क्यों पढ़ना इतना मत्वपूर्ण है? हर कोई जानता है कि पढ़ना महत्वपूर्ण है लेकिन क्या आपने कभी खुद से पूछा है कि ऐसा क्यों है? मुझे आशा है कि आपको वास्तव में यह जानने में मदद मिलेगी कि पढ़ना बच्चों के लिए इतना महत्वपूर्ण क्यों है।
बच्चे गाये बिना गाना नहीं सीख सकते, लिखे बिना लिखना नहीं सीख सकते और पढ़े बिना पढ़ना नहीं सीख सकते हैं। अर्थात कोई भी कौशालात्मक कार्य बिना किए नहीं सीखा जा सकता है लेकिन किसी भी कार्य को करने के लिए लगन का होना बेहद ज़रूरी है।
गुजरात में सूरत ज़िला अंतर्गत आदिवासी बाहुल्य क्षेत्र उमरपाड़ा के पास एक छोटा सा गाँव है जिसका नाम डोंगरीपाड़ा है। गाँव के प्राथमिक विद्यालय में अपने दैनिक कार्य के सिलसिले से सीआरसी को-ऑर्डिनेटर (संकुल संसाधन केंद्र समन्वयक) दिलीप भाई गामित के साथ कक्षा निरीक्षण करने पहुंचा।
संदीप ने जीत लिया दिल
इस दौरान तृतीय कक्षा में एक बच्चे पर नज़र पड़ी जिसका नाम संदीप है, जो अन्य बच्चों के मुकाबले थोड़ा शांत दिख रहा था। मैं थोड़े ध्यान से उसे देखा तो वह पाठ्यक्रम की पुस्तक लेकर पढ़ने की कोशिश कर रहा था।
शिक्षिका से बात करने पर पता चला कि यह स्लो लर्नर है जो सुनता थोड़ा कम है, जिसे बोलने में भी थोड़ी परेशानी है। यह बातें सुनकर मैंने उसे पुस्तक (जो पुस्तक उसके पास पहले से मौजूद था) पढ़ाने का प्रयास किया एवं उसके बाद शिक्षिका से चित्रयुक्त रंगीन पुस्तक मांगी।
शिक्षिका ने एक पुस्तक दी, जो काफी प्यारा दिख रहा था। उक्त पुस्तक में कंधे पर हल (खेत जुताई का उपकरण) लिए आदमी (किसान) के चित्र को देखाते हुए मैंने उससे पछा, “सु छे” (क्या है)। इसके जवाब में वह बोलता है कि खेतुड़ छे खेत जुताई माटे जवा छे (किसान है खेत जुताई के लिए जा रहा है)।
इस तरह सुमित ने मेरे द्वारा पूछे गए हर एक चित्र का अधिकांश सही जवाब दिया। इसी के साथ एक अजीब बात मेरे ह्रदय को स्पर्श कर गई वो यह कि वह हर चित्र का अपने अनुसार सही उत्तर और उसका व्याख्या अपने रोज़मर्रा के जीवन से कर रहा था।
यहां यह समझ आता है कि बच्चे चित्रों को देखकर कोई अर्थ बना रहे हैं और उन पर आपस में बात भी कर रहें हैं जो कि चित्रों को देखकर उनके मन में आ रहे विचारों की अभिव्यक्ति है।
बच्चों में पढ़ने की प्रवृति ऐसे विकसित करनी होगी
पढना भी एक कौशल है मगर पढ़ने की ज़रूरत कैसे महसूस हो व बच्चों में पढ़ने की प्रवृत्ति विकसित करने में कौन सी चीज़ें मदद करती हैं, इन चीज़ों को भी समझने की ज़रूरत है। इन अर्थों में देखा जाए तो चित्रों पर बात करना और प्रतिक्रया देना यानि चित्रों को पढ़ना ही पढ़ने का प्राथमिक चरण होता है।
उपरोक्त तथ्यों को ध्यान में रख कर मैं अभिमन्यु कुमार (गाँधी फेलो), अल्पेश भाई (बीआरसी कोऑर्डिनेटर उमरपाड़ा), उमरदा (सीआरसी को-ऑर्डिनेटर), दिलीप भाई एवं संदीप भाई (सीआरसी को-ऑर्डिनेटर, वड़पाड़ा) के साथ मिलकर प्रखंड के चार स्कूलों में पुस्तकालय स्थापित किया।
लाइब्रेरी
इसमें प्रमुखता से चित्रयुक्त और रंगीन पुस्तकों को रखा गया जो कक्षा 2 से 8 के बच्चों के विकास में अपना बहुमूल्य योगदान सुनिश्चित कर सके। इसके अलावा अन्य 8 स्कूलों में वैसे ही पुस्तकालय स्थापित करने हेतु प्रयासरत हैं। इस कार्य मे ‘प्रथम बुक्स’ के डोनेट-ए-बुक्स प्लेटफार्म का बहुत ही उल्लेखनीय योगदान रहा है।
इन सबके बीच निष्कर्ष यह निकलता है कि इसी तरह हर एक बच्चे को प्यार और ध्यान दिया जाना चाहिए। उनकी दिलचस्पी को विकास का माध्यम बनाया जाए जिससे वे जल्द सीखना शुरू कर दें। उन्हें अपने जीवन में बहुत जल्दी अपने कार्यों के लिए ज़िम्मेदार महसूस ना कराएं। अपनी गलतियों को स्वीकार करें और बाद में व्याख्या करने और सही करने के लिए सौम्य प्रयास करें।
In its most recent endeavour for strengthening the education system of the city, AAP roped in Career Launcher, a test preparation organization, to start a free-of-cost training programme. This program will train the children studying science in Class 12 in government schools for JEE and NEET entrance exams.
Career Launcher also organised a special training session for Delhi Government school teachers, to help facilitate the students’ access and learning, a report by India Today stated.
“Since 2015, the number of students getting selected in IIT-JEE have risen from 40-50 to over 300 selections today. This has been the result of constant hard work of the teachers and students of Delhi Govt. schools. We thank Career Launcher and welcome them in building upon this success. Preparing for competitive examinations is the intended objective, but this exercise will also be intended towards developing a scientific outlook, through exposure to higher applications of science in daily life. I really hope the students make the most of it”, said Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, acknowledging the special guidance provided to the teachers.
According to reports, the students will get 130+ hours of training in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics. The classes are being held after school-hours from 7 P.M. to 10 P.M. since January 21 2019. The students will also receive online test series and other study materials as supplementary preparation material.
“Our team is proud to offer the Delhi Government its support in launching a much-needed course for its science stream students: the JEE and NEET Crash Course. Career Launcher can leverage its strong academic competency and online delivery platform to reach to over 5000 students and help them achieve their dreams. We are confident of doubling the number of their IIT JEE qualifiers with this initiative, which has already gone up from 40-50 to more than 300 with Delhi govt’s efforts in education, especially since their own teachers and officers of the Directorate of Education are actively involved in the process,”said Mohan Prasad, the content head at Career Launcher.
The AAP Government has paid importance to the education sector from the beginning of its term and it is visible from the statistics mentioned on their official sites. 2015-16 saw a double allocation of budget of ₹41,129 crore to the education sector. 2017-18 witnessed an allocation of 23.5% of the annual budget and 2018-19 witnessed an allocation of ₹13,997 crore which amounts to 26% of the total budget.
The four major fronts focused on were: modernizing infrastructures – additional classrooms were built, pilot schools were finally launched after testing, maintenance was improved in terms of management; capacity improvement of teaching staff and principals – steps like training of teachers, launching of school leadership management programme and increasing the accountability of the school administration took place; school management committees were set up; and other programmes – Every Child Can Read campaign, Mentor Teacher program, Chunauti 2018, etc. were launched.
The Delhi government is spearheading the change India’s education system has desired since long and is working in making schools a fearless space for children. Be it the launching of the Happiness Curriculum to work towards building positive mental health for children, the recent introduction of mandatory Constitutional studies for classes 6 to 12 to help students connect with constitutional values or transforming the research, development and infrastructure scenario to better the quality of education being provided.
All of the above is best summed up in a statement by Sisodia, “The money spent on education and health is not an expense, but an investment into the well-being of coming generations.”
The reality of government schools was that of a crippled one, much worse than seen in movies like “Hindi Medium” and “Hichki” but with the right efforts of the current government, one can see a silver lining in the clouds.
Featured image for representative purpose only.
Featured image source: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters.
The general budget of the Lok Sabha is not a complete budget, but its importance is equal to the full budget. This is the current government’s (possibly final) budget and, keeping the upcoming elections in mind, people were expecting that this time the budget will be populist.
An increase in tax rebates, for income tax and otherwise, was a big feature of this budget. Various ministries were also looking at this budget, hoping to get some more money this time, to administer good facilities and living requirements to Indian citizens.
The education sector needs a stronger strategy and revolutionary steps. Its weakness has long infected our nation.
Regardless of the reasons, however, 28.7 crore people are illiterate in India. To improve things, the Ministry of Human Resources and Development has made many efforts. It is worthwhile to appreciate these, for their aim to increase the rate of education in the country, through which we can grow and grow.
In our country, very few jobs are available for all our graduates. The reason for this is not a reduction in their education, but the strategy for education has not changed over time.
Indian college students. For representation only.
The goal should be to make India the world’s most feature-rich country when it comes to human labour. But this did not happen. We only keep wasting our time trying to increase the country’s literacy rate. Where is the innovation?
Skill development in our country is announced loudly, but who will help you develop skills? We remain confined to making council after council and we can not combine education with skill.
With this budget, I hope the education system will be given attention and more money, since the need for innovation will be stressed.
There are many different types of skill-based programs in our country which are completed within their one-, two-, or three-year deadlines, but the certificate is not given by any university or board. It is given by a partner institute. For example, there are many certification courses, including for chartered accountants and company secretaries, on the basis of which a person is considered to be graduate or a postgraduate. If the course is for one or two years, then it is considered the equivalent of Class X or XII. If it is a course that lasts more than two or three years, it is a graduate course. And if there it is a five-year course, then it should be considered equivalent to postgraduate.
There is a lot to be done to improve the present education system. How else will a person apply to a government job, to an Industrial Training Institute (ITI), polytechnics, or even to other skill-based certification courses? How will people be assessed in the same way that Class XII, graduate, and postgraduate students are? When a young graduate pursues a postgraduate degree in India, they do not want to do a blue collar job in the end. They want white collar jobs.
Continuous and inclusive development of education, including ways to end unemployment, should give students information about fields of employment they are interested in. This is because, to know about a particular skill, a student should be able to do courses related to that skill. This is because they have to be able to contribute more to the country’s economy by contributing their skills. They even need skills to nurture their families.
The existence of criminals in society will end when sufficient employment will be available and for all. It is difficult but not impossible.
After he had a full discussion on exams this year, I believe the Hon’ble Prime Minister and this government has the power to innovate. It seems that action should be taken as soon as possible.
It is therefore necessary that after February 10, ITIs will be considered equivalent Class XII, and polytechnic diplomas will be considered the equivalent of graduation. So too will chartered accountant and company secretary courses be seen as the same as the undergraduate and postgraduate level.
We need an education system based on skill, which will create better human labour in our country. We will be able to export human resources at a large scale. And one day our country will be known as the world’s biggest human labour exporter.
एक मज़बूत, सुदृढ़ और जीवंत लोकतंत्र के लिए ज़रूरी है कि उस लोकतांत्रिक देश की जनता जीवित मुद्रा में हो। तभी एक सशक्त लोकतांत्रिक राष्ट्र का निर्माण किया जा सकता है ।
देश के प्रधानमंत्री भाषणों के ज़रिए विकास की रूपरेखा गढ़ने के अलावा नए भारत का नमूना भी पेश करते रहते हैं। क्या यह मुमकिन है कि एक बड़ी सुरंग अथवा खाई के ऊपर हम विकसित राष्ट्र के महल की नींव रख सकें?
मुझे तो नहीं लगता है और ना ही किसी और के गले से भी यह बात उतरेगी। एक तरफ सरकार जहां तरह-तरह से तांडव युक्त वाक्य की रूपरेखा प्रस्तुत कर डमरू बजा रही है तो वहीं दूसरी ओर लोकतंत्र की रीढ़ की हड्डी कहे जाने वाले शिक्षा तंत्र की उदासीनता भी सर चढ़कर बोल रही है।
बच्चों के साथ लापरवाही
हाल ही में नोएडा सेक्टर 49 से शर्मनाक तस्वीर सामने आई जहां भूपेंद्र (आठ साल) और विवेक (सात साल) की मौत विद्यालय की दीवार ढहने की वजह से हो गई। इतना ही नहीं बल्कि तीन छात्र गंभीर रूप से घायल भी हो गए थे।
प्रशासन ने महज़ चार लाख रुपए मुआवज़े के तौर पर देकर मामले से छुटकारा पा लिया। योगी साहब जो इन दिनों हनुमान की जाति तय करने और गौ भक्ति का डंका बजाने में व्यस्त हैं, उन्होंने गौतमबुद्ध नगर पुलिस से रिपोर्ट मांगते हुए अपनी जवाबदेही पूरी कर ली।
हमारे देश में ऐसी बहुत सी घटनाएं घटित होती हैं जहां सरकार की नाकामी साफ तौर पर दिखाई देती है। देश के हुक्मरानों ने शिक्षा के तंत्र पर लगातार प्रहार किया है।
भारत एक खंडहर में अपनी शिक्षा नीति की तस्वीर पेश कर रहा है जिससे शिक्षा तंत्र की पोल खुलती नज़र आती है। शिक्षा की सीढ़ी के प्रथम पायदान से अंतिम पायदान तक यही स्थिति है।
डिजिटल इंडिया का यह कैसा नारा?
देश के मानव संसाधन विकास मंत्री प्रकाश जावेडकर जी डिजिटल पट का ककहरा सुना रहे हैं मगर जिस विद्यालय में श्यामपट्ट की काया धूमिल हो रही है, वहां डिजिटल का डंडा चल पाएगा?
हम यह कह सकते हैं कि कमी योग्य शिक्षकों या उम्मीदवारों की नहीं बल्कि इच्छा शक्ति की है। वह इच्छा शक्ति जो शिक्षा में सुरंग का नया नमूना पेश करती है जिसे भरने की ज़रूरत है।
प्राथमिक विद्यालय के बच्चे
सत्ता और समाज को अन्यथा की बातों का मुखौटा पहनने की ज़रूरत कतई नहीं है और इसी से हम एक समृद्ध और ताकतवर लोकतंत्र की कामना कर सकते हैं।
हुक्मरानों को चाहिए कि वह बुनियादी चीज़ों पर नज़र डालते हुए उन्हें बेहतर बनाएं। देशवासी इस बात को जानने में सक्षम हैं कि वह क्या हैं और उनके पुरखों ने कितनी कुर्बानी के बाद इस मुल्क को आज़ाद कराया है।
अगर आप पैसे वाले नहीं हैं तो जल्द बन जाइए क्योंकि अगर आप अमीरों की श्रेणी में नहीं आएंगे तो आने वाली पीढ़ियों का सुनहरा भविष्य सरकारी स्कूलों के ईर्द-गिर्द ही रहेगा। ऐसे में कई दफा आपको शर्मिंदगी उठानी पड़ सकती है। क्यों? सही बात है ना?
क्या आने वाली पीढ़ियों के लिए हमारा धनी होना ज़रूरी है? क्योंकि बच्चे का पूरा जीवन उसकी स्कूली शिक्षा पर निर्भर है। वह अपने करियर का चुनाव करने में भी तभी सक्षम होगा जब उसे सभी बातों का ज्ञान प्रारम्भ से हो। खैर, इन सवालों से आपका भी कई दफा सामना होता होगा।
क्या अंग्रेज़ी माध्यम ही सबकुछ है?
क्या एक बच्चे को अच्छी शिक्षा सिर्फ प्राइवेट और अंग्रेज़ी माध्यम स्कूलों से ही मिल सकती है? अगर वह एक हिंदी माध्यम या यूं कहें कि एक सरकारी हिंदी माध्यम स्कूल से पढता है, तो क्या वह एक अच्छा इंजीनियर, डॉक्टर, वकील, वैज्ञानिक, एक अच्छा खिलाड़ी या पत्रकार बनने का सपना पूरा नहीं कर पाएगा?
फोटो साभार: सोशल मीडिया
जैसे एक बच्चे के जन्म के बाद उसका मुंडन संस्कार एक ज़रूरी प्रथा है, वैसे ही आजकल बच्चे का शहर के सबसे बड़े किसी प्राइवेट अंग्रेज़ी माध्यम स्कूल में दाखिला दिलाना भी एक ज़रूरी प्रथा सी बन गई है।
नकारात्मक छवि बदलनी पड़ेगी
क्या वाकई सरकारी स्कूलों का हाल इतना बुरा हो गया है या इन प्राइवेट स्कूलों का बाहरी दिखावा अभिभावकों को इतना आकर्षक लगता है कि उनको अपने बच्चों को सरकारी स्कूल में पढ़ाने में शर्म महसूस होती है। यहां तक कि सरकारी कर्मचारी भी शहर के किसी बड़े प्राइवेट स्कूल की तलाश में रहते हैं।
2014-15 की एमएचआरडी (मानव संसाधन विकास मंत्रालय) की रिपोर्ट के अनुसार राजस्थान में साक्षरता दर 67.06% है। राजस्थान में कुल 27,291 माध्यमिक और 11,179 उच्च माध्यमिक विद्यालय हैं। वहीं, राजस्थान के 13,694 सरकारी सेकेन्ड्री स्कूलों में 11,48,076 बच्चे पंजीकृत हैं जबकि 13495 प्राइवेट स्कूलों में यह संख्यां 12,15,755 है।
सीनियर सेकेन्ड्री स्कूलों की बात करें तो 4724 सरकारी स्कूलों में 5,74,929 और 6,455 प्राइवेट स्कूलों में 8,71,069 बच्चे पंजीकृत हैं। इन आंकड़ों से साफ है कि प्राइवेट स्कूलों की तरफ अभिभावकों की दिलचस्पी अधिक है।
सरकार के प्रयास
राजस्थान में 2011 में बच्चों को मुफ्त एवं अनिवार्य शिक्षा के तहत RTE (Right To Education) लागू किया गया।
15 अगस्त 1995 को भारत में ‘मिड डे मील’ योजना शुरू की गई। सितंबर 2004 में इस योजना में कुछ बदलाव किए गए और मेन्यू निर्धारित कर स्कूलों में गर्म पका हुआ भोजन देने की व्यवस्था शुरू की गई।
इन कुछ योजनाओं का मकसद बच्चों को बेहतर स्वास्थ्य देना, सरकारी स्कूलों की तरफ बच्चों और अभिभावकों को प्रेरित करना रहा है मगर सरकार इन योजनाओं से ऐसा करने में कोई सफलता अर्जित नहीं कर पाई है।
क्या कारण है कि सरकारी स्कूलों में कम ट्यूशन फीस या मुफ्त शिक्षा के साथ-साथ पोष्टिक दूध, आहार और हर स्तर पर परखे हुए अध्यापकों के होते हुए भी अभिभावक प्राइवेट स्कूलों में ही अपने बच्चों को पढ़ाना चाहते है?
जब तक पूरे देश में एक जैसा एजुकेशन सिस्टम नहीं बनेगा तब तक इन प्राइवेट और सरकारी स्कूलों जैसी समस्याओं का सामना करना पड़ेगा। हर सरकारी स्कूल से पढ़ा हुआ बच्चा खुद को एक प्राइवेट स्कूल से पढ़े हुए बच्चे के सामने कम आंकेगा।
स्कूली शिक्षा बच्चे के विकास का आधार है। अगर नींव ही कच्ची रह जाएगी तो इस देश का विकास कैसे होगा? देश का विकास सभी लागों के विकास से संभव है। केवल विकसित लोगों की तरक्की से देश के विकास का स्तर नहीं मापा जा सकता है।
Here at Slam Out Loud, we work with artists and educators to harness the true transformational power of the arts to help children from at-risk communities find a voice. On January 12-13, ten children were invited to showcase their talent at Spoken Fest, India’s premier spoken word festival.
A festival to celebrate the power and beauty of voices, Spoken Fest was an embodiment of Slam Out Loud’s vision. The train journey from Delhi to Mumbai was full of inspiring pep talks, mini-rehearsals, and plenty of selfies. At Spoken Fest, the Slam Out Loud children facilitated a spoken-word workshop which was filled to the brim with poetry enthusiasts. Slam Out Loud co-founder, Jigyasa Labroo, taught the attendees a song that they couldn’t help but hum afterwards.
“Before the performance,” said Pooja, one of the ten students that performed, “I was super nervous. But still, the hope and the courage was there that no, I will do it. I have performed in many places, and I will do it this time also.”
Rehearsals for the Spoken Fest performance started in November 2018, but the students managed to pack in a few more practice sessions during their time in Mumbai. Practice wasn’t just about performing. It was about being mindful and at peace with oneself.
On the second evening of the festival, standing tall on the main stage, the kids put up a powerful yet impactful performance that led the audience snapping their fingers for more.
“After the performance,” said Pooja, “I felt so lovely. The courage that was inside me just came out. While I was performing, I didn’t feel nervous at all. It was feeling like the wind that is coming is taking all the nervousness from me.”
Along with Spoken Fest attendees, other performers expressed how the children inspired them. “They blew me away with their passion, performance, and dedication to their craft,” said Blythe Baird, an American spoken-word poet, author, and actress, and teaching artist. “There is nothing I love more than witnessing children claim their ample power with confidence and fearlessness.”
Ever wondered what ‘data’ actually means to you? This has become one of the most discussed terms in recent times. Be it private data, or data regarding achievements of the government, or data regarding unemployment.
Today, data though, sought mostly in its intangible form, has become the most valuable resource in the market. An individual’s data is a resource which is fuelling the business of several firms. Leaking of data is another issue which social media can be found raving about often.
However, one prime question which continues to haunt me, is how have we evolved into becoming so data-centric?
Being data driven is the new craze in the policy making sphere. At least that is what they claim to rely on for ‘informed policy making’ decisions. But what is crucial is, how have we arrived at determining the node of intervention based on these digits? How can these digits be more powerful than the existence of a physical population?
Now, even if we don’t delve into deep complexities, any particular population group has its own intersections, has its own needs. How can a number homogenise their needs?
Even if I keep these questions aside, one link to this, which I cannot ignore is our beautiful education system. Yes, the same one which has literally choked individuals to sharpen their skills of recitation. The same system which has implanted the idea that science graduates are the ones who are needed, and has established that arts graduates belong to the bottom of the pyramid.
I can trace the science versus arts debates to my childhood, where I recall parents forcing children to perform good in school, and always dreamt of their child either to be a doctor, engineer or if an arts graduate, then an IAS officer. The thrust for pursuing engineering had created such a demand, that to produce furnished engineering products, several production units aka engineering colleges came up in thousands.
But with these, came the supply of products which were deemed of not suitable quality by the purchasers in the employment market. I personally don’t know what makes an engineer more capable than an arts graduate.
Students at a IIT-JEE coaching centre in Kota. (Photo: Pardeep Gaur for Mint via Getty Images)
I do not have a knowledge of the domain, and maybe my bias of being an arts graduate has pulled a thick veil in front of my eyes. Nonetheless, with the basic education I have received, I could develop some understanding, based on which I could decode reports which have cited that the quality of technical education in India is poor.
This is not the fault of the engineering graduates. Perhaps the institutions are to blame? Who knows? I would refrain from commenting blindly over this, but I do know that the market is not absorbing the workforce which was designated to serve some purpose there.
Coming forth is another question – what have been the consequences of this?
Encroachment, I would say. The encroachment of a discipline over other. When these science graduates are not able to find employment in the area they are trained for, they look for alternatives. They look for higher education, or look for acquiring jobs which do not specifically need the skills that they carry in their kitty. Perfectly human nature, I would say.
But what happens when they do so? Many a times or well, most of the times they end up in streams which were meant for those who had chosen arts. But the difficulty of switching disciplines is faced even by the lauded science graduates.
Yes, I have seen them suffering trying to make sense out of what some of them would consider utter nonsense. Again, not their mistake. They have entangled themselves in a field which is not meant for them.
Science is considered to be objective, it is definite. Whereas, arts is descriptive, it is abstract.
What happens when you find it difficult to fathom the abstract? You start looking forward to objectivity in it. You start trying to simplify it. You would want it to be an equation which you can solve, and which can yield some value which you can utilise. Now my friend, here, here is the key to the argument that I have been building on.
This phenomenon, which I have put forward in an oversimplified form is not the end of it. I wish it could stay bereft of the global forces, but the need to advance technologically and the sheer will of coping up with the idea of development has pushed us all towards adjusting to the era of a digital economy, where everything is based on technology and advancement.
We rely more on computers than capable human brains that can synthesise a much wider range of information and so, in order to process reliable results, we feed numbers which the computer can digest and reproduce in smaller units.
Digressing a little into my personal experience here – I come from an institution which ensures that we are trained rigorously in doing research. Research, to keep it simple is of two types – qualitative and quantitative.
Qualitative as the name suggests aims at gauging perceptions, while quantitative aims at measuring or assessing. So, most of the people that I have seen around, who have a technical background pick up quantitative research, as they find it more relatable, which is quite obvious.
The rest? The people from the bottom of the pyramid usually opt for qualitative. However, it does not in anyway mean that they are incapable of quantitative research. As far as I know people around me, some of these bottom of the pyramid people can outperform these revered science graduates.
What lies beyond the acquisition of these skills is the employment market. The employment market has grown immensely in terms of diversity and not mindset in the past few decades. The emphasis on data has been far more, and a good number of consultancies which perform research work to assist in policy making have come up. These are organisations that have kept their pace with technology and have excelled in data driven research. Often, these are led by science graduates too.
Here comes the twist for the arts graduates. The industry has a common bias that those with a technical degree are better, and so, it is often seen that they are the first ones to bag a job, and mostly ones with good pay. The policy making market demands skills that the arts graduates are not trained for, but the science ones inherently carry them due to their training.
This is what makes the difference, and this is where the encroachment can be seen growing. The science graduate can again manage to seek employment in a field which is deeply rooted in the arts domain.
The arts graduate, who are already discarded by the society, by the government (yes, when it comes to funding of colleges) are again at a disadvantaged position. Where will these people go now?
Maybe, they will feature as numbers in the unemployment reports that are yet to be published. This here is not a rant on employability. It is essentially about what course our education system is taking and how it is adversely affecting the conscious decisions of many.
Students at Delhi University wait for their placement interview. (Photo: Qamar Sibtain for IT Group via Getty Images)
Everyone has a right to survive, to sustain, but what we are pushing ourselves towards is a matter of concern given the dynamic era we live in, and the huge population we live with.
If this continues, we need to remember, there are more layoffs coming with the advancement of artificial intelligence, which won’t even spare science graduates.
In such a time, mere orientation of disciplines will not be useful. We need individuals who can look beyond that what meets the eye. Individuals who can potentially process a wide range of information, but not quantitatively. We have enough and more of those. And, by the way, I have not even brought one of the major culprits, i.e. economics to the debate.
Maybe I will reserve it for some other time, where we can understand what route economics took, how it defined the lives of entire populations which could not even conceive the concepts of externality thrown at it.
Till then, when you come across a number, question it, and if you cannot find an answer for why the number is the answer, reflect instead on why there is a need to understand and embrace a more qualitative way of looking at things in order to reach the roots of a problem, and subsequent steps that can be taken to solve it.
Featured image for representative purpose only.
Featured image source: Prasad Gori for Hindustan Times via Getty Images.
On January 2, 2019, the Union Minister of the Human Research Development appraised the parliament about the exact number of reserved category faculty members in the Indian Institutes of Technology. Responding to a question asked by Mr. Udit Raj, a BJP MP, Union minister, Prakash Javadekar, said that out of 6,043 faculty members in 23 institutes, there are only 170 faculty members who are from the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories.
He also informed that the reservation in these premier educational institutes is kept open only for the entry-level positions, i.e., assistant professors and lecturers. This information is a worrying new for Indian higher education. It raises certain questions which do not have any easy answer.
Photo by Pardeep Gaur for the Mint via Getty.
One may wonder, quite innocuously, why is it that we do not get enough qualified people from the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe communities to be appointed in these institutes? Is there really a dearth of qualified people in these marginalized sections of our society? What is the reason behind this poor record of intake in these so-called premier institutions when the same policy has allowed so many qualified people to enter in other central and state universities? Is there something wrong in the manner and which these institutes aim to select and appoint deserving young people from these backward communities? Or, is there a bigger systemic fault which we are not yet aware of?
In order to understand the complexity of this issue, perhaps we need to pay attention to certain so-called stray incidents, which do not often get highlighted in the mainstream media. In November last year, a Dalit faculty member of Indian Institutes of Technology Kanpur registered a case against four faculty members of the same institute, accusing them of harassing him in casteist language and making unsavoury remarks about his personal life.
In an FIR, the victim, Dr. Subrahmanyam Saderla, narrated how he suffered as a Dalit in that premier institute and gave evidence against the faculty members who were involved in spreading rumours against him and his credentials in his area of research. According to Dr. Saderla, these individuals made some bizarre allegation indicating that he was not competent enough to teach in such a prestigious institute and that his work was mostly plagiarised.
Another equally significant, in fact more worrisome, incident that came to light just a few days back was when some national media, including the Indian Express, came out with their findings of the fact that in the last 5 years some 49 students of the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya committed suicide, for which there has been hardly any serious inquiry. More than half of these students are Dalits and adivasis. It is worth noting that these central government’s “pace-setting residential schools” are known for mainly grooming rural students who prove their talents at a very early stage of their school education.
These are just two recent incidents. There may be hundreds of incidents which may have been going on a regular basis in most of our educational institutes. In most of these cases such victims don’t get a chance to narrate their ordeals. Most of the time either their personal stories are brushed under the carpet for not having any substantial grounds, or they are ignored strategically by those who are in power.
There are also incidents where victims even fail to gather courage to speak up out of the fear of ruining their future educational prospects. Needless to say, only a handful of such incidents have come to light in recent years. The reason behind these lucky incidents is the fact that the victims have gathered their courage to approach the minority commission which is infamous for working under political pressure all the time.
Evidently, this is no different from the way in which women are subjected to everyday violence in every stage of our institutional hierarchies. However, if one were to look and go beyond this simple comparison of these two underprivileged and oppressed sections, and dig out the structural roots and reasons we may come across a picture which is extremely disturbing.
An important reason why we do not have people in these institutes from the marginalized society is that these sections have always been historically deprived of science and technology in the first place. The standard belief of our society is that science and technology is not for everybody and they are only meant for the privileged sections of upper caste and class.
People from the lower strata are incompetent and they cannot perform well even if they are given a chance to study these subjects. Besides, there is another factor that has gripped in most of our rural societies, which is the stigma attached to science education. There is an overarching stigma of competing with the high caste people that has been systematically inserted in the mind of these marginalized communities. This stigma of competing with the higher caste or class society peer groups, significantly contributes in depriving the potential students of the marginalized sections from taking up higher studies.
Another important factor that has worked against these sections of people is their economic condition. If we look at the basic fee structure of these institutions, it is nearly impossible for a low-income lower caste family to send their children to any prestigious institute of science and technology.
In 2016, the Union ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD) had announced that they were considering allowing IITs to increase their annual tuition fees from Rs 90,000 to Rs 2 lakh. If this really happens in the coming years, barring the creamy section, the average lower middle class family will not at all be able to send their children to pursue higher studies in these institutions. No bank loans will help them in the long run. They will be forced to either go to a local college or search for another low caste professional course within their hometowns.
While talking about the reasons behind this poor record of marginalized sections of people in these institutes, we also need to critically look at the manner in which these institutes select and appoint prospective candidates. It is worth noting that unlike universities, the IITs have an entirely different process of recruiting deserving people in their departments.
The candidates are usually required to present their works in front of departmental faculty members before going to the main interviews. This is done to ensure that the applicant gets a fair chance to informally interact with the existing faculty members and the students. The standard pattern in most of these institutes is that a candidate can go to the final stage of the interview, provided that there is a green signal from the existing faculty on her credentials.
Although this process has effectively worked in American universities, one needs to critically think whether the same pattern is effective enough in selecting people on equitable grounds in our country. The incident of Dr. Saderla is one such case which has nakedly revealed the darker side of this process.
I think it is high time that policy makers and promoters of science education take serious note of these so-called stray incidents and introspect why we have such few people from the marginalized sections in our premier institutes. It is also the responsibility of the public intellectuals, lawyers, journalists, and most importantly science educators to strongly put such cases in perspective so that we are able to develop a proper mechanism to address this issue.
Besides, the voices have to come from within. Teachers and researchers of these institutes have to come out and speak up against these things. Obviously, the judiciary and semi-judicial bodies cannot give us a long term solution. We will have to make ourselves institutionally responsible. After all, these institutes are people’s institutes. They are not some cozy metropolitan clubs of upper-caste and upper-class people.
Photo by Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
I, as a student and now as an IELTS teacher/trainer, have seen the pathetic plight of people of my profession these days. Whenever I talk to aspirants, who have been preparing for an examination, I realize how they are living with depression and how are under a lot of stress. It’s not that they are incapable of qualifying the exam, it’s just that they lack proper guidance. I firmly believe that in order to achieve success, one needs a good mentor, which unfortunately is not always the case with students these days Even though I am a teacher by profession, I still think of myself as a student, because I have a yearning for knowledge and education.
Moreover, it’s difficult to explain the indifference of teachers towards their students these days, but I will try anyway in the next few lines. A trend observed in students nowadays is that there is a new found craze to study abroad, which requires them to qualify the International English Language Testing System or IELTS. It is simple and tests the candidates’ command over the English language. I too have qualified this examination, therefore I understand all the nitty-gritties. Unfortunately, students have a terrible perception of this exam, which can be attributed to the incorrect guidance from their teachers.
This one day, I visited an institution as a trainer, where I saw a teacher laughing loudly while using foul language in front of the students I was taken aback, as this was something I did not expect. These days, teachers, who lack skills, are only killing the imagination and creativity of the young minds and, thus, hampering their ability to think out of the box. As a consequence of that, students perform poorly in their examinations. When a student goes to an institution to seek knowledge, it is solely the responsibility of the teacher to guide them in a proper way, and to ensure their holistic development; unfortunately, this is not the reality.
These teachers take pride in their knowledge and consider themselves superior to others. But in reality, they completely lack soft skills and a professional attitude. In addition to being knowledgeable, a teacher should be polite and modest.Every single gesture plays a great role in shaping the minds of students. I believe there must be a certain eligibility criterion for a person to become a teacher, only then will the education system of this country improve. We need people, who could exhibit excellent pedagogic skills, who would rather guide students correctly and morally instead of manipulating them into making wrong choices.
I really feel bad about how education is commodified these days. It has turned into a profitable business and ignores the fact that while investing money in their child’s education, parents also invest in their hopes and dreams. With this article, I would like to urge every student, that before going to any institution make sure that the teachers are capable enough to teach you. Do not go merely because your friends are going there.
Try to understand the worth of money that your parents earn by toiling day and night. Moreover, unskilled teachers, now, play many tactics to hide their vulnerability. For example, they provide students with a feeling of comfort by, constantly praising them to stay in their good books. Such teachers never point out the strengths and weaknesses of their students, thus keeping them in the dark., Thus, it is the student, who needs to understand and beware of such hypocrisy. I would like to conclude by saying that any institution does not ensure your success; it is you who ensure it, by your hard work and tenaciousness.
Nivya Sharma, intern at National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS)
Being a Biology student, I always had an inclination towards research. What aroused a zeal for invention in me was a visit to the pharma labs in my college. The extensive research work that was being carried out there, left me amazed, and I decided to intern at a research institute to get an exposure of the practical aspects of my course.
I had heard a lot about National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), and I began my quest to score an internship there. I started taking relevant courses, gaining insights into the research works of various professors, and learning to operate different instruments in the labs. I would enter any lab and inquire about the research going on there and read standard operating procedures of the lab equipment. I made a project on High Throughput Biosensor using Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for an international competition, called Biomod.
I worked on processes and techniques like Gel Electrophoresis, Zeta sizing, Stober’s process, LaMer, and Dinegar model, Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopies (SEM and TEM), etc. I led a team to present a project named Bioengineered Water Purifier which emphasized on nanofiltration. I also did a project on Liposomal Drug Delivery System for Colorectal Cancer Treatment and Nanoscale Drug Delivery Area.
It was a winter morning when one of my classmates informed me of the NCBS fellowship program in Neuroscience which was to be taken by professors from Harvard University. Harvard and NCBS in one program – a complete privilege for anyone who’d be a part of it. I enquired about it and asked him to email all the details to me. I received the email after waiting for an hour with my Gmail account open in front of me. I had goosebumps as I read that email; this was what I had been preparing for with all my might.
To apply for the program, I needed a letter of recommendation from a faculty member, Statement of Purpose (SOP) which included my impetus for being a part of the internship and the research work I had done so far, and my CV. I had an attractive resume owing to all the projects I had undertaken, but preparing a concise and precise SOP made me anxious. I went to my HOD seeking help and he agreed to proofread it. After several rectifications, I sent my application and waited for a revert with mixed feelings of anxiety and confidence. Finally, one afternoon, I received my selection letter. My hard work had borne a fruitful result, and I was overwhelmed to be one of the twenty students selected for the internship.
After carrying out all the formalities, I reached the NCBS housing complex on December 29 – a day I’d been waiting for too long. I was introduced to the professors and my fellow interns with whom I involved myself in discussions from the very first day. We visited all the labs, learnt about various brain neuronal movement recording techniques and hi-tech equipment like fluorescent microscopes, and were given hands-on sessions on them. The professors walked us through the basic concepts of all the research that was going on in the field of neuroscience.
Apart from acquiring a profound conceptual knowledge of neuroscience, I performed experiments like the Backyard Brain Spiker Box experiment using two kits – one for measuring EMG amplitude to study the movement of human bicep muscle and another for measuring muscle movement in a broken circuit’s leg.
I also performed a dissection of sheep’s eye and an optogenetics study in Drosophila (fruit fly) to analyse the effect of light on its movement. I got an opportunity to attend research talks by several professors. I cherished some fun moments like catching crickets and holding sheep brain. I also inculcated in me the skills of teamwork, time management, leadership, and communication. Interning at NCBS was a life-changing moment and enriched me with an ocean of learning. I hope to work in one of those highly equipped labs some day.
About the Author: Nivya Sharma, a student of BITS Pilani, proved that nothing is impossible. She talks about the efforts she put in to bag her dream internship. This article was first published on Internshala, an internships and training platform.
Sania was looking for internship opportunities, but despite constant efforts, she couldn’t get one. After multiple rejections, she realised that lack of experience and skill-gap made her profile below par and was the reason for all the rejections. Unfortunately, there are millions of students like Sania who lack necessary skills. Fortunately, there is a solution to help solve this problem and that is — online learning.
Picture for representational purpose only. Source: Getty Images
To Begin With, What Is Online Learning?
Unlike the conventional classroom learning, online learning makes the content available digitally. Instead of using physical copies of books, it uses visual content and gamification, thus enabling the student to learn online, anywhere and anytime. It also offers flexibility to a user to learn as per their availability.
Online learning holds many advantages and can impact the user in more than just one way. To help you understand its impact, we have listed the 2 biggest perks of online learning below:
In-depth Knowledge: Just an overview won’t suffice in understanding a topic. It is essential to delve into the nitty-gritties and learn the basics to have an in-depth knowledge of the topic. This would help to get a clear line of sight to be able to assess the problem and find a solution, which can happen only if you have in-depth knowledge. Experience of online learning will help you clear almost all your doubts, and strengthen the foundation of a subject. It would help leave an impression on the employer.
Practical Experience: As a college goer, it is essential to have a relevant practical experience to test the knowledge learned and put yourself ahead of your peers. College usually lacks such opportunities and thus online learning is a perfect way to test and learn through experiences. Moreover, the certificate you will receive at the successful completion will help validate the knowledge that you have attained about the subject and that will come in handy when you later apply for a job or an internship.
Online learning is quite affordable and can be easily pursued in the field of your choice by putting to use the money you have saved so far. Apart from being economical, they offer a lot of flexibility, as the content is available online and can be accessed through a laptop anytime and anywhere, thus providing you with an opportunity to pursue it even when you are trying other things.
With millions of students graduating every year, it is becoming difficult to get an internship or a job, and online learning can help make the difference. The quintessential qualities that an employer seeks in an applicant are relevant skills, commitment, and ownership towards the work, and online learning successfully exhibits all the traits. To juggle it along with other activities and completing it shows perseverance and dedication towards the work you undertake.
It is extremely important for a student to be aware and make informed decisions about her career. Online learning is a perfect beginning to set yourself apart from your peers. With all the perks that online learning holds, what better way to spend your time than to learn something new that can make the difference!
About the author: Sarvesh Agrawal is the founder and CEO of Internshala, an internships and trainings platform.
आज समाज और राजनीति के सामने काफी चुनौतियां हैं। आज़ादी के इतने वर्षों बाद भी हालात बदले नहीं हैं। सामाजिक चुनौतियों की बात करें तो आज भी जातिवाद से हम मुक्त नहीं हो पाए हैं।
ऊना, सहारनपुर, रोहित वेमुला और भीमा कोरेगाँव जैसे कई उदाहरण हैं। आज़ादी के 70 वर्षो बाद भी हम धर्म के नाम पर आज भी दंगे करते हैं।
बढ़ रही है लोगों की उग्रता
चाहे अखलाक की हत्या हो, राजसमंद में शम्भू रैगर द्वारा की गई एक निर्दोष मुस्लिम मज़दूर की निर्मम हत्या हो, जुनैद की भीड़ द्वारा की गई हत्या हो या पश्चिम बंगाल में राम नवमी के दौरान सामाजिक सौहार्द बिगाड़ने की कोशिश हो, हर जगह लोग उग्र हो गए हैं।
प्रांतवाद चिंता का सबब
प्रांतवाद आज फिर से देश की एकता और समाज के लिए एक चुनौती बनकर उभरा है। भारत का संविधान भारत के प्रत्येक नागरिक को किसी भी राज्य में जाने और वहां व्यापार करने की आज़ादी देता हैं लेकिन महाराष्ट्र , गुजरात या अन्य राज्यों में उत्तर प्रदेश और बिहार के नागरिकों खासकर वहां के गरीब मज़दूरों के साथ जैसे व्यवहार होता है यह हम सभी जानते हैं।
कमज़ोर शिक्षा व्यवस्था एक चुनौती
इन सबके बीच देश के सरकारी स्कूलों की शिक्षा व्यवस्था का स्तर लगातार पतन की ओर जा रहा है। हर रोज़ खुलते प्राइवेट स्कूलों की वजह से आज शिक्षा का बाज़ारीकरण हो गया है, जिससे गरीबों के बच्चों को काफी दिक्त हो रही है।
नक्सलवाद बड़ी समस्या
नक्सलवाद की समस्या जो कल तक कुछ ही राज्यों में सीमित थी, आज इसका स्तर व्यापक हो रहा है। भारत सरकार इस चुनौती से लड़ने के लिए काफी पैसा खर्च करती है परन्तु उस पैसे का सदुपयोग ना हो पाने के कारण नक्सल ग्रस्त इलाकों की तस्वीर नहीं बदल रही है।
आज भी नक्सल प्रभावित क्षेत्रों के लोगों को बिजली, सड़क, पानी, सरकारी अस्पताल और स्कूल के लिए जद्दोजहद करना पड़ रहा है।
गंदी राजनीति का दौर
मौजूदा दौर में राजनीति वह गंगा बन चुकी है जिसमे प्रवेश करते ही सारे अपराधियों के पाप खत्म हो जाते हैं। चुनाव जीतने के बाद तो इन अपराधियों के हौसले और भी बुलंद हो जाते हैं। चुनाव जीतने के लिए धन और बल का प्रयोग किया जाता है।
आज लोगों में यह समझ बन चुकी है कि अगर चुनाव जीतना है तो पानी की तरह पैसा बहाना होगा। चुनाव के समय बहुत से मतदाता उन्हीं प्रत्याशी को अपना मतदान देते हैं जिनसे उन्हें कोई आर्थिक लाभ या अन्य कोई सुविधा प्राप्त हो।
फोटो साभार: सोशल मीडिया
राजनीतिक दल विकास की कितनी भी बातें क्यों ना करें लेकन जब टिकट बंटवारे का समय आता है तब उम्मीदवारों की जाति और धर्म देखकर ही टिकट दी जाती है। चुनाव नज़दीक आते ही कुछ पार्टियों द्वारा धार्मिक ध्रुवीकरण का काम किया जाता है।
इन सबके बीच हमारे लिए बेहद ज़रूरी है कि हम भारत में एक बेहतर राजनीतिक माहौल तैयार करें ताकि गरीबों के बच्चे और देश के बेरोज़गार युवाओं के लिए सुनहरा भविष्य तैयार हो।
Picture Credit: Pratik Chorge/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Education is one of the basic needs of every human being. It is an enlightening experience, as it makes us a better version of ourselves. Unfortunately education in India, nowadays, has become more of a business than a source of knowledge. According to the ASER (Annual Status of Education Report), 55.8% of children reading in class five in government schools are not able to read the class two-level text. More than 70% of class eight students are unable to do the divisions correctly.
Article 21-A, (Eighty-sixth Amendment Act, 2002) of Indian constitution states that the State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years in such manner as the State may, by law, determine. Thus making free and compulsory education for children between six to fourteen years of age as a fundamental right. In 2009, the consequential legislation of Article 21 was represented as The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, which states that every child has a right to full-time elementary education of satisfactory and equitable quality in a formal school which satisfies certain essential norms and standards.
However, the question arises that even after so many policies, why the children are not getting the real benefits? Why are the government schools deprived of sufficient funds for infrastructure and other requirements? Although, according to the RTE Act, many policies were formulated, in reality however, a meager three percent of GDP is devoted to education in India. Because of the limited funding, there is a crunch in the availability of academic resources, especially in government schools. Even the minimal requirements of a school like blackboards, books, stationery, desks are not sufficiently fulfilled.
During inspections, the school administration arranges the resources for a short while, and the rest of the year the situation remains pathetic and worrisome for students. Even infra-structurally speaking, there is often a dearth of hygienic toilets, electric fans, libraries, and even potable water. A survey from the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) states that still, five-per-cent schools run from kutcha premises.
Another major issue is the student-teacher ratio. Some schools have just one instructor for all subjects, teaching all classes. Moreover, the teachers are also over burned with other responsibilities like election duties etc, which makes them distracted, and thus they are unable to direct their complete focus on children’s performance.
Most of the government schools do not have any standard examination pattern in primary levels, and children are directly promoted to a higher class. As a result, teachers, guardians or even children themselves are unable to keep a check on their progress. This is one of the major issues that really requires attention and needs to be modified.
On the other hand, the performance of students studying in private schools is much better. Therefore, parents rush to private schools and try their best to get their child admitted there. This fact was intelligently depicted in the movie “Hindi Medium” where the protagonist and his wife struggle to get their daughter admitted to a top school in Delhi. However, they end up admitting their daughter in a government school, and also invested their time and resources in improving the condition of that school. If in real life too, the affluent families start doing the same, the condition of government schools might improve a lot. This will also help the needy and deprived children, who deserve a better education and a bright future.
I was in my third year of college. I had some time in hand and hadn’t done any internships till then. I always look forward to new experiences so decided to look for one. Internshala was my first choice, mostly because it was the only one I knew about, thanks to Facebook. I was interested in writing so I searched for opportunities on those lines, and applied to ones that fit my requirement.
Being a full-time student, I had applied for virtual internships and got shortlisted by Holidify, a travel company. While applying for Holidify, I made sure to express my affinity for travelling, and also mentioned that despite having no prior experience in content writing, I had kept in touch with my literary side by writing articles for newspapers and various societies in college. After being shortlisted, I was asked to fill their application form which asked for basic details (such as name, contact number, address etc).
It also required me to fill in the number of hours I could devote on a daily basis and the number of months I would be available for. Furthermore, inquiries about my past travel experiences were also made. Apart from that, I had to attach my CV and a writing sample. Once this was done, I was interviewed over the phone. All the questions were mostly regarding my previous writings. I spoke in detail about the various topics I had written on such as social media, GST, and so on. Next, I was briefed about the responsibilities that I would have to shoulder. The entire procedure went off rather smoothly.
I was selected for their international content project for a span of two months, during which my responsibilities included writing structured content for international destinations, as well as writing well-researched blogs about special cuisines or nightlife of a city that would prove useful to travellers. In the course of my internship, I covered a number of Bhutanese destinations such as Bumthang and Haa Valley, and even wrote a few blog articles about particular specialities of Bhutan like the homestays in Haa and the local cuisine.
I was given certain guidelines while generating content for these destinations. I realized I should research and write in such a manner as if I were planning to visit these places myself. Undertaking initial research about a place helped me understand its vibe and therefore helped in writing an introduction relevant to the audience. Another thing that I learnt was the importance of images, as travellers often make decisions based on what appeals to them. Through this, I also mastered how to assimilate information, keep track of it, sort it into the required fields, and present the obtained information in the most useful, simple, and accessible form. I also picked up a few tips on dealing with content creation for travel-oriented projects.
My assignments helped me learn a thing or two about avoiding common grammatical errors. I learnt how spending a little bit of time on punctuation, spelling, and formatting could go a long way in becoming a professional writer. They also gave me feedback on each assignment and told me to rework wherever necessary. What I liked about the company was that they were clear about what they wanted from each destination or blog article. This helped me grasp their requirements much faster and reduced the amount of rework I had to do. It made me realize how useful effective communication is.
Overall, I am happy for having done this internship. Not only did I enjoy my work, but I also got the exposure that our education system doesn’t usually provide. For me, this internship wasn’t for mere online visibility or certification but for my development, both as a professional writer and a travel enthusiast. Of course, it was hard to juggle college and the internship.
There were times when I would have rather slept off, than look at another piece of information; however, I chose to continue, as I knew I had a professional commitment to honour. These internships are useful ways that help you decide your career. For anyone who’s wondering whether to pursue one or not, just go ahead and do it. Pick one, try it out, and give it your best while you’re at it. If you don’t like it, then that’s good too. Now you know what you don’t want to do. That’s as good a start as any!
About the author: Sanjana Gopal, a student of Loreto College, Kolkata, recounts how an internship redefined her as a professional writer and a travel enthusiast. This article was first published on Internshala, an internships and trainings’ platform.
In my first semester, I came to know that the students in the third year were learning Python and C++ to secure internships at reputable companies. So instead of waiting for another year, I decided to learn Python on my own. A major hurdle, however, was how and where to begin. As I also had to study for my semester exams, it was difficult to start learning from scratch using books. Besides, I wanted to learn Python by directly working on projects. Thankfully, a friend of my brother’s suggested Internshala to me; I browsed through the content of their Python training and immediately decided to enroll in one.
The training began with a simple introduction to Python, which proved to be very helpful as I had no prior knowledge about it. The first module covered concepts like numeric, string, sequence, dictionary data types, and other relevant operations. I also learned to write programs using conditionals, loops, iterators, and generators.
Earlier, I used to import built-in modules and packages, but after learning this concept, I was successfully able to build my own. This was followed by object-oriented programming; although, I had previously studied it, but didn’t quite understand the concepts. However, the videos in this module helped me understand all the basics. The best part about the training was that the videos explained the concept by giving real-world examples.
The fourth module was about relational databases, where I learned to store and retrieve data from an SQLite database. I was also introduced to PyQT and graphical user interface (GUI) which helped me design a GUI for my application. Each module was followed by an assignment and a quiz through which I was able to evaluate myself. I could also pose questions if I had any doubts through the live chat option. I recall once when one of my seniors, who was working on a project, got stuck in GUI, I posted the doubt on the live chat and received a well-explained solution within hours.
After completing the online training, I decided to apply for an internship at Zoho. The selection process took two days. On the first day, there was a pen and paper round, where they asked flowchart-based questions. There were a few programming questions too where we had to find the output or errors in the code. They shortlisted the candidates for the subsequent round on the basis of the cut-off.
The next round was programming. where I was able to use Python and make all the 5 required programs. Depending upon the time taken, candidates were further shortlisted for round three wherein we were asked to select a language of our choice. I obviously chose Python and wrote programs for finding the middle element in a linked list and finding the angle between the hands of a clock.
This was followed by an interview where I was asked a series of questions related to Python such as ‘How is multithreading achieved in Python?’ and ‘How do you manage the memory in Python?’. The interviewer also asked me a few questions related to database and asked me to write a few SQL commands. After one week, the results were out, and I was the only second-year student to be hired as an intern at Zoho.
At Zoho, my profile was of a developer. I first began by learning to develop Zoho’s platform using their own programming language, ‘Deluge’, while simultaneously learning how to use Zoho’s other products, especially CRM. I learned to create custom fields, functions, and workflows and figured how customizable their application was. This enabled me to take on different developmental projects.
My final project was to develop and implement an extension for Zoho’s CRM platform. I got stuck many times while working on these projects but the knowledge of the classes and data structure that I had gained during the training helped me a lot. I completed the internship successfully, and I’m currently working with my seniors on a different project.
About the Author: Satyam Tiwari, a 2nd-year B.E. student, shares his experience of taking up a Python training with Internshala and how it helped him secure an internship at Zoho. This article was first published on Internshala, an internships and training platform.
I was studying for my political science final and I thought, “Why on earth do people think that humanities is the easiest of all the three streams?”
“Oh you scored 90% in your board exam! Why did you opt for humanities?”
“You won’t understand what it feels like when the balance sheet is tallied. How would you know anyway? You are a humanities student.”
“What’s the point of studying history when all the people in it are dead?”
“Are you upset over your history paper? Haha! Have a look at our physics paper and then tell me what is tougher.”
These are the wise words of people who always have something to say. They say all these things without being familiar with the subjects of humanities. They have a lot to say about humanities without studying it.
People barely know their fundamental rights and the working of the Constitution and get the shock of their lives when it says November 26 instead of January 26 in the Preamble, but they always have an earful to say about how easy humanities is.
The Indian society believes that the “dumb” people and those who fail their exams are automatically given the Humanities streams because it will be easier for them. Yeah, because learning about the Crusades, the political workings of India, and the intricacies of a society is easy, right?
And, science and commerce are the best streams for the intelligentsia. Being an engineer or a doctor or a chartered accountant is way more difficult than becoming an IAS officer or a lawyer or an anthropologist, isn’t it?
The UPSC exam is considered the most difficult and an IAS posting is considered to be a very prestigious job. To give the UPSC exam, one must study history and political science taught in classes 11 and 12. So, what people mean by saying that humanities is easy is that giving an IAS exam is very difficult but studying the subjects is simple. What a topsy-turvy world.
Being an engineer or a doctor or a chartered accountant is as difficult as becoming a historian or a lawyer. All subjects have a different approach to it and there is no point in looking down at any of those. A humanities student is expected to study books and books of historical, political, social events. They have to study psychology and sociology and geography. They have to be good debaters and have an excellent general knowledge. None of these are easy, I assure you.
I did not write this to offend anyone from the science or commerce stream but just to voice the opinion of most humanities students who aren’t always given the chance to do so. If you’re a class 10 student about to give your boards, about to face the dilemma of choosing between the streams, please don’t rule out humanities just because its considered to be the stream for idiots. Don’t choose any path under peer or parental pressure. Maybe take the road less travelled by, as Robert Frost did. Hope you make the right decision!
If you’re a science or a commerce student reading this – HI! Don’t let your friends who are in humanities feel bad. It’s not a good feeling, let me tell you. Humanities is as beautiful a road as commerce or science and as difficult! Don’t look down on it.
And if you are a humanities student – Keep your head up high, ally! We’re all in this together.
If you found anything relatable, please leave a comment down below!
Thanks!
A
Featured image for representative purpose only.
Featured image source: Illustration by Robert Neubecker.
I came across this very peculiar article in the newspapers regarding funding of education for students of select communities in top international universities. The article is reproduced here:
I would like to understand the sociological context of this decision. With my limited knowledge of the intake process followed by international colleges of repute, I believe this programme will only benefit the social sub-class which does not deserve this dole, i.e., the economically well-off amongst the social sections targeted by this scheme.
Firstly, let me define the context of this note. While saying top universities, I am limiting myself, not just to the Ivy League Colleges like Yale, Princeton, Harvard, or the top UK ones like Oxford, Cambridge, etc., but also to the top 100 Universities in the World in their respective fields. For eg., Massachussets Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich among others.
As I understand, these universities have a very detailed and extensive evaluation process. They make a thorough assessment of the academic and non-academic achievement of the students before they select the students who are eligible for admission. Moreover, there are aspects like schools, curriculum followed and more importantly marks scored in special assessments like SAT, TOEFL, IELTS, etc. Middle or higher income household students from the communities targeted, will have a distinct edge over the economically weaker students from the same communities.
There are numerous instances of bright students form the economically weaker sections across all communities being involved in income generating work (to support their family) along with their day-to-day studies. Life is a constant struggle for all these students. A better scheme would have been to help and assist them in achieving this goal rather than spending good money on students who can actually afford the academic and sustenance fee involved.
A socio-politically prudent decision would have been to choose students (post a rigorous selection process) from the economically weaker sections of any community or social class, and:
A la ‘Super 30’ (run by an NGO in Bihar which prepares students from economically weaker sections of society for the tough IIT-JEE entrance examinations), select a fixed number of students every year and help them for the next 2 years to train and hand-hold them so as to enable them to get selected. Notwithstanding the recent controversies surrounding the Super-30s, the concept is brilliant and has been successful in its attempts to help under-privileged children achieve their ambitions.
For the brighter students who do not need help (as stated in bullet point no. 1 above), the agencies concerned can provide both monetary assistance and help in filling up applications (all the colleges have different timelines and application formats), provide them SAT training (is needed in most cases since International Baccalaureate students have a distinct advantage to clear these tests and most of our CBSE students need special training for the same) and information pertaining to courses offered, procedures, etc.
Every year, identify students that need monetary assistance, hire agencies that have an expertise in guiding and training students for these placements, and help these students realise their dreams.
Considering that this proposal (at least the contours of the scheme) is yet to be deliberated (as per this article), I am sure that the overall final scheme will be prepared so as to benefit the students who are in dire need of this support. Else the government may find it difficult to explain to the people why year after year the list throws up names of economically well-off students being funded for their international education!
वसन्त का आगमन होते ही पलास और सरसों ने रंग दे दिए हैं। कुल मिलाकर मन को आनंदित करने वाला दौर है लेकिन वसन्त में इस आनंद पर राजनीतिक उहापोह भारी दिखाई पड़ रही है।
कहीं लोकसभा चुनाव को लेकर चर्चे हैं तो कहीं कर्ज़माफी, किसानों को नगद वितरण और कहीं बेरोज़गारी भत्ते की बहस है। कुछ लोग आरक्षण को लेकर हंगामा भी कर रहे हैं।
शर्मनाक है उच्च सिक्षा की गुणवत्ता रिपोर्ट
इसी बीच एक अंतरराष्ट्रीय संगठन की उच्च शिक्षा की गुणवत्ता के संदर्भ में रिपोर्ट आई है, जिसमें भारत की स्थिति निराशाजनक है। उच्च शिक्षा के मामले में अमेरिका और चीन के बाद भारत तीसरे पायदान पर है।
उच्च शिक्षा की स्थिति बेहद दयनीय
वहीं, विश्विद्यालयों की रैंकिंग करने पर 250 के क्रम तक भी भारत का कोई विश्विद्यालय अपना नाम दर्ज़ नहीं करा पाया। कई महीनों से मेरे मन में एक प्रश्न पूर्णिमा के ज्वार की तरह उछाल मार रहा है।
फोटो साभार: सोशल मीडिया
मेरे इस प्रश्न का उत्तर मुझे ना तो पिछले 70 वर्षों के लोकतांत्रिक इतिहास से मिला और ना ही विगत दस-पन्द्रह वर्षों की चुनावी राजनीति से कुछ समझ हुई।
प्रश्न यह कि हम आरक्षण, रोज़गार और बेरोज़गारी भत्ते सहित उन सभी चीज़ों के लिए लड़ते हैं जो आर्थिक समृद्धि का कारक हैं लेकिन उन सब का वास्तविक आधार शिक्षा हमारे एजेंडे से दूर क्यों? आज भारत में शिक्षा की गुणवत्ता पर कोई बात क्यों नहीं करना चाहता?
बेरोज़गारी बड़ी समस्या
आज विभिन्न संस्थानों द्वारा इंजीनियरिंग और चिकित्सा जैसी महत्वपूर्ण शाखाओं में बेरोज़गारी के आंकड़े ज़रूर प्रस्तुत किए जाते हैं लेकिन परिणाम उल्टे ही आ रहे हैं।
फोटो साभार: सोशल मीडिया
लाखों डॉक्टर्स और इंजीनियर्स प्रतिवर्ष बेरोज़गार रह जाते हैं और महाविद्यालयों तथा विश्वविद्यालयों की संख्या बढ़ती ही जा रही हैं। आखिर हमारी तकनीक जा किस दिशा में रही है?
हारे-थके लोग जब प्रशासनिक सेवा का रुख करते हैं तो वहां कुछ लोग आरक्षण का नाम लेकर इनके सपने की इति कर देते हैं। इन सबके बीच कुछ वर्ग सरकार से संघर्ष करने लगते हैं।
शिक्षा को प्रतियोगिता का माध्यम बना दिया है
इस पूरे घटनाक्रम का आधार शिक्षा की गुणवत्ता को क्यों नहीं बनाया जा रहा? दुनियां में शिक्षा का प्रमुख केंद्र माने जाने वाले भारत जहां के तक्षशिला विश्विद्यालय में स्वयं हेनसांग ने प्रवेश लिया था, वहां हालात इतने खराब आखिर हुए कैसे?
यदि इसके विश्लेषण का परिणाम एक वाक्य में बताया जाए तो मैं कहूंगा हमने शिक्षा को प्रतियोगिता का एक माध्यम बनाया जो वास्तविक रूप में परिमार्जन का माध्यम थी।
ऊपर से सरकार द्वारा आम नागरिकों को खुश करने के लिए कई फैसले लिए गए और जनता उनमें सन्तुष्ट भी होती रही। सरकार द्वारा होस्टल से लेकर भोजन तक और साइकिल से गणवेश तक की व्यवस्था की गई लेकिन गुणवत्ता के नाम पर निजी शिक्षण संस्थानों का रुख किया गया, जहां आधारभूत शिक्षा को छोड़कर वे सभी काम हुए जो व्यावसायिक दृष्टि से लाभकारी थे।
फोटो साभार: सोशल मीडिया
परीक्षा परिणाम भी उसी का हिस्सा है। इतना तो ठीक था इस मगर मध्यप्रदेश की सरकार ने एक फरमान जारी किया था कि कक्षा 8वीं तक किसी भी विद्यार्थी को फेल नहीं किया जाएगा। हमारी बिगड़ी हुई शिक्षा पद्धति का मुझे यह भी एक कारण लगता है।
खैर, मेरा प्रश्न वही है कि चन्द्रगुप्त और चाणक्य की परंपरा के देश में जब चाणक्यवाद की जड़ ही खतरे में है तो आगामी समय में भारतीय राजनीति को अच्छे चन्द्रगुप्त तथा सभी क्षेत्रों को कुशल अधिकारी मिलने की क्या गारंटी है?
अंतोगत्वा मैं यही कहना चाहूंगा कि रोटी, चावल, भत्ते तथा आरक्षण से उठकर शैक्षणिक गुणवत्ता पर भी विधि निर्माताओं को सोंचने की आवश्यकता है। हमें यह स्वीकार करना पड़ेगा कि शिक्षा का मूल उद्देश्य परिमार्जन है, प्रतियोगिता नहीं।
Prone, a human-interest website run by four college students, organised a two-day welfare program called ‘Prayas’ for underprivileged children in collaboration with CRY (Child Rights and You). The program took place over the weekend at J. N. Modern Public School in Pitampura, Delhi. It included both educational as well as vocational activities for the children. After the event, the smiles on the children’s faces showed their happiness.
The event started with an English speaking and writing workshop taken by Mrs. Sheetal Verma. Followed by that was a specially curated theatre workshop by Mr. Saksham Chaudhary, who has worked with the likes of Mahesh Bhatt.
On the second day of the program, the kids were taught Mathematics and Origami. The children left smiling at the end of the day, telling us they had enjoyed the sessions thoroughly.
When asked about the purpose of the program, the organisers answered, “There will be 300 students graduating from our college, with each student completing their final project. If even 30 of them feel motivated by our effort to conduct a similar event for the betterment of these kids, our purpose would be achieved.”
CRY also admired the entire event and appreciated the collaboration.
Education is the key to having a dignified life, and schools have a substantial role to play because the children of today will be the adults of tomorrow. The children are the potential torchbearers and a nation’s future depends on them. Therefore, a robust educational infrastructure is fundamental to the growth and development of a country and its citizens.
All children irrespective of their caste, class, religion, gender, ethnicity, and race should get an equal opportunity to learn, study, and grow. India is a vast and diverse country. It is not possible for the government alone to bring all children into the fold of education. 17.7 million children are still out-of-school even today. Many children still don’t have access to schools. Out of the ones who actually get a chance to go to school, some drop-out due to various external reasons.
Even today, in the 21st century, there still remains a huge gender disparity in all fields including education. In many places, girls are still taught and expected to remain inside the four walls of their house, learn how to cook, and told that their only duty is to get married and keep their husbands and in-laws happy. Due to these narrow mindsets of people, girls don’t get access to formal education and are left unaware of their most basic rights.
Education guarantees employability and financial independence. Millions of children are exploited and are forced into evil practices like child labour, sexual abuse, and trafficking. Despite aggressive attempts by the government to make our country a better place for children, India still seeks the support of its civil society.
One of the core aspects of Save the Children’s work is child education. It is reaching out to the underprivileged children from the most marginalized areas and remotest corners of the country. Save the Children’s programmes ensure that the benefits of the Right to Education Act reach the most disadvantaged children. We aim to send all the children, irrespective of who they are to school. We ensure that they get a chance to study, learn, and secure a life of dignity for themselves and eventually give back to their society.
Save the Children is helping spread awareness about the importance of education among the parents and community of underprivileged children. Just education will not bring a massive change, therefore, Save the Children is trying to improve the quality of education in the far-flung corners of the country.
Save the Children has made Children’s Groups (CG) and School Management Committees (SMCs). We work with them to ensure that they take responsibility for the development and growth of the children in their respective communities. They conduct enrolment drives where they locate out-of-school children and encourage them to return into the fold of formal education. We encourage group learning in which children are encouraged to undertake learning activities in groups.
Save the Children is running various programmes for the urban poor children who get trapped in the clutches of child labor and other social problems. We have various centers running for street children, where they can come and learn and get after-school support. The main idea behind these centers is to groom these children and help them get back into formal education.
It is important for the government, corporations, and individuals like you to support NGOs like us. You can do your bit by donating to charities like Save the Children that are relentlessly working on the ground to ensure that all children have equal access to education. Donate now and help in making a difference.
Photo by Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
