Career education .....

As I had posted earlier, we plan to take class on career opportunities in the local schools. The reason why we selected such a topic is something that would constitute this post.

I am a person of the opinion that each and every job has its own respect. So what is the point in going to schools and asking them or motivating them to be engineers or doctors or other high funda professionals, as, a country also need farmers, fishermen and all the like. Well here are my staggered thoughts on the subject.

Inequality in the society is something that is incurable. In the 60’s, 70’s, or in the early 80’s, the options where very few, that everyone, whether economically poor or good, went to the same Govt. schools. Scholarships were quite handy at that time that deserving meritorious students could even spare something for their family. Most of them from the backward classes (economically or ethnically) got somewhat the same opportunities at least in terms of primary and high school education.

But today the education sector is witnessing stark inequalities. It is impossible to compare the best school in a city with that of the worst. Education is supposed to be a man making process. But no molding is taking place in schools. Everyone tends to become the product of their own circumstances. Is this what is expected of education? The answer is exactly no. They should be guided to become the product of their own choices. For that there should be enough motivation from the schools that each and every one will be daring to dream high. The top priority should be for motivation and inspiration. And I suppose everything else will follow automatically.

There is a huge difference in the exposure that a student from a good family gets and the one from a not so well off family. This exposure will compensate to an extent for the lack of motivation in the former. And the result is that, majority of those from the local schools will stop studying after 10 or plus two. The attrition rate is an alarming 93% in India.
Perhaps the luckier ones among them may end up doing a degree course with no purpose. I am not under valuing the degree courses. But what I think is that, only those with real interest in the subject should go for such courses and they may take up research and pedagogical jobs in their future. Other than that there is no point in doing a degree for the sake of doing it. One should investigate for the hidden talents and should select a course that would polish these inborn qualities. Or at least he or she should select a course that would fetch him a job. Instead what is happening is that much of the youthful energy during the period is wasted in Pancharayadi, vayanottam and watching each and every chavaru filim that turns up in the theatres. And when it comes to job taking, they become completely at loss. Having betrayed by the education process, in a desperate move to fetch a job they spend enormous amount in computer education and the like,
only to realize that they are cheated once again. This is the main problem we target at.

Other issue is perhaps the craze for engineering. Many are entering into this field without any taste. There are several well paid jobs in other fields like that of commerce and arts. But sad to say, that we don’t have not a single college in Kerala that will fulfill the minimum standards. And naturally we will have to go out and should try for the best ones. But what are their cut off’s? It is 95+ for the best colleges. Had it is known to the local students, I suppose there would have been at least a few, who would have given a try. (And I might have not seen the steps of NITC, would have been happy to be in SRCC or St Xaviers).

We know that all these not simple problems that could be solved overnight. But as it goes “Annankunginum Thannalaayathu’.. Now have to prepare for it. Hardly two days are left. I’ve got a career education directory and two or three INDIA TODAY’s copies which contain their annual rankings of colleges. Way back I was the story teller of my class in my LP . But after that I have always remained pretty silent. Now it is time to open my mouth. A bit of fear and excitement, to sum it up.