BY CHANDAN SHARMA
During my participation in management programme at IIT, Delhi few month back, a discussion took place on the strategy and business model of Wal-Mart as the world’s largest retail supply chain having over US $ 400 billion turnover. Read the rest of this entry »
By Chandan Sharma
What is common among Kanchak Kumar Kandpal of Bharti Shahid Sainik School, Nanital, Uttarakhand Gyanprakash Verma of SS Higher Secondary School, Barabanki, UP or Prakash Jyoti Kalita, of Sankardev Shishu Vidya Niketan Pathsala, Barpeta, Assam? All these are toppers of class 12th exams in their respective states but they could not able to get admission in popular courses like Commerce, Economics at the top colleges of Delhi University on the basis their first cut-off. Leave SRCC, Read the rest of this entry »
By Chandan Sharma
So, Delhi has the highest density of population- over 11290 people per square kilometer. India has become a country of 121 crore people. We have added another Brazil in India in last 10 years and a small country in Delhi. What does it means? Read the rest of this entry »
Chandan Sharma
Last month was the month of results. Various boards including CBSE, state Boards, ISCE have announced their results. Results of prestigious examinations like IIT-JEE, Civil Services, AIEEE, PMT and other career oriented examinations had been announced last month.
But what similarities have been found in the board examination results is that the girls have undoubtedly left boys behind in their performance whether it is 10th examination or 12th examinations in such a manner that media had to struggle to find out some interesting headlines as if headlines like ‘girls outshine again’ or ‘girls perform better’ became passé due to their overwhelming performance in these examinations.
Though girls have done better in most of the board examinations including CBSE and ICSE and state boards examinations but here I would like to mention UP Board results in which girls have left state boys far behind. Girls’ pass percentage in 12th UP Board examination is 89.6 % while boys’ percentage is just 73.5%. In other words boys’ performance was 16% lower than girls result. In 10th examination girls have with 77.29% pass percentage (13.08% better than boys). Boys’ pass percentage is just 64.2 %. It is notable that over 47 lakh students appeared in both the examinations and over 42 percent students were girls.
Need not to mention that girls have done much better job than boys in these examinations due to their sincerity, hard work, support of parents, teachers and government even in the states like UP where large population still live in villages Read the rest of this entry »
Chandan Sharma
The heading may puzzle some of our readers. With the results of 12th standard of CBSE and other boards are out and admission process for most of the educational institutions, including DU, has either started or just going to take off in a couple of days students (and their parents too) need to be beware of the quack of educational sectors.
This is not true in case of private institutions but also for Delhi University too where both administration (read Vice-Chancellor) and teachers (read DUTA) are busy to ink some hush-hush deal at the cost of student’s career. It is another matter that it is being done either on the name of implementation of semester system by administration or its opposition by teacher. The fact is that a big number of teachers have not submitted their internal assessment report despite the assurance given by DUTA in the Delhi High Court that it would appeal to teacher community to submit the report so that the result could be announced on time. If believe on the examination department’s sources result could not be declared on time even if the report is submitted by this week.
On the other hand Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Deepak Pental, who was so impatient to implement the semester system and to show his administrative ability, did not pay attention to genuine objections raised by teaching community in the university. And, his half baked preparation for the semester system for some of the Science courses created difficult situation for the teachers and students too as science course become less attractive. As a result he got a directive from the court to sit with DUTA before taking decision about the implementation of the new system. The meeting took place on 21st May, dayafter court’s directive, but it remained inconclusive (?). Both the sides are tightlipped about the outcome of the meeting. What DUTA has exactly demanded and what VC has offered, become top secret in university.
Some of insiders say that the VC, who has been facing embarrassment on the issue of semester system and Cobalt-60 episode and looking for a safe and respectable exit in the whole episode, has asked teaching community to give their in writing and promised second round of meeting. But where is student in the whole process? Has anybody ever asked students’ opinion in this regard or given an ear to their demand in this regard. But both the administration and teachers are getting their interests fulfilled using students as pawns.
In such a situation the quacks become the best well-wisher of the students. There are a huge number of counseling centres in whole Delhi to give right counseling (?) to the students. They also create fear among the students that they may not get admission in DU as their marks are low (So, they could move to the private universities and institutions etc.). This process will increase when selling of forms will start from Friday. Colleges of North Campus and South Campus will be full of such quacks and their remedies. Even, some will claim that they would arrange admission through some backdoor entry. Need not to pay attention on them. Go through the official data provided by the university analyze it and match it with your marks. Take help of your elders, parents and teachers but beware of the quacks. Good luck.
(Chandan Sharma can be contacted at editorial@fachcha.com)
Chandan Sharma
As the admission season is not far away. 10+2 examinations of CBSE and UP Board have already been over. Students are eagerly waiting for their results for their future career and courses. Those, who belong to science stream too have attempted exams like IIT-JEE, AIEEE, PMT and so on. They have also been waiting results of these competitive exams for their next career moves.
10+2 Science students (and their parents too) have dreams to qualify JEE or Medical entrance tests so that they could move on a regular and prestigious career path and their future would be safe. Needless to say that those, who get selected in these examinations will feel themselves lucky and proud. In fact, our society too thinks in a same manner. The social recognition is such an important indicator or factor that hardly five to ten percent persons show courage to deviate from such well established path.
It is not the importance of the course or interest of the student, but the well established trends in the society decide the career selection of a student normally. But, have we ever think about those who have not get a seat in such tests like JEE, PMT, AIEEE etc. The number of the seats in IITs, NITs or state Engineering colleges or medical colleges is limited. Hardly, three to four lakh ‘lucky’ students get entry in such institutions or courses in the country. Rest of the students, whose number is many times more than the selected one, are out of these courses.
Are they not lucky? Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, a scientist of Indian origin, received Noble Prize for Chemistry in 2009. But he did not make through JEE. Is he not lucky? How many IITians have received Noble Prizes? These questions matter for all the students of 10+2 because they are very important stage of life. The path or decision you take will matter for you throughout your life. You must understand your interest clearly whether you are interested in science, commerce, art or any other field. What do you want to be? Discuss it with your parents and teachers. They are experienced people they will suggest you better option. Don’t follow your peer group blindly but take their suggestions too.
If you do not make through JEE or other tests this time do not lose heart. Prepare yourself for the next chance or think about other options. If you have keen interests in science opt for basic science courses and go for higher studies. It will certainly pay in future. These are several other fields where you can try. Science students can opt for careers like defence through National Defence Academy, Railway through SCRA and so on. Science students have been doing better in Commerce and Economics and management too. There are several courses available at the undergraduate level apart from traditional B.Com or BA (Economics). If you have interest in teaching and you love to teach kids try to get admission in elementary education course. Education is expanding day by day and good teachers have always been in demand.
It is a common trend in Delhi and NCR area that students prefer college than course because of peer pressure. For example, if somebody wants to get admission in Psychology but he does not get a seat in the subject of his choice but he gets subjects like Geography or History. Under the pressure of his peer group he takes the subject in the same college despite the fact the he can study subject of his choice in other college. This trend is disastrous in most of the cases. No doubt there are some colleges or institutions which change your life through their quality education system. But those are very few. If you get seat in such institutions nothing like that otherwise always prefer your course of choice than college.
Suppose you love to be an alchemist and you have to opt for Statistics or Mathematics because of college. Would you justify your subject in the future? Ask yourself. If you feel you can then go for it. But if you feel that you will study it as a burden than never go for it. Look at other colleges. Because a wrong decision will haunt you throughout life, career, promotion and so on. The direction you are choosing today will reflect in your life every time. So select the direction carefully and sincerely with the help of elders and your interest. Life will be yours my dear! Best of Luck.
Chandan Sharma
Remember those days when you cleared your 12th standard. Whatever the result students achieved in the school it used to be a matter of great joy for them. Not because of result but due to the feeling and imagination of joining a college leaving a disciplined, examination obsessed, and period-packed life of schools. Students used to go different colleges with their friends and elders to see the building, infrastructure, ambience and other facilities of the colleges.
But from this academic session the joy of joining college may be absent among the students of Delhi University. This will be true for the students of Science and Commerce at the undergraduate level. The Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University has unilaterally announced to implement semester system from the coming academic session by using his ‘emergency powers’ despite all protest from the teachers and students community and pushed the students community in the another tough cycle of exams, experiments, projects and other tests throughout the year rather than giving them space for free thinking.
Students have become a victim of the crossfire between Delhi University administration (read Vice-Chancellor) and Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA). The joy of joining a college is going to become as tedious and tough as joining an engineering institution or professional courses. The recent episode of Cobalt-60 has proved a catalyst in the process as there is no escape of Delhi University administration from the guilt as the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and Science and Technology Minister Prithvi Raj Chavan in Lok Sabha have clearly said that Delhi University has violated norms in this regard. But to save own skin from the episode the university administration has fuelled the issue semester system by announcing ‘half-baked’ implementation. The university administration, who has moved to Delhi High Court recently in this regard, has not even patience to wait judiciary’s decision in this concern as if it has no faith in the Indian Judiciary system. It is notable that the court has decided to hear the case on 20th May.
This shows that how an academician like Prof. Deepak Pental converts into an administrator, who does not have time to listen its students, teachers or even members of Executive and Academic Councils of the university or judiciary to implement the guideline provided by the UGC or Ministry of HRD at the time of completion of his term.
Prof. Deepak Pental was different man when he used to be the Director of South Campus of Delhi University. When I had a meeting with him at the Director’s office at South Campus about 13 or 14 years ago he talked about students, researches, their concerns and many other things.
But priority has changed now. As a retiring Vice Chancellor he has to prove his administrative capabilities anyhow so that future could be secured. Students are nowhere in the mind. That is the reason that the timing to make such announcement has been chosen when the students’ concentration is very thin the university so that the administration could face least opposition in this regard. Though, Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) has already opposed the system. The Vice-Chancellor talks about quality improvement through semester system but the teachers of Delhi School of Economics (DSE) have opposed the system saying that best universities like Oxford and Cambridge have not been following the semester system.
In such a situation what has compelled the Vice-Chancellor to implement the system by using his emergency powers. He should tell everybody. If it is a result of fight between DUTA and university administration please do not make students scapegoats. Leave them to grow in an atmosphere of openness. Do not make a pawn in the fight between teachers and administration. Please restore their college life and do not send them in school again on the name of educational reforms. Restore their era of college life.