"Reinstate old system or resolve snags," urge NEP grads over challenges in ‘UUCMS’ portal
Bengaluru: Amid state government’s push to introduce State Education Policy (SEP) from the upcoming academic year, replacing the National Education Policy (NEP) revoked in 2023, College students in the city have voiced concerns over complications navigating through the Unified University and College Management System Portal (UUCMS). Many students also termed using the portal an ‘arduous task’.
Launched in 2021 alongside the introduction of the National Education Policy, ‘UUCMS’ was the first system of its kind in the country, aiming to centralize and streamline various activities of Higher Education Institutions, including admissions, examinations, degree awarding, class monitoring, lesson plans, and student attendance.
Despite three years since its rollout, students, college liaison officers and other stake-holders are reporting persistent issues and the lack of resolution regarding the portal. Shweth Babu, a fifth-semester Bcom student of a private college in the city, revealed that his results were displayed in the portal after several months. He faced challenges when approaching the university for assistance.
Sneha, a BA student from another private college, shared her experience of repeatedly visiting the university to get her English subject results displayed, which are still pending. She suggested that the “department should address issues or consider reverting to the old system.”
“The portal is really unoptimised, it is confusing to use, and not user-friendly. There were no developments in the portal despite three years of its launch, except for changing pictures of the Chief Minister and Education Minister,” stated another student from the state.
An Admission officer from a private college highlighted the complicated application process, stating that if encountered errors or server issue requires redoing the entire application, and correcting data entered incorrectly by the college is not an easy task.
“My pregnant wife had to run between different departments for the past four months to get her results displayed,” Police Constable, Shrinath
Shrinath, a Police Constable at the Superintendent of Police office Chikkaballapur, recalls how his wife Aruna, a Msc. Physics student (pass out) at the Bangalore University had to go through difficulties approaching different officials and departments in the university head office.
He further alleged the UUCMS nodal officer at the BU of committing negligence and stated, “My wife paid the exam fees on time, however her hall ticket was not generated. When inquired to the UUCMS nodal officer at BU, he cited the reason for server issues and instructed her and other students facing the same issues to the College and write exam and there was no requirement of Hall ticket. When students demanded the hall ticket, the nodal officer arranged for the hall tickets, and she wrote the exam. However when results were out it was showing absent. Which later displayed in the portal and she had passed the exam.”
Srikanth, a native of Bagepalli, a village bordering Andhra Pradesh, highlighted the hardships Aruna faced, including traveling 100-120 km from their hometown to Bengaluru multiple times over the past four months to address the issue. “I also went there to assist her, they were rude. Next time I went wearing my uniform, I never wanted to misuse my uniform, but this was the only way,” he said.
Meanwhile, KM Pradhan, ‘UUCMS’ Nodal Officer at Bangalore University, speaking to this correspondent, highlighted issues such as incorrect attendance entries by affiliated colleges, resulting in the withholding of results. “We have made the provision for students to apply for revaluation, they can also see the copy of the answer script.The department is charging the same amount for revaluation as it charged earlier before NEP or UUCMS was introduced,” he added.
Emphasizing the portal’s benefits and future potential, he stated, “It has a good vision and mission. Within a few years the portal will be perfect. Out of 100% students only 20 to 30% students faced problems. This portal is an asset to the student community and colleges, however the software development has to be tuned up to the requirements,we have regular meetings where we suggest the required changes.”
Subsequently, he also pointed out the issue of students incorrectly shading the bubbles in the OMR Sheet. “Even after repeated instructions to invigilators, principals, many students continue to make mistakes in their OMR sheet.”
“The portal needs to be decentralised…let the govt. immediately form a committee to rectify its issues,” says Former BCU Vice Chancellor
Former Bengaluru City University Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Japhet called for the formation of an expert committee to address and rectify the portal's issues.
Stressing the need for user-friendly modifications and transparency and also decentralization of the portal, he stated, “We should welcome the usage of technology, however the portal should be fine tuned and rectified taking into consideration the complaints raised by various stakeholders. While universities in the urban region have proper access to the internet, regions in North Karnataka have no proper internet facilities, which is why the portal needs to be decentralized.”
“We have no excuses to say that these modifications cannot be done, Karnataka is a leader in this, Bengaluru being the IT capital and silicon city of the country, the portal has to be modified to meet the requirements and has to be made more transparent, " he added.
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2020 Delhi riots: Court orders framing of charges against 25 accused in head constable death case
New Delhi (PTI): A court here has ordered framing of several charges, including murder, arson and dacoity, against 25 accused in a 2020 northeast Delhi rioting case pertaining to the assault of a police team that left head constable Ratan Lal dead.
Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala also said the Constitution does not vest any right to a protester to use violence, assault, murder or damage any property. Therefore, the argument that the accused were exercising their constitutional rights, is totally misconceived, the court said.
The court was hearing the case against 27 people accused of being a part of a riotous mob that attacked and "brutally assaulted" a police team at the Chand Bagh protest site when officials tried to stop them from blocking the main Wazirabad road on February 24, 2020.
In its 115-page order passed on November 22, the court noted that Lal's postmortem report showed a firearm wound and 21 other external injuries.
"This firearm wound as well as five other wounds were found sufficient to cause death in the ordinary course of nature. Thus, the death of HC Ratan Lal took place because of the assault and gunfire shot received in the incident," the court said.
Lal, who was suffering from mild fever and was advised to rest by his colleagues, joined duty in view of the grave tension in the area under Dayalpur police station limits.
He helped the then DCP Shahdara DCP Amit Sharma and ACP Gokalpuri Anuj Kumar pacify a crowd and control it as the situation started heating up, the prosecution said.
Lal succumbed to 24 injuries he received while shielding officers when a riotous mob started attacking them.
Apart from Lal, the then DCP and ACP also sustained serious injuries, while 50 other policemen were also among the injured.
The court said on the day of the incident the protestors had a "clear objective" of resorting to violence so that they could show their strength to the government.
"The protesters not only gathered to show protest against CAA/NRC, rather they came well equipped with weapons with a mindset to use the same against the police force," it said, adding the riotous mob had the objective to "brutally" beat or assault the police officials wherever possible and also aimed to commit vandalism, loot and arson.
The court noted that a few days before the incident, a meeting was held, where it was decided to block the road and resort to violence when stopped by police.
"After the attempt to block main Wazirabad road on February 23, 2020, was neutralised by police, the emphasis on joining the protest in large numbers on February 24 and carrying weapons, shows that the organisers and speakers of the protest had framed a clear-cut mindset to attack police force," the court said, adding it was a preplanned criminal conspiracy.
"The preparations made to keep weapons in the tent of protest, or gathering of protesters equipped with different weapons, could not be a matter of coincidence. Moreover, keeping women and juveniles in the front to start pelting stones upon police, also appears to be a well-thought strategy," ASJ Pramachala said.
Noting the statements of the witnesses, the judge said there was a "persistent abetment" to incite violence by the organisers and speakers of the protest.
Ordering framing of charges of criminal conspiracy against 11 organisers and speakers of the anti-CAA/NRC meeting, the court said there was "prima facie" evidence against them.
The organisers were Mohammed Salim Khan, Saleem Malik, Mohammed Jalaluddin alias Guddu Bhai, Shahnawaz, Furkan, Mohammed Ayub, Mohammed Yunus, Athar Khan, Tabassum, Mohammed Ayaz and his brother Khalid.
The court also ordered framing charges against 14 other accused under various Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections for attacking the police team and rioting.
These include the provisions for murder, attempt to murder, attempt to commit culpable homicide, mischief by fire or explosive substance, causing grievous hurt to a public servant, committing rioting when armed with a deadly weapon, dacoity, unlawful assembly and sections of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
The 14 accused are Mohammed Sadiq, Suvaleen, Nasir, Arif, Mohammed Danish, Ibrahim, Badrul Hasan, Shadab Ahmed, Imran Ansari, Ravish Fatima, Adil, Sameer, Mohammed Mansur and Irshad Ali.
The matter has been posted on December 3 for formal framing of charges.
During the proceedings, the court also refused to entertain the argument of a defence counsel that his client Saleem Malik could not be prosecuted in the case as he was already being prosecuted in the larger conspiracy case.
It said, "Just because the accused is also named in the case of the larger conspiracy, he does not get exemption from prosecution in this case."
The judge, meanwhile, discharged one Mohammed Wasim alias Bablu, saying his identity as a part of the riotous mob was not established.
"Merely based on call detail records (CDRs) and appearance of this accused in some CCTV footages, which pertained to prior in time than the incident in question, I do not find sufficient evidence to presume that it was Wasim, who had thrown petrol bomb or that he was present in the mob."
The court also discharged another accused Sahid alias Shahbaz from whom a robbed pistol of a police official was recovered, saying he could be only charged under IPC section 412 (dishonestly receiving property stolen in the commission of a dacoity).
It said, "This accused cannot be presumed to be part of rioters, merely based on recovery of the robbed pistol. He is discharged for remaining charges."
The northeast Delhi riots, which started on February 24, 2020 and continued till February 26, 2020, resulted in the death of more than 50 people and lef over 200 people injured.
