The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

CAMPUS
Students set to begin the chapter of their college life
Gaurav Choudhury

THE transition from school to college has begun. Thousands of students are thronging the campus as admission forms were made available from today. Braving sizzling temperatures and energy-sapping humidity, students from all parts of the country converged onto the campus to collect and submit forms with the hope of securing admission to one of the preferred colleges.

For the admission seekers, the atmosphere presents a whole new experience– away from the regimentation of schools and to the more carefree ambience of colleges. “I am looking forward to college days. No uniform, and pursuing a course of my choice,” said Jaswinder, an admission seeker.

However, there is a nervous waiting game to be won before the college life actually gets under way. Formally, the academic session 2002-03 will begin on July 15.

For most, the journey to the university campus from their native air marks the beginning of a new phase in their life as they would be taking the first tentative steps away from the protective cocoon of their parents.

The scorching Delhi summer is something they would have to get accustomed to, as they would soon be hopping from one college to another, submitting admission forms.

In between, they will stop over to refuel the hydration levels at the nondescript ‘nimbupani’ vendor. Nimbupani, diluted mixture of fresh lemon juice, water and soda, is selling like hot cakes with students stopping over now and then to have a sip and energise themselves. All for the sake of a bright future.

The official website of Delhi University, has been upgraded, enabling students to download the form directly. However, considering the rush (it is reported that more than five lakh forms have been sold), admission seekers have preferred to collect forms from the university campus itself.

Officials said that the university was expecting 16 lakh forms to be submitted this year—much higher than the 13.5 lakh forms submitted last year.

NIIT’s new centre

The state-of-the-art education centre launched by NIIT.

Information technology training major, NIIT claimed to have launched India’s largest IT education centre in South Extension in New Delhi. The 12000 sq ft, state-of-the-art centre has 12 computer labs with nearly 300 computers.

“Through the new centre, we continue with our endeavour of providing quality IT training that we are already offering through the over 2500 centres in 38 countries,” said Pradeep Narayanan, the head of NIIT’s Education Business.

The new centre will cater to the needs of students seeking careers in computers to executives wishing to imbibe new IT skills on the one hand and schoolchildren and housewives wanting to have their first brush with computers on the other.

NIIT’s training programmes include Futurz–a series of programmes of varying duration leading to GNIIT title, CATS—offering training on advanced technologies, SWIFTT–catering to the literacy needs of people keen to learn computers and LEDA—a programme designed exclusively for schoolchildren..

ITDC- Amity MoU

The MoU being exchanged between Mr Ashwini Lohani, chairman and managing director of ITDC and Dr Ashok K Chauhan, president of Ritnand Balved Education Foundation.

Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), a public sector enterprise, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Amity Group to establish the Indian School of Hospitality.

The MoU was signed between Mr Ashwini Lohani, chairman and managing director of ITDC and Dr Ashok K Chauhan, president of Ritnand Balved Education Foundation, the umbrella body of all Amity institutions.

“Our tie-up with Amity should change the face of hospitality throughout the country,” Mr Lohani said. He said the institute will offer unparalleled learning opportunities to the students. “The popular impression is that the ITDC is going through a process of disinvestment. The fact is that the ITDC is undergoing a process of diversification. The foray into the field of education is yet another attempt by us to do things differently. By having a joint venture with a private institution such as Amity, we are opening up and offering quality training,” he said.

“The Indian School of Hospitality students will not only receive in-house training but also have regular guidance from professionals and experts in the country,” Dr Ashok Chauhan said.

IAS fever in JNU

The prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), a premier centre of learning and advanced research in our country, is slowly but steadily turning out to be a major preparatory ground for aspiring civil servants.

Facilities like inexpensive accommodation, quality food, peaceful academic atmosphere, access to all the major libraries of the Capital, including British Council Library (BCL) and American Libarary, are attracting aspiring civil servants from all parts of the country.

“With eminent historian like Prof Romila Thappar and Prof Bipan Chandra associated with the faculty, Jawaharlal Nehru University has undergone a complete transformation. It doesn’t offer any fancy courses, which would attract the student’s attention. Students come here for the purpose of fulfilling their dream of becoming an IAS officer or an academic,” says Prof. Imtiaz Ahmed, of the Centre for Political Studies, JNU.

“The lack of seriousness among the teachers has led to such a situation. It’s not restricted to JNU but even Delhi University is witnessing the same problem. There is absolutely no interaction between the students and the teachers. Students prefer not to take any assistance from the teachers, they wish to study on their own,’’ said Prof. Ahmed.

“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”, seems to be a case when it comes to preparing for the civil service exams, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission. Nearly five lakh candidates appear for the civil service exams every year. One should also have a back-up career option. JNU seems to be a residual choice among students. If they make it to the civil services, well and good, otherwise the degree course at JNU will be handy in pursuing an alternative career.

“The civil service examination is one of the toughest to clear, and due to the complex nature of the examination system, a person who is interested in appearing must be well prepared for rejection. So a candidate must have a residual choice in order to avoid frustrations later on,’’ says Chandran, an M.Phil. student of JNU and aspiring IAS officer.

Explaining his choice, he said, “My batch-mates who did economics have got a job of their choice. Now, for students like us, with history background, the only option is to prepare for the civil services examination.”

Input by Tarun Gill

YOUNG VOICE
Looking for a better infrastructure
Tarun Gill

New Delhi, June 5
An ardent Boyzone fan, Neha Sharma, the president of Bharti College is not satisfied with the infrastructure provided at the Delhi University.

The kind of exposure the Delhi University provides to its students is remarkable, even though there are a few problems that need to be addressed immediately.

The number of seats for admission to the university is inadequate. As a result, even good students are forced to enrol themselves with the School of Correspondence, which hardly provides the right atmosphere to study because there are no regular classes. As such, it is imperative on the part of the authorities to make provisions for extra seats in the various colleges of Delhi University.

Moreover, the university doesn’t offer much of a choice when it comes to selecting the right course to study. There is also the need to increase the interaction between the students and teachers. Teachers should lay emphasis on providing personal attention to students, which would go a long way in not only boosting the morale of the students but would lead to an enhancement of academic standard in the various institutions of the university.

Our college garden is also in a shambles. Officials are yet to consider it a problem. Even though the PWD office is on our college premises, yet nothing concrete is done.

A major problem is that most of the teachers in the college are appointed on ad hoc basis. It is very frustrating for students. Just when we get used to the teaching style of a particular teacher, they are ready to say good bye to us. It’s quite distracting.