TIRUCHY: The school education department, last year, initiated a career guidance programme under the Naan Mudhalvan scheme to improve employment opportunities for government school students (Class 11 and Class 12). However, it is yet to gather momentum in the rural areas of Tiruchy, rue parents and students. Under the Naan Mudhalvan, study materials comprising career-related details were provided to 10 lakh students.
Besides, every school should consist of a team that includes a Naan Mudhalvan resource person, school management committee (SMC) members, the head of the school, and a member of the national service scheme (NSS).
However, parents and students say that they have been kept in the dark as the scheme largely missed out on the rural parts of Tiruchy. A female student from a government school in Manapparai who secured 538 marks in the Class 12 examination said received instructions about the courses to pursue only twice a year. It is to be noted that the programme launched by the school education department mandates 80 minutes of career guidance classes every month. Similarly, a topper from a government school in Thuraiyur block said she was confused about what subject to pursue in college.
"Though we were asked to reach out to the teachers personally for career guidance, such sessions rarely happened. More awareness about the scheme should be created," said the student. The district comprises 105 government high schools, of which 60 are located in the rural parts.
K Jeeva, another student from the same block, said, "We came to know about the courses we are eligible to apply for only a day after the exam results were out. I finally applied for a B.Tech course after consulting with my cousins in Chennai. I had never heard about such a course before. I became aware of it only after speaking to my cousins."
A teacher from a school in the Lalgudi block, on conditions of anonymity, said they were pushed for time to undertake career guidance courses, adding that most of the school administration tend to pass it off as a one-day programme.
"Despite repeated instructions, school authorities are yet to take in the significance of such programmes. Nobody is questioning them as well." When contacted, a senior education department official in Tiruchy said proper instructions were passed on to all the government schools. However, the official was unsure whether the programme implementation was being monitored regularly.