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Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) or IP University (IPU) launched the online admission process for the academic year 2026, 27 on January 28 along with the release of its admission brochures for undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG), and PhD programmes.

The university is offering admissions to UG, PG, and doctoral programmes and it has a total capacity of over 43, 000 seats spread across more than 130 affiliated colleges and university schools. The online application process will commence from February 2, 2026.

This time the university has added 24 new courses for the academic session 2026, 27. These are Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS), Lateral Entry in B.S. (Packaging Technology), MTech in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, MA Mass Communication (Weekend Programme), additional weekend programmes in select disciplines, Bachelor of Physiotherapy, BTech in Industrial Chemistry, BSc Clinical Psychology, BTech in Computer Science Engineering (Artificial Intelligence and Data Science), BTech in Computer Science and Business Systems, and Teacher Education and Inclusive Education programmes.

The university has also launched the BA BEd (Special and Inclusive Education – ISITEP) programme with specialisations in autism spectrum disorder, hearing impairment, intellectual disability, learning disability, multiple disability and visual impairment.

In addition, nine new institutes have been affiliated with the university this year. Three programmes are already operational at the Narela campus, with several more programmes in the pipeline for the new campus. Just as in the last year, candidates will have to make a one, time payment of Rs 2, 500 as an application fee only, which will cover the registration as well as the counselling.

Admissions to various courses will be mainly through the university level CETs and also through national level examinations such as JEE Main, NEET for medical courses, CAT, CMAT, NIMCET and CLAT for law courses, etc. The remaining seats in some UG and PG programmes including BTech courses will also be filled through CUET scores.

Candidates are highly advised to thoroughly go through the official admission brochure for detailed information. More information and application forms are available at the official IP University admission portal at ipu.ac.in.

The admission brochures were published in partnership by the Minister of Education, Delhi, Ashish Sood, and the Vice, Chancellor of the University, Prof. (Dr.) Mahesh Verma.

Addressing the gathering, the minister said that the launch of the admission brochure symbolises trust, commitment, and the government’s resolve towards shaping the future. Recalling his student days, he noted that higher education in Delhi earlier often meant leaving the city, with the capitation fee system placing a heavy financial burden on middle-class families. “That mindset has changed today,” he said, adding that GGSIPU has emerged as a strong example of accessible public education for the new generation.

He further highlighted that the university now has over 130 affiliated institutions, more than 43,000 seats and over 230 academic programmes spanning areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics, data science, law, medicine and design.

Project Veer Gatha, a flagship national initiative celebrating India's gallantry award winners, has broken the record of participation by holding 1.92 crore students of 1.90 lakh schools in its fifth edition.

It was launched in 2021 as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and the program thus. keeps on expanding its reach as a great platform for inculcating patriotism, creativity and knowledge of India's military heritage among school students.

The joint venture of the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Education, inspires students to know about the lives and sacrifices of the soldiers through various creative modes of expression such as poems, essays, paintings, digital posters, short films, and multimedia presentations.

The whole world is praising the initiative through hashtag #VeerGatha on social media, which is thus, allowing the sharing of heroism and bravery stories to a large number of people from different platforms.

The focus of this issue was mainly on the Samarik Parampara (India's martial traditions) which comprised the stories of the heroic warriors, such as Prithviraj Chauhan, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and the leaders of the 1857 revolt.

Student participation has been steadily rising as the first edition attracted only 8 lakh students.

One of the major successes of this year was the participation of 28, 005 students belonging to 91 CBSE schools from 18 different states. This serves as a very strong indication that the project has extended its Indian diaspora global reach.

Schools arranged face, to, face and virtual sessions with awardees who received gallantry honors. Meanwhile, competition entries were uploaded on the MyGov portal. After rounds of district and state level assessments, 4020 works were eligible at that level. From there, 100 Super, Winners will be given a cash prize of 10, 000 each and also a ticket to witness Republic Day Parade 2026 at Kartavya Path.

By connecting young minds with real, life stories of bravery, Project Veer Gatha is not just a competition, but a national campaign that fosters patriotism and historical awareness.

Alagappa Model Higher Secondary School in Karaikudi hosted a special event to distribute awards on 2025 Children's Day. Out of 38 districts, three schools have received awards from the Tamil Nadu State government. The top 114 schools in the state for 2024–2025 have been revealed by the Department of Elementary Education. 

A circular to this effect was issued by the department, inviting school heads, distinguished teachers, and DEOs from shortlisted institutions to attend.

The function will be presided over by School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, who will also present the awards.

These annual awards for excellence in academic and co-curricular performance are granted each year to three schools, from primary to middle level, in each district.

Selection would be based on a broad set of parameters that include student outcomes, teaching innovations, community involvement, and infrastructure quality.

This year's honours, in Chennai district, would go to three institutions - the ICF Primary School in ICF Colony, Sri Muthukumaraswamy Devasthanam P. Venugopal Chetty Primary School in Royapuram, and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar Primary School.

A teacher from one of these recognized schools was proud and thankful about the selection.

It is tremendously motivating to be acknowledged as one of the state's best schools.  The instructor said, "We have been using a range of innovative and useful teaching strategies that improve our students' comprehension of the subject matter."

 She went on to say that the school had made large investments in its facilities, ensuring that classrooms and labs had all the equipment required to satisfy the demands of modern learning.  "We firmly believe that a supportive environment is necessary for both academic progress and the development of creativity."

An official from the School Education Department stated that the District CEO is in a crucial position to identify schools in accordance with the department's guidelines. Since 2002, the Best School Awards have been given out annually to promote creativity and quality in education. "Outstanding contributions for the 2024–2025 academic year are recognized in this year's selection," the official said. It is an annual recognition, the official added, given to inspire schools across the State to raise standards of education and to continue striving towards the holistic development of students.

The stalemate over fee reimbursement in Telangana grew further on Wednesday, with the Telangana Private Degree and PG Colleges Management Association refusing to meet Commissioner of Technical Education Dr. Devasena to discuss pending dues. Though the Commissioner invited management for a discussion to resolve the increasing crisis, the college managements remained firm on their stand and demanded the immediate release of at least 50% of the pending reimbursement before dialogue could be resumed.

This financial crisis has been further aggravated by the state government, which did not honour the earlier assurance of releasing the funds before Diwali. “We received a call from the commissioner on Wednesday evening inviting us for talks, but we decided not to meet her until 50 per cent of the pending reimbursement amount is released. Our agitation will continue,” said Dr. Bojja Suryanarayana Reddy, President of Telangana Private Degree and PG Colleges Management Association and member of FATHI.

The state had earlier assured that ₹1,200 crore would be disbursed in advance ahead of the beginning of the festive season to pay the backlog amount due to the private colleges. However, only ₹300 crore has so far been released by the state while ₹900 crores are in arrears. The financial burden due to this has driven many colleges to the edge, forcing indefinite closure of several private degree and postgraduate colleges across Telangana.

The managements of colleges say that without substantial reimbursement, they cannot pay faculty salaries, keep the infrastructure running or continue with student services. Protracted delay, they say, has jeopardised academic operations and kept thousands of teaching and non-teaching staff in penury.

Students and parents demand that the government release funds to continue education as soon as the impasse intensifies and academic activities are disrupted. According to the group, the issue would worsen if the government did not act swiftly since the agitation would not stop until some financial relief was given.

The MMU is an umbrella body of different Muslim religious organisations in J&K. It expressed serious concern over a recent government directive on 'Vande Mataram' recitation in schools, terming it a "coercive directive" by the Department of Culture of the Union Territory aimed to celebrate the 150th year of the national song through music and cultural programs.

The MMU argued that the official order is coercive since it legally forces both Muslim students and institutions to act against their religious principles.

"The MMU, headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, expresses serious concern over the recent directive issued by the Jammu and Kashmir Government's Department of Culture instructing schools across the region to commemorate the 150th year of Vande Mataram through organised musical and cultural programs ensuring participation of all students and staff," the amalgam said in a statement in Srinagar.

The MMU asserted that 'Vande Mataram' cannot be recited or sung by Muslims.

According to the circular issued by the Centre, schools across different states were directed to hold special assemblies between October 31 and November 7, 2025 during which the students and teachers will sing the national song. However, voices of objection to the government order has come from Jammu and Kashmir.

"Singing or reciting Vande Mataram is un-Islamic as it contains expressions of devotion, which essentially militate against the fundamental Islamic belief in the absolute Oneness of Allah (Tawheed)," Mirwaiz's office said in a tweet.

The statement further said, "Islam does not allow any act that involves worship or reverence directed to anyone or anything other than the Creator."

As the MMU sees it, though Muslims should love and serve their country, they must do this by positive contributions to society, not by actions that they believe are in conflict with their faith.

MMU explained that this, in itself, is a form of compulsion, which is not right. "Forcing Muslim students or institutions to participate in activities against their faith is both unfair and not acceptable," it further added.

The group characterized the directive as an attempt to impose ideology from outside the community.

The order appears to be "a conscious attempt at imposition of RSS-driven Hindutva ideology" through the celebration of a culture in a Muslim-dominated region, rather than any sincere gesture of unity and respect for diversity, said the statement.

"The MMU urged the administration, both headed by the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, to immediately withdraw such a 'coercive directive which has caused anguish to all Muslims' and ensure that no student or institution is compelled to act against their religious beliefs," added the statement from Mirwaiz's office.

The order came after the government asked the education department to hold scheduled musical activities and functions in schools across Jammu and Kashmir to mark the occasion.

The MMU is considered influential in the region because it brings together religious leaders on a common platform concerning major issues.

They said their opposition was based on religious issues only and demanded respect for religious freedom and for all communities.

The state administration has not made any official response to the objections or request for withdrawal by the MMU.

The statement from MMU comes in light of wider debates throughout the region on the intersection between cultural dictates and religious practice in public institutions. It calls upon the government to not turn a blind eye to the sensibilities of all religious groups while issuing such instructions in the future and to respect diversity as a means of promoting unity.

Thousands of students face disruption as 2,000 Telangana colleges boycott examinations and shut down over the government's failure to release Rs 10,000 crore pending fee reimbursements.

The indefinite strike by all the private professional colleges in Telangana has forced the closure of about 2,000 institutions covering engineering, pharmacy, MBA, and degree colleges.

The move, initiated by the Federation of Associations of Telangana Higher Institutions, has left thousands of students with no classes while large-scale uncertainty is also hovering over ongoing examinations.

The protest is against the delay by the government in releasing close to Rs 10,000 crore pending dues under the Reimbursement of Tuition Fee and Maintenance Fee schemes to students belonging to economically weaker sections.

The immediate cause for the strike was the failure of the state to meet the November 1 deadline to release Rs 900 crore. College managements had then alleged that the government had earlier promised to give Rs 1,200 crore before Diwali, but released only Rs 300 crore.

BOYCOTT OF SEMESTER EXAMS WIDENS

Nearly 2,000 colleges boycotted semester-II examinations on Tuesday, a day after they closed their gates.

As per the information available at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, 52 affiliated pharmacy colleges participated in the boycott, while only nine government colleges conducted the tests as per schedule.

However, the turnout remained very low as only 12 percent of the students appeared.

Unfazed by the boycott, JNTUH officials announced that the examinations would be conducted as per schedule, but FATHI said it would persist in the strike and boycott of the examination, until the government released at least 50 percent of the pending dues and came out with a clear roadmap for settling the rest.

GOVERNMENT FORMS 15-MEMBER PANEL

It includes senior officials, education authorities and academics, including Professor Kancha Ilaiah and Professor Kodandaram, in addition to three representatives from FATHI. The committee shall develop a model of 'Trust Bank' that manages the funds transparently and in a sustainable manner and shall submit the report within three months. PROTESTS TO CONTINUE Fathi said the strike would be called off only when the government immediately releases at least Rs 5,000 crore. Announcing mass protests, including a rally at LB Stadium on November 8 and a 'Long March' to the State Secretariat on November 11, the federation claimed lakhs of students and college staff would participate in them. The student unions by and large supported the protest, saying with the delay in reimbursements, the staff salaries remained unpaid and even certificates of the students were withheld