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Strategy Matters
The
meltdown
One in three lie on their CV
Welcome to study but work elsewhere
If sexually harassed, women would rather quit
Career Hotline
Course chat
Mission Boards
Unskilled workforce greater threat
iTunes university better than real life lectures
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Strategy Matters
SHAILA was always an above-average student, who consistently scored above 85 per cent. But her score took a beating in the board exams. “I don’t know what happened. I knew the answers but I messed up,” she kept saying. This happens to the best of students — a combination of nerves, disorientation and acute stress at exam time. In a few days, thousands of students will appear for examinations on which will depend much of what they can do in the future.
Examinations are when all the hard work over the past years will be put to test. Tests and exams are a regular part of the school environment. They are conducted to test a student's knowledge and understanding of a particular subject. And despite how hard you may have studied, in the final analysis what will matter is how you answer each paper. While it is normal to feel nervous and anxious about exams, they needn’t become a punishment. If you have prepared well, there is no reason you should not get the marks you deserve. There is a strategy to ensure that at the time of exams you get maximum benefit and minimum stress.
On your marks
TO start with, keep your exam kit ready the night before the exams. Make a checklist of the stationery you need to carry -- pens/ pencils, hall ticket and relevant accessories. Find out well in advance if you need to answer the paper in black or blue, with a ballpoint pen or a fountain pen. Remember you will not be allowed to borrow anything during an examination. Also keep a photocopy of your hall ticket with you as a back-up. Then go to bed early and get a full night of sleep.
Get set
ON the exam day, eat a healthy breakfast and start early from your house so as to reach the examination hall at least 15 minutes before time. That gives you time to set up before the test. Avoid any sort of discussion on the subject or examination with your classmates before the exam as it could leave you confused and make you more nervous. If you get easily distracted, consider taking earplugs with you and sit near the front of the room.
Go!
WHEN you get your test paper, skim through it, plan your time allocations and jot down the time by which you need to finish each question. Consider how many questions you need to answer and allocate your time based on the marks carried by different questions. As far as possible, try to keep to your own time estimates for each question, keeping aside a final 15 minutes before the scheduled time to check your answers. During the exam, keep track of the time and the remaining questions you need to answer so you can adjust the pace if required.
Read twice
BEFORE you start answering the paper, read the instructions carefully and understand them well. In case something is not clear, discuss it with the invigilator to avoid any assumptions on your part. Based on how well you know each question, and your ease in answering a topic, prioritise your answers, so that you answer the easier questions first and the difficult ones later. Read the question twice before writing, organise your answer in your mind jotting down the main points before you begin to write the answer. If a question asks you to state the how and why of a certain topic and you write only the how and leave out the why, you could lose valuable marks. Even two marks can make a lot of difference to your final percentage! In essay type papers, structure your answers such that the examiner has a clear picture of what you are trying to say in the introductory lines. Ensure that relevant points are highlighted.
Keep moving
IF you get stuck or are unable to answer a question, work on it for a minute or two and if a solution does not come to mind, drop it and go on to the next question. You don’t want to run out of time and can always come back to it when the answer comes flowing back to you. It’s a good idea to leave about two lines at the end of an answer just in case you remember the answer or want to add something at the last minute.
Principle of elimination
FOR multiple choice and matching types, cross out or eliminate the choices you know are incorrect, this will lead you to the right answer. If you still can't answer the question - have a guess. You can’t lose - and who knows, your hunch may work out right! Also remember to follow guidelines and rules carefully since you can fail by making a simple mistake like drawing a circle when asked for a square in multiple choice types.
Attempt all
ALWAYS answer the full number of questions required; don't leave any questions unanswered. It’s always better to try and answer an item through guesswork instead of leaving it blank. There is no negative marking for wrong answers. So write something — it may give you some points. If you find you are running out of time, write down a brief outline of the issues or jot down your answer in bulleted points.
Neatness counts
THE presentation is very important. No examiner will make an effort to read bad handwriting or try to figure out what you have written if it isn’t clear to him when he opens the paper. Your handwriting introduces you to the examiner. Examiners go through hundreds of papers and yours may be the last one she/he reads in the day. A neat and clear paper makes it easier for him/her to give you good marks. Not everybody has striking handwriting but at least make sure it is legible by avoiding constant cancellations, tiny words and illegible scribbles. Remember, no shorthand or abbreviations or long convoluted paragraphs and certainly no SMS lingo. If you need to do draw a diagram, do it neatly in pencil and label it.
Stay till the last bell
NEVER leave the room early: you don’t gain anything by doing this. If you complete your paper early and have time at the end, go over your work, add information (for example in the margin). You may suddenly remember a fact after you have left out and won’t be able to add it on once you leave the hall.
Shun self-pity
MAKE sure to write your roll number on every page, so that even if a sheet comes loose and slips off the examiner’s desk, it can be re-attached to your own answer sheets. And no matter how ill-prepared you are, never write on your answer sheet ‘sir, please give me extra marks’ or something stupid like that. Avoid leaving personal messages for the examiner -- these will only irritate him or her. Rely on your own abilities. It is your own confidence, not self-pity that will help you achieve your goals.
Keep your calm
AT all times while you write the exam, try and stay calm and composed. In case you start to panic or go blank, relax and take a break. Put down your pen, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. You will soon be able to get back to work again. Some students tend to become careless while writing the paper -- often due to nervousness, excitement or lack of preparation. It is necessary to make a conscious effort all the time to be calm, composed and to keep your concentration focused until you complete the paper. Building your composure and concentration and maintaining it throughout the test is very important in order to excel. But it doesn’t come easily if you haven’t prepared yourself prior to the exam. It is a good idea to hold your own mock tests solving previous years' papers during the weeks before your exams, in the same format and within the same time limits that you will face on the exam day. Such focused preparation will help you become familiar with the test pattern in advance. Keeping in mind these points, you should be well prepared to give every exam your best shot. So, go ahead with confidence. Good luck! (The writer is a career counsellor)
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The meltdown
At a time when companies all over the world and in India are thinking only about a hiring freeze and layoffs, some HR gurus are going off the beaten track. They are rather advising managements to use the downturn to find the talent who can take the organisation to the next level. Though they ask managements to be wary of hiring candidates for far less than their skills are worth on the open market, the directive is: Be reasonable with your salary offers. The bottom line is that good companies never let people feel small when the bargaining power is within the managements. It is also expected that in the next two to three years there could be zero unemployment in the country the way the economy is growing. But this large increase in employment could be at very low wages, implying that it is not jobs per see, but the quality of employment that will increasingly become the issue. While the proportion of casual workers has fallen, that of the self-employed has risen, a possible sign of the quality of jobs declining. Whatever the quality of jobs , the increased employment resulted in the overall employment elasticity, which measures the impact of GDP growth on the growth rate in employment, more than tripling from 0.15 in the 1993-2000 period to 0.48 per cent in 2000-2005. When there is a crisis of confidence, human resources have to be carefully handled. The share of cost of human resources varies from industry to industry. The requirement or utilisation of human resources has come down across sectors, throwing up a challenge to management. First and foremost, the money spent on employees should be seen as investment and not as cost. At the same time, if the resource is not fully utilised, there is need to put a check on the cost. Progressive companies have resorted to innovative solutions, such as sabbaticals for social work in NGOs, supported by companies for one year with half salary, career break for pursuing higher studies and so on. Such measures not only enable the company to retain the talent needed but also enhance the commitment from employees, thereby adding shareholder value. Such innovative actions also strike the right balance between the conflicts listed above. A few others have resorted to pay cuts, with or without reduction in the hours of work, freeze in pay and postponement of pay increase and recruitments. These steps also have a positive impact, as long as they are carried out with the involvement of employees. The current situation is vastly different and the company suddenly needs people who can not only manage future growth, but can also manage a slowdown. Great companies also understand that large-scale layoffs or an across the board pay freeze can dramatically weaken their employment brand and external image. Even people who are paid well will walk out of the door the moment there is an upturn. The reason is simple — no one expects even the government to be a benevolent employer any more. But a ruthless employer is asking the trouble in the long term. The IT-BPO Trade Union plans to take up the issues of layoff and training for the so-called non-performers with apex software and services association, Nasscom. In any IT-BPO company, about 5 per cent of employees come under the category of low or non-performers. They may not be paid their full salaries for some time but their skills, teamwork and other problem areas can be worked on. Apart from training for non-performers, the unions will also discuss the issue of layoffs in the industry. Large IT-BPO companies in the country have denied any job cuts in the wake of slowdown in the projects from clients in the US and Europe who have been hit by the global financial crisis. The union is in the process of filing a public interest litigation against IT companies making employees work for longer hours than the mandated eight hours per day under the Indian Factories act 1948. It is because companies have reduced their workforce that they are making employees work longer.
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One in three lie on their CV
MORE than 30 per cent of job applicants admit to having lied on CVs to boost their chances of getting a job, a British research has revealed. The survey of about 1,300 adults was carried out by the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors (CIEA), which represents exam markers and assessors.
The most common exaggeration is thought to be lying about degree classifications, for example turning a 2:1 into a first, the study found. The research found that common ways of embellishing a CV included inventing exam qualifications and work experience that never took place. One person claimed to have a degree from Oxford University when they had, in fact, been to Oxford Brookes. The most famous case recently is that of Lee McQueen, winner of the BBC’s The Appren tice show last year, who claimed he had spent two years at Thames Valley University when he had just lasted four-and-a-half months. However, lies can include sins of omission, like the chief executive of a local authority who allegedly failed to mention she had suffered from clinical depression and then took 18 months off from her new job for it. The CIEA said it had been "shocked". The survey revealed that 55 per cent felt CVs in general were not an accurate reflection of capabilities because they concentrated on exam success and past achievement.
— ANI
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Welcome to study but work elsewhere
Currently, only about 3,000 Indian students are admitted to Canadian institutions each year, as against about 40,000 in Australia and about 80,000 in the US. Compared to Canada, the minister said, Australia admitted 10 times more students from India each year. “Canada is looking to Asia as well as India for potential students. Universities are happy to get them,'' he said while addressing a gathering of about 1,500 qualified new immigrants who have failed to find jobs in their respective fields. According to government figures for 2007, 176,116 foreign students enrolled in Canadian institutions during the year. Last year, the Canadian Government announced that foreign students could seek work permit and later permanent residence upon completion of their graduation. Though the immigration minister didn't pinpoint how many more foreign students will be admitted this year, he said, “We are not receiving enough foreign students.” Because of higher fee structure for international students, foreign students are a huge source of income for Canadian universities. Apart from bringing revenue to Canada, as the immigration minister pointed out, they can easily be given permanent residence and later citizenship because of their Canadian experience and their understanding of the Canadian market. Despite the economic downturn, the minister said, Canada admitted “an unprecedented number'' of permanent and temporary residents in 2008. “While other countries are talking about taking fewer immigrants, today, I am pleased to announce that in 2008, we increased the number of new permanent residents to Canada,'' he said. He said 247,202 permanent residents were admitted in 2008 - well within the government's planned yearly quota of 240,000 to 265,000. Apart from this, 193,061 temporary foreign workers and 79,459 foreign students were also admitted, he said. However, the minister said he expected a “significant reduction” in the number of temporary foreign workers admitted into Canada this year because of the on-going economic crisis.
— IANS
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Law firms bullish on hiring
WITH tremors of global economic slowdown being felt in India, corporate law firms here have turned bullish
in their hiring plans as they see an opportunity in the current crisis.
Several well-known corporate law firms said their hiring intentions have not been impacted much due to the downturn, while the generally high levels of attrition in such firms have come down in
recent times. The country's leading law firm, Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A Shroff & Co, which currently employees around 450 lawyers, believes that many good candidates are returning from the London/New York markets due to the slowdown, which may prove good for lateral hiring in the country. Asked whether Shroff & Co was planning to increase its employee strength in 2009, the company spokesperson said, "Yes ...by at least 50-60
people on a net basis." Another leading Intellectual Property law firm, Lall Lahiri & Salhotra (LLS), would be hiring at least 30 employees, including lawyers, by the end of the year and has started the process by recruiting four fresh law school graduates. "We recruited 18 lawyers last year, most of them lateral hires from reputed law firms. This year, we plan to bring in a mix of freshers and experienced lawyers so as to maintain a balance between fresh innovative ideas and proven
methods," LLS partner Rahul Chaudhry said. LLS, a 25-year-old law firm, has been growing in terms of both lawyers and revenue and at present, there are 43 lawyers in the firm apart from the three partners. Meanwhile, executive recruitment and HR consultancy firm, Confiar Global managing director Vivek Ahuja said that "the slowdown has only marginally touched the legal fraternity as litigations are increasing even as mergers and acquisition deals have come down." Confiar Global, a Kochhar Group firm, also looks after recruitment in 132-lawyer firm Kochhar & Company. Ahuja further said that the corporate law firm is planning to hire more skilled lawyers in all fields including corporate, litigation and intellectual property. Kochhar & Company, which has six offices in India and three overseas, is planning to expand to various new locations in the country and across the globe. Therefore, additional hiring would be necessary for the expansion plans,
Ahuja said. Meanwhile, Shroff & Company spokesperson said that attrition levels in the law firms that had been at high levels have come down a bit because of the downturn. Ahuja said that the only effect of the slowdown is that unnecessary legal disputes have come down between corporate houses, however, the total impact is negligible in the legal world.
— PTI
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If sexually harassed, women would rather quit
WOMEN who have undergone sexual harassment at their office are likely to leave the organisation because of their inability to bring about a positive solution to the situation, says a study.
Conducted by research student Chana Levi and professor Eran Vigoda-Gadot, 192 women in the public sector in Israel were surveyed. "It is a matter of having no other outlet and not an act of control and power," said the researchers. It aimed to observe whether women who had been sexually harassed would tend to leave their place of work, develop behaviours of work neglect, or attempt to change the situation by means of taking particular action. Researchers also examined behavioural patterns of women who had been harassed and found that they tend to leave their jobs. One things that can lead women to staying at their places of work despite sexual harassment is their level of self-capability — the more a woman believes in her own power to change the present reality the more she will prefer not to leave her
workplace. — ANI
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Career Hotline
Q. I get terribly nervous at exam time. My mind goes blank. Head turns dizzy and my palms turn wet and cold and all that I’ve crammed is forgotten. With the boards round the corner, what should I do?
–– Raghu Batra Essentially, anxiety is the reaction of the body and mind to something that the mind perceives as a threat. It is the way our bodies prepare for danger. Quite involuntarily, adrenaline and cortisone are released into the bloodstream; the heart rate quickens; breathing becomes shallow and rapid; the muscles tense up; and the body goes on full alert! As a rule, how well you handle stress is affected by your diet. Don’t skip meals it does not help. Make sure you are not lacking in calcium or iron. Make sure you include complex carbohydrates and protein in your meals. Restrict your coffee intake (it can make you very edgy) instead drink plenty of water so you are not dehydrated. Remember lack of water causes anxiety. And please don’t pop sleeping pills. Also make sure you get some exercise to ensure maximum blood flow to the brain. A walk in the fresh air or a vigorous workout will recharge your brain cells. If you are feeling all stressed out and antsy don’t clam up. Talking to trusted friends and family really helps. Also try taking occasional breaks for diversion – listen to your favourite music on the way to the exam centre and do some deep breathing or pranayama while waiting for the paper in the hall, and you’ll be fine. A certain amount of anxiety at the start of the race is good. The extra adrenaline rush kick-starts the brain into gear and helps focus on the task
Executive MBA is a good idea
Q. I am working as a middle-level executive in an export house for the last five years. I get a decent salary. However every time I’ve tried to opt for a change, not having an MBA or any other PG degree proves a roadblock. Should I go for an MBA to help me in the long run? –– J.P. Kaul An MBA certainly couldn't hurt, but the top B-schools require your full-time presence for two whole years, and I'm not sure that taking two years "off" right now would be your best career move. One possibility: Opt for a part-time MBA that you can pursue while still working at your current job. Several B-schools offer excellent abbreviated one-year executive MBA (EMBA) programmes for executives. Some of these may stretch to 15 months (12 months on campus and three months field-based dissertation). According to AICTE, if such a programme is sector or function specific, the parenthesis denotes the focus (as in the case of PGDM). Typically, such programmes have an equivalent of 700 contact hours and 100 hours of field-based projects, laboratory work or organization-based assignments. Some 50 per cent of sector specific courses (i.e. approx 350 contact hours) are devoted to the sector-specific course content. Typically, a recognised bachelor’s degree and three-five years of relevant managerial or supervisory experience is required for admission to the good ones. An executive MBA is a concentrated full time general management programme that is specifically designed for working professionals who wish to enhance their business management skills and keep abreast of the latest tools and techniques of today's corporate world. While some of these are full-time programmes of one-year duration and three months field-based dissertation), others can be pursued while still working at your current job — without interrupting your career or having to leave your current location. While focussing on the core subjects, the main objective of an EMBA is to familiarise you with the various theories and practices of business management prevalent in the current economic scenario. Learning from your peers who have worked in different industries is also an enriching experience.
Ayurveda is a science whose time has come
Q. I am a keen follower of yoga and ‘am very interested in learning ayurvedic massage and related therapies. Can you please tell me something about it? –– Nisha Mogha Panchakarma is a specialisation within ayurveda that deals with various types of oil therapies, virechan and vaman, enema etc. It is offered as a specialisation at the MD level. A few universities like Mumbai University, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal and Banaras Hindu University offer two-year postgraduate diploma courses in Panchakarma after BAMS. Gujarat Ayurved University offers a one-year certificate course in Panchakarma. One-year certificate courses in Masseur training, nursing training and pharmacy training are also offered by colleges under the Ayurveda Medical Education Directorate, Kerala. Selection is based on the marks obtained in the SSLC examination. I would also suggest you contact Swami Ramdev’s Patanjali Yog Peeth, Hardwar (Uttaranchal), a deemed university for treatment, teaching and scientific research in yoga and ayurveda (website: www.divyayoga.com/patanjali.htm) Besides these, there are quite a few schools and institutes that offer short-term courses in Panchakarma therapy. Although many claim to give you sufficient practical training in some of the speciality massages like elakizhi, navara kizhi, abhyanga, pizhichil , podikizhi, udhwarthana and shiro dhara, but how far they are reliable is anybody’s guess. I would also suggest you log onto the website of the department of ayush, ministry of health & family welfare (www.indianmedicine.nic.in) for a wealth of info on this system of medicine and detailed listing of courses.
Advertising: Internships matter more than courses
Q. I am a final year student of B.A. English (honours) and I want to make a career in advertising. What is the best way to get started? –– Gopika Chawla Many firms have structured summer internship programmes, which are advertised on their websites. You can also consider volunteering for a non-profit group or a community organisation’s public relations or marketing committee. Most ad agencies prefer MBAs or at least those with a PG diploma in advertising, mass communication, or public relations for client servicing roles. In an increasingly global world one can also look for an internship or volunteer assignment with an organisation that has scope abroad, like large multinational advertising agencies, chambers of commerce, NGOs or an international firm’s communication department. Flexibility, a commitment to hard work and willingness to work long hours are important for success in this field. Before you decide if this industry is right for you consider the long hours involved and the stress of working in a very competitive client driven business. Now web-related experience is also valued and required from the design and creative realm as well as on the account side. Any one venturing into this field needs to have good communication skills, good ideas, and a creative aptitude.
This column appears weekly. Please send in your queries, preferably on a postcard, along with your full name, complete address and academic qualifications to: Editor, Jobs and Careers, The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh-160030, or at careers
@tribunemail.com
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Course chat
NCTE, a statutory body, has decided that no new institute in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan besides Puducherry Union Territory would be allowed to start these courses. The decision was taken after it was found that these states had more than the required number of such institutes. "These states have also informed the NCTE that they had a large number of teachers' training institutes. Now, the NCTE has decided not to give recognition to any new institute in these states," a senior HRD ministry official said. NCTE's process of recognition came under cloud after social activist Anna Hazare shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last year, alleging that many "dubious" institutes were granted permission by the council's western region office in Bhopal. Incidentally, there has been a significant rise in the number of recognised institutes in the country in the last three years. Till 2005, NCTE gave recognition to 4,550 institutes, 5,000 institutes were recognised in the last three years.
— PTI
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Mission Boards
The helpline has been deluged with calls since it was launched February 18. Over 600 calls were made in the first three days by students preparing for the pre-university (Class 12) exams beginning March 13. The initiative for the helpline was taken by the state's Pre-University Department. Getting high marks is a must in these examinations to secure admission to chosen degree courses in good colleges. Over 600 calls have already been received from across Karnataka. "Most of the callers complain about having exam-phobia. Others are stressed out and feel pressured to perform better in the exams. These are common issues, which with adequate counselling and help from family and friends can be sorted out easily," counsellor Bharati Singh said. Even worried parents are calling up. "Like students, parents too are very concerned about their children and their exam preparedness. We give them tips on how to remain stress- free and help their children prepare so as to perform well in the exams," said Singh. The helpline has two dedicated telephone numbers — 080-23366778 23366779 – that are open between 3 p.m. and 4.30 p.m. The counsellors listen to the problems of the callers and give them proper guidance. It is not mandatory for callers to reveal their identity to access help. While the authorities have planned to end the helpline service on March 12, they are having second thoughts.
— IANS
Just one phone call
HELPLINES of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have also been flooded with phone calls from anxious students and parents. As many as 43 principals, trained counsellors from CBSE affiliated schools, psychologists and social scientists are operating helplines individually from India and overseas. The helpline can be accessed over the MTNL network on the number 1250111102, and on 1250102 on the BSNL network. Students dialling from Karnataka, West Bengal, Punjab, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana will have to dial 95 plus the STD code of either Bangalore, Kolkata, Ludhiana, Ahmedabad, Indore, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad or Gurgaon plus the number 1250102. Students dialling from any other State will have to dial `0' plus the STD code of any one of the abovementioned cities plus the number 1250102.
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Memory drugs do brisk sales
Do this, say docs
DOCTORS advise against use of such memory enhancers. They say it is better to sleep for around eight hours, increase intake of fruits, dry fruits and milk and also avoid stress to feel better equipped to face the exams.
AS children start cramming for their exams, chemists are making a fast-buck selling memory booster drugs of all hues, despite medical warnings that these 'wonder drugs' may have harmful side effects.
The popularity of medicines that claim to enhance memory can be gauged by the tens of advertisements seen in dailies every day. Drug manufacturers and sales representatives claim these medicines improve memory and enhance learning ability by increasing protein activity and new protein synthesis, relieve mental strain, stress, make the mind sharp and alert. A chemist, who did not want to be named, says, "Lured by the advertisements, especially of ayurvedic medicines promising no side effects, parents anxious to see their children excel in examinations rush to the chemists to buy brain tonics." Earlier, the annual examination time (usually in the months of March-April) used to be 'memory power boom' season, but now we get such customers throughout the year," he says. Deepak Chaturvedi, a doctor at a private hospital, said: "I get eight to 10 calls a day seeking advice on which medicine to take for improving a student's memory. In many cases it is the parents who seek such advice." Apart from ayurvedic medicines, some homeopathic and allopathic drugs are also being sold. Some common memory enhancers readily available with the chemists are Shankhpushpi, Dimagheen, Memo Nerve and Brain Tone Tablet. "I was worried about my child as she failed to score good marks in a test series earlier this year. Looking at her inability to memorise important lessons we have now started giving her an ayurvedic medicine, which helps increase memory," says Laxmi Sharma, mother of Ipsha who is to appear for Class 7 examinations next month. "These so-called memory enhancers could have an adverse effect on the child's memory. effects start tapering off three to four months after continuous intake. These increase flow of glucose to brain, which when stopped can lead to the decline of natural memory," warns said R.N. Sahu, head of the psychiatry department at Hamidia Hospital, Bhopal.
— IANS
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Unskilled workforce greater threat
THE economic slowdown should be of lesser concern to India, as much serious challenges -- high level of unemployment and ironically lack of skilled workforce are posing, experts observed.
The industry leaders are realising that in order to compete in the highly competitive global market, the country's USP of low pricing cannot get them far. It’s an open secret that many of the outsourcing contracts cornered by Indian companies do not require high degree of skill or labour. While the cutting edge skill and technology are still in the hands of the developed economies, India Inc — including the IT industry —could soon find challengers to the kind of jobs they are undertaking from other emerging economies. China is already heavily investing in training its workforce in language skills like English and can soon snatch the lucrative contracts from India. ''There is a huge amount of unemployment in the country with 60 per cent of the population under 35 years. The equipment and quality of training in the ITIs are obsolete, and although the World Bank is willing to fund for the upgradation no steps are being taken,'' Indian Merchants Chamber (IMC), IT committee chairperson Vijay Mukhi said at the review meeting of Resurgent India: Through Education initiative. He said there was a need for a collective change in the mindset of people, who have emphasised on theoretical education instead of skill oriented training. ''The time to act is now. Construction and shipping alone will require 45 million jobs next year and the travel & tourism industries are expected to have 650 million jobs in the next 10 years. The question is unless right people are there for the post, industries will not pay to hire anyone,'' he said.
— UNI
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iTunes university better than real life lectures
UNIVERSITY students have got a new excuse to skip classes — podcast lectures. According to a study, university students who download a podcast lecture achieve substantially higher exam results than those who attend the lecture in person.
With Podcasted lectures, or 'iTunes university', students can replay difficult parts of a lecture and take better notes. "It isn't so much that you have a podcast, it's what you do with it," Dani McKinney, a psychologist at the State University of New York in Fredonia, who led the study, says. Apple's iTunes university was launched less than two years ago and offers college lectures on everything from Proust to particle physics.
— ANI
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Fortnightly Quiz-330
1. How many Grammys have been won by tabla maestro Zakir Hussain so far?
2. Which is the best-educated and highest-earning foreign-born community in the USA? 3. How many Indian languages (dialects), according to the UN’s cultural agency Unesco, have been listed as endangered? 4. Name the new President of Bangladesh. 5. Who is the first Indian woman to have flown a MiG-35? 6. In which year was the despotic Khmer Rouge regime ousted from power in Cambodia? 7. Which two countries’ big communications satellites recently collided in orbit over Siberia, shooting out massive debris clouds? 8. What percentage of fossil fuels emissions is absorbed by tropical forests, according to a latest report of British researchers? 9. What is the full form of NIPER? 10. Which three West Indies cricket legends were recently
presented the ICC Hall of Fame caps? — Tarun Sharma
Winners of quiz 329: The first prize by draw of lots goes to Minni, class VII-A, RM School, Jhabkara, district Gurdaspur, VPO Jhabkara, Pin Code 143535 Second: Basu Jindal, class IV-A, St Edward’s School, Milsington, Shimla, Pin Code 171001 Third: Pooja Malhotra, class VIII-A, Convent of Jesus and Mary, 121, Staff Road, Ambala Cantonment, Pin Code 133001 Answers to quiz 329: Yuki Bhambri; 150 years; Warren Buffet; February 2; Avadi (Tamil Nadu); Dr MS Randhawa; Rafael Nadal; Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi; South Africa; Nine Cash awards of Rs 400, 300 and 200 are given to the first, second and third prize winners, respectively. These are sent at the school address. Note: Kindly mention the pincode of your place to facilitate the delivery of the prize money. Answers can also be sent
at
quiz@tribunemail.com
Name ……………….…………........... |
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SHAILA was always an above-average student, who consistently scored above 85 per cent. But her score took a beating in the board exams. “I don’t know what happened. I knew the answers but I messed up,” she kept saying. This happens to the best of students — a combination of nerves, disorientation and acute stress at exam time. In a few days, thousands of students will appear for examinations on which will depend much of what they can do in the future.
THE global crisis we are witnessing today is unique. While the problem started with liquidity, it has now extended to many other areas. The main reason for this is neither lack of liquidity nor growth, it is a crisis of confidence.
CANADA will admit more foreign students but fewer foreign workers this year, immigration minister Jason Kenney said. Kenney, who was in India last month, dropped hints that there will be substantial increase in the number of students from India.
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All that you describe are the classic symptoms of an anxiety attack. But don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal. And perhaps even beneficial to some extent. Let me explain.
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The trajectory of our economy and the talent shortage already being faced makes it imperative to improve the capability and productivity of the country’s one million working executives. This is what drives demand for executive management education in India.
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While modern medicine is merely 150 years old, traditional Indian medicine has a 5000-year old history. As more and more people are turning to traditional systems of medicine seeking cures without side or after-effects, a lot of interest is being directed towards ayurveda (in fact, words like ayurveda, dosha, kapha, vata and pitta have been officially incorporated in the Oxford English Dictionary). Moreover, ayurveda is duly recognised by the World Health Organisation.
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Many people enter the advertising industry directly after college armed with a bachelor’s degree. Courses in advertising, marketing and writing are helpful, but internships may be essential to enter the field. Work experience is what potential employers always look for.
AFTER facing flak for failing to check mushrooming of "dubious" teachers' training institutes, the National Council of Teachers' Education (NCTE) has decided not to give recognition to new institutions offering B.Ed and diploma courses in seven states from the 2009-10 session.
WITH examinations round the corner, anxious and stressed out students in Karnataka have found a "saviour" in a special helpline to guide them overcome exam phobia.
