By Kriti Rathore:
India produces plethora of outstanding engineers and yet, few of them are employable. Pathetic situation. Who is to be blamed? Our colleges which are focused on quantity rather than quality? Or the students, for sticking merely to the text books?
If the politicians and entrepreneurs would not have been bribed into approving colleges that don’t even have necessary infrastructure in place, then only, this embarrassment could have been avoided. Talk about the lecturers, except a few all wants to improve their subject results at any sake. The faculty wants us to mug the answers up and get away.
What have we learnt actually in these 2 and half years that can be practically implemented in an industry or company? Practical labs are there but the instruments are weary and even if we do the experiments, the machine is too outdated and hardly has its application in today’s technologically advance world. The situation is lacerated. Over-tiring lectures, when most of the time we have to copy the text from the black-board or get a photocopy of the notes, as acquiring 80% attendance is the criterion formed by the institution to sit in the examination. Don’t you get the vibes that that time could have been utilized somewhere else in a more rationalized way? May be, I am using the words too glibly but I have few points and I can prove it adroitly.
1. Various coaching institutes are functional for engineering students aiming for IES, PSU’s and more exams that can be cracked when worked upon efficiently.
2. If a student wants to scintillate in the management field, he/she can go for CAT/GMAT coaching and coaching’s can only be attended when we have ample of time so as to work in a systematic and efficacious way.
3. Foreign language courses (French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and more) justifies my point fully that if we get abundant time we can definitely outshine.
Imagine a situation that you own a company. You went along with your team to select 10 engineering fresher’s from an average college. When you started interviewing them the result is horrendous. You pick up just 4 since others could not match the job requirements. What can be the reason behind? Well, the expectations of the companies are: smartness, interpersonal skills along with technical knowledge, cooperative behaviour, problem solving abilities and eagerness to take the task readily. If you match the above criterion then for sure nobody can bottleneck your selection. Then why do we get disheartened that we could not get selected? There is a dilemma if the students or the institution is responsible. Undoubtedly students are responsible to a large extent. But don’t you think that adjacently the institution is responsible as well? According to me, yes, we have paid large amounts and in return we expect a good QUALITY EDUCATION from the respective institute and since a company does not necessarily require excellent academic record (exceptions prevail everywhere), instead they want the student to be extra-curricular and smart enough to tackle the situations during any crisis.
There are few points which I personally feel to get into action:
1. If we could have more and more interactive sessions with the technical entrepreneurs.
2. Ardent industrial tours so as to facilitate the keenness amongst the students to learn practical things.
3 We should be provided with a free period everyday to go through the newspaper regularly in the college and keep updated with what is happening in the technical and business world.
4. Group discussions should be held at least once in two days, so that student’s can generalize and learn a proper channel to express their knowledge in a smart way.
5. Since, we are charged with the training fees every year, we have legitimate right to attend at least one proper PRACTICAL training session once a year in the college itself by the members from the reputed and successful companies. This will add a star to our technical knowledge and at the same time would inculcate a feeling and aura of hope and competency among the students.
During my GP (general proficiency) class, my lecturer always questions the students about their dream job. So, to accomplish and full-fill that dream, apart from hard work, we need strong inclination and will to make it finally realistic. And this want will come when we will get a chance to interact more and more with the learned and virtuoso (they can be teachers, parents, friends, mentor or anyone). Today’s youth is really indefatigable and very energetic, we just need proper guidance, supervision and a distinct DESIRE and I pledge we can and we will REACH THE STARS.