Tap alternative sources
Fee hike unjustified
By V.S. Mahajan
RECENTLY the Punjab Government announced its decision to hike fees for financing higher education without considering the paying capacity of an ordinary family. The fees hike is unjustified to have a five-fold increase in a single go is bereft of all norms of social justice. No longer families with limited incomes would be able to afford it. Education is going to be beyond their means.

• Career Hotline

• Deadline

• Diary

RECENTLY the Punjab Government announced its decision to hike fees for financing higher education without considering the paying capacity of an ordinary family. The fees hike is unjustified to have a five-fold increase in a single go is bereft of all norms of social justice. No longer families with limited incomes would be able to afford it. Education is going to be beyond their means.

Even so, the government admits that such a hike would hardly provide a viable solution to the problem.

This being, there arises a need for finding alternative sources, more sensible and lasting, to close the widening gap between resources and the cost of higher education. A careful study would certainly help to explore alternative routes for tackling this mess in our educational system.

First, there is a need for rationalising teaching departments and weeding out or downsizing those which hardly serve any useful purpose.

Of course, initially a lot of home work is needed to be done before we are able to undertake this exercise. A survey of most institutions would reveal that they are still burdened with a pre-Independence type of educational system which no longer fits into the present highly professional atmosphere. In fact, such an outmoded system is a big drag on our scarce educational resources and sooner we got rid of it the better it would be.

Instead, thrust should be on those courses which conform to the current need of students as well of society. We should adopt a pragmatic approach to our educational system, professional and result-oriented. We should adopt a new mindset if we have to move fast in the coming years.

This would also provide our administration relief in expenditure on education - incidentally here again we have to learn a lot from the US system of administration and management of higher education.

Second, while state universities as well colleges occupy prime lands, we have hardly made the best use of such opportunity. Why not convert at least a part of such possession into income-yielding business centres. We should learn from the experience of some of our own universities (like Jadavpur in Calcutta) which has already created its business premises which is yielding a good return.

Unfortunately much of the land on our universities and colleges lies unutilised; in several cases it has turned into wasteland for lack of resources. Why not convert at least a part of such land for business purposes?

The fear that such business centres would interfere with the normal functioning of these institutions is unfounded for these centres would not encroach on the teaching premises, for these are going to be located on empty land and would occupy nominal space.

D E A D L I N E

Armed Forces - Territorial

Jun 28 Territorial Army (TA), Army HQ, ‘L’ Block, New Delhi-110 001.

• lRecruitment of Officers

Elig: Employed graduates, male Indian citizens or medically fit Ex-Service officers.

Age: 18-42 yrs as on 20 Jul.

Appln Form: Ex-Service Officers: send Rs. 10/- by IPO favouring "ADG, TA, Army Headquarters" to Addl. Directorate General at above address before June 28.

For Civilians residing in J & K, HP, Har, Del, Punj & Chandi: Send Rs. 10/- by IPO favouring "TA Group Commander" to Commander, TA Group HQ, Western Command, Bldg No. 750, Sector-8-B, Chandi 160018.

Jun 27 Govt. College of Art, (Ch’garh Admin), Sector 10-C, Chandigarh 160011.

Ph: 0172-742873

Bachelor of Fine Arts (4

Applied Art; Painting; Graphics (Printmaking); & Sculpture.

Elig: 10+2 (40%) (35% for SC/ST).

Appln F: Send Rs. 150/- by MO favouring "Principal" at the above address mentioning your add on the reverse of MO form. Or from counter: Rs. 120/- cash.

Ph: 03463-52451/52481

Diploma Courses (3 yr):

Elig: Madhyamik (50%) with Eng, Maths & Physical Sc. Age: below 21 yrs (24 for SC/ST) on Jul 1.

Selectn: Aptitude Test.

Appln F: Send Rs. 30/- by IPO favouring "Assistant Accounts Officer, Visva-Bharati", payable at Sriniketan PO along with a self-addressed stamped (Rs. 5/-) envelope (23 x 10 cm) to the above address.

www.cftiagra.com. Telefax: 0562-320271

Diploma in Footwear Design & Production (2-yr)

Elig: 10+2. Age: 17-25 yrs on Oct 1.

Appln F: Send Rs. 125/- by DD favouring "Director, CFTI, Agra" at the above address. Or from counter: Rs. 100/- cash.

Jun 30 University of Delhi, D/o Music, (F/o Music & Fine Arts), Univ Road, Delhi 110007.

1.  PhD/MPhil (Philosophy)

2.  MA (Arts 2-yr)

3.  BA (Hon 3-yr)

4.  Dip in Sangeet Shiromani (1-yr)

5.  Cert Course (1-yr) (only for foreigners)

Appln F: Send Rs. 50/- for each course by DD favouring "Registrar, University of Delhi, Delhi" payable at SBI, (Code 7687), along with a self-addressed, stamped (Rs. 12/-), envelope (25 x 17 cm) to K. S. Krishna, Section Officer at the above address.

Elig: 10+2 (50%)

Appln F: Send Rs. 450/- by DD favouring "Registrar, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar" or Rs. 400/- in cash, from: Khalsa College, DAV College, Hindu College, Amritsar; Information Centre, GNDU College, Lyallpur Khalsa College, APJ College of Fine Arts, HMV, Jalandhar, SPAB College, Pathankot.

• MCA

Elig: Bachelor’s degree (10+2+3) (55%) (pass marks for SC/ST) with maths at degree level.

Test: Jul 22.

Appln F: Send Rs. 130/- by DD favouring "Director, Computer Centre" payable at Udaipur. Or from counter Rs. 100/-, cash.

•  MBA (3-yr)

Elig: Bachelor’s degree in any discipline. Candidates with work ex preferred.

Appln Format: Send Rs. 280/- by DD favouring ‘‘Director, directorate of Distance Education, Annamalai University’’ to the above address. Or from counter Rs. 250/-, cash and New Delhi Study Centre Ph: 6087638.

Regular: CAD/CAM & Robotics; Civil (Geotechnical); Civil (Sructures); Electronics & Comm, Indstl & Software Engg.

Part-time: Civil (Structures), Environ, Indstl & Mech (Heat Power).

Chem, Civil, Comp Sc & Engg, Electl & Electronics, Mech & Industrial Engg.Schools: Basic & Applied Sc, Biotech, Mgt; Environ Sc & Tech.

Appln F: Send Rs. 525/- by DD favouring "Registrar, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, Patiala" payable at Patiala till June 26. Or from counter: Rs. 500/- cash.

MTech/MArch (FT: 11/2 yrs, PT 21/2 yrs): in 13 disciplines

Elig: GATE Scores

Appln F: Send Rs. 100/- by crossed DD/IPO to MACT, Bhopal.

Details Employment News 10-6, Jun

Ph: 5412115. E-mail: fcifbd@nda.vsnl.net.in

Diplomas:

1. Food Production

2. Food & Beverage Service

3. House Keeping

4. Front Office Operation

Elig: Sr Sec (10+2) or equiv with knowledge of Eng. Age: 22 yrs (25 yrs for SC/ST)

Appln Format: See leading national newspapers.

1. PG Dip in Accommodation & Mgt (11/2 yrs)

2. PG Dip in Dietetics & Hospital Food Service

3.  Craft Course in Food Production

4. Courses for Housewives

Elig: For (1): Bachelor’s degree with Eng. Age: 28 yrs (31 yrs for SC/ST) as on Jul 1.

For (2): Bachelor’s degree in Home Sc; Nutrition; Sc; Life Sc/Microbiol/Biochem. Age:22 yrs (25 yrs for SC/ST)

For (3): Class X (10+2 pattern) with Eng. Age: 22 yrs (25 yrs for SC/ST) as on Jul 1.

Appln F: For (1), (2) & (3): Send Rs. 60/- by MO favouring "Principal, Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa, New Delhi 110012". Also, available in cash, Rs. 50/- at counter.

For (4): In cash Rs. 10/- from Instt’s enquiry counter.

Jun 30 School of Life Sciences, DA University, Vigyan Bhawan, Khandwa Rd Campus, Indore 452017 (MP)

MSc: a) Indstl Microbiol; b) Life Sc

Elig: a): BSc (H) (60%) in Microbiol or BSc (Gen) with any 3: Microbiol, Chem, Zool, Bot, Biochem.

b): BSc in any branch of biol (50%)

Test: Jul 5

Appln F: Send Rs. 150/- by crossed DD favouring "Head, School of Life Sciences" payable at Indore.

CARING (Career Information & Guidance), New Delhi

RESEARCH carried out for the Teacher Training Agency, UK, suggests that handwriting speed is a factor in student achievement, regardless of ability, reports BBC. In the study, carried out at a large UK comprehensive school, pupils who achieved higher than expected GCSE English grades wrote faster than those who underachieved. They also had a better handwriting style, indicating that quality of handwriting is also strongly associated with achievement. The research involved 1,192 students. The study reveals that slow writers had problems with poor motor co-ordination, spelling, letter formation, word shapes and discrimination between upper and lower case. Researchers also found that boys in year 7 wrote more slowly than girls, but increased their speed each year. By year 11, they were slightly faster than girls. However, the boys had a higher frequency of handwriting problems than girls. The report suggests handwriting should be taught throughout secondary school, a practice that could be of particular help to boys.

ON May 16, with the opening of the new school year, Thailand launched an ambitious reform of its educational system for the first time in over 100 years, says a DPA report. King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), who reigned between 1868-1910, implemented a thorough reform of the education system, but since his enlightened rule there have been no new revolutions in the classroom. As a result, Thailand’s education performance has lagged behind its neighbours. In August 1999, the government finally passed the National Education Act, promising 12 years’ free public schooling for all Thai citizens, decentralisation of the education bureaucracy and a dramatic shift from rote memorisation to student-centred learning. Arguably the most important outcome of the Act has been the removal of reform process from Thai politics. "Our governments change often, so the policies approved by one government are turned down by the next,’’ said Rung Kaewdang, secretary-general of the National Education Commission. With this Act, Thailand has assured some continuity in the reform process.

More respect, please

AMERICA'S top teachers are grateful for the higher salaries that more and more state legislatures are approving to make public education a more attractive profession, but the maestros of the classroom also want greater respect, a new survey shows. The survey of 400 winners of teacher-of-the-year awards was commissioned by the Council of Chief State School Officers, an association of state education officials, and Scholastic Inc., a global children’s education publishing and media company. Its purpose: to learn why teachers leave the profession. A large majority of the teachers polled said higher starting salaries and all-around better pay is needed. But an even larger majority, 84 per cent, said respect is key to keeping good teachers. Faith Kline, Pennsylvania’s Teacher-of-the-Year 2000, quotes the old adage: If you can’t do something, teach it. "That (adage) speaks volumes for what the public feels about teaching. People say they respect teachers, but they don’t demonstrate that respect," Kline told Stateline.org. — KSB