Mahadevan International Centre for Water Resources Management
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Mahadevan International Centre for Water Resources Management |
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Refresher course for earth science teachers, Hyderabad, Nov. 3-15, 2003Consensus of the Roundtable Discussion on “Natural Resources Management, Geoscience instruction and Jobs”, JNTU, Hyderabad, 1400 – 1640 hrs., Nov. 3 (MO)
[Report on the Refresher Course for earth science teachers Focal Theme: Natural Resources Management, Environment and Employment, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Kukatpally campus, Hyderabad, India] 1. The Roundtable Discussion was moderated by Prof. Arun Nigavekar, Chairman, University Grants Commission, and New Delhi. There were presentations from Professors U. Aswathanarayana (Mahadevan Centre; Course Coordinator), K.V. Subbarao (IIT, Mumbai), and V.S. Kale (Poona Univ.wwwwww), R. Shankar (Mangalore Univ.), B.L. Deekshatulu (Univ. of Hyderabad), Y. Anjaneyulu (JNTU), C. Srikantappa (Mysore Univ.), etc. The Discussion was based on the Quo vadis note, and the list of issues of concern, which were circulated to the discussants in advance. Prof. S.K. Tandon (Delhi Univ.) who was unable to attend, communicated his concurrence with the ethos of the Quo vadis note. While accepting the need for the reorientation of geoscience instruction, the Chairman observed that the exploration of new paradigms for the purpose should come from within the system. Hence this note. 2. Economic development in India has to be knowledge-driven and job-led. A practical way to make geoscience instruction employment-generating, relevant to the needs of the country, modern, flexible, affordable and of good quality, is to make it end-use oriented (rather than subject discipline oriented), and broad-based. The end-use orientation can be achieved by designing course ensembles built around potential job clusters. The broad-basing has a number of dimensions, such as, inputs in fundamentals of physics, chemistry, mathematics and life sciences, integration of geology, geophysics, geochemistry and geobiology, and linkage with cognate subjects, such as pedology, meteorology, land-use, oceanography, etc. The key words are synenergy and flexibility. 3. The assistance of UGC is sought to sponsor the following activities for implementing the proposed paradigm shift: 3.1 Identify broad-spectrum geoscience jobs (say, 30 - 50) based on the existing and emerging technologies, social, environmental and industrial requirements (e.g. drinking water, Integrated wasteland management, beneficial use of mine tailings and effluents, soil health), and also those that are needed to maintain India’s global position in cutting-edge sciences and technologies (e.g. Space science, exploration for hydrocarbons on the seabed, geotechniques). Experience shows that the candidates who have skills in Remote Sensing, GIS and GPS, and computers have the least difficulty to get jobs. Hence all geoscience instruction should include these skills in their framework, as there is a demand for them. 3.2 Design about 100 course ensembles (several of which may be multi-disciplinary and may have to be given by more than one teacher; they may be PC based and linked to Internet) for the above jobs. Some courses may be planned at two levels – undergraduate and post-graduate. Preparation of course instruction materials, student grading and examination procedures in tune with the new approaches. 3.3 Design possible curricular structures (say, a four-year Resource engineering course, a two-year M.Sc. course in Natural Resources Management, Certificate / short term courses to impart special skills such as Remote Sensing and GIS, Evening courses and Distance education, etc.). Synergy is promoted through the linking of geoscience with other cognate subjects. Thus, the School of Earth and Space Sciences (which incidentally will have access to Rs. 22 crore Super-computing facility) that the University of Hyderabad is instituting is a most welcome step. Based on the same criteria, UGC is urged to include earth sciences in the proposed National Institute of Sciences in Chennai, Bhubaneswar, Allahabad and Pune – the courses offered in the new institutions could take advantage of the synenergy approach. That the recently instituted M.Sc. course in Natural Resources Management offered by the Mysore University, succeeded in attracting a significant number of students, is an indication of the viability of the proposed approach. Participatory learning of science at the high school level is best facilitated based on local environments (waters, soils, minerals and biota). This may not be formally called geology, but there is little doubt that geology graduates would be most suitable to teach such a subject. Also, short-term courses may be designed to acquaint the administrators with ecologically sustainable, economically viable and people-participatory ways of management of natural resources (e.g. drinking water, soil moisture and irrigation management, etc.) to enable them to take informed decisions. There should be institutional mechanisms for creating new courses or modifying the already existing courses, depending upon the market demands and societal needs. 3.4 From the “smorgasbord” of courses, a geoscience department may choose appropriate course ensembles and specializations, and course structures (subject to satisfying the prescribed total course credits) to suit their academic and financial, resources, and biophysical and socio-economic situations. It is envisaged that there would be at least three kinds of course clusters (IITs and some well-equipped universities; medium universities; smaller departments which could still survive by specialising in some key areas, such as coastal resources, or agricultural geology). Those undergraduate departments of geology, which have only one or two teachers and are sub-viable, should be either merged to constitute viable units capable of offering instruction in employable knowledge and skills, or abolished as their continuance serves no useful purpose. 3.5 It has been found that even though some universities have departments of geology, geophysics, meteorology, etc., the coordination among them leaves much to be desired. UGC may design a mechanism (such as, advising the university concerned to appoint a Coordinator for these departments) to facilitate the offering of the multi-disciplinary courses by the departments jointly. 3.6 The need for the geoscience courses to have strong linkages with industry cannot be overstated. Experts from the industry should be persuaded to give short-term courses in the universities, which could be made use of a number of universities in a region. The central and state ministries of Water Resources, Environment, Agriculture, Mines and Geology, etc. as well as industries, should sponsor carefully-selected candidates to study sort-term courses or M.Sc. in Natural Resources Management, with ear-marked specializations in selected universities. This way the sponsoring organizations could assure themselves of the steady supply of well-qualified candidates from among which they could make their choice. The syllabus for all competitive examinations involving geosciences (e.g. CSIR/UGC fellowships, Geologists’ Examination, UPSC and PSCs tests, etc.) should reflect the proposed orientation. 4 It would take a lot of planning and hard work during the next 3 – 5 years to bring about the envisaged paradigm shift. It is not a question of whether we could afford to do this, but whether we can afford not to do this. U.Aswathanarayana Course Director [Report on the Refresher Course for earth science teachers Focal Theme: Natural Resources Management, Environment and Employment, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Kukatpally campus, Hyderabad, India] [Top of the page] |
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