“I heard that
you have admitted your son in this autonomous college. .. . . Do you think the
college is among the top twenty?” to which the other replied “yes yes! I heard
from that office person .The college is really great”….. one sunny afternoon I
happened to overhear the conversation in a bus stop between two parents. Well,
it was admission time then, and students were seen shuttling from college to
universities to institutes for higher education after their schooling.
Basically
degrees, here in Tamil Nadu , are provided by many kinds of educational
institutes-Deemed Universities, Affiliated colleges, Autonomous ones and private
institutes. Each one has its own pros and cons but the point here is to
overlook its negatives and extract the essentials. Students who luckily got
into the IITs and NITs have fewer problems when compared to others. One could
study the different varieties of colleges under some essential criteria….
*FACULTY:
Acquiring a
degree means acquiring the essential knowledge which corresponds to a good
teaching faculty which can considerably seen in deemed universities and
autonomous institutions whereas in Government ones, reports of lethargic staffs
have been highly reported. The students rarely make use of libraries due to the
fact that the faculty, in any kind of institution is expected to give away the
notes. This gives the students te least exposure to study beyond the scope of
the syllabus.
*FEE STRUCTURE:
Not everyone
is economically strong to afford to posh institutions .Deemed universities have
their own fee structures that would/would not be affordable to all. Government
allocated seats in various private colleges ensure that the studious lot though
economically backward could afford to study in a good private institutions (Both
arts and science/Engineering) Nevertheless, Government colleges have a nominal
fee structure and even scholarships would be provided to the ambitious ones.
*INFRASTRUCTURE:
The
infrastructure does matter when it comes to a college….Here many private
colleges boast about their “infrastructure” which eventually would turn out to
be false! The laboratories are found to be well equipped in private colleges
where the fees are collected high compared to the aided institutions. The
seminar halls and other facilities though available are found to be
inaccessible to students.
*REPUTATION:
As every commodity
has a “brand name”, so does a college or a University. Brand name matters a lot
when it comes to a respect for an individual in the society or recognition in
the place of work. When a person studies in a “well known” institution he feels
confident of himself. For this kind of respect and recognition, the students
choose to study or even forced to study in a reputed institution even if they
don’t wish to. People are looked down in Tamil Nadu if they don’t admit their
ward in a BRANDED institution, unlike in other south Indian states where they
respect a person whatever course he studies.
*PLACEMENT:
The ultimate
goal of any person who studies would be to settle down with a good job. Certain
companies offering a good pay package target only some colleges and most of the
students get placed. But one must not get deceived when the college boasts”100%
placement”. It lies in the hands of the student to fair well during the
interview. The colleges must take adequate care to see workshops are being
conducted that would teach the nuances of modern interview techniques. Placements
differ from college to college-whether an affiliated or a deemed one.
There
are many other elements too beyond these five broad categories. Even, Seminars
and Guest lectures are being organized just for a formality in many of the
educational institutions. The trend now in Tamil Nadu is that people go behind
lucrative names neither do parents give importance to their ward’s interests
nor analyze the college before admission . The definition of “college” has
admittedly changed over a decade. With number of private institutions offering
professional and non professional courses, the teaching methodologies must
evolve with it, emphasizing practical knowledge and encourage wide reading rather
pertaining to the book and syllabi.
