NARA'S NOTEPAD
VOLUME 9
JUNE 2013
NUMBER 6
Friday, May 31, 2013
MEMO FROM NARA...
Think of the number of schools, colleges and
universities around us! It’s amazing. In fact they are not sufficient for the
growing population. The problem is global in nature.
In every country people feel that educating the people is the only way to have
an orderly society and government. So every nation is putting its utmost
efforts to develop educational institutions everywhere including rural and
urban areas.
Parents are earning to educate their children. It is the dream of
parents to see their sons and daughters as some highly paid professionals in
future. Most of the elite group of people like to send their children to higher
education. Higher education brings in specialization in particular field of
study. Therefore higher education is getting importance nowadays. There are
renowned educational institutions in every country where we find super
speciality in all subjects. Such institutions and the super specialists are not
sufficient to satisfy the requirement of the world population. Colleges and
Universities are unlikely to keep up the demand for advanced education. These
institutions often run under financial constraints because of the ever
increasing salaries for specialists and also the cost of infrastructure needed
for research purposes. Hence the tuition fees are rocketing year after year.
Paying huge amounts of fees for admission in such academic institutions is
possible only for certain section of people. People are proud to say that they
are Oxford, Cambridge or Harvard educated. But think of the people who do not
have the means to join those institutions. They limit their education below the
advanced level even though they are good enough to take up such studies. In
other words it is only a section of people who are rich can go for advanced
higher education.
In a time when knowledge is free and communication is easy and
technology is at everyone’s hand, one has to think seriously about the future
of higher education. We should not forget that every individual – male or
female – has right to education! Keeping this principle in view, is it possible
to extend the higher education to all and all over the world?
In fact, educationists experimented the possibilities to out-reach
education instead of on-campus teaching. One of the results came out of the
study is the Open Universities which run courses, examinations and issue
diploma or degree certificates. People can learn at their leisure time in their
own places. Such an approach is in operation successfully in many countries
including India. Still people say that on-campus studies are better than
out-reach programs. If someone is serious in out-reach programs he or she can
learn and earn a degree. It is also felt that only small fraction of students
have the drive and the perseverance to learn on their own. In general, these
students need help to clear their doubts. It is possible that fellow students
can help. Interactive studies help to better student learning. Bringing quality
education to the people who would never be able to go to Universities like
Oxford and Cambridge is essential. Therefore on-line education system is in
operation in certain subjects from some universities. Through this system one
professor can easily teach 1000 to 50,000 students at a time. It alters the
economics of education! Also it provides a ‘freemium’ education not the
‘premium’ education. Stanford University of the USA has come out with global
on-line education system successfully.
The future higher education is going to be offered on-line with the
help of social networks like ‘You Tube’ and ‘Facebook.’ In 2008 one such
teaching program was designed by the American Companies. It is called as
Massive Open On-line Courses (MOOCs). It is an internet based teaching program
designed to handle thousands of student simultaneously, in part using the
tactics of social net-working websites. Thus the future of educations is not
going to be the one through which we were educated. The new generation is going
to learn on-line and earn degrees on-line. Let us hope that all – rich and
poor, men and women – are going to get the benefit as we use the mobile phones
today. It was a dream but it is going to be a reality very soon.
SPONSOR
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NARA’S
NOTEPAD
thank
Dr. Y. L. Nene, former International
Scientist, ICRISAT and present Chairman, Asian Agri-History Foundation,
Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh
for sponsoring June, July and August 2013
issues.
NOMOPHOBIA
The present generation’s greatest fear or phobia is
being without a mobile phone! ‘Nomophobia’ is the short form of ‘no mobile
phobia.’ A ‘nomophobe’ spends sleepless nights worrying about the following
things that the phone battery will die soon, that he’ll somehow lose his cell
phone, that any moment now, he will be out of cell phone range, etc. The term
‘nomophobia’ was coined in the UK.
POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS....
I have all the abilities I need to
succeed. I love challenges and learn from every situation in my life. I live
everyday with power and passion. I feel strong, excited, passionate, and
powerful. I feel tremendous confidence that I can do anything. All of my
relationships are based on integrity and respect.
I wake each day feeling healthy and
alive with energy. I feel more energized throughout the day. I am bursting with
energy, health, and vitality. Every pressure and tension I feel is simply a
signal to relax, release and let go.
I am diligent, faithful, and have a
spirit of excellence. Whatever I put my hand to will prosper. I am the head and
not the tail. I am unique. I can be intimate with myself and others. I can love
myself and I can love others. I choose to love everyone with whom I come in
contact. Love is patient; therefore, I am patient. Love is kind; therefore, I
am kind. Love does not envy; therefore, I am content. Love not rude; therefore
I am courteous. Love is provoked; therefore I am forgiving. Love thinks no
evil. My thoughts are true, honest, just, pure, loving, and of good report.
DECISION MAKING...
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It is a shame, that so many of us
have so little trust in our ability to make the decision that is best for us.
Making a big decision is a validation of our free will and the fact that we
have a say in our own destiny. When you actually think about it, we make
decisions every day, all day long. Many decision or choices are so small and
routine that we don't even give them a second thought. However, when it comes
to a bigger or more substantial decision, the stakes are a little higher, and
we may not proceed with the same assurance, which is why it is important to
learn how to be a confident decision-maker.
Truthfully,
a good decision is based on a good evaluation of the decision at hand. It
should not be taken lightly or quickly, but rather thought about and considered
methodically and seriously. One very helpful and practical decision-making
practice I often use is a pros and cons list. Apparently, even Benjamin
Franklin used this approach, which makes me feel even better about it,
considering the types of decisions he made as one of the founding fathers of
the United States. For his method, he divided a piece of paper down the middle
and wrote the pros on one side and the cons on the other. He took his time
developing his list as thoughts came to him, often over several days. When he
felt confident that he had covered the points, he would weigh the options
against one another in order to make his decision. Mr Franklin said that he
“found great advantage from this kind of equation.” Now I think that is a
pretty good recommendation and certainly makes the process worth the try.
- Bethea
JUST TO LAUGH...
Judge: I remember having seen you in this very
court for the last twenty five years.
The
Accused: It is because you’ve not been given any promotion during the last
twenty five years.
My friend’s father was very proud of his
family of six children. He frequently referred to his wife as “Mother of Six.”
At the end of a party he called out loud enough for everyone to hear, “Ready to
go, Mother of Six?” Eager to teach him a lesson, she replied, “Anytime you are,
father of four.”
HOW TO DEAL WITH ODDNESS?
1. Accept yourself: Have conviction and
faith in your actions.
2. Weigh pros and cons: Don’t be
impulsive. Your actions may be different but not necessarily wrong. Chalk out a
mental plan to attain your goals.
3. Matter of choice: All of us have made
good and bad choices in life. It is a learning process.
4. Be happy: It is good to make others
happy, but for that, you have to be happy first.
5. Face the consequences: Your choices
will have an impact, so prepare yourself for it.
6. Don’t let others judge you: When others
talk about you and make comparisons, smile and ignore. Each person is unique.
7. Handle criticism tactfully: If you are
different, people will look at you with apprehensions. Criticism will anyway
come your way, so handle it with tact.
8. Create a support system: There will
always be someone who understands you .Nurture such relationships.
9. Be
guilt-free: Don’t isolate yourself from your surrounding
10. Focus on strengths: Use your strengths as
your USP: be a
trendsetter! -
Mansi Hassan
HOW TO TALK BETTER?
v Listen more than you
talk. The trick to a good conversation lies in lending a patient ear.
v When in group, don’t
talk to just one person. Wait for your turn. The need to be heard loud kills
conversations.
v Think before you
speak, but not to the extent that you decide to keep your opinions to yourself
because you think you know best.
v Understand silence.
They are just as important to develop conversation skills. Silence helps you
gather your thoughts and think and reflect better on any subject.
-
Haimanti Mukherjee
Everything
happens for a reason!
Meet you next month - July, 2013
Prof. A.
Narayanan, Ph. D., FISPP
Ph : 0422 2423017 Mobile : 098422 42301
www.nara.tumblr.com (NARA’S
DIGEST)
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