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Primary education crisis SCVT leaves technical institutes in limbo
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Primary education crisis Political considerations apart, the establishment of such institutions is a positive development in the state history. In view of the rising unemployment and intense competition in the job market, provision of specialised professional and technical courses is the need of the hour. However, the crucial aspect of primary education, which forms the basis of higher learning, continues to be neglected in spite of its vital significance. This, despite the fact that right to elementary education is a fundamental right and successive governments have been talking of providing free and compulsory education to every child. Tall claims in this regard notwithstanding, the condition of primary education in the state is deplorable. Most government primary schools are understaffed and lack proper infrastructure. The teachers serving in these schools are supposed to take care of the administrative work as well. Since the teaching staff is usually already short, the standard of education suffers, with teachers remaining engaged in sorting official post and other such responsibilities. Moreover, lack of accountability on part of the teachers, coupled with their reluctance to work in rural areas, also contribute to the rot of the primary education system. Most of the teachers posted in the rural areas either try to get themselves transferred to their hometown. “It is high time that the government focused it attention on improving the quality of primary education in the state-run schools, especially those located in the villages,” says Prof G. R. Godara, a noted educationist and social activist of the region. He points out that in the past few decades, the number of educational institutions as well as expenditure incurred on education have increased manifold. The use of modern teaching aids and advanced techniques like educational satellites are also in vogue. “On the other hand, in villages, the standard of education in general and primary education in particular have witnessed an alarming decline due to the lack of a strong political will or social initiative,” he maintains. Thus, apart from weakening the foundation of the village students, the deficient primary education also creates a noticeable divide between the rural and urban students. The rural students find themselves lagging far behind than their urban counterparts in communication skills, which are a pre-requisite in the job market. According to experts, the procedure employed for the selection of primary teachers also needs to be reviewed in view of the sensitive nature of the matter. “The first six years of a child’s life are very crucial. The impressions formed during this period have a lasting impact on the child’s psyche. Hence, the teachers employed for primary classes should have the right aptitude to deal with the tender minds of their students,” says Dr Jyotsana, in charge of the Department of Applied Psychology at Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar. She suggests that the selectors should involve trained psychologists while recruiting teachers for young children. “Many a time, rough or rude behaviour of teachers curbs creativity, discourages inquisitiveness and leaves permanent scars on the young and impressionable minds,” she asserts, adding that the primary teachers should also have a certain degree of tenderness and a tendency to motivate the children. In a welfare state, providing quality education is one of the basic functions of the government. In view of the prevailing situation, it is high time that the government takes effective measures in fulfilling this primary responsibility.
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SCVT leaves technical institutes in limbo After
having begun various vocational courses in fits and starts last year, it is the inordinate delay that has cost around 300 vocational training institutes dear in Himachal Pradesh this year. The delayed admissions have held up the commencement of this year’s academic session. In a bid to expand vocational education, the number of technical institutes was raised to around 300 this year from 112. Each institute had to go through a two-tier inspection procedure to obtain recognition from the State Council of Vocational Training (SCVT). While the first inspection was carried out of the building and other basic nitty-gritty, the second and more exhaustive inspection took several months. This delayed the counselling to the 16 courses, out of which six have been introduced this year. As per the technical education policy of the directorate, it endeavoured to add around 100 institutes to the existing 112 institutes. The beleaguered students who waited for months together for the session to begin finally sought admission in the nearby institutes of Punjab and Haryana. As against 34,000 students, who had applied last year in the 112 institutes, only 12,000 students sought admission to the nearly 300 institutes. This has led to a situation where some institutes got either no or few seats in some courses like ayurveda pharmacy, travel and tourism, marketing and advertising, mass communication, plumber and sanitation, etc. A last minute decision of the directorate to effect a change in the minimum eligibility condition for ayurveda pharmacy drew very few students to it. As against the earlier Plus Two with arts, it has now been changed to Plus Two with science. To add to the woes, the directorate has failed to supply the syllabus to the six new courses initiated this year. This includes the much-awaited courses in textile printing, which are in great demand in the expanding textile industry of the state. It has however directed the institutes to admit students on their own till November 15. The president of the SCVT, Dr Chandershekar, while lamenting the sudden change in minimum eligibility conditions, said this was largely responsible for the low response to this course. The two-year diploma, which was initiated last year, had drawn immense rush earlier. The technical education directorate delayed counselling to this course and it began as late as in mid October. Interestingly, after conducting a survey the directorate found that only 10 per cent students were from the science stream, while the remaining were from the arts stream. As a result, thousands of exasperated students who waited for the SCVT session to begin finally secured admission to the nearby institutes of Punjab and Haryana. This left only few students in the state. An estimation of the poor response can be gauged from the fact that only 60 students applied for 700 seats falling in the two districts of Solan and Sirmaur. Therefore, the 15 institutes in these districts could get only handful of students. The educated unemployed youth, who started running these institutes after investing lakhs, now rue that they will not be able to meet their expenses with scarce presence of students. The SCVT which began the vocational courses amid much fanfare not only lacks the professional approach, but also appears to have been reduced to a directorate doing lip service only.
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Dr Y.S.Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni Scientists contribute more to NGOs: Thakur Stressing
the need for transferring the latest technical know-how from the lab to fields, Forest Minister Ram Lal Thakur has called upon the scientific community to work wholeheartedly in this direction. He said it was appalling to note that the percentage of technology percolating to the field level was abysmally low. He was addressing scientists on the university campus on the occasion of a state-level workshop on 'Package of Practices for Forestry Plants'. Illustrating his point, he said during a recent visit to C.S.S Agriculture University, Palampur, he noted that an average farmer benefited very little from technological advancements. Taking a strong exception to the working of scientists, he said it was a matter of surprise and concern that they were contributing little to their jobs but a variety of innovative ideas struck them once they retired and formed NGOs. He exhorted the scientists to diversify from organic farming. He said the plantation of medicinal plants should be undertaken after carrying out a market analysis of its utility. Guru Jambheshwar University of
Science and Technology, Hisar IT fest gains ground
KshITij, the fifth annual IT fest organised by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, was organised on the university campus recently. The two-day fest was inaugurated by the Vice-Chancellor, Dr R.P.Bajpai, who informed the participants about the vast opportunities in the IT sector. He exhorted the students to accept the challenge of matching software designs with upcoming high-speed processors and communication devices. The head of the host department, Dr Yogesh Chaba, who was also the organising secretary of the event, welcomed the chief guest, while Dr Dharmender Kumar proposed a vote of thanks. Ms Jyoti, Lecturer, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, coordinated the fest. The IT fest, which made a modest beginning in 2002, has since become a major platform for the students of various technical institutes and universities of Haryana and nearby states for showing their eloquence in IT as well as non-technical events. This year's fest comprises eight technical and 15 non-technical events. Nearly 300 participants have registered for various events, including IT quiz, programming zone, mock parliament, Press conference, introductory session and so on. —Contributed by Ambika Sharma
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Armed Forces Indian Air Force, Command Education Officer, HQ Western Air Command, IAF, Subroto Park, New Delhi 110010 www.careerairforce.nic.in Ground Duty Officers Course (Men) Short Service Commission Course (Men & Women)
1) Administration & Logistics Branch 2) Accounts Branch Selection: Common Entrance Test (CET): 4 February ’07; Medical examination. Details: Employment News (4 – 10 November) / Website. Application Deadline: 2 December 2006 Art & Design National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Gandhinagar & Bangalore (M/o Textiles,
GoI) www.niftindia.com 1) BFTech (Fashion / Leather / Textile / Knitwear / Accessory / Communication)
2) BFTech in Apparel Production 2) MFTech in Management 3) MFTech in Apparel Production Eligibility: For 1: 10+2 / Diploma (3 - 4 years)
For 2: 10+2 (PCM) For 3: Bachelor’s degree / Diploma (Accessory / Fashion Design / FIT)
For 4: BE / BTech (Textile / Apparel / Mechanical / Industrial / Production / Electronics / Computer Science / IT)
Selection: Written Test: 11 February ’07; Situation Test (For 1 & 2). GD & Interview (For 3 & 4): April - May ‘07 Details: Website. Application Deadline: 22 December 2006 The Apparel Training & Design Centre (ATDC), Apparel House, Institutional Area, Sector 44, Gurgaon (Har) (M/o Textiles,
GoI) www.aepcindia.com 1) Diploma in Apparel Manufacturing Tech
(1-year) 2) Diploma in Knit Garment Manufacturing Tech (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) Garment Construction Course
(4-month) 10) Sewing Machine Operator Course (3-month) 11) Measurement & Quality Control Course
(3-month) 12) Apparel Merchandising (3-month)
13) CAD / CAM Course (1˝-month) (Courses offered at 14 ATDC centers in India. Special morning classes for working people) Eligibility: For 1 - 6: 10+2.
For 7, 8, 9 & 11: Class 10. For 10: Class 8. For 12: Bachelors degree / Diploma in AMT / IIHT.
For 13: 10+2 / Diploma (AMT / IIHT / PSQC / PCMC) Selection: Oral Aptitude Test / Interview. Application Form: Send Rs 140/ - by DD favouring “Apparel Training & Design Centre,” to A-223, Okhla Industrial. Area, Phase-I, New Delhi 110020 or at the nearest regional centre. Details: Employment News (4 - 10 November 2006) / Website Application Deadline: 8 December 2006 Engineering IIT Guwahati, Guwahati 781039 (Assam) www.iitg.ernet.in/jam / www.iitg.ac.in/jam Joint Admission Test for admission to MSc (JAM-2007): 1) MSc Programmes (2-year)
(at IIT-Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, Roorkee) 2) MCA & MTech (Applied Geology) (3-year)
(at IIT-Roorkee) 3) MSc-PhD Dual Degree (at IIT- Kanpur, Bombay) Exam: 15 March 2007. Details: Website. Application Deadline: 12 January 2007 IIT - Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, Roorkee, IT-BHU, Varanasi & ISM Dhanbad www.jee.iitd.ac.in / www.jee.iitb.ac.in / www.jee.iitk.ac.in / www.jee.iitm.ac.in / www.iitg.ac.in/jee / www.iitkgp.ernet.in/jee / www.iitr.ac.in/jee Joint Entrance Exam-2007 (JEE-2007) Eligibility: 10+2 (60%)
Only 2 attempts are allowed – 1 in the year of passing the qualifying exam and / or second in the following year. Students who have taken admission in IITs, IT-BHU, Varanasi and ISM, Dhanbad, will be debarred from taking JEE in future. Exception: Those who have passed the qualifying exam in 2006 or earlier are eligible to take the JEE irrespective of their marks.
DoB: 1 October ‘82 Exam: 8 April ‘07. Application Form: Send Rs 1000/- (Rs 500/- for all Female & SC / ST candidates) by DD drawn on any nationalized bank favouring “Chairman, JEE” of the respective IIT, payable at the corresponding city with 2 self-addressed slips to the concerned IIT by 15 December ’06 and designated bank counters. Details: Employment News (4 – 10 November 2006) / Website. Application Deadline: 29 December 2006 Pt. Dwarka Prasad Mishra Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design & Manufacturing, IT Building, Jabalpur Engineering College, Ranjhi, Jabalpur 482011 (MP) (M/o HRD,
GoI) www.iiitdm.in MTech (Computer Science & Engg / Mechanical Engg) Eligibility: BE / BTech (55%) with a valid GATE score / Master’s degree (55%). Application Form: Download from website. Application Deadline: 20 November 2006 IT Haryana Urdu Akademi, HN 431, Sector 2, Panchkula (Har) (M/o HRD, GoI)
Ph: 2561412 Diploma in Computer Applications & Multilingual DTP Details: Contact the Secretary of the Akademi. CMC Computer Education, PTI Building, 4 Sansad Marg, New Delhi 110001
www.cmcltd.com 1) IT Infrastructure 2) Software Technology 3) Knowledge Process Outsourcing
(Mumbai and Kolkata centres) Eligibility: For 1: BE / BTech / Diploma in Engg / BSc / BCom
For 2: BE / MCA / MSc For 3: BCom / BMS Details: Website Language Central Institute of English & Foreign Languages (CIEFL), Hyderabad 500007 (AP) www.ciefl.ac.in PG Certificate in Teaching of English Eligibility: MA English Application Form: Send Rs 300/- by DD favouring “The Registrar, CIEFL, Hyderabad-500007,” payable at Hyderabad to the Registrar at the above address. Details: Website Application Deadline: 31 December 2006 Management Army Institute of Management & Technology, Plot M-1, Pocket P-5, Greater Noida 201306 (UP) (affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi)
www.aimt.ac.in MBA Program (2-year) Eligibility: Wards of serving and retired army personnel only; Bachelors degree (50%); Selection: CAT 2006 score; GD; Interview Application Form: Send Rs 550/- by DD favouring “AIMT,” payable at Noida to the above address or download from website. Application Deadline: 10 December 2006 Indira Gandhi National Open University, Old Govt College Campus, Railway Road, Karnal (Har) www.ignou.ac.in 1) Master of Business Administration (MBA) 2) Diploma in Management (DIM)
3) PG Diploma (Mgmt / Human Resource Mgmt / Financial Mgmt / Operations Mgmt / Marketing Mgmt) Eligibility: Bachelors degree + 3 years work experience / BE / BTech / MBBS / BArch / LLB / any professional degree (Accountancy, CWA, CS) / Master’s degree. Selection: OPENMAT-XXI: 04 February 2007 Application Form: Download from website. Application Deadline: 30 November 2006 Management Development Institute (MDI), Mehrauli Road, Sukhrali, Gurgaon 122001 (Har) www.mdi.ac.in 1) Fellow Program in Management (3-4 year, Resid) 2) Executive Fellow Program in Management (4-5 year, Non-Resid) Eligibility: For 1 & 2: Masters degree / Diploma in Business Mgmt (55%). MBE / MFC / HRM degree holders may also apply.
For 2: Work experience (10 years) Age Limit: 35 years (on 01 January ‘07) Selection: Test; Interview. Application Form: Send Rs. 1550/- by DD favouring “Management Development Institute,” payable at New Delhi to the above address by 20 December ’06 Details: Website. Application Deadline: 26 December 2006 University of Delhi, Department of Commerce, Delhi School of Economics, Delhi 110007 www.commercedsedu.org 1) Master of International Business (2-year) 2) Master of Human Resource & Organizational Development (2-year) Eligibility: Bachelors degree (50%) Selection: Common Entrance Test: 04 February 2007 Application Form: Send Rs 600/- (for one course) / Rs 900/- (for both courses) by DD favouring “Registrar, University of Delhi” or download from website.
Application Deadline: 17 January 2007 — Pervin Malhotra
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