Hi-tech CET coaching for rural students

 

Common Entrance Test toppers are more often than not from the state's remote districts. But that does not necessarily mean all have

access to such opportunities. To ensure students do not miss taking advantage of CET, chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on Tuesday inaugurated Karnataka Examinations Authority and Department of Higher Education CET training programme for PU science students of rural areas for CET 2010.
The CM was at the VHD Institute of Home Science to inaugurate its pre-university block and also the new programme. He also unveiled the interactive VTU via EduSat for CET coaching.
Higher Education Minister Aravind Limbavali, Medical education minister Ramchandra Gowda and MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao were present.
Satellite CET coaching
The CET training programme is organized to provide 13,000 science students from rural areas free training to prepare for the Common Entrance Test CET 2010. The programme is divided into four rural zones with 100 training centres to provide free training throughout Karnataka.
Satellite-based CET training will be provided at these centres. Studios will be set up at Bangalore, Mangalore and Hubli. Eminent and experienced experts and faculty members will deliver the programme. Rural students have to come to the training centres to attend classes, and sessions will be telecast from these studios.
Students' doubts will be cleared via satellite. The solution of these queries will be telecast to all centres at the same time. About 60 students will be accommodated in every classroom.
The training will especially be helpful for economically backward students and those who lack specialized faculty by way of competitive capability and increased mental ability. Free study material will be provided for those who participate in the training.
Periodic tests in the subjects and their evaluation will be conducted so as to increase students' competitive capabilities.
Keonics Bangalore is the implementing agency of the training programme.

Cheat in VTU exam, miss out on next 3 attempts

Visvesvaraya Technological University students beware: if you are caught cheating in an exam, you will be barred from appearing in the subsequent three examinations. Not only that, scores in other subjects will also be annulled.

The harsh deterrent is just one of the many measures that have been approved by the university’s Executive Council at a meeting held on Saturday. The new rules are the result of the recommendations made a committee headed by former vice chancellor of Goa University Prof B S Sonde who was asked to amend the procedures concerning examination malpractice.

VTU Registrar Dr K V A Balaji told Express that earlier regulations, which were prepared in 2000, had to be amended to keep up with the changing technology.

Examination malpractices will now be categorised into four types: I, II, III and IV. Transgressions under Type I will be punished with a minimum fine of Rs 2000, annulment of performance in all subjects in current examination and debarment from upto 3 subsequent exams. Type II and Type III transgressions will be punished by annulment of performance in all subjects and debarment from upto 3 subsequent exams.

IMPERSONATION

If you are caught impersonating, or threatening the invigilators with a weapon, both of which constitute a Type IV offence, the student will be debarred from appearing in the subsequent five examinations. In case of impersonation, the students will be handed over to the police.

Balaji said the new regulations were extremely potent. “Being out for five semesters is as good as leaving the university. By the time he is eligible to get back into the system, the syllabus would have transformed completely.”

VTU withholds ‘controversial’ text

After getting into a controversy for dropping former vice-chancellor Prof K Balaveera Reddy’s name from a textbook, Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) has now decided to stop distribution of the textbook to colleges until further notification.

The second edition of the textbook titled ‘A Primer on Computer Aided Engineering Drawing,’ for students of first year engineering, has been withdrawn from distribution by the university’s four regional offices in Bangalore, Mysore, Gulbarga, and Belgaum.

VTU’s regional office in Bangalore had issued a circular on October 1 to principals of engineering colleges to pick up copies of the textbooks paying money through demand draft at the rate of Rs 75 per copy.

However, following the announcement by Reddy that he was preparing to go to court over his name being dropped from the textbook, it appears that VTU has backtracked.

On October 6, the Bangalore regional office issued a new circular, undersigned by the special officer on the distribution of the new textbooks saying, “Due to unavoidable reasons, the Computer Aided Engineering Drawing (CAED) textbooks cannot be distributed.

The distribution of the textbooks will be announced later.” When Express contacted the Bangalore regional office, an official said that the order had been issued from VTU’s office in Belgaum.

TNIE had first reported on October 2 that the name of former vice-chancellor Reddy had been dropped from the second edition of the textbook, and had been replaced with that of current vice-chancellor Prof H P Khincha.

A comparison of the two editions by Express showed that the material in the two textbooks were virtually identical.

Shortage

Principals of engineering colleges said that the non-availability of the said textbook had hampered teaching of the subject.

The principal of an engineering college in Bangalore said, “It has been more than a month since the classes began and students have not received the textbook.

We are currently making do with copies of the older edition. ” When contacted Khincha, he said he had no comments to make on the matter.

VTU V-C setback in book row

In a setback to the Visvesvaraya Technological University(VTU) Vice-Chancellor H P Khnicha, the group of authors that prepared

an engineering textbook have objected to the dropping of former V-C K Balaveera Reddy’s name as chief editor.

In a meeting held on Friday at the VTU campus in Belgaum, the authors have termed VTU’s action a ‘mistake’ and have asked the University to rectify it.

The textbook, titled ‘A Primer on Computer Aided Engineering Drawing’, authored by a nine-member editorial board headed by the

then V-C Balaveera Reddy, was first published by VTU in 2006.

Express had first reported on October 2, about the row that had broken out after Reddy’s name in the second edition of the textbook was

replaced with that of the present V-C Khincha. It is learnt that at the meeting convened by Registrar K V A Balaji on Friday

evening, the authors disagreed with VTU’s contention that the sitting Vice- Chancellor should be the de-facto chief editor of the

textbook.

“Prof Reddy was deeply involved in authoring the textbook. It was prepared mainly at his initiative. In such a situation, it would be

wrong to drop his name,” said a member who has part of the meeting. Unconfirmed reports say that the Vice-Chancellor may

apologise to Reddy. Both V-C Khincha and Registrar Balaji were unavailable for comment. The controversy broke

out when VTU decided to issue the second edition of an engineering textbook – virtually identical to the first one -- but with Khincha’s

name replacing that of Reddy as chief editor. Subsequently, VTU has held back the distribution of the textbook, with the books

lying locked up at the four regional centres in Bangalore, Belgaum, Mysore, and Gulbarga.

Never judge a book by its cover; VTU shows why

Hot on the heels of the plagiarism controversy against the NIT Surathkal director, here is yet another academic controversy brewing in the state. The vice-chancellor of the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) H P Khincha is now in the hot seat for replacing the former V-C K Balaveera Reddy’s name in a new edition of a text book published by the VTU. The problem: the new edition is virtually identical to the earlier one, and the propriety of Khincha claiming editorship over a textbook on which he has no relevant academic qualifications.

The textbook, titled, ‘A Primer on Computer Aided Engineering Drawing’, was first published by VTU in 2006, authored by a nine-member editorial board headed by then V-C Balaveera Reddy.

The second edition was published on September 22 this year, with what appears to be a virtually identical copy of the first one, with only one change: Reddy’s name was dropped and replaced with that of Khincha’s.

A comparison of the two editions, available with Express, shows that both the editions have a total of six chapters and three appendices for a total of 171 pages each. The topics, subtopics and even the preface by former AICTE director A Natarajan which praises Reddy’s contributions, have been retained. The foreword, written by Reddy, however, has been replaced with that of Khincha’s. This ignores the norm of a second edition carrying the preface from the first edition.

A publisher, on condition of anonymity, said, “Second editions are typically issued only when there are substantial changes in the book such as the addition of new chapters, or extending a new chapter.” Moreover, engineering drawing is a subject that comes under mechanical engineering, a subject that Reddy has been teaching for over 40 years. The present V-C, however, has a background in electrical engineering. 

College student held for woman's murder

The Hemalatha murder case, which had shocked residents of South Bangalore in August, has been cracked. The accused is a 21-year-old

student at BMS Engineering College.
The case
Hemalatha, 43, a home-maker who was alone at her house in Anjaneyanagar, Banashankari 3rd Stage, was found brutally murdered on August 11 afternoon. She stayed with husband Mahadevappa, a former Doordarshan employee, and two college-going sons.
On August 11, her second son came back from college and found his mother's body. Chennammanakere Achchukattu police began the investigation and the case was handed over to the Central Crime Branch (CCB) 15 days ago.
Mahadevappa is a native of Gundlupet in Mysore district, while Hemalatha was from Tumkur. Mahadevappa was into several odd jobs, including real estate and finance. The family used to stay in Girinagar and had shifted to a rented house in Anjaneyanagar 10 months ago.
The accused
The accused Nuthan Kumar is a final year computer engineering student. His father H R Suresh is an electrical contractor from Muneshwara Block in Srinagar. The boy used to run a gymnasium in Girinagar which was frequented by Hemalatha, police said.
When Nuthan completed his PUC from a college in Jayanagar, he is said to have been obese, weighing 160 kg. He joined a gymnasium to lose weight and later became an expert at physical fitness and exercise, police said. So, he started a gymnasium -- Matrix Fitness -- in December 2007.
The connection
In January 2008, Hemalatha started going to the gymnasium, which has nearly 60 members. The two became friends and developed physical intimacy, police added. Nuthan used to allegedly frequent her house too.
Hemalatha is said to have coaxed Nuthan to invest -- nearly Rs 10,000 per month -- in a chit fund run by her friend Bharathi. He had invested nearly Rs 2 lakh.
Nuthan planned to gift his father a car on his birthday in October as he had sold his old one. But whenever he asked for the chit fund money to be returned, Hemalatha was evasive. She even started avoiding him.
The fateful day
On August 11, Nuthan called Hemalatha thrice on her mobile phone but she did not reply. So he went to her place on his motorcycle, carrying a sword in his college bag.
When he confronted Hemalatha, the two fought over the issue. Hemalatha is said to have hurled a vase at him. Enraged, Nuthan allegedly hacked her to death with the sword. He then threw her mobile phone, after breaking it, near South End circle, and visited a temple in Thyagarajanagar before going home.
The probe
The jurisdictional police had interrogated several persons and suspected an illicit relationship as there were no signs of forcible entry.
CCB police later found out about Nuthan entering the house on the fateful day, and about him discarding the phone, through call details. DCP (crime) S N Siddaramappa said: "We systematically investigated several persons and finally based on evidence collected, arrested Nuthan. He then confessed to the crime."