TOEFL candidates can pay fee in rupees

Candidates appearing for the TOEFL iBT test can now pay in Indian rupees and not in US dollars like earlier. Test takers from India paying in rupees will no longer incur currency exchange fees charged by most debit and credit card companies. Moreover, they don't have to worry about the exchange rates that keep changing. The new payment choice is available to test takers through the credit card option when they register online.

“The decision was taken based on feedback from test takers and it will be convenient for Indian students to pay in their own currency,” according to David Hunt, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of ETS's Global Division. In November last, ETS that conducts the test, introduced another welcome change for test takers by condensing the testing format of the Reading section to a maximum of four reading passages.

The Reading section is no longer divided into separately timed parts, rather all passages and questions are made available in a single block of time allowing test takers to pace themselves through the entire Reading section. More information can be had on ‘www.ets.org/toefl'.

39 pharmacy colleges blacklisted in Andhra Pradesh

The Pharmacy Council of India has blacklisted 39 pharmacy colleges in the state for admitting more than the permitted limit of 100 students. The colleges have admitted between 180 and 300 students when the limit is 100. No admissions will be allowed in these colleges for the ensuing 2012-13 academic year. The PCI has decided not to recognise the degrees awarded by these colleges. This puts at risk 5,000 students, who are now in their second and third years.

Dr B. Suresh, PCI chairman, will meet Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on May 9 to submit the list of “blacklisted” colleges, which have violating the PCI norms, and urge him to  erecognise them by withdrawing university affiliation.  With this, the one-upmanship between the All India Council for Technical Education and the PCI over the control of pharmacy colleges has taken a new turn. The PCI’s contention is that the colleges have violated the Education Regulation Act, 1999 by admitting more students. However, the managements of these colleges claim that their intake has been approved by the AICTE, and that PCI’s diktat is unilateral and unjustified. The PCI contends that AICTE has given indiscriminate approval to increased student intake without first checking that the infrastructure and faculty in these colleges are adequate.

Eamcet ranks expected to be out by May 24

Top officials from the police, intelligence and higher education departments will hold a joint meeting on April 25 at APSCHE, Masab Tank, to finalise security for smooth conduct of the Eamcet on May 12. In a related development, the state government has directed Eamcet officials to announce the Eamcet merit list with ranks immediately after the declaration of the Inter main results. The decision will enable the officials to announce Eamcet ranks within two weeks, by May 24, and complete engineering and medical admissions counselling in a month, so as to begin classes from July 1. However, the officials will prepare a separate merit list after the announcement of Inter supplementary results. The meeting will focus on eliminating high-tech copying and installation of jammers, especially in the medical stream exam.

Results will be released at www.vidyavision.com

New U.K. restrictions on work after study

From April, foreign students from non-European Union countries will be required to have a firm job offer of a minimum £20,000 a year from a government-approved employer if they wish to stay on in Britain after completing their studies, the government announced on Tuesday, piling agony on non-EU students already groaning under a raft of new restrictions which have led to a drop in Indian student numbers.

Under the current rules, students can work in Britain for two years after finishing their course but the government claims that the system is being abused with people using student visas to enter the country and then dropping out of their studies to look for employment.

The Conservative Immigration Minister, Damian Green said in the past “too many students have come to the U.K. to work rather than study and this abuse must end”.

“It is vital that we continue to attract the brightest and the best international students but we have to be more selective about who can come here and how long they can stay,” he said.

In a statement, the Home Office said that from April 6, “a more selective system” would come into effect so that “only the most talented international graduates can apply to stay in the U.K. for work purposes”.

“That means only those graduating from a university, and having a job offer from a reputable employer accredited by the U.K. Border Agency at a salary of £20,000 or more, will be able to continue living and working in the U.K. in order to benefit the British economy,” it said.

To boost the economy, student entrepreneurs with at least “£50,000 to invest in their business” will also be allowed to stay on and work after their studies.

Under a new “Graduate Entrepreneur” scheme, up to 1,000 university places will be available for students “working on world-class innovative ideas who want to stay and develop them but do not meet the requirements of the Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) route”.

The new rules are part of a government crackdown on non-EU immigration to fulfill the Conservative Party's election pledge to drastically cut down immigration-levels. The issue has caused tensions within the ruling coalition with the Liberal Democrats opposed to what they regard as a xenophobic approach to immigration.

Businesses and universities have warned that too many restrictions would drive away international talent and ultimately hurt the economy. Non-EU students contribute nearly £8 billion to British economy every year, an estimated £6 billion in fee alone.

“This scheme is more restrictive than the old post-study work route and we are concerned that some Russell Group courses have already seen a drop of 30 per cent from India,” Wendy Piatt, director-general of the Russell Group of 20 top universities that include Oxford and Cambridge, told The Financial Times.

Eamcet date clashes with AIEEE

Both the aspirants and college authorities are of the view that the Eamcet should have been conducted sometime in the last week of May to avoid a clash of schedules. The Eamcet exam schedule announced by The Andhra Pradesh State Council for Higher Education, APSCHE, is set to spark row. The authorities stated that the date of the exam (May 12) was finalised in such a way that it would not clash with any other national entrance test. But it is going to be otherwise and the engineering aspirants would stand to lose.



Stakeholders concerned had expressed the opinion it would have been much better had this entrance exam been conducted sometime in the last week of May. The Eamcet examination date (May 12) will clash with the schedule of the All India Engineering Entrance Exam (AIEEE) meant for admission into the prestigious National Institutes of Technology all over the country.AIEEE online tests were scheduled to be held at three centres in the state namely, Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam from May 7 to May 26. Every year almost 60,000 candidates appear for this test. The Eamcet date clashes with AIEEE scheduleis being an online test, everyday around 2,000 candidates in each centre are likely to appear for the test. Both the aspirants and college authorities are of the view that the Eamcet should have been conducted sometime in the last week of May to avoid a clash of schedules.


Since Eamcet exam date falls right in the middle of this schedule, around six thousand engineering aspirants from Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam scheduled to appear for AIEEE exam on May 12 would be in a big dilemma. They would have no option but to choose either AIEEE or Eamcet. The APSCHE is toying with the idea of introducing online application systems from this year. If this new system becomes a reality, there will be no sale of application forms in banks and post offices for the entrance examination scheduled for May 12.


In all probability, it could be curtains down for the most popular common entrance test, Eamcet conducted by the state, after this year. The Eamcet aspirants would have to login to the website and submit their applications online, APSCHE Chairman Prof. Jayaprakash Rao informed while announcing the schedule. This should not pose a problem to candidates in rural areas because thousands of candidates from rural background applied for VRO posts without any hitch, he quipped. But more clarity on this can be expected only in February first week when APSCHE issues Eamcet notification.Keeping in line with directions given by SHRC not to conduct the entrance exam on working days, the authorities have decided to conduct the test on second Saturday of May this year. The Eamcet will be replaced by the much debated National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to various medicine courses commencing from next year. Some state governments’ appeal to exempt those states for two years had been turned down by the Supreme Court. That order applies to students an AP as well.


The Union Human Resources Development Ministry had announced that plans were on to hold national level common entrance test for engineering aspirants on the lines of the NEET from next year. It would mean that there would not be any state level entrance for admission into engineering streams.Experts opine that the Eamcet could be held for one more time in 2013 if everything is not in place. But by all means the national level entrance would be the ultimate option before the aspirants by 2014.

Second list of 169 unrecognised schools released

Continuing its crackdown on unrecognised schools, the department of school education has identified another 169 illegal schools in the city that are functioning without obtaining necessary approvals. With this, the total number of unrecognised schools in the city has increased to 231. This newspaper had published the list of 62 unrecognised schools in these columns on December 26, 2011.




The district education officials has asked the parents not to admit their children in these schools. The district education officer has served closure notices on these schools. Old city has the highest number of unrecognised schools.



The list of 169 unrecognised schools released on Sunday is as follows:



Others: : St. Tharesa, Nallakunta; New Oxford; St. George School, Tilaknagar, St Adams, Kachiguda; Kindle, King Koti, Gyan Saraswathi, Indira Park, Sri International, Narayanguda’ Kiddys Primary, King Koti, St Prabhu Primary, Domalguda.

Proposals pending: Sri Chaitanya HS, Nallakunta; Sri Chaitanya Techno School, Chikkadpally; Mathur School, Medibavi, Warasiguda. Unrecognised: Kakatiya Techno HS, Warasiguda; St Anthony HS, Kavadiguda; Omega HS, Ramnagar; Shankara Vidyalaya HS, Padmaraonagar; Shakuntala HS, Vidyanagar. CHARMINAR ZONE: Unrecognised: Kids Town, Chanchalguda, New Road; Holy Ayesha HS, SRT Colony, Yakutpura; A1 Tazeen HS, Rein Bazar; St Xavier HS, Chanchalguda; A1 Jabri HS, Chanchalguda; Angles HS, Chanchalguda; Holy Ayesha HS, Zafarf Raod, Bada Bazar. GOLCONDA ZONE: Unrecognised: R.S. Pragathi Grammar School, Jiyaguda; Little Wonders, Jiyaguda; Vijay Sree Talent School, Balaji School, Jiyaguda; Vishwa Bharathi, MCH Colony, Jiyaguda; Sri Sai Play School, Jiyaguda; Good Will Smart HS, Jiyaguda; Kakatiya Techno School, Jiyaguda; Astro Kids, Guddimalkapur; Joy Bells, Syed Aliguda; John Public School, Mallepally, Yahiya Boys Town, Mangalhat; Nacsent School HS, Pride School PS Recognised upper primary schools with un-recognised high schools: GOLCONDA ZONE: Asma Grammar School, Shiv Shakthi, St R.A.M.S, Rosary Buds, Good Will, Bharathi Unnathi Patashala, Vanasthalipuram, Radiance, Vijay Mary. BANDLAGUDA ZONE: Hafeez Baba Nagar: Minar Convent; St Angels; Al Madina Centenary; St. Rose Grammar School; Mariyam Co-Education; St Lawrence HS; Sun Shine Grammar; Hyderabad Talent School, Others: Indo American High School, Chandranrayangutta; Madina PS, Chandrayangutta; Royal Indo American, Bandlaguda; Little Soldier Talent School, Bandlaguda; Hyderabad HS, Barkas; Vrushika Vidya Niketan, Gowlipura; Sri Sharda HS, Uppuguda; Oxford HS, Uppuguda; Arvind Model, Shivajinagar; Om Public, Shivajinagar; Royal Public, Edibazar; Dew Drop Grammar, Edibazar; Jesus Grammar School, Edibazar: Vignan Talent, Kanchanbagh; St Soliphi, Uppuguda; Pragathi HS, Chatrinaka; Islami, Aliyabad; St Josephs Grammar, Jangammet; St Josephs Grammar, Barkas; Model Public, Chatrinaka; Vishwa Bharathi, Laldarwaza; Reliance Public, Laldarwaza; Jansi, Chartinaka; St Mary's, Rakshapuram; Al Hasnath Islami HS, Edibazar; Fathima HS, Edibazar; British English HS; Sri Vidya Model HS, Ramath Mission, Rajanabowli; Global Model, Chandrayangutta, Oxford Grammar, Chandrayangutta, Maveric Concept HS, Chandrayangutta, St Anns Grammar, Phoolbagh; James, Falaknuma; Delight, Chandrayangutta, St Marium HS, Riyasathnagar; Krishna Vani Talent HS; Chandrayangutta, Shakshi Concept, Bandlaguda; St Xavier, Riyasathnagar BAHADURPURA ZONE: Madina Islamic Mission, near Moghalpura playground, Al-Ameen, Jahanuma; Madina Grammar HS, St Anns Hospital, N.S. Kunta; Glossy Mission, Achi Reddy Nagar; Reliance Public, Shaik ki Masjid, Mustafa Nagar; St Summaya, Mustafanagar; Arch Grammar, Ansari Road; Oxford Grammar, Ansari Road; Marrayam High School, beside Asna hotel; St Fatima Model HS, beside Asna hotel; Green Field HS, N.S. Kunta; St Omer Mission High School, Vattepally; Grace Public, Fatimanagar; Royal School, Vattepally, Diamond Model, Vattepally; Menish Mission, Khaja Phadi; Shaeen Model, Kishan Bagh; Vikas School, Kishan Bagh; St Fatima PS, Asad Baba Nagar; Ideal, Asad Baba Nagar; Ideal, Najmanagar, Noor Masjid; Ideal, Owaisi Colony, Kishanbagh; G.S. National, Allah Masjid, Mahmoodnagar; Sidra, Kishan bagh; Faizia, Mahmoodnagar, Madina Mission HS, Achi Reddy Nagar; St Ali Mission HS, Amjad Ullah Bagh, Muhadees-E-Deccan High School, Misrigunj, Vidya Dharee High School, Kishanbagh; MJ Model, Kishan Bagh; Universal HS, Ansari Road; Munawwar Model, Moghalpura; Kilpatrik PS, Khaja Pahadi; Rotal Indian PS, Mahmood Nagar; Super Grammar PS, Panjesha; Indo American PS, Panjesha; St Marys Christian, Mustafa Nagar; Speak Well International, Misrigunj; Silver Jubilee PS, Misrigunj; Radiance High School, Doodhbowli; Fast Grammar, Khilwath; Mushtaq School, Moghalpura; Adams Primary, Tiglakunta; The Garriel Upper Primary School, Petlaburj; The Gabriel UPS, Petlaburj; Frobel School, Doodhbowli; Gowtham Model School, Kishanbagh; Salhammah School, Chattabazar.

62 schools illegal in Hyderabad

The department of school education has launched a drive to unearth schools that are functioning in the city without obtaining necessary approvals from the state government.
The department has so far identified 62 such unrecognised schools in the city. It has served closure notices on them and asked parents not to admit children in these schools.

The department has decided to impose a penalty on the managements running the schools as per the provisions of the Right to Education Act.The raids were conducted on the directions of Hyderabad collector Natarajan Gulzar following several complaints from parents that the managements of several schools were cheating them by showing their registration number as recognition number. SCHOOLS UNDER FIRE KHAIRATABAD ZONE: Sri Krishnaveni Talent School, Erragadda; S.L.N. High School, N.B.T. Nagar; Sri Raghavendra School, N.B.T. Nagar; Urwah Model School, Borabanda; Urwah Model School, Rahmath Nagar; Krishnaveni Talent School, Film Nagar; Krishnaveni Talent School, Rahmath Nagar; Manikya Public School, Sri Nagar Colony; Vivekananda Public School, Yellareddyguda; Rosebell Public School, M.S. Maqta, Decent Public School, Sai Jyothi U.P. School, Trinity Primary School, Little Soldiers Primary School, T.S.R. School, Amarnath Primary School. NAMPALLY ZONE: Kiddies School; G.K.B.A. School, Krushi Vidyalaya, Little Buds School, Rosary School, Ektha Public School, Shring Rushi Public School, St. Marks School, St. Johns School, Little Heart School, Fatima Co-Education School, Durgeshwari School Nampally; New Wings School; Neo Standard School, Mowrya School. SECUNDERABAD ZONE: Gowtham Model School, Begumpet; Indo English School, Rasoolpura; Knowledge School, Rasoolpura; Chaitanya Bharathi School, Rasoolpura; Lakshya Primary School, New Bhoiguda; St. Paul's Primary School, Bansilalpet; St. Alfan's Primary School, Opp. Old Gandhi Hospital; Shishya Primary School. SHAIKPET ZONE: Apricot High School; Indo English Grammar School, Tolichowki; Shaheen School, Tolichowki; Crystal Grammar School, Aditya Nagar; Excel World School, Aditya Nagar; Genius High School, Aditya Nagar; Indian Public School, Venkatagiri; Kushal Aristole Educational Academy, N.B.T.Nagar; Leading Upper Primary School, Hakeempet; Nagarjuna High School; Picos School, Jubilee Hills; St.Florence School, N.B.T. Nagar, Ushodaya School; Galaxy Talent School, Venkatagiri; Laxmi Narsimha High School, N.B.T. Nagar; Sri Krishna Sai School, Udaya Nagar; Rainbow School, Uday Nagar; Gori High School, Aziz Bagh; Rose Buds School, Uday Nagar; St. Paul's School, Zehra Nagar; Vishwa Bharathi School, Film Nagar; Vignana Jyothi School, N.B.T.Nagar; Good Citizen Primary School, Venkatagiri.