Latest news with #Syndicate
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
UoM Syndicate member resigns, cites personal reasons
Mysuru: Basavaraju C Jattihundi, member of the Syndicate, the apex body of the University of Mysore, resigned from his post. He was appointed to the Syndicate on Jan 4, 2024, for a period of three years. Basavaraju attributed personal reasons for his resignation. He submitted his resignation letter through an email dated June 15. "I am a writer. Due to my responsibilities, I was not able to concentrate on writing. So, I decided to resign," he said. However, sources in the university pointed out that in Feb 2025, during an event organised at one of the varsity departments, Basavaraju put up banners welcoming dignitaries, including CM Siddaramaiah, on the main stretch at Manasagangotri, the PG campus of the varsity. The banners were left untouched by the university authorities. However, last week, the university authorities removed the banner of national leader BR Ambedkar put up by research scholars and students to mark Ambedkar Jayanti. It led to a series of protests, including dharnas at Manasagangotri. The agitators questioned the authorities and accused them of adopting double standards. Following the agitation, the city police were stationed at the campus. After the row, the Syndicate member resigned, sources stated. University of Mysore Research Scholars Association issued a clarification stating that there was no role of any Syndicate member in the removal of Ambedkar banner at Manasagangotri on June 11. "There is no connection between this incident and the Syndicate members," Shivashankar, president of the association, said.
The Hindu
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
BJP's Syndicate member opposes inclusion of Vedan song in Calicut varsity syllabus
A Syndicate member aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the University of Calicut has sought removal of a song by rapper Hirandas Murali or Vedan, which has been included in the syllabus of the fourth semester undergraduate Malayalam Language and Literature course in affiliated colleges. A.K. Anuraj, the Syndicate member, in a letter to P. Raveendran, Vice-Chancellor, said that Mr. Murali was recently arrested in a drug-related case. 'He is currently out on bail, which does not mean that he has been acquitted. In addition to this, he was also taken into custody by the Kerala Forest department for possessing a leopard tooth,' Mr. Anuraj said. The song Bhoomi njan vazhunnidam, anudinam narakamayi marunnidam, which is a commentary on global issues, is part of the 'Introduction to Comparative Literature', under the module Puthupravanathakal. It will be taught along with Michael Jackson's song They don't care about us, which talks about racial injustice. The Syndicate member said that Mr. Murali's widely circulated videos had visuals showing him consuming liquor in the company of others. The language he used in his songs and public speeches was often unparliamentary and of poor quality, Mr. Anuraj alleged. He claimed that including his work in the syllabus of the university would send a wrong message to students, parents and the academic community, adding that it would also 'question the culture of our country'.
The Hindu
03-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Cusat withdraws circular on teachers' workload
Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) has withdrawn a circular asking heads of departments to confirm whether teachers were complying with the workload as prescribed by the University Grants Commission. The circular issued by the Registrar on May 27, 2025 was withdrawn following opposition from teachers, who said that it contradicted an earlier order pertaining to work norms ratified by the academic council and the Syndicate. The varsity authorities said the circular was withdrawn as it had contradicted an earlier order. It would be cleared and placed before the appropriate body for approval, they added. The circular had asked heads/directors of departments/schools/centres to provide the details of workload assigned for a week to each teacher as prescribed by the UGC. They were told to submit the required documentary evidence. The circular, quoting UGC Regulations 2018, pointed out that the workload of teachers in full employment should not be less than 40 hours a week for 30 working weeks (180 teaching days) in an academic year. It should be necessary for the teacher to be available for at least seven hours daily in the university/college, out of which at least two hours for mentoring of students (minimum 15 students per coordinator) for community development/extra curricular activities/library consultation in case of undergraduate courses and at least two hours for research in case of postgraduate courses. The minimum direct teaching-learning process hours should be: Assistant Professor - 16 hours per week; Associate Professor - 14 hours per week; and Professor - 14 hours per week, it said. Teachers who opposed the circular said that the administrative wing had issued the circular without verifying the norms related to workload ratified by the academic council and the Syndicate earlier.
Time of India
02-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
BA English: To Be or Not to Be?
There was a time when a BA English literature course was the pathway to mastering the language and exposure to Western culture, which consequently provided access to govt jobs, the civil service, and positions of influence. From the 1970s, when graduation became mainstream, the course started getting a bad reputation for being a bridge between school and marriage for girls with no intentions of a career, and for being the last option for those who couldn't find admissions in the popular courses. Even the poster boy of English language and literature, Shashi Tharoor, went for a BA in History in the 1970s, not English. Cut to 2025, and 13 arts and science colleges under the University of Madras have opted to drop the course for the 2025-26 academic year, citing "poor enrolment". Sources say enrolment for the course at these colleges was in single digits in the past two years against the sanctioned strength of 70 seats. In 2024-25, the university bodies, including the Syndicate and the Senate, gave approval to six colleges to withdraw the course. The move doesn't come as a surprise, say professors, adding that enrolment has been dwindling for more than a decade now as students with English degrees are seen as having "limited career options". by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Todos os idosos deveriam ter um desse no banheiro! Veja só! Evite quedas e escorregões Saiba Mais Undo With no recruitment for govt colleges and schools in the past few years, most end up joining private schools and colleges as faculty where pay is poor. Though top colleges in major cities in the country still get a section of good students, post-Covid, there's been a disinterest in anything which requires one to read and focus for long hours, and parents and students look for ROI or 'Return on Investment' if they're paying donations, say teachers. Also, "students of both genders now look for courses that guarantee job options with plum pay packages", which a traditional BA English course doesn't offer, says R Raman, Principal of Madras Presidency College. Professors from mofussil areas say many students are intimidated by the English language, which is also a reason for them not selecting the course. At the same time, data on govt college admissions in the state reveals that BA English remains one of the top five courses as 1.68 lakh of 1.87 lakh applicants gave the course as one of their options this year. Principals say the numbers may be because the fee is lower in the govt colleges and so students "don't mind" doing English as they are not spending much. But several private colleges and new-age universities too are in a conundrum. Depending on the number of applicants, the management makes a decision on what courses to include, and there is little demand for English literature as a canonical subject, says a staff member who doesn't wish to be named. "There is a trend of reformulating courses aligned towards technology, such as digital humanities. Also, it's more about how literature can be used to study contemporary society. For example, how health is represented in literature." A handful of colleges in Chennai, such as Women's Christian College (WCC), Ethiraj, and Stella Maris, have been constantly reinventing the course to make it relevant enough to draw in applicants. "Students today are not into reading, and certainly not keen on the old tomes. Right from the 1980s, skill-based elements were added to our traditional BA English course," says Lillian Jasper, Principal of WCC. "The course has advertising, a bit of journalism and travel writing; and the social element pervades all the subjects. " So they have a social history of English literature, besides contemporary Tamil literature in translation. Eco-literature is also popular among the new additions of the past decade. "We often screen environmental documentaries and take students on field trips; it's not just classroom teaching," says Lillian. There is also a distinct shift from canonical British texts to the literature of the colonies as well as that of America, which are among the reasons English is one of the most sought-after courses at WCC. Even at the prestigious St Stephen's College, New Delhi, they don't teach Shakespeare as such, but unconventional or Indian adaptations of it, says Ashley N P, Professor at the college which still has a strong traditional BA English literature course. "It's the age of AI where the need is to teach how to give the right prompts to ChatGPT, not how to write. One of the exercises I give my students is to find what's wrong in a ChatGPT result," says Ashley. Besides teaching and research, the modified courses open up creative and content-related career avenues such as content writing for NGOs, research organisations, and digital spaces; copywriting for advertising firms, human resource management, public administration, and translation, besides journalism. Above all, you cannot quantify liberal arts courses on "what you can get out of it", which is how every course is being sold today, says Ashley. "Even in foreign universities, there is a tendency to advertise 'takeaways' like in a sales pitch, which doesn't fit into the liberal arts structure." There is this 'MBAfication' and 'vocationalisation' of all the courses, but in the age of AI, ChatGPT can always make better PPTs than you, he says. "We don't teach Shakespeare or Amitav Ghosh, but how to read them, how to read history and culture. You can't hurry it, you develop critical thinking skills slowly by constant interactions with peers, teachers, authors, listening to countless seminars and collecting information from other sources. " A degree in literature, or any field in humanities, can foster a culture of critical thinking and the ability to question the existing social structures, says Sreelakshmi N Sreejith, a third-year student of International Relations at the Shiv Nadar Institute of Eminence, New Delhi. Universities have accumulated knowledge over the years and knee-jerk reactions like randomly picking courses which sound new-age will do more harm than good, he feels. "Rethinking a discipline doesn't mean abandoning it, but looking at it differently. Without a sense of history, the new-age courses don't make sense. What we need is a serious study of the state of higher education in India." (With inputs by A Ragu Raman) Email your feedback with name and address to
New Indian Express
29-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Kerala University faculty member's promotion: Syndicate defends body's decision
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A section of Syndicate members of Kerala University has defended the varsity body's decision to recommend promotion of assistant professor S Naseeb, also a pro-Left Syndicate member, to the post of associate professor. The decision was annulled by Governor Rajendra Arlekar in his capacity as Chancellor on Monday on the grounds that it was against UGC regulations. In a joint statement, 14 Syndicate members, most of them Left-affiliated, said the university has implemented the UGC regulation that valid contract service can also be considered for promotion. They said it was on directives of the Kerala High Court that Naseeb was permitted to apply for promotion. Besides, the Syndicate had also sought legal opinion on the matter before taking a decision. 'The Syndicate had only decided to inform the High Court that Naseeb's application for promotion can be considered based on earlier court orders on the matter and also on the basis of the report of the academic committee,' the Syndicate members said. However, the Vice-Chancellor unilaterally referred the matter to the Chancellor (governor), they alleged. In his order, the governor said it was found that Naseeb had included his tenure of more than a year as lecturer on temporary basis to his overall service period while applying for promotion. However, he was drawing remuneration lesser than a regularly appointed faculty at that time. According to the governor, this constituted a violation of UGC regulations. The governor reminded the Syndicate that it is bound to follow the norms fixed by the UGC and no power is vested with it to exempt or exclude such norms. Arlekar said he was annulling the Syndicate's decision by invoking the powers vested in him under Section 7(3) of the Kerala University Act.
