.
The incident has shocked higher education minister Sudarshan Raichowdhury, who had taught political science at the college and was also head of the department. The minister, who retired in 2006 just before the state Assembly election, declined to comment on the poor show, but said: “I have left the college long back and am not aware of recent activities. As per decorum, Calcutta University will look into the matter.”
The result has, however, left the students fuming. On Wednesday they submitted a deputation to the university’s pro vice-chancellor (academic) Suranjan Das.
“It’s ridiculous. How can the students score such low marks? We fear that either the answer scripts were lost or error crept in during checking or tabulation. We want our problem to be resolved,” said a student of the college.
The university has, however, ruled out negligence on its part. “We will help the students and ensure that they do not suffer. If they want, the students can either apply for a review or come and see the answer scripts. We too are surprised by the incident, but don’t feel there has been any negligence on the examiner’s part,” said a top official of the university.
The result was published last Friday. This is the second time that BA part II results of the university have come under scrutiny. Students of Biharilal College of Home Science had earlier complained that there was anomaly in their part II honours result. The university official acted on their complaint and found that tabulation error had led to faulty marksheets. The marksheets were recalled and fresh ones issued to the students.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Guru Cool: De-stressing plan coming your way

2007-08-21T14:43:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 21, 2007
IF CORPORAL punishment is a malaise then the remedy should begin with the perpetrators. Thinking almost on this line, the government has decided to de-stress teachers.
The government has come to believe that increase in cases of corporal punishment is linked to rising tension in teachers. “Teachers these days are extremely stressed. At times this gets expressed while handling students. We want to reduce their stress level and a programme will soon be in place to tackle the problem,” said school education minister Partha De.
De has already conducted a secretary-level meeting and would call a meeting of teachers’ organisations on the issue. “We want to share our ideas with the teachers and would also ask them to give their suggestions,” said De.
As part of its de-stressing strategy, the school education department is planning to reward efficient teachers. This apart, parents will also be asked to laud deserving tutors. “They keep working without any appreciation. They will feel good if their job is recognised by the society,” De said.
The department is also exploring the possibility of ensuring “happy hours” for teachers at schools. “Teachers work under tremendous pressure. Joyful atmosphere in schools can help them cope strain,” the minister said.
Another factor contributing to growing stress among the gurus is the burden of additional responsibility. The worst sufferers are primary school teachers. Apart from their job, they need to care for all aspects of mid-day meals — from shopping to account keeping. They also help in carrying out election, health, census and several other government programmes. In between, they have to attend training programmes and organise sports and cultural activities for students.
“Primary school teachers have to do every thing apart from teaching. If teachers are resorting to corporal punishment then the system is at fault. The school education department should do something about it,” Kartik Saha, general secretary of Bengal Primary School Teachers’ Association, said.
Aware of the ground reality, the chief secretary, with the chief minister’s consent, had in March directed authorities not to engage teachers in non-teaching activities, but that has not helped. Expressing his helplessness, De said: “We have no control over the Election Commission.”
General secretary of the All Bengal Teachers’ Association Sibaprasad Mukhopadyay agrees with the idea of de-stressing teachers. “Increase in stress is a common phenomena. As work pressure is rising in schools, teachers often vent their ire on kids,” he said. However, he wants work atmosphere in schools to improve.
Private schools are also recognising the importance of de-stressing programmes. Mahadevi Birla High School has already taken the lead in this.
“These days, teachers need to know their subjects and also remain friendly with the child. Else, parents may drag them to the court. For teachers to perform well, de-stressing is a must,” Malini Bhagat, principal of the school, said.
Mou.Chakarborty@hindustanimes.com

Meet to map the future of management education in India

2007-08-21T14:29:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 21, 2007

Students and industry leaders will meet at IIM, Joka, from Thursday to Saturday to decide the course of management education in the country.
The Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS), a non-profit organisation which represents Indian management institutes and business schools internationally, has organised the convention on Emerging India: Strategic Transformation of Indian Industry and Management Education.
“Indian economy is growing at a rapid pace and by 2020, we would be the third-largest economy of the world. At the convention, we would discuss in which direction management education as well as Indian industry should move so that we can make this transition without any hitch,” IIMC director and AIMS president Shekhar Chaudhuri said.
The theme, according to Chaudhuri, is a deliberate choice. “The founding fathers of independent India envisioned a future that would not only strive to fulfil its social, political and economic responsibilities towards citizens, but also act as a global player in promoting peace, freedom and democracy. Today, after 60 years of independence, we need to find out what we should do to help India become an economic super power in the future.”
AIMS has almost 500 management institutions as its members and its mission is to function as the professional association of management education in India. Its concerns include quality of management, manpower training and development, management research, curriculum development and promoting management education.
Talking about the importance of the convention, AIMS vice-president Uday Salunkhe said, “The people who will attend the convention are all future leaders of India Inc. It would not only help them decide the future course of management education but would also ensure that Indian economy has an inclusive growth and the happiness index of its citizen can be increased by brining maximum number of people above poverty line.”
Over 300 delegates from all over the country, including directors of various management institutes, deans, faculty members, students as well as industry representatives, will take part in the convention. The agenda includes how management education can be prepared for the future, discussion on curriculum, implementation of OBC quota as well as the probability of a fee hike at IIMs.
Talking about how the management institutes will implement the suggestions put forward at the convention, Chaudhuri said: “There is no direct implementation of the suggestions. But since representatives of management education will be here, they would go back to their institutions and implement the ideas, which would even include curriculum change if require. Most of the institution heads are also related to various government bodies, making policy decisions with regard to management education; and hence that part too will be taken care of.”
mou.hindustantimes@yahoo.com

Teachers says‘no’ to unit tests

2007-08-20T14:18:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 20, 2007
A SECTION of Bengal teachers are protesting against the implementation of unit tests in secondary schools.
From this academic session, the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education has introduced eight unit tests in a year in all secondary schools. It is this move that has ruffled the feathers of many teachers who believe that the plan is detrimental to the interest of students.
“This (unit test) is not helping students. To the contrary, the unscientific process is hampering their studies. As a mark of protest against the decision, we will not attend the state government’s function on the occasion of Teachers’ Day,” said general secretary of School Teachers & Employees’ Association (STEA) Subhankar Bandopadhyay.
The teachers said that several schools did not have the required infrastructure and atmosphere to conduct unit tests.
Bandopadhyay said: “Most of the schools do not have proper building and often have about 250 students in every session. Is it possible for the teachers to check so many answer scripts in a short span of time and point out the mistakes to students?”
Teachers belonging to the STEA said that several schools have not been able to conduct the unit tests properly. “If 6-7 students have to share a bench even during exams, then it becomes difficult for teachers to spot copycats. This makes it difficult for teachers to track the weaker ones,” said Bandopadhyay.
The teachers are also unhappy with the pass marks for the unit tests. “Earlier, a student had to score 34 to pass in a subject, but for unit tests it is 25. It means that students who would otherwise have been declared unsuccessful will now pass in the new system,” he rued.
The STEA is also angry with the government for extending the number of periods. To accommodate remedial classes after unit tests, schools now have eight periods instead of seven. This, several teachers feel, is discouraging students from coming to school.
“Most students come from poor family and do not have the privilege of enjoying a full meal before coming to school. By the seventh period students are exhausted. So, when the eight period starts they are not in a position to take any more input,” Bandopadhyay said.
The STEA has decided to hit the streets with their demands. Other than urging the school education minister to withdraw unit tests, the STEA will hold a protest meeting in front of Bikash Bhavan on September 21. For now, the outfit has planned a massive signature campaign among teachers from Tuesday.
The teachers are also not happy with the proposed move of the government to start no detention policy in primary schools. If the proposal is implemented, students will be eligible for promotion even if they fail in two subjects.
Mou.chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Private schools appointing more teachers on contract

2007-08-19T14:17:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 19, 2007
The number of contractual teachers in private schools of Kolkata is on the rise. This is not only affecting the quality of education in some of the best schools in the city but is also compromising the service terms and conditions of the teachers on contract.
Currently, the ratio of permanent teaching staff and contractual teaching staff in private schools of the city is 60:40. With permanent teachers retiring every year, the schools are consciously not appointing permanent teachers but are taking contractual teachers to fill up the vacancies. The Forum for Teaching and Non-Teaching Staffs of Private School of West Bengal representatives will meet school education minister Partha De by the end of this month and would discuss the situation with him.
While appointing full-time teachers means the schools will have to pay them salary as per government scale, a contractual teacher can be hired at a very cheap rate. While a full time faculty will expect a salary of Rs 12,000-Rs 15,000, contractual teachers are paid just Rs 2000-Rs 8000 a month. “With every passing year, the profit margin of the schools are increasing but the schools are no ready to share it with teachers. It is because of this that they are not appointing full time teachers,” said Leena Chatterjee, general secretary of the forum.
What is worse is that in many cases the teachers are not even entitled to a provident fund but get a consolidated salary. They are not protected by any service rules and are not even entitled to leave like permanent teachers. “As we do not have any service security, we cannot even raise our voice or else we would be sacked,” said a teacher of a prominent school in South Calcutta whose one-year contract expired three months back and has not been renewed yet by the school authority. Not just this, contractual teachers aren’t given maternity leave too.
In order to find contractual teachers many schools even comprise on the quality of teachers appointed. “We have to act according to the brief given us by the management. It is only natural that if we do not pay well and offer good service conditions, we will not get good teachers,” said the principal of a well-known English medium school in Dum Dum area. Contractual teachers thus often leave their job in he middle of a session if they find a better option, and the students suffer.
“This trend is catching up. In a decade, all private schools will have only contractual teachers. Since they pay is bad and there is no job security, only those who would not land any other job will become teachers,” said Chatterjee.
The government, too, encourages contractual teachers in government-aided schools. “The best thing would be if these contractual teachers are regularised. But if the government cannot ban contractual teachers appointment in private schools, it can find a nodal agency that can ensure better service conditions for them,” said Chatterjee. “If the schools flout norms, the government can cancel its no-objection certificate based on which schools get affiliation.”
mou.chakraborty@hindustantimes.com

Independence Day pledge to offer jobs instead of seeking them

2007-08-14T14:26:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 14, 2007
On the occasion of 60th Independence Day, students of IIT Kharagpur, Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU), Shibpur, Jadavpur University and various colleges in the city will take a special oath. They will pledge to become entrepreneurs paving the way for economic independence of the nation.
This will be a Pan IIT program where all the seven IIT’s will organise the oath-taking ceremony for the first time. University and college students will take the oath across 17 cities in the country. IIT Kharagpur’s head of entrepreneurship programmes Dhrubesh Biswas is organising the program for eastern India. “We feel this will motivate students to become job givers rather than job seekers and give a big push to the Indian economy,” said Biswas. Invitations have been sent to all college and universities in Kolkata.
On August 15 about 150 students from IIT-KGP will arrive in Kolkata to take the oath with other students in the city. “The pledge will talk about creating equal opportunities by creating enterprises to liberate our country,” said Biswas. The pledge will be taken at 5 pm, followed by a panel discussion on entrepreneurship. Leaflets and information brochures will also be distributed to students.
Though people take many such pledges as on new years’ day and promptly forget all about it, Biswas hopes students will remember this pledge. “It true that people often forget their oaths but we are trying to make it very special. There will help at hand for interested students and we feel many students will take it up seriously.” The department of science and technology, Intel and the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum are sponsoring the program.
The entrepreneurship ventures have been divided into two categories — hi-tech and livelihood based — and deserving proposals will be given financial help and students can avail requisite training from the IIT. “In order to groom students to become entrepreneurs we need to catch them young. This is just the beginning and from next year we will try to conduct this event in schools as well,” said Biswas.
The oath-taking ceremony will be followed by a daylong entrepreneurship conclave to be organised in IIT-KGP on August 17. Institutions from Assam, Tripura, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Bengal will take part.
mou.hindustantimes@yahoo.com

State hunts for JEE alternative

2007-08-13T14:46:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 13, 2007

In its attempts to find an alternative for West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE) the higher education ministry is studying the Tamil Nadu model and is discussing the possibility of implementing some of the points in Bengal. The state will also consider looking into the Maharashtra model before taking a final decision.
The ministry decided to find an alternative to WBJEE or fine tune it following the busting of the fake examinee racket last month. The state is trying to go for a system that so that the “teaching shops,” which coaches students for WBJEE are stopped. The system should also be transparent and give a fair chance to all candidates. The state also wants the new set up to be simple. However whether WBJEE be reformed or abolished will be decided by mid September.
The director of technical education, Sajal Dasgupta and joint secretary of technical education, Monotosh Biswas was sent to Tamil Nadu to see how the students are admitted in various professional courses after Class XII without any entrance exam. Maharastra on the other hand was already admitting students in professional courses after their Class XII tests, but has introduced JEE from this year. The state now wants to find out why Maharastra opted for a change.
From 2005, Tamil Nadu has discontinued the Common Entrance Test (CET) and are admitting students in professional courses like B.E, B.Tech, B.Arch and allied courses, M.B.B.S, B.D.S, B.Pharm and allied courses on the basis of marks obtained in Class XII board exam. The then chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa, chose to change the system because she thought he CET had become traumatic for the rural students.
The process is simple, all boards including the state are asked to submit the highest marks obtained in each subject. Then the marks obtained by the applicants are converted into percentile and the students are offered seats as per rank.
The state higher education minister, Sudarsan Raychaudhuri, has been briefed about the Tamil Nadu model. Speaking to Hindustan Times, he said, “We need some more clarification before I make any comment.”
The state higher education department has liked the counseling system followed in Tamil Nadu. While in Bengal, the students taking WBJEE are merely allotted seats during the counseling session, in Tamil Nadu all students are given computers where they can give their preference and see which seats are getting filled by students who have a higher score. The system according to the ministry is transparent. However, there is a negative side —there are court cases pending in Tamil Nadu.
mou.hindustantimes@yahoo.com

Getting duplicate mark sheet of HS now a click away

2007-08-10T14:24:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 10, 2007
THE MONTH-LONG wait for getting duplicate copies of higher secondary marksheets and certificates is over. Now, the West Bengal Council for Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has made it a five-minute affair. Moreover, with the council re-launching its official website www.wbchse.nic.in on Thursday, students and teachers of Class XI and XII can also avail relevant information at the click of a mouse.
As part of its IT enterprise, the council has initiated the process of digitisation of all certificates and marksheets of all pass-outs since the time HS exams began in 1978. It hopes to complete the job in three weeks’ time.
Once that is done, all one needs to do is to visit the council office, pay necessary fees and walk off with computerised printouts of duplicate documents.
“It is the duty of the council to provide students with duplicate marksheets and certificates as and when required. But to maintain this data we need huge space, which was slowly becoming impossible for us to provide. Moreover, stored data was also getting damaged,” said Gopa Dutta, president of the WBCHSE.
School education minister Partha De, who was present at the launch, said: “We will try to emulate the system at the madhyamik level. However, we need to ensure that no one misuses the facility.”
The council has taken care of the minister’s concern. It has created a back-up data for its archives and made the whole system password protected. “Once a person logs on to the system, the computer will automatically detect the date and time of access. Even the documents that the person had perused can be traced. Tampering will be impossible as the system can identify any change made to documents,” said WBCHSE secretary Debashish Sharkar.
The website has district-wise data of all schools and their addresses along with the subjects they are offering. “This will help students as they will be able to know about schools and the subjects on offer at the click of a mouse,” said Sharkar. One can access the website to know about the council’s exam and admission regulations or its annual working plan. Council circulars will also be uploaded regularly.
“The website was started in 2002 but became defunct. Now, all through the year both schools and students will benefit from the web effort. This data will also help researchers track changes in the state’s education scenario,” Sharkar said.
mou.hindustantimes@yahoo.com

Future management gurus turn T-shirt entrepreneurs

2007-08-05T14:32:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 5, 2007
Five IIT students have turned entrepreneurs off the beaten track by marketing customised T-shirts online. Business is brisk with more than 10 orders coming in daily.
Second-year students of Vinod Gupta School of Management (VGSOM) in IIT Kharagpur — S Santosh Kumar, Nishank Agarwal, Dharmveer Arora, Ashutosh Chouksey and Amit Joshi — have launched www.webvastra.in just a month ago. Targeting students worldwide, their website offers five categories of T-shirts in different colours, with over 50 designs available in 60 varieties. All you need to do is select the T-shirt style, choose the design and then place you by paying online. Your apparel will be delivered to your doorstep within a week. The venture is being supported by STEP (Science and Technology Entrepreneur’s Park) at the IIT.
“Our aim is to ultimately become an entrepreneur. All of us were toying with various ideas and we finally zeroed in on this one,” said Nishank, who had studied civil engineering from IIT Kanpur before joining VGSOM.
But they have not set up a manufacturing unit. Instead, they outsource the T-shirts from a Tamil Nadu-based company, which exports T-shirts to large departmental stores all over the world. The garments cost not more than Rs 259 plus Rs 40 as shipping charges, which make it affordable. “This has ensured that the quality of our product is very good and we have no manufacturing headaches. However, if there are any complaints about our products, we promise to replace them,” said Dharmveer.
With only Rs 25,000 investment by each of them, the company expects to break even soon. “STEP had helped us with all kinds of formalities, tax issues followed by the guidelines for operations. We will obviously have to invest more as the business grows and would also talk to some venture capitalist to finance the project,” said Ashutosh who is looking after the operations and accounts.
Sharing the workload, Santosh and Amit are the designers and they plan to hire professional designers soon. “Though we have many designs on offer, we can also make customised designs if clients want so,” informed Santosh. While, five new designs celebrating Independence Day will be uploaded by August 7, the five buddies will introduce customised pullovers, sweaters and cardigans by this winter. Soon to follow are customised coffee and beer mugs, cups and tablemats.
The budding entrepreneurs did their homework finding out market preferences and pricing issues. “We aimed at community portals such as Orkut and also sent our web links to everyone we know and this seems to have worked well for us,” said Nishank. They now plan to attract bulk orders from various institutions.
But will they be able to sustain the undertaking after they get jobs? “Why not? Everything is pre-set and web-based, we will not be required to put in much effort,” said Nishank.
mou.hindustantimes@yahoo.com

Two IIMs to lock horns on playfields

2007-08-05T14:12:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 5, 2007
If you think that IIMs are all work and no play, you would be very far from the truth. For the first time, two IIMs are getting together to organise a sports meet and it is set to be an annual event pitting all six IIMs against each other soon.
For this time though, IIM Bangalore will be the only participant, other than hosts IIMC to take part in the sports meet named Samhar, loosely translated as “attack”. The even will be held on August 11 and 12. The organisers had tried to rope in IIM Ahmedabad but they could not make it due to some prior engagements. “All IIT’s have a common sports meet but no such event has ever been organised by the IIMs,” said Prof Anindya Sen, dean of program and research initiative, IIMC.
Talking about the need for sports in the lives of budding managers, Amit Kamble, sports secretary of IIMC said, “As would-be managers we need to learn both how to be leaders as well as good followers. And what better way to learn that than through sports.” The meet would serve as the foundation of future IIM meets, be it sports or otherwise, in the years to come, the sports secretary said. “IIMC has always been active in sports and cultural events, so it is not surprising that we have initiated this meet,” he added.
For the inaugural games, 15 disciplines including basketball, football, badminton, tennis, athletics and cricket will see 85 boys and girls from IIMB and 100 from the host institute fighting it out for top honours. The remaining 500-odd students of IIMC will be amongst the audience. Since the institute does not have a cricket pitch, it will be the only event that will be held elsewhere. “We are hiring a stadium for the event,” said Kamble.
Kamble will be writing to all six IIMs to make plans for a common games meet in 2008. “This is the best platform to know each other, but the biggest problem is that none of the IIMs can manage to have a free week when the event could be scheduled. We hope at least IIMA would join us next year,” said Vijay Anand Menon, a second-year IIMC student.
After the battles on the field, there will be a gala performance by the popular IIMC band, JBS BaroC, as well as their compatriots from IIMB.
Last year, the Kolkata institute boasted of the best placements in the country, upsetting the apple carts of IIMA and IIMB and the latter would be thirsting for revenge at the IIMC’s lair. May the best team win!
mou.hindustantimes@yahoo.com

SFI suspect insider job in WBJEE scam

2007-08-03T14:42:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 3, 2007
Students Federation of India (SFI), the CPI(M)’s students wing on Friday said they suspect employees and members of the West Bengal Joint Entrance Exam board behind the recent admission racket.
SFI pointed out that the WBJEE racket might not have been operated successfully without the help of some insiders from the board. “The racket is so big that we cannot keep the people in the WBJEE board above suspicion. The impersonators and racketeers would not have succeeded with the help of invigilators alone,” said Sudip Sengupta, state president of SFI.
The students’ body has found several loopholes that points to insiders and has recommended restructuring of the board.
“The board sends two invigilators to every exam centre and even they failed to recognise the dummy candidates. It is also curious that as many as 25 candidates from some exam centres were successful. A massive restructuring is necessary to cleanse the board,” said Sengupta.
He also countered that unlike the engineering course, transparency was not maintained during counselling for the medical course. “During the engineering counselling session, students had information on all aspects including the number of available seats. In fact, the information is still available online. But medical rank holders did not have access to such information,” Sengupta said.
The SFI has also urged the government, to form a committee to review the question pattern and the exam system as a whole, by comparing it with that of other states. “The committee must probe the loopholes and decide what is best for students. Suggestions from students’ organisations may also be solicited. We are also against only multiple choice questions,” he said.
The students’ organisation has also demanded choosing government institutions in place of private ones as exam centres. “Government servants have experience conducting many such exams and are also answerable,” he said.
mou.hindustantimes@yahoo.com

State Madrasas to become hi-tech

2007-08-02T14:34:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 2, 2007
The Madrasa Board is all set to become hi-tech. On Thursday, the department of minorities’ development and welfare and madrasa education signed an MoU with Wipro in this regard.
According to the agreement, Wipro under its “Applying Thought in School” program will look to improve the quality of madrasa education. Fifteen madrasas are being involved in this 2-year pilot project. Wipro along with its partner organisation Vikram Shila has already started the project in Classes V and VI of some madrasas. “We are aiming to upgrade the academic and administrative system of the madrasas. We are working in 16 states all over the country but this is our first project in Bengal,” said Vijay Gupta, vice-president (community service) of Wipro.
The company will help the madrasa board to develop certain areas of the curriculum by trying to find out what the students want to learn and also what they need to learn in a competitive environment. They will then forward the suggestions to the board.
Wipro will also help the board to improve its assessment system and ensure that children do not learn by rote. Making questions knowledge, application and experience oriented would facilitate this. The company will also train teachers to be lively in class to ensure that students enjoy learning. Teachers will also be taught to be good education managers and administrative managers. “The aim would be to help teachers identify ways of teaching that would leave an impact on students,” said Gupta.
The minister of the department of minorities development and welfare and madrasa education, Abdus Sattar said, “We are trying to minimise dropout rates in school and this initiative will play a very important role.” Sattar added that teachers should not be content teaching but aim to learn education management. “Such programs will modernise the system and change the attitudes of both students and others involved by making everyone professional,” the minister said.
The ministry will start 100 new madrasas by the next academic session and 10 of these will be government sponsored. Currently, the only such institution in the state is in Hooghly. “The proposal has been sent to the finance department. We will develop learning resource centres in the proposed government madrasas and develop them as model institutions,” Sattar said.
mou.hindustantimes@yahoo.com

CU professor show-caused

2007-08-02T14:15:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, August 2, 2007
For the first time in the history of Calcutta University (CU), a professor has been show-caused for tampering with the attendance of students.
The syndicate of CU arrived at this decision on Wednesday. The head of the university’s philosophy department, Dilip Mohanto, has been found guilty of tampering with the students’ attendance and the university syndicate had asked him to resign from his post and give up his position as the convener of the PhD programme and other important posts he holds. The university also cancelled the professor’s sabbatical leave and show-caused him.
“He has been found guilty of tampering with the students’ attendance and the syndicate has decided to take disciplinary action against him,” said Samir Bandhyopadhyay, registrar of CU. The university has sent the show cause letter to him on Thursday.
About 50 first-year and second-year students of the MA programme were barred from taking the exam because it was found that they did not have the required attendance. The students lodged a complaint with the university, based on which a one-man inquiry was ordered and the exam was postponed. After the inquiry report was tabled, the syndicate decided on June 26, to conduct a 3-person inquiry commission to investigate further into the matter.
The CU science secretary Shyamal Sarkar was the convener of the committee, while the other two members were Prof Shyamapada Pal and the dean of law, Prof I Ahmed. The committee tabled their report on Wednesday and it says that Mohanto has neither denied nor confirmed his involvement with attendance tampering. But, the report has pointed out his involvement as well his connivance in the case. It has also found that Mohanto had a high-handed attitude over his students and colleagues alike. The report was of the opinion that Mohanto has “not kept the prestige associated with his office.”
The accused professor had joined as a reader almost a decade ago and had held the post of professor for the last 3 years. “The head of the department should be above others, including equals, but he has not maintained transparency in his activities and has been undemocratic,” said Arun Kumar Banerjee, dean of postgraduate studies (arts) of CU.
The 3-man inquiry report has been termed as one of the finest investigations done by university in recent times. It has signatures from all the people concerned and has 12 disclosures, which give proof of his autocracy and tampering with the attendance of students. Questions are now being raised, as to why he had tampered with the attendance records that have endangered the future of so many students by trying to stop them from taking their exams. “The show-cause has been done based on the inquiry report and the university has asked him to reply,” said Bandhyopadhyay.
mou.hindustantimes@yahoo.com

Overhaul of WBJEE in offing

2007-07-30T15:58:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, July 30
The unearthing of the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination racket has forced a rethink on the examination system. The state higher education minister Sudarsan Roychaudhuri has decided to re-haul the JEE and has asked the board to submit a report in this regard at the earliest. The final decision however will not be taken before September.
Answering a question by SUCI MLA Deba Prasad Sarkar, the minister told the state Assembly today: “The state government is looking into the entire matter with importance. We have asked the joint entrance board to call an emergency meeting in this regard and give us a report on how the system can be further sanitised and made more effective.” He added that he had asked the board to inquire into the loopholes in the exam system.
The higher education minister however has no plans to scrap the system. “It would have been great if we could have admitted students on the basis of marks awarded in Class XII board examination. But a Supreme Court directive says that all professional courses should admit students through a common entrance test, hence we cannot do away with it,” said Roychaudhuri.
However, the government is busy searching for alternatives. “We are inviting everyone to give their suggestions in this regard and we would give due consideration to every suggestion offered,” he said. The suggestions can include how the loopholes of the present system of WBJEE can be mended and the exam be made more secure; suggestions on starting a different common entrance test altogether will also be entertained.
Every year the WBJEE board meets in September to discuss the exam already held that year and address its problems and moot proposals for a further upgrade during the next exam. “This year we would hold the meeting in early September, so that we look through all the suggestions and decide what can be done,” said Roychaudhuri.
The higher education department is not pointing fingers at WBJEE officials yet before the board submits its report. The ministry however feels that the invigilators at various exam centres were largely responsible for this goof up. The government is also seriously considering doing away with all outstation centres for conducting WBJEE and would instead ask all interested candidates from all over the country to take the exam by coming to Bengal or Agartala.
Among various other options that the state would consider includes, taking fingerprints of students appearing for the exam, as done in IITJEE. The exam model of IITJEE and other entrance exams will be considered. The government would also consider using the same photograph of the student in the admit card, attendance sheet, rank card. It would ask the college to use the same picture in the college identity card so that the candidate who is taking the exam is the person who gets admitted in the college. This would prevent dummy candidates from taking the exam on behalf of others.
A proposal on having a separate medical entrance exam board, instead of WBJEE conducting both the engineering and medical entrance exam, has also been mooted by the health department.
mou.hindustanimes@yahoo.com

Future of Calcutta Race Course in doldrums

2007-07-30T15:36:00.000+05:30

Drimi Chaudhuri and Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, July 30, 2007

It might be the beginning of the end for the Calcutta Race Course. Sports and youth affairs minister Subhas Chakraborty says Asia’s oldest racing course has lost its charm and plans to move it away to make way for a state-of-the-art sports complex.
The move has alarmed both the Royal Calcutta Turf Club and environmentalists, but it is for the defence ministry to take a decision now.
The minister told the Assembly on Monday that the state government has already discussed the matter with former defence minister Pranab Mukherjee, who has forwarded it to the present minister, A. K. Anthony.
“The racecourse is over 120 years old and has lost its earlier attraction or commercial importance. We are thinking of constructing a modern complex in its place, albeit abiding by defence rules as the area is under the Union ministry’s jurisdiction. We could consider moving the racecourse away from the main city as has been done in Mumbai and Pune,” he said.
Royal Calcutta Turf Club steward Cyrus J. Madan denied racecourses in Mumbai and Pune had been shifted out of the city and that the club was not making money. “Anybody interested to know about our collections can come down to our office and check,” he said.
Racehorse owner and former secretary of the Calcutta Racehorse Owners Association, Gautam Sengupta, said the club “attracts lots of tourists and employs hundreds of people. It would be unfortunate if Chakraborty’s plans come true”.
Environment crusader Subhas Dutta said the minister “wants to turn the turf into a commercial complex like has been done with Salt Lake Stadium. It would also pollute the Victoria Memorial… we are determined to fight”. He also said that the racecourse was a heritage site and the law would restrain the government.
But Chakraborty hopes to hold a preliminary meeting with the defence ministry by September even as the defence ministry spokesperson in the city said the Eastern Command has no knowledge of the turf club closing down. Wing Commander R.K. Das said, “The MoD will take a decision about the sports complex only after it has received the proposal”. Besides, the ground has a golf course for military personnel, a VIP helipad and holds annual defence events like the derby and equestrian show. “It is unlikely that the MoD would give permission for a sports complex,” a defence source said.
drimi.chaudhuri@hindustantimes.commou.hindustantimes@yahoo.com

Teachers indulge in corporal punishment

2007-07-27T15:40:00.000+05:30

Mou Chakraborty & Sukumar Debnath
Kolkata, July 27, 2007
Corporal punishment came to the fore, as schoolteachers in separate incidents beat two students.
In the first incident on Thursday, Karnadhar Mondol, history teacher at Chetla Boys’ High School struck a student with his shoe during class when the boy was caught cheating. Class X student Joy Adak was taking his history unit test and tried peeping into another student’s copy. Warned once by the teacher, Joy tried peeing again and was caught. Karnadhar then thrashed him with a shoe in front of the class.
Back at home Joy narrated the incident to his father Rajkumar. On Friday, Adak Sr complained to the assistant headmaster Bikash Mondol. The schoolteachers admitted it was wrong to have hit the boy and Rajkumar did not lodge a police complaint.
In the other incident, a Class IX student was beaten by his teacher and had to be admitted to a nursing home. The boy’s guardian along with others attacked the school premises.
Rohit Ali, a student of Narayan Mongola Vidyaniketan High School was beaten up by Bengali teacher Subhash Gharami. In this case, Rohit had been docked for creating a nuisance at the coed school.
The boy was taken to a nursing home and mother Rabeya alleged her son had been beaten and tortured by the teacher and demanded justice. The headmaster Gobinda Chandra said, “He was slapped and not mercilessly beaten. The boy did some mischief and the teacher meted out mild punishment.”
Teachers are in fear as a group of people had come to school and threatened the headmaster and the Bengali teacher of dire consequences.
It may be noted that only two weeks ago, school education minister Partha De had urged teachers to refrain from hitting students as it discourages them from coming back to school.
mou.hindustantimes@yahoo.com
sdebnath123@gmail.com