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| EDUCATION TRIBUNE |
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B.Ed loses way
Scholars pay attention to debt
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B.Ed loses way
Believed to fetch easy jobs for the lakhs of unemployed youth, B.Ed is being pursued by the majority of the youth without any definite career objective. With a possé of trained teachers available everywhere, private educational institutes have adopted the hire and fire policy. The training that the teachers get in these mushrooming institutes can also be brought into question. “From the earlier aptitude-oriented approach, teachers are now forced to adopt a result-oriented approach,” says Mr Ravi Sharma, who has been serving in an IPSC school for nearly seven years. “Though trained to adopt a pragmatic approach, a teacher today is expected to not only finish the lengthy syllabus but also spare enough time for revision. Dwelling more on sample papers to ensure that students perform to their optimum capacity, the system has become examination specific,” says Mr Sharma. A section of teachers argues that while a B.Ed course lays stress on an amicable student-teacher ratio, there are no psychological inputs to enable a teacher to handle a class of more than 100. A college lecturer says that today less well qualified teachers teach in private B.Ed colleges, while the better qualified ones have to enroll in this course to secure some job. With over 9 lakh unemployed youth in Himachal Pradesh and 30 B.Ed colleges, nearly 3,000 trained teachers are churned out annually. Nearly 5,000 students manage to procure B.Ed degrees from the adjoining Jammu and Kashmir, where 60 per cent seats are reserved for Himachali students in 110 colleges. It is the huge amount of fee and not the merit of the course that does the trick here. One may not attend the requisite number of classes, but if one just shells out some money, any exemption can be procured. The manner in which the state government has liberally granted permission to open as many as 28 institutes in the private sector has created certain problems. While districts like Kangra, Mandi and Hamirpur boast of having five, six and five colleges each, it is the problem of training that adds to the peril of the nearby schools. With six colleges in Mandi town alone having 300 students in the B.Ed course each, they are forced to train their students, often several batches, in the same schools. Hamirpur with six institutes faces a similar problem. With declining job opportunities in the government sector, procuring a job as a teacher was, until some years back, considered convenient. The hopes of lakhs of aspirants have been dashed with repeated examinations getting cancelled due to various political reasons. While 600 trained graduate teachers selected by the former BJP government never got recruited, another 300 who were declared selected a few months back await appointment. All this has further frustrated trained teachers, with degrees in other courses like nursing and tourism promising better opportunities.
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Scholars pay attention to debt
Deceleration in agricultural growth in 1990s is regarded as one of the most important factors responsible for increasing indebtedness of farmers in agriculturally advanced states in the country. All-India figures showed 48.6 per cent farmers were under debt, with Andhra Pradesh topping the list. Punjab now has 65.4 per cent of its farmers under debt, who are wondering how to get out of this vicious cycle of credit and indebtedness? Why do farmers commit suicide? What can be a possible solution to this social crisis? Economists R. S. Sidhu of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, and Sucha Singh Gill of Punjabi University, Patiala, offer some answers. “Given the seriousness of the emerging situation, the PAU scientists and economists have been working on ‘modules’ to help small and marginal farmers re-energise farming for sustainable production and profits sans loans,” says Prof. of Economics, Dr A. S. Joshi. The department, said Dr Joshi, would study credit flow and indebtedness, agrarian crisis in the backdrop of changes in land structure, debt, distress of farmers, diversification: options and strategies, alternatives for improving economics of farmers and explore potential market for high value crops. Dr Sidhu and Dr Gill said there were three challenges before the financial institutions catering to the agriculture sector for accelerating growth: flow of credit should increase, accessibility of formal credit to the rural poor, disadvantaged and agriculturally less developed regions should improve, and economic viability of rural banking operations should be ensured. The need is to fine-tune the Kisan Credit Card and the self-help group systems. Indebtedness was high in the high-intensive-agriculture regions, where agriculture showed commercial contours.
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PAU, Ludhiana Organic food for farmers: The PAU has evolved in new model to supplement cereal-based diet of the Punjab
farmers by introducing the concept of organic nutrition kitchen gardens. The model revolves around inculcating the habit of “nutritious and balanced” food intake among the hardworking farming families by including pulses, fruits and vegetables in their daily diet. The Vice-Chancellor, Dr. K. S. Aulakh, has asked the Directorate of Extension Education to set up “integrated organic farming model kitchen gardens” units at all 15 Krishi Vigyan Kendras of the PAU in the state. A three-kanal garden,
scientists say, will yield pulses, fruits and vegetables for a family of eight. Punjabi University, Patiala Grant for Chair:
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has released an annual grant of Rs 7 lakh for Sri Guru Teg Bahadur National Integration Chair at the university. Dr Baltej Singh Mann, Professor and Head of the Chair and Resource Mobilisation Department, said that the DSGMC had further assured the VC to contribute for the Guru Gobind Singh Rural University at Talwandi Sabo to be established during 2006. Earlier, a delegation of the DSGMC met the VC and appreciated the Golden Heart Scholarship Scheme for the rural students of Yadavindra College of Engineering, Talwandi Sabo. — Contributed by
Amarjit Thind and Rubinder Gill
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Agriculture Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry, Nauni, Solan (HP) www.ysparmaruniversity.ac.in PhD in: 1) College of Horticulture: Biotechnology, Entomology & Apiculture, Floriculture & Landscaping, Fruit Breeding & Genetic Resources, Mycology & Plant Pathology, Pomology, Post Harvest Technology & Vegetable Crops 2) College of Forestry: Agriculture Economics, Agroforestry, Forest Products, Silviculture, Soil Science & Water Management, Tree Improvement & Genetic Resources Eligibility: MSc in relevant subject (65% or OCPA 6.5/ 10.00) Selection: Interview: For 1: 23 January ’06. For 2: 24 January ’06. Application Form: Send Rs 300/- by DD favouring the "Comptroller, Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry" payable at State Bank of Patiala, Nauni to the Registrar at the above address or download from website. Details: Website Application Deadline: 18 January 2006 Fashion Army Institute of
Fashion and Design, ITI ‘B’ Area Sheds, Dooravani Nagar, Old
Madras Road, Bangalore 560016 (Kar) 1) PG Diploma in Fashion Technology (2-year) 2) PG Diploma in Apparel Merchandising & Logistics Mgmt & MBA (2-year Dual Degree programme in association with IIMM) 3) BSc in Fashion and
Apparel Design (3-year) Eligibility: For 1
& 2: Bachelor’s degree. Selection: Admission Test: 22 April ’06 Application Form: Send Rs 350/- by DD favouring "Army Institute of Fashion & Design" payable at Bangalore to the above address or download from website. Application Deadline: 15 March 2006 The Apparel Training & Design Centre (ATDC), NBCC Tower, 15 Bhikaji Cama Place, New Delhi 110066 www.aepcindia.com 1) Diploma in Apparel Manufacturing Technology (1-year) 2) Diploma in Knit Garment Manufacturing Technology (1-year) 3) Diploma in Fashion Sampling/ Co-ordination (1-year) 4) Diploma In Textile Design (1-year) 5) Production Supervision & Quality Control Course (6-month) 6) Textile Appreciation Course (6-month) 7) Pattern/ Cutting Master Course (6-month) 8) Machine Mechanic Course (4-month) 9) Finishing/ Packaging Supervisor Course (3-month) 10) Sewing Machine Operator Course (3-month) 11) Measurement & Quality Control Course (3-month) 12) Apparel Merchandising (3-month) (Courses offered at 14 ATDC centers in India. Special morning classes for working people) Eligibility: For 1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9: 10+2.For 7, 8, 11: Class 10. Selection: Oral aptitude test/ interview. Application Form: Send Rs 140/ - by DD favouring "Apparel Training & Design Centre" payable at A-223, Okhla Industrial. Area, Phase-I, New Delhi 110020.’ Details: Employment News (10-16 December 2005)/ Website Application Deadline: 30 December 2005 Engineering Birla Institute of
Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani 333031 (Raj). BITS Admission Test (BITSAT)-2006 (For admission to Integrated First Degree Programmes) 1) Pilani Campus: BE (Hons), BPharm (Hons), MSc (Hons), MSc (Tech) 2) Goa Campus: BE (Hons), MSc (Hons), MSc (Tech) Eligibility: 10+2 (Physics, Chemistry, Maths; 60% each, 80% aggregate). Proficiency in English Details: Website. Application Deadline: 31 January 2006 Central Institute of
Plastics Engineering & Technology, CAD/CAM Centre, 201 & 202
Pavani Anasuya Towers, Tarnaka, Hyderabad 500017 (AP) Master’s Programme in CAD/ CAM/ CAE (5-month) Details: Employment News (10-16 December 2005) Application Deadline: 03 January 2006 — Pervin Malhotra@www.careerguidanceindia.com
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“Knowledge is the only instrument of production that is not subject to diminishing returns.” Reversing the well-placed perception portrayed in these words spoken by J. M. Clarke in the Journal of Political Economy, the blind race for acquiring a Bachelors in Education (B.Ed) degree has reduced it to “knowledge promising little gains”.