Tuesday, May 19, 2015
NIELIT to make 55 lakh students ready for ICT jobs
To make success of the National Digital Literacy Mission and Digital India Campaign of the Government of India, the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), a body with the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), Ministry of Communication and IT, Government of India laid the foundation stone of its headquarters in Dwarka, New Delhi.
On the occasion, a national toll-free helpline number 1800-11-65-11 for NIELIT students, Electronic System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) portal and Digital Marketing Information Booklet were also unveiled.
In line with the Government of India’s Digital India Campaign, NIELIT has set a target of training 55 lakh students in ICT for jobs, ESDM and Digital Marketing courses in the coming 4-5 years. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Communication and Technology, Government of India, also participated in a tree plantation initiative along with Pravesh Sahib Singh, MP, West Delhi, Col. (retd.) Devinder Sehrawat MLA, Bijwasan, R.S. Sharma, Secretary, DeitY, Dr. Ajya Kumar, Joint Secretary, DietY, and Dr. Ashwini Kumar Sharma, Managing Director, NIELIT.
Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “A digital revolution has begun in the country. NIELIT will be the centre of digital empowerment in India by minimising the digital divide through skill development and by providing basic digital literacy at a click of a button. NIELIT’s efforts to start digital marketing courses are commendable as artisans, traders etc from all corners of the country should be digitally trained to take full benefits of the ecommerce revolution taking place in the country.”
Parvesh Sahib Singh, MP, West Delhi said, “India has the best brains globally and we need to nurture them. Dwarka is emerging as a centre of excellence and we’re pleased that NIELIT which is an integral part of the Digital Literacy Mission is establishing its headquarters in Dwarka.”
Dr. Ajay Kumar, Joint Secretary, DeitY said, “It is commendable that NIELIT is raising funds by itself for the construction of its Headquarters and this speaks highly of its growth trajectory over the years.”
Dr. Ashwini Kumar Sharma, Managing Director, NIELIT said, “We are very happy to lay the edifice of NIELIT’s headquarters which will help us achieve corporate professionalism, diversify and become more self-sustainable, thus helping us reach closer to our targets in-line with the National Digital Literacy Mission. At our headquarters in New Delhi, we plan to dedicate resources towards developing more industry courses, in areas like Digital Marketing, aimed towards employability of youth especially in rural areas.”
NIELIT has imparted skill education to more than 9 lakh candidates in 2013-14 as against 4 lakh in 2012-13.
Make the right choice
Can you afford to be careless in choosing a college that almost decides your career? Here are some pointers.
“Had I known earlier I would/wouldn’t have…,” is the first part of many statements that frustrated students utter after choosing a college which doesn’t suit their tastes, needs or requirements. Here are some of the familiar statements we have heard: “Had I known earlier, I wouldn’t have joined this college.” “Had I known earlier, I would have preferred a seat under management quota in XYZ college to a seat by counselling in ABC college.” “Had I known earlier, I would have decided not to opt for XYZ branch of engineering.” Instead of wearing smiles on their faces, some students wear disappointment, bitterness, depression and dissatisfaction as a result of choosing a wrong college, and they continue to wear this unpleasant look even after they have completed their graduation.
It is surprising that people who spend so much time visiting showrooms and enquiring about different brands/types of mobile phones before deciding to buy a Rs. 10,000 mobile phone, do not spend considerable time before making the major decision of choosing a college which almost decides their career.
Tertiary education is an important stage in a person’s academic life. These days, getting admitted to a professional college or arts/science college is not difficult but choosing a good college is. Though all colleges, whether engineering or arts and science, proclaim to have glorious vision, mission and quality policy statements, only some colleges really strive to translate these statements into action by providing quality education. Many colleges make empty promises and tall claims in their advertisements. At times, students and parents are carried away by such ads and make wrong decisions. It is the responsibility of the students and their parents/guardians to make informed decisions while choosing a college.
This is a sequence of many steps: visiting colleges and talking to faculty and students, collecting data about the colleges, checking whether the data is factual, analysing it, applying it to one’s situation, weighing the pros and cons and, finally, making a proper decision whether to get admitted to a particular college.
Very recently, a student aspiring to become an engineer and his parents sought my advice on choosing an engineering college. My three-word advice was: “Know your college.” The maxim “Ignorance is bliss” may be true in some cases, but not when choosing a college. In this case, ignorance is a curse.
It is students’ right and duty to know the educational institute in which they choose to spend a few years of their academic life. Smart students do a sort of SWOT analysis when choosing a college. They analyse their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
Here are some basic things a student should know when choosing a college:
Reputation
A college or university’s reputation depends on various factors, including its view of education, academic excellence, research, innovation, placement records, successful alumni, MOUs with industries and foreign universities, etc.
Reputed institutions focus not only on helping students pass examinations but also on creating opportunities for students to develop their intellectual, emotional and social potential. The student should find answers to these questions:
Has the college built a high reputation in different areas?
Have the programmes (various branches) offered by the college been accredited by the National Board of Accreditation (NBS) or the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)? (The accreditation bodies NBA and NAAC periodically evaluate institutions and programmes as per the standards recommended by the AICTE and UGC, respectively.)
Has the college signed any memorandum of understanding (MOU) with reputed companies and does it have industry collaborations?
Education
It is quite unfortunate that not all institutes of higher learning follow the right concepts of education. Instead of being concerned with students’ overall development, many colleges compete with each other in enhancing their pass percentage.
It is possible that a college that produces good results in terms of pass percentage but lacks progressive thinking or fails to impart holistic education, may top the ranking list.
The trend of ranking colleges based on their pass percentages has been criticised by educationists and right-thinking people.
Does the college impart education in a holistic manner?
Does the college create opportunities for students to develop their personality?
Does the college provide opportunities for students to develop their communication, leadership, creativity, entrepreneurial and innovation skills?
Infrastructure
An educational institute that has an excellent infrastructure makes teaching and learning a pleasant and fruitful experience for teachers as well as students. Good infrastructure is a key indicator of quality education in any educational institution.
Does the college have good infrastructure: modern classrooms, library, lab, transport, hostel facilities, etc.?
Faculty
The quality of an educational institution can be measured by the quality of the teachers it has employed. A good teacher has the power to inspire and transform the lives of thousands of students.
Has the college employed well-qualified and experienced faculty?
Have some of the members of the faculty made a mark through their contributions?
Does the college have teachers who have worked at the institute for a long period of time?
Research
In any reputed college or university, faculty and students are encouraged to engage in research that results in new findings and innovative solutions to problems.
Does the college give importance to research activities?
Are teachers and students engaged in fruitful research?
Training, placement and higher education
A good college attracts reputed companies to the campus and enables students to get placed in them. It is possible only if students of the college are trained well and have employability skills. Not all students seek placement assistance from the college. Some students may opt for higher studies either in India or abroad.
Does the college impart adequate training and prepare students for the workplace?
Do reputed companies visit the campus to recruit students?
Does the college enjoy a good placement record?
Does the college prepare students for higher studies?
This comprehensive checklist can help students make a wise decision when choosing a college. If a not-so-brilliant student joins a good college, he/she will flourish and if a brilliant student joins a bad college, he/she will perish.
The writer is an academic and freelance writer. Email: rayanal@yahoo.co.uk
A system under Trial:
It is unfortunate that more than two years after the Union Home Ministry sent out an advisory to States and Union Territories in January 2013, and eight months since the Supreme Court kicked off the process of releasing undertrials who have undergone half their likely jail terms in prison, many of them remain in detention. The figure given by the Union government to the court last month suggests that as many as 2,78,000 prisoners, or a little over two-thirds of the total number of incarcerated people in the country’s jails, are undertrials. And the main reason they are still in judicial custody appears to be poverty, as most of them are too poor to afford bail bonds or provide sureties. “This is certainly not the spirit of the law, and poverty cannot be a ground for incarcerating a person,” the Supreme Court observed recently while passing a set of directions. The court found that many of the cases involved were compoundable, and yet many people have been imprisoned without the benefit of compounding being extended to them. It has reiterated that an undertrial review committee, comprising the District Judge, District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police, should be set up in each district. The onus of constituting such a panel for every district has been put on the National Legal Services Authority, acting in coordination with the State Legal Services Authority.
The Code of Criminal Procedure was amended in 2005, introducing Section 436A, to reduce overcrowding of prisons. Under this section, an undertrial prisoner shall be released on own personal bond if he or she has undergone detention for a period extending to one half of the maximum period of imprisonment specified for that offence. Last year the Supreme Court had asked sessions judges and judicial magistrates to start visiting prisons in their jurisdictional districts from October 1, 2014 to identify and release undertrial prisoners languishing for long periods. It is not clear why these measures have not yielded results. One reason could be that there is inadequate legal aid and advice available to poor prisoners. The legal services authorities in various States must play a principal role in inculcating awareness among prisoners about their rights, especially provisions that entitle them to freedom. It is also in the interest of the government that prisons are not overcrowded, considering the cost of prison space, resources and maintenance. The real solution, however, does not lie merely in the early release of prisoners on bail, but in expediting the trial process. The fact that cases are not decided for long spells that are close to the likely period of imprisonment is a poor commentary on a system beset by delay. The sooner this is addressed, the better it is for the administration of criminal justice.
Keywords: undertrials, justice system, judicial delaynder trial
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