Our education helps students survive under pressure

Our education helps students survive under pressure

Says the Dean of Sri Chaitanya Junior College, Kukatpally, about the rigorous 

courses offered at the institute

Of late they are being condemned for conducting a no-playonly-work schedule, which the thinkers believe curbs a student’s personality development. To this Shankar Rao, the Dean and also a Mathematics teacher of Sri Chaitanya Junior College, Kukatpally, argues, “The study hours are definitely long but that prepares the student to survive under pressure. They learn to work hard, which in turn helps them in future to adjust in professional and as well as personal life.”

Sri Chaitanya Junior College, Kukatpally has seven branches under it; each branch specialising in different entrance test like EAMCET, AIEEE, IIT, etc. For instance there is a separate building for teaching IIT aspirants. Intermediate first year and second year students are segregated in 15 different batches, with the batch comprising the cream of students starting at 7 am and ending at about 9-10 pm. Says a first year student K Anusha, who is preparing for IIT entrance test, “I am okay studying for long hours because I have an ambition to crack the toughest exam on the earth-IIT! Once I take admission in IIT, I will work towards developing Science and Technology of India.” Agrees Professor K Venkateshwar Rao, another Mathematics teacher for IIT batches, “I agree that students are missing out on fun and free time but quality training is important to succeed in this competitive world.”

Dean: Shankar Rao
"We prepare the student to survive under pressure. They learn to work hard, which in turn helps them in future to adjust in  professional as well as personal life" 

So how is quality education being imparted to a student? “I start teaching the subject by explaining the basic concept to students. Once they understand basic of the subject, I move on to teach them according to the entrance test they will appear for. For instance, state engineering test is easier than national level entrance tests, so I teach them according to EAMCET subject, then AIEEE and later IIT,” explains Professor Rao.

Every week the junior college conducts tests to evaluate how much the student has grasped in that particular week.

Will the 15 year olds not crack under pressure of weekly tests and fear of failing in the distant (final) test? “Yes, a few students cannot survive stress. Students today are more mature. Depression attacks them easily. For this, we have special counseling classes where an eminent psychiatrist like Dr Pattabhiram takes session to motivate students and help them lessen their burden. During the class the counsellor identifies students who are low on confidence and hold a special class for them,” informs the Dean. “Apart from taking the counsellor’s help, students are free to talk to any faculty member about complains, suggestions, and also their academics demands,” he adds. Parents can also take the administration’s support to discipline a rebellious child.

The current statistics say that India students fail to clinch a job owing to lack of communication skills. Does the institute not offer classes in improving their English language? “We do have English as a subject. But excelling in that subject is not the priority. This is a skill students need to lean during their early years like while in school. We aim to give them training in specialised stream of Mathematic and Sciences,” answers the Dean.