UGC revamps system to weed out dodgy research paper shops

UGC revamps system to weed out dodgy research paper shops

Written by Shyamlal Yadav | New Delhi | Updated: November 29, 2018

In a series of investigative reports in July, The Indian Express reported on how over 300 “predatory” publishers bring out journals that claim to be international and publish papers for a “charge” ranging from $30-$1,800 per piece.

The UGC has also decided to constitute a committee under Padmanabhan Balaram, former director of IISc-Bangalore, to review existing guidelines on the use of such journals in PhD approvals. (File)

In its first concrete response to an investigation by The Indian Express on how India has emerged as one of the biggest markets for “predatory” publishers of substandard research journals, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has decided to set up a Consortium of Academic and Research Ethics (CARE) to approve a new official list of academic publications.

Bhushan Patwardhan, who was appointed as UGC vice-chairman in September, told The Indian Express that CARE will be operational “within the next three months” to replace the existing system of approval for the official list of research journals.

The UGC has also decided to constitute a committee under Padmanabhan Balaram, former director of IISc-Bangalore, to review existing guidelines on the use of such journals in PhD approvals and recommend a new system “to promote quality in research”.

“Members of CARE will prepare lists of quality journals in their respective disciplines within a defined timeframe. These lists will be critically analysed and curated for quality by a special cell at the entrusted institution using defined criteria,” Patwardhan said.

“Finally, a dynamic ‘Reference List of Quality Journals’ will be maintained by CARE and this will be used for all academic purposes. The existing UGC-approved list of journals will remain valid till the CARE Reference List of Quality Journals is released,” he said.

According to Patwardhan, CARE’s focus will be on journals in disciplines such as social sciences, humanities, languages, arts, culture, the Indian knowledge system, etc., “where there is complete absence of standardisation of research journals at present”.

Patwardhan said CARE will be established in a Category A university and headed by the UGC vice-chairman with representatives of around 20 statutory bodies, including National Council for Educational Training and Research (NCERT), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR).

In a series of investigative reports in July, The Indian Express reported on how over 300 “predatory” publishers bring out journals that claim to be international and publish papers for a “charge” ranging from $30-$1,800 per piece.

Some of the prominent publishers featured in the investigation were OMICS, Austin, Science Domain, IAEME and IOSR Journals, which together bring out over 1,200 journals on subjects ranging from medicine to management.

Source : https://indianexpress.com/article/education/ugc-revamps-system-to-weed-out-dodgy-research-paper-shops-5469861/ 

Mumbai University debars three teachers

Mumbai University debars three teachers for repeating last year’s BMS paper 

Yogita Rao | TNN | Updated: Dec 2, 2018, 05:29 IST

MUMBAI: Three teachers responsible for setting the first-year Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS) paper on Introduction to Financial Accounts have been permanently debarred from examination work. In one of its most prompt action ever, a Mumbai University-appointed committee on Saturday probed the paper-setting goof-up during the ongoing BMS exam and came out with a recommendation within few hours. The recommendation has been accepted by the university with immediate effect, said an examination section official.

This is the first time ever that teachers have been debarred permanently for a goof-up in paper-setting. Also, earlier debarments have been only for three years. TOI, in its Saturday edition, had reported about November 29’s FYBMS semester 1 exam question paper being 100% identical to previous year’s (November 2017). The two member committee was appointed on Saturday morning following the TOI report.

Not only were the questions identical, the paper-setters did not even bother to change the order of the questions. Right from the multiple-choice questions to the questions based on matches, the problems, the sum amount for stocks, debts, everything was kept as it is, lamented a student. Mumbai University officials said that the administration had decided to come down heavily on erring teachers. Two of the three teachers teach in colleges in the western suburbs. 

“The quality of question papers reflects the attitude of the teachers and the university. Most paper-setters tend to repeat 50-60% of the questions, as the syllabus is limited for a semester exam and questions are to be picked from the same set. But replicatinga question paper entirely, is unpardonable,” said a principal. Another principal, however, pointed out that most of the teachers in self-financed course such as BMS, BMM and BAF are not even permanentemployees at colleges.

Read more at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/66902315.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

UGC NET Admit Card 2018

UGC NET Admit Card 2018 released @ntanet.nic.in, here's link to download

TOI-Online | Updated: Nov 20, 2018, 12:50 IST

NEW DELHI: The University Grant Commission (UGC)

(NET) admit card for December 2018 examination was released by the National

Testing Agency on its website. The candidates can visit the official website of the

exam to download their admit card.

The NTA had released the UGC NET 2018 Admit Card on Monday, November 19, 2018, on the official website - .

The NTA will conduct the UGC NET examination on the behalf of UGC. The UGC NET 2018 examinations will be conducted from December 18 to December 22, 2018.

UGC : How to download?

1) Open the official website of NTA - National Eligibility Test NTA ntanet.nic.in Download UGC NET Admit Card through Application No. and Password Download UGC NET Admit Card through Application No. and Date of Birth NET admit card ntanet.nic.in

2) On the homepage, you will find the "Download admit card" link

3) It will redirect to a login page

4) Now enter your Application Number, Password, Security Pin and click on submit

5) Your will be displayed on the screen 6) Download your UGC NET admit card and take a print out of the same for future reference Remember to check all your details printed on the Admit card. In case of any mistakes, inform authorities for corrections

Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/66702159.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

UGC to come up with new regulation

UGC to come up with new regulation to deal with students' complaints

Education : Updated Nov 18, 2018 | 09:37 IST | IANS

The 2012 regulation stipulate that the Ombudsman shall be "a person who has been a judge not below the rank of a District Judge or a retired professor who has at least 10 years' experience as professor".

New Delhi: Faced with complaints from institutes, the University Grants Commission has revamped its grievance regulations with "improvements" and will soon be putting a new version to public for feedback, which will include revised norms for appointment of an ombudsman, a top UGC official has said.

As per the UGC (Grievance Redressal) Regulations 2012, all higher education institutes are required to appoint an ombudsman for redressing grievances of students. But a superficial survey reveals that none of the central universities, at least in Delhi, has this figure to arbitrate as an impartial authority, or if they have, they have been appointed against the eligibility criteria.

"We are suggesting new procedure for resolving the grievances and how ombudsman will come in the process at the third or fourth level and what will be the guidelines regarding appointment of Ombudsman. They are also being revised," UGC Secretary Rajnish Jain told IANS.

Asked why the commission has failed in making institutes appoint the Ombudsman, Jain said: "We had been pressing institutions for having an ombudsman, but there were problems which were mentioned by these institutions... so now all the implementation-related problems will be taken care of in the new regulation."
He, however, did not say what these complaints were or pertained to what aspect of the appointment criteria. The 2012 regulation stipulate that the Ombudsman shall be "a person who has been a judge not below the rank of a District Judge or a retired professor who has at least 10 years' experience as professor".

In a clear violation of the regulation, Jawaharlal Nehru University has appointed as Ombudsman its own Rector and a professor at the university, who is charged with hearing grievances of only faculty members and not of students at that.

Although Delhi University and Jamia Milia Islamia, both central universities, have a grievance cell or committee, but no Ombudsmen - the authority provisioned for in the regulation to hear grievances of students after they have "availed of remedies available in such institutions for redress of grievance".
Documents accessed by IANS reveal that a portion of the blame for universities' inability in appointing Ombudsman can be laid at the UGC's door. TERI University, a deemed to be university, wrote at least thrice during 2016-17 to UGC's then Secretary for a panel of names to choose an Ombudsman from, but failed to get any response.

"As per the UGC notification ... deemed to be universities are required to appoint an Ombudsman for redressing grievances of students. It is requested that the panel of names recommended by search committee be intimated to the University for appointment of a Ombudsman on part-time basis," read one of the three letters written to UGC by the TERI University Registrar in April 2016, to be followed by more in February and July the next year.

The regulation stipulate that Ombudsman will be chosen from a panel of three names recommended by the search committee composed of five people including UGC Chairman and one Vice Chancellor of a central university.

That the grievance redress mechanism suggested by the apex funding body for the universities is not working can be realised from the fact that it has admitted to being swamped "with sheer volume of complaints" from students over various issues among them non-refund of fees and retention of original certificates.

Jain said that the draft of the new regulation is ready and will be put on the Commission's website for public's feedback once the minutes are finalised. He said the UGC is likely to do that within 10 days.
 

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/education/article/ugc-to-come-up-with-new-regulation-to-deal-with-students-complaints/316023