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| EDUCATION TRIBUNE |
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Adapting teaching to modern needs
Scholarships for Indian students in Malaysia
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Adapting teaching to modern needs
A
teacher is the architect of future generation and hence the future of India depends upon the teacher to a great extent. No one can dispute the pressing need of good quality human recourses for India to find its rightful place in the world, This demands better primary, secondary and higher education system which must get out of its present role of ‘certificates and degrees provider’ and become more responsive to the needs of the changing world. Society and all the stake holders, like students, teachers, parents and employers have accepted the “time-duration-degree” standard of education by respecting the document called diploma/degree which the students some how manage to get. Our education system lays undue stress on standard set skills, stale competency and teachers’ personal knowledge etc. It dose not develop the spirit of enquiry which is so essential for innovative thinking. Our rating in higher education at international level is poor and getting poorer by the day, not withstanding a few brilliant spots here and there. In terms of HRI (Human Resources Index) and HDI (Human Development Index) defined by UNO which includes primary and secondary education among other things, we rank always at bottom. What is the problem and how can the present dismal state of affairs be rectified? Any system of education cannot rise above the level of its teachers. The essence of teaching lies in the teachers’ ability to create an insatiable search for knowledge in the students, which will continue till the very end. For this the teacher of today can’t afford merely to be knowledge provider, he has to master the emerging trends in education, teaching, learning and knowledge management. Teachers can never cease to be learners. The very reasons why today’s teachers are not held in esteem by the students, the parents and the society should prompt them to adopt new methods of learning and strive for higher standards of dedication and commitment. The first thing the teacher of today must imbibe is a value system since value - based education is not possible without value-based teachers. The major difference between the past masters and the teachers of today is their ability to realise their own potential and use the same for ‘man-making’ of their students. Let the teacher emulate some of the five working principles for value-based teacher given by Dr. Radhakrishnan ,the ‘Panchsila’ of Ahinsa, Alobha Brachmacharya, Satya Vachna and Sura - pana-nishedha. The information and knowledge revolution is beginning to influence the education system in many ways and it is undergoing testing times. Even when the teacher prepares himself to adopt the IT in learning and teaching, he must appreciate that the role of the teacher to provide interactive instructions when. “3-D holographic protections and high-bandwidth networks could make distance learning so effective that live lecture could be phased out”, will in effect become more and more ‘naked,’ as his professional and communication skills, compassion and commitment to student will be put to transparent acid test of converting student into a wisdom-seeker useful member of the society. For that he must go back to the basics. Technological tools for education delivery are no more merely the slide and overhead projectors, these include TV broadcast, cable TV, use of Internet and CD-ROMs and DTH (direct to home) services. In this scenario one can’t think of computer illiterate teacher who can’t update his skills, store and shift data and keep performance record of his students. It is unfortunate that many teachers do not possess the necessary knowledge, skills, competence and wisdom to teach and are there in this profession for reasons other than learning and teaching. .Many don’t go to the classes regularly, don’t utilise the entire duration by either going to the class late or leaving it early, indulge in gossip instead of teaching encourage students to bunk classes, help them to cheat in examination and so on. Their knowledge is outdated as they do not engage themselves in the process of learning As a medicine becomes useless and even harmful if taken by the patient after expiry date, so is the case with’ expired knowledge ‘which can do no good. Let the teachers at different levels, ask themselves when was the last time they updated and reinforced their personal knowledge and skills. Many old timers take pride in show casing their 20-25 years old notes which they used for teaching, without realising that even the universal truths can undergo changes in different operating time and space . Teachers do not engage in two important factors of their profession which determine success in their career; pursuit of excellence and enjoying the work. they do as professionals. Everyone knows nothing comes out of nothing and one has to pay the price of success and that price is hard work, dedication and commitment to purpose. Teachers must pay undiluted attention to the importance of their role in nation-building and government must create a suitable environment for them to do so.
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Scholarships for Indian students in Malaysia Meritorious
Malaysian Indian students who score 9As and above in the higher secondary schools will be given scholarships from this year to pursue their studies in state run universities. Also covered are four local private institutions - Monash, Swinburne, Curtin and Nottingham universities, Human Resource Minister S. Subramaniam said. Under study is a request from the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) to include the Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology. "Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has agreed in terms of policy and we are now in the process of formalising it," the Indian origin minister who represents the MIC in the government, was quoted Monday by the New Straits Times. He said the decision was made July 1 at the first meeting of the special committee for Indian-related affairs, formed under the directive of the cabinet and chaired by Najib. Others in the committee are MIC president S. Samy Vellu, Subramaniam, MIC deputy ministers, finance and education ministers, public service department director-general, representatives from ministries related to problems faced by the Indian community and multi-agency committees. Subramaniam said of the 16,000 Indians who applied for government jobs last year, only 1,500 were offered postings. "It's not true that non-Malays are not applying for civil service posts," he said, adding that the percentage of Indians in the civil service should be increased from the present five to eight percent. "We want Indians not only in lower-category jobs but also in higher categories," said Subramaniam, who is also MIC secretary-general. Efforts are also being made to get businesses licenses for Indians. Subramaniam said MIC was also working hard to improve Indian equity in the capital market from 1.1 percent to 1.5 percent within the next three
years. — IANS
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CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar Dr. Samunder Singh, Weed Scientist of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University has been elected Secretary of the Indian Society of Weed Science (ISWS). Dr. Singh who is also working as Secretary of Haryana Agronomists Association. He is Executive Editor of Indian Journal of Weed Science. He has published more than 90 research papers in a number of popular national and international journals of weed sciences. Having worked on developing weed management techniques for a number of field crops, Dr. Singh has several firsts to his credit. He has presented papers in more than 36 national and international conferences in India, USA, UK, Israel, Denmark, Spain and Malaysia. World Renewable Energy Congress
Dr Yogender Kumar Yadav of the department of Agricultural Processing and Energy of Haryana Agricultural University has been invited to address the 10th World Renewable Energy Congress being held at Glasgow, UK, from July 19 to 25. Delegates from more than 100 countries will take part in the meet. Dr Yadav will present a paper on Thermal Design Studies and Thermodynamic Modelling of Hybrid Solar Space Conditioning System. This is the second time that he has been asked to address the Congress. Earlier, in 1996 he had chaired a technical session. Dr Yadav’s research papers on solar space conditioning systems have been published in international research journals. In view of his expertise he has been named as Project Coordinator of the state level technical backup unit of Integrated Rural Energy Programme. — Contributed by Raman Mohan
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ADMISSION DEADLINEAgricultureDivision
of Seed Science & Technology, Indian Agricultural Research
Institute (IARI), New Delhi 110012
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