EDUCATION

Changing aspirations of future professionals

Ludhiana, April 8
When times change, there is an obvious change in the ambitions and aspirations of the young. Days when bright students would just dream about doing medicine or engineering seem to be over, with the youth aspiring to be “much more than doctors or engineers”.

A random survey among a number of aspiring careerists revealed that their ambitions were too big to be talked of simply in terms of success in a competitive test. This is not a lofty ideal of children from the affluent or well-to-do families, but of those belonging to the middle class. Damini, an enterprising student, does not want to be a run-of-the-mill professional. That is why she has not confined herself to a study of the curriculum only. She remarks, “The world has opened up and if you work hard and have talent in you, you will certainly achieve great heights, be it in life or in your career”.

Times have changed owing to the range of change in the range of professional courses on offer by colleges, universities and academic institutes all over the country, says a parent, who is also a teacher in one of the leading schools in the city.

Today, no doubt, students are crazy for the medical as well as the engineering professions, but other professions attract them the same way. “I will become an astronaut and go to space, I want to be a software professional, my parents want me to be a pilot, I want to establish my own hotel industry”, are the answers of some teenagers when asked about their future.

Immediately after passing out the secondary examinations, students start preparing for professional colleges. “I was preparing for the medical entrance and failed to get through but I am happy that I am not a doctor. I work at a computer institute and get a handsome salary. One should study a course which has practical applicability”, says Sona, a faculty member at a local computer centre.

Different professional courses like fashion designing, textile designing, hotel management, web designing, graphics and multimedia and others are offered by different private and government institutes. A worried student, Rashmi, during the vacations after the XII standard examinations said,” I don’t know which way to choose for the future and there is nobody in my family who can guide me”. It is very true that there is lack of career guidance in the city, so not many people know what to do. This leaves a number of students totally confused.

No doubt these courses offer a wide variety, leaving every student with some or the other line to select for the security of his or her future. On the contrary, these ‘professional courses’ as they are called leave the students with so many options that they sometimes choose a field of disinterest only to be in the race of getting a better job opportunity.

A good alternative can be the Internet from where the students can learn about new courses in the absence of proper guidance.

Suruchi Arora

Awareness rally by students
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 8
Over 200 NSS volunteers from College of Home Science and College of Agricultural Engineering, Punjab Agricultural University, participated in an awareness rally against drug addiction and health diseases here yesterday.

After passing through PAU hostels, the rallyists marched towards Ghumar Mandi, Government College road, Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar and then back to the campus. The volunteers carried placards and banners with messages to create awareness among the residents about harmful effects of drugs and intoxicants as well as lifestyle diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis and diabetes.

The students educated chemists against selling intoxicants without prescriptions to youth. Posters and pamphlets with slogans against the use of drugs were distributed by the volunteers.

Before flagging off the rally, Dr S.K. Verma, Programme Coordinator of NSS at PAU, addressed the students and gave them suitable tips on bringing about awareness. He said trend of consumption of a wide variety of intoxicants, increasing pollution, growth of poisonous weeds like parthenium and inadequate knowledge about dreaded diseases was leading to health problems.

Dr Verma said volunteers in small groups had earlier carried out activity of parthenium eradication in various localities, including Jassian Road and Haibowal Kalan, as a part of nationwide parthenium eradication campaign launched by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India. The volunteers demonstrated and motivated the residents to uproot the weed and educated them against serious health hazards like skin allergies and acute respiratory problems caused by it.

PAU students demand filling of posts
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 8
The Punjab Agricultural University Students Association has demanded filling of the posts of Agricultural Development Officers, Horticulture Development Officers and Soil Conservation Officers.

Stating this after the meeting of the Association here today, Mr Gurmit Singh, president, said that over 500 posts of these officers were lying vacant. Similarly the posts of teachers of agriculture at high and senior secondary schools should be filled with only those who have B.Sc in agriculture.

He said the posts of 300 assistant professors in the university should also be filled soon.

Gagandeep honoured
Our Correspondent

Sahnewal, April 8
Dr Gagandeep Kaushal has become the proud recipient of the Dr Atwal Singh Atwal Gold Medal for the year 1999. He was awarded the medal at the annual convocation of Punjab Agricultural University by the Chancellor, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd.), on Friday.

This award is given to all-round best student of M Sc/ MV Sc and M Tech courses of the university. Dr Gagandeep conducted his research on ‘A comparative study on sperm penetration in poly acrylamide gel and estrual mucus in buffaloes’. He completed his MV Sc in Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology and Obstetrics under the guidance of Dr G.R. Pangaokar of the Andrology Department. Dr Pangaokar has already guided 20 MV Sc and three Ph D students of the department.

Parents honour school principal
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 8
USPC Jain Public School organised a parents’ awareness programme here yesterday.

On the occasion, Prof A.K. Sahni, general secretary, Parent-Teacher Association India, said parents were a great resource for students, not only for financial inputs but also for bringing about their overall development.

He said parents as well as teachers should learn to understand the children emotionally and psychologically.

He said it was mandatory to have such associations in schools where they could meet and discuss progress of the child. Ms G.K. Itten, Principal of the school, was honoured by the association.

Woman produced in court, let off
Our Correspondent

Samrala, April 8
Gurmeet Kaur who was arrested by the police was produced in the court of Mr S.S. Brar, SDM, here today. The SDM discharged her and allowed her to go with her parents.

Her husband Rajinder Singh, a resident of Mandi Gobindgarh, in a complaint had stated that he was married to Gurmeet Kaur with three children. But she eloped with Bakhshish Singh and settled near Khaddoor Sahib.

As per reports, she was arrested by the police from Dulchiupur village, where she was residing with her paramour Bakhshish Singh for the past one and a half years. Bakhshish Singh, however, managed to flee.