Chandigarh, Tuesday, July 20, 1999
Chandigarh, Tuesday, July 20, 1999 |
Promoting merit in rural schools By Gurbax Singh Shergill IT is a well-known fact that the rural students are unable to compete for admission to selected courses of study for better options for careers. MBA at
your doorstep Career Hotline Campus scene |
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Promoting merit in rural schools IT is a well-known fact that the rural students are unable to compete for admission to selected courses of study for better options for careers. Even high I.Q. students are unable to come up to the desired standards due to lack of quality education in rural schools and absence of guidance and motivational programmes. No wonder there is little response to the All-India Talent Test held by the NCERT. Performance of rural students in the Annual Talent Identification Tests held by the Quality Education Foundation three selected districts has been very poor. The problem of declining standards of teaching and learning in rural areas has been debated for long. Teachers in high and higher secondary schools generally complain that the standard of primary education has fallen. When students from rural primary schools join middle or high schools, they are unable to follow the syllabi. The Quality Education Foundation has conducted sample studies spread over the past four years to understand this problem. It has been found that there is a general fall in the standard of teaching and learning process at all levels. The onus for this decline cannot be entirely shifted to primary schools. It has been noted that a good number of primary students passing class V are above average and fit for quality education at the high school level. These students are unable to come up to the required standards due to lack of quality of teaching and indifferent attitude of parents. The foundation, in collaboration with the Kendriya Sikh Vidiak Board has decided to launch a pilot project for merit promotion in selected rural primary and secondary schools in Roop Nagar district. The main emphasis will be on self-improvement. Once a strong desire for self-improvement is created among the students of selected schools, a new beginning can be made. Under this scheme students with better performance will be identified from class IV at the primary level and class VI and VIII in secondary schools. Every school head will arrange for merit identification tests for these classes in the beginning of the session followed by quarterly, half-yearly and annually promotion tests. The foundation will assist these schools for standardisation of class tests with the guidance of subject experts. The cumulative record of these tests will be kept in special registers to be provided by the foundation to all participating schools. The foundation will give awards/prizes on the basis of merit promotion co-efficient to be determined after taking into account the percentage of marks obtained in the previous year’s promotion/entry test and the subsequent three school tests every year. These cash awards/prizes will be given to selected students every year at special morning assemblies. Annual guidance and motivational camps will be held for identified students in which special coaching will be given in selected subjects/topics in addition to career guidance and special talent development programmes. Once this pilot project demonstrates the effectiveness of merit promotion co-efficient method as the basis of self-improvement among students, it can be adopted as part of continued comprehensive evaluation scheme in all schools. The foundation will hold special scholastic achievement tests when these students reach classes V, VIII and X for award of special scholarships to enable outstanding talented students to pursue higher studies. These scholarships are named after four Sahabzadas and Panj Piaras Outstanding talented students will be adopted as chartered scholars for helping them complete the professional degree in which they get selected. Teachers and principals of the schools participating in the merit promotion scheme will also be given suitable awards every three years for their contribution. To begin with five
high/senior secondary schools will be selected in Roop
Nagar district to be followed selection of primary
schools in their feeding area with the help of District
Education Officers, concerned principals and Block
Education Officers. A seminar-cum-workshop of principals
Block Education Officers will be held for creating a
better understanding of this project and preparing a
detailed schedule for the academic year. |
MBA at your doorstep YOU are mid-career with the usual family commitments, but you know that to move ahead or make a significant career change you need to upgrade your qualifications. You have had a career break to have a family and now need to get back into the workforce with a postgraduate qualification that gives you an edge. How do you do it ? Since 1996, over a hundred people in such positions have resolved the problem by opting to access an internationally prestigious MBA without leaving India through the British Council. The council has been working with the Universities of Durham and Strathclyde to bring the courses from these two universities’ leading business schools. The benefits of high quality distance learning programmes are obvious. You can improve your postgraduate qualifications without serious disruption to your working or family life, without incurring any costs on travel and stay or the need to adjust to a foreign environment. The educational programmes are designed to be flexible to meet the needs of people with work and family commitments and the materials are designed to give the maximum support to people returning to study. However, although the course is flexible, the assignments are marked using the same criteria as full-time students. The examinations, conducted by the council, are also exactly the same as those taken by students of the full-time course. You can rest assured that this is a safe investment and the qualifications you attain are of equal value. The Strathclyde MBA is now open to students based in Delhi and Mumbai. But the Durham MBA programme can be pursued from anywhere in the country. If you are one of those who wants to study at your own pace and yet want the very best, examine the Durham advantage. * You begin to study as soon as you enrol with the help of our support network which includes graduates of the programme. * You can complete this quality MBA in three to four years or extend your studies up to eight years. If you withdraw before completing the full MBA programme, but after successfully completing stages 1 and 2 to the required standard, you will be awarded the Advanced Diploma in Business Administration. * Durham University Business School produces written learning material, which contains all information, background details and assignment questions you need to complete the programme successfully. * This quality programme has all flexibility demanded by a busy manager yet leads to an internationally recognised qualification. * Flexible structure, minimal constraints and comprehensive nature of the programme allows for possible career moves within India and even overseas. There are no rigid timetables and all essential textbooks are included. * The Durham MBA is one of the few Association of MBA (AMBA) accredited open learning programmes. For more information
contact: Sanjeev Roy, Management Training Centre, British
Council, British High Commission, 17 K.G. Marg, New Delhi
110001. Tel: 3711401, 3710555 (Ext. 293) Fax: 3710717.
E-mail: sanjeev.roy@bc-delhi. |
Career Hotline I have done BA in history. Could you please tell me about the career options after graduation/postgraduation in history. Andrew Kiths, Chandigarh History is the study and interpretation of the past, including the gathering, recording, synthesising, and analysing of evidence and theories about past events. As you must be aware by now, it includes study of historiography, historical research methods and studies of specific periods. History offers three main specialisations: archaeology, museology and archival studies. With a background in history, you can specialise in these fields as most of these courses are offered at the postgraduate-level. An archaeologist’s work is either research-based or field-oriented. Excavation work is only one aspect of archaeology. Archaeologists attempt to glean knowledge of the past from the study of ancient coins, weapons sculptures, pottery and other objects. Most of them specialise in particular objects of study and thereby become experts on coins (numismatist), weapons, sculpture, deciphering of inscriptions (epigraphist), etc. Archaeologists are employed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), state departments of archaeology of different state governments, museums and research institutions. Museologists on the other hand, work in museums and much of their work is a combination of research, administration and public relations. As a museum curator, you could specialise in natural history, metals, terracotta, textiles, paintings, etc. This profession requires an artistic and aesthetic bent of mind combined with administrative skills. Your work would also include maintaining a record of each item i.e. from where it has been acquired, its age, conservation treatment and such details. Archives focus on the selection, preservation, arrangement and description of documents. Public and administrative records need to be catalogued and maintained for ready reference and preserved as archival records. For future historical significance, archivists assess the value of research papers currently prepared by historians and various research organisations and also prepare for reference purposes, records which were produced in the past. An archivist must be familiar with the methods of preservation, repair of parchment and paper and microfilming of the documents. Such professionals find placements in museums, libraries, the National Archives of India and in different state archives. History as a subject is a popular optional for the Civil Services examination. There is scope for teaching history in schools and colleges. Historians are employed as researchers in historical research organisations such as Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) and Indian Council of Social Sciences Research (ICSSR). Knowledge of history is also an asset in journalism. I am a commerce graduate. I am keen on doing a course in transport management. Where can I study and what are the job prospects in this field. Divyajyoti Pandit, Bathinda. The Andhra University offers a postgraduate diploma in Transport Management. After doing this course, you can seek employment in airlines, railways road transport authorities and merchant navy. The Institute of Rail Transport, New Delhi, offers 1-year diploma courses in Multimodel Transport (Containerisation) & Logistics Management, and Transport Economics & Management through correspondence. For further details, you may contact: Institute of Rail Transport, Room No 17, Rail Bhavan, New Delhi 110001. I’m interested in craft design. Could you suggest institutes offering courses in this field. Shekhar Sinha, Patiala The Indian Institute of Crafts and Design, Jaipur, is an autonomous body established by the Government of Rajasthan to conduct education, training and research in Craft Design, Craft Management and Craft Technology. The main objective is to produce a cadre of Design-Techno-Managers, for advancing the state-of-the-art in the craft sector on a professional basis. The institute works in close collaboration with the National Institute of Design (NID) and National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). For further information, you may contact:
Besides this, several courses are offered by ITIs. I am interested in studying actuarial science. Could you please suggest some recognised courses and job prospects in this field. M.K. Poddar, Amritsar The field of insurance is open to all graduates but to equip yourself better for the profession, you could do one of the following courses:
New international insurance companies, eagerly waiting to join the existing public sector players, are likely to fuel a boom in the insurance sector in a big way when this sector opens up in the near future. My guess is that they will tap insurance professionals already working in this field, to begin with. Currently, some of the possible options in insurance are to join public sector insurance companies such as Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), General Insurance Corporation (GIC), National Insurance Company and their subsidiaries as an Officer, Insurance Agent or to train as an Actuary or Insurance Surveyor. The LIC, GIC and its subsidiaries recruit Class I and Class II officers in the posts of Assistant Administrative Officers and Assistant Development Officers through a written test and an interview. Actuaries apply the mathematical theories of probability, compound interest and statistical techniques to finance with long-term implications, such as life insurance or pension schemes. To qualify as an Actuary, you have to clear an examination conducted by the Actuarial Society of India. An insurance agent sells insurance policies for an insurance company. Agents have to clear a written test, personality test and are later required to undergo a training programme upon selection. The Insurance Surveyor makes assessments of losses and claims when a client seeks to claim insurance for loss, accidents, damage, theft, etc. To practice as a Surveyor, you need a surveyor’s licence which can be obtained on the basis of the following qualifications: a degree or diploma in architecture/engineering/naval architecture or CA, ICWA or fellowship or associateship through the examination of the Institute of Insurance Surveyors and Adjusters. The Indian Postal Department also offers Life Insurance but recruitment to these jobs is according to the general rules of the postal services. I am keen on doing MBA. Could you tell me the names of some institutes other than the IIMs which accept CAT scores for seeking admission to their MBA programmes. Ramesh Singh, Ferozepore The following institutes officially accept CAT (Common Admission Test) scores:
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Agriculture Jul 31 College of Technology & Agricultural Engineering (affiliated to Rajasthan Agricultural Univ), Udaipur 313001.
Elig:
For (1): BE (Ag) with OGPA 2.5/4.00 or 55% agg with GATE
Score. Animation ZICA Studios, Essel World, Gorai Island, Borivali (W), Mumbai 400091. Tel: 022-8684485/6704228.
Armed Forces Jul 31 Indian Air Force, PO Bag No. 001, DHQ Post Office, New Delhi 110011.
Selection: Psychological
test, group test & interview. Aug 02 Indian Air Force, Central Airman Selection Board, PO Box No. 3004, New Delhi 110003.
Aug 05 Indian Army, HQ Western Command (A Branch) Chandigarh, Chandigarh.
Correspondence Courses Aug 9 Indira Gandhi National Open University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi 110 068
Aug 10 Directorate of Continuing Educn, People’s Action Trust, Barkatullah Univ’s Study Centre, F-55/107, Katwaria Sarai, New Delhi 110016.Tel: 6528609.
Aug 11 Punjabi Univ, Deptt of Corresp Courses, Patiala 147002.
Aug 18 (6) MA in Punj, Eng, Hin, Hist, Pol Sc, Eco & Relig Studies Aug 20 (7)
MCom Elig: For (8):
Matric/Hr.Sec. Part I (50% agg with Eng). Univ of Madras, Instt of Corresp Educn, Chepauk, Chennai 600005 Sept 17
(1) BA: Hist, Eco, Indian Music, Co-operation,
Corporate Secretaryship, Engg Litt. Aug 13 Courses (1) — (6) also offered under Open Univ System (OUS) Oct 15 (7)
MA: Hist, PolSc, Pub Admn, Eco, Eng Litt (2-yrs) Oct 29 (10)
Certificate in Lib * Info Sc (3 mth) Elig: For (1-6):
HSc under 10+2/11+1 pattern. For (6): Maths and/or Comp
Sc as one of the subj. Aug 16 Guru Jambheshwar Univ, Hisar 125001 (Har).
Elig: For (1):
10+2 with 40% agg (pass marks for SC/ST) or 3-yr dip Foreign Languages Jul 31 Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Jawaharlal Nehru Academy of Languages, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 110001. Tel. 3389942.
Appln Form: Available at institute. Management Jul 31 Lal Bahadur Shastri Instt of Management & Technology, 29 Theatre Rd, Cantonment, Bareilly 243001. Tel: 0581-429203, 429205, 429207.
Elig: 10+2 Aug 9 AIMA-Centre for Management Services, Management House, 14 Institutional Area, Lodhi Rd, New Delhi 110003.
Exam: 5 Sept.,
‘99. Medicine Aug 16 National Board of Examinations, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029
Exam: 8 & 9
Jan., ‘2000. Para-medical Courses Aug 2 Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Sector-12, Chandigarh 160012.
Elig: Age: 17-25
yrs as on 1 Sept., ‘99 Unless otherwise specified, the dates mentioned above are deadlines for receipt of completed application forms. CARING (Career
Information & Guidance), New Delhi |
Campus scene AMRITSAR: The second Regional Centre of Guru Nanak Dev University at Gurdaspur will start functioning from this academic session in August. It will be housed at Guru Nanak Government College, Gurdaspur. Courses such as master of Business Administration, Bachelor of Information Technology and a five year law course will be taught at this centre which will be run on modern lines. The Punjab Government has already agreed to sanction the required number of posts for these three courses. Construction work on the Jalandhar regional campus was be started shortly for which Rs 35 lakh has been earmarked. * * * The university is trying to strengthen and modernise the examination system. The entire preparation of results has been computerised. Right from admissions of candidates to preparation of results and printing of gazette is being done on computers. The software and programmes have been developed by the university itself. This year on the detailed marks cards of first year students, photograph of the candidates is also being printed to plug malpractices Guru Nanak Dev University, is perhaps, the first university in the country to do so. The menace of copying to a great extend has been eradicated. As a result of the stringent measures taken by the university, the number of unfair means cases have been on the decline. The total UMC cases have come down from about 1300 in 1997 to about 170 in 1999. * * * The university is facing a financial crunch. During the past three years the annual budget has increased from Rs 2621.33 lakh to Rs 4351.32 lakh but the share of the state government towards the maintenance grant has dwindled from 62 per cent to 41 per cent. The university has been generating its own resources, according to the vice-Chancellor who claims that the income from its own resources during the past three years has risen from Rs 932.52 lakh to Rs 1600 lakh, which is 41 per cent of the total budget of the university. Various vocational courses have been started in more than 20 affiliated colleges with the assistance of the UGC. Without the assistance of the latter 20 more vocational courses have been introduced in 12 colleges. Six colleges have been accorded affiliation and the university is in the process of according affiliation to Police Public School, Amritsar, Guru Gobind Singh College, Amritsar, Saint Soldier College, Jalandhar, Guru Teg Bahadur College, Khankot, and Pt. Mohan Lal Uppal DAV College, Phagwara. During the Eighth Five-Year-Plan, the university was allocated Rs 4.10 lakh while during the Ninth Five-Year-Plan 6.22 crore have been allocated by the UGC for various courses in affiliated colleges. Guru Nanak Dev University is the first to have introduced vocational Punjabi as a subject. * * * A College Bhawan will be
built with assistance from the College Development Fund
with a provision of stay for college teachers. |
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Kosovo schools
damaged Poverty and
education Applying online |
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The write up on internal evaluation (Education Tribune, 22nd June 1999) made interesting reading and the author needs to be complimented for this. Internal evaluation is not a new concept. It can be traced back to the Vedic period when the guru himself evaluated the learner and only after he was satisfied, did he certify him fit to carry the torch. Over the years, the system was pushed into the background. Internal evaluation focuses on the process of learning rather than the outcome of learning. This is specially important for skill oriented subjects (medicine, computer, education) where the desired competencies cannot be evaluated by a term-end examination. Internal evaluation does not replace, rather it compliments, the traditional examination system. We strongly believe that the key to improve the quality of learning in our educational institutions will be to strengthen the system of internal evaluation. Dr Abraham Thomas &
Dr Tejinder Singh , CMC |
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