Maharashtra’s directorate of technical education (DTE) has decided to give class XII students from the science stream, who did not opt for mathematics at the 10+2 level, direct admission to engineering and technology courses in polytechnic institutes in the state. The move is expected to benefit a large number of HSC students who earlier had to give up their plans of pursuing diploma courses only because they had not taken maths at the junior college level.

The sale of the application kit for the direct second-year admissions for around 390 diploma courses in the state begins today.

Maharashtra has around 390 polytechnic institutes with an intake capacity of nearly 1.8 lakh students. Twenty per cent of these seats, which makes for nearly 36,000 seats, are open for direct second-year admissions. The DTE has kept a 25% quota for lateral entry from each of the four designated categories – HSC (science), HSC (bifocal), HSC (MCVC) and ITI.

Several SSC pass-outs have been making a beeline for polytechnic courses in Mumbai colleges to avoid the intensely competitive national-level entrance exams such as JEE (Main). The ever-increasing popularity of these courses saw cut-offs in sought-after colleges soar above 90 per cent last year. The three-year, post-SSC diploma courses allow a lateral entry into second-year engineering programmes—even in top-rung institutes.

 Delhi University’s course committee is meeting today to discuss the formulation of syllabus for the introduction of the choice based credit system (CBCS). Despite the ongoing criticism crowding the HRD Ministry’s decision to introduce the CBCS, the Delhi University’s executive committee had decided to do ahead with it in the coming academic session.

This will be the first meeting post a University Grants Commission notice saying that instead of 20 per cent, a varsity can now modify the model syllabi up to 30 per cent. During an earlier meeting of the course committee, teachers had alleged that courses were prepared without consultations and approved by the departments.

The Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) hopes that the new system will not be implemented in a hasty manner. Nandita Narain, President, DUTA, has said that she is hoping that the HRD minister (Smriti Irani) will not do anything arbitrarily , but only in necessary consultation with the educationists and the students, whose lives will be majorly affected by the decision to introduce this new system.

It is not just the DUTA or left-wing students’ and teachers’ groups that are protesting against CBCS, right-wing organizations such as the National Democratic Teachers’ Front (NDTF), and even the NSUI have taken a critical view of the matter.

It may be mentioned that the University Grants Commission (UGC) has announced that universities can customise the model syllabi by 30 percentage depending upon their areas of specialisation. This move has given more space to the universities in introducing the system. UGC previously uploaded the model syllabi stating that 20 percentage leverage for modification is allowed

Students and faculty have a long wish list for the new Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Mumbai University, professor Sanjay Deshmukh (50), who is set to charge as vice-chancellor in a fortnight. These include speedy and accountable exam process to the early declaration of results. Academicians say that division of work to handle such a huge number of affiliated colleges is a must for efficient delivery. After Deshmukh’s selection in the topmost office of the University, many believe that the trend of candidates from the science background making it to the top post of universities in the state is common.

It may be mentioned that Devanand Shinde was selected as vice-chancellor of Kolhapur’s Shivaji University by the governor. Shinde was serving as the professor of chemical technology at a university in Aurangabad. The incumbent Rajan Welukar was also from mathematics and statistics background. Vijay Khole, former vice-chancellor of Mumbai University, was the director of the Institute of Science and had done his post doctoral in biophysics. Of the five candidates shortlisted for Mumbai University vice- chancellor’s post, four were from science background, except Vibha Surana, head of the German department.

Media reports state that although this time there is no opposition to the selected candidate, different groups of stakeholders have raised doubts about the appointment process followed for the V-Cs for Mumbai and Kolhapur universities. Furthermore, as VC, Deshmukh will get to recommend three names to the governor for the post of pro vice-chancellor.

Meanwhile, giving a major respite to students whose name appeared in the second merit list on Thursday, the University of Mumbai has extended the deadlines for submission of fees till today. This would bring relief to all those who could not complete the process on Friday as they failed to reach the colleges due to heavy rainfall, which disrupted the Mumbai local trains and road transport. Though they had time on Saturday, colleges told the University that they might not be able to finish the process by 1:30 pm on that day, considering the weather conditions.

 At a time when the HRD ministry has been accused of interfering in the functioning of institutes of higher learning including the IITs, another controversy has cropped up. The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are sharply divided over IIM draft bill that grants, which seeks to give seeping powers to HRD ministry in the functioning of the B-schools, including policy matters like deciding fees, emoluments and service conditions of the faculty. The bill also provides for constitution of a coordination forum chaired by the HRD minister.

While the six older IIMs are of the view that this is an attempt to ‘micro-managing’ them, something that would infringe upon their autonomy, those in the eight new premier institutes feel the apprehension is misplaced. On the other hand, the eight new premier institutes feel that there is no base to these apprehensions.

A media report states that an IIM professor, who was involved in drafting the bill, voiced surprise at the final draft as the earlier document did not contain any clause that gave ‘overwhelming authority’ to the government in running the institutes.

Most IIMs would be sending their response to the draft, uploaded on the HRD ministry’s website, over the next few days. The bill seeks to declare the IIMs ‘Institutes of National Importance’.

Meanwhile, the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) still has a student ratio heavily skewed in favour of engineers and male students. Of the 400-odd students admitted to IIM-A in the 2015-17 batch, women make up only 14 per cent — the lowest in the last three years despite concerted efforts by the institute to better the ratio on the campus.

 Around 85 colleges that were affiliated to Gujarat University (GU), but were in the jurisdiction of the newly formed Central Gujarat University (CGU), will be de-affiliated by GU and transferred to CGU. While the first year students will be enrolled with the CGU, the already studying second and third year students will remain as GU students. Headquartered in Godhra, CGU will cover Panchmahals, Mahisagar, Dahod and Vadodara rural.

With the de-affiliation of 85 colleges and formation of Gujarat Law Society University, the number of colleges has been reduced by 100. GU earlier had 350-odd colleges affiliated with it.

Earlier, the VC had proposed that all the colleges which were affiliated from other areas should be transferred to the respective university of their areas. Colleges of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar should be affiliated with GU. Officials from GU said that in the past one year de-affiliation of 100-odd colleges has been after a very long period. In the past, only 10-15 colleges were de-affiliated.

Meanwhile, the world’s first kidney transplant university in Ahmedabad, built by Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre (IKDRC) at the cost of Rs 50 crore, was inaugurated by chief minister Anandiben Patel.  The university, expected to come up on more than 25-acre land near IKDRC, will offer courses in dialysis technology, anesthesia, clinical nursing, nurse technicians, immunology, biochemistry and other vital organs that are affected due to chronic kidney disease. The varsity will prepare documentary-based science evidence on transplants and new-age techniques.