Dear Colleges, – Be more pro-student and less book oriented
Dear College,
Leaving behind the school, leaving parents, home and old friends was not easy but getting to taste freedom for the first time, making new friends, adjusting to a new environment and becoming our own master was a different experience in itself, which was also a long-awaited dream.
Whenever a student joins a college, he starts a new life with new hopes and aspirations which he wishes to fulfill at some of the other points of time. And the responsibility of realizing those dreams not only lies on the student but on the college, faculties and the very system itself.
When someone goes for higher studies, it’s not just books and journals that they wish to learn. They spend their entire school-lives life doing that. To know about something in-depth, they need to have a thorough tomorrow-based practical knowledge. Imparting knowledge outside of books is of more essence as it helps one gaining an edge over others in the tough and competitive market.
Switching gears and turning the attention to attendance requirement, well, I have always had my complaints with attendance, which I believe is a full-sized problem for the college-going students. An impossible attendance limit that some institutes set, brings panic to any student. First of all, a college is not only about attending classes and lectures and being a book worm but exploring endless possibilities that it has to offer. A student can have various interests apart from studies. From sports to joining a theatre club, music to literature, and one cannot manage everything and still meet the 90% attendance requirement. Of course, minimum attendance is necessary but if someone is excelling at a different field and has a strong interest in it, colleges as their mentor should allow in such activities and motivate them.
Another aspect the educational institutes often over-looked is the personality development and overall growth of the students. One should understand that book(ish) knowledge does not suffice in surviving the big bad world. The ability to market and sell yourself, the talent to grab the opportunities coming your way and having a flair in making connections with people, prove to be more beneficial than scoring good marks. Though some have those qualities inbuilt, others have to be trained, honed and perfected to master these skills.
One major problem that the youth of this country face, which is also serving as a hindrance to the development of the nation is the lack of ample career opportunities and incapacity of the candidates to find suitable jobs relevant to their qualifications. Even though there are colleges that claim 100% campus placements by the end of the curriculum, very few of them live up to their promise. While a handful of students do get lucky and get through the rigorous and rigid campus-job selection yet many are left to fend for themselves.
If one is not successful in getting through the campus-job interviews at least you can help and guide them in securing a job rather than just forgetting the complete existence of those students once s/he moves out of the college. This is also an important reason why many are looking for opportunities overseas and has led to the brain-drain scenario in Nepal.
A college should give freedom to express one’s thoughts, ideas and enough scope to voice someone’s views and opinions. Even if they differ from the belief of the establishment of the society they should be respected and tolerated up to a certain level. Because only if new ideas are welcomed, without any oppression or discrimination; we can bring about constructive changes in the society that can transform society for good.
Therefore, I urge colleges to be more pro-student and less book-oriented, which can leave a positive impact on young minds. Polish the students so that they can go and build a better society for a brighter future.
Thanking You.
A Concerned Citizen
Contributor: Bipin Devkota
Edited by Clock b Business Innovations
