The Hindu : New Delhi News : DU students being trained to meet job demands

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Thursday, Aug 28, 2008
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DU students being trained to meet job demands

Training students to meet the demands of the job market, Delhi University’s Psychology Department has procured a lot of advanced equipment over the past one year.

The M.A. students are being trained on these expensive, imported instruments in order to equip them with advanced psychological skills, says Head of Psychology Department Ashum Gupta.

“We believe our course should be able to meet international standards. In the past one year we have updated the labs and purchased advanced equipment with a grant from the University to help students understand different veins of psychology,” she adds.

Some of the new equipment that students are currently being trained on includes biopec, which gives a complete measurement of body range, assesses functions of the heart and respiratory system; tread mill, by which cognitive functions of the brain can be enhanced; media lab, which can assess the capacity of information processing; and neuropsychological assessment batteries to evaluate neuropsychological functioning.

Prof. Gupta has requested Vice-Chancellor Deepak Pental to give an additional grant to the Department for conducting some new psychological tests.

“We want to procure some updated versions of aptitude tests that measure an individual’s personality, intelligence and can be of great use in working with dyslexic children and persons with special needs,” she explained.

Even as different students’ organisations of Delhi University brace themselves up for elections this coming week, there are students who are completely disenchanted with the whole process.

A number of students pursuing the restructured B.Sc. (Programme) have been staging a protest outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office for several days now. Distressed with their poor showing in the annual examinations, they have alleged that no unif orm rules were followed in promoting to the next year students who have got an essential repeat in one or two subjects.

What has left the students disgruntled is that none of the student outfits contesting the Delhi University Students’ Union elections have approached them or taken up their issue on their behalf.

“Last year we had launched a similar agitation. Back then, the National Students’ Union of India activists had assured us that something would be done and we would not face the same problem again. But what have they done? We are still fighting a lonely battle. And this when the students from many colleges have got affected. These parties only make empty promises,” said another student.

For the first time in the history of Jawaharlal Nehru University, teachers will be elected to be a part of the Executive Council. Until now the Vice-Chancellor nominated teachers to the Council.

Three posts -- one each for professor, associate professor and assistant professor -- have been created in the Executive Council for which elections will be held this Thursday.

“Elected representation in the Council offers several possibilities to intervene and convey the opinions and the interests of the teaching community. As part of an immediate emphasis, we will seek to communicate the Council discussions and decisions in a comprehensive and swift manner with the teaching community,” said JNU Teachers’ Association president Kamal Mitra Chenoy, who is also contesting the Council seat designated for professors.

Parul Sharma

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