Future tense for Cambridge board class X students

Anahita Mukherji | TNN

Mumbai: For students from the 60-odd IGCSE (Cambridge international board) schools across the state—most of which are in the city—who’re hoping to re-enter the Indian education system, the future is still uncertain.

The Class X board examination scores for IGCSE students are out only by August whereas admissions to junior colleges are complete by the mid-July. And so, most IGCSE students who want to opt for the Maharashtra state board in Classes XI and XII usually obtain temporary admission based on provisional scores in the mock exams that they appear for before the ‘O-levels’.

While most South Mumbai colleges readily accept these scores, many suburban colleges are wary of international boards and refuse admission on the basis of provisional scores. “How can we grant a student admission based on the scores in a mock exam and not the actual IGCSE board exam,’’ says Mithibai College principal Kiran Mangaoker.

When TOI contacted Mumbai’s deputy director of education, Sheila Tiwari, she said that there were no hardand-fast rules when it came to such admissions. “I have asked the government for guidance on this matter, till now, colleges haven’t been issued any instructions on the matter,” she said.

“This is really unfair on my child. How can colleges refuse admissions on the basis of a provisional score? This means that students from an international board who want to re-enter the Indian system stand to lose out on a year, because the results are out later than those of Indian boards,’’ says an upset parent of a student from a suburban IGCSE school.

However, while the colleges and the state are unclear on admissions for IGCSE students, Ian Chambers, region manager South Asia, University of Cambridge International Examinations, says that the Maharastra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board has issued an eligibility certificate for Cambridge IGCSE as a foreign board. This allows access to junior colleges in Maharashtra for students with 5 IGCSEs (including English).
“Acclaimed institutes such as Mumbai University to accept IGCSE students on the basis of forecast grades and we would like to see progressive institutes follow this example,’’ says Chambers. He adds that in the ‘Application Form for Eligibility Certificate’, a booklet brought out by the Maharashtra State Education Board for students belonging to foreign boards/universities/institutions, there is a deed of undertaking which states that the divisional board can grant a provisional eligibility certificate, provided that documents are furnished within a stipulated time limit. “We would like to see junior colleges follow this,’’ says Chambers.

SSC students score high in cut-offs too

Top Lists Thanks To Normalization And Higher Marks

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: The minority is now the majority. The city’s premier institution for science, D G Ruparel College, which had admitted about 100 students from the state board last year, has a whopping 209 SSC students in its first cut-off list. The institution has a total of 286 science seats.

When the first merit lists for admission to junior colleges were put out on Thursday afternoon, it became apparent that thanks to higher marks and the normalization of scores, SSC students wouldn’t be bulldozed off the merit list by their ICSE and CBSE counterparts this year.

Principal of the Matunga-based Ruparel, P P Kulkarni, said his college had never had so few ICSE or CBSE candidates. “Last year, we had at least twice the number of ICSE students in our college. This year, there are just 70 who have managed to get into the first merit list.’’ His college’s first merit list for science closed at 92% last year. This year, the cut-off was from 92.8% to 94.43%.

Thanks to the marks normalisation scheme, introduced by the state government to put SSC scores on par with those of other boards, the number of SSC students who have made it to junior college merit lists has dramatically increased.

For instance Ruia College, which has 680 seats and closed the first list in the 95.24 percentile, saw more than 50% of SSC students make it. A closer look at the actual marks showed that if an SSC student needed a minimum of 91.54%, her ICSE counterpart was required to score at least 93.14% to get in. The first list in this college closed at 92% last year.

National College principal Manjula Desai, whose college also had a large percentage of SSC students making it to the first list, said, “We closed our eyes to the fact that this year SSC students have an edge over others.’’

In south Mumbai, the city’s top college for commerce, HR College of Commerce and Economics, which has some 950-odd seats, had over 500 state board students in the first list. Principal Indu Shahani said, “The tables have been turned. But at the end of the day, all students will have to perform well in college. These marks only give entry into college.’’

Cut-off for arts soared by almost 5% as compared to last year. Cut-offs for science and commerce went up by an average of 3% to 4%

At Xavier’s, the No 1 slots for arts and science were occupied by SSC students. Around half of the students in the arts merit list and nearly 50% students on the science list were from the SSC board

In Ruia, which has 680 seats, over 50% of seats went to SSC students

At HR College of Commerce, more than 500 SSC students made it. The college has 950 seats

High cut-offs trigger college rush

Armed with new percentile scores, students flock to check the first merit list for junior college admissions

BAPU DEEDWANIA AND DIPTI SONAWALA

As the first merit list for admissions to junior colleges were put up at 3 pm on Thursday, students flocked to college campuses in large numbers to check for their names. This year, there has been an unprecendented increase of almost 10 per cent in the cut-off marks for Commerce, while other streams have also seen an increase in the cut-offs that have been calculated on the basis of percentile scores.

While some students have managed to get through to their preferred colleges most of them have to wait for the second list. “I am so disappointed. I wanted to take up Science at Ruia College but I haven’t made it to the the first list. I hope with 89 percentile, I get through to the second list. I have managed to made it to KC College but I am still keen on getting into Ruia,” said a student from Dadar.

DON’T PANIC, ADVISE COLLEGE PRINCIPALS
Principals of various colleges have asked students to maintain their calm and not panic. “This is just the first list. Most of the top-scorers apply to more than one college and ultimately choose the one they want. This creates room for students who are left out in the first list because of a marginal difference. I request students to have patience and report to us if they face any problem,” said Manju Nichani, principal, KC College.

However, Nichani agrees that the result this year are shocking. “There is a 10 per cent increase in the cut-off for Commerce. Last year, we closed at 78 per cent and this year the percentile score is 88. This means that the cut-off for SSC students is 84.5 per cent, for ICSE students it’s 85.43 per cent and for CBSE students it is 86.01 per cent,”said Nichani.

THE COMPETITION IS GETTING TOUGHER
“Students have scored phenomenally well in their exams. This is clearly reflected in the results and applications. There is tougher competition for every single seat. We received a total of 17,000 applications for 1,100 Science seats, 600 Commerce seats and 360 Arts seats. We are not sure how many students on our top list will actually go elsewhere. With the percentile score in place this year, the SSC students have an edge over those from other boards,” said Dr V I Katchi, principal of Bhavan’s College at Andheri.

NEW PERCENTILE SYSTEM: SSC STUDENTS GAIN
Suhas Pednekar, principal of Ruia College agrees the new percentile system for calculating cut-offs will put SSC students at an advantage. “The government has introduced this system keeping the SSC students in mind. They have been at the receiving end all these years and the government wants to put them at level with the other boards. The difference between the marks attained by top scorers of the three boards was the chief reason for this move,” said Pednekar.

However, this may affect ICSE and CBSE students. “The ICSE and CBSE students will not be put to a great disadvantage. There will be a difference of a maximum of two per cent. Also, the number of ICSE and CBSE students applying to junior colleges is much lower than that of SSC students,” he said.

Pednekar mentioned that the Education Board and the government can address such problems. “As far as we are concerned, we have applied the new scores and the list will be prepared as per the percentiles and accordingly seats will be allotted. Last year, we closed the first list for Science on 89.4 per cent. This year, we have closed it at 95.14 percentile score. This would mean an increase of three to four per cent,” he said.

ONLINE ADMISSION FACILITY HELPED
Online admissions proved to be a boon for students. Out of a total of 1,25,231 students in Mumbai, 36,000 availed of the online facility successfully. Sheela Tiwari, deputy director of education, “We know the problem faced by the students during admissions. I was keen on coming up with a solution to this chaotic procedure. This has been a good start and I hope that the more students benefit from this facility next year,” said Tiwari.

Students throng HR College, Churchgate to see the first merit list. The cut-off for commerce has increased by 10 per cent this year

Mealion Dollar Baby...inspiring!

Sarath Babu shunned plum postings after IIM-A to live his mom’s dream

Tapash Talukdar

HUMBLE beginnings seldom pay. But E Sarath Babu will not buy that. For this 28-year-old, rags-to-riches is not just another adage. It’s his very foundation of success. From a slum in Chennai to the top echelons of academia with an enrolment in chemical engineering at BITS Pilani and IIM-A, and now as the steward of his Food King Catering business, Sarath has come a long way. His humility perhaps made him reject several highbrow offers from MNCs after his MBA. That, in a way, was the genesis of Food King Catering—with a paltry Rs 2,000 seed money. Today, his food business spans six locations with a Rs 9-crore turnover to boot and set to clock Rs 20 crore by year-end.

For Sarath, his mother, who once sold idlis on the pavements of Chennai and worked as an ayah, is a pillar of strength. “Her sacrifice eggs me on,” says Sarath. Apart from bringing up four children, Sarath’s mother worked as a cook for the midday meal scheme for 11 years and got paid just a rupee each day. Having completed SSLC, she moved on to teach under the same scheme for five years. Even then, her salary was insufficient. So Sarath’s mom sought refuge in the food business to supplement her meager income. As she rolled dough in the form of idlis, dosas, bhajjis and appams, it was Sarath’s job to sell them in the neighbourhood. “For kids living in a slum, idlis for breakfast is something very special,” says Sarath even to this day.

A natural entrant to the food business with acquired acumen in childhood, Sarath has trained his sight higher. From the current 250 people, he’s aiming to recruit 2,000 people by next year, “and probably, 5,000 in the next two years”.

Initially, his catering business, with two units in Ahmedabad, was Rs 2,000-per -day in the red. “But I burnt the midnight oil literally to get a solution,” Sarath says. It’s worth a mention here that Sarath spent most of his childhood in the dark, without electricity. He focused on volumes rather than spartan servings, and started taking contracts from institutions and companies. To bag an order, Sarath even slept on the platform of Mumbai’s railway station. “That’s one of my finest nights I’ve ever had,” Sarath reminisces. Today, Food King is targeting 100 clients, including 50 top institutions and 50 corporates for the snacks business — South Indian, North Indian and Chinese food.

Food business is not just about selling but also taking care of quality and the people associated with it, Sarath points out. He now envisions FoodKing’s Palace (food malls) across cities where all kinds of Indian food would be served at “economical rates”. And how does he manage his team? “I ask them to write their dreams on a piece of paper and advise them to think of developing
themselves,” says Sarath.

Is he really worried about inflation or pricerise in food products? When most of the restaurants have increased their prices, Sarath sees an opportunity to serve at a cheaper price. “Sourcing from one place makes a lot of difference. I will tap this opportunity,” says Sarath. Today, he drives a Chevrolet to take his mother for a ride to oversee his business units in Chennai. “Next, I want to build a house for my mother,” says Sarath. tapash.talukdar@timesgroup.com

From classes to classic

Roana Maria Costa | TNN

Mumbai: If Ramesh Sippy, director of Bollywood’s biggest blockbuster Sholay, had the chance to go back to college, he would do it differently. “I hope my children and their children have all the fun that I missed out on in college,’’ he says.

Sippy, who lived next door to Jai Hind at Churchgate, joined in the arts stream in 1961. “I was training at my family’s film studio when I was studying there, so after classes, which ended at 10am, I rushed to work. This left me little time to chill out and see the fun part of college,’’ says the director.

“I had no time to be naughty and play pranks. Classes were from 7 to 10 and then I went to the studio. So I ended up being a serious kid as I could not miss out on what was happening in class.’’

Sippy says he felt very comfortable at the college. “I must say my experience at Jai Hind was wonderful and the college was an amazing one to study at. The atmosphere and faculty were great. But if I had the chance to be a student again, I would do it differently. I would engage in all the extra-curricular activities I could.’’

Sippy did participate in eloctions, but had no time for theatre. His creativity, he says, was not particulary honed at Jai Hind as there was no film or communications course at the time. “But I believe that education plays a big role in making a person better and shaping minds,’’ he says.

Other alumni: Aishwarya Rai, the late Sunil Dutt, Ajay Piramal, John Abraham, the Raheja
brothers, Anjali Mukherjee.

MILESTONES

Jai Hind was established in 1948, after Independence, by the displaced Sindhi community

Jai Hind was awarded an A grade by the National Assessment of Accreditation Council (NAAC) in April 2003

The college began by offering only arts courses in a room at Elphistone College, Kala Ghoda. The science stream was started in 1949, while the commerce stream began in 1980

TIED TO HISTORY: Jai Hind College was opened after Partition

CHANGING THE PLOT: ’Sholay’ director Ramesh Sippy, who says he was too serious at college, wishes to return again so he can chill out

AT THE ELEVENTH HOUR

Day Before Merit Lists For Class XI, Parents File Court Plea Against Marks Normalisation

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: A day before the first merit lists for admission to junior colleges were set to be announced, a delegation of parents of ICSE students went to court against the Maharashtra government over its hurriedly announced marks normalisation scheme. The scheme seeks to put SSC scores on par with those of other boards.
“We have filed a prayer against the scheme in the Bombay High Court,’’ said Xavier J Luis, one of the parents who filed the plea on Wednesday.

The plea comes amidst unprecedented drama in the run-up to junior college admissions. There is an air of apprehension among ICSE and CBSE students, who feel that their SSC counterparts will unfairly benefit from the marks normalisation scheme.

A student from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Powai, said, “I have scored a distinction. But it will get more difficult to get into a good college after the normalisation.’’

The normalisation scheme comes in response to the feeling that SSC students lose out during admissions as students in the national boards score higher marks.

According to the normalisation, the average of the top 10 scores in a particular board is calculated. Then the overall score of a student from the same board is divided by the top 10 average. The resulting figure is multiplied by 100 to arrive at a ‘normalised’ score.

“The reason given for this system is that there is a general feeling that non-SSC boards, namely ICSE and CBSE, are more lenient than the Maharashtra board. So it is sought to give SSC students a level playing field. But the syllabi of the ICSE and CBSE boards are far superior, with these students often covering portions taught in the Maharashtra board’s FYJC & SYJC. So where is the level playing field? Where is the hard evidence required to come to such a conclusion?’’ asked Luis.

He said a democratic process needs hard evidence before an ordinance is passed. “No one does things based on general feeling,’’ said Luis. Parents of ICSE students feel the normalisation is “absurd and discriminatory’’. An ICSE student who got 85% said she studied for an exam that was harder than the SSC.

College principals, too, said the scheme is unfair. “The differences between students from the SSC on the one hand and ICSE and CBSE on the other begin to show up ins enior college,’’ said a college principal.

As Wednesday drew to a close, the tension mounted as sky-high cut-offs are expected, especially since SSC students got much better marks this year.

Some institutions like St Xavier’s College, Ruia College and D G Ruparel plan to put their merit lists on their respective websites. But in most cases, students will have to make trips to colleges they applied to.

Ruia College principal Suhas Pednekar said that his college had not received any guidelines from the deputy director of education’s office on how to upload the merit list to the online admissions website - mumbaiapplications.com toireporter@timesgroup.com

Medical admission made easier for Cambridge school students...

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: In a move that is likely to bring cheer to thousands of students pursuing their International General Certificate of Secondary Education, the Medical Council of India has declared that their AS level exam is as good as the Class XII examination conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education.

This means that students from this board wanting to pursue medicine in India will be allowed to do so on the basis of their AS (Advanced Subsidiary) English level exam scores. Previously, aspiring medical students were forced to take the CBSE or a state board Class XII exam to appear for the pre-medical entrance test.

The decision to treat this exam on par with the Indian Class XII exam was taken by the MCI’s executive council and communicated to the Cambridge International Examinations’ regional office recently. About 170 schools in the country, with a total student population of about 15,000, are affiliated to this board.Closer home,Maharashtra has 63 schools, of which 43 are in Mumbai, that offer the Cambridge International programme.

This board offers two levels of exams—the AS level English which is the lower level and a higher A level English. Until now, the MCI had accepted the scores of only the A level English exam of medical aspirants. Ian Chambers, CIE regional manager, South Asia, said, “We are delighted that CBSE now accepts the Cambridge AS level English advanced subsidiary course as an equivalent qualification for admission to undergraduate medical courses. This simplifies the process for students who aspire to take up pre-medical entrance exams in the country.’’

Principals, teachers hail MCI decision
Mumbai: Principals and teachers are elated by the MCI decision to equate the AS level exam of CIE with the CBSE.

“The recognition of Cambridge GCE AS level English language by CBSE as equivalent to the Class XII examination is indeed an achievement. Now it will give students who are studying the CIE curriculum a fair chance to compete for medical courses in India,’’ said Soumita Mukherjee, a teacher at Delhi Public School International, Delhi.

An MCI member said that the Association of Indian Universities had approached it seeking equivalence of the CIE conducted exam. “The MCI executive council, which met in late April, took up this matter and decided to give equivalence to the AS level exam scores after studying the curriculum offered by this board,’’ he added. toireporter@timesgroup.com