On Tuesday, Delhi University released its academic calendar for undergraduate programmes. Classes are expected to be initiated on August 1, 2024. This time we have a delayed academic calendar due to a delay in results of CUET UG results. Miranda House Professor Abha Dev Habib said, “Thanks to the NTA [National Testing Agency], admissions to DU’s undergraduate programmes are nowhere in sight.” 

As per the new academic calendar, classes for the new session will continue till 27th October. Then we have a mid-semester break from 27th October to 3rd November. Thereafter classes will again resume from 4th November to 28th November thereby dispersal of classes for practical exams and preparation for semester exams. The theory exam shall begin from 10th December 2024 to 29th December. After the end-of-semester exam, we can observe a winter break till 1st January.  

After the end of the respective semester, the new semester will start from 2nd January 2024. Thereafter we have a mid-semester break from 9th March to 16th March. Then from 17th March 2024 classes will again resume similarly till 30th of April. Then we will have semester breaks as preparation leave and for the conduction of practical exams. The theory examination will begin on 13th May 2025 and will continue till 1st June. This will mark the completion of the year following which we will have a semester break till the 20th of July 

Comparative view

This time in comparison to the previous academic calendar, we can find more rigor. Last year it started from 17th of August thus comparatively we are sooner. However, we can observe that minimal days have been provided as semester breaks.  Students who will get admitted to DU this year shall be the ones who will pursue their education through the new education policy. This means a multi-disciplinary approach will be followed. However, it can be observed that the implications of courses of SEC and VAC are not working from the grassroots level. Therefore we also need reforms here 

Thus in a nutshell we can conclude that after the extension of summer vacations by Delhi University, we can observe a rigorous academic calendar this year. Therefore students will be required to maintain continuity in their academics to deal with this calendar. 

Delhi University’s official website: https://www.du.ac.in/

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Towards a Mental Health Epidemic: Addressing the Crisis

After the emergence of COVID mental health is one of the aspects where limelight spotted. When people lost their jobs, education was affected, people lost lives and everyone was scared of a virus roaming in the air. This was indeed a traumatic phase in the lives of people leading to a cumulative mental health crisis in the world.

The data of NCBI states that the “Median Age of COVID-related suicide victims was 45 years (range 15 – 80) wherein 61.3% belonged to 30-59 year age group, and 75.3% were males. 50% of suicides occurred within the first week of COVID-19 diagnosis confirmation, and 50% of suicides occurred at COVID-19 centres. Hanging (53.8%) was the commonest method of suicide, followed by jumping (12.9%)” in a research study. 

Thus this shows that such an attack on global mental well-being has pushed societies towards another pandemic of mental health crisis. 

Mental health problems that we can face 

Depression:

Depression is a mood disorder defined by sadness, mood lability (a low mood on one end among other issues), problems with sleeping and appetite, and without energy or good sleep, this can be extra hard for some people. The good news is that depression has high survival potential if treated effectively as with most other mental disorders.  

Anxiety

 Anxiety disorders as a category of disease are commonly characterized by both chronic worry and numerous physical manifestations of fear that can cause significant problems. There are many forms of anxiety disorder, each with its symptoms, including Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Phobia, Panic Disorder Agoraphobia OCD PTSD ( or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). We can frequently observe frequent anxiety disorders in individuals experiencing a kind of despair Situational anxiety disorder, might occur at any age. 

OCD

 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is characterized by intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that cause feelings of discomfort and distress as a result, an individual may feel compelled to perform overt or mental rituals to alleviate or reduce these feelings. These behaviours often consume several hours of every day and can severely impair one’s ability to maintain a job concentrate in school interact with friends or family etc. Effective treatments include cognitive and behavioural therapy (CBT) and medication. See AED regulations, to understand that OCD is about anxiety and compulsive behaviour. 

PTSD

 Trauma or Stress-Related Disorders It is possible to develop PTSD when exposed to a catastrophic event, which generates a continual sense of dread especially with triggering sounds or with social interaction. This sense of fear can take the form of flashbacks nightmares or even a change in one’s perception as a consequence of exposure to the traumatic event – one of the most pronounced symptoms associated with PTSD itself itself. PTSD is often implicated in hiding in a shell to avoid getting triggered by their possible superstitions) and the more such events a person experiences theoretically larger the effect too.  

Lack of mental health professionals 

India has only about 0.7 mental health professionals for every one lakh persons. The standard guidelines suggest that there should be at least three psychiatrists per one lakh population. Such a deficit in the population psychologist ratio is alarming as no one will be there in the case we suffer mental health disorders when they reach their apex. The status of mental health professionals is infirm.

People have a lot of prejudice regarding mental health problems, and it is not in a normalized state. Thus, the preference for treatment for mental health problems seems to be elusive. We are living in a society where mental health professionals are themselves convincing people why their treatment is necessary. Thus it is high time that we move towards spreading awareness regarding the significance of good mental health.

Tips to have a good care of mental health 

1. Seek help when needed:- Seeking for help is an act of courage. It doesn’t mean that you are weak but it means that you have a desire to cure yourselves. Thus whenever needed you must move to a mental health professional to get therapy whenever required. 
2. Eat a balanced diet:- You must pursue a nutritious and balanced diet to maintain a balanced and healthy body. Our body is an essential component of good mental health.  
3. Get enough sleep:- We must maintain a fixed sleep cycle for us. This will direct our body to the timings of relaxation that help the mind to release the stress and relax. 
4. Stay Connected: Maintain relationships with friends and family. Social connections are essential for emotional support. 
5. Exercise Regularly: Physical activity helps reduce stress and anxiety. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week.

Thus in a nutshell we shall conclude that having a good mental health is something a necessity of time. We should learn to prioritize our mental health and normalize its treatement to get a happy society.

The post The Looming Mental Health Crisis: An Epidemic on the Horizon  appeared first on DU Times.

Amid protests and echoes of a NEET re-test by students and organisations, alleging irregularities in the marking system used by NTA we have come across historical proceedings of the Supreme Court.

On July 8, the Supreme Court during its hearing stated that it was “ clear that leak of NEET UG question paper has taken place. We want to know the number of beneficiaries of question paper leak, and what action has been taken against them.” The bench of three judges (DY Chandrachud with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra )  accepted that the NEET paper was leaked through telegram, WhatsApp and other electronic means. It stated that when such papers got leaked it spread like a ‘wildfire’.  

Enquiry

They mentioned that the Court is aware of the fact that they are dealing with the lives of 23 lakh students. If the beneficiaries of the paper leaks are not found or arrested then the court has to order the reconduction of the examination. It has presented several questions to CBI and NTA and ordered them to file their affidavits by 5 pm July 10 and share these with petitioners as well. Court also wanted to know how many of them were among those students who were beneficiaries of grace marks provided by NTA. It  asked NTA regarding the steps taken to identify those beneficiaries, and the time duration between the leak of exams and occurrence on 5 May.  

However, NTA was not in Favour of conducting of the entire exam again. It apprehended that it can  “seriously jeopardise” lakhs of honest candidates without proof of large-scale breach of confidentiality. 

“It is also submitted that at the same time, in the absence of any proof of any large-scale breach of confidentiality in a pan-India examination, it would not be rational to scrap the entire examination and the results already declared,” the Centre said. “Scrapping the exam in its entirety would seriously jeopardise the lakhs of honest candidates who attempted the question paper in 2024,” the Education Ministry said. 

Thus in a nutshell we can say that the center is in search of proof for mass malpractice with the questions of the examination system on 5th May. The next hearing is on 11th July when we can expect to observe the final decision. 

 References

Indian express , The Hindu

The post “It is clear that sanctity of NEET has been compromised”  appeared first on DU Times.

Flute as an instrument has a wide-ra impact on the player and the environment where it is being operated. Especially after the emergence of the COVID epidemic, where people are suffering from mental health disorders and respiratory problems, research shows that there has positive progress in health conditions. The flute is considered one of the most diverse instruments in music where just bamboo and cork can produce a diverse range of melodies. Considering the essence of this instrument, this blog shall cover the fundamental aspects of the flute. 

Flute as a dynamic instrument 

Flute refers to a woodwind instrument that produces sound from the flow of air across its openings. It is generally composed of bamboo or PVC pipes. India calls its version of the flute Basuri which has its historical significance. The earliest dates back over 35000 years ago when it was made up of bird bones and mammoth ivory.

Later bamboo became the fine and most popular raw material to make flutes. In addition, the first known flute was a three-holed instrument fashioned from a mammoth tusk that existed some 35,000 years ago. Excavated from a tomb in Jiahu, in the Central Chinese province of Henan, are bone flutes with five to eight holes each, crafted from the bones of red-crowned crane wings. They were approximately nine thousand years old. Chinese women were proficient flute musicians during the Song Dynasty (12th century). When it comes to flute history, they are the most ancient musical instruments. 

Types of flutes 

1. Concert flute:– It is a kind of flutes used in western concerts and orchestras. It is typically made of silver, nickel, or gold and has a range of about three octaves. 
2. Alto flute:– It is comparatively larger than concert flute and produces more deeper and mellow sound.  
3. Piccolo:- It is a smaller version of concert flute and produce a high pitched sound. 
4. Bass flute:- This flute is even larger than the alto  and produces a deep, rich sound. It is often used in flute choirs and contemporary music compositions. 
5. Ethnic flutes:- Every culture do modify this instrument in their own way. such as the bamboo flutes of Asia, the pan flutes of South America, and the Native American flutes, each offering distinctive sounds and playing techniques. 

Health benefits of playing flutes 

1. Promotes good posture:- Playing this instrument in a correct melody do require a straight posture to produce the sound. Thus it tend to improve the body posture of individual that enhances the further productivity 
2. Breathing efficacy:- Playing flutes tend to improve the lung capacity of an individual as it requires frequent breathing. Thus a part of ‘Pranayam’ is also there in this practice making it an efficient tool in having good respiratory health. However, we must care about the environment where we play this instrument . It must be pollution free. 
3. Promote finger dexterity:- When we need to use the dynamic finger patterns to play the flute, it enhances our finger dexterity. Also the visual and motor ability increases with further practice. 
4. Mental health:- Frequent breathing fulfils the regions of brain with oxygen which is considered as an immune for mental health conditions. The music produces through it is also a soothing one. 
5.  Improves the patience:- Learning flute is a long lasting activity which sometimes requires years. Thus it teaches us the to enhance our patience that will act as a tool to learn something new. 
6. Expands Cultural Awareness: The flute is used in various musical traditions around the world. Learning this instrument can introduce students to different cultures and musical styles, fostering a broader appreciation for global music. 

Tips to master flute for beginners: 

1. Start slow:- Beginners must not instantly jump to play the songs. Once must start with the fundamentals and should pursue a slow process. 
2. Use a metronome:– A metronome is an instrument which helps us to get idea about beats and timings of the notes. Thus it will provide the basic foundation to play the it.
3. Start with Alankars:- Playing saptak and alnkars must be the starting line for beginners. First they must master the hand dexterity and correct blowing , then they can move towards ear training. 
4. Maintain perseverance:- One must practice daily and consistently to master it. Discontinuity in the practice can alter the learning process. 

Thus in a nutshell we shall conclude that flute is one of the important instrument with diverse benefits. It will not only enhance the skill but will have the holistic development of the individual. 

References

Pexels, https://ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT2309476.pdf

ausaf

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Amid Neet UG scam allegations, NTA is working on reforms to the examination system. However, the results of CUET UG are still in the pipeline. Children are waiting for their results as they will be the gateway to their dream universities. This can also affect the academic calendar due to this delay in results. 

The CUET UG results were expected to be released by the 30th of June. However, NTA is still on the line to clarify anything regarding the date of results awaited. . On the one hand, postgraduation admissions are on the way and the other hand, under-graduation admission can only start after the results of CUET get released. 

“We are ready with the admission procedure. If there are delays, it might impact our admissions calendar, but we are advising students to wait patiently,” said a DU official. 

A burnout

Mr Pandey, who is also the Delhi chief of the All India Parents’ Association, said, “Because of NTA’s inefficiency, many students have started applying to private colleges. This will push well-off students into private colleges and lead to segmentation of students based on their family’s income.” 

Students are demanding that Universities should start their admission procedure based on their 12th score. As many students started to enrol themselves in private Universities, it is not a possible option for students who come from an economically weaker background leading to a divide.  

“NTA should be considerate towards students’ future, given the fact that more than 250 universities accept CUET UG results,” said Muskan Vijayvargiya, an aspirant from Jaipur. 

Thus in a nutshell we can say that such a delay in releasing the results of the CUET examination is a test of patience by NTA. Students generally remain ambiguous at this stage regarding their future and career. Such situations can lead to burnout for students. The credibility of NTA with its performance this year is a questionable matter!  

References

The Hindu, MSN

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