Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Pre-counselling programme evokes overwhelming response from students

Staff Reporter

Panellists explain the nuances of selecting the right course and colleges

VALUABLE TIPS: Commissioner for Entrance Examinations B. S. Mavoji addressing the participants of the Pre-Counselling Guidance Programme for Professional Courses organised by The Hindu-Educationplus in association with State Bank of Travancore in Th iruvananthapuram on Sunday. - Photo: S. Mahinsha

Thiruvananthapuram: As many as 625 students who turned up at the Pre-Counselling Guidance Programme for Professional Courses organised by The Hindu-Educationplus at the AKG Memorial Hall here on Sunday lapped up every word uttered by the panellists on the nuances of selecting the right course to career prospects of emerging areas of study.

From Centralised Allotment Process (CAP) to various professional courses available in the State, students and parents received loads of information from the experts who were on the panel. This was the third in the three pre-counselling guidance programmes organised by The Hindu-Educationplus, in association with State Bank of Travancore.

Setting the ball rolling, Commissioner for Entrance Examinations B. S. Mavoji said the Government has plans to revise the entrance test being conducted for professional courses and allotment process in the State. "It is in the discussion stage and within one week, we will be able to get a complete picture," he added.

The Commissioner said 4,132 seats in Government Colleges and 19,105 seats in unaided colleges are available for various branches of engineering in the State. For MBBS, there are 704 seats in the Government Colleges and 850 seats in the self-financing colleges.

Pointing out that sky is the limit for students with the innumerable opportunities that have opened up in the corporate and international level during the last couple of years, Mr. Mavoji urged the students to select the course of their choice while appearing for the CAP.

Joint Commissioner for Entrance Examinations S. Rajoo Krishnan urged the students to assess their skills before attending the CAP and selecting the course. "Your ability should be the only criteria in selecting the professional course for which your want to join," he said.

Explaining the allotment process in detail, Dr. Krishnan said the advantage of CAP, which has been decentralised, is that all available seats in colleges/courses in the stream are open for the students. Besides, the CAP simplifies the admission process to professional courses and brings transparency to the selection process.

He urged the students to identify the time slot, venue and to report at least 30 minutes before the allotted time. The Joint Commissioner asked students and parents to regularly visit the website of the Office of the Commissioner of Entrance Examinations for latest news related to the CAP. He also reminded students to keep track of the announcements in the media to know the exact date on which CAP will be held in the State.

Giving an overview of engineering courses, Course Director of Triumphant Institute of Management Education Ajay Antony urged the students to analyse the market value of various courses before taking a decision to join. "Employability of the branch after graduation should be the main criteria in selecting the course. In four years, you will be drawing the first salary and contributing to the progress of society, community and industry," he reminded them.

Mr. Antony detailed the conventional, specialised and new generation courses in the engineering stream. Of the 110 engineering courses being offered in the country, only one-fifth of the courses are being allotted in the CAP in the State. Pointing out that the future is not too far, he urged the students to read industry journals to keep themselves abreast of the developments.

Superintendent of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital D. Dalus talking on "Widening your horizon" reminded the students joining MBBS that what they do now will have a direct impact on lives of others and asked them to gear up for this transition.

Dr. Dalus listed out the objectives of medical education and stressed the need for developing the right qualities. Stressing the need for having a vision for the future, he said students should form clear goals about their future even from the start of the course.

Principal of the Government Dental College K. Jyothindra Kumar said dentistry is on the upswing as demand for dental care is on the rise and life expectancy is on the increase. He told the students that dental profession is in high demand as it is one of the few courses that produce a specialist at the graduate level itself.

Dr. Kumar listed out the requisites to make a good professional, disadvantages of the profession like long working hours and health hazards from patients, working posture and career opportunities as a dental educator and as a dental researcher.

Pointing out the opportunities that await the students joining B.Sc. Agriculture, Veterinary Science and Fisheries streams, former Director of Research, Kerala Agricultural University, C. K. Peethambaran, in his presentation said less than 5 per cent opt for agricultural courses as the first option.

Aptitude for the course is what matters most, he reminded the students. Mr. Peethambaran also pointed out the new fields such as Agriculture Waste Management, Bioinformatics and e-Animal Husbandry, e-fisheries, leisure management and adventure tourism.

Gregori Paul K. J, Assistant General Manager (Marketing), State Bank of Travancore, made a presentation on the various educational loan schemes for students opting for professional courses and higher studies in the country and abroad.

The Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, N. Ram and the Minister for Education, M. A. Baby addressed the students. The panellists also answered a large number of queries of the students and their parents towards the end of the session.

A suggestion

Mr. Rajoo Krishnan during his presentation called for organising pre-counselling guidance programmes in second towns and remote areas in addition to major cities. Mr. Ram welcomed the suggestion and offered to consider the possibility of organising it this year itself.

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