Andhra Pradesh   

Students bring doubts to experts

M.V. Subramanyam

Students and parents listened with rapt attention as experts doled out nuggets of information on how to go about choosing the right course atThe Hindu Education Plusworkshop on medical and engineering education

The Hindu Education Plus workshop on engineering and medical courses took off to a colourful start with enthusiastic turnout of prospective engineering and medical students from various places, at Mahathi auditorium in Tirupati on Sunday.

Vice-Chancellor of Sri Venkateswara University Prof. S. Jayarama Reddy, who inaugurated the workshop, said 1.05 lakh students wrote EAMCET and 98,000 engineering seats were presently available and their number could further go up.

It was easier to get an engineering seat but uncertainty loomed large among students on the course they have to opt for.

It was important for students to choose the right college or institution where the faculty was enriched to properly guide students to meet their needs, he said.

There was not much to choose between different branches of engineering, he observed.

Almost all students crave to join computer science or information technology and about 15 to 20 per cent opt for civil, mechanical and electrical engineering, the V-C stated.

The scenario in India is that only the best of students get an opportunity to choose.

However, there were no such hassles abroad and a student could join any discipline of engineering of his choice without any entrance test or fees, he said.

Avid reader

Every core branch of engineering has IT component incorporated into it and guidance by institutions would help students shine and strengthen their pursuit of knowledge, Prof. Jayarama Reddy asserted. Recalling that he had been an avid reader of The Hindu since 1965, he said it helped him in his pursuit of knowledge.

He complimented The Hindu for its focus on student activities by conducting career guidance workshops and job fairs.

Students had limited opportunities two decades ago, but with education gaining importance, opportunities grew by leaps and bounds, Deputy General of Andhra Bank Atma Ram said.

Education had become competitive and the private sector had set up institutions all over. Opportunities and colleges having infrastructure were available in urban as well as rural areas, he said.

However, cost of education had grown tremendously since private institutions stepped in, and banks were extending educational loans to meet the financial needs of parents wishing to help their children pursue a bright career. The days when parents had assets like a piece of land to hand over to their children were gone and presently parents were investing in education of their children, including girls, to pave a bright future for them, he concluded.

Galaxy of dignitaries

Boys and girls and their parents heard the dignitaries on the dais with rapt attention.

The galaxy of dignitaries included Kavi Kishore, Head of Department of Biotechnology, Osmania University, Hyderabad, N.C. Easwara Reddy, Principal, Sri Venkateswara University College of Engineering, Tirupati, M.M. Naidu, Head of Department Computer Sciences and Engineering, SVU, D. Srinivasulu Reddy of Institute of Electronics, Kancharla Ramaiah, Correspondent, Prakasam Institute of Technology and Prabhakar Rao, retired principal of SVRR Dental College.

In his welcome address, A. Devarajan of The Hindu said the counselling organised by The Hindu, with Nalanda Educational Institutions as the main sponsor and Andhra Bank as the regional sponsor, was aimed at guiding students to choose the right courses that provided a better career.

Ravikanth Reddy of The Hindu said the workshop would bridge the gap in the minds of students by equipping them with information and professional guidance.

Resource persons would guide them on the future prospects after they completed the four-year engineering courses, he said.

The Hindu Educational Plus supplement available at Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam, can be accessed by all students on www.thehindu.com.

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