Well begun is half done

If getting into engineering colleges is a dream come true for many, tackling the challenges of the first year is another thing altogether.

The results of the first year (second semester) engineering examinations were declared recently and they show a disturbing trend. The pass percentage dips considerably at the end of the first year: Whether it is Tamil Nadu or Mumbai or Nagpur, the trend remains that the performance in the first year is far below the pass percentages obtained in the final year. These are the same students who go on to do well in later years, so what are the reasons for this poor performance in the beginning, when they ought to be carried away by the force of their preparation and enthusiasm?

It seems like a natural conclusion that after three years or so of being pushed to excel — in their board exams, the JEE, AIEEE and other exams — the students tend to relax once they enter the college of their choice.

Says Siddharth Dash, who is now in his second year at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad, “I know many students who used to study for 10 to 15 hours during their 12th.” In the first year this drops to about two hours a day and in the second year increases to about 5-6 hours.

Though the spread of subjects in the first year is fairly continuous from the school curriculum, the method of teaching is different. “We teach more to get the concepts across and we are less exam- oriented, which is what they have been used to at school and in the coaching classes. So they need to become more independent and it takes them a while to understand,” says P. K. Thiruvikraman, Associate Professor BITS Pilani, Hyderabad. He goes on to say that language might be a problem too, with reading habits on a low due to shortage of time and English classes receiving less attention. “Most teachers and parents want to emphasise on Math, Physics, etc.”

Seniors lend a hand

Would they benefit from counselling? Siddharth does not feel the need for this. He feels that the nature of their doubts are such that friendly seniors can help them out. This is also the case with Adarsh A Tadimari who is now in his first year of B.Tech at IIT Madras. He says that his seniors really do pitch in and help out. Even in doing assignments, they are eager to lend the juniors their laptops and help clear doubts on how to prepare for the exams, etc.

Pradymna Kodali, II year, BITS Pilani, Hyderabad, feels that his peers may benefit by counselling, but that is because many of them do not understand what they want to do and have chosen their streams based on their grades and not based on what they are interested in. He also feels that homesickness is a major reason why performance in the first year dips.

Perhaps some students also feel that the first year only consists of common core courses like math and physics and hence take it easy, whereas the second year seems more important because it has subjects of their specialisation. This is being short-sighted because basic math and science is something that they will come back to when they practise their craft. The first year therefore requires more attention and those who manage their first year well are likely to do well in the long run.

Use Humour to Increase Productivity

Research has proved that fun and humour at the workplace is essential to balance the mind, body, and spirit. From a company’s perspective, an employee’s wellbeing plays an important role in his performance, quality, and productivity, which in turn affects business success and profits. Factors such as a good working environment and employee engagement are crucial to improve employees’ wellbeing. When an employee’s wellbeing reduces, so does his or her performance.

By adding humour in your workplace, you are making people happier and happier people produce more work and are loyal to their companies.

They are motivated to work and grow to be innovative in their thinking. Importantly, it releases tension and manages disturbing negative emotions.

Laughter creates a positive energy that is contagious and everyone bounces back with enthusiasm. While doing mundane, repetitive jobs, having some boredom-breaking activities leads to greater tolerance levels. Even the most challenging work can be fun and less stressful. Besides, humour reduces job stress and burnout, lowers blood pressure levels, and releases the feel-good hormones known as endorphins that work as natural pain killers.

The communication channels open up between co-workers and soon they find themselves solving problems together, celebrating together, and assuming combined responsibility for the organisation’s success. There is a strong culture of trust and collaboration with enhanced task performance and decrease in turnover. All these are significant features required in the operation of a strong and successful company.

The following are some ideas that you as a human resources representative or a manager can use or customise your own:

1. Ask employees to volunteer and form a social committee group to organise fun activities appropriate for your company. It could be as simple as sending Su-do-ku puzzles, joke of the day, or an engaging event like bringing in board games and having a competition.

2. Organise a bake sale (treats made by employees) and the proceeds could go to a charity institute.

3. Add up the fun factor by having a ‘lunch and learn’ programme with a personal focus every month where employees have an opportunity to learn something new. For example, ergonomics, nutrition, healthy cooking, time management, and so on. If your budget allows, provide food. Otherwise, employees can organise a potluck or carry their own lunch.

4. In meetings, set aside some time for fun.

5. Encourage employees to create a bulletin board where fun quotes, fun facts, and so on are posted.

However, here is a word of warning. Defining what is acceptable as fun and humour and what is not acceptable is essential. For instance, indulging in crude or violent jokes or pranks is a strict no-no at any workplace.

Humour does not mean that all employees should have the ability to tell jokes or fire off clever remarks. It simply means that employees should not take themselves too seriously while keeping a positive attitude.

The workplace need not be a carnival. It should be courteous, happy and a positive place to work. It is important that we honour work ethics and not be distracted from work. We need to continue being professional and competent while embracing humour and laughter with gusto. This is not difficult to achieve. It requires trust and commitment from management along with the right attitude among employees.

It’s all about de-stressing and having fun while being productive. When the atmosphere is relaxing, fun and humour happens naturally.

To sum it up in the words of John Ruskin, art critic of the Victorian era, “In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: They must be fit for it.

They must not do too much of it. And they must have a sense of success in it.”

Respect at the Workplace

Respect at the workplace is something that is perceived and experienced rather than something that can be clearly explained in words. This includes the way people in an organisation behave with each other showing politeness and mutual respect, discuss official as well as personal issues at the workplace, cooperate with each other, and follow office policies in spirit and not just letter. The way they resolve workplace issues makes people feel how respectful a workplace is and makes them feel good to be there.

Respecting others’ self-respect is integral to a respectful workplace. Each employee in an organisation has a task to accomplish and each may have a different view of how things are done. In case of conflict in approaches to doing things, the right way is not to condemn the employees but talking to them and finding reasonable solutions. If that doesn’t work, then the next best course is to find a different work space for them.

A proper workplace culture helps promote respect in organisations. The following guidelines can be useful in this regard.

Realise that people come with different ideas and mindsets and accept them

Clearly define the roles of individuals, complete with their rights, duties and boundaries of their authority

Make them realise they are accountable for all their deeds

Promote values and behaviour that are generally acceptable without appearing to be imposing something on them

Build office atmosphere in such a way that employees discuss differences and acknowledge alternative views

Communicate all important things to staff formally by holding meetings and sending emails

To know whether you are working in a respectful workplace, check the indicators shown below. If these indicators are applicable, congratulations, you live in a respectful workplace. If these indicators are not applicable, you have now in your hands the know-how to turn your workplace into a respectful workplace.

Credit is given to employees when good work is accomplished.

Employees assume responsibility for their behaviour rather than making excuses or blaming others.

Employees are committed to keeping each other informed and trust each other to pass along information appropriately.

Employees collaborate on important issues asking each other’s opinions and expertise.

Employees talk in terms of ‘we’ instead of creating ‘us and them’ distinctions.

Employees focus on the main issue or mission and don’t get distracted by differences.

Employees respect organisational structures and roles and don’t use them as weapons.

Employees value each other’s background and experience rather than discrediting each other’s competence.

Employees openly discuss concerns, criticisms, and conflicts in a respectful manner.

Employees speak positively about their work, the organisation, and the future rather than expressing cynicism.

Women’s realm — studies and research

The Centre for Women’s Development Studies, New Delhi, develops, promotes and disseminates knowledge about women’s roles in society and economic trends which affect their lives.

Pliloting a trend: A woman drives a metro train in Bangalore.

Those who are interested in carrying out serious research on women’s issues can gainfully utilise the rich infrastructure and enlightened and committed faculty in the unique Centre for Women’s Development Studies in New Delhi.

The centre was established in 1980. The initiative had come from a group involved in the preparation of the first comprehensive government report on the “Status of women in India.”

Later on, the members of the group were associated with the Women’s Studies Programme of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR). The Advisory Committee on Women’s Studies of the council recommended the need for an autonomous institute to build on the knowledge already generated, but with a wider mandate and resources to expand its activities in research and action. This was taken up by the Women’s Bureau of the Union Ministry of Social Welfare. This in brief is the genesis of the Centre for Women’s Development Studies, 25, Bhai Vir Singh Marg, New Delhi – 110 001; Website: www.cwds.org. The centre is supported by the ICSSR.

Develops, promotes and disseminates knowledge about women’s roles in society and economic trends which affect women’s lives and status.

Organises and assists training programmes in the field; collaborates with institutions engaged in allied activities, especially in areas where under-privileged women are involved.

In a nutshell, the centre is a catalyst in assisting women in realising their full potential and exercising their active influence on society and its transformation. It discourages any action that marginalises women’s role in, or contribution to, society. Women’s special needs such as maternity protection, child care, literacy education and expanding employment opportunities are being focussed.

The mainstay of the centre since its inception has been research. “Women’s studies” is not a simple entity of one dimension, but it involves facing the rigours and challenges in a broad interdisciplinary field of scholarship. Research has to be responsive to contemporary problems and new questions demanding investigation.

The centre makes regular studies and goal-oriented research on a wide range of topics that are intimately connected with women’s problems, and steps to empower them to be strong participants in nation-building. Even issues that may look unimportant in the first look may have immense impact on the roles of women in society. Let us take some of the topics that are/were studied at the centre to get a clear picture of the opportunities that await future students and researchers at the centre.

The special issues concerning women’s healthcare, such as coverage, type of service-providers, nature of service provided, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, sustainability and equity, were identified. The role of the private sector in healthcare is on the rise in our country. A judicious mix of the private and the public sectors can meet the requirements of low-income groups among women effectively. Studies based on PPP (public private partnerships) were held, analysing different health areas affecting women’s life.

This is an interesting study of motivation, compulsions and women’s experiences of domestic migration.The primary focus has been on labour migration rather than demographic movements. Changes in personal and work lives and identification of the new possibilities and tension generated by migration were analysed.

There is significant impact on family relations, economic structures and a broad range of citizenship rights. There is a paradox of a high rate of female migration along with a falling rate of female work participation.The field surveys conducted in 17 States showed an inexplicable jump in the rates of marriage migration. This deserves a detailed study and exploration. Higher education, gender and discrimination:

Study on the relationships between higher education, gender and discrimination is made with some comparison between the conditions in India and China.

Though there are several initiatives in this area, questions of gender are often forgotten. Women’s participation in higher education is sometimes shaped by the interlocking markets of labour, education, and marriage. factors such as class, region, caste and community also become significant in shaping women’s higher education.

The study demonstrates how the multidimensional nature of care-giving and its quantitative or qualitative time and labour demands are not recognised.

The findings suggest a stratified familialism in care practices owing to the differences in time available to family members for care. (Familialism is an ideology that promotes the ‘nuclear family.’)

Care becomes reduced when mothers in poor families go for paid work. Crèches and pre-schools may be beyond their reach. However, women from the elite and upper middle classes can break out from the gendered moulds.

Official denial of the time and skill requirements of care, along with the non-recognition of women’s multi-layered work, adds to women’s burden.

This issue has to be addressed to liberate women and ensure justice to them.

Some of the other areas explored are:

Adverse child sex ratio in North-West India.

Globalisation and women’s work.

Multiple vulnerabilities and marginal identities: exploring violence in the everyday lives of women with disabilities.

Gender and democratic governance.

Study on women migrants of Tamil origin in France.

Women in Indian engineering: An analysis of graduate degree level education.

Gender, status, and migration of Malayali nurses.

From oppression to assertion: Women and Panchayats in India.

Winning with English

Not much is being done in colleges and universities to improve the English communication skills of students. A recent survey comes as a wake-up call.

“I can’t able to tell you.” This might just be one instance of a grammatically wrong sentence that often is a part of everyday conversations but it is just the tip of the iceberg as far as communication in business rooms is concerned.

According to the survey by employability measurement company Aspiring Minds, the English learning level among engineering graduates is very poor in India. The survey which analysed the English skills of over 55,000 aspiring engineers in 250 different engineering colleges, said “around 36 per cent of engineering graduates would be unable to read official reports and transcripts and derive information out of them, even when the information is explicitly stated.”

“The worse of it often comes out in mails — the most important medium of communication in corporate offices,” says R. Rajaram, HR head of an IT major. He explains, “They write incomplete sentences; their punctuation is non-existent and grammar very poor. This is why most companies have readymade templates with sentences, and employees just have to choose what they have to say.”

While Tamil Nadu has an excellent recruitment record with the State supplying the largest number of engineers, surveys on employability have cast the State in a poor light. A few months ago, Aspiring Minds also came out with a survey that said Tamil Nadu figured the lowest on the employability index. “This is mainly because they are not able to converse in English. Most of them are not confident of themselves,” the study concluded.

“Companies take communication very seriously and there are frequent training sessions for them. But all of that is focussed on their speaking skills. There is little done to improve their vocabulary or grammar,” says a senior HR Official.

One reason for the problem is the limited use of English in colleges though the language is the medium of instruction. “More than 70 per cent of the class is from rural areas and they understand nothing when taught in English. Once students get the concept and learn to communicate it in Tamil, English will definitely follow,” says G. Sathyamurthy, mechanical engineering professor, Anna University, explaining why the language is not used much in classrooms.

Colleges need to do their bit to inculcate an interest in the language among students but it must not just be for the sake of ensuring placements, says R. Prabha, who trains students on communication skills. “Every one thinks business English is sufficient to get a job and sustain it. But that way, one does not get a hang of conversational English, which is very important as you climb up the ladder. “As a result, students will be able to explain technical points but are at a loss when it comes to interacting and conversing comfortably with others,” she adds.

For instance, R. Gnanam, who studied computer science at Anna University and graduated last year, is yet to find a job. “I have an 8.7 CGPA but I get rejected by every company. English is a must to get into companies,” he points out. Those like R. Jayaprakash, who works as a senior software engineer, add that one cannot take it easy even after entering a company. “We are expected to constantly brush up our communication abilities. We need to network, and present demonstrations, send regular mails and make sure people understand what we are saying and vice-versa.”

There is dire lack of awareness of the issue. For instance, most bulletin boards are insensitive to the topic and common mistakes in conversation are at best a source of humour. “Companies want the best communicators who can work in tandem with clients and there is no other way to that without knowing to speak English,” says Jayaprakash.

With maths in Plus 2 must, demand for MCA goes down in Tamil Nadu

Only 6,109 applied for the 12,500 seats

That a change in a single eligibility criterion can lead to many not being able to take up a postgraduate degree was evident from the number who had applied for the Tamil Nadu MCA Counselling 2012.

Only 6,109 had applied for the counselling under the single window system for admission to MCA degree courses offered in Government, Government-aided, and self-financing engineering and arts and science colleges of Tamil Nadu for the academic year 2012-13, which began here at the Government College of Technology (GCT), on Monday.

And, this number looks less because there are nearly 12,500 government quota seats up for grabs.

While there were over 9,000 aspirants who attended the counselling in 2010-11, the number rose to 11,014 in 2011-12. But in sharp contrast, this year has witnessed only half that number opting for counselling. This decline is being attributed to the new All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) guideline that lays down that only a candidate who has studied mathematics in Plus-Two is eligible to apply for MCA. This is irrespective of him/her studying mathematics in graduation.

With so many seats under the government quota available, there were only very few making use of these seats, because they were not able to meet the criterion. There were 8,841 seats in engineering colleges, and as many as 3,576 seats in arts and science colleges, with a total of 12,417 seats.

It was the second rank holder with 56.00 who received the first allotment letter. This year too there were no surprises with the toppers choosing to pursue their course at PSG College of Technology.

M. Vishnu Narayanan from Tiruchi was the first to get provisional admission into PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore. He received the allotment letter from V. Lakshmi Prabha, Principal of GCT, and Secretary of Tamil Nadu MBA/MCA Admissions 2012. Sixth rank holder from Coimbatore, J. Vicky, with a TANCET score of 53.75 got the second allotment letter for admission into PSG College of Technology. Seventh rank holder H. Manish Kumar for Chennai with a TANCET score of 52.75, received the third allotment letter for admission into SSN College of Technology, Chennai.

R. Krishnaswami, Regional Manager, State Bank of India, Coimbatore, gave away prizes to the first three toppers who received the allotment letters.

On Sunday, a separate counselling was held for the physically challenged where only eight candidates attended. Here too, though there were more than 200 seats allotted under the three per cent disability quota, there were just eight orthopaedically challenged candidates who appeared.

The seats that did not get filled under the disability quota would be added to the general category.

The general counselling for MCA would go on till July 30 including Sundays. It would start at 8 a.m. each day and would be held in five batches.

SET results a worry for academicians

What could be the reason for the low pass percentage of State Eligibility Test? Academicians, and candidates who took the test, share their views. 

In a bid to improve the quality of teachers in colleges and universities, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has made it mandatory that they clear the National Eligibility Test (NET) / State Eligibility Test (SET), or complete a Ph.D. A pass in NET/SET will also make them eligible to draw UGC payscales in colleges and universities.

But the recently published results of the SET in Tamil Nadu looks like the quest to improve the quality will deal a heavy blow to the quantity. With only 1,396 out of 41,164 candidates passing the August 2011 SET examination, there is a serious worry among senior academics about the implication of this on the demand and supply of teachers in colleges and universities.

While there is universal disappointment about the poor results, it has also raised various concerns like improving the number of passes, assessing study material available for the examination, modifying preparation pattern of candidates, and increasing the frequency of conduct of SET.

With a pass percentage of 3.39, which in fact is an improvement over the last examinations, the need for qualified teachers still remains to be fulfilled.

From the 1,396 who passed, as many as 673 candidates cleared the Tamil paper, 213 cleared the English paper and 194 the management paper. Other passes were from bio-technology, economics, physical education, journalism and mass communication.

No candidate from the chemical sciences, geography, Hindi, library and information sciences, mathematical sciences, and physical sciences, cleared the test. For many who have not cleared the SET even after two or three attempts, the only other alternative is to apply for a four-year doctorate.

Feedback from candidates who have passed and failed the test, and academics who have set the test question paper and also evaluated the answer sheets, go to prove that the reason for so many failures is not because the question paper is tough, but because of poor preparation by the candidates.

R. Sivakumar, assistant professor of Public Administration, Thiruvalluvar Government Arts College, Rasipuram, who cleared the test, says, with good preparation anyone can clear the SET.

“Most of the SET syllabus is covered in the PG course. Also, for faculty who are handling the subject on an everyday basis, it is much easier,” he adds. A faculty member who has failed the test says she is not able to assess her performance because the test results do not reveal the marks. SET marks could be published to enable the candidate know where they had to improve in the next attempt.

A senior professor who has been involved in setting SET question papers and also in valuation, says many teachers/candidates fail because the UGC mode of assessment is not like that of a university.

Paper-I for 100 marks examines the candidates on logical reasoning, while Paper-II for 100 marks consists of 50 multiple-choice questions on the subject, and Paper-III for 200 marks is of descriptive pattern based on the subject again. “One cannot say the questions are difficult. They are consciously set keeping a certain standard in mind. If a candidate fails in the first paper, his second paper is not even taken up for correction,” the professor says.

Carrying the same point forward, P. Kanagaraj, associate professor of political science, Government Arts College, Coimbatore, who also coaches candidates for the UPSC Civil Services examinations, says in many cases, highly meritorious students stop with UG degree once they get a lucrative job.

“Mostly, those who do not score very high marks in UG go for PG with teaching in mind. For such candidates to clear the SET, the quality of higher education should be improved, even from the UG level. Focus should be on the subject knowledge,” he says.

And, according to him, a doctorate being considered an alternative to the SET is illogical. “A doctorate is not an ideal qualification for teaching. It focuses only on a minuscule portion of the subject matter. Though SET too is not a right yardstick, it at least deals with the subject matter on a major scale,” he adds.

Echoing the sentiments of many, Vice-Chancellor of University of Madras G. Thiruvasagam says the eligibility test fails to ensure that there is supply when there is demand and also raise the bar in terms of quality.

He believes that a period of training after the SET can only ensure that a college will get a qualified teacher. Candidates have to be trained in psychology, teaching methodology, pedagogy, use of technology and effective delivery, to make them efficient.

There is also a felt need that the test be conducted at frequent intervals to maintain that balance between quality and quantity of qualified teachers.