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| EDUCATION TRIBUNE |
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Too many degrees, youth directionless
Racist incidents unnerve University of Virginia Campus
Notes: Punjabi University, Patiala |
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Too many degrees, youth directionless SO great is the significance of education in our life that from our ancient scriptures to the modern thinkers, all have glorified its role in various ways. Nonetheless, the purpose of education seems to be lost somewhere in the present era of stiff competition and shrinking job opportunities. The primary objective behind “studying” is not to acquire knowledge but job and a respectable social status. However, the situation becomes tough when after accumulating heaps of degrees, diplomas and other qualifications; college and university pass-outs fail to get a reasonable job and do not know which way to go. The problem is more pronounced in case of the youth having simple academic or “non-professional” qualifications. “After completing their school or college education, a majority of students blindly go in for the courses in vogue due to lack of proper guidance. After some time, a saturation point is reached in a given discipline and the rush is diverted in some other direction,” observes Dr R. S. Dalal, who heads the Directorate of Human Resource Management at Haryana Agricultural University in Hisar. “If one follows the trend during the past years, it is evident that initially, the law degree was the most sought-after one. After a few years, medicine became the top choice of students. A little later, it was engineering and in the recent years, the focus has shifted to management, communication, biotechnology and other such disciplines,” he points out. Dr Dalal asserts that such a situation has been created due to lack of proper manpower planning and management in accordance with the economic and social requirements of the country. On the other hand, Mr Ujjwal Singh, Convener of the ICSE and Principal of a reputed school in Hisar, blames the lack of commitment and half-hearted approach on part of the youth for the condition. “After completing their plus-two exams, the bright and hard-working students usually get selected in some professional courses. Others go in for graduation in some academic discipline. Of these, very few clear the Civil Services or some other prestigious exams, while the rest complete their graduation or post-graduation without any specific aim in their mind,” he remarks. Mr Singh laments that despite a plethora of lucrative opportunities in the teaching sector, very few youngsters adopt it as their career with whole-hearted dedication. He feels that the private sector should come forward to improve the quality of education by creating a healthy competition. Endorsing his views, Ms Sarojani Nandal, a faculty member with the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, opines that the mindset of acquiring higher education just to enhance one’s social status has to be changed. “The universities earn a good amount of money from the students by way of fees, but they give them very little in return. Apart from distributing degrees, the universities authorities should make it a point to provide adequate guidance and counselling to the students and help them chose a career,” she maintains. Ms Nandal observes that due to the lack of proper guidance and information, most of the university students have little awareness about the avenues in their respective fields. They have a limited vision and generally aim at getting government jobs. But owing to the population pressure and thousands of graduates and post-graduates passing out every year, it is practically impossible for the government to absorb all of them. Hence, they become frustrated and at times, resort to crime. However, even in this seemingly grim situation, there are some educationists who are upbeat regarding the future prospects. One of them is the newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of Guru Jambheshwar University, Hisar, Dr R. P. Bajpai, who has also served as Director of Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO) in Chandigarh, besides having held a number of responsible positions across the globe. “A technological revolution has already set in and the future belongs to India, owing to its youth force, abundant resources and technological advancement. The number of opportunities is going to multiply and there will be no dearth of jobs for our youth, irrespective of their area of study,” he asserts. Dr Bajpai maintains that technology is the driving force behind development and in view of merger of various educational disciplines, a synergy is being created in the realm of knowledge. “With the evolution of technology, its usability is going to increase and in such a scenario, the entire sociological environment is bound to change for betterment,” he says. Amen!
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Racist incidents unnerve University of Virginia AFTER class at the University of Virginia one night last week, sophomore Kyle Miller found a note attached to the windshield of his jeep. It wasn't a ticket; it was something hateful, racist, written in red ink, in all caps. Just a few weeks into the school year, U-Va. has had at least nine racist incidents—slurs shouted from cars, ugly words written on message boards, a racist threat scrawled on a bathroom wall. And students, parents and alumni are demanding change. “It's got to stop,” said Miller's mother, Alice Miller, executive director of the D.C. Board of Elections. On Friday, U-Va. President John T. Casteen III summoned students to the Rotunda, the heart of the historic campus in Charlottesville. He urged students to demonstrate unity against racial intolerance. The approximately 250 students who had gathered on the Lawn pinned black ribbons to their shirts. “A lot of people were wondering what the university's stance was,”' third-year student Janelle Todman of Pelham, N.Y., said afterward. “This showed they're really acting. It's not just empty rhetoric.” The university has had a troubled racial history, and reaction to the recent incidents—all directed at black students—has been stark. M. Rick Turner, dean of African American affairs, said the climate is the worst he has seen in his 18 years with the university. “I call it racial terrorism— it's gone beyond racial incidents.
— LAT/WP
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Campus Notes:
Punjabi University, Patiala COUNSELLORS and students of the Department of Psychology, Punjabi University, Patiala, held a career counselling and guidance session at the DAV Public School, Bhupindra road, Patiala. It also served as a field trip for 14 students of Diploma in Guidance and Counselling and 10 students of the MA-II psychology. The team of university counsellors Tarika Sandhu, Ruby Gupta, Dr Sukhminder Kaur, research scholar, Shilpa Thakur and Lecturer Dr Mamata Sharma conducted tests of intelligence, aptitude, personality, interests, anxiety and adjustment on approximately 125 students of 10th and 11th standards. The interpretation and counselling was done by the university team, while diploma and MA-II students took care of the administration and scoring. According to the team, the response of the students was overwhelming. The Principal, Mr S. M. Devgan, said he would write to the Vice-Chancellor to continue with the sessions. Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar
Symposium on forage research
A two-day national symposium on advances in forage research and sustainable animal production organised on the university campus concluded with a clarion call to strengthen the researches on forage crops to ensure more profit for the small and marginal farmers whose main source of income is livestock. Nearly 100 agricultural scientists participated in the symposium, which was organised by the Indian Society of forage Research. Another major recommendation that emerged after deliberations was the identification of alternative forage crops, which could be successfully grown on wastelands and problematic soils. Considering the dependence of a vast majority of animals on grasslands, it was stressed that the NGOs and government agencies came forward to develop pastures on panchayat lands. In the plenary session, the HAU Director of Research, Dr R. K. Malik, stressed the transfer of production technology of forage crops to the farmers so that they could get more production per unit area. Dr Y. S. Parmar University, Nauni, Solan
Playing the blame game
Even as the various fungus-infested products, including jams and pickles, were withdrawn from the sale by the Department of Extension Education, the parent Department of Post Harvest Technology (PHT) and the manufacturer has refused to take them back. While the PHT department has advised the extension department to dispose of these products on its own, the latter is endeavouring to return them. To escape the onus of responsibility, both departments are trying to blame each other for the poor handling of products. The Vice-Chancellor, however, opines that the Head of the Department of PHT should take an appropriate action, if he finds any one erring in the matter. Compiled by Rubinder Gill at Patiala, Sunit Dhawan at Hisar and Ambika Sharma at Solan.
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ADMISSION DEADLINE
Biological Science
October 17 Bioinformatics National Certification Exam Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree in Science, Pharmacy, Engineering, Agriculture, Veterinary and Medical Sciences, Ayurveda, Homeopathy from recognised Indian Universities and Institutions. PGs and Ph.D. in these disciplines are also eligible. Exam: 12-13 November ‘05 Application Form: Download registration form from the website and send with Rs 600/- by DD favouring “Registrar, University of Pune” payable only to Nationalized Banks in Pune to the The Co-ordinator, BioInformatics National Certification (BINC) Examination, C/o Director at above address. Details: Employment News (3-9 September)/ Website September 20 University of Madras, Department of Zoology, Guindy Campus, Chennai 600025 (TN) PG Diploma in Immunotechnology (2-year) Eligibility: Master’s degree in Zoology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Biotechnology, Life Sciences, Allied Health Science, MBBS & BDS Application Form: Send Rs 250/- by DD favouring “Registrar, University of Madras/ Dean, Industrial Consultancy” with stamped (Rs 10/-) self-addressed envelope to the Registrar at above address.
Engineering
October 28 PG Diploma in Mechanical Wood Industries Technology Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree in Sc/ Engineering, Age Limit: 28 years (as on 1 December ‘05) Selection: Merit Application Form: Download from website. September 14 C R State College of Engineering, Murthal, Sonepat 131039 (Har) ME (Mechanical, Electrical) Eligibility: BE/ BTesh (55%) in relevant areas Application Form: At counter Rs 600/- September 21 National Power Training Institute (NPTI), South Ambazari Road, Opp VNIT, Gopal Nagar, Nagpur 440022 (M/o Power, GoI) Operation & Maintenance of Transmission & Distribution System (26 Weeks) Eligibility: BE/ BTech (Electrical, Electronics, Power Engineering). Selection: Merit (% of marks). Application Form: Send in prescribed format with Rs. 300/ - by DD favouring “NPTI” payable at Nagpur, 2 passport size photographs and 2 self-addressed envelope (5” x 10”) to the Principal Director at above add.
IT
September 21 Certificate in Computer Programming (1-year) Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree/Diploma in Engineering /Class XII (on merit) Application Form: At Counter: Rs 25/-. September 21 University of Pune, D/o Electronic Science, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune 411007. (Mah) Diploma in Computer Aided Product Design (1-year) Eligibility: BE/BTech (Mechanical, Production, Automobile). Selection: Entrance Exam: 24 September ’05 & Interview: 25 September ’05. Candidates with valid GATE/GRE/CEED score exempted from written test. Application Form: Download from website. Details: Employment News (3-9 September)/ Website
Language
September 15 Diploma in Computer Application & Multi-Lingual DTP (1-year) Eligibility: 10+2 (Sc stream preferred) Age: 17-35 yrs. Selection: Interview: 16 – 18 September Application Form & Details: Employment News (3-9 September)/ Website September 30 ITM CEO School, 25/ 26, Sector- 4, Institutional Area, Kharghar (E), Navi Mumbai 410210 (Mah) PG Programme in Financial Management Eligibility: Graduates with CAT/ XAT/GMAT scores Details: Contact the above address.
Medicine
September 15 Fellowship in Emergency Medicine Eligibility: MBBS, MCI/State registration. Details: Contact the above address.
Scholarships
September 15 National Olympiads in Physics, Chemistry, Biology & Astronomy
(leading to participation in International Olympiads 2006) Eligibility: Stage I: National Standard Exam in Physics Stage II: 250 toppers in each subject will qualify for Indian National Olympiads in Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry & Biology. Stage III: Training of selected teams for International Science Olympiads & International Olympiad at HBCSE & at Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai. Details: Contact Prof. M L Ogalapurkar at the above address or Prof R M Dharkar, 1/22, Devendu, Mithbundar Road, Thane – 400603 or log on to the website.
Schools
February 15 International Baccalaureate Diploma (2-year) Eligibility: Class 10 or 11 Indian students. DoB: 01 September ’88 - 28 February ‘91 Application Form: Send Rs. 600/- by DD favouring “United World Colleges Committee (India)” payable at Mumbai with a stamped (Rs 50/-) self-addressed envelope (25 x 12 cm) to the above address by 31 January or download from website Details: Website. University: September 29 Kurukshetra University, Directorate of Correspondence Courses, Kurukshetra 136119
(Har) http://kuk.ernet.in Traditional, Professional & Lateral Entry Courses Appln F: Send Rs. 250/- by DD favouring “Registrar, KU” payable at Kurukshetra/ Thanesar, with two self-addressed slips to the above address./ download from website. Details: Employment News (3-9 September)/ Website September 30 Madurai Kamaraj University, Directorate of Distance Education, Palkalai Nagar, Madurai 625021 (TN)
www.mkudde.org IT/ Professional/Bachelor’s /Master’s Degree /PG Diploma /MPhil /Certificate /OUS /Diploma Courses Details: Website. Vocational September 20 Small Industries Service Institute, (M/o SSI, GoI), Capt. Gaur Marg, Opp Modi Flour Mills, Okhla, New Delhi 110020 Repairing & Maintenance of Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Equipments Eligibility: Class10/ ITI, Age: 18 years and above Application Form: Send Bio-data (mention course, name & address, telephone number, father’s name, DoB, Qualification, Work Experience, if any) with a passport size photograph to above address. Superscribe “EDP on R & AC” on envelope. |
