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There was a huge turnout of prospective students and parents at an enlightening Mission Admission seminar organized by The Times of India in collaboration with The Astute Academy at Dr. Kalmadi Shamarao Junior College auditorium on Sunday.

Organized by Tushar Vinod Deoras, a former scientist at BARC and current chairman of Astute Academy, the seminar sought to de-mystify Indian and international MBBS and higher education admissions.

The first session was on the Indian MBBS admission process, providing clarity for students with as low as NEET 200 scores. Students also heard about cost-effective means of studying medicine in the US through formal Indo-American university partnerships.

The second session focused on US and German postgraduate and undergraduate admissions. Students and parents were given in-depth information on getting a place at a top university abroad.

In the initial session, Deoras introduced a lot of information. He highlighted the fact that most of the private medical colleges provide donation-free management quota merit seats. He explained fee regimes, where funding is managed by govt, and offered to students tripartite Indo-American university partnered models, which deliver low-cost, sophisticated contemporary medical education in the US and then go on to impart employer-relevant value worldwide.

The second session dealt with undergraduate and postgraduate programs available in the US and Germany, with a special focus on Ivy League institutions and Germany's technical universities.

Deoras pointed out how loose and inter-disciplinary the US system is, with greater career orientation than fixed course patterns. He advised students to begin developing their profiles as early as Std IX and applying to overseas universities at least a year in advance, since most work on the first-come, first-served principle.

He added, "Quality education and a successful career are the inherent right of a student. Students and parents must not judge countries by stereotypes but identify which system best fits the goals of the student."

A highlight of the seminar was its interactive nature. According to one parent, "The session was very insightful. Most doubts about my son's education were clarified, and I feel much more relieved now."

One of the participants also asked a question regarding dentistry as a profession, to which Deoras replied that it is an undervalued but very rewarding profession in India. Although the early years in practice can be tough, dentistry provides immense long-term growth and financial opportunities.

Deoras also answered some of the audience questions regarding state-wise quotas in MBBS admissions, foreign university application processes, and foreign medical education admission timelines and requirements.

The seminar ended on a positive note with the audience's appreciation for the frankness, hands-on advice, and motivational style.

Zobaida Nasreen, a Dhaka University professor who was one of the strongest voices during last year's student-led protest movement she has now expressed grave concerns over the worsening condition of women in Bangladesh in an interview with News18.

She is on a scholarship in Germany now and said the situation was "pathetic," pointing to how women are increasingly threatened and socially intimidated for voicing opinions in favor of their rights.

While discussing the present condition of the women in the nation she stated, "Women are frightened. Many have begun modifying their dressing sense not due to any legal necessity, but due to increasing social pressure. The psychological and social pressure is immense. They are living in perpetual fear and under huge stress."

Nasreen emphasized the role of women in last year's demonstration and how the attitude changed suddenly towards them.

"This is one of several moves being made to roll back the gains made by the women's movement in Bangladesh. Last year during the protests, there were a lot of women on the streets—even at midnight, in whatever they had worn. Nobody protested then. But now, the very same women are being subjected to abusive language and harassment."

"I also think that the NCP (National Citizen Party) is guilty of this. Their silence is deafening—they have not criticized this backlash, which indirectly condones the targeting of women" she went on to say.

Since the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the establishment of the present Muhammad Yunus-led administration, a women's affairs commission had made draft recommendations.

Commenting on the status of those proposals at the moment, activist Nasreen stated, "The proposals made by the women's commission, aimed at enhancing the status of women in the nation, have been rejected outright by fundamentalist forces. Worse, members of the committee are now openly threatened and maligned, with many being branded as 'sex workers' for silencing and discrediting them."

In a historic ruling that entwines education policy with national administration, the Government of India has rescheduled the Population Census to 2027, with the Union Home Ministry stating that it will do so to prevent disruption in elementary school education after the COVID-19 pandemic. The move followed a day after the Centre announced that both the Census and a national caste enumeration will be conducted in 2027.

It was felt by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that carrying out the Census immediately after the pandemic would have caused massively to interfere with learning for school children by millions. The reasoning is straightforward but compelling—two-thirds of the 30 lakh enumerators for the Census are government primary school teachers, an already strained workforce as schools reverted to physical classrooms following COVID.

“COVID disrupted all sectors, including education,” the MHA posted on X (formerly Twitter). The government emphasized that resuming regular schooling was essential for stabilizing foundational learning, especially after two years of learning loss among children in the critical 6–14 age group.

The data collection for both the Census and caste counting is now to commence at the start of next year, with March 1, 2027 being the reference date. The previous headcount was conducted in 2011, and the 2021 exercise was delayed because of the pandemic. This delay is the longest between two Censuses in India after independence.

The move has been politically questioned. Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin accused the delay in Census as a strategic exercise to affect the state's parliamentary seats after delimitation in 2026. Still, the Home Ministry made it clear that southern states' concerns will be addressed with proper consultation.

The decision signals a forward-looking style of education administration. In placing continuity in the classrooms ahead of administrative haste, the Centre has realized how indispensable teachers are—not only in collecting data but also in defining India's future.

With the Census set to pick up pace with March 1, 2027 as the reference date, it offers a chance to integrate technology, education, and administration towards a more inclusive and equitable India.

Delhi University's School of Open Learning (SOL), set up with the objective of giving classes to students who are unable to attend regular classes, has been tarnished with a shocking revelation. It was recently discovered to have rampant cases of plagiarism and spreading of false information through study material in a recent research. It degrades the standard of education imparted to the students and undermines academic integrity.

The research revealed that SOL course material plagiarized work from Wikipedia and other places and failed to cite them appropriately. The information was outdated, contained factual errors, and inaccuracies as well. This is undermining the quality of education and reputation of the institution.

The effect on students is alarming. Students who have been depending on such materials may end up being instructed with false information, which will hamper their knowledge and future development. This is the reverse of education objectives.

The case alludes to the imperative for stringent quality control and fact-checking protocols in institutions of learning. Universities must ensure academic integrity and provide learners with correct information.

For this, DU has to inquire, take action against the perpetrators, and implement measures to avoid repetition. This consists of systematic audits, plagiarism verification, and revision of study material.

The SOL scandal possibility is an invitation to schools to place importance on quality and integrity. We can make students competent with skills and knowledge by doing this.

Let us talk solutions and responsibility. What is to be done, your say?

Dark Side of Open Learning: Plagiarism and Misinformation in DU's SOL Delhi University's School of Open Learning (SOL), which was set up to educate people who are unable to come to class, has been tainted by a discovery. There has been a recent discovery of massive plagiarism and dissemination of misinformation in its study guides. This leaves the user to subpar education and raises doubts about academic honesty. SOL materials in the research took content from Wikipedia and elsewhere without referencing. Old information, factual errors, and computational errors became common. This is what undermines the institution's credibility and quality of education. The effect on students is appalling. Students who use such materials may end up internalizing false content, influencing learning and future opportunities. This is the opposite of learning. The problem requires extreme quality checks and fact-checking processes inside schools. Academic integrity needs to be given top priority and accurate information must be provided to the students by schools. As a reaction, DU can initiate an inquiry, prosecute the offenders, and take preventive measures against such incidences in the future. It consists of regular audits, plagiarism detection, and course materials being revised. The SOL scandal is an eye-opener for schools to give top priority to integrity and quality. By doing so, we can offer students learning and skill sets to thrive. What solutions and accountability do you suggest we implement?

A Khurja woman, Bulandshahar (Uttar Pradesh), reported for duty at the Delhi Police Academy on 17 May, believing it was the beginning of her new employment as a constable. She produced an appointment letter that she thought was real. But employees at the academy soon discovered it to be false, TOI said.

The letter, whose signature was that of a top police officer, had no official basic components such as a letter number and barcode. The envelope it was addressed in also seemed suspicious, it had government and speed post stamps, but no functional stamps, barcodes, or post office seals.

According to the TOI report, the woman alleged that she had given the written test in Meerut in 2022, the physical test in Ghaziabad, and the medical in Delhi. However, academy officials did not find any record of her in the recruitment register.

A sub-inspector subsequently established that there had been no such letter issued, and the IPS official whose name was on the letter was not working as DCP (Recruitment) on the date specified.

Police suspect it to be part of a larger recruitment fraud. "This appears to be the handiwork of an organized gang," the inspector who made the complaint said to TOI.

A case has been registered at the Dwarka police station under sections 336(3) (forgery), 340(2) (use of forged documents), and 62 (attempt to commit offences) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

A senior officer told TOI that further investigation is underway to verify the woman’s claims and to identify those behind the possible forgery racket.

With the soft murmur of dawn, while the wetlands of eastern India soak in the golden light of a rising sun, revolution is in motion. Hidden away in the flooded paddy fields, crabs crawl in the clefts between the tender rice shoots' nascent roots, their tender legs etching an incredible dance of cohabitation. It is not only nature's miracle—this complementarity of crustaceans and agriculture—it is an economic lifesaver for farmers struggling with mercurial weather and diminishing yields.

Welcome to integrated rice-crab farming, commonly called 'matsya prajapat'—a green farm revolution changing rural topography along Odisha, West Bengal, and portions of Andhra Pradesh. Farmers no longer sit out uncertain monsoons and crop destruction. They are harvesting two crops simultaneously from a single field: rice and crabs, thriving in tandem.

A Dual Harvest Against Climate Odds

Ranjan Behera, a Kendrapara district farmer in Odisha, remembers the hardship of traditional farming. "I relied solely on rice," he says. "But errant rains would decimate my crops every season. Now, even if the rice crop gets ruined, the crabs keep my family from starving."

The process is beautifully simple:

Rice is planted in conventional fashion in waterlogged paddies.

Juveniles are released into the paddies and absorbed by the rice plants.

The crabs, during a few months, feed on natural pests and organic waste, reducing chemical fertilizers and pesticides use.

At harvest time, crabs are of market size, creating a secondary income source beyond the rice crop.

This symbiotic association has several benefits:

• Natural pest management: Crabs eat pests and weeds, reducing farmers' reliance on expensive agrochemicals.
• Enhanced soil health: Crab faeces is a biofertilizer that makes the soil resilient.
• Climate resilience: Even if rice crops are devastated by flood or drought, crabs provide a buffer against financial loss.

From Survival to Prosperity

In the West Bengal Sundarbans delta—a cyclone- and brackish-water-hit area—paddies such as Maitreyi Mondal have become dependent on crab cultivation as a backstop. "Earlier, a single flood would destroy everything," she says. "Now, crabs provide us with a regular income. We sell them to local markets and even to Bangladesh."

The financial benefit is unambiguous. One hectare of integrated rice-crab cultivation can reap:

• 1.5 to 2 tons of rice
• 200-300 kg crabs, sold in domestic markets for ₹400-600 a kg

Marginal farmers get twice or thrice their investment back from this as compared to rice monoculture.

Challenges and the Road Ahead

Promising though the system may be, it is riddled with challenges:

• Unawareness: Farmers don't have a clue how crab farming is undertaken.
• Predator attacks: Birds and snakes occasionally attack young crabs.
• Access to markets: Good supply chains must be developed so prices are reasonable.

Agencies are filling in, such as WorldFish and India's Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), and training to start community crab hatcheries to deliver a consistent supply of juvenile crabs.

A Blueprint for Sustainable Farming

Integrated rice-crab farming is not just agricultural farming—it is a success of human determination over climate change. By tapping into nature's synergies, farmers are rewriting the script of vulnerability into one of prosperity and resilience.

As the sun sets over jade-green paddies, the distant chatter of crabs in the sea suggests a comforting truth: sometimes the best solution comes in what nature has to offer.