To the shock and dismay of 52 candidates who had cleared the prestigious IIT joint entrance exam this year and were assigned architecture and design courses, IITs' Joint Admission Board has cancelled the allotments a day before the students were to deposit their fees.
IIT authorities says these students had not cleared the architecture/design aptitude test — a separate exam for architecture and design — but were "inadvertently included in seat allotment for BArch and BDes courses". Another set of 52 students have been offered admission to these courses. The students whose admissions were cancelled have been left in the lurch. Most of them have lost the chance of joining other institutes as they did not go for counselling after getting IITs.
Many of these students said they had cleared AIEEE and other entrance examinations but will not be able to join these institutes. The students have threatened to go to court against the decision.
The JAB said the 52 candidates would be considered for the second allotment based on choice-sheets they had submitted earlier. T Natarajan of JAB told TOI, "We are looking into it, something will be done.” But many in the JAB felt this assurance was meaningless. "There could be hundreds who scored more than these 52. The scores of all students who appeared for architecture and design must be published," a source said.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
22-Year-Old Whiz Kid Tathagat Avatar Tulsi Becomes Youngest IIT Teacher
IITians often liken the generation gap between themselves and their teachers to that between MS-DOS and Windows. This semester, however, the students on the Powai campus can look forward to someone much closer to their age: a physics teacher who has just entered his 20s.
At 22, Tathagat Avatar Tulsi, who has never studied in a classroom, plans to ask his students how they would want to be taught. "I have never taught in a class. But I believe I can come down to the level of a student and help them understand the subject," he said. Having completed high school when he was nine, his graduation in science at 10, an MSc in Physics at 12, and his PhD in Quantum Computing from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, at 21, Tulsi says he is going to write to the Limca Book of Records to include him as the youngest faculty member in the country.
Having achieved a lot pretty early in life, Tulsi may seem like a young man in hurry, but he has set a huge task for himself—to come up with an important scientific discovery, which will probably lead him to his ultimate dream: to own that shining piece of gold with Alfred Nobel on the obverse.
The "wonder boy", who suffered humiliation in August 2001 when a delegation of scientists taken by the department of science & technology to Lindau in Germany for an interaction with Nobel laureates, suggested that he was not a thinker, but a "fake prodigy" who had "mugged up" theories. Putting that behind, the Patna boy will stay on the Powai campus in the faculty quarters and work towards achieving that dream.
That "not-so-distant" goal is probably why Tulsi chose teaching over a vocation. "I want to pursue my research and at IIT-B, I will have the leisure to continue my research and one day set up a lab focused on quantum computation in our country." Going to foreign shores is currently not on Tulsi’s plans. He chose the Powai college over Waterloo University, Canada, and the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER), Bhopal, both of which had also offered him teaching jobs.
At 22, Tathagat Avatar Tulsi, who has never studied in a classroom, plans to ask his students how they would want to be taught. "I have never taught in a class. But I believe I can come down to the level of a student and help them understand the subject," he said. Having completed high school when he was nine, his graduation in science at 10, an MSc in Physics at 12, and his PhD in Quantum Computing from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, at 21, Tulsi says he is going to write to the Limca Book of Records to include him as the youngest faculty member in the country.
Having achieved a lot pretty early in life, Tulsi may seem like a young man in hurry, but he has set a huge task for himself—to come up with an important scientific discovery, which will probably lead him to his ultimate dream: to own that shining piece of gold with Alfred Nobel on the obverse.
The "wonder boy", who suffered humiliation in August 2001 when a delegation of scientists taken by the department of science & technology to Lindau in Germany for an interaction with Nobel laureates, suggested that he was not a thinker, but a "fake prodigy" who had "mugged up" theories. Putting that behind, the Patna boy will stay on the Powai campus in the faculty quarters and work towards achieving that dream.
That "not-so-distant" goal is probably why Tulsi chose teaching over a vocation. "I want to pursue my research and at IIT-B, I will have the leisure to continue my research and one day set up a lab focused on quantum computation in our country." Going to foreign shores is currently not on Tulsi’s plans. He chose the Powai college over Waterloo University, Canada, and the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER), Bhopal, both of which had also offered him teaching jobs.
Health and HRD See Eye To Eye on Medical Education
The health ministry will collaborate with the human resource development ministry on the issue of accreditation of medical education institutions. The two ministries have been at odds over the control of medical education. The new draft of the National Council for Human Resource in Health (NCHRH) has proposed a subsidiary body, the National Committee for Accreditation, which will register and accredit medical colleges. In keeping with HRD ministry-piloted National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for Higher Educational Institutions Bill, the proposed National Committee for Accreditation will seek approval from the proposed authority.
Sources said the proposed committee will frame parameters and standards for accreditation, and then have these approved by the national authority proposed by the HRD ministry. It is likely that this committee, in turn, could set up further agencies for accreditation, which would operate within the parameters set out by the accreditation committee of NCHRH.
The health ministry has made it clear that even though the accreditation of medical education institutions would stick to the system laid out in the national authority proposed by the HRD ministry, this should not be seen as acquiescence on the issue of regulatory oversight.
“Medical education is too complicated and important and therefore regulatory structures must have technical expertise to be able to take informed decisions. Also, the proposed regulatory body National Commission for Higher Education and Research vests the power of deciding about institutions to universities. Accreditation of medical institutions and academic content requires technical expertise. Once the institutions are found to be acceptable by the NCHRH, the institutions can approach universities for affiliation,” a senior official said.
The issue of regulatory oversight still remains unresolved. The HRD ministry has argued that the task force which is preparing the framework for the National Commission for Higher Education and Research is keen to bring medical education under its fold. HRD ministry officials have argued that till the task force submits its report to the minister, no final decision on the issue can be taken. Interestingly, even as the HRD ministry has decided to keep the issue of regulatory oversight on medical education in abeyance, the Prime Minister’s Office has made it clear that medical education would fall within the purview of the NCHRH.
In keeping with this mandate, the health ministry has reworked the NCHRH. In the proposed overarching body for the health sector, activities have been separated as much as possible. The proposed NCHRH Bill provides for setting up several subsidiary bodies each of which will independently perform one of the many essential tasks in governing medical education, all of which are currently performed by the Medical Council of India (MCI).
Sources said the proposed committee will frame parameters and standards for accreditation, and then have these approved by the national authority proposed by the HRD ministry. It is likely that this committee, in turn, could set up further agencies for accreditation, which would operate within the parameters set out by the accreditation committee of NCHRH.
The health ministry has made it clear that even though the accreditation of medical education institutions would stick to the system laid out in the national authority proposed by the HRD ministry, this should not be seen as acquiescence on the issue of regulatory oversight.
“Medical education is too complicated and important and therefore regulatory structures must have technical expertise to be able to take informed decisions. Also, the proposed regulatory body National Commission for Higher Education and Research vests the power of deciding about institutions to universities. Accreditation of medical institutions and academic content requires technical expertise. Once the institutions are found to be acceptable by the NCHRH, the institutions can approach universities for affiliation,” a senior official said.
The issue of regulatory oversight still remains unresolved. The HRD ministry has argued that the task force which is preparing the framework for the National Commission for Higher Education and Research is keen to bring medical education under its fold. HRD ministry officials have argued that till the task force submits its report to the minister, no final decision on the issue can be taken. Interestingly, even as the HRD ministry has decided to keep the issue of regulatory oversight on medical education in abeyance, the Prime Minister’s Office has made it clear that medical education would fall within the purview of the NCHRH.
In keeping with this mandate, the health ministry has reworked the NCHRH. In the proposed overarching body for the health sector, activities have been separated as much as possible. The proposed NCHRH Bill provides for setting up several subsidiary bodies each of which will independently perform one of the many essential tasks in governing medical education, all of which are currently performed by the Medical Council of India (MCI).
CAT 2010 to be held at Fewer Centers
The Common Admission Test (CAT), mandatory for seeking admission to the premier Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and over 120 top B-schools, will be held across 32 cities -- the same as last year -- but the number of test centers will be less.The decrease in the number of venues is because of an extended testing window for this year.
The examination, which was made computer-based for the first time last year and held for 11 days, was riddled with problems, especially in the first three days. US-based testing agency Prometric was roped in to conduct the computer-based CAT."The testing window has been extended to offer students a greater choice of dates. We will reduce the number of CAT centers per city to ensure a better experience for the students," Prometric India MD Soumitra Roy told reporters here today.
Prometric is also finalizing multiple technology partners to execute CAT 2010 unlike last year, when homegrown information technology company NIIT was its sole IT partner.
"We are taking every step possible to ensure a successful administration for the CAT 2010 candidates. To avert potential overlaps in schedule with college exams, Prometric has recommended an earlier testing period. The final dates and details on registration and scheduling will be announced officially by the IIMs," Roy added.
Besides the eight IIMs, over 120 management schools registered with CAT use the exam score for admitting students.While 216,000 candidates could satisfactorily appear during the 11-day testing window last year, over 7,000 took the test in January this year during the second phase, as they could not appear in the first phase due to virus attacks and other technical glitches.
The number of testing centers and technology partners will be finalized by the end of this month and the IIMs are expected to publish the first advertisement for the test by end-August.
The examination, which was made computer-based for the first time last year and held for 11 days, was riddled with problems, especially in the first three days. US-based testing agency Prometric was roped in to conduct the computer-based CAT."The testing window has been extended to offer students a greater choice of dates. We will reduce the number of CAT centers per city to ensure a better experience for the students," Prometric India MD Soumitra Roy told reporters here today.
Prometric is also finalizing multiple technology partners to execute CAT 2010 unlike last year, when homegrown information technology company NIIT was its sole IT partner.
"We are taking every step possible to ensure a successful administration for the CAT 2010 candidates. To avert potential overlaps in schedule with college exams, Prometric has recommended an earlier testing period. The final dates and details on registration and scheduling will be announced officially by the IIMs," Roy added.
Besides the eight IIMs, over 120 management schools registered with CAT use the exam score for admitting students.While 216,000 candidates could satisfactorily appear during the 11-day testing window last year, over 7,000 took the test in January this year during the second phase, as they could not appear in the first phase due to virus attacks and other technical glitches.
The number of testing centers and technology partners will be finalized by the end of this month and the IIMs are expected to publish the first advertisement for the test by end-August.
Common Examination for All Medical Courses Soon?
The Medical Council of India (MCI) has suggested a common entrance exam for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the country."It is a strong proposal," said Dr Shiv Kumar Sarin, president of MCI. "We are working out the modalities. The MCI is supporting this, but whether it can be done will be seen in the coming weeks since the matter rests with the courts and ministries."
If a common entrance test does come about, it could be as soon as the coming academic session. The aim is to reduce the stress students are under, many of whom appear for as many as seven entrance tests.
Dr Sarin also added that the syllabus for the test, that will cover all government, private and minority institutions, is being decided by the CBSE. This move comes in the wake of Union Human Resources Minister Kapil Sibal's recommendation of a common entrance test for the country's engineering and medical courses.
If a common entrance test does come about, it could be as soon as the coming academic session. The aim is to reduce the stress students are under, many of whom appear for as many as seven entrance tests.
Dr Sarin also added that the syllabus for the test, that will cover all government, private and minority institutions, is being decided by the CBSE. This move comes in the wake of Union Human Resources Minister Kapil Sibal's recommendation of a common entrance test for the country's engineering and medical courses.
AICTE Grants Affiliation to 545 New Technical Institutions
The All India Council of Technical Education, which has revamped its approval system, on Tuesday allowed 545 new technical educational institutions to offer professional courses including engineering, management and MCA, from 2010-11 academic session onwards.
The approval by the AICTE executive council will see the total seats in various streams go up by one lakh and the number of technical institutes in the country touching 7906, official sources said. Out of the 545 approved institutes, nearly 60 per cent are in management followed by 30 per cent in engineering and the rest in architecture, pharmacy and hotel management, the sources said.At present 7,361 technical educational institutions are offering courses to nearly eight lakh students every year. A total of 2,176 new institutions had applied for approval from AICTE this year. Nearly 1,600 applications were rejected after the institutes were found lacking in several counts, sources said.
“Some of the institutions did not meet the minimum requirement of land and building while another few applicant institutions did not pursue their request for approval,” they said.
The institutes can start offering courses from the session commencing from July. The AICTE had given approval to 1131 new institutes last year. Incidentally, the AICTE, which has been in news for wrong reasons, has revamped its approval system from this year. It shifted to online registration process and relaxed land requirements for new institutes. AICTE has launched a new web portal which acts as a single window system for processing of the applications of the institutions for approval. The aspiring institutes had applied through the web portal and a committee from AICTE inspected the institutes. On the basis of report of the committee, the executive council gave approval to these institutes.
The approval by the AICTE executive council will see the total seats in various streams go up by one lakh and the number of technical institutes in the country touching 7906, official sources said. Out of the 545 approved institutes, nearly 60 per cent are in management followed by 30 per cent in engineering and the rest in architecture, pharmacy and hotel management, the sources said.At present 7,361 technical educational institutions are offering courses to nearly eight lakh students every year. A total of 2,176 new institutions had applied for approval from AICTE this year. Nearly 1,600 applications were rejected after the institutes were found lacking in several counts, sources said.
“Some of the institutions did not meet the minimum requirement of land and building while another few applicant institutions did not pursue their request for approval,” they said.
The institutes can start offering courses from the session commencing from July. The AICTE had given approval to 1131 new institutes last year. Incidentally, the AICTE, which has been in news for wrong reasons, has revamped its approval system from this year. It shifted to online registration process and relaxed land requirements for new institutes. AICTE has launched a new web portal which acts as a single window system for processing of the applications of the institutions for approval. The aspiring institutes had applied through the web portal and a committee from AICTE inspected the institutes. On the basis of report of the committee, the executive council gave approval to these institutes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
