By: Klinsa Kurien, Bureau Chief-ICN Kerala
According to Peter Drucker a philosopher, “knowledge has to be improved, challenged and increased constantly, or it vanishes”.
In a developing country like India, the thrust on higher education has an encouraging drive. The emphasis on Research and other research- based degrees are manifold. Students with a genuine taste for research, observational analysis and an eye for detail choose this sphere of education.
Despite possessing a good profile, acquiring a PhD is getting problematic these days what with no encouragement and guidance from supervisors. The whole thesis is dragged on endlessly and the candidate if sufficiently motivated, stays on or else quits. Only the student can be his/her own savior.
The Internet Revolution has made things easy and there is nothing called inaccessibility these days.
No doubt educationists have to be thorough with knowledge levels before embarking on the task to impart knowledge. Setting standards is a necessary thing to do and at the end of the day the goal seems so foggy and misty. If students are on their way to acquire higher realms of knowledge, then their future also ought to be bright and not bleak.
First of all there is no recruitment for teaching posts in Universities and if at all there is one, then there is some hidden agenda or preference is given to a minister’s ward or a VVIP’s son/daughter or relation. Despite clearing tough tests like NET (National Eligibility Test for Lectureship) or SET (State Eligibility Test for Lectureship) another test of a similar kind is introduced for the post of Asst. Professors in various varsities. Three papers have to cleared, similar to the lines of the NET exam, and this apart, only the selected candidates would be attending the interview for final selection.
Only the cream of the candidates would get an assured Assistant Professor’s job, while the others have to look for greener pastures. It is like taking a risk, despite the hard work. Adding to this, if a person gets this post, then it is contractual for two or three years.
The others who cannot get into a State or a Central University would settle for a lecturer’s job in a college, even though the same qualification (if not more) exists. They get paid peanuts for this tag of a ‘private college lecturer’. So pathetic are the salaries that in comparison, a clerk in a private firm gets paid better.
Apart from this, the periodical updation of rules by the University Grants Commission lands many a student in soup. He/ She keeps getting disqualified from time to time.
On the contrary, in the West an educator’s job is the most highly paid one with lot of encomiums in their way. The level of motivation is high both on the educationists’ part and the educated too. The scenario in India is not yet satisfactory.
