Fakir Muhammad Katpadi, Umar UH, four others chosen for Beary Academy awards

Mangalore, Mar 18: The Dakshina Kannada District Home Guards felicitated social activist and Executive Director of Centre for Integrated Learning, Sachitha Nandagopal at the Home Guards district office to mark the International Women's Day recently.

She was recognised for her achievements and contributions to the society in the field of education, culture and mental health.

Sachitha Nandagopal, a former Head of Department of Journalism at Besant Women's College and Principal of CMR Post Graduate Centre for Media Studies, Bangalore, is the Co-Founder of Centre for Integrated Learning, Mangalore which is an NGO working in the field of alternative education, adding value to the present education system. As a Facilitator in Dance Movement Therapy, she has founded Anveshanam - Centre for Mindfulness and Emotional Wellbeing, an organisation dedicated to addressing mental health issues.

She was honoured by District Commandant, Dakshina Kannada Home Guards, Dr. Muralimohan Chunthar. Senior Home Guard Ramesh Bhandary, Diwakar, Mahesh and lady personnel of Home Guards were present on the occasion.

Bengaluru, May 3: Undergraduate and postgraduate students skipping online classes held by their universities run the risk of being debarred from writing their exams. 

State universities, which are monitoring the attendance of online classes, are asking their affiliate colleges to send the monthly online attendance details and this would reflect in their regular attendance. This would apply to those studying professional courses like medicine and engineering. 

State medical education minister Dr K Sudhakar has asked all medical colleges to regularly send attendance details to the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS).

RGUHS vice-chancellor Dr Sachidanand confirmed to DH that the varsity is indeed monitoring the attendance of students. “Online classes are equal to classroom teaching. (Such method of conducting classes) are necessary during the Covid-19 pandemic and the nationwide lockdown,” he said.

According to the Supreme Court directions, students should have 75% attendance to be eligible to appear for the final exams. There could be relaxations if they have health issues. If students are bunking online classes, it would reflect on their minimum attendance necessary to appear for the exams, the vice-chancellors of state-run varsities said.

Bangalore University vice-chancellor Prof K R Venugopal said most of the students are attending online classes and teachers are messaging the parents of those who are irregular. “(Of course) if they fall short of the minimum attendance, they won’t be allowed to appear for the exams,” he said.

Bengaluru North University vice-chancellor Prof T D Kemparaju said the administration has asked its teachers to record details of students attending online classes and update the university.

Mixed signals 

Meanwhile, the University Grants Commission (UGC) on Wednesday issued guidelines directing all universities to treat the lockdown period as “deemed as attended” for students and research scholars. Experts pointed out that the order would prompt students not to take the online classes seriously.

“Arrangements have been made at the state varsities to make students attend online classes compulsorily and students are also serious about it. Now, because of the UGC guidelines, they may bunk classes,” said the vice-chancellor of a state-run university.