The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : <I>The Hindu</I> education caravan reaches Vizag

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 16, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

The Hindu education caravan reaches Vizag

K.V.S. Madhav

Experts help students chart roadmap to the future

VISAKHAPATNAM: The moody brow, wrapped in self-doubt, was gone as they discovered what they sought -- the answers to doubts plaguing them. They not only knew what lay around the corner on the high road to their career, but also the roadmap to the future. Myths were shattered. Facts unravelled. Optimism reinforced and darkness dispelled. In its place was great clarity of the path ahead, bright as daylight.

The Hindu Education Plus counselling session for engineering and medical aspirants, the third in the four-city series, on Wednesday saw hundreds of students going through the nitty-gritty of the career options available to them, sifting through a wealth of information unspooled by a battery of senior academicians. The Andhra University Vice Chancellor, L. Venugopala Reddy, inaugurated the programme. The Hindu education caravan moved to the Port City after Tirupathi and Vijayawada.

With talk of the State Government announcing the date of commencement of the engineering and medical counselling for the academic year 2005-06 later in the day doing the rounds, the queries only rose to a feverish pitch.

It wasn't about the arithmetic of seat allocation alone. The focus was also on what it takes to make a good learner, tapping one's innate talent. Prof. Reddy made a fervent plea for allowing children to choose their own career paths. Saying there was no proper information on career options available to the youngsters, he said this invariably led to parents deciding the fate of their wards' fledgling careers. "Do not thrust your ideas on them. Let them form a career opinion on their own and make a choice they are interested in."

With more than 82,000 seats up for grabs in the engineering stream -- 2,075 in Government colleges and 79,715 in private colleges -- in dime a dozen courses, there was enough room for bewilderment. But, speakers suggested that all engineering branches invariably offered bright careers.

The marriage of traditional branches with the emerging arenas only made engineering study all the more contemporary, besides opening up brand new vistas. "No engineer will be out of job," maintained T. Srinivasulu Reddy of the Centre for Good Governance, underlining the need for students to make learning a joyful experience.

"This has been an eye opener and at the right time with the counselling coming by next month," said Prasad from Rajahmundry who walked in with a beehive of doubts despite a reasonably good rank.

Pharmacy and Biotechnology were the focus areas for many students while doubts about computer sciences and information technology courses going bust were dominant too. The speakers included N.V.L. Narasimham, Vice Principal, Andhra Medical College, P. Ellaiah, senior professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Andhra University, P.S.N. Raju, professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Andhra University, K. Balakrishnan, Head, Department of Biotechnology, ANITS, V.V. Kutumba Rao, Principal, GITAM College of Engineering, P. Srinivasa Rao, Principal, Gayatri Vidya Parishad College of Engineering, K. Venugopal, Director, GITAM Dental College, G. Srinivasa Murthy, architect and co-convener, INTACH.

The last leg of the The Hindu pre-counselling programme will be held in Hyderabad on June 19.

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