University of Hyderabad Club for Indian Movies & Documentaries (UoH-CIMD)

   

It’s been a long time the University of Hyderabad Club for Indian Movies & Documentaries (UoH-CIMD) started organising regular screening at UoH. It was inaugurated by Gulzar sahab in a programme at UoH sometime back in January, 2011. Generally, it showcases diverse films of different regions, languages, ages from every corner of India and largely cherishes the pan Indian Cinema. Here, it puts efforts not only to provide entertainment but also give a platform to discuss various issues that come to us through visual mediums. For this, it tries to encourage or engage audience into discussion after every screening. In respect to copyright and public screening issues, UoH-CIMD always makes it a point to take permission prior to the screening of films from the respective directors or at least reaches out to some person associated with it. Hence, this makes it very explicit that it does not download or copy any film and violate any rules. It also pays small tribute to the work by buying original CD/DVD in institutional or public screening rate, then it organises screening of any film.

Till now, it has screened films like I AM, Dhyaas Parva, Good Night Sofia, Homi Bhabha, The Kabul Cards, Leaving Home: The Life & Music of Indian Ocean and so on. Further, it extended our association and screened Shudra the Rising with the UoH Student’s Union 2012-13. The Club has supported in the screening of Deccani Souls by Kaz Rahman at UoH. It has also supported in promoting and organising the Traveling Uranium Film Festival in Hyderabad which was jointly organised by people from Yugantar, Hyderabad and UoH. Recently, the University of Hyderabad Committee Against Sexual Harassment (UoH-CASH) organised “A Film Fiesta on Gender” and UoH-CIMD actively participated in it.

It also organises screening with the help of Moving Images, Hyderabad’s Premier Film Club. As a part of this joint venture UoH-CIMD & Moving Images, have screened films like Adaminte Makan Abu, Bicycle Spoon Apple, Blood And Iron, One Day on Earth and so on at UoH. Very recently, Moving Images organised a film festival by name “Sense, Sensibility & Courage” as a part of the Women’s March 2013. The festival screened various films at several places and institutions in the city and UoH-CIMD could manage to have the screening of a movie; Kutty Srank at UoH too. It t’-CIMD on with teld a group isgroup it.studenits but also a platform tos a Malayalam feature film by Shaji N. Karun, released in 2010. The protagonist, Kutti Srank is a mariner operating a cargo vessel in a port of Kerala. The film explores the nature of his relationship with three different women to whom he meets in different circumstances during his life time.

   

As a part of the festival, Kutty Srank was screened at the DST Auditorium, University of Hyderabad, Gachibowli on 17^th March, Sunday, 9 pm. Although it was screened on Sunday night, in a holiday but it had good number of audience of nearly 150 to 200. At the beginning, a short introduction about the film was given by the organisers. As it is a long film due to which the movie ended little late in the night, so there was no discussion initiated after the screening but the audience liked the film. Their claps during the screening and discussion while going back were indicating it. A few people conveyed it personally too. UoH-CIMD is thankful to Moving Images, Hyderabad, University of Hyderabad Student Activity Forum (UHSAF) & The UoH Student’s Union 2012-13 for the event. UoH-CIMD hopes to continue its journey in the coming months and years. Thank you all.

An Open Letter to UGC Regarding "NET"

Date: 09.02.2013

The Deputy Secretary

NET Division, University Grants Commission

New Delhi

Sub: Issues Related to UGC NET: Regarding...

Respected Mam/Sir,

            I would like to bring some points into your notice regarding NET. Currently, UGC’s position regarding the examination is quite confusing, sometime it declares that it is mandatory to have NET to be eligible for a lectureship post and sometimes it contradicts its own rule. The quality of the examination system and evaluation is getting more and more absurd. The recent cut off marks, the pass percentage, the court cases and the cry of the students have added more difficulties in the process. Let me make it more explicit.

            First of all the validity of the examination in itself is questionable. Does qualifying this examination distinguish one candidate from other in terms of teaching and research? Kindly consider the point and think of it. What is the idea behind conducting the examination once in every six months when it does not have the much prevalent value?

The other thing, UGC has to understand that NET is not a competitive examination like Civil Services or other; rather it’s an eligibility test. By bringing the cut off marks UGC is making NET a competitive examination. The top 15% strata have brought more controversy in it. Since, NET is a qualifying examination, there is no point setting such percentage limitations and cut off marks. It should have a fixed pass mark according to subject and category rather than this cut off and layer. For example just because lots of people clear class X, XI or graduation exams, will some examining body say that only the top 15% should be considered as qualified and will be awarded degree and sorry to others ‘please try next year’.

Coming to the job perspectives, if I agree on UGC’s proposal of the top 15% as eligible, I would like to ask does UGC is in a position to guarantee job to all of them. If not, then what is the point? I would like to advice let qualify all those who get the minimum pass mark and send them in the market, as they have to face a second round competition in job selection interview. Believe me our education bodies will earn good revenue from students by selling job application form to the NET qualified candidates who seek job rather than selling NET forms in every six months!

Thus, I think it’s a pertinent problem and lots of students are in this perplexed situation. Now, let’s see the other dimensions of the top 15% rule.  There are many students who have qualified NET earlier and wrote the latest exam too hoping for JRF. If we think that some of these students are good enough or got acquainted with this exam format and ends up qualifying NET again instead of JRF. So, obviously they will come in top 15% and will qualify NET again and some other will be out of the opportunity. Previously it happened too and there is no meaning to award NET several times to the same candidate. Even though some students qualify NET many times in a subject there is no credit for it in job. So, I humbly request you not to award NET to those candidates who have qualified it earlier in the same subject. Yeah, you have to work a little and sort out those people. Further, for this I would like to put forward my suggestion that please create one more option in the NET application form so that the students can apply and be evaluated like this: a) only JRF (those who qualified NET earlier), b) NET & JRF both, c) only NET. Now, we have two options.

Finally, the key of the exam is quite controversial because hardly there are any clarifications or justifications happen. It seems whatever the paper setter/s or key setter/s says to UGC, they just agree upon it without any cross check. Because I have noticed questions which are of doubt, feed backed or contested hardly change. The significant point is you can’t have a national level examination with ‘validity less paper’ and ‘wrong answer key’, or whatever the paper setter says may not be ultimate in this regard, due to all these issues and irregularities students suffer and become victim of these kinds of carelessness. Yes, there is problem with the feedback system too. Anyone can feedback for other and its open, it can be misused. Regarding this, I request to contact and see the format of the feedback APSET has created, which is good and safe enough.

Finally, I hope you got my points which may be of some use and can be worked on. Please be a responsible body as you deal the higher education in this country.

Copy to:                                                                                                  

The Chairman, UGC                                                                               

Secretary, UGC                                                                                     

All Commission Members, UGC              

Thank You

Abu Saleh

CCL, School of Humanities

University of Hyderabad

Gachibowli, Hyderabad - 500046

Contact: 09494242645, absualehenglish@gmail.com

An Open Letter to EFLU Distance Eduaction

27/02/2013

The Dean

School of Distance Education

The EFL University, Hyderabad

Sub: Regarding PGCTE re-registration, supplementary examination and fee

Respected Mam,

          I am a (2011-12 batch) PGCTE candidate. My registration no is 11101. I have completed the contact programme in the month of June-July and appeared for the final examination as well. Unfortunately, I have flunked in two subjects. Thus, I have to appear for supplementary examination. As per the rule, I have to re-register in the course then only I can re-write the examinations. In this regard I have some issues and want you to bring into your consideration, which are as follows.

          In the PGCTE advertisement, your website and other documents say that “the duration of the course is one year and the enrolment is valid for two years”. It also says that “if a candidate fails to complete it in first year s/he will be given one more year”. But surprisingly the office says that it is only applicable if the candidate does not submit assignments and not once s/he takes the final examination, and then s/he has to re-register again. Here comes the duality, if one is given a chance to complete assignments in two years why not the final examination too?

          I am a 2011-12 batch candidate and I think I should be given one more chance to complete the examination as the rule indicates two years for the one year programme which indicates two chances. Thus, I request you to allow me for the coming examination without any re-registration fees.

          The other thing is about the “re-registration fee”. It says that I have to pay half of the total course fee for re-registration. According to me it is illogical and anti-student approach. If I am not wrong then whether it is EFL or any other institution, never charges for re-registration for writing a supplementary examination, not from a regular student too. The fee structure is problematic too. I do not understand why a distance mode student has to pay fees like ‘student welfare fund’ (2200), ‘development fund’ (1200) and so on. For instance, if I understand the development fee, what welfare activities EFL is going to run for its distance students? Does not matter, I have already paid all these fees during admission then why again? If I am not wrong it is not applicable to regular mode students too. No institution collects all these fees for second time from a single student. And why there will be tuition fee (1100) for a candidate who has paid and completed contact classes and just going to write the supplementary examination? There is no need of any tuition fee I suppose.

          In this regard I humbly request you to re-look at the fee and its structure. If you allow me to advice, I will say take some “supplementary examination fee” (like 200 or 500 per paper) which generally happens in all the institutions. EFL is also funded by the Indian state like others. I hope it will keep its reputation and cater to its students needs appropriately. I will be waiting for your earliest and positive response regarding these issues. Further, if the Distance administration fails to take any positive decision in this matter then I will be sorry to bring it into the notices of EFL higher administration or anything else.

Thank you

Abu Saleh, Roll No – 11101

9494242645/abusalehenglish@gmail.com