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| EDUCATION TRIBUNE |
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Advantage semester system
Basis of all-round education Campus Notes
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Advantage semester system RECENTLY, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal stated that the government was fully committed to introducing the semester system in the universities across the country as a major academic reform step in higher education. He said the depth and breadth of learning under this system would be much more and the students would be more focused throughout the session. There is no doubt that the semester system, if implemented with sincerity, would go a long way in improving the academic standards in higher education. However, it is imperative that the basic spirit of the system is understood in its entirety before its implementation. It is pertinent to mention that the semester system is functional in technical and professional institutions of standing in the country for decades without many problems faced either by the students or the teachers. In the universities, the semester system has been tried on and off and without much success. In fact, it has been viewed simply as dividing the annual system of examination into two half-yearly segments and dividing the syllabi of papers into two parts. The problem arises because of the mindset of students with regard to the examination and the preparatory days taken off by the students. As a result, the effective time taken for the examination and the proceeding preparatory days leave lesser number of teaching days. However, the basic spirit of the semester system goes much beyond dividing the academic year into two sessions. The system should be designed in such a manner that the students obtain a deeper understanding of the subject and then apply the knowledge gained in day-to-day problems in an effective and efficient manner. Students’ diagnostic skills are sharpened only if the process of education takes place in a tension-free and congenial atmosphere. Evaluation of students through formal examination should take place in such a manner that the students look forward to it with pleasure rather than dread it. The following are the key features of the semester system: Continuous evaluation of the students throughout the semester; conceptual clarity and understanding of the subject matter through problem-solving assignments; discussion sessions in small groups to ensure that difficulties faced by the students are taken care of; assessment of teachers by students in a systematic fool-proof method; increased number of effective teaching days by reducing the time taken for examination. Under this system, continuous evaluation involves two mid-semester tests and a final examination. Syllabus for the first mid-semester test consists of the portion covered in the first six weeks of the semester and for the second test, it is the portion covered between the seventh and 12th weeks of the semester. The final examination is to be more comprehensive covering the whole syllabus and is to be conducted by the university for sake of uniformity. Since the two mid-semester tests cover short syllabi, these are conducted in the class by the teacher concerned and the whole exercise should not take more than a few days. Problems solving is an important and integral part of the semester system. Tackling carefully selected problems given in assignments provides an opportunity to the student to assess himself and see if the conceptual clarity of the subject matter has been achieved. Furthermore, solving problems sharpens the intellectual capabilities and prepares the student to face the challenges in life with equanimity. Performance in class tests and the problem assignments determine the internal assessment of the student. Internal assessment weightage should be as high as 50 per cent of the total marks, so that there is lesser tension during the final examination. Linked closely with the assignments is the concept of discussion sessions in small groups. Students should interact with teachers to sort our difficulties faced in the subject matter and assignments. Also, such sessions provide the teacher an opportunity to know about his effectiveness as an instructor. The students pass on their views about the approach adopted by the teacher in teaching and modifications, if any, are needed from the students’ point of view. This obviously would lead to teachers’ assessment by the students in a formal manner. An added advantage of the semester system is the reduced number of days needed for the conduct of the final examination and the preparatory time. As learning and assessment take place in small capsules, there is no dread of the examination and it takes much less time. This gives rise to an increased number of teaching days. So, this system has many plus points because it keeps the students involved in studies throughout the semester. Learning process and assessment take place in a relaxed manner. Examination phobia is not as severe as in the annual system. Conceptual understanding of the subject is also enhanced and the student is fully prepared to apply the knowledge gained in real-life situations more effectively. The only proviso that has to be fulfilled is that the key features of the semester system are adopted and implemented in earnest.
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Basis of all-round education EVERYDAY, to rise at 5:45 am (except Sunday) to a really loud bell and nibble a small snack to fuel us for 45 minutes of military-style exercises became a ritual in Mayo Girl’s School, Ajmer. Dreading the breakfast menu of the week and awaiting the Sunday morning “Maggi” breakfast are endless memories. Afternoons spent engaging in activities and evenings hoping for a delightful snack at tea break followed by the “Games Time”, playing all the sports under the sun, moving onto the two hours resented “Prep Time” was a constant and inescapable protocol. Public schools give an exposure and diversity as the students are from all parts of the country. Herein every child is equal, irrespective of caste, creed or social status. There is equality in food, clothing, pocket money, etc. These schools de-emphasise wealth as modern-day luxuries are not available to students. In winter, they pore over textbooks in classrooms without heaters. Material goods, including expensive clothes, home dough, cell phones, etc., are prohibited. Parental visits are kept to a minimum. Social services and menial tasks are compulsory to bring out compassion and humility in the students. With such frugal living, these schools continue to score over ordinary schools, as the purpose of education in public schools is not just to make the child literate but to inculcate self-discipline, all round personality development, spirit of sharing, etc. The legendary Mayo fudge cake made for birthdays out of ‘Marie’ biscuits and ‘Horlicks’ is a symbol of sacrifice and fellowship. The friends collect the morning snack and put it together to make this enticing cake. A large sum of pocket money is amassed to buy food from the canteen to celebrate on special occasions. The elation that such feasts with limited resources bring is unrivalled. Some graduates, like Ravi Sinha, say they got their first primer on the deal making at Doon. As a 13-year-old student, he bartered breakfast goods with the other boys. Milk and bread had “no trading value” because they were ubiquitous, recalls Sinha, now a 43-year-old partner at Goldman Sachs. The ingenious infrastructure and well-trained instructors for sports and extra-curricular activities provided under one roof is a privilege enjoyed by the students. Public schools are a cradle of adventure sports and believe that these experiences can be educational, bringing students in communion with nature. A big challenge for public schools today is to balance the demand for better exam results with the imperative to retain its unique traditions, in which extra-curricular activities play a central role. Students besides having all round personalities run for marks and to achieve scholarly pursuits. Public schools boast of a highly influential and close-knit ex-students network. The fraternity relished by them is unique. The list is endless of achievers from public schools. Some examples are seen in India’s most prominent leaders and innovators such as former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who passed out from Doon School, Dehra Dun, and Lawrence School, Sanawar, respectively. Though these schools are referred as the elitist institutions of the country, they do have certain weaknesses. Students in public schools tend to withdraw themselves into their shells when they are out of their school community. They are accused of arrogance and do not reach out to people from outside the world of public schools. Thus, they end up having no friends when they are at home or otherwise. This is contrary to the equality that they are taught in their schools. Because of such equality instilled into these students, a sort of contempt for the snobs in society creeps into their minds. They realise that the rest of the world is not like the campus that they are brought up on and it is fraught with ‘snobs’ flaunting the wealth of their parents. This behaviour is interpreted by general people as snobbishness in these students. When students come out of a protected environment, they face problems while getting accustomed to a harsh and real world. The controlled conditions and strict discipline that they have adhered to all this while don’t exist any more. In the high of relief from such monastic existence lies an inevitable truth. Judging people, situations and dealing with the clash of the two incomparable worlds in their minds is an ongoing process of trail and error till they eventually find their feet. Not much is lost as benefits in such schools outweigh the costs and these schools continue to shine and produce excellent citizens who help in shaping the destiny of the country. As the quality of one’s life stems from the quality of education one gets in the childhood is a reason enough for students to benefit from such prestigious institutions. Being an ex-student of Mayo, I advocate more students to take on the opportunity to join such schools which are the beacons of education.
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Campus Notes TATA Consultancy Services, a renowned Indian multinational IT company, has recruited as many as 137 students from the 2010 batch of B.Tech (computer science), B.Tech (electronics), MCA, M.Tech (IT) and M.Tech (computer science) through campus placement held on the university campus recently. The selected students belonged to Amritsar, Jalandhar and Gurdaspur campuses of the university. According to Prof Sukhdev Singh, placement officer, this is the highest number of students ever recruited by any company from the university. Earlier, 95 students were selected by Infosys from the 2009 batch. He said a 20-member team, lead by Aarti Bhandari, head, HR division, North India, visited the university for campus placements. He said the recruitment drive included online testing followed by technical and HR interviews. While the undergraduate students were offered Rs 3.15 lakh per annum, postgraduates were offered Rs 3.30 lakh per annum. The selected students will join their respective duties in June 2010. At least 481 students of the 2009 batch have already been placed in various multinational companies till last December, Prof Sukhdev added.
New security officer takes over
Lt Col (retd) Harbans Singh has taken over as security officer of the university after S.S. Chhina, IPS (retd), retired on attaining superannuation recently. Lt Col Harbans Singh, who performed multifarious duties related to security in the Indian Army, assured that sincere efforts would be made to strengthen the university security system. He was also officer-in-charge of the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) Polyclinic, Amritsar, for more than five years.
Research scholar attends
international workshop
Rajneet Kour Soodan, a research scholar in the Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences of the university, attended the "Fogarty International Workshop on Molecular Epidemiology and Environmental Health and Arsenic Exposure Assessment" recently. The workshop was hosted by the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB) and the Department of Genetics, University of Calcutta. The workshop was sponsored jointly by Fogarty Program at the University of California, Berkeley, USA and IICB, Kolkata. Out of the total 30 participants, 20 were from India and the remaining 10 from other countries. The selection was solely based on the work in the field of environmental health-related research. A group of eminent scholars from the University of California and Washington, USA, and other parts of the world participated in the workshop. The certificate of participation was also presented to Rajneet Kour who is working on "Genotoxicity Evaluation of Agricultural Soils of Amritsar" under the supervision of Dr Avinash Nagpal, professor, and Dr Jatinder Kaur. —
Contributed by P. K. Jaiswar
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ADMISSION DEADLINE Union Public Service
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