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Education Plus
IT is hitting the basic sciences harder
STAFF REPORTER
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“Colleges felt the pinch in 2007-08 when admissions to conventional degree courses like mathematics, physics and chemistry were poor”
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Academicians of different pursuits brought to light the existing imbalances in higher education and how the roots of basic sciences were getting eroded due to the rush for engineering courses and IT jobs at a two-day seminar on ‘Higher education at crossroads,’ organised by the Madura College in Madurai on March 19 and 20.
They analysed the trends and disparities in college education and suggested ways to meet the challenges and compete with foreign universities.
“The creamy layer of successful higher secondary students rushes to engineering colleges either on their own choice or parents’ compulsion. Colleges felt the pinch in 2007-08 when admissions to conventional degree courses like mathematics, physics and chemistry were poor,” said V. Sivakumar, Principal, Madura College, who spoke on ‘education with a human face for better quality of life.’
Further, he cited the excess growth of technical education and the consequent decline in number of bright students opting to become teachers of higher education.
“Those who are studying the conventional postgraduate courses are not ready to take up research in basic sciences. Hence, a shortage of qualified researchers in hardcore field of basic sciences will arise,” observed Dr. Sivakumar.
According to him, many students join undergraduate course as they cannot get into an engineering college. He said the trend of talented students choosing to study only IT-related courses did not augur well.
In his inaugural address, S. Xavier Alphonse, Director, Indian Centre for Research and Development of Community Education (ICRDCE), Chennai, spoke about the evolution of higher education system and the pattern of regional distribution.
Rural-urban disparities
Rural-urban disparities, gross enrolment ratio, inter-State variation, inter-religious group disparities, caste and gender disparities were also highlighted at the seminar. The need for maintaining equity in the path of expansion was emphasised by experts.
For teachers, it was stressed that faculty recharge programmes were essential to retain vibrancy in teaching/learning methods. Referring to the private funding, academicians said that it should be largely inspired by commitment to philanthropy and public good rather than profiteering and commercialisation.
Also, the seminar called for allowing only reputed foreign universities and that too they should set up full-fledged campuses instead of franchising.
Among those who spoke included N.P. Hariharan, Head, Department of Economics, Madura College, also the seminar convenor.
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