Ruia College's principal Suhas Pednekar appointed new Mumbai University V-C

Yogita Rao | TNN | Apr 27, 2018, 14:41 IST

 

 

MUMBAI: Suhas Pednekar, principal of Ramnarain Ruia College (autonomous), Matunga, was announced as the new vice-chancellor of Mumbai University. The Governor and Chancellor of state universities in Maharashtra, Ch Vidyasagar Rao, announced Pednekar's name in an official mail, from among the five shortlisted candidates.

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He succeeds Sanjay Deshmukh, who was removed from the post of Vice Chancellor of the University on October 24, 2017. Devanand Shinde, Vice Chancellor of Shivaji University, Kolhapur was holding the additional charge of the post of Vice Chancellor since then. The two-month hunt for the controversial VC post, came to an end with Pednekar's selection over the other contenders, including Pramod Yeole, pro-vice-chancellor of Nagpur University. The announcement was delayed for over two weeks, after the governor's interaction.

Pednekar, 60, has been the principal of one of the city's leading colleges for several years. He has has guided 15 PhD and 10 postgraduate students in his academic career. He has 43 research papers in peer reviewed national and international journals and one patent to his credit. Though Pednekar has not held any administrative posts in Mumbai University, the principal's position in an affiliated college and his understanding of the problems faced by students and colleges, could work to his advantage.

Source : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/ruia-colleges-principal-suhas-pednekar-appointed-new-mumbai-university-vc/articleshow/63938546.cms

How to cope with examination stress

By Monarose Sheila Pereira | Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Exam season is on and stress is a part of it. To handle stress it is important to understand what stress is. Do you know that stress is absolutely healthy and positive? Stress is a natural positive response that helps to complete tasks efficiently and quickly.

Psychiatrist Dr. Nirmala Rao, explains “Stress releases adrenaline which goes to different parts of the body to bring about changes which are meant to trigger our fight or flight reaction. It is an instinctive reaction to put the body on alert in perceived danger situations for self protection. Today the perceived danger has increased manifold not for preservation of the body, but for self esteem, materialism, etc. All these cause increase in the adrenalin levels which spikes up the blood pressure, heart rate and sugar levels. When these changes are not utilized by the body and remain in circulation they cause stress.”

Therefore stress during exams is nature’s way to prepare you to face the challenge ahead. This is healthy stress. When stress ceases to be natural and when it becomes dangerous, it needs to be addressed. Managing stress is extremely important. Here are some ways to help you handle stress during exams.

Get dressed
It is important not study in your bed time clothes as this makes you feel lazy and lethargic. Get dressed as soon as you wake up. Even casual clothes will do the trick. This will put you in a professional mood and make you feel brighter and better equipped to study.

Be prepared
The secret to success is being prepared. It is almost 90 percent of the job. Stress occurs when you are not organized and prepared for the exam. Then you worry about how you will finish the portion. Senior Teacher, Smt.MMK College, Naresh Matai, says, “There is an old saying ‘well begun is half done’. It has a significant meaning and this saying is more relevant for students than anyone else. Just as each and every drop contributes to form an ocean  similarly if a student does his studies, home-work, regularly and daily every single day for a small duration of time say for only 50 minutes a day, he/she will be relaxed and at ease on the day of the exam. Ideally a student should do a re-cap of the topic learnt in college every day at home so that the concepts are clear in the mind. Before the exams it is also essential to solve past 3 years’ question papers.

Eat healthy
A good diet goes a long way in helping you stay focused and avoid getting sick during exams. The tendency is to skip meals because you are busy. Do not skip meals. You need good energy levels to focus and concentrate better on your studies and exams. Another common tendency is to keep munching snacks due to the stress. Psychologically you feel eating helps to relieve stress. However there is a flip side to it. It is important you eat good, nutritious and healthy food. Good food will provide you with the necessary energy you need to feel refreshed and energetic which will help you study well and stay calm during your exams. Unhealthy and oily food will make you feel sluggish. To get the necessary energy your body needs, a balanced diet of proteins, minerals, vitamins and carbohydrates.

Exercise
Exercise helps you feel rejuvenated and refreshed. It is considered the elixir of good health. Fitness Coach Alkesh Pathak says that one of the many benefits of exercise is that it is a stress reliever. When you have pain in your body, the endorphin hormone is released from your pituitary gland and central nervous system. Endorphin is contracted from two words - endogenous and morphine. Morphine is also released when someone does moderate to intense exercise for 5 minutes. The major work of morphine is to inhibit the pain signal and to give you a positive and happy feeling. It also helps to facilitate good sleep. Therefore by releasing Morphine, exercise helps to relieve stress and maintain a positive attitude.

Yoga
Yoga offers many benefits. International Yoga instructor Manjeet Keshwani, informs, “Yoga and Pranayama play an important role in de-stressing.  They help to remove toxins from your body and give a positive energy. Pranayama and Yoga bring stability, calm the mind, improve blood circulation and cure depression, stress and anxiety. Meditation and emotional well-being are connected. When you meditate, you clear the information overload that builds up every day and which contributes to stress. Science has shown that brain plasticity, the brain’s ability to change throughout life is extraordinary; therefore by training our minds through meditation techniques you can increase your mental resources and become more capable.

Hobbies
Hobbies are a great way to relax the mind. When you are studying for long hours they provide the necessary break to refresh the mind. R.D. National College student Eshaan Pant, says, “To beat stress, I prefer going for a brisk walk or having tea, or listening to jazz, Indian classical or any instrumental music.” CEO of NOMADS Trekking Institute Sumit Solanki says, “Trekking is strenuous and requires will power and good physical ability. When you trek you challenge your physical ability. You mentally prepare yourself for a non regular task. Completing the task boosts your morale and increases confidence. and helps you face life's challenges. When you accomplish a huge task you feel good about your achievement. Going out in nature connects you to nature and takes away the stress of the fast city life.

Music
Music plays an important role in de-stressing too. Both playing an instrument and listening to music helps to soothe your mind, body and soul. Musician Ashley Rebello says, “When a student learns music, it keeps the brain functioning at its optimum speed and improves learning, memorizing and recalling skills. During exams, a student can de-stress by listening to or playing music as this improves emotional development and the student can have less anxiety than usual during the exam period. Therefore it not only develops a child’s brain but also the imagination of a child.”


Pets
Pets are extremely relaxing.  Romanica Ferrao has about 27 cats at home. She says that she understands them and they understand her. They share a great bond and the cats are a great source of relaxation.

Sleep
Do not compromise on sleep during exams. Students usually stay up late studying into the night. This is a big mistake. Remember your mind and body need to rest to perform well. An exhausted mind and body cannot function and focus well. Working when you are tired makes you slow down and you will not be able to remember what you have studied.

Good support systems
Parents and teachers play an important role in helping the student stay positive and relaxed. Psychological Counselor Sylvia Dmello, informs, “It is the parents who very often need to be less stressed. Students go through immense pressures from parents and teachers to achieve unrealistic goals.  If a child is not up to their expectations they are labeled and considered 'a no good'. Parents and teachers need to understand the capacity of each child. By being present for the child, through attentive listening and by giving them positive strokes will help to reduce examination stress. Also a very effective method is to help the child to create a weekly study timetable with good enough free time to relax and play.”

Managing stress is not easy but if you work at it you can surely know how to master it.


Source : http://www.afternoondc.in/education-careers/how-to-cope-with-examination-stress/article_221570

Ruia principal frontrunner for MU V-C’s post

Suhas Pednekar, principal, Ramnarain Ruia College, Matunga, has emerged as the frontrunner for the post of Mumbai University vice-chancellor. The announcement of the new V-C is expected soon. 

Though Pednekar, 60, has not held administrative posts at the varsity, his position as Ruia principal for over two terms and understanding of problems faced by students and colleges may work to his advantage. Pramod Yeole, pro V-C, Nagpur University; Anil Karnik, director, MU’s Garware Institute and V S Sapkal, ex-V-C of Nagpur varsity are among those shortlisted. TNN

Source : https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/?olv-cache-ver=20180403121429#

• 26 Apr 2018 | Mumbai | HT Correspondent htmetro@hindustantimes.com

Customised answer sheets: MU’s solution to avoid result mess

MUMBAI: To avoid another results debacle, the University of Mumbai (MU) has decided to do away with discrepancies in its on-screen assessment system. It will introduce customised answer sheets and online attendance during next semester’s exams to be held in October and November.

With these new answer sheets in place, the students will no longer have to enter details such as seat number, course, question paper code and college code manually. Instead, they will be given stickers with these identifiers printed on them, to be stuck on the first page of the answer sheets.
The university believes that the move will put an end to errors in personal details entered by students in the answer booklets.

Currently, these details are entered on an optical mark recognition (OMR) sheet attached to the answer booklet. The booklet is subsequently scanned and the details of students, along with the rest of the answer booklet, are stored digitally.

"Out of every 1,000 answer booklets, two or three contain erroneous details. The system is unable to identify the students to which they belong. We are required to find physical copies of these answer sheets and assess them manually," said Vinod Malale, deputy registrar (public relations) at MU.

During the past two semester exams, the university was unable to trace digital copies of many answer sheets in the system, leading to a delay in declaring results. One of the main reasons for these ‘missing’ papers, according to university officials, is the erroneous information filled by students.

Additionally, the university also has plans to track the attendance record of students during exams through an online portal.

The colleges will be required to upload the attendance report for every test, immediately after it gets over, on this portal. This will enable the university to match the tally of answer sheets with the number of students who appeared for the test, ensuring that none of the answer sheets are ‘misplaced’. “We will have all the data at our disposal,” said Malale.

Arjun Ghatule, in-charge director, board of examination and evaluation, said the two measures are among the prerequisites for the smooth functioning of an on-screen marking (OSM) system. "We thought that OSM is merely about scanning the answer sheets. This is not the case," he said.
"MU’s OSM has been customised, refined and upgraded, so that we could deliver desired results," said acting vice-chancellor Devanand Shinde.

Source : http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx 

University of Mumbai to do away with manual marking of student details on marksheet

University of Mumbai to do away with manual marking of student details on marksheet

Written By dna Correspondent | Updated: Apr 26, 2018

In a move that would help address a large number of glitches, the university has decided to do away with manual marking of student details on the answer sheets. "Currently, students have to colour the bubbles on the OMR sheet.

Many students make mistakes while doing so, which results in problems in scanning, thus delaying the results. From October 2018, we will introduce printed stickers, which would be stuck on answer sheets and then masked to make the process smooth," said Dr Arjun Ghatule.

In addition to this, the varsity also plans to take the system of attendance online. "Instead of physically verifying attendance against answer sheets, we will ask centres to enter details of students online. They would only have to enter details of those absent and found copying and the rest would be considered present," added Ghatule.

The varsity has also improvised the process of tagging teachers."Earlier, teachers had to wait for several days to begin assessment work even as papers for their subject were uploaded. Now, any registered teacher can start work after the principal and the university approves his or her name," said Ghatule.

As the summer semester examinations are ongoing, 36,532 of the 4,37,561 answer-sheets have been assessed so far. Responding to the concerns over the number of assessors going down with summer vacations approaching, Dr Devanand Shinde said that atleast 60% teachers are expected to report everyday. "Not all teachers would go on vacation at the same time and there won't be an issue," he added.

LYING VACANT

Meanwhile, the University of Mumbai is yet to get a Vice Chancellor even a week after the governor interviewed five candidates for the post. Dr Pramod Yeole, Pro VC of Nagpur University, and Dr Suhas Pednekar, Principal, Ruia College, Matunga, are said to be the top contenders for the post.

Source : http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-university-of-mumbai-to-do-away-with-manual-marking-of-student-details-on-marksheet-2608677
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• 25 Apr 2018 | Mumbai | Musab Qazi musab.qazi@hindustantimes.com

Colleges may get power to decide fees, courses

Autonomous colleges will be allowed to increase their fees only when other affiliated colleges will be permitted to do so. VINOD TAWDE, education minister

MUMBAI: Autonomous colleges in Maharashtra may soon be able to start own courses and have more control over fees, as the state is keen on providing financial autonomy to the institutes willing to take it.

At a recent meeting of joint board of vice-chancellors (JBV-C), chief minister Devendra Fadnavis urged vice-chancellors (V-Cs) of public universities in the state to give financial autonomy, alongside academic autonomy, to the institutes opting for it, said a government official.

The proposal will allow colleges to start new courses and decide their own fees, but under the watchful eyes of the state and universities they are affiliated with, said an aide to education minister Vinod Tawde. However, the minister insisted that financially autonomous institutes will be subjected to same norms of fee regulation as other colleges.

So far, colleges in the state were eligible for academic autonomy, which gave them the freedom to decide their own curriculum and examinations. Only a handful of colleges in the state have received autonomy — 11 out of 774 colleges affiliated with University of Mumbai (MU).

Sources added the state is pushing for more autonomy for colleges as it believes the move will enhance quality of higher education and resolve some of the administrative issues faced by the varsities.

“We are promoting autonomy because the government is not in a position to bring new ideas. Since universities can’t bear the burden of so many affiliated colleges, the minister and the CM want that all eligible colleges should be given autonomy on a fast track, with no hurdle from universities,” said Tawde.

A state official said autonomy is an expedient way of resolving issues of governance in education.
They also said that norms of autonomy will be in line with the guidelines provided by University Grants Commission (UGC). The minister’s aide said that despite financial autonomy the state won’t stop salary grants given to aided colleges in the state.

There’s not much clarity on the extent to which the colleges will be able to control their fees. The minister's aide said that the colleges can’t change the fees of the courses funded by the state government. He added that while the fees of professional courses such as engineering. medicine and management will continue to be regulated by the fee regulating authority (FRA), there's no such control over the fees of non-professional courses. “The colleges won’t increase their fees much,” he said.

The official, on the other hand, pointed out the Maharashtra Public Universities Act 2016 provides for a fee fixation committee at every university to control fees of affiliated colleges. However, many state universities, including MU, are yet to constitute such a body.

Autonomous colleges have welcomed the proposal. “This may be a necessity. If proper fee structure is not put in place, we won't be able to appoint good teachers and provide quality education,” said Ancy Jose, principal, Nagindas Khandwala College, Borivali, which is an academically autonomous college under MU.

Source :http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

In summer, University of Mumbai still sits on winter results

In summer, University of Mumbai still sits on winter results

Mumbai University

Ankita Bhatkhande | Updated: Apr 26, 2018, 05:25 AM IST

Even as University of Mumbai begins assessment work for the summer semester examinations, over 45,000 students who had appeared for various exams in the earlier semester are still awaiting results.

As per the figures provided by the University on Wednesday, 45,807 students of the 3,76,686 who appeared for exams in November-December have been left hanging.

"Assessment is near completion for most courses and we will declare pending results within two-three days. However, Law results will take about eight more days," said Dr Arjun Ghatule, Director of Board of Exams & Evaluation.

The varsity is yet to decide whether Law papers should be excluded from onscreen evaluation after a proposal was made by the faculty, saying this delays assessment as most faculty members are lawyers who cannot evaluate papers during court hours.

"We know that there are fewer assessors for law, but this should not be the reason for delayed results," said Dr Devanand Shinde, In charge Vice-Chancellor, adding, "We are doing our best to ensure that the existing faculty does the evaluation efficiently. We have also allowed practising lawyers, with more than two years of teaching experience, to assess papers."

Shinde said that after assessment mess last year, the varsity has finally come to stage where all technical glitches have been eliminated. "Now, reputed universities such as the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), have approached us to understand the Onscreen evaluation process to implement it in their institutions," he added.

Result rage

Total programmes: 402Results declared: 384Total candidates: 3,76,686Students whose results are declared: 3,30,879Students whose results are pending: 45,807Faculty-wise pending results:Humanities: 19,740Commerce and Management: 23,418Science and Technology: 2,646Interdisciplinary studies: 03

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-in-summer-university-of-mumbai-still-sits-on-winter-results-2608728

• 25 Apr 2018 | Mumbai | Faisal Malik faisal.malik@hindustantimes.com

MU assessment mess: Govt steps in to avoid repeat

MUMBAI: The state has initiated the process of appointing an agency that will function as a system integrator and design, customise, implement and maintain an Integrated University Management System (IUMS) across 14 universities in the state, after having approved the system’s detailed project report (DPR) in January.

The state government’s information technology (IT) department issued tenders for the project recently.

Following online assessment goof-ups by the University of Mumbai (MU), which led to unprecedented delays in declaring results and chaos last year, the government decided to put in place the IUMS, which is expected to do away with such issues. The joint board of vice-chancellors, headed by governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, who is the chancellor of all state universities, has also given the nod to the project.

The system is expected to be implemented in phases starting this November, the second semester of the academic year.

The digital platform is expected to offer solutions to all issues faced by the 14 non-agricultural universities across the state, including MU.

The IUMS will cover all university and college processes, right from admissions, conducting of examinations, online assessment of answer papers, issuing results in digital format and staff recruitment.

The system will also help the government monitor the functioning of these 14 universities, said a senior official from the IT department, who did not wish to be named. To appoint a system integrator, the IT department has invited request for proposals (RPF) from companies that offer Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) solutions. The contract will be for five years, and the bidder will have to deposit Rs 25 lakh as bank guarantee.

It will be a complete automated digital system with different modules that cover issues related to students, faculty, administration and academics. Most importantly, every university will have its own exclusive system architecture, he added.

To achieve this, varsities and colleges affiliated to them, have been asked to form core implementation teams (CITs) that include students, lecturers and IT experts, who will help the IT department identify their requirements at the nascent stage. The IT department has already issued a GR directing them to form teams.

Source : http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

46k Mum univ students yet to get Nov-Jan results

Next Semester On, Student Info To Be Pasted On Answer Sheets

Vinamrata.Borwankar@timesgroup.com

 

Mumbai:

Even as close to 46,000 students who appeared for Mumbai University’s semester exams between November and January continue to wait for their results, the varsity called online assessment “a success” on Wednesday.

The university has decided to extend its online initiative by changing the answer sheet’s front page to include a student’s printed details and introduce eattendance from the next semester.

According to data shared by the university, results of 18 programmes conducted during the winter session last year are yet to be declared. A large majority of these students are from commerce and law courses. Out of the over 50,000 re-evaluation requests received, 14,557 are yet to be declared.

“We have been able to speed up the assessment process now and have resolved the problems that were causing delays in the assessment of law programmes. While most pending results will be declared over the next few days, laws results can be expected within 10 days,” said Arjun Ghatule, in-charge director (examinations).

The board of examination has allowed practising lawyers with a two-year teaching experience to assess papers as there was a shortage of examiners in the law faculty. Principals will be made accountable for all assessments from the next exam.

University officials said the online assessment system was now technically sound and work towards fulfilling prerequisites for the process would be done in the next semester exam. Stickers with students’ details along with subject codes and possibly photographs will replace the existing front page of answer sheets. “The current system which requires a student to fill seat numbers in bubbles is not suitable for online assessment. In spite of physical verification of answer sheets, some mistakes in the circling continue to crop up. The new stickers will be used for winter 2018 exams and will have all student details, leaving no room for error.”

Attendance in exam hall will be registered online by the principal, giving the varsity instant data. “Once we know the statistics, we can plan the manpower and scanners required and set a timeline,” he added. For the ongoing exams, over 36,500 answer sheets have already been evaluated. “The system is now customized, refined and upgraded to deliver the expected results. Our priority will be to declare all the results within 45 days of the exam as required by law,” said Devanand Shinde, acting vicechancellor, Mumbai University.

 

Source : https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/?olv-cache-ver=20180403121429#

UGC calls vice chancellors' meet on Guru Purnima

Press Trust of India     |  New Delhi | Last Updated at April 24, 2018 19:20 IST


The University Grants Commission (UGC) has convened a national meet of all university vice chancellors on the occasion of Guru Purnima on July 27.

The meeting will be chaired by Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar.

Besides vice chancellors of various universities across the country, the meeting will also be attended by renowned educationists, heads of statutory professional councils and directors of inter-university centres of the UGC.

"The main agenda of the meeting will be digital initiatives in higher education and necessary measures for increasing research productivity of universities," a senior UGC official said.

Improving the quality of education by universities, best practices adopted in this regard and imparting vocational skills to students in higher educational institutions are also on the meeting agenda besides discussing the action taken on recommendations made during the last Vice Chancellor's conference on July 9, 2017.

"It would be an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas on significant academic issues. The detailed agenda will be sent to participants shortly. Meanwhile, we have also invited suggestions from them about issues of national importance which they feel should be discussed during the conference," the official added.


Source : http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/ugc-calls-vice-chancellors-meet-on-guru-purnima-118042401024_1.html

Colleges could decide fees

Colleges could decide fees, as Maharashtra bats for financial autonomy

Proposal will allow colleges to start new courses and even decide their own fees, but under the watchful eyes of the state and the universities


MUMBAI | Musab Qazi  | Hindustan Times | Apr 25, 2018

Autonomous colleges in Maharashtra may soon be able to start own courses and have more control over fees, as the state is keen on providing financial autonomy to the institutes willing to take it.

At a recent meeting of joint board of vice-chancellors (JBV-C), chief minister Devendra Fadnavis urged vice-chancellors (V-Cs) of public universities in the state to give financial autonomy, alongside academic autonomy, to the institutes opting for it, said a government official.

The proposal will allow colleges to start new courses and even decide their own fees, but under the watchful eyes of the state and the universities they are affiliated with, said an aide to education minister Vinod Tawde. However, the minister insisted that financially autonomous institutes will be subjected to same norms of fee regulation as other colleges.

So far, colleges in Maharashtra were eligible for academic autonomy, which gave them the freedom to decide their own curriculum and examinations. Only a handful of colleges in the state have received autonomy — 11 out of 774 colleges affiliated with University of Mumbai (MU).

Sources added the state is pushing for more autonomy for colleges as it believes the move will enhance quality of higher education and resolve some of the administrative issues faced by the varsities.

“We are promoting autonomy because the government is not in a position to bring new ideas... Since universities can’t bear the burden of so many affiliated colleges, the minister and the CM want that all eligible colleges should be given autonomy on a fast track, with no hurdle from universities,” said Tawde’s aide, adding.

A state official said autonomy is an expedient way of resolving issues of governance in education.

They also said that norms of autonomy will be in line with the guidelines provided by University Grants Commission (UGC). The minister’s aide said that despite financial autonomy the state won’t stop salary grants given to aided colleges in the state.

There’s not much clarity on the extent to which the colleges will be able to control their fees. The minister's aide said that the colleges can't change the fees of the courses funded by the state government. He added that while the fees of professional courses such as engineering. medicine and management will continue to be regulated by the state's fee regulating authority (FRA), there's no such control over the fees of non-professional courses. "The colleges won't increase their fees much," he said.

The official, on the other hand, pointed out the Maharashtra Public Universities Act 2016 provides for a fee fixation committee at every university to control the fees of affiliated colleges. However, many of the state universities, including MU, are yet to constitute such a body.

Tawde said, “The autonomous colleges will be allowed to increase their fees only when other affiliated colleges will be permitted to do so.”

Autonomous colleges have welcomed the proposal. “This may be a necessity. If proper fee structure is not put in place, we won't be able to appoint good teachers and provide quality education,” said Ancy Jose, principal, Nagindas Khandwala College, Borivali, which as an academically autonomous college under MU.

MU hasn't revised fee structure for degree courses in last decade.

SS Mantha, former chairman, All India Council for Technical Education, cautioned that financial autonomy shouldn't lead to exorbitant fees. "While autonomy is a must for providing quality education, it cannot be a free-for-all activity. There must be a public mechanism to justify fees of the courses," he said.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/colleges-could-decide-fees-as-maharashtra-bats-for-financial-autonomy/story-vouJ5MU80jDQpjc4QNefmL.html

fake varsities in country

University Grants Commission releases list of 24 'self-styled', fake varsities in country 

 

The detailed list is also available at UGC website www.ugc.ac.in The public at large is cautioned not to take admission in these Fake Universities. 

 

By PTI  |   Published: 24th April 2018

 

NEW DELHI: The University Grants Commission has released a list of 24 "self-styled" and fake varsities across the country including eight in the national Capital.

"Students and public at large are informed that at present following 24 self-styled and unrecognised institutions are functioning in contravention of the UGC Act in various parts of the country," a notice issued by the UGC read.

"These universities have been declared as fake and are not entitled to confer any degrees," it added.

The fake universities which have been found functioning in Delhi include Commercial University, United Nations University, Vocational University, ADR-Centric Juridical University, Indian Institution of Science and Engineering, Viswakarma Open University for Self-employment, Adhyatmik Vishwavidyalaya and Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya.

Other universities which have been identified as fake include one each from Pondicherry, Aligarh, Bihar, Rourkela, Odisha, Kanpur, Pratapgarh, Mathura, Kanpur, Nagpur, Kerala, Karnataka, Bihar and two universities in Allahabad.

 These institutions have been declared as “Fake Universities” and they are not entitled to confer any degree. The detailed list is also available at UGC website www.ugc.ac.in The public at large is cautioned not to take admission in these Fake Universities. 

 

Source : http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2018/apr/24/university-grants-commission-releases-list-of-24-self-styled-fake-varsities-in-country-1805799.html 

=======================================================

 

Mumbai university mess

Govt to appoint firm to implement digital management system

 

Maharashtra government’s IT department issues tenders for the project that will cover 14 varsities in the state

 

Faisal Malik | Hindustan Times |  Updated: Apr 24, 2018 13:42 IST

·          

The Maharashtra government has initiated the process of appointing an agency that will function as a system integrator and design, customise, implement and maintain an Integrated University Management System (IUMS) across 14 universities in the state, after having approved the system’s detailed project report (DPR) in January.

The state government’s information technology (IT) department issued tenders for the project recently.

Following online assessment goof-ups by the University of Mumbai (MU), which led to unprecedented delays in declaring results and chaos last year, the government decided to put in place the IUMS, which is expected to do away with such issues. The joint board of vice-chancellors, headed by governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, who is the chancellor of all state universities, has also given the nod to the project.

The system is expected to be implemented in phases starting this November, the second semester of the academic year.

The digital platform is expected to offer solutions to all issues faced by the 14 non-agricultural universities across the state, including MU. The IUMS will cover all university and college processes, right from admissions, conducting of examinations, online assessment of answer papers, issuing results in digital format and staff recruitment.

The system will also help the government monitor the functioning of these 14 universities, said a senior official from the IT department, who did not wish to be named.

To appoint a system integrator, the IT department has invited request for proposals (RPF) from companies that offer Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) solutions. The contract will be for five years, and the bidder will have to deposit Rs 25 lakh as bank guarantee, the official said.

It will be a complete automated digital system with different modules that cover issues related to students, faculty, administration and academics. Most importantly, every university will have its own exclusive system architecture, he added.

To achieve this, universities, and colleges affiliated to them, have been asked to form core implementation teams (CITs) that include students, lecturers and IT experts who will help the state’s IT department identify their requirements at the development stage. The IT department has already issued a government resolution (GR) directing them to form teams.

Last year, the results were delayed by more than five months after MU adopted an on-screen marking system (OSM) for online assessment of answer papers, as it was unable to trace answer booklets.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/mumbai-university-mess-govt-to-appoint-firm-to-implement-digital-management-system/story-rGTTKC43kPUL8f82SyUOTL.html

BCom (Accounting and Finance) results out, anxiety stays

 Yogita Rao | TNN | Apr 24, 2018, 05:08 IST

MUMBAI: 

After waiting five months for their results, final year BCom (Accounting and Finance) students of Mumbai University seemed unhappy when their results were finally declared on Sunday. Students found that their scores in Direct Taxes were not as expected. Upon seeing students’ poor performance in one subject, some teachers alleged that the subject’s answer key issued by the university was error-ridden.

A teacher said questions containing more than 40 marks in the 75-mark paper had errors. “Some of the errors are apparent, while some can pass off as ‘subject to interpretation’ questions. A proper study must be done into it. While nothing much can be done at this stage, the teachers should have ideally brought this to the university’s attention when the assessment was on or when it started,” said a principal.

Some teachers plan to write to the university and the board of studies for the subject, informing them in detail about the errors. “Some errors are glaring. There is a difference of amount in most of the calculations done by the paper setter,” alleged a teacher. “There is a possibility that because the paper assessment was done in a hurry to declare results soon, teachers would have overlooked some of the errors,” said a principal.

Taxation was one of the papers that was pending assessment till late. However, most of the papers that were pending in April were from Cost Accounting. “Though students have not failed, their performance is not on expected lines,” said another teacher. Along with law, BAF students too had to wait for the results of the exams conducted in November. “Many BAF students who are keen on pursuing higher studies in India and abroad are affected with the delayed results,” said a teacher.

Arjun Ghatule, in-charge director (examinations), said the university is processing the marks given by the teachers. “The teachers set the paper and the answer key. Such kind of problems should not arise. It is not possible,” he said. Another official said the only way out for students is to seek revaluation.

Source : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/bcom-accounting-and-finance-results-out-anxiety-stays/articleshow/63888495.cms