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| EDUCATION TRIBUNE |
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Building human capital Future teachers
in UK face personality tests |
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Building human capital Some might argue that our large population is a major liability, but there is another side to the story — the same liability can be turned into a useful asset with suitable inputs. Today, our greatest asset is our human resource, especially the large number of youth. However, it is unfortunate that the majority of the youth are uneducated, unskilled, unemployed or underemployed even after 65 years of effort, and we are unable to exploit their full potential for nation-building. Had India given the required priority to primary and secondary education immediately after Independence, it would have arrested the population explosion more effectively, and thereby avoided many other problems flowing from high population. Also, we have attached much greater importance to building physical capital, such as steel mills, dams, shopping malls, etc., than to building human capital. It is no one’s case that these are not important; the important point is about the relative importance that is given to one over the other. Professor John K. Galbraith, a well-known economist and US Ambassador to India (1961-63), who was awarded the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 2002, quotes Prof Theodore Schultz, a Nobel Prize-winner in Economics in 1979, that outlays on investment in education yield a higher return than on physical capital, “To look at education as a form of consumption is to risk assigning it unduly low priority.” Therefore, the Central government should should allocate more funds for education in the Union Budget. One must remember that like any other investment, investment in education can also yield benefits over a period of time. The decision of investment of any type by individuals, groups or nations demands detailed planning based on cost-benefit analysis. Return on investment, in the case of education, would be in terms of better outcome for students. Unfortunately, in our system, more money pumped in education does not get translated into better pass-outs from schools, colleges and professional institutions. For instance, the budget for India’s flagship scheme for primary education, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, has touched Rs 21,000 crore in 2010-11 as compared to approximately Rs 7,000 crore in 2005-06. However, basic learning outcomes have beome lower rather than going up, as would be expected. (Annul Status of Education Report: ASER 2011). If the measurement of learning outcomes shows all is not well, something needs to be done to improve the system. But it is to be seen what can be done if it is because of the teacher being professionally dishonest. The fact which cannot be brushed under the carpet is that unlike the ancient times, teaching is now either a vocation or a profession. In such a scenario, attracting and retaining talented teachers is a big challenge. In fact, retention of talented teachers is a strategic tool to drive performance of educational institutions that provide a distinct competitive advantage. The traditional view that a fat pay packet is essential to retain talent is no more valid. It is hoped that the government recognises this crisis in learning and will take urgent steps towards making expenditure on education more effective in terms of learning outcomes. Investing more in education becomes all the more important when one realises that we have a huge number of professionals whose contribution is not what is expected of good scientists, engineers, managers, etc. Our future requirement is for a large number of such professionals who have the ability to compete with those in China, US and other developed countries. Investment in people must be done in a long-term perspective. A Chinese proverb, which lays emphasis on this aspect of human development, rightly says, “If you want prosperity for one year, grow grain. If you want prosperity for 10 years, grow tress. If you want prosperity for 100 years, grow people.” How can any nation ‘grow people’ without investing in education? |
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Future teachers
in UK face personality tests FUTURE teachers in the UK will be subjected to new “personality tests” from September to make sure they can communicate with pupils in the classroom.
They are part of a wider shake-up of the teacher training system planned by Michael Gove, the Education Secretary. Other key measures include tougher literacy and numeracy tests — with a restriction on the number of times trainees can retake them. In addition, those with only third-class degree passes will be banned from accessing grants for training, while those with first-class honours will be eligible for generous incentives. The tests are designed to show the “non-cognitive” ability of applicants, who will be expected to fill in a computer-based questionnaire gauging their response to a series of situations. Academics argue, however, that the only real way to test whether someone is suitable for teaching is to put them in the classroom. According to a report prepared for the Department for Education, the 15-minute questionnaires are designed to show how potential teachers would “cope with pressure and setbacks and (are) able to quickly recover composure”. University teacher training courses and school-based training providers will not be compelled to use the new tests. A spokesman for the Teaching agency, the recruitment arm of the DfE, said: “By screening applicants for a range of attributes and behavioural competencies considered essential to good teaching, we will reinforce what is already a rigorous selection process.” —
The Independent |
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CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar Nine students clear JRF
examination
NINE students of the College of Home Science, Haryana Agricultural University, have qualified the national-level Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) examination conducted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The successful students included Mamta (2nd rank), Shushita Sain (25th rank), Nisha (33rd rank), Rupika (45th rank), Alka Pilania (130th rank), Sarita Hooda (147th rank) and Parminderjeet (260th rank) of the B.Sc Home Science final year and Garima Rao (39th rank) and Pinky Dalal (44th rank) of the B.Sc Home Science third year. At a function organised in their honour in the college, Dr Saroj Jeet Singh, Dean and Faculty of the college congratulated them. On the occasion, the B.Sc final year students also gave a presentation on their eight-week industrial training which they had completed recently.
Scholarship awarded
A student of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Jyoti Sihag, has been awarded a scholarship by the University of Manitoba, Canada. Under this scholarship, she would pursue Ph.D in Human Nutrition from the University of Manitoba. Jyoti has a meritorious career. She completed her B.Sc and M.Sc from Home Science College. She had won four gold medals in B.Sc and had also bagged the prestigious A.L. Fletcher gold medal in M.Sc (Food and Nutrition). A research conducted by her during M.Sc was another feather in her cap. She has discovered a medicine for diabetes which is effective in development of tissues. Jyoti has been a brilliant all-rounder student who excelled not only in academics, but also won gold medals in sports, dance and music competitions, too. Guru Jambheshwar University of
Science and Technology, Hisar
Workshop on pharmaceutical research held
The Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, organised a weeklong workshop on “Modern Methods in Pharmaceutical Research” recently. Dr Raj Shekhar Vundru, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, Government of India, inaugurated the workshop. The Vice-Chancellor, Dr M.L. Ranga, presided over the inaugural function. Dr B. Narsimhan, an eminent scientist from Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, delivered a talk on “Computer-Aided Drug Design” on the inaugural day. Dr T.K. Mukherjee, a former editor of NISCAIR journals, presented a research paper. Others who gave presentations included Dr Neeraj Dilbaghi, Chairman, Department of Bio-nanotechnology; Dr Sandeep Kumar, Department of Bio-nanotechnology; Dr Ashish Aggarwal, Department of Applied Physics; and Dr Devender Kumar, Department of Applied Chemistry, all from GJUS&T. They also gave detailed talks on proper handling and care of laboratory equipment.
Research paper
Dr Aradhita Ray, Associate Professor, Department of Food Technology, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, visited Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, for presenting her research paper at the American Canadian Conference for Academic Disciplines 2012 organised by the International Journal of Arts and Sciences, Rhode Island, USA. Her paper “A Study on Antibacterial Activity of Mosambi/Sweet Lime Fruit Waste Extracts” had been accepted for oral presentation. The International Travel Support Scheme Committee of the Department of Science and Technology had approved her travel grant to attend the conference, while the university gave her financial assistance for registration fee and lodging. Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar
Dairy cooperative
selects 12 vets
Mehsana Dairy, the producer of AMUL and SAGAR brands of milk and milk products, has selected 12 veterinary graduates from Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, who are likely to be absorbed by the company. A five-member team of officials of the company selected the graduates on the basis of a written test and campus interviews. Mehsana Dairy is based in Gujarat but is expanding its business in Haryana and Rajasthan. The cooperative has established a milk processing plant at Manesar and Dharuhera in Gurgaon, Haryana, for which veterinarians are required. Out of the 36 candidates, who took part in the selection process, 12 candidates have been selected. The first six candidates will be given offer letters soon and the remaining six will get the letters later. The selected graduates will get Rs 25,000 per month stipend for six months as trainees and after that they will be appointed as Veterinary Officers with a package of 5 lakh per annum. The selected graduates are Sunil Kumar, Veerander Kumar, Pawan Gajraj, Vikas Sharma, Amit Sharma, Vivek, Gaurav Charaya, Sanjiv Kumar Verma, Kailash Kumar, Sumesh Kumar, Lokesh Yadav and Kanisth Batra. —
Contributed by Raman Mohan |
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EDUCATION is a solution to several problems India faces today, and these problems are bound to get aggravated over time. Not allotting the required funds for education, and not ensuring optimal use of such funds, indicates that our policymakers are not farsighted enough.