Chandigarh, Monday, September 7, 1998
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Chandigarh, Monday, September 7, 1998 |
Teaching via network systems By Antarpreet Singh THE rapid advancement in the field of telecommunications and information technology has brought interesting changes in the field of management education and development. The current mindset of management education, training and development is largely one that focuses bringing faculty and students (read learners) at a common place for programme delivery. Role of
toys in learning |
| DAV management to consolidate units By Abhimanyu The DAV College Managing Committee will expand its network in the region. However, it would first consolidate the existing units, specially the “sick” ones BDS aspirants a harassed
lot Campus
Scene: Varsity to host NCAA meeting |
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Teaching via network systems THE rapid advancement in the field of telecommunications and information technology has brought interesting changes in the field of management education and development. The current mindset of management education, training and development is largely one that focuses bringing faculty and students (read learners) at a common place for programme delivery. Our programme administrators for years have worked on the basic assumption that students need one-time degree, that too in early years of their career. Our present management education model has been driven by this thinking for long. With the advent of new generation networking systems, this set of assumptions has become invalid. There is a growing realisation in our universities and business schools that management education programmes can be delivered to anyone at any place as and when required. This also lessens the burden on our institutions having resource constraints in terms of funds, manpower and infrastructure and satisfies a large number of aspirants as far as learning in the field of management education is concerned. The second assumption that we need to go to university or business school for MBA programmes or related diplomas once in our lifetime has become invalid. In the current era of cut-throat competition and continuous change, management practitioners need to regularly update themselves. Training, education and development have assumed strategic importance in most well-organised organisations in our country. Networking systems are certainly of great help to these “learning organisations”. A number of universities, business schools and education management companies have started using the available technology for promotion of their courses, admissions and registrations, delivery of study material collecting student’s response to periodic assignments, conducting examinations and counselling students from time to time. The All-India Management Association (AIMA), country’s premier body sponsored by Government of India for the promotion of scientific management in the country, has initiated through it’s Centre of Management Excellence (CME) a project called META (Management education through technological advancements). AIMA-CME is using satellite communication technology for counselling students enrolled under distance learning programmes related to a number of diplomas in the field of management. Such satellite based interactive networks (SINET) use one-way video and two-way audio for programme delivery. In a few years, one can hope a two-way video and two-way audio as a medium for these programmes. Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has also been using SINET successfully for a number of courses. Besides IGNOU and AIMA-CME programme the country’s premier education management companies like NIIT and Aptech have been active in using network systems. Aptech is using AMEDA (Aptech multimodal education delivery architecture) which uses internet along with personal counselling for a number of programmes. The NIIT, too, is using internet for its programmes. With the growing
popularity of tele-teaching, there has been a lot of talk
in academic circles whether tutors will be required in
the future? New generation technology and modern
management networking systems would certainly make the
management education system more interactive and
effective but it will ultimately be the teacher or
trainer who will know how to make best use of this
technology. Networks can’t substitute personalised
teaching and training. |
Role of toys in learning HUMAN brain operates the fastest during childhood. A child’s brain registers a number of situations simultaneously and he translates thoughts into action spontaneously. That is why children are never at rest, except during sleep. Children play with commonplace things and have a natural urge to experiment with those. For them every object or event is a source of excitement. Every child is an artist, scientist, architect and explorer. Most children discard factorymade toys and make sequences, patterns and structures out of shoes, shoe polish tins, caps of bottles, broken pens, bangles, ribbons and threads, pebbles, mother’s ‘bindis’ or other such things. Arvind Gupta, an engineering graduate from the IIT, Kanpur, recently held a lecture-demonstration on “Education through toys” at Panjab University, Chandigarh. He has designed simple science experiments and innovative toys for children. He is a recipient of National Science Award and Ruchi Ram Sahani Award and the prestigious Hari Om Ashram Award for Science and Society. He has held more than 1000 lecture-demonstrations of his work till date. Books authored by Arvind Gupta include “Toy Joy”, “Little Science”, “The Toy Bag”, “Toy Treasures”, “Pumps from the Dumps”, “Matchstick Mecanno and other Science Experiments” and “Leaf Zoo”. Basic concepts of science can be understood by children by performing simple experiments or making models described in these books. The materials required are pieces of wastepaper, old newspapers, photo- film cans, empty packets, pins, rubber-bands, discarded ice-cream sticks, straws, matchsticks, matchboxes, bulbs, tubes, wires, magnets, etc. These are throwaway or virtually zero-cost materials. The models can be easily dismantled and re-assembled. “A toy should not be a black box. It should be clarifying, not mystifying”, stresses Gupta. Maker of 50 TV films for children under the patronage of the National Council of Educational Research and Training and the University Grants Commission, Arvind Gupta is highly critical of the authoritarian and patriarchal structures of the family, school and society. “We kill the artist
in the child and later send him to a professional arts
college”, remarks Gupta sarcastically. Of the
school’s attitude towards children, he says:
“We give them solutions and keep the confidence to
ourselves; we give them memory but keep the thinking to
ourselves; we give them marks and keep the knowledge to
ourselves.” |
DAV management to consolidate
units The DAV College Managing Committee will expand its network in the region. However, it would first consolidate the existing units, specially the “sick” ones, according to Mr M.L. Khanna, general secretary, DAV College Managing Committee. Mr Khanna is of the view that a haphazard growth of schools and other institutions will serve no real purpose and an integrated approach of building and consolidation should be followed in the context of DAV institutions. Born in Ambala, Mr Khanna received his degree in Law from Delhi University. Today, he is among the top Income Tax lawyers in Delhi. He is a staunch Arya Samaji and has done a lot to spread the message of Swami Daya Nand not only in country but also abroad. He is deeply concerned about the commercialisation of education and feels that it has to be checked if educational institutions are to serve as “temples of learning.” He strongly believes that top-of-the-line facilities should be given to the teaching staff so that they can also give in their best to their institutions. Mr Khanna admits that there were a few teething problems when the concept of “public schools” was added to the DAV education system. But now things have started improving and the period of trial and error is over. Public schools have started yielding dividends on the academic as well as on the financial front. Sophisticated teaching and learning techniques are being added to these institutions, he said. The organisation, it may be recalled, ushered in an electronic revolution by incorporating computer education in its regular curriculum. Modern computer equipment has been provided in these institutions, he said. The DAV committee, however, is not comfortable as far as its economic condition is concerned. It is running at a loss of Rs 10 to 20 crores annually. The shortfall is being bridged through donations. This is because the committee has no financial support from the government, he said. The organisation, he said, has always given special attention to women education since it feels that women are not only the fountainhead of enlightenment but are also repositories of ancient Indian culture. More that 80 per cent of the DAV institutions are headed by women. He said that more incentives to the girl students are under the consideration of the committee, including free education to needy students and scholarships to the outstanding ones. In Delhi, the committee has opened a school exclusively for slum-dwellers. No fee is charged. The committee plans to open more such schools in the future in order to bring education to the deprived sections of the society. Mr Khanna said that though
the present day social scene presented a dismal picture,
the DAV’s attempt to stress on moral education of
the students may yield good dividends in the future. A
code of conduct for teachers and other employees is also
being formulated by the committee and will soon be
enforced in DAV institutions, Mr Khanna said. |
BDS aspirants a harassed lot PATIALA: A large number of aspirants for admission to various private and government dental colleges in Punjab, who accompanied by their parents had come at the Dental College, Rajindra Hospital, here last week for councelling, raised slogans against the councelling committee and alleged irregularities in the admission process. The visibly agitated parents and aspirants alleged that “arbitrary” decisions of the committee not only amounted to harassment but also meant playing with the “life and career of their wards.” The main grouse of the aspirants was that the government had kept them in the dark on the fee to be deposited with the private colleges in the state. They said this year the government had notified that 50 per cent seats in private colleges would be “free seats” and filled according to the performance of an aspirant in the PMT examination. The aspirants alleged while the prospectus mentioned an admission fee of Rs 8000 or little more in both government and medical colleges, private colleges were demanding a fee amounting to more than Rs 2 lakh. Same parents said when they with drafts of Rs 8000 went to get their wards admitted in private college, the counsellors told them that the candidates has been admitted. However, when they reached the private college, they were horrified to know that the fee was more than Rs 2 lakh, which included Rs 1 lakh as security. The parents alleged that no member of the councelling committee told them that the fee in private colleges was so high. There were several cases where an aspirant with a seat in a government college had reached the dental college, and found his name missing in the admission list. The aspirants and the parents have sought a high-level probe into these “irregularities” and the “harassment” caused to them. The counsellors could not
be contacted in spite of repeated efforts. Persons
answering their phase calls said all officials were
“busy.” |
Campus Scene SHIMLA: There is no teaching going on in the HP University Campus since August 11. The teachers come everyday to the campus, sit on dharna outside the VC’s office, raise a couple of slogans, listen to a few speeches by their leaders and then leave for their homes, by 1 p.m. Few students come to the campus, most of them library-goers. The University Officers Association in solidarity with the striking teachers may also join the strike. These officers include Deputy and Assistant Registrars, Controller of Exams and Librarians. All teachers from 33 government colleges under the university are on strike since August 4. Private colleges are likely to join them. Dr C.L. Kundu, VC of the university, presented a paper “change and preservation: universities and public policy at Carleton University Ottawa, during the Commonwealth Universities Conference. Dr Kundu was one of the few panelists invited from India. * * * * The university is hosting the National Council of Accreditation and Assessment (NCAA) meeting from September 8 at the campus. At least 25 Vice-Chancellors and 100 principals of renowned colleges are expected to take part and discuss issues regarding the assessment of universities and norms for accrediting the universities in India. The norms being set for Indian universities may not be as strict as in case of international universities like Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge. High infrastructural requirements, like 900 acres per university, are required for giving accreditation to international universities. But we will have to dilute the norms for our 232 universities, says Dr Kundu. * * * * A number of students of undergraduate classes from colleges as far as Rampur have not got their detailed marksheets from the university. The date of admission for
a few classes is already over. The authorities deny any
delay on the part of university and say most result cards
are in postal transit. |
Youth & career
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