Keekli Reporter, 1st – 3rd June, 2014, Shimla
The three day long Education Expo held at Gaiety Hall, Shimla had lots to offer to the Plus Two students of Shimla, with respect to joining various courses, professional degrees, diplomas or certificate programmes. Youth Enlightening the Society, who have been engaging actively in the area of involving students by organizing various cultural or athletic events, arranged for this three day Expo for the benefit of the children. President Raman Nagpal said, “To help children and parents make sound and informed decisions about choosing the next course after Plus Two, we have tried to give them an open platform to choose various courses. There are various representatives from different institutes and banks to help parents and children”. He further added that seven institutes were participating in the Expo and since it is our first initiative we hope to get good response in the future as well.
President Nagpal, accompanied with his partners Lakshay Vrat and Harjub Singh said that career guidance was an important part of our education system and right information could help children in the long run. Our endevour is to help children make the right decision by making them aware of all the options available.
Representatives from Bells Institute of Management & Technology, Mehli, Shimla, affiliated to HPTU/HPU, were offering courses on M.Tech., B.Tech., Polytechnic, MBA, MMC and BBA, BCA, BMC, B.Com and BHM while explaining details about each course. A special offer from the Institute was a 50 per cent scholarship programme to students achieving 80 per cent and above marks in qualifying exams and 100 per cent fee waiver scheme for SC/ST candidates under the Central Government scheme.
Representatives from Maharaja Agrasen University, Baddi, informed that all students from Himachal were entitled to special 20 per cent discount on the tuition fee, where as students achieving 95 per cent or above would get 50 per cent discount on the fee. They further added that the University had its own NATA Test centre, which was approved by the Council of Architecture for the admission in B.Arch. Other courses offered B.Tech., M.Tech., Architecture & Design, all Management Courses, Law as well as Basic Sciences. Assistant Professor Pankaj Nanglia, accompanied with Dikshit Gupta and Praveen Kumar, further added that at MAU, we are committed to cause the holistic development of students, wherein we foster equality, initiative, integrity and excellence while maintaining highest levels of consciousness, civility and humility on our campus.
Members from the Shimla Nursing College, Shimla, were also offering information on courses on Basic B.Sc. (Nursing) and Diplomas in General Nursing & Midwifery. Affiliated to the HPU and approved by the Indian Nursing Council, New Delhi, the representatives from the College informed that we have a 100 per cent placement rate in the reputed hospitals such as Max, Fortis etc. The eligibility for all these course was Plus Two and the duration of these courses was four and three and a half years respectively.
Satpreet Kaur from Surya World Institutions of Academic Excellence, Patiala was also offering courses on B.Tech., M.Tech., BCA, MCA, PGDCA, BBA, MBA among others, with scholarship programmes based on the percentage in 12th boards. The amount varied between one to four lakhs based on individual needs. She further added that with a rigorous training programme, the emphasis was also on ensuring quality placements and job opportunities for our students.
Meenakshi Sharma from Arena Animations, Sanjauli, elaborated on the courses being offered in their institute such as Graphics 2D and 3D, web designing with visual effects, gaming as well as graphics suite. She explained the growing need of animation professional in today’s world due to the technological advancements, which had caused an explosion of job-opportunities in this sector.
Marketing Manager, Ajay from Punjab National Bank was also present to inform parents about various options available to them for helping their child achieve their dreams. He said that the rate of interest varied according to the amount needed and for the education of girls there was a special discount of 50 per cent.
President Nagpal also informed that there was a booth for the Shimla police also, who guided parents on drug abuse and the growing problem among teens. A few directives were also given on traffic and safe driving. He added that a career counseling session was headed by Dr Akarsh Chauhan from the Tata Institute of Social Service (TISS), Mumbai, who enlightened all by giving advice on understanding the needs and aspirations of children and letting them make informed choices.