Be careful while selecting a college for Higher Education

It is every student’s dream to graduate out of the best college available. Many reach their goals while some, despite working hard, aren’t able to make it. Then the dejected students look out for other colleges. They consider every other college as just another run of the mill, out of which if they pass out, nobody is going to acknowledge them. This is a false belief. There are many colleges worth the respect and honor that IITs and IIMs get; you just have to widen your horizons. After all it is the students that make the college.

While selecting a college there are a few things that you have to be careful about. Before short listing a college, you need to make sure that it has the AICTE approved or the UGC grant in case of a university. If you graduate out of a non accredited institute you will not be considered for registration as a professional and you won’t qualify for any scholarship or education loan either. Lists of colleges and their curricula, including accreditation information, are available at school and public libraries.

Other important areas to look out for are the infrastructure, the faculty, living areas (if you plan to stay in the hostel), placement records and job assistance offered by the institute. Visit the college official website and get the required information. You can then confirm it from a student presently studying there or even from alumni. You could find where the alumni are currently placed. The best way to get the right information is the students of the college. They will guide you in the right way because once bitten, twice shy.

If possible you should go for a campus tour to the college. Nowadays, many colleges offer this facility (provided you register well before hand). When you personally visit the college it becomes easier for you to take the decision.

The decision should be made after careful investigation of all opportunities available, and consultation with persons familiar with the college. Catalogues outlining courses of study and entrance requirements should be requested from the colleges you are considering attending. Join a college only when you’re sure that it’s going to be the best for you and your career. Don’t lose out on good colleges just because of the heavy tuition fees. If you search well you will definitely bag a scholarship, and if that doesn’t work you always have the option of education loans. Remember that money may be an issue but quality education is important

India's largest Information and Communication Technology Conference inaugurated

New Delhi: "The Central Government will launch a new scheme called 'National Mission in Education through ICT' to provide connectivity to the learners so that they can link themselves to the knowledge world in cyberspace and to make these learners 'Netizens' in order to enhance their self learning skills and develop their capabilities for online problem solving."

Stating this while inaugurating India's largest ICT conference, 'e-India 2008' at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi today, Union Minister of State for HRD (Higher Education), Mrs. D. Purandeswari said that the 'National Mission in Education through ICT' would also work for creation of knowledge modules with right contents to address the personalized needs of learners.

Emphasizing the importance of Information and Communication Technology in attaining the goal of a knowledge-based society, she said that in order to deliver the benefits of ICT-enabled learning, the National Mission would focus attention on achieving technological breakthrough by developing a very low-cost and low-power consuming access device, making available free bandwidth for education propose to every Indian.

Purandeswari said that the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development would like to build knowledge network between institutions of higher education and also within these institutions.

Mrs. D. Purandeswari further said that India's educational scene today is at a tipping point where opportunities abound and yet the challenges are also unprecedented.

This scenario calls for dovetailing efforts at the Information and Communication Technology level into efforts of providing quality higher education.

She said that, "We Indians are fortunate that our demographic profile is dominated by the youth, thereby providing an ideal opportunity for maximizing the benefits of ICT. Investing in education, particularly higher education, through ICT, also makes business sense for the corporate sector as this will give immense benefit in the long-run."

Giving an example, Purandeswari added that develop countries like the US, the UK and Australia have not only invested significantly in higher education but have also made this sector as one of their largest export earners.

Even the Asian economies such as Singapore and UAE have experienced the competitive advantage provided by a world-class higher education infrastructure.

In this context, Purandeswari said that an amount of Rs.85,000 crores has been provided for the expansion of higher education facilities during the 11th Five Year Plan.

"In the coming years the thrust will be on the use of Information and Communication Technology to strengthen the system in the mode of open and distance learning as well", she added.

Purandeswari also inaugurated an exhibition on e-Governance and Digital Learning.

The 3-day conference organized by the Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies (CSDMS), is spread over a number of sessions to be addressed by leading professionals and senior bureaucrats entrusted with the spread and implementation of e-Governance and e-Learning.

The highlight of the conference is that it will focus the importance of Information and Communication Technology not only in the fields of Governance and Education, but also in the realms of health, environment, rural development and agriculture.