Rangoli Competition at Govt. Arts & Commerce College, Ahwa Dangs

Fun Fair - Govt. High School Ahwa Dang

A Cultural Program - Ahwa Dangs

14 th December 2013

Run for Unity - Ahwa Dangs, Gujarat (15 th December 2013)

The Crisis of English Education in Government Colleges of Gujarat

I attended a meeting at Govt. Science College Chikhli, Dist Navsari on 25^th October 2013. The meeting was called for discussing the issues related to the gap in English subject at higher education due to the lack of the professors of English in government colleges of Gujarat state. 

There are 19 government colleges in South Gujarat affiliated to VNSGU Surat and sad to say that there are only 3 GPSC Asst. Professors of English working currently in the entire South Gujarat zone; one is Dr. Pratibha Sharma (Govt. Science College, Chikhli), Shri Ravikant Solanki (Govt. Arts College, Vankal) and Shri Rakesh Patel (Govt. Arts & Commerce College, Ahwa-Dangs). This gap of professors can be filled up by a series of lectures in English that is going to be telecast through the SANDHAN (BISAG) facilities. I hope that the students of English literature will benefit from such vision of KCG and SANDHAN.

Thank You All!

You must be wondering why I thank all...There's nothing to get surprised! We must thank all for the support we get by any means. I would like to thank my friend, colleague (and a member of DELL Lab) Shree N.M. Mahakal for his support. I would also like to thank BSNL Ahwa for their prompt response regarding checking the Internet/Intranet facilities required in DELL Lab. Now, the internet is working. I hope that my students will benefit from the Lab and the internet facilities provided here.

Digital Learning - Using ICT in Education

In the age of technology and media we can't afford to be left behind. In the field of education also there is a need of incorporating the use of technology and media. It is often said that audio-visual (multimedia) is more effective than black-board and chalk-duster. The use of ICT in education is the demand of the time.

To facilitate the students of Gujarat state to use technology and digital learning, the Govt. of Guj arat introduced DELL Lab (Digital Education and Learning Lab) in most of the colleges in the state around 2007-08. But unfortunately, partly due to the ill-maintained Lab and party due to the lack of Professors/Asst. Professors of English most  DELL Labs have not been working properly.The same condition I came across in my college.

The moment I took the charge of DELL Lab, after just getting appointed as Asst. Professor (English) in January 2013, I could not pay heed to it because of the examinations. I could not approach the students nor could I motivate them to benefit from DELL Lab. Then there was vacation and after reopening of the term, I was again busy with admission process. Due to the lack of admin staff we have to shoulder the responsibility of entire admission process. After admissions got over, I was busy interacting (teaching) with the students. When I got time, I found some limitations in the Lab.

Due to the gap of 2-3 years (the lack of professors of English) the computers were badly maintained and I had to face lots of troubles. However, I'm not disheartened. I took the entire thing positively. I encouraged the students of BA and Bcom students to benefit from using technology and the availability of DELL Lab in the college.

Now, I've started the DELL Lab. Around 20 students have been visiting the Lab regularly. They are interested in digital learning and the courses available over the internet for free. For that, I've started familiarizing the students with the basics of computers and how to use internet for getting study related information. The students seem to be interested in learning English for free over the internet. So, I suggested them the bbc.co.uk website where students can learn English and alison.com for learning free courses. It means that the students are on their way to get benefits of the Lab. Now, lets see how they proceed!

How Much Burden Can You Bear?

There is a limit beyond which we can't perform well. When we reach that limit we get exhausted and it makes a sign that we should leave the rest to be done when we regain the strength. Moreover, there is a time limit also. Now, the question arises as to how much work burden we can bear....

The present college where I shoulder the responsibilities are worth to mention. In the college Special English is offered and the requirement of running the B.A. and B.COM  program involves having 3 posts (mahekam) of Asst. Professor. It means that I have to handle the work of Three! Apart from taking classes in B.A (Main as welll Comp.) and B.COM I have to shoulder the responsibility of DELL (Digital Education & Learning Lab). (In most government colleges the DELL labs are horribly maintained and in such  condition, when we are given the charge of the lab, it becomes a headache to work.) Moreover, other official works which involve preparing informations (and correspondance) are expected to be done by me as I'm computer savvy and  In such situation I hardly think of carrying out my creative as well as research activities.

I don't complain that I have to work a lot but my point is this when we fail to devote time (due to time limitation) we are not spared. Instead of encouraging us we held responsible for not completing the task. But the real thing is we need to be encouraged and the highest authority of the college needs to stand by our side when needed.

Examinations Come and Go...Who Cares?

      I still remember my schooling days when we took exams as something "special". I did my schooling in a primary school in my village but the lessons we learnt are still relevant and useful in real sense of the term. We were thrilled to the concept of examinations. We used to start preparation for it - buying new pairs of clothes, studying together with friends...What a wonderful experience of exam it was!

    Now, there is no seriousness as far as examinations are concerned. For the students of today, examinations "come and go, who cares?" and this pinches me a lot. I firmly believe that the standard of the education today is much lower than the past. My grandfather, who studied till 4th standard, is good at reading titles in English language and speaks figures in English. But the generation of today seems to be poor compared to the older one as far as the education is concerned. 

     I've started checking question papers of the internal exam which started from yesterday. I'm greatly disappointed to say that the majority of the students are careless and lazy. The way they attempt to write answers shows that they do not have seriousness for the exam. The students of English literature make grammatical errors and spelling errors. Moreover, they lack content power. It seems that they are never serious from the beginning when they joined the college. I don't blame them or their school teachers for their poor performance in English language. What is lacking is their strong determination to improve their English and reading. 

      If the efforts are put in the right direction, targets can be achieved. this is true with the examinations. If the preparations are done systematically, keeping in mind the instructions given by the professors, students can perform well in the examinations. But who cares???

Its Exam Time!

The internal exam has started from today. The students do bunk the classes but this is the time when we come to see a complete strength of the students. Like frogs some students appear during the season of exam!

             (The students are busy looking at their seating arrangements displayed at the notice-board.)

 

(Dr. K.A. Bhoye giving important instructions regarding the exam...)

                                                      (A pin-drop silence in the exam hall!)

My College - At A Glance!

     Govt. Arts & Commerce College was established in 1983. The college began with commerce faulty with 7 students only. Then faculty of Arts started in 1985. It got 2(F) & 12 (B) affiliation in 2006. Now more than 800 students are studying in the college. 

       The students are from tribal area. Outside the classroom, I hear them conversing in their "Dangi" dialect. They are not exposed to such environment from their schooling days and therefore, their English is sadly poor. It becomes a really tough task for me to teach them English Literature. However, I strive hard to make them understand what I teach...

Welcome to my blog!

When I joined the Govt. Arts & Commerce College, Ahwa-Dangs on 11th Jan, 2013 (as Asst. Professor, GES, Class-II), I thought to keep a record of my experiences in Ahwa. The time lapsed in such a way that I could not utilize it for writing. Now, I have determined to write. I would like to share my happy as well as bitter moments I experience in Ahwa. Anyways, keep in touch. Thanks for your visit!!!