STUDENTS
 

7.1. Admission Requirements

7.11. The quality of technicians prepared by polytechnics will- greatly depend upon the quality of the students admitted. Therefore, the selection of students for polytechnic courses needs very careful consideration so that they may derive the best advantage from the education and serve the best interests of industry. In the technically advanced countries, students enter technician institutions at a more mature age than in India. During the Committee's discus- sions with the various authorities and persons involved in polytechnic education and with the foreign consultants, employers, professional bodies -and others, one of the points which emerged clearly was that the present age of entry to polytechnics is low. The consensus was that the entrants to polytechnics should be mature both intellectually and physiologically.

7.12. Taking into consideration various factors, including the structure of school education which differs from State to State, the Committee recommends that the qualification for entry to polytechnics should be raised from SSLC or Matriculation to Higher Secondary, Pre- University, Pre-engineering or equivalent. Such a measure will not only give an opportunity for polytechnics to admit students of greater maturity but also help in revising the curricula of polytechnics so as to make them more purposeful. This measure will substantially cut down the curricular load in the fundamental sciences and mathematics and the time thus saved could be gainfully employed in teaching the applications of science to engineering and technical studies. Otherwise, the only way to improve quality will be to lengthen the period of education in polytechnics which would involve additional financial commitments.

7.13. While recommending higher qualifications for entry into polytechnics the Committee also took into consideration the poor industrial and environmental background of the majority of the students. Further, the Committee found that in West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and a few other states, a large percentage of students seeking admission to polytechnics in fact posses higher. qualification than the SSLC or Matriculation. Therefore, at present', most of the time in the first year of the courses is spent in bringing up the academic level of the students possessing only the SSLC or Matriculation qualification. This not only wastes the valuable time of the majority of the students but also makes them dispirited as they have to repeat the science and mathematics courses which they have already undergone earlier.

7.14. In the course of discussions with the Committee a majority of the representatives of the professional bodies and employers and others, including some of the foreign consultants, felt that it would be highly desirable to arrange, for some sort of preentry training. In this respect, the Committee recommends that efforts be made to infuse a vocational bias at the Higher Secondary School level. Further, there are about 350 Industrial Training Institutes and 284. polytechnics in our country, all with fairly good workshop facilities. Selected students interested in joining polytechnics may be assigned to these institutions during the vacations and given a well graded programe of workshop practice and instruction in drawing etc. so that they may be conditioned better for polytechnic education.

7.2. Selection Procedures

7.21. At present it is observed that there are no uniform selection procedures. Selection is based on ore or more of the following:

(a) Marks secured in the qualifying examination particularly in subjects like mathematics and science;

(b) Weightage for co-curricular activities;

(c) performance in an interview or personality test;

(d) performance in a common entrance test. Some respresentatives of industry and professional bodies suggested that the selection for admission to polytechnics should be based on an aptitude test. The Committee, while accepting that the performance in an aptitude test may be one of the criteria for admission to polytechnics, does not favour its wholesale adoption at the present stage. It, however, suggests that a beginning may be made in selected polytechnics (autonomous polytechnics) with a view to developing some standard aptitude test for the selection of students. Later on, such tests, if found successful, may be extended to other polytechnics.

7.22. The Committee recommends that admission to polytechnics should be made on the basis of merit. This may be on the basis of either the relative merit in the last public examination or the performance in this qualifying examination. The Committee also re- commends that some weightage should be given for participation in extra-curricular activities like sports, social service etc.

7.3.Guidance and Counselling

7.31. It is very important to realize that our polytechnics have in their charge very young persons. Polytechnics have not only the responsibility for organising education, but also the obligation to consider the student as a person and assist him to proper development- emotional, social and physical.

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7.32. Individual students differ from one another in their abilities, attitudes, prejudices, biases, interests, personal characteristics, socioeconomic backgrounds and cultural outlook. These individual differences are crucially important to the proper choice of the type of education and to the potentialities of success. But most of the students know very little about themselves or their abilities and potentials and even less about the nature and aims of polytechnic education. Consequently, most students enter polytechnics without the clear aspirations and motivation which can make their studies meaningful and purposeful.

7.33. Coupled with this, our students enter polytechnics at a very immature age. Many, for the first time, enter hostels away from their homes and often encounter a bewildering environment of life and learn- ing. They often get into serious personal problems of financial, emotional and social character and problems of adjustment to the academic and social environment. In order that the student may gain the maximum benefit of his education and life at the polytechnic it is necessary that he is helped to understand his goals, aspirations, and weaknesses and that he is helped to solve his problems for himself.

7.34. It is in this context that well-organised guidance and counselling services could be of immense value in our polytechnics. The Committee notes that, at present, there are no organised Guidance and Counselling Services either in the schools or in the polytechnics and recommends their progressive establishment in the polytechnics in a phased way. To begin with, Guidance and Counselling Centres should be set up on an experimental basis in the autonomous polytechnics. Depending on the experience the scheme should be extended to cover all the other polytechnics in the course of the next 10 years.

7.35. Each Guidance and Counselling Centre should have a Guidance and Counselling officer of the rank of a professor, assisted by suitable staff. The officer should be professionally qualified with adequate training in education psychology and vocational guidance. The Centre will need to have library facilities and a testing laboratory for assessment and diagnosis of students' abilities and disabilities.

7.4. Information to Prospective Entrants

One of the difficulties faced by students in making a choice in favour of polytechnic education is the lack of information and publicity about the nature and scope of polytechnic courses and the employment opportunities available for diploma holders. Too many youngsters, and their parents, choose institutions and courses on the basis of inadequate information and knowledge. Adequate information about the polytechnics, courses and employment opportunities must be made available in advance to prospective candidates. Hence the Committee recommends that the Directorate or Department in charge of technical education should collect details of the available technician courses and career opportunities and transmit the same to the Directorate of Secondary Education for publicity among the students in Higher Secondary, Pre-University or SSLC classes.

7.5. Hostel and Campus Life

7.51. Most of our polytechnics are situated in industrial and urban areas. This is in the fitness of things, since the effectiveness of polytechnic education rests on close collaboration with industry. Consequently, it becomes necessary to provide adequate hostel facilities for students coming from rural and other areas beyond a reasonable daily travelling distance. The Committee finds that the present position regarding hostel accommodtion is not satisfactory in many polytechnics and recommends that hostel arrangements be. made in all polytechnics for at least 50 per cent of the students.

7.52. Moreover, since the students in technical institutions spend longer periods daily in the campus compared to other students, it -is desirable that accommodation is available to all polytechnic students who need it, so that they may work with higher efficiency. Hostel life facilitates the frequent exchange of ideas by students among themselves and with their teachers. Provision of adequate hostel accommodation will thus serve as an important measure of quality improvement in technician education.

7.6. Extra-Curricular Activities

7.61. One of the reasons for student unrest and indiscipline is perhaps the lack of interesting, meaningful and creative activities with-in the campus for students to utilise the free time available. Apart from this aspect, it is absolutely necessary for the total development of students that they should be initiated to extra- curricular activities which inculcate self-discipline, self-reliance, leadership, integrity, cooperation and other qualities. The Committee, therefore, strongly recommends that there should be ade- quate facilities for the out-door and in-door activities of students. There should be provision for good libraries, attached both to the students common room and the hostel. Adequate provision should be made for sports, cultural activities, debating clubs, group discussions and other extra curricular activities.

7.62. The Committee feels that educational administrators can get very useful ideas from students in the planning and conduct of educational programmes and recommends that at least the final year students should be associated with and involved in the various advisory bodies of polytechnics, particularly those concerning student discipline, curriculum development etc.

7.7. Scholarships and Financial Assistance

7.71. According to a survey carried out in 196566 by the Education Commission, about 55.8 per cent of the parents and guardians of the students were having an income less than Rs. 150- per month. The

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majority of students joining polytechnics are from the low income group. Hence there is a need for adequate provision for financial assistance to such students. It was brought to the notice of the Com- mittee that the present practice of paying the entire amount of scholarship in -cash to the students leads to many difficulties. There is a tendency for some students to spend the money carelessly; in some cases the parents utilise the money. The Committee is therefore in favour of extending financial- assistance by way of free studentships, hostel facilities free books and other educational materials etc., rather than through cash allowances or loans. In addition, there should be provision for merit scholarships to attract talented students to polytechnics in adequate numbers.