Education

Citizen Matters, Bangalore's own community news magazinepresents a local panel discussion & info session on "Career counseling and options: What can I do?" An opportunity for students and parents to understand aptitude and career options, get an idea on how to choose a career, etc. When: 11 July, Saturday at 12PM to 1.30PM Where: Magnus School of Business, 13th Cross, 6th Main, JP Nagar 3rd Phase, Blr-78(Near S Hotel and Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, See map herePanel Ms Annapurna Murthy (Manasa Consultants, Career Counselor), Wg Cdr R Shankar (BASE, JEE specialist), Dr Surekha Chukkali (Christ College, Sr Lecturer), Gautam S Rao…

It is often said that if you find a job you love you’ll never work a day in your life. This is not an easy task at all. Most people seem to think that the course one takes up after pre-university or 12th standard, almost always determines one’s career. Deciding which course to join is a taxing exercise especially for youngsters who are confused about what they want. Illustration: Narasimha Vedala Youngsters need to balance their talents, interests, parents’ expectations, and market demands to determine their next steps.It is important for parents and children to sit down and come up…

Anuya (name changed) had just finished her 10th standard and was not sure what subjects she should take up. Being a class topper, her parents’ first choice was science and mathematics but she did not like these subjects. She went to a career counselor, her aptitude and personality test results showed her creative side was very strong. However, her parents asked her to take up the science stream. She did very well in her PUC; later when she did not want to become an engineer her parents forced her to take up medicine. nuya was not really interested in medicine…

Have you ever observed or interacted with children from low income families (and sometimes first generation literates) studying in private or government aided English medium schools, in their school or outside? Who are their friends? What is their medium (language) and topic of conversation?  Do they commute by walk  or bus or private transport? Does their body language display confidence and stability or insecurity and discrimination?   While tutoring and mentoring such children I have found that many of them feel diffident primarily because they can't converse fluently in English and lack academic and career guidance at home. Further, their…

This summer, Ravi Kumar’s (name changed to protect identity) parents were left in a dilemma. Ravi completed his 2nd standard exams and was promoted to the 3rd standard. But he couldn’t go back to school. That’s because after promoting Ravi, the school expelled him. Here’s Ravi’s story and the trauma his parents went through. Eight-year-old Ravi was a student of the school run by the Nijaguna Education Trust (NET) in Gavipuram. Ravi’s father, 45-year-old Sridhar Kumar (name changed to protect identity) is a BMTC bus driver and his mother, 36-year-old Roopa  (name changed to protect identity) is a home maker.…

Deepti G (who lives off Bannerghata Road), mother of a ten-year-old daughter with fixed opinions of her own, prefers not to go for shopping for school supplies with her child anymore. With the incredible amount of school products available, shopping can get out of hand. "Every year we end up with pencil boxes, tons of sketch pens and markers, calculators, pouches and snack boxes that we never end up using," she reasons. File pic: Meera KSo what is the best way to shop for school supplies? First, make a list. I asked some experienced parents and they said a very…

Bindu and Ajay Agarwal from Sarjapur Road have been on a shopping spree lately. Their only daughter Ritika, four is on her way to ‘Big School' and the proud parents have been pampering her with brand new school goodies. But behind all the excitement, Bindu has a constant worry: Will Ritika be as happy in the sprawling school as she has been in the tiny four room nursery next door to her home? Ready for big school (pic: Supriya Khandekar)Bindu's troubles aren't new. If the time has come to send the apple of your eye from the cosier, smaller environment…

ABBA's song "Money, money, money, must be funny, in a rich man's world. All the things I could do if I had a little money... " comes to mind at the plight of a few of my latest and long time students like Jaya and Alumelu. Little Nila and Jaya are star performers in their 'English medium convent school' and daughters of our neighbourhood unorganized sector worker Devaki. And Alumelu whom I have voluntarily tutored and mentored since 2005 is now a prospective undergraduate and her mother is a housemaid in Byrasandara.   The former have to shell out around…

Are your SSLC or PUC results out and you are not happy with the performance? Or are you confused about career options? Manasa Consultants in JP Nagar has come up with counseling sessions and aptitude test to help students deal with the post result issues.Annapurna Murthy, a career counselor from Manasa Consultants, feels that such programs are essential to help young people find directions. She says, post results, students whose results are not as per their expectations, do not know on what they can fall back on. "Both parents and their wards are under severe anxiety," says Annapurna. "Aptitude tests…

Different language, faith(religion), caste. Similar socio-economic background, residential neighbourhood, age and school. Do they divide or unite? Fortunately the latter in most cases I have encountered over several years of teaching and counselling children from low income families. Although the children are very conscious of the differences. And highlight them without hesitating to be direct when they deem necessary! But, gender identification and stereotyping builds in early in the kids and increases as they enter teenage. I discovered this with Srikant, a class V government school student who refused to sit beside any of the girls despite insufficient chairs among…