 |
|
| EDUCATION TRIBUNE |
|
Teachers draw up ‘Chalk Valley’ Physiotherapy gets moving Make girls attend school Campus Notes |
|
|
Teachers draw up ‘Chalk Valley’ While the US Government is keen to apply and imbibe the skills of Indians, it is high time it should relax policies for skilled, deserving workers, says
Peeyush Agnihotri If on the Western US coast, IT professionals were able to carve out Silicon Valley, it won't be out of place to say that Indian
teachers are dedicatedly building up a 'chalk valley' on the eastern
coast, especially the South Carolina area. The Bush administration has come out with the 'No child left behind' policy, which makes school education mandatory for all children. This movement, supposedly to run till 2014, has earned the sobriquet of being Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan of the US. Given the yawing gap between the demand and supply of educators in the US, teachers, especially from science, maths and special education streams, are being 'imported' mainly from India on J1 visas, wherein a teacher can stay for a period of three years in the US at a stretch and will have to return to serve his/her motherland for the next two years before being considered for another teaching stint. During the tenure, they are supposed to get a teaching licence after clearing an exam (Praxis). This way the US saves the botheration of giving permanent immigration to the Indian teachers-sending them home after three years by the time they get adjusted on foreign soil. Seeing the opportunity, many for-profit organisations, too, have jumped into the fray as placement companies. For Indian teachers, most of whom are from the fairer sex, working in foreign surroundings comes as a social, familial, dietary and cultural shock. But who complains? One, the state administration and school authorities cooperate with them, sometimes going out of the way to help them adjust. Secondly, the wide rupee-dollar valuation and feathering the biodata with 'served-abroad experience' makes most Indian teachers put their best foot forward. Thirdly, and most importantly, the US Administration respects sincerity and devotion of a teacher. A hardworking teacher is never ever left. He/she is called over from India again after the completion of three + two years' stint. And this is an incentive enough to make them work assiduously. That a teacher is never ever able to settle because of this continent hopping after every few years is a different matter. Media reports say that the US Senate is working on the Comprehensive Enforcement and Immigration Reform Act, 2005, wherein a skilled professional can enter under W-type of non-immigrant visa category for two years. Upon completion, he or she will have to remain in his home country for one year continuously and the total period of admission under this category would not exceed six years. J-type or W-type visas, the focus is that while the US Government is keen to apply and imbibe the skills of Indians and is happy to use the cheap manpower that India provides, it is not comfortable in granting them permanent immigration. The skilled Indian worker remains unsettled and loses prime years of career while the US Government uses them. Is this not what we call exploitation? High time the US relaxes its policies for skilled, deserving workers.
|
|
Physiotherapy gets moving Sensing the increasing possibilities of better-paid jobs for physiotherapists, several educational institutions here have either introduced the course or have come up with separate physiotherapy institutes. "A trained physiotherapist has immense overseas prospects, evident from the fact that 10 out of 30 students who passed out two years ago from the college have successfully secured jobs abroad. The course credentials are duly approved by various international rating agencies, including the Health Professions' Councils of the United Kingdom. Besides, physiotherapy section has become an integral part of every orthopaedic department," says Dr Narinder Kaur, Head of the Department of Physiotherapy at Lyallpur Khalsa College. Dr Navdeep, a physiotherapist, says: "Patients suffering from side-effects of disorders related to the heart, nerves, muscles and bones need to be provided with a specific exercise schedule to improve their fitness. The role of a trained physiotherapist is pivotal in these cases. Though there is hardly any vacancy in government hospitals and primary health centres for now, the growing demand for trained physiotherapists in the private health sector during the last decade has definitely attracted more students towards the profession." Dr Sucharita, Principal, Apeejay College of Fine Arts, say: "These days, the mode of treatment is preventive as well as curative. Some exercises are geared towards the prevention of diseases related to the bones and muscles. We have 30 seats for Bachelor in Physiotherapy course and most of these are filled as soon as admission process starts." Physiotherapy has a vital role in sports medicine. "The presence of sports physiotherapists during any sports event is essential these days," maintains an expert. He says that the role of a physiotherapist is vital in total hip and knee replacement. A practicing orthopaedician says that trained physiotherapists are much in demand in North America and Europe. "The sports culture in these countries is entirely different from here. In these countries, even a small sports club hires a physiotherapist," he says. |
|
|
University Grants Commission Vice-Chairman V N Rajasekharan Pillai urged the Central and State Governments to implement policies on women empowerment to effectively address gender disparities, particularly in education. Delivering the 10th annual convocation address of the M O P Vaishnav College for Women in Chennai on August 1, he said proactive initiatives should be launched to bring about gender parity in basic education. Basic education programmes in India needed to be highly gender sensitive and the Early Childhood Care and Education Programme needed further strengthening to enable girls to attend schools, he stressed. Dr Pillai also called for greater focus on education and empowerment of women in rural areas particularly those from socially and economically marginalised groups. ''It is necessary to bring about a change in women's perceptions about themselves and that of the society with regard to women's traditional roles. It is necessary to create an environment for women to seek knowledge and information in order to make informed choices at their own pace,'' he said. He said the society had not yet succeeded in framing the required norms or institutions to enable women to fulfil the multiple roles that they were expected to play in India today. Stating that women traditionally and conventionally occupied a significant status in the country, he said that in the Indian concept, women were all powerful — 'Sakthi.' An Indian women endowed with traditional culture and values, would become a polished diamond, by getting modern education and professional skill, he added. Listing out a number of successful women role models — starting from late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to the country's first space woman the late Kalpana Chawla, Dr Pillai urged women to enrich themselves by retaining the traditional values and adding the best of the Western tradition and progress.
— UNI
|
|
|
Campus Notes A
delegation of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly visited the university to seek expert opinion on viable steps to mitigate the problems in foodgrain production and improve the economic status of farmers. The delegation, headed by Mr Venkat Reddy, the acting Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh PAC, comprised four other members of the committee, besides six officers of the Legislative Secretariat. The Haryana Government accorded the status of state guest to the delegation. The team members studied the mandatory programmes and administrative set-up of the university. At a meeting with the Deans, Directors and other senior HAU officials, they held detailed discussions on the farming, marketing and procurement systems in Haryana. The HAU Registrar, Dr M. S. Kuhad, and the Director of Extension Education, Dr R. K. Malik, briefed the visitors on the functioning of the university. The team visited research farms, veterinary clinics, biotechnology and computer centres and the constituent colleges of the university. — Sunit Dhawan
Punjabi
University, Patiala
Punjabi University, Patiala, hosted the 19th All-India Conference of the Indian Public Administration Association on July 29 and 30. The focus was on panel discussion on papers presented by eminent scholars and academics. The papers were on four themes — Teaching and Research in Public Administration; Responsible and Responsive Bureaucracy; Rural and Urban Government in the Present Context and State Administration in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The inaugural address was by Major Vijay Singh Mankotia (retd), former Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Himachal Pradesh Prof S.S. Tiwana gave the welcome address. Prof Hoshiar Singh, Vice-Chancellor, Bikaner University, Rajasthan, delivered the Prof V.K.N. Menon memorial lecture. — Rubinder Gill
Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla
Himachal Pradesh University has its own computer centre and a full-fledged department of computer science, but it has been lagging far behind in computerisation. The state board of school education computerised its functioning almost two decades ago and its results are available online and also on cell phones. Committees had been set up for computerisation many times but to no avail. However, the Vice-Chancellor says the matter was now being pursued by him personally. The University Grants Commission had sanctioned Rs 20 lakh and more funds would be generated by the university from its own resources to computerise the functioning, particularly compilation of results, in a phased manner. The software would be developed in-house to reduce the cost. He refused to give any definite time-frame but said the results of B.Com, M.Com and MCA would be computerised this year, while the results of undergraduate classes from the next academic year. —
Rakesh Lohumi
|
|
|
Civil Service August 18 Staff Selection Commission Combined Grad Level (Prelim)
Exam 2005 Exam: 13 Nov (at 9 centres including Del & Ch’garh). Elig & Appln F: Employment News (23-29 Jul). Engineering August 12 Punjab Technical
University, Ladowali Road, Jalandhar 144001 BTech/ BPharm (Lateral Entry, 3rd Sem) Details: Website. Language August 01 Central Institute of Hindi, R-12, Nehru Enclave, Kalkaji, New Delhi 110 019 (MHRD, GoI), Post-MA Diploma (1-yr
PT, eving) in: Elig: Masters Deg (Hindi at Bachelor’s deg)/ BA (Hindi med). Appln F: At counter: Rs 100/- Management November 25 Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad
826004 (Jhar) (Deemed Univ under MHRD, GoI) MBA (2-yr, FT)-2006 Selectn: CAT-2005, GD, Interview. Appln F: Send Rs 1000/- by DD fvg "Registrar, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad," payable at Dhanbad with 2 self-add stickers to the Asst Registrar (Acad) at the above add. Details: Employment News (23 - 29 Jul). Indian Institute of Material
Management MBA (Materials Mgt) (Dist; 3-yr) Selectn: Aptitude Test (31 Jul). Appln F: Send Rs 180/- by DD favouring "Registrar, MPBOU, Bhopal" to above add. Details: Website. September 9 Indian Institute of Management (IIM-A),
Vastrapura, Ahmedabad (Guj) PG Prog in Agri-Business Mgt (2-yr) 2006 Elig: Bachelor/ Master’s deg (Agriculture Sc & allied subj; 50%; recog by ICAR/UGC) Selectn: CAT: Nov 20 ‘05 Appln F: At various SBI br (in cash) Rs 1100/- till 22 August. If not available at SBI then send Rs 1200/- by crossed DD fvg the respective IIM with a cloth-lined, self-add, unstamped env (12" x 10") by 26 August. November 19 Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of
Management, Shastri Sadan, Sri Venkateshwara Mandir Marg, Sec-III, R K Puram,
New Delhi-110022 PG Prog in Mgt (2-yr/ FT) Elig: Bachelor’s Deg, 2 yrs wk ex prefd. Selctn: GD & PI, Acad perf, Wk exp Appln F: Send Rs 1225/- by DD fvg "Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management" payable at New Delhi to the above add/ d’load from website. Details: Website. November 15 Indian Institute of Management (IIM-A),
Vastrapura, Ahmedabad (Guj) Fellow Prog in Mgt (FPM) Elig: Master’s deg, CA, ICWA, CS (55%) or BE/ BTech (60%). Selectn: CAT-2005, GMAT/ GRE/ GATE/ UGC JRF for some categories. Appln F: Contact FPM office (Tel.No. 079-26324635) at above add or d’ownload from website. Details: Website. Medicine August 12 National Institute of
Homeopathy, Block-GE, Sec III, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700106 (WB) (Autonom Org,
D/o Ind Sys of Med & Homoeo, M/o HFW, GoI) MD (Hom; 3-yr) Elig: BHMS (5`BD-yr), Regd with CCH/State Homoeo Council. Selectn: Written Test: Sept 04 Details: Employment News (23 - 29 Jul). August 23 All India Institute of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Haji Ali Park, K Khadye Marg, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai 400034. PG Diploma in Rehabilitation for OT & Physiotherapists (1-yr) Elig: BOT/ BPT/ 3 yr Dip in OT/ Physiotherapy with 6-mnth Internship cert. Selectn: Entrance Test: 23 August Appln F:
Send Rs 100/- by IPO favouring "Director, All India Instt. of
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation" along with a stamped (Rs 32/-),
self-add envelope Physically Handicapped August 16 Aryabhat Polytechnic, Deptt of Training & Technical Education, G T Karnal Road, Delhi 110033 Short-Term Non-Formal Courses
For the Handicapped 2) Repair & Maintenance of Electrical Gadgets 3) Motor Winding Technician Elig: Orthopaedically handicapped and deaf & dumb person Appln: Available free of cost with the Principal, at above add. Vocational August 12 ITI, Pusa, D/o Training &
Technical Educn, C-Block, Vikas Bhawan, I.P. Estate, New Delhi 110006 (Govt.
of N.C.T. of Delhi) Basic Training Course in Automobile Sector Appln F: Send Rs. 50/- by IPO favouring the "D.D.O., ITI, Pusa, New Delhi" with a stamped (Rs. 60/-) self-add, env (10 x 12 cm) by August 4. |
|
| HOME PAGE |
|
NEARLY 10 years ago, with the onset of dotcom era, exodus of IT workers from India to the US hogged the headlines. Currently, it is the nursing profession that is causing quite a stir. Away from the media glare, there is yet another category of Indian workers which is entering into Uncle Sam's territory, albeit silently-teachers.
THE growing demand of physiotherapists here and abroad, particularly as seen in the past two decades, has drawn a good number of students towards undergraduate courses in physiotherapy. Experts maintain that job opportunities are more if the students have a degree in physiotherapy than if they opt for traditional courses in arts and commerce. This is the source of attraction for the students. They can become specialists in health-related work within a few years.