Oh.. B.E. is it?? - Part-II
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I never expected that I will be writing a second part for my previous post on this issue.
When I prepared that post on the latest press release of Anna University on Private Engg colleges, the intention was to highlight the administration's enormous number of sanctions & quality issues due to more no. of inefficient colleges. (50% of the total list is like that)
'கிணறு வெட்ட பூதம் கிளம்பிய கதையாய்' ஆகிவிட்டது..இப்பொழுது...(this is nothing but an old tamil proverb "Digging a well for water, resulting in emergence of a demon / ghost....")
In response to that post, I received a mail from an Asst.Professor in a southern city of Tamilnadu (name not revealed, purposely). It seems she was hurt when she read few things, in between the lines. The follwg was the post content, which she referred to...
" know guys who had passed out of some private Engg colleges (from a southern village) after spending 3 lac Rs., and just employed somewhere as lecturers / code writers. This is merely due to lack of quality in most of these colleges. ...........has resulted in inadequate qualified teachers and ultimately poorly qualified graduates."
Ya...When I read that again from her point of view, I felt that she may be true. The first part was her intial response and later portion was her acknowledgement to my reply mail.
But my earlier post was unintentional. I was highlighting the weakness in the system, which definitely allows the colleges to hire unqualified teachers. That doesn't mean that there are no quality teachers. I'm definitely recognising them. But you still have weeds amidst good bunch of crops. Definitely weeding out those teachers is not possible if the granting of permission continues in an increasing numbers. (I don't know whether it is frozen currently).
Her mail, made me to analyse the issue further.....
The aim of the Adminstrator (here, Anna University), before granting permission to many more pvt. engg. colleges, should be:
1) To Chk if the Pvt. Colleges are adequately remunerating the Faculty. Since remuneration is the key factor affecting motivation, it may need correction if required. (I had experience with some of my lecturers who were not motivated. May be the better remuneration may!!! help to solve this problem). Not everybody comes to the education sector with the "students service" motive in mind. Obviously, they also have the normal human desires.
This better remuneration may even attract quality persons into this profession. (I guess, some of the guys working in NIIT may be earning better than some people working in Private Engg. colleges). Let the brain drain not happen in educational sector.
2) To Chk if the Faculty of each & every college has the capability to produce quality students. If not, provide them adequate re-training thru some schemes.
Let them undergo regular tests and routines (I hope it happens) to check their current skill sets. I hope they are up-to-date with the latest technologies. Let those tests & exams be conducted, not only for Promotions. Let them be for quality improvement also. If they fail to prove their updated skills, let them be retrained. Otherwise, we can only see unqualified teachers.. (Sorry, Mdm.K, .....the profsr who sent the above mail).
3) To chk if the Pvt.Engg. Colleges are providing adequate facilities to the Students. I have read in magazines like Junior Vikatan sometime back, that the lab facilities in several colleges are inadequate & pathetic to meet the demand. I believe that the adminstrator would be aware of this fact definitely.
If the Administrator can keep checks for all these problematic issues, several of the students' woes can be answered. Mere releasing of some data (where half of the pvt. colleges' pass rates are less than 50%) is not going to solve the problem. This will just help the aspiring students to avoid those colleges.
The result --- the wound is temporarily healed (by informing students indirectly to avoid those poor colleges) and the root cause is left untreated. This will continue forever, if the approach is not corrected. I hope that the focus of the administrator will change, to provide quality education to aspiring students not only in Guindly Engg College (I mean, Anna University) but also in Pvt. Engg colleges in southern suburbs of TN.
I hope I have not hurt or defamed anybody here, except that I am little bit point blank....BTW, I respect Anna University and this post is only my perception. As I said in my earlier post, perception differs. If at all it reaches someone, who is closer to the administrator, let them take this posting postively......
ha..... pretty long post again, bloggers..
I never expected that I will be writing a second part for my previous post on this issue.
When I prepared that post on the latest press release of Anna University on Private Engg colleges, the intention was to highlight the administration's enormous number of sanctions & quality issues due to more no. of inefficient colleges. (50% of the total list is like that)
'கிணறு வெட்ட பூதம் கிளம்பிய கதையாய்' ஆகிவிட்டது..இப்பொழுது...(this is nothing but an old tamil proverb "Digging a well for water, resulting in emergence of a demon / ghost....")
In response to that post, I received a mail from an Asst.Professor in a southern city of Tamilnadu (name not revealed, purposely). It seems she was hurt when she read few things, in between the lines. The follwg was the post content, which she referred to...
" know guys who had passed out of some private Engg colleges (from a southern village) after spending 3 lac Rs., and just employed somewhere as lecturers / code writers. This is merely due to lack of quality in most of these colleges. ...........has resulted in inadequate qualified teachers and ultimately poorly qualified graduates."
Ya...When I read that again from her point of view, I felt that she may be true. The first part was her intial response and later portion was her acknowledgement to my reply mail.
But my earlier post was unintentional. I was highlighting the weakness in the system, which definitely allows the colleges to hire unqualified teachers. That doesn't mean that there are no quality teachers. I'm definitely recognising them. But you still have weeds amidst good bunch of crops. Definitely weeding out those teachers is not possible if the granting of permission continues in an increasing numbers. (I don't know whether it is frozen currently).
Her mail, made me to analyse the issue further.....
The aim of the Adminstrator (here, Anna University), before granting permission to many more pvt. engg. colleges, should be:
1) To Chk if the Pvt. Colleges are adequately remunerating the Faculty. Since remuneration is the key factor affecting motivation, it may need correction if required. (I had experience with some of my lecturers who were not motivated. May be the better remuneration may!!! help to solve this problem). Not everybody comes to the education sector with the "students service" motive in mind. Obviously, they also have the normal human desires.
This better remuneration may even attract quality persons into this profession. (I guess, some of the guys working in NIIT may be earning better than some people working in Private Engg. colleges). Let the brain drain not happen in educational sector.
2) To Chk if the Faculty of each & every college has the capability to produce quality students. If not, provide them adequate re-training thru some schemes.
Let them undergo regular tests and routines (I hope it happens) to check their current skill sets. I hope they are up-to-date with the latest technologies. Let those tests & exams be conducted, not only for Promotions. Let them be for quality improvement also. If they fail to prove their updated skills, let them be retrained. Otherwise, we can only see unqualified teachers.. (Sorry, Mdm.K, .....the profsr who sent the above mail).
3) To chk if the Pvt.Engg. Colleges are providing adequate facilities to the Students. I have read in magazines like Junior Vikatan sometime back, that the lab facilities in several colleges are inadequate & pathetic to meet the demand. I believe that the adminstrator would be aware of this fact definitely.
If the Administrator can keep checks for all these problematic issues, several of the students' woes can be answered. Mere releasing of some data (where half of the pvt. colleges' pass rates are less than 50%) is not going to solve the problem. This will just help the aspiring students to avoid those colleges.
The result --- the wound is temporarily healed (by informing students indirectly to avoid those poor colleges) and the root cause is left untreated. This will continue forever, if the approach is not corrected. I hope that the focus of the administrator will change, to provide quality education to aspiring students not only in Guindly Engg College (I mean, Anna University) but also in Pvt. Engg colleges in southern suburbs of TN.
I hope I have not hurt or defamed anybody here, except that I am little bit point blank....BTW, I respect Anna University and this post is only my perception. As I said in my earlier post, perception differs. If at all it reaches someone, who is closer to the administrator, let them take this posting postively......
ha..... pretty long post again, bloggers..
posted by Ram C at 8:16 AM
13 Comments:
ram, your suggestions will work only in an ideal world. people start engg colleges to make money...these suggestions will open new windows for corruption. can't help it man.
Ram, what you say is very true. We do have a lot of Engg colleges which have under-experienced teachers. This doesnot pertain only to the colleges in South. I have seen it in a number of colleges in Chennai too.
While working in Chennai, I was staying at a hostel and met quite a few professors of Engg Colleges. When discussing with them, I found that there are some who would just dictate notes in the class. There were also lecturers who advised their students to learn everything by "rote".
I feel an Engg College should be a place for nuturing minds. It should provide an opportunity for the students to understand the concepts and relate to it. There should be a marked difference between a student from a professional college and the others.
All this is possible only if Anna University exhibits more care when granting rights to start a new college and also provides guidelines for the existing colleges.
Suguna, I agree with you. However, now, the scope has increased for several other areas also like catering, arts, journalism etc., with the opening up of the economy. (One of my friends brother is in Catering area.....)
But MBBS & BE still has that glamour of yesteryears. May be because the previous generation has still not developed confidence in the new areas. There is a possibility that the current generation will lead their kids into varied areas. May be you, I & some of the fellow bloggers may be like that..who knows.
Saranyan..I agree with you. But, I am keeping Anna University, in that so called Ideal world only.
Eventhough there are 'n' of guys who want to mint money in educational sector, as the controlling authority, Anna University has to make the call, isn't it....?
A leader should behave in an ideal manner, without letting his leash loose on those people whom he is regulating ... Let them put the restrictions and ask the pvt. colleges to follow suit...Definitely we can see quality.
How come IITs, IIMs and several other Indian institutions have been recognised globally? Anna Univeristy is still capable to extract that quality ...let us wait and see, if it really improves.
PVS..that is true...Anna University has to take the stick now.
Ram,
You are absolutely right. There shouldn't be this many engineering colleges.
GLUT is always bad. Its effects will be more pronounced in the next few years when hiring will slow down a bit.
Ram,
What u say is very much true.
Just an year back, i was in of those 250+ engg colleges. And i didnt get better now. My friend who graduated with me is a lecturer in one of the colleges.
Its the reality.. :(
Your post made me to follow up and write more in my space.. thanks.
What is needed is Research Institutions that also offer degrees. Its serves everyones interests. The worst thing that happened to our education system is separation of Medicine Engineering and Science and Arts degree colleges.
Morpheus, thanks for visiting...this prof. may be a real good one, who knows...still there are lots of others who cannot deliver fully, which I strongly believe and accept.
Well.. I studied in one of the top institutions back in chennai.. The profs sucked there.. 90% of the profs dont have a clus of what they are teaching.. They suppress ppl who ask doubts..use internal marks to terrorize students and all they want the students to do is lick their dirty ass..
If thats the kinda lecturers u get in a good institution.. I dont want to be talking abt some jagajaala maariathaaa engg collz located at muttaaalpatti..
And I am sorry.. Just bcoz aome1 mailed u saying she was hurt.. Im sorry the teaching community deserves to be hurt for the kinda work they do.. And Instead of yelling at responsible bloggers he/she must understand the validity of the stmt and ensure quality teaching..
sorry..dint finish the first stmt in my last para..
Just bcoz aome1 mailed u saying she was hurt..u need not have posted the second blog..
I am sorry mam.. To be honest Most of u suck and the problem is u dont realize the very fact that u suck..
in IIT many of the profs used to spend a good deal of time laughing at the ignorance of the students/ getting laughed at in turn. so where do these poor private colleges stand?
Even Guindy Engineering College is losing its Faculty quality right now. The fame that exists currently is mainly due to the quality of the students taken in, and the infrastructure and freedom provided for students(which allows students to improve themselves the way they want to).
There is no proper quality assurance method for PhD students intake in Anna University. Anyone who is doing a PhD in Anna University can easily become a lecturer when vacancy arises, as the interview panel favors them over external applicants. These PhD students become lecturers, and once they complete their PhD get promoted to Senior lecturer(or Selection Grade lecturer) and in a few months, to Asst Professor. Getting a PhD at Anna University isn't a big deal as well. If the person is in good terms with the guide, he/she would get his PhD in 4-5 yrs for sure. This kind of faculty wouldn't even bother to know their subject properly, and would just rant about a few things relevant to the subject they teach in class, then bunk classes(saying that they have some work) and ask the students to self-study the rest. The students can't complain about them, in which case, they would set a question paper that would be vague, set a key with some specific points that might seem unimportant and fail those that they don't like(thats the disadvantage of an autonomous institution). The students would also feel happy that the idiot didn't ask them to come to class and rant crap, and gladly do self-study of the subjects.
Of Course the elderly faculty in Anna University are really good. They entered the profession with a passion for the subject they specialize in, and with a passion for teaching. They are the motivation factor for the students in Anna University. I wonder what the status of CEG would be after 5-10 yrs, when all these good faculty would have retired.
I speak about all this just to convey the message that the current status of the faculty in Anna university, Main Campus isn't in any way better than most private colleges.
PS: I've written all the above as a student alumnus of College of Engineering Guindy (Anna University, Main Campus)
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