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| EDUCATION TRIBUNE |
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Make agri-education relevant
Has your child taken to drugs?
Campus NoteS
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Make agri-education relevant AGRICULTURE is the force to propel economic growth in our country. Also, it provides livelihood to majority of population directly or indirectly. The ushering of green, white, yellow and blue revolutions and the comfortable food grain situation that resulted, are the outcome of capable human resource developed by the agricultural education system. However, fast-changing agricultural scenario and emerging challenges can’t be overlooked. The ongoing process of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation after the implementation of the WTO accord has thrown up numerous challenges for the prevailing agricultural education system. Therefore, while taking justifiable pride in achievements, it is difficult to overlook stagnation in agricultural production, rising unemployment, fast degrading natural resources and resultant declining agricultural growth in recent years. To meet these challenges, it is imperative to reorient our agri-education to produce competent manpower. The present system needs to be more flexible, providing students to opt for courses of their interest, besides compulsory courses following “cafeteria approach”. There should be sufficient number of courses to fulfil the need of interdisciplinary specialisations. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research, having its agricultural education wing established in 1966, has primary responsibility to coordinate and make agri-education more relevant and responsive to the emerging societal demands. Four Deans’ committees constituted so far have provided guidelines for the amelioration of undergraduate teaching programmes from time to time. The revision and restructuring of the course curricula for postgraduate programmes are underway by a committee constituted by the ICAR under the chairmanship of Dr J. C. Katyal, Vice-Chancellor, Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, to bring precision and uniformity. However, due to diverse nature and demands of state agriculture, there is room and provision for SAUs to make necessary changes within the basic framework to meet the regional considerations. It is important that while implementing various modifications, this education system should become more responsive to market demands, farmers aspirations and industrial needs. Equally important is to sensitise students to agricultural problems in context of recent developments. The students should put efforts to understand complex problems and develop an aptitude to work in multidisciplinary environment. Academic programmes have to be suitably revised so as to reflect modern realities, challenges and opportunities. The competence of today’s graduates doesn’t adequately meet the requirements of emerging market trends. The fast-changing market necessitates a complete re-look at the curricula content as well its delivery to enable the graduates to meet the expectations of stakeholders for propelling the growth of agriculture. Academic programmes should realign with emerging changes, build sustainability perspective, and move from mono disciplinary basic to multidisciplinary applied subjects and professional courses. There is need for inclusion of courses on the new emerging sciences and technologies like environmental sciences precision farming, biotechnology, microbiology, meteorology, GIS and GPA, agricultural marketing, agribusiness management, international trade, post-harvest technologies, value addition and information-related space technology, etc. In the present context, priority should be given to courses on natural resources management. Agribusiness is a new and fast-expanding area which has great potential having vast opportunities. New supermarket chains have come up to deal with the increasing domestic demands and tremendous export potential of farm produce. A number of multinationals have already entered and many are expected to follow. Investment of about US$ 5.6 billion by Reliance Fresh in retail chain of stores is likely to bring a change and usher a new era in retail market of fresh farm produce. Rothschild (UK) and Bharti Group collaboration is focusing on export of vegetables and fresh fruits from Punjab to the US, Canada and certain Asian countries. Pepsico has enhanced farmers’ interest in production of basmati rice, potatoes, chilies, barley, etc. A special five-year programme on the plantation of sweet orange trees in Punjab will boost the Tropicana juice production. Besides this, programmes are underway to extend benefits of Internet facilities to farmers. A number of corporate as well as cooperatives are expanding business with their entry into farming like contract farming for seed production and floriculture. While these developments will create enormous job opportunities for agriculture graduates, it is equally important for such graduates to be agriculture literate and even experts, which is only possible through necessary changes in existing curricula to make agricultural education more relevant to meet the market demands. Practical training is an integral and essential component which requires due consideration. The delivery of ever-expanding knowledge base and enormous amount of information within the same timeframe has adversely affected practical training both qualitatively and quantitatively. It needs its due place in this performing type of education, where competence is possible primarily through practical. Therefore, enough practical rural/on field/in-plant experience should be imparted to graduating students, to strengthen skill development. This is possible through experiential learning by placing graduating students to work in farms, in private and public sector industrial units associated with agriculture like agro processing units, pesticide and agrochemical industry and commercial farms, e.g., seed, flowers and vegetable production. Introduction of internship for a prescribed period is advisable for which pilot training units may be established in SAUs itself. Experience attained during internship can help the passing out graduates for setting up of agribusiness activities and agro service centres. Information and communication technologies (ICT) have expanded at a spectacular speed, and their use in agricultural education can’t be ignored any more. It could help in the delivery of quality education and training programmes in agriculture and allied fields to the people living in remote areas. However, at present there is little training in agri-education teaching programmes to make our students ICT literates. It is high time to design courses on agri-informatics to make agriculture graduates competent enough to take full advantage of available database and make advancements with frontier knowledge. Emphasis needs to be given on crafting job-oriented, add-on courses to meet the need for vocational trainings in animal husbandry and dairy technology, seed production, apiculture, sericulture, mushroom cultivation, farm machines, etc. Another major factor is to check the decline in teaching methodology and quality of instructions being imparted to students. It is mainly due to lack of faculty competence in new and emerging frontier areas, extensive inbreeding and lack of adequate teaching skill and will. The teaching methodology should include case studies, problem-solving approach, practical exercises, workshops and brainstorming sessions. To improve faculty competence, it requires to identify and encourage core teachers, develop minimum norms and standards for teaching, impose accountability and provide opportunities for skill enhancement in specialised areas to make agri-education more modern and demand driven. The writer is Director Research, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar |
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Has your child taken to drugs? “Is my child a substance abuser?” This is a very scary question that many parents worry about these days. Unfortunately, many parents don’t know about the bad habit towards which their child has been dragged into. In fact, no parents can imagine that their child is a substance abuser. However, the fact is that the impact of the West and peer pressure are pushing teenagers in this direction. This problem has to be dealt with very carefully. Parents should keep an eye on their children and notice the changes in his/her personality and behaviour. The change in personality can be the onset of puberty also, but it gets worse due to the substance abuse. Parents should notice if their child sits staring into space a lot, not focusing on anything, etc. These changes in the behaviour of your child and his outlook towards life should alert you. Be careful if your child’s friends are drug abusers and he is spending too much time with them. If he remains isolated for a long time, look out for reasons. If he comes home very late and cleans out refrigerator, but still there is marked weight-loss or he disappears into the bathroom immediately after eating and starts vomiting, there is a cause for the parents to worry. If the eyes of your kid are red and you find eyedrops in his room or pockets, he is either smoking or possibly huffing, which can cause very serious damage to the brain. Finding breath fresheners might indicate an attempt to hide smell of alcohol or smoke. You need to check when a peculiar smell regularly keeps coming out of teen’s room. The road to substance abuse is easy through huffing, as these are easily available at home such as sniffing petrol from the fuel tanks of vehicles or inhaling perfumes by dousing cotton or cloth. Too much use of cold and cough medicines can also be indicative of substance abuse. If you child is on medication, check to see if he takes the medicines or not. There are many other things around the house that parents might not suspect that their child is using these to get a high. These can be pure vanilla extract, mouthwash such as Listerine, nutmegs which is called poor man’s LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide), and household products like hair spray, paint strippers, nail polish remover, Iodex, shoe polish, etc. The Internet serves as a source of information for the kids to find out which household products to use as drugs. By keeping an eye on the activities of your child, you can prevent him from a great danger. However, if he has entrapped and is having serious problems, you need to consult a professional.
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Campus NoteS The Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences of Guru Nanak Dev University organised a workshop on ‘Wetland Conservation-Hussainiwala’ on the campus recently. Speaking on the occassion, Dr A. S. Soodan, Head of the Department, said wetlands helped control floods, protect coastal zones, recharge groundwater and protect diversity of water-loving plants and animals. As they are the most threatened ecosystems of our planet, actions to preserve wetlands are necessary, he added. Dr Soodan said people around the world were relying on wetlands for their spiritual, cultural as well as economic well-being. The rapidly expanding human population, large-scale changes in land use and burgeoning development projects and the improper use of wetlands have all caused a substantial decline of wetland resourses of the country, he said. The workshop began with a film show on water conservation. The first presentation was by Ashita Sharma on ‘Wetlands of Punjab’. She said, Harike, Kanjali, Ropar were the sites of international importance, whereas Hussainiwala, Ranjit Sagar and Nangal of national importance. Jasterwal, Aliwal-Kotli, Keshopur, Chhawarian, Bharthala and Narayangarh wetlands are under stress, while Bhupinder Sagar, Chhangli, Sangreri, Dharmkot and Jandwal wetlands have been lost from Punjab. Siltation, weed infestation, mainly water hyacinth, industrial and agricultural runoffs, fishing, etc., were major threats to wetlands, she added..
Research projects sectioned
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has sanctioned research projects worth Rs 12.79 lakh to three teachers of the university. Dr S. S. Chahal, Director of Research, said Dr Lekh Ram Sharma, Professor (retd), Department of Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit, had been sanctioned a major project worth Rs 8.50 lakh to undertake research on ‘Punjab as a Repository and Source of Sanskrit Literature’. Dr Chahal said the UGC had sanctioned a grant of Rs. 3.29 lakh to Dr Balwinder Singh, Reader in the Department of Commerce and Business Management, for research on a major project, ‘Examination of Mix Pricing and Returns of Initial Public Offerings in India’, while another research project, ‘Impact of Basel Norms on Capital Adequacy—Risk Management in Indian Banking Sector’, worth Rs 1 lakh had been allotted to Dr Mandeep Kaur, Reader, Department of Commerce and Business Management. — Contributed by P. K. Jaiswar
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ADMISSION DEADLINE Northern India Institute of Fashion Technology (NIIFT), B 68, Industrial Area, Phase VII, Mohali (Punj) (In collaboration with
NIFT) www.niiftindia.com 1) Diploma in Fashion Design / Textile Design / Fashion Design Knits (3 years) Eligibility: For 1 & 2: 10+2. For 3 & 4: Bachelors degree. Selection: Entrance Test: 05 June ‘08 Application
Form: Send Rs 200/- by DD favouring “NIIFT, Mohali”, payable at Mohali to above address or at select HDFC branches / Download from website Application
Deadline: 19 May 2008 Footwear Design & Development Institute (FDDI), A 10/ A, Sector 24, Noida 201301 (UP) (M/o Commerce,
GoI) www.fddiindia.com 1) PG Diploma: (2 years) Application Form: Send Rs 1500/- by DD favouring "FDDI", payable at New Delhi to the above address / Download from website. Application
Deadline: 15 May 2008 Medicine
Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGI), National Institute of Nursing Education, Chandigarh (Punj)
htp://pgimer.nic.in 1) BSc Nursing (women only, 4 years) 2) BSc Nursing (Post-Basic, 2 years) 3) MSc Nursing (Community Health Nursing / Psychiatric Nursing / Paediatric Nursing / Obst. & Gynae Nursing / Medical Surgical Nursing), 2 years Eligibility: For 1: 10+2 (50% PCB & English) Application
Form: Send Rs 500/- by DD favouring “The Director, PGI, Chandigarh”, payable at SBI, MI Branch Code 1524 with stamped (Rs 45/-), self-addressed envelope (24 cm x 15 cm) at the above address by / Download from website. Application
Deadline: 02 May 2008 Engineering
Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi 835215 (Bih) (Deemed University)
www.bitmesra.ac.in 1) ME / MPharm / MTech / MUP (Town Planning) at Mesra 2) MSc Bioinformatics (Kolkata, Mesra) MSc Geoinformatics (Jaipur, Kolkata, Mesra) MSc Biomed Instrumentation, Info Sc (Mesra) MSc IT (Lalpur, For girls only) Selection: For 2: Test: 08 June ‘08 Application Form & Detail: Website Application
Deadline: 15 May 2008 Law
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Form: Send Rs 300/- by DD favouring “Registrar, Nalsar Proximate Education”, payable at Hyderabad to the Director at above address / Download from website. Application
Deadline: 15 May 2008 Management
Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Delhi University, Vivek Vihar, Delhi 110095 www.cbsdu.net Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS; 3 years) Eligibility: 10+2 (60%). Selection: Entrance Test: 01 June 2008 (Delhi, Chandigarh, Kanpur & Kolkata) Application
Form: Outstation Candidates: Send DD of Rs. 460/ - (For both courses: Rs. 660/ -) issued by any nationalised bank favouring the “Principal, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Delhi” with a stamped (Rs. 60/-) self-addressed A4 size envelope to the Administration Officer at above address. Local students must collect forms from college office before 5 May. Application
Deadline: 05 May 2008 SP Jain Institute of Management & Research, Munshi Nagar, Dadabhai Road, Andheri (W), Mumbai 400058
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Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication (SIMC), Viman Nagar, Pune 411014
(Mah) www.simc.edu / www.set-test.org Bachelors of Mass Media (Journalism, Advertising, PR & Events, AV Production), 3 years, Full Time Eligibility: 10+2 (50%) Selection: Test: 03 May ‘08 (Register online by 15 April 2008) Application
Form: Apply online and send with Rs 1550/- by DD favouring “Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication,” payable at Pune to the above address / Download from website. Application
Deadline: 12 May 2008 Manorama School of Communication (MASCOM), PB No 229, Kottayam 686001
(Ker)
www.manoramajschool.com PG Diploma Course in Print Journalism (1 year) Eligibility: Bachelors degree Selection: Entrance Exam: 10 May 2008; Interview: June-end Application
Form: Send Rs 500/ - by DD favouring “MASCOM” payable at Kottayam to above address. Details: Website. Application
Deadline: 25 April 2008
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