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JU brings back admission tests, VC wants to resign (Lead)
Kolkata, July 10 (IANS) Under pressure from protesting students and revolt by a large section of teachers, Jadavpur University authorities on Tuesday decided to bring back the admission test system for admission to six under-graduate courses, but the Vice Chancellor announced that he would resign.
The decision to admit students in the six UG courses in the humanities stream, by giving equal weightage to both admission test and marks obtained in the plus two board examination, was taken at an emergent meeting of the Executive Council in the evening, five days after a section of students went on an indefinite hunger strike demanding withdrawal of the earlier decision to scrap admission tests.
The EC resolved that “in six departments of the arts faculty – Bengali, English, History, Comparative Literature, Political Science and Philosophy – admission to the undergraduate courses will be on the basis of 50 per cent weightage on an admission test, and 50 per cent weightage on the marks obtained in the plus two board exams,”
The EC resolution, read out to the media by Registrar Chiranjib Bhattacharjee, also affirmed its faith on the teachers of the university and requested their full cooperation in the admission process.
The EC empowered the registrar and the Dean, Faculty of Arts, to decide on the modalities of the admission test.
However, Vice Chancellor Suranjan Das and Pro Vice Chancellor Pradip Ghosh put it on record that they were not party to the resolution that was carried by majority.
But there was more drama as Das announced that he and Ghosh would meet West Bengal Governor K.N. Tripathi – the ex-officio Chancellor – and seek that they be relieved of their posts.
“We are not party to the resolution. We cannot go beyond the lawyers’ opinion given in the wake of a letter from the Chancellor. University cannot be run in the given situation. The pro-VC and I, will both seek to be relieved of our responsibilities,” said Das.
Minutes earlier, Das was seen at the venue of the hunger strike and requesting students to end it as their demand has been met. The students told him that their general body would decide on the issue.
The authorities’ decision to go back to the time-tested admission test system for the six UG courses was welcomed by the Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association, which had backed the students’ protests all these days.
Most of the teachers of the six courses had dissociated themselves from the admission process decrying the scrapping of the admission test system. They were also angry over the “insult” meted out to them as a result of the university authorities’ decision to involve external experts in the admission process.
“From the outset we wanted the university’s academic autonomy to remain undisturbed. Today the EC has decided to restore the admission test system, overriding the pressure from the government,” said ist Assistant Secretary Partha Pratim Roy.
Roy was apparently hinting at state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, who had time and again spoken out against the JU following two separate admission processes – holding of tests for some courses, while admitting students on the basis of plus two results in some other courses.
Many feel that the EC’s July 4 decision to scrap admission tests was taken in the wake of Chatterjee’s stand.
Earier in the day, four of the 20 students on hunger strike had to be rushed to hospital hospital after their health condition deteriorated,
The Registrar had then expressed concern over their health and the VC had also appealed to them to withdraw the hunger strike.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.