JAVID RATHER

BEYOND THE REALMS OF B. TECH AND MBBS

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It has almost become patent now that our students post their intermediate either opt for B. Tech or MBBS in or outside the state. In the first place I must admit that there is nothing wrong in it as exercising the right to choose is good and no one should oppose it. But at the very same time, someone needs to tell them that neither the life nor the career ends at B. Tech and MBBS. They are the courses much like others. There are more options and one must also consider a giving a thought to them. We need to explore those realms too and widen the scope of education.

There is no escaping to the fact that a some time ago securing berth in an engineering or a medical college was a very hard nut to crack irrespective of whether you could finance your studies or not. But now the net of such colleges, especially the engineering colleges, is so wide and vast that anyone can secure rather cement a place if he/ she has the capacity to afford the education. It virtually means that money can buy you an Engineering seat or a seat in medical college at ease. Doesn’t it look odd when we see an aspirant with a B. Tech degree at his back submitting his resume in a private school? Why does he do so? The answer is simple that he has followed a already set trend rather than setting one by himself. Although teaching is the best job ever and there is no doubt about that. But one should not serve tea in a bowl and porridge in a cup. From the last six or seven years, a huge surge in the number of students opting for the engineering field has been witnessed and what is worrying is that the equal surge in their dissatisfaction has also been witnessed.

Be it social media or the restaurants chats, engineers have been made the fodder of meme material which is not good and rather makes the coming generation think otherwise about it. We must understand that Engineering is a noble profession and engineers have heavily contributed in the making and developing of our society and in that regard thus, we must choose only the vibrant and deserving students for undergoing these courses. It was hurting to find that an aspirant securing just two points was selected by the polytechnic college for the three years diploma course. Where shall such things lead us? On the other hand, the aspirants falling short of the decimal fractions in NEET are either forced to reappear in the exam or admit themselves in the degree colleges but those who fall by many a mile spend money and travel abroad to become doctors. We must not be against the education abroad but Engineering and MBBS are termed as the noble professions for a reason. The entrance exam to select the best lot as doctors and engineers is being done for a reason since ages. We need to introspect.

This is one facet of the tale. The next thing in which we both educationists as well as the parents have miserably failed in, is the broad outlook when it comes to the career counseling of our kids. It is the high time to come to terms with the fact that all our kids can’t become engineers and doctors and if we force to make them what they are not capable of becoming or what they do not want to become, they will turn up becoming not the jacks of their professions but the Tom Sayers.

I once found a girl in my class par excellent in English. Being her English teacher, I found that she had a very good knack for it and happened to have a very strong hold on all the skills of language- A good speaker with an accurate fluency and pronunciation, I must add. I suggested her to go ahead in the subject as there were brighter chances of her turning the tables round in the subject. But what prevented her from complying to my suggestion was the reluctance of her parents. They want her to become a doctor come what may, which in my opinion is injustice both with the girl as well as the course. We must see the interest of the students along with their strength and guide them accordingly. Other subjects with good scopes like English Literature, Writing, Journalism, Languages, Pharmacy, Architecture, Fashion designing, Civil Services etc. must be kept in mind as well and we must drop the idea that those getting good grades must take Science from the list of archetypes. We must provide space and liberty to the students in choosing their careers and equally appreciate and rank all the professions. As, George Orwell puts it that everybody is equal and nobody is more equal. Let no student become the victim of our wrong perception. Let equality in career choosing prevail. Only a fair number of doctors and engineers doesn’t suffice the needs of our society. We need writers, artists, scribes, designers etc. too.

(The author is a former teacher and presently working as a Banking Associate in J&K Bank Ltd. and can be mailed at [email protected])

 

 

 

 

 

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