PROFESSIONAL ADVICE: The former Minister for Higher Education B Somashekhar (third from left) along with (from left) Sudha Bhogle, Head of Eduquity Career Technologies; M.S. Thimappa, former Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore University; S.G. Hegde, Commis sioner, Department of Pre-University Education; Syed Jamal, Administrative Officer-CET Cell; S. Kumar, Executive Secretary, COMED-K, and Swaminathan Krishnan, Chief Marketing Officer, SASKEN, at the The Hindu Education Plus Pre-counselling Guidance programme in Bangalore on Monday. A section of the audience is at right. — Photos: K. Murali Kumar

Bangalore: The "fool-proof" blueprint of the Common Entrance Test (CET) process has been "diluted" over the years since neither the State nor the Central Governments have been able to defend its merit, said B. Somashekhar, former Minister for Higher Education and president, Karnataka Janata Dal (United).

Addressing a gathering of about 500 students and parents at The Hindu EducationPlus pre-counselling guidance session here on Monday, Mr. Somashekhar said that the CET Rules formulated in 1997 when he was Higher Education Minister, included various provisions such as a horizontal system of reservations for 34 categories and also a committee for income and caste certification. "Now, there appears to be a proposal to abolish CET in the State which I completely oppose," he said.

Sudha Bhogle, Head of Eduquity Career Technologies, speaking on the importance of soft skills for career prospects, said: "Even a mediocre student may be successful in terms of career, because while technical skills are the passport to a career, employability involves other skills and personal attributes which are not taught in the classroom. These include good communication skills and the ability to listen; practical ways to solve problems and `learnability,' that is the capacity to learn regardless of seniority."

On the basic sciences, M.S. Thimappa, former Vice-chancellor of Bangalore University, said it was a pity that the field was losing students. "The academics of India's top institutes including Indian Space Research Organisation and the Indian Institute of Science have expressed concern that quality science graduates are not easy to come by. Even if you choose a career in technology, it is important that you have a sound foundation in the basic sciences," he told the students.

Swaminathan Krishnan, Chief Marketing Officer, SASKEN, describing himself as a "marketing guy who migrated from electronics and communication engineering" said: "Often, where you start is not where you end." Speaking of the Information Technology sector, he said that it has grown in importance over the last 25 years, and is poised to account for five per cent of India's gross domestic produce. "When I first joined the field in 1980, there was one telephone for a thousand people. Now there are 160 million cell phone users alone, and India will soon be the second largest cell phone user after China."

A.C. Ashok, Registrar (Academic) M.S. Ramaiah Medical College and Deputy Director, Testing, COMED-K, spoke of the opportunities within the health sector, which he said "should be chosen as a service and not for the pay cheque". He spoke of the several opportunities within the sector, including teaching and clinical research. Allied fields such as pharmacology, anaesthesia technology and radiation therapy are also career options for students looking at careers in the sector, he said.

Syed Jamal, Administrative Officer-CET Cell said that seat selection would begin on May 30. Answering questions posed by students and parents, he clarified that documents needed included a caste and income certificate. He added that even if the pre-university marks cards have not been issued, students could get a statement of marks from the college principal or download it from the Internet.

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