The Asian Development Bank noted in January 2008 that education in India was lagging seriously behind its rapid economic growth with only 12,000 training and vocational institutes, compared to half a million in China.

 Short-term turbulences aside (just as we are witnessing now), India has entered an era of high economic growth. As we enter the last quarter of FY 2008, the fourth consecutive fiscal when India has witnessed over 8% growth, we find India’s manpower shortages aggravate even further. Just as growth has been multi-sectoral, so have the manpower deficiencies.

 There is a growing demand that the government should increase the outlays on education and do other things to motivate and encourage education. It is true that for India to have consistent rate of growth; Greater levels of R&D, combined with extensive investment in workforce can make a significant contribution. Part of the solution lies in forging strong partnerships between the private sector and the academia. They should be developed in tandem with the government to ensure that courses like computer science are nurtured and developed as a discipline in schools.

 In India; on the one hand, you have world-class institutions of higher education such as IITs and IITMs and on the other hand, we have mushrooming private institutions/universities which function more as coaching centers, rather than as centers of achieving innovative excellence. Lack of university capacity has resulted in a lower proportion of youth ages 17 to 23 enrolled in higher education in India than in China, the Philippines or Malaysia. This could have an impact on the IT industry, unless immediately rectified.

 There is scarcity of skilled manpower in every industry, from good carpenters and plumbers to factory workers, doctors and scientists. The banking industry, which employs 900,000 people, is expected to add 600,000 more over the next three to four years. Similarly, the IT and ITeS industry will need around 850,000 additional skilled manpower by 2010. And, the retail industry will need nearly 2.5 million skilled professionals by 2012. Not only are jobs within India on the rise, the developed world too is facing manpower shortages, which are expected to rise to 40 million by 2020. This shortfall can be met by India, where both educated unemployment and the number of people joining the workforce are on the rise. In short, the opportunities before India are huge, provided our education sector gears up to take these on. Manpower shortages are both quantitative and qualitative in nature.India needs more universities. While Japan has 4,000 universities for its 127 million people and the US has 3,650 universities for its 301 million, India has only 348 universities for its 1.2 billion people.

 The Economic Survey released by the Government of India on 28th February 2008 is significant for what it does not say, than what it does. The Survey glosses over the UPA government’s failure to keep its common minimum program pledge of raising public expenditure on education to 6% of GDP. Public spend on education as a percentage of GDP has slipped below the high of 2.9 % achieved by the NDA government in 2002-03. For the first time, the government has acknowledged that the 86th Constitutional amendment – mankind education a fundamental right for all 6 to 14 year olds-has not been enforced because the enabling Right to Education Act is yet to be enacted. The Survey is also silent on the number of school dropouts, learning outcomes and low enrollment rates for higher education. These issues are part of the reality check that the Survey provides. In the Union Budget 2008, the Government has allocated Rs. 34,400 crores for education. It also announced its decision to establish one Central University in each of the hitherto uncovered states in the country. Besides, three new IITs are proposed to be set up in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan. Two Schools of Planning and Architecture will come up at Bhopal and Vijayawada.

 The government through the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the flagship project of the HRD ministry, is geared towards achieving useful and relevant elementary education for all children by 2010. This movement is showing results. The number of out-of-school children in the 6-14 years age group has dropped from 13.4 million in 2005 to 7.06 million in March-end 2006. In the Union Budget 2008; the project received an allocation of Rs. 13,100 crores which would be spent in enhancing retention, a shift from the earlier focus on access and infrastructure.

 India needs ‘curricular reforms’. In today’s world, where technological knowhow is evolving with each day, educational institutions need to be granted the freedom to engage with the industry and change the curricula as and when required. Educational institutions must teach what the industry needs.

 It is essential to realize that learning needs to continue after formal education. Capgemini in India employs almost 15,000 people in six cities and recognizes that industry must continue the training that they left after graduating; all new recruits participate in a six-week intensive course before induction, developing their business and behavioral skills. Offering expert training on the job is the responsibility of the industry and is essential for a developing economy.

 In 2002, India’s Chhatisgarh state launched a Private Sector University Act to encourage private universities to start up in the region. But as 100 or so private schools sprang up-some with offices in Chhatisgarh but campuses elsewhere-regulators realized that lax rules were allowing many of the schools as diploma mills. The Supreme Court knocked down the Act in February 2005. This episode emphasizes why just private investment in education will not solve the problem; a public-private partnership is necessary in education to combine the agility of the private sector with the social responsibility obligation of the public sector. Examples which come to mind include the Cisco Development program and Microsoft’s University program. The latter include the Imagine Cup competition, run in universities worldwide to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation, and in which students from Eastern Europe and South-East Asia regularly outperform their western counterparts in both the volume and quality of their entries

 The Global Education Centre was similarly established by Infosys in Mysore to train its new recruits for 14 weeks. The key was to address a key aspect of the national psyche, i.e. to take the reactive minds of Indian youngsters and change them into proactive problem solving ones. Infosys Global Education Centre operates on 3 principles. First that the company is a campus and in a campus, there is openness, receptivity to new ideas, meritocracy and a lot of porous learning. Second, that business of Infosys is its context. Third, to teach recruits what Infosys business is all about so they understand what kind of decisions they have to take, what kind of crises they have to encounter.

 A private engineering college started by one of India’s original technology tycoons and Chairman of HCL Technologies, Shiv Nadar, near the high-tech hub of Chennai was approved in 2003 by the National Board of Accreditation. The school, known as SSN College of Engineering, is affiliated with the nearby Anna University, formed in 1978 from the merger of several public and private colleges. Anna University design the programs and grants degrees to SSN students, but SSN is seeking university status, which would allow it to grant degrees in its own name. Over the past decade, Shiv Nadar has poured $ 37 Million into SSN to build facilities and fund scholarships. SSN’s School of Advanced Software Engineering offers a graduate program that sends select students to study in the US at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

 It is noteworthy that Goldman Sachs has a “university”, McKinsey has a “people committee” and Singapore Ministry of Manpower has an “international talent division”.

 Quite a few of the present courses taught in India lack originality. Students should not be studying computer science only for its core programming content. Courses should equip the students with the relevant skills, so they can make a significant contribution to the knowledge economy. Merely studying for the sake of getting a good job is very superficial education. Students are taught job-specific skills, but they don’t know how their skills can contribute to the world knowledge economy, or even to the business model of the company for whom they intend to work for or are working, as the case may be.

 The initiatives that are born out of such alliances between the government and private sector for cooperation in education gives students access to the biggest technology players and offer real-world insight, thereby easing the transition from university to employment.

 Companies can also keep universities up-to-date as technology changes and customer preferences and requirements change, and they can plug gaps in expertise or facilities.

 Such partnerships also help business. Graduate programs are valuable but they also signal how important it is for companies to take greater responsibility for developing business training.

 But one should bear in mind that these companies are trying to assist themselves by training their new recruits. For there to be training for one and all; in a setup as in India, Government cooperation and partnership is the key.

 There are apprehensions that MNC’s are outsourcing work to India because Indians are good at effectively completing the designated tasks in a timely manner without asking any further questions. MNC’s confidence in our ability to improvise the existing product and come up with high quality cost effective product seems to be the motivating factor behind the outsourcing of work to India.

 As the pay scales go up in India, various companies are trying to identify other low-cost destination such as Philippines and Vietnam to put up their outsourcing units. This will force Indian workers to move up the value chain, for which they do not seem to be having the requisite education skills.

 Originality does not come just from courses in universities, but in the mindset of the entire nation.

 The entire country needs to adopt the concept of “Originality in Thinking” for India to become a true superpower. This concept of originality has to be ingrained in the minds of every India right from the time he commences his preliminary education, for India to emerge as a truly powerful economic force on the world scene.

 

Note : Mr SUNIL KEWALRAMANI is a WHARTON BUSINESS SCHOOL MBA and is an International Finance Consultant for leading foreign financial institutions, Multinational companies and NRI clients on FDI and money management matters.

 



By: Sunil Kewalramani

About the Author:

Before we can say what is wrong with our educational system, we should define the term.The purpose of the educational system is to:

Pass on Knowledge

Relate relevant issues to each other

Prepare individuals and groups for future situations

The passing on of knowledge is one of the oldest civilized functions. The passing on of knowledge was originally done in the form of stories told when people got together. Once languages were written, then came libraries which were repositories for knowledge.

The passion to record and relate all knowledge has remained a goal of scholars since the invention of libraries.There is no better example of that than the World Wide Web. It’s original intended purpose was provide a central access site where all knowledge could be retained and for related items to be linked to each other.

The need for cross transfer of information has long been recognized as a needed but thorny issue.The issue is thorny because of the difficulty in execution of a noble idea.

As was mentioned earlier, large well organized enterprises have developed systems, involving SMEs (subject matter experts), which are specifically designed to enhance cross transfer of new ideas and concepts within and without their organizations. As in all such situations, this is not a perfect solution, but it is practical.

The preparation of individuals and groups for future situations is the single most extensive function of our educational system This is as it should be. This preparation process has three components. The first is the educational system as a whole. The second component is technical education/training. The third component is vocational education/training.

The functions identified as numbers two and three can arguably be included in the first category. Because their more specialized characteristics, they have differences which need to be identified. The above classification was chosen as the way to do that.

Our Educational System also has three distinct components. They are University Educational Systems,

High School Educational Systems and Grade School

Educational Systems.

The University Educational System has several components. These are Graduate School, Undergraduate School and two year Associate Degree Programs.

Graduate Schools are responsible for the preparation of scholars who will perpetuate the present customs. They are responsible for basic research in both general and technical areas. They are responsible for technical qualification and training and for general managerial training and qualifications.

Undergraduate Schools are responsible for entry level technical and general training. This includes managerial training. Let us not forget the original reason for the establishment of Universities which is to spread the knowledge of social and philosophical disciplines.These are the “liberal arts”.

The “Junior” Colleges serve two purposes. The first is prepare students to enter Undergraduate Schools. The second purpose is to provide training for entry level positions in our enterprise system. This often includes vocational training.

High Schools are responsible to complete the basic educational training skills of math, reading, writing, science and history. They are responsible to make their graduates employable in the enterprise system.

Grade Schools are responsible for to teach the basic knowledge skills and to prepare its graduates for High School.

As is evident from the above description of the responsibilities of the various levels of education,its mission is both diverse and complex. Compounding the diversity issue, is the fact that both Graduate Schools and Undergraduate Schools are curriculum driven to train the next generation. These schools often do not look at all of their functional responsibilities in a balanced manner. Commonly, the matter of qualifying graduates for employment in our enterprise system is not given sufficient emphasis.

Certain disciplines are not covered in sufficient breadth and depth. For example courses in Production Management do not explain that all systems, production and administrative, are best modeled as an analog hydraulic system.This fact is of great impact for those entering the enterprise system. Because they would know that in hydraulic systems constraints limit throughput and that their elimination improves the flow. This then prepares the graduate to make improvements on the ways in which things are done within the organization for which they work.

A similar situation exists with the discipline of work measurement standards. The discipline was developed in the early part of the 20th century yet wide spread knowledge of its benefits do not exist. This is a problem of both the enterprise system and the educational system.

Simply stated, productivity improvement is key to our future economic growth. Increased productivity is achieved only by improved methods and procedures (better ways of doing things).The majority of enterprises have opportunities for systems and procedural improvements within their own organizations. Employees who have the proper knowledge can find and recommend improvements for those systems.

Knowing how to accomplish these programs makes an employee more valuable to the enterprise. The addition of the production facts and work measurement to a broader audience can be of great importance to our enterprise system in general.

At four levels of the educational system, the function of preparing graduates for employment was mentioned as existing. These levels are Graduate School, Undergraduate School, Junior College and High School.

Graduate schools often need to be more proactive with the members of the enterprise system to learn what employee requirements are for a Phd or a Masters Degree candidate.

They can also determine the blend of skills needed.

Undergraduate Schools can also benefit from being more proactive with members of the enterprise system.In this way, they can also determine the blend of skills most wanted by the enterprise system.

Because Junior Colleges often provide vocational training, they are often more aware of the realities of the work place than are other educational groupings. One of the needs of the Junior Colleges is to find out such information as how literate is computer literate? Does every one need to know how to use spread sheets? The source of this type of information is of course, the enterprise community.

High Schools are last educational institution which most students ever see. This makes their role in our educational process a critical one. More students will have the need to know how to get a job and keep a job than will go to another higher educational level. If retention levels increase, the above will be even more the case. High Schools need to provide students with training which employers want to be present in their employees.In order to know what these requirements are, contacts with the enterprise system are needed.

Here are some thoughts about the drop out situation. Many of those out do so because they see no reason to continue school. Their belief is that school provides them with no skills which can get them a job. Further they have little knowledge of the importance of keeping a job. This says that it is super important for the High School to know what is expected of an enterprise system job applicant and teach those skills. This requires both the school board and the educators to become aware to the real student needs and to also know how the local enterprise system works.

Remember the Proactive approach taken by the large and well organized businesses. Similar systems need to be set up with in the academic community. The educational system needs to look at its responsibilities from a functional point of view. This includes taking the needs of the student into account as well as the needs of employers.

More emphasis has to be placed at all levels from High Schools on up to make graduates more employable. Such efforts at the High School level will tend to lower the dropout rates of the High Schools which participate.

The subject matter relating to improving productivity, is not presently being given enough emphasis in any part of the educational system. This is to the detriment of the potential employee.

Management in most enterprises is not aware of the productivity improvements which can and should be employed within the organization. The value and uses of the tools discussed here need to be brought to the attention of senior management at all levels of activity.



By: Morgan F Bryan

About the Author:

Job Experience or education degree? What values more? It is a discussion that has been going on for quite some time now. And no definite conclusion has still been drawn for the simple reason that it’s subjective and it really depends on individuals. Of course, the value of a college education degree cannot be paralleled to that of a job experience. Still the global job market can boast of innumerable examples of individuals who are at the peak of success without attaining a graduate or master’s degree or higher education for that matter.  

For many it becomes difficult to continue school because of soaring costs of education & if one thinks that it is more important for him to earn money rather than going for a full-time degree course. Previously a high school diploma was considered enough to assure an entry-level job where the profile is handling basic tasks. Besides, they are given on-the-job training  to hone their skills. At the same time, they had enough number of years to count as their job experience. As a result, people hardly changed job and preferred to stay with that company in their entire career.  

These traditions, however, are no longer practiced because today’s job market provides individuals with better opportunity. An individual changes jobs, as soon as they are offered a better growth opportunity and a few extra thousands are added in the pay package. Hence, it will not be wrong to say an individual changes around nine to ten jobs in his entire career. Considering this, employers nowadays hesitate to spend on internal training and hires individuals who does not need to undergo development programs and most preferably has higher education degree to his credit. Hence, we can say that there are many reasons why a college degree has fair advantage when it comes to career growth in the long run. 

Employment Benefits

 A college graduate is a highly attractive candidate for recruiters. As a holder of a graduate degree, you are at an advantage to choose from a variety of job offers. You do not have to go for an entry-level job but can join in the middle management at the very first time. No doubts you will earn much more than those without proper degrees. On the other hand, people with job experience without college degree does not have comprehensive knowledge to handle the business. 

Meet Tougher Job Requirements

A college graduate comparatively has better interpersonal & more critical skills to his credit. During their years of college education, they learn & assess the various strategies and factors driving today’s market. They are better exposed to the ever-changing market and can analyze problems & take smart decisions that ultimately results in the profitability of the company.

Career Training Provided

 A college graduate is provided all the necessary career training, they possess specific skills and are learned to perform jobs with detail and understand client mentality at the same time. Some institutes also provides internship to the students at other companies, thereby helping them acquire practical knowledge and greater exposure. Therefore, employers always prefer to recruit holders of bachelor degree.

 Increased Income

Investment in higher education is always rewarding. Whatever you spend on your degree course, will return to you as your attractive pay package. You spend hefty amount to pursue college education but you are assured of  higher earnings that is much more than your colleagues who doesn’t possess graduate degree. 

Economic Benefit to the Nation

 It is rightly said that a nation cannot progress if its citizens lag behind in education. No doubt a nation earns and progresses if the number of college graduates increases every year. Because of higher education, a nation’s tax revenue increases, greater manpower results in greater productivity which results in the advancement of the country as a  whole.

 Social Value of College Education 

It has been found that higher education is highly related to good citizenship and family values. Graduates have more sense about the right upbringing of their child, the elements that can progress or harm the society, etc. In a way, their practicality helps in the progress of the society and the country in the long run.

 As it is clear above that a college educations proves more beneficial for a person, it becomes imperative that more number of people participate in higher education and fill the gap that arises due to the non-participation in college education. Increased college education will not only help the student to mark an edge, but also benefit the society and the country as a whole.

 However, it would be wrong to say that only holders of college and higher education can be successful in their careers. Today a number of institutions offer online degree courses for all professions. Most of the courses are accredited and provides the same education quality that one gets in a full-time college degree course.



By: Bhavna

About the Author:

Real estate education according to it very basic description refers to education about real estate. Indeed, there are many things to learn about in real estate. In many developed countries, real estate education is a highly developed field. There are entire institutes that are developed for this profession. Also, there are many regulations that apply to this field. Therefore, it can be said that there are two branches of learning that essentially apply to real estate education; one is the legal face of real estate, and the other include the technical aspect.

The technical aspects of real estate education are many. There are indeed many things to learn about in this field. This is because of the specialization brought to this field. Indeed, the real estate field has become increasingly specialized for more than one reason. Not only has it been refined because of technological advancement, but also because of the importance that is now given to customer service. Like many other fields, customer service has affected the real estate field. A great many real estate deals often depend on customer service, and this is why a lot of attention is now being paid to it.

Whenever real estate business have new ideas to implement, customer service is always given due consideration. In real estate education, students are taught about paying attention to the importance of customers whenever they come up with an idea.

Apart from real estate education involving awareness development for customer service, there is a myriad of other important aspects. These aspects include ideas like market demand, which in itself includes aspects like convenience in a locality.

Most real estate education centers will teach you about the ‘convenience’ factor. This convenience refers to how close a residence may be to shopping centers, hospitals, schools, etc. http://education.ixs.net  People are most likely to select homes that allow them to reach such important places at their convenience and in the shortest possible time. Some of these places need to be reached on a daily basis. For examples, children need to attend schools at least 5 times a week. Families are more likely to purchase or rent homes that can facilitate them in this way.

Real estate education also teaches students about the cost factor as well. The cost of a home is most likely to correspond with the type of locality it is in. This is because homes that are considered to be in convenient locations are high in demand. This demand factor is what pushes the value of homes higher. However, there is a limit placed on how much a home may cost in most developed countries. This is where the legal aspects come into action.

The legal aspects in real estate education allow a student to learn about various important issues. Some of these issues include the costs of homes. They may also include learning about the formal paperwork for homes, which is a very important process in real estate business.

Indeed, the legal side of real estate education is quite extensive, and this side influences a great deal of a real estate agent’s business. In a real estate agent’s daily dealings, legal aspects apply. Therefore, the importance of it cannot be emphasized more.

Real estate education, as we have briefly seen above, is an interesting field. It allows students to learn about the entire industrial setup of the real estate industry. This includes the technical aspects as well as the legal aspects.

Real estate education is now a specialized field, and it is becoming focused as time progresses. While technological advancement has played a role in this, so has customer service awareness has had a tremendous impact. Therefore, a lot of the specialization that a student learns about in real estate education is influenced by customer service awareness.

There are many real estate education centers available to students who want to learn about this field and make their careers in it. These centers provide complete training and short courses that prepare individuals to act efficiently in this field. There are also online courses available for those who do not have the time to physically attend classes. All teaching materials and instructions are supplied online. While one may think that this is not a feasible way to learn, it is actually a way of learning that is growing more and more popular. Hence, real estate education can also be availed online too. 

For more information about Real Estate Education Visit: http://education.ixs.net/content/Real-Estate-Education.php



By: Macie

About the Author:

Character education is a term which is often heard and everyone claims to know what this term means. But in actual terms there are not so many people who have a clear understanding of this very important phrase. To comprehend this term, let’s begin with the term character. What is character? A character is the reflection of ones personality. Your traits, your habits, what you do, what you say, the way you walk, talk, eat, deal with people all comprises your character and personality.

Character education is, as defined by Lickona, “the deliberate, proactive effort to develop good character in kids—or, more simply, to teach children right from wrong. It assumes that right and wrong do exist, that there are objective moral standards that transcend individual choice—standards like respect, responsibility, honesty, and fairness—and that we should teach these directly to young people.”

In simpler words, character education means teaching good moral values, giving a concept of right and wrong, good and evil. Providing character education to kids includes all kind of your interaction with them, it’s in the way you talk to them, the behaviors you exhibit, the actions you encourage etc. In your every kind of dealing with the kids, no matter who you are, you are always contributing towards building their characters.

A common perception is that a child starts the education when he/she goes to school. But it is not correct. In fact the education begins from home. They are the parents and the family that contribute the most towards building up the child’s character. All parents want their children to posses an excellent character, with all positive traits in them. This is not an easy task. It imposes a lot of responsibility on the part of the parents. It’s their duty to filter their child’s activities so that it leads to his positive character building. Here comes a conflict of opinion. Some parents tend to adopt the system of rewards and penalties to bring their children to the correct path. But this act is not so effective because the kids should themselves be able to discriminate between right and wrong so that in the long run, even under pressurized circumstances, they should be able to take fair decisions on their own.

After the parents and family, next two most influential factors are teachers and school environment. The school authorities are responsible to include direct teaching of character education under school curriculum. Students visualize their teachers as role models. Therefore the teachers can play a very significant role in the character building of their students. Teaching emerges from one’s inwardness, for better or worse like any truly human activity. Being a good teacher does not only mean to have a complete grasp over your subject but it also demands be morally fair too in your dealings and talks. In a more formal way, one can say that good teaching comes from good people. Education does not only include teaching the curriculum and the technical stuff. But it also means to deliver good moral values to their students and if delivered in a correct way, this leads to the positive character building of the student. There should be regular seminars, conferences and character education programs conducted for the teachers by the school authorities, telling them how to indulge into positive character education of the students and also enlightening them with the fact that they hold very imperative position in the character building of their students. This will develop a sense of responsibility in teachers and they will feel themselves liable for the character building of their students. Effective character education is not which is only practiced by teachers but also it must be modeled by all other adults in the school with whom the student interacts like faculty, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, maintenance staff etc.

For providing proper character education it is very important to know the basic building blocks of a good character. Some of the attributes which are of foremost importance in building a good character are justice, self discipline and control, gratitude, wisdom, integrity, humanity, fortitude, hard work, love and positive attitude.

Media and books are also very important means of character education. Reading stories with a good moral generally inspires children, young boys and girls. Watching TV programs that deliver a lesson can also be very helpful in this regard.

Character educating no doubt holds the same importance in life as the normal technical education. Therefore this part should not be ignored and one should contribute to the maximum in positive character building of the people for whom he/she is liable for.



By: charactereducation

About the Author:

I’ve always been intrigued by the subject of intelligence. As a child my mother would refer to me as “smart,” but I quickly noticed that all parents refer to their children as smart. In time I would discover that all children are not smart, just as all babies are not cute. If that were the case, we’d have a world full of beautiful, smart people – which we don’t.

Some of us are smart; but not as smart as we think, and others are smarter than they seem, which makes me wonder, how do we define smart? What makes one person smarter than another? When do “street smarts” matter more than “book smarts”? Can you be both smart and stupid? Is being smart more influenced by genetics or one’s environment?

Then there are the issues of education, intelligence and wisdom.

What does it mean to be highly educated? What’s the difference between being highly educated and highly intelligent? Does being highly educated automatically make you highly intelligent? Can one be highly intelligent without being highly educated? Do IQs really mean anything? What makes a person wise? Why is wisdom typically associated with old age?

My desire to seek answers to these questions inspired many hours of intense research which included the reading of 6 books, hundreds of research documents, and countless hours on the Internet; which pales in comparison to the lifetime of studies and research that pioneers in the fields of intelligence and education like Howard Gardner, Richard Sternberg, Linda S. Gottfredson, Thomas Sowell, Alfie Kohn, and Diane F. Halpern whose work is cited in this article.

My goal was simple: Amass, synthesize, and define data on what it means to be smart, educated and intelligent so that it can be understood and used by anyone for their benefit.

PRENATAL CARE



With this in mind, there was not a better (or more appropriate) place to start than at the very beginning of our existence: as a fetus in the womb. There’s a reason why they call it “prenatal,” which means occurring, existing, or performed before birth.

There is mounting evidence that the consumption of food that’s high in iron both before and during pregnancy is critical to building the prenatal brain. Researchers have found a strong association between low iron levels during pregnancy and diminished IQ. Foods rich in iron include lima beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, seafoods, nuts, dried fruits, oatmeal, and fortified cereals.

Children with low iron status in utero (in the uterus) scored lower on every test and had significantly lower language ability, fine-motor skills, and tractability than children with higher prenatal iron levels. In essence, proper prenatal care is critical to the development of cognitive skills.

COGNITIVE SKILLS



Cognitive skills are the basic mental abilities we use to think, study, and learn. They include a wide variety of mental processes used to analyze sounds and images, recall information from memory, make associations between different pieces of information, and maintain concentration on particular tasks. They can be individually identified and measured. Cognitive skill strength and efficiency correlates directly with students’ ease of learning.

DRINKING, PREGNANCY, AND ITS INTELLECTUAL IMPACT



Drinking while pregnant is not smart. In fact, it’s downright stupid.

A study in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research has found that even light to moderate drinking – especially during the second trimester – is associated with lower IQs in offspring at 10 years of age. This result was especially pronounced among African-American rather than Caucasian offspring.

“IQ is a measure of the child’s ability to learn and to survive in his or her environment. It predicts the potential for success in school and in everyday life. Although a small but significant percentage of children are diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) each year, many more children are exposed to alcohol during pregnancy who do not meet criteria for FAS yet experience deficits in growth and cognitive function,” said Jennifer A. Willford, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Paul D. Connor, clinical director of the Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit and assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington has this to say about the subject:

“There are a number of domains of cognitive functioning that can be impaired even in the face of a relatively normal IQ, including academic achievement (especially arithmetic), adaptive functioning, and executive functions (the ability to problem solve and learn from experiences). Deficits in intellectual, achievement, adaptive, and executive functioning could make it difficult to appropriately manage finances, function independently without assistance, and understand the consequences of – or react appropriately to – mistakes.”

This is a key finding which speaks directly to the (psychological) definition of intelligence which is addressed later in this article.

ULTRA SOUNDS



Studies have shown that the frequent exposure of the human fetus to ultrasound waves is associated with a decrease in newborn body weight, an increase in the frequency of left-handedness, and delayed speech.

Because ultrasound energy is a high-frequency mechanical vibration, researchers hypothesized that it might influence the migration of neurons in a developing fetus. Neurons in mammals multiply early in fetal development and then migrate to their final destinations. Any interference or disruption in the process could result in abnormal brain function.



Commercial companies (which do ultrasounds for “keepsake” purposes) are now creating more powerful ultrasound machines capable of providing popular 3D and 4D images. The procedure, however, lasts longer as they try to make 30-minute videos of the fetus in the uterus.

The main stream magazine New Scientist reported the following: Ultrasound scans can stop cells from dividing and make them commit suicide. Routine scans, which have let doctors peek at fetuses and internal organs for the past 40 years, affect the normal cell cycle.

On the FDA website this information is posted about ultrasounds: 

While ultrasound has been around for many years, expectant women and their families need to know that the long-term effects of repeated ultrasound exposures on the fetus are not fully known. In light of all that remains unknown, having a prenatal ultrasound for non-medical reasons is not a good idea.

NATURE VERSUS NURTURE…THE DEBATE CONTINUES



Now that you are aware of some of the known factors which determine, improve, and impact the intellectual development of a fetus, it’s time for conception. Once that baby is born, which will be more crucial in the development of its intellect: nature (genetics) or nurture (the environment)?

Apparently for centuries, scientists and psychologists have gone back and forth on this. I read many comprehensive studies and reports on this subject during the research phase of this article, and I believe that it’s time to put this debate to rest. Both nature and nurture are equally as important and must be fully observed in the intellectual development of all children. This should never be an either/or proposition – why risk it?

A recent study shows that early intervention in the home and in the classroom can make a big difference for a child born into extreme poverty, according to Eric Turkheimer, a psychologist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The study concludes that while genetic makeup explains most of the differences in IQ for children in wealthier families, environment – and not genes – makes a bigger difference for minority children in low-income homes.



Specifically, what researchers call “heritability”- the degree to which genes influence IQ – was significantly lower for poor families. “Once you’re put into an adequate environment, your genes start to take over,” Mr. Turkheimer said, “but in poor environments genes don’t have that ability.”

But there are reports that contradict these findings…sort of.

Linda S. Gottfredson, a professor of educational studies at the University of Delaware, wrote in her article, The General Intelligence Factor that environments shared by siblings have little to do with IQ. Many people still mistakenly believe that social, psychological and economic differences among families create lasting and marked differences in IQ.

She found that behavioral geneticists refer to such environmental effects as “shared” because they are common to siblings who grow up together. Her reports states that the heritability of IQ rises with age; that is to say, the extent to which genetics accounts for differences in IQ among individuals increases as people get older.

In her article she also refers to studies comparing identical and fraternal twins, published in the past decade by a group led by Thomas J. Bouchard, Jr., of the University of Minnesota and other scholars, show that about 40 percent of IQ differences among preschoolers stems from genetic differences, but that heritability rises to 60 percent by adolescence and to 80 percent by late adulthood.

And this is perhaps the most interesting bit of information, and relevant to this section of my article: With age, differences among individuals in their developed intelligence come to mirror more closely their genetic differences. It appears that the effects of environment on intelligence fade rather than grow with time.

Bouchard concludes that young children have the circumstances of their lives imposed on them by parents, schools and other agents of society, but as people get older they become more independent and tend to seek out the life niches that are most congenial to their genetic proclivities.



BREAST-FEEDING INCREASES INTELLIGENCE



Researchers from Christchurch School of Medicine in New Zealand studied over 1,000 children born between April and August 1977. During the period from birth to one year, they gathered information on how these children were fed.

The infants were then followed to age 18. Over the years, the researchers collected a range of cognitive and academic information on the children, including IQ, teacher ratings of school performance in reading and math, and results of standardized tests of reading comprehension, mathematics, and scholastic ability. The researchers also looked at the number of passing grades achieved in national School Certificate examinations taken at the end of the third year of high school.

The results indicated that the longer children had been breast-fed, the higher they scored on such tests.

TALKING TO YOUR CHILDREN MAKES A DIFFERENCE



Thomas Sowell, author of Race, IQ, Black Crime, and facts Liberals Ignore uncovered some fascinating information that every parent should take note of. He writes:

There is a strong case that black Americans suffer from a series of disadvantageous environments. Studies show time and again that before they go to school, black children are on average exposed to a smaller vocabulary than white children, in part due to socioeconomic factors.

While children from professional households typically exposed to a total of 2,150 different words each day, children from working class households are exposed to 1,250, and children from households on welfare a mere 620.

Yes, smart sounding children tend to come from educated, professional, two-parent environments where they pick-up valuable language skills and vocabulary from its smart sounding inhabitants.

Mr. Sowell continues: Black children are obviously not to blame for their poor socioeconomic status, but something beyond economic status is at work in black homes. Black people have not signed up for the “great mission” of the white middle class – the constant quest to stimulate intellectual growth and get their child into Harvard or Oxbridge

Elsie Moore of Arizona State University, Phoenix, studied black children adopted by either black or white parents, all of whom were middle-class professionals. By the age of 7.5 years, those in black homes were 13 IQ points behind those being raised in the white homes.

ACCUMULATED ADVANTAGES



At this juncture in my research it dawned on me, and should be fairly obvious to you, that many children are predisposed to being smart, educated, and intelligent, simply by their exposure to the influential factors which determine them long before they start school.

An informed mother, proper prenatal care, educated, communicative parents, and a nurturing environment in which to live, all add up to accumulated advantages that formulate intellectual abilities. As you you can see, some children have unfair advantages from the very beginning.

Malcolm Gladwell, author of top-selling book Outliers, wrote that “accumulated advantages” are made possible by arbitrary rules…and such unfair advantages are everywhere. “It is those who are successful who are most likely to be given the kinds of social opportunities that lead to further success,” he writes. “It’s the rich who get the biggest tax breaks. It’s the best students who get the best teaching and most attention.”

With that in mind, we turn our attention to education and intelligence.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE WELL EDUCATED?



Alfie Kohn, author of the book What Does It Mean To Be Well Educated? poses the question, does the phrase well educated refer to a quality of schooling you received, or something about you? Does it denote what you were taught? Or what you remember?

I contend that to be well educated is all in the application; the application and use of information. Information has to be used in order to be become knowledge, and as we all have heard, knowledge is power.

Most people are aware of the floundering state of education in this country on some level. We tell our children that nothing is more important than getting a “good” education, and every year, due to government budget shortfalls, teachers are laid off, classes are condensed, schools are closed, and many educational programs – especially those which help the underprivileged – are cut.

The reality is, we don’t really value education. We value it as a business, an industry, political ammunition, and as an accepted form of discrimination, but not for what it was intended: a means of enriching one’s character and life through learning.

What we value as a society, are athletes and the entertainment they offer. The fact that a professional athlete makes more money in one season, than most teachers in any region will make in their careers, is abominable. There is always money to build new sports stadium, but never enough to give teachers a decent (and well-deserved) raise.

Ironically, the best teachers don’t go into the profession for money. They teach because it’s a calling. Most of them were influenced by a really good teacher as a student. With the mass exodus of teachers, many students are not able to cultivate the mentoring relationships that they once were able to because so many are leaving the profession – voluntarily and involuntarily – within an average of three years.

At the high school level, where I got my start, the emphasis is not on how to educate the students to prepare them for life, or even college (all high schools should be college-prep schools, right?), it was about preparing them to excel on their standardized tests. Then the controversial “exit” exams were implemented and literally, many high schools were transformed into testing centers. Learning has almost become secondary.

This mentality carries over into college, which of course there’s a test one must take in order to enroll (the SAT or ACT). This explains why so many college students are more concerned with completing a course, than learning from it. They are focused on getting “A’s” and degrees, instead of becoming degreed thinkers. The latter of which are in greater demand by employers and comprise the bulk of the self-employed. The “get-the-good-grade” mindset is directly attributable to the relentless and often unnecessary testing that our students are subjected to in schools.

Alfie Kohn advocates the “exhibition” of learning, in which students reveal their understanding by means of in-depth projects, portfolios of assignments, and other demonstrations.

He cites a model pioneered by Ted Sizer and Deborah Meier. Meier has emphasized the importance of students having five “habits of mind,” which are: the value of raising questions about evidence (“How do we know what we know?”), point of view, (“Whose perspective does this represent?”), connections (“How is this related to that?”), supposition (“How might things have been otherwise?”), and relevance (“Why is this important?”).

Kohn writes: It’s only the ability to raise and answer those questions that matters, though, but also the disposition to do so. For that matter, any set of intellectual objectives, any description of what it means to think deeply and critically, should be accompanied by a reference to one’s interest or intrinsic motivation to do such thinking…to be well-educated then, is to have the desire as well as the means to make sure that learning never ends…

HISTORY AND PURPOSE OF IQ



We’ve always wanted to measure intelligence. Ironically, when you look at some the first methods used to evaluate it in the 1800s, they were not, well, very intelligent. Tactics such as subjecting people to various forms of torture to see what their threshold for pain was (the longer you could withstand wincing, the more intelligent you were believed to be), or testing your ability to detect a high pitch sound that others could not hear.

Things have changed…or have they?

No discussion of intelligence or IQ can be complete without mention of Alfred Binet, a French psychologist who was responsible for laying the groundwork for IQ testing in 1904. His original intention was to devise a test that would diagnose learning disabilities of students in France. The test results were then used to prepare special programs to help students overcome their educational difficulties.

It was never intended to be used as an absolute measure of one’s intellectual capabilities.

According to Binet, intelligence could not be described as a single score. He said that the use of the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) as a definite statement of a child’s intellectual capability would be a serious mistake. In addition, Binet feared that IQ measurement would be used to condemn a child to a permanent “condition” of stupidity, thereby negatively affecting his or her education and livelihood.”

The original interest was in the assessment of ‘mental age’ — the average level of intelligence for a person of a given age. His creation, the Binet-Simon test (originally called a “scale”), formed the archetype for future tests of intelligence.

H. H. Goddard, director of research at Vineland Training School in New Jersey, translated Binet’s work into English and advocated a more general application of the Simon-Binet test. Unlike Binet, Goddard considered intelligence a solitary, fixed and inborn entity that could be measured. With help of Lewis Terman of Stanford University, his final product, published in 1916 as the Stanford Revision of the Binet-Simon Scale of Intelligence (also known as the Stanford-Binet), became the standard intelligence test in the United States.

It’s important to note that the fallacy about IQ is that it is fixed and can not be changed. The fact is that IQ scores are known to fluctuate – both up and down during the course of one’s lifetime. It does not mean that you become more, or less intelligent, it merely means that you tested better on one day than another.

One more thing to know about IQ tests: They have been used for racist purposes since their importation into the U.S. Many of those who were involved in the importation and refinement of these tests believed that IQ was hereditary and are responsible for feeding the fallacy that it is a “fixed” trait.

Many immigrants were tested in the 1920s and failed these IQ tests miserably. As a result, many of them were denied entry into the U.S., or were forced to undergo sterilization for fear of populating America with “dumb” and “inferior” babies. If you recall, the tests were designed for white, middle class Americans. Who do you think would have the most difficulty passing them?

Lewis Terman developed the original notion of IQ and proposed this scale for classifying IQ scores:

000 – 070: Definite feeble-mindedness 

070 – 079: Borderline deficiency 

080 – 089: Dullness 

090 – 109: Normal or average intelligence 

110 – 119: Superior intelligence 

115 – 124: Above average (e.g., university students) 

125 – 134: Gifted (e.g., post-graduate students) 

135 – 144: Highly gifted (e.g., intellectuals) 

145 – 154: Genius (e.g., professors) 

155 – 164: Genius (e.g., Nobel Prize winners) 

165 – 179: High genius 

180 – 200: Highest genius 

200 -    ? : Immeasurable genius

*Genius IQ is generally considered to begin around 140 to 145, representing only 25% of the population (1 in 400).

*Einstein was considered to “only” have an IQ of about 160.

DEFINING INTELLIGENCE



Diane F. Halpern, a psychologist and past-president of the American Psychological Association (APA), wrote in her essay contribution to Why Smart People Can Be So Stupid that in general, we recognize people as intelligent if they have some combination of these achievements (1) good grades in school; (2) a high level of education; (3) a responsible, complex job; (4) some other recognition of being intelligent, such as winning prestigious awards or earning a large salary; (5) the ability to read complex text with good comprehension; (6) solve difficult and novel problems.

Throughout my research and in the early phases of this article, I came across many definitions of the word intelligence. Some were long, some were short. Some I couldn’t even understand. The definition that is most prevalent is the one created by the APA which is: the ability to adapt to one’s environment, and learn from one’s mistakes.

How about that? There’s the word environment again. We just can’t seem to escape it. This adds deeper meaning to the saying, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” It means recognizing what’s going on in your environment, and having the intelligence adapt to it – and the people who occupy it – in order to survive and succeed within it.

There are also many different forms of intelligence. Most notably those created by Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University.

Dr. Gardner believes (and I agree) that our schools and culture focus most of their attention on linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligence. We esteem the highly articulate or logical people of our culture. However, Dr. Gardner says that we should also place equal attention on individuals who show gifts in the other intelligences: the artists, architects, musicians, naturalists, designers, dancers, therapists, entrepreneurs, and others who enrich the world in which we live.

He felt that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on IQ testing, was far too limited and created the Theories Of Multiple Intelligences in 1983 to account for a broader range of human potential in children and adults.

These intelligences are:

-Linguistic intelligence (“word smart”) 

-Logical-mathematical intelligence (“number/reasoning smart”) 

-Spatial intelligence (“picture smart”) 

-Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence (“body smart”) 

-Musical intelligence (“music smart”) 

-Interpersonal intelligence (“people smart”) 

-Intrapersonal intelligence (“self smart”) 

-Naturalist intelligence (“nature smart”)

Not associated with Dr. Gardner, but equally respected are:

FLUID & CRYSTALLIZED INTELLIGENCE



According to About.com, Psychologist Raymond Cattell first proposed the concepts of fluid and crystallized intelligence and further developed the theory with John Horn. The Cattell-Horn theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence suggests that intelligence is composed of a number of different abilities that interact and work together to produce overall individual intelligence.

Cattell defined fluid intelligence as “…the ability to perceive relationships independent of previous specific practice or instruction concerning those relationships.” Fluid intelligence is the ability to think and reason abstractly and solve problems. This ability is considered independent of learning, experience, and education. Examples of the use of fluid intelligence include solving puzzles and coming up with problem solving strategies.

Crystallized intelligence is learning from past experiences and learning. Situations that require crystallized intelligence include reading comprehension and vocabulary exams. This type of intelligence is based upon facts and rooted in experiences. This type of intelligence becomes stronger as we age and accumulate new knowledge and understanding.

Both types of intelligence increase throughout childhood and adolescence. Fluid intelligence peaks in adolescence and begins to decline progressively beginning around age 30 or 40. Crystallized intelligence continues to grow throughout adulthood.

SUCCESSFUL INTELLIGENCE



Then there’s Successful Intelligence, which is authored by intelligence psychologist and Yale professor, Robert J. Sternberg, who believes that the whole concept of relating IQ to life achievement is misguided, because he believes that IQ is a pretty miserable predictor of life achievement.

His Successful Intelligence theory focuses on 3 types of intelligence which are combined to contribute to one’s overall success: Analytical Intelligence; mental steps or components used to solve problems; Creative Intelligence: the use of experience in ways that foster insight (creativity/divergent thinking); and Practical Intelligence: the ability to read and adapt to the contexts of everyday life.

With regard to environment, Mr. Sternberg writes in his book Successful Intelligence: Successfully intelligent people realize that the environment in which they find themselves may or may not be able to make the most of their talents. They actively seek an environment where they can not only do successful work, but make a difference. They create opportunities rather than let opportunities be limited by circumstances in which they happen to find themselves.

As an educator, I subscribe to Mr. Sternberg’s Successful Intelligence approach to teaching. It has proven to be a highly effective tool and mindset for my college students. Using Successful Intelligence as the backbone of my context-driven curriculum really inspires students to see how education makes their life goals more attainable, and motivates them to further develop their expertise. Mr. Sternberg believes that the major factor in achieving expertise is purposeful engagement.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE



In his best-selling 1995 book, Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman reported that research shows that conventional measures of intelligence – IQ – only account for 20% of a person’s success in life. For example, research on IQ and education shows that high IQ predicts 10 to 25% of grades in college. The percentage will vary depending on how we define success. Nonetheless, Goleman’s assertion begs the question: What accounts for the other 80%?

You guessed it…Emotional Intelligence. What exactly is emotional intelligence? Emotional intelligence (also called EQ or EI) refers to the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions. Many corporations now have mandatory EQ training for their managers in an effort to improve employee relations and increase productivity.

TACIT KNOWLEDGE aka “STREET SMARTS



You’ve heard the phrase, “Experience is the greatest teacher…”

In psychology circles knowledge gained from everyday experience is called tacit knowledge. The colloquial term is “street smarts,” which implies that formal, classroom instruction (aka “book smarts”) has nothing to do with it. The individual is not directly instructed as to what he or she should learn, but rather must extract the important lesson from the experience even when learning is not the primary objective.

Tacit knowledge is closely related to common sense, which is sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts. As you know, common sense is not all that common.

Tacit knowledge, or the lessons obtained from it, seems to “stick” both faster and better when the lessons have direct relevance to the individual’s goals. Knowledge that is based on one’s own practical experience will likely be more instrumental to achieving one’s goals than will be knowledge that is based on someone else’s experience, or that is overly generic and abstract.

BEING BOTH SMART AND STUPID



Yes, it’s possible to be both smart and stupid. I’m sure someone you know comes to mind at this precise moment. But the goal here is not to ridicule, but to understand how some seemingly highly intelligent, or highly educated individuals can be so smart in one way, and incredibly stupid in others.

The woman who is a respected, well paid, dynamic executive who consistently chooses men who don’t appear to be worthy of her, or the man who appears to be a pillar of the community, with a loving wife and happy kids, ends up being arrested on rape charges.

It happens, but why? I found the answer in Why Smart People Can Be So Stupid. 

Essentially, intellect is domain specific. In other words, being smart (knowledgeable) in one area of your life, and stupid (ignorant) in another is natural. Turning off one’s brain is quite common especially when it comes to what we desire. A shared characteristic among those who are smart and stupid, is difficulty in delaying gratification.

Olem Ayduk & Walter Mischel who wrote the chapter summarized: Sometimes stupid behavior in smart people may arise from faulty expectations, erroneous beliefs, or merely a lack of motivation to enact control strategies even when one has them. But sometimes it is an inability to regulate one’s affective states and the behavioral tendencies associated with them that leads to stupid and self-defeating behavior.

The central character in this book who many of these lessons regarding being smart and stupid revolve around is Bill Clinton and his affair with Monica Lewinksky.

WISDOM & CONCLUSION



My great grandmother, Leola Cecil, maybe had an 8th grade education at the most. By no stretch of the imagination was she highly educated. She was very observant and could “read” people with startling accuracy. Till the very end of her life she shared her “crystallized intelligence” with whomever was receptive to it.

She died at the age of 94. I often use many of her sayings as a public speaker, but most importantly, I use her philosophies to make sure that I’m being guided spiritually and not just intellectually. My great grandmother, and many of us who are lucky enough to have them, can testify that there is something special about their knowledge. They seem to have life figured out, and a knack for helping those of us who are smart, educated and intelligent see things more clearly when we are too busy thinking.

What they have is what we should all aspire to end up with if we are lucky: wisdom.

Wisdom is the ability to look through a person, when others can only look at them. Wisdom slows down the thinking process and makes it more organic; synchronizing it with intuition. Wisdom helps you make better judgments regarding decisions, and makes you less judgmental. Wisdom is understanding without knowing, and accepting without understanding. Wisdom is recognizing what’s important to other people, and knowing that other people are of the utmost importance to you. Wisdom is both a starting point, and a final conclusion.



By: Gian Fiero

About the Author:

“Early childhood education” is a very popular major today. However, this concept is still unknown to many people. Early childhood education can be basically termed as “Learning through play”. This concept is adopted by many kindergartens.

This “learning through play” concept is proven to be more effective than conventional learning and hence today’s kid’s schools are given a warm welcome by the parents worldwide. Though the economic slowdown has hit every sector, the early childhood education programs provided by the kid’s schools are blooming. With the huge popularity of this early childhood education concept, many kid’s schools have popped up today. Hence these kid’s schools are nor looking for professionals with an Early childhood education degree. Comparing the other career opportunities available today, the careers in early childhood education is stress free. Just keep reading on the article to know more about the career opportunities in early childhood education.

The Career Opportunities

As already mentioned, the Early childhood education concept is widely used in the schools today. Well trained students who have earned an Early Childhood Education Degree can seek great careers as faculty of these children’s schools. The main advantage of this career is that, you will have a pleasant and stress free working environment.

Additionally, as there are only few trained professionals in Early Childhood Education, and high demand so students get places quickly after graduation. Well trained candidates can seek career opportunities in nursery schools, pre-schools, and primary school grades. For those who to spend time with kids, the career in early childhood education is made for them.

How to get the Early Childhood Education Degree?

Early childhood education degrees are available in different forms. Some of the career training schools offer online degree programs in early childhood education. However, when it comes to getting the best training, the associate degree programs offered by the training schools in PA are the ones to look for. Getting trained in these associate degree programs will help you to get into the entry level careers in early childhood education with ease.

What is taught in the Early Childhood Education Degree programs?

The students taking the Early Childhood Education Degree programs will be taught the techniques to be used to educate and motivate kids and young children. You will also learn how to maintain a positive learning environment for making the young children feeling comfortable in their schools. On completion of the associate degree program in Early Childhood Education, the candidates will acquire all the much needed teaching skills.

The career opportunities for an Early Childhood Education Degree holder are not restricted to kid’s schools and nursery schools. Well trained professionals can also get aspiring careers in public and private schools, day care centers, and child oriented Head Start programs.



By: William Hauselburg

About the Author:

Education is a microcosm of all that is indispensable to life. It is next to impossible to undermine the vitality of education in the progress of society as envisaged by the great many leaders and common masses. Even before we delve into the various concrete streams of education which exist today, it is imperative to understand the word ‘education’.

“Education transcends books”- a dictum which has withstood the trials and ravages of centuries and has etched its existence boldly in the minds of one and all. On retrospection one would invariably realize that education had augmented its roots from the time when evolution of man began. In fact it would be apt to conclude that had it not been for education in its varying forms, evolution of man was both an improbability and impossibility. Over the centuries we have learnt to ‘learn’ and ‘imbibe’ the best- this is the spirit of education.

Reverting to the 21st century, education has encompassed all barriers of classroom walls and has become more comprehensive. Just about three decades ago only three major strands were popular among the youth to be pursued for a career viz., medicine, engineering or government service. Sounds like history. Isn’t it? Globalization and increased exposure to international education standards coupled with the advent of multifarious job opportunities provided by multinational companies has ensured that a plethora of career and educational options are available to students. Gone are the days when education was bound in books with little or no attention being paid to the practical aspect of the subject and the student’s aptitude and personality. The increased competition is an evidence of the expansion of education beyond books and theory.

Innumerable career options today lay unfolded for students within the realm of education. To begin with, let us review some of the popular competitive entrance exams which have nullified the emphasis laid on marks obtained through cramming. The most coveted career option today is that of management. Thousands aspiring to be an MBA appear for the CAT exam every year. Clearing the CAT means that the 6 Indian Institutes of Management open their gates for the successful candidates. Never mind if you can’t get through CAT, MAT, SNAP and XAT are some of the other management entrance exams conducted by other institutes which will help you achieve your dream of being a management graduate.

Though MBA is the call of the day, Engineering and Medical profession still retain their charm. The key difference now is that the entrance exams for admission to reputed engineering and medical institutions have become more challenging. To get through to engineering, hundreds queue up each year to take the JET- Joint Entrance Test- and AIEEE i.e., All India Engineering Entrance Exam. PMT – Pre-Medical Test- too sees an ever increasing turnout of aspiring medicos each year. Administrative services still woo many by the hordes. That’s why the IAS or Indian Administrative Services Exam is becoming tougher by the day.

Even if you wish to study abroad, you are required to clear IELTS which stands for International English Language Testing System. It is a comprehensive exam designed by the Cambridge University to assess a candidate’s English language skills in all the four aspects viz. reading, listening, writing and speaking. Most of the US universities accept scores of exams like TOEFL, GRE, GMAT and SAT for admission.

Education, as we can see, has now assumed a more significant role. Most of the institutes and colleges hold entrance exams to assess the real ability of a student. Therefore it could be said that education has now blossomed and its myriad ‘petals’ are exuberant with all the hues displayed.

To end I would like to quote B.F Skinner, who very aptly said, “Education is what survives when what has been learnt has been forgotten.”

So be educated, stay educated and spread education.



By: Vikram Kamboj

About the Author:

Education increases a person’s ability to comprehend issues better with a better outlook. It also increases the perspective of a person. The result is that the person’s ability to seek information for itself and look for literature for better alternative ideas improves considerably.

Back to School?

In this economic crisis what we need is to plan our finances for long term achievements. Students increase their future opportunities for better salary packages and better prospects only after further education. Good career has roots of a good educational background. Higher education not only improves the remuneration figure but also gives an individual job satisfaction and expand his or her business network as well. A good quality graduate education helps to improve not their personal progression as an individual, but are highly beneficial to their organization and even at a national level as well. This is especially so in countries like Singapore, Sweden and Finland where human capital development are their main competitive asset in the global economy. Education should not be considered as a means to an end but as means to enrich their lives and of those around the.

Graduate Education is worth far more than for a fiscal reason.

In tough economic situation like today, people sound miserable when they talk about recession they are in reality deceiving themselves by promoting negative views on how the economic turmoil is devastating peoples’ life and this prediction is actually stopping them living their lives. But they must understand the fact that it is precisely in times like this that the more qualified you are the better it is for your career. To say that education is not worth it in this financial climate proves how short sighted we are. The need of the day is to educate individuals so that similar recession can never recur. The value of a quality graduate education ranks much higher in the mind of prospective employers, graduate schools like INSEAD, Chicago and The City University of New York are flourishing in Singapore, attracting experienced professionals across ASEAN. 

The forecast – the recession might be temporary and variant, but higher education is compulsory to enjoy a better life when the downturn fades out

If acquiring a degree requires three long years of investment of time and money, it is bound to scare the students. However, students can avail of student loans from the various banks today and start studying for a higher degree course. In the three years’ time, they would get enough time to prepare and ready themselves for a job after the completion of the course. By the time they will finish their degrees, the recession is going to be over and there will be enough jobs for them to grab and make it big!

Students, however will have to be more conscious about their financial situation. Several finance companies offering loans which are to be repaid only when they start earning over 15,000 GBP and the repayments start at 5 GBP per week, favor the case of students. Student debt, hence is one of the safest loans to opt for, while the best fight against the recession is to opt for higher studies. Furthermore, the success lies in taking advantage over those who have wrong reasons and ideas against further studies.

We can overcome!

Lastly, The Tripartite Centre for Fair Employment has given the WPP agency a plan to transform the approach of employers to adopt “fair and merit-based workplaces”. The WDA has also structured the WPP agency to craft a national education campaign to give confidence to Singaporeans so that they do not hesitate to enter further education. This is to boost their morale and get ready as employment is supposed to rise above 3 million by this year itself! WDA also launched a series of graduate diplomas and post graduate diplomas under the Professional Conversion Programmes (PCP) which helps Professionals, Managers, Engineers and Technicians (PMET)s to explore career switches and advancement.

So exactly how much value can be placed on further education today?

Talk to anyone in the industry, everyone recognized the value of a quality graduate education. An enhanced education will play a significant role cause regardless of economic conditions, time tested attributes like experience, qualifications and right attitudes always survives.

http://business.smh.com.au/business/study-now-for-a-wage-worth-waiting-for-20090213-873o.html 

http://www.brandrepublic.asia/BR/searcharticle/2008_08/YR-hired-to-promote-fair-employment-and-further-education-in-Singapore/32090

 http://debatewise.com/debates/671-is-three-years-of-university-education-worth-it-in-this-time-of-economic-crisis

 

 



By: xenium88

About the Author:

Education has an immense impact on the human society. One can safely assume that a person is not in the proper sense till he is educated. It trains the human mind to think and take the right decision. In other words, man becomes a rational animal when he is educated.

It is through education that knowledge and information is received and spread throughout the world. An uneducated person cannot read and write and hence he is closed to all the knowledge and wisdom he can gain through books and other mediums. In other words, he is shut off from the outside world. In contrast, an educated man lives in a room with all its windows open towards outside world.

The quality of human resource of a nation is easily judged by the number of literate population living in it. This is to say that education is a must if a nation aspires to achieve growth and development and more importantly sustain it. This may well explain the fact that rich and developed nations of the world have very high literacy rate and productive human resource. In fact these nations have started imparting selective training and education programs so as to meet the new technical and business demands of the 21st century.

In the US, many educational institutes offer vocational as well as other training programs apart from the normal credit programs. To cater to the educational needs of the working population, many colleges offer online education. The degrees and certificates offered by these online colleges and universities are very convenient for working people as well as students. Working people needs these degrees to update their knowledge and skill level which will come handy in their promotion and achieving growth as professionals. Students can also pursue an online degree and work and earn at the same time.

In fact, certain professionals like doctors and dentists, are obliged to follow mandatory lifelong learning. This is done so that they keep pace with all the research and development done in the medical field. These professionals not only needs to update themselves about these developments, but also learn new techniques of practice and perfect old ones. Learning about patient management and the delivery of care is rather a continuing process. Since these professionals, especially doctors have huge moral responsibility towards the patients and society in general, continuing education is a must for them.

It is in such a scenario that distance education comes into the picture. Since professionals do not have the time to attend classroom classes, distance education comes as a convenient alternative. They can learn at a time convenient to them and from the comfort of their homes.

Keeping the importance of education in mind, the US Department of Education aims to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. It also establishes policies regarding federal financial aid for education, and distributing as well as monitoring those funds. It also continuously strives to focus national attention on key educational issues and providing equal access to education.

The importance of education cannot be neglected by any nation. And in today’s world, the role of education has become even more vital. It is an absolute necessity for economic and social development of any nation.



By: Manu Goel

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