SANGEETH KURIAN
The Hindu-EducationPlus programme was a demystifying experience for many aspirants in Thiruvananthapuram.
— Photo: S. Mahinsha
CLEARING DOUBTS: The panel of experts at the Pre-admission Guidance Programme organised in Thiruvananthapuram by The Hindu- EducationPlus. From left are B.S. Warrier, C.R. Soman, S.N. Kumar, Raghunath Krishnan and M.J. James.
It was demystifying time for hundreds of aspirants of engineering and medical courses at the annual Pre-admission Guidance Programme organised by the The Hindu-EducationPlus at the Tagore Centenary Hall in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.
With most aspirants appearing confused about which stream to opt for, leading experts provided an overview of the various courses on offer.
As G.J. Gayatri, former student of St. Thomas school, Mukkolakkal, and medical aspirant, said at the end of the programme: “The sessions were quite beneficial. I hope it will help me make an informed choice while deciding on the courses and colleges.”
The hall, packed to the brim, had a turnout of 800, including friends, relatives and family members.
Education Minister M.A. Baby advised the students to keep in mind three ‘P’s while choosing the career options. They are ‘philosophy,’ ‘personal assessment’ and ‘what is possible in the given circumstances.’ Among the various skills, a candidate should be able to identify his talent that can contribute to the development of society; this requires a philosophical analysis before taking a decision. The physical, intellectual and mental capability for a programme can be gauged through personal assessment. And finally, everything depends on the rank and merit list, Mr. Baby explained.
The highlight of this year’s programme was the introduction of a special session on soft skills, such as communication, business etiquettes, interpersonal skills and conflict, handled by Raghunath Krishnan from T.I.M.E.
“Soft skills become extremely important, the higher you move up in hierarchy,” he said.
“Soft skill is something which you cannot acquire through classroom sessions. But only through regular practice.”
B.S. Maoji, Commissioner for Entrance Examinations, advised students to do their “home work” before filing the options. He touched upon some common mistakes committed by them while filing the options.
“Ensure the secrecy of the key number and the password allotted to you. Lack of confidentiality can lead to the tampering of your homepage,” Mr. Maoji warned, citing such incidents in the previous year.
S.N. Kumar, Joint Commissioner for Entrance Examinations, reminded students to log out after filing their options online. “If not, there is a veritable danger of your options being tampered with by someone else,” he said.
Mr. Kumar said a sample option entry facility would be provided on the web site for the benefit of the candidates.
C.R. Soman, health activist, enlightened the students on the various opportunities available under the medical stream.
Starting with modern medicine, Mr. Soman said there were fewer medical practitioners in the State than required. “To reach the ideal figure, it will take another 50 years; so, there is no room for concern,” he said. Moreover we also require hundreds of doctors in the realm of academics and research. “Academic research is no longer materially unrewarding,” he told the participants.
B.S. Warrier, career guidance expert, touched upon the various job opportunities available on choosing the engineering stream.
S. Hari Shankar of the SBT made a presentation on various educational loans offered by the bank.
A question-and-answer session followed.
The programme was organised in association with the State Bank of Travancore (SBT) and the Triumphant Institute of Management Education (T.I.M.E).
Since participants could also write down their queries and send these across to the panellists instead of shooting them over a microphone, a majority of them preferred to put it down on paper.
Answers to selected questions are to be featured in the next issue of EducationPlus.
The panel comprised Mr. Kumar, Mr. Warrier, Mr. Soman, Mr. Krishnan and M.J. James, Chief Manager, Personal Banking, SBT.
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