<p>A student of Forestry College in Sirsi, Sachin A Rosario dreamt of working for wildlife and protection of forests. Even after completing four years of BSc in Forestry Science in 2007, he has remained unemployed. He has not got any other job let alone his dream job. <br /><br />Like Sachin, 1,200 graduates are waiting for the job as the Government has promised recruitment norms favouring them. Another graduate, Raghavendra said: “The present mode of recruitment is 50 pc by promotion and 50 pc by direct recruitment. We have been demanding 100 pc recruitment through forestry colleges.”<br /><br />Nearly 110 students graduate every year from the two colleges in the State - one in Sirsi and another in Ponnampet established in 1985 to provide the skilled officers for the Forest Department. <br /><br />Sachin said: “We are taught 68 subjects, all related to forest and wildlife management. We are never considered for any other jobs in the private sectors nor can we do anything on our own. To make matters worse we have to compete with students from other courses to get our jobs. The only job we can do is grow forests on our own, which is again not permitted.”<br /><br />Even though 25 per cent of the students pursue postgraduate courses, over 500 students have been rendered jobless, while 900 posts are still vacant. “Once in 2007 they even scrapped direct recruitment for lack of finance and 221 were promoted,” said Harsha, another student.<br /><br />The Union government too ordered that BSc in Forestry as eligibility criteria for RFOs recruitment. Surprisingly, the State has issued gazette notification dated December 13, 2002 stating that the 75 pc of the RFOs will be recruited through departmental promotion and 25 pc through direct recruitment including 50 pc of those holding degrees in forestry. <br />Though changes are made recently the candidates are not satisfied with the amendment. <br /><br />Forestry course<br /><br />Students, during their four-year course, learn 68 subjects much needed for forest and wildlife management.<br /><br />They include silviculture, agro forests, forest management, wildlife genetic and tree improvement, pathology, entomology, tribology, forest utility, wood science and technology, forest microbiology, forest engineering. Courses like computer science, statistics, zoology, botany and biotechnology are compulsory. Forestry being one of the expensive course, the Government spends over Rs seven lakh per student. Each student undergoes practical and theoretical courses for three years and spends one whole year in the forest undergoing field training.<br /><br />While the recruitment training of RFOs is substandard compared to forestry colleges and is less practical. They are paid two-year salary apart from spending Rs four lakh on their training. “The department can save money by recruiting us. Our own teachers go and train them. Even the department admits to it, but nothing is being done,” said Sachin.<br /></p>
<p>A student of Forestry College in Sirsi, Sachin A Rosario dreamt of working for wildlife and protection of forests. Even after completing four years of BSc in Forestry Science in 2007, he has remained unemployed. He has not got any other job let alone his dream job. <br /><br />Like Sachin, 1,200 graduates are waiting for the job as the Government has promised recruitment norms favouring them. Another graduate, Raghavendra said: “The present mode of recruitment is 50 pc by promotion and 50 pc by direct recruitment. We have been demanding 100 pc recruitment through forestry colleges.”<br /><br />Nearly 110 students graduate every year from the two colleges in the State - one in Sirsi and another in Ponnampet established in 1985 to provide the skilled officers for the Forest Department. <br /><br />Sachin said: “We are taught 68 subjects, all related to forest and wildlife management. We are never considered for any other jobs in the private sectors nor can we do anything on our own. To make matters worse we have to compete with students from other courses to get our jobs. The only job we can do is grow forests on our own, which is again not permitted.”<br /><br />Even though 25 per cent of the students pursue postgraduate courses, over 500 students have been rendered jobless, while 900 posts are still vacant. “Once in 2007 they even scrapped direct recruitment for lack of finance and 221 were promoted,” said Harsha, another student.<br /><br />The Union government too ordered that BSc in Forestry as eligibility criteria for RFOs recruitment. Surprisingly, the State has issued gazette notification dated December 13, 2002 stating that the 75 pc of the RFOs will be recruited through departmental promotion and 25 pc through direct recruitment including 50 pc of those holding degrees in forestry. <br />Though changes are made recently the candidates are not satisfied with the amendment. <br /><br />Forestry course<br /><br />Students, during their four-year course, learn 68 subjects much needed for forest and wildlife management.<br /><br />They include silviculture, agro forests, forest management, wildlife genetic and tree improvement, pathology, entomology, tribology, forest utility, wood science and technology, forest microbiology, forest engineering. Courses like computer science, statistics, zoology, botany and biotechnology are compulsory. Forestry being one of the expensive course, the Government spends over Rs seven lakh per student. Each student undergoes practical and theoretical courses for three years and spends one whole year in the forest undergoing field training.<br /><br />While the recruitment training of RFOs is substandard compared to forestry colleges and is less practical. They are paid two-year salary apart from spending Rs four lakh on their training. “The department can save money by recruiting us. Our own teachers go and train them. Even the department admits to it, but nothing is being done,” said Sachin.<br /></p>
