Teaching experience can help BEd aspirants

Dear Sir,

I completed my degree in Chemistry and Zoology through correspondence from IGNOU. I want to get a BEd degree so that I can apply for government jobs. Please tell me which is a good way to get my BEd done through correspondence. I can’t attend full-time as I am also working in an NGO.

Sushma V

Dear Sushma,

Indira Gandhi National Open University and a few other Open Universities do offer a BEd in distance learning mode, but they mostly admit only those who are teaching in recognised schools. If you can move into a teaching job you can continue your earnings while you pursue a BEd. If your specific goal is to get a government job, there are also many non-teaching government jobs open to basic graduates through Public Service Commissions and Staff Selection Commission which you can explore.

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Dear Sir,

Sir, what is your opinion about open schooling? Is it recognised? Who do you recommend it for?

Shantha Krishna

Dear Shantha,

Open schooling is a wide term used for schools that allow greater freedom to children, homeschooling done by parents, and coaching centres that prepare students for NIOS-type Board exams. Recognition is based on the student clearing the Board exam, after which he is eligible for admission to higher education. Since children have lost out on social-emotional learning for more than two years due to the pandemic, I would strongly recommend that a child be sent to a school where there are a good number of students, many curricular and extra-curricular activities, and continuous interactions through classrooms.

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Dear Sir,

My son completed Class 12. He is keen to pursue pure science. He is more interested in Chemistry. Recently he appeared for the KVPY exam. Kindly guide us on the various prospects and future scope in this field.

Sameer Kumar B

Dear Sameer,

The most reputed institutions for studying pure science in Chemistry and related fields are the seven IISERs, two NISERs, the Indian Institute of Science and the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology. Scope depends entirely on his aptitude, skills, passion and commitment. In the worst case, if he does not get into one of the top science institutions, he may pursue a BSc in Chemistry from any reputed local college and then go for higher education in one of the reputed institutions including IITs, NITs or S N Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research JNCASR, etc.

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Dear Sir,

I have completed BSc-BEd and recently I completed another degree — Organic Chemistry in MSc. Please suggest what to do next.

Mohammad

Dear Mohammad,

What you should do next should be based on your long-term career goals. Having studied up to Master’s level and also holding a BEd degree, if you wish to be in the teaching field, you can straight away get a job in a school to teach Chemistry, and then appear for the NET exam which qualifies you for research and teaching jobs in Universities. If you do not wish to get into the teaching field, you may gain some work experience working in the chemical industry to get a feel of corporate life and then decide your future.

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Dear Sir,

Are there any merit-based scholarships for students studying in India? I have checked many websites and all of them have Rs 8 lakh as the family income limit. My family is earning more than that but there are debts to repay due to unexpected health issues for my father. So they can’t support my education which requires a fee of Rs 3 lakh per annum.

Pankaj

Dear Pankaj,

It is a fact that most scholarships are given only if the family income is lower than a fixed amount. However, there are a few philanthropic organisations that do consider deserving students for scholarships. Some of them restrict to their specific caste/community while others are open to all students. You will need to explore locally, speak to colleges that may have contacts, and browse the Internet to find one that will accept your application. The other alternative is to apply for a bank loan, complete your education, and pay it back over a period of time. You may require guarantors or collateral security to avail the loan. As a last resort, look for alternate courses in your field (or allied field) that are cheaper, colleges that charge much less but do provide quality education.

(The columnist is a career counsellor based in Bengaluru.
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