Orientation Camp @ IIITA Prayagraj, U.P. Bharat

Padmashri Prof. Manindra Agrawal

  Professor, IITK   

It is a paradigm shift when a student enters into a professional course after completion of school level study. With opportunities galore and diverse, it becomes highly difficult for this grown-up to find a suitable career path and also to fit himself/herself towards this path. In this regard, almost all the centrally funded technological institutes arrange for a short-term orientation program to cater to this need of new students. However, gradually these programs become mostly routine in nature and limited to highlighting the institutional affairs, e.g., infrastructure facilities, faculty members, dos and don'ts etc. There is little emphasis on motivating a teenager towards contributing substantially for his/her professional growth as a part of a countrywise and globally networked professional community. They also do not have any clear idea on the need of maintaining a sound mind and physique through their whole life to sustain against many odds and struggles that comes quite often before them. Overall, it is quite evident that these short-spanned orientation programs do not serve as a plaform for the future would-be technocrats to understand their instant condition-coordinate vis-a-vis the national and global position of successful technocrats/academicians including their contribution as well as humane/philanthropic side for global sustenance.

In this context, my kudos to Indian Institute of Information Technology - Allahabad to come up with the novel course titled "Orientation Camp" to bridge the gap described above. I strongly believe that this commendable effort will help enlighten the new teenager students about the true purpose of their career and life, and also, to help in reducing the demoralizing activities including the extreme such steps, like, suicide etc. I also strongly believe that this course will be the beacon of hope for realizing the concept of self-reliant India. Once demonstrably successful, the concept of this course would be copied by educational institutes of India and the entire world.

(Prof. Manindra Agrawal) IITK