Rural girls game for home science

LUDHIANA: Despite a barrage of professional courses, Home Science, which had once lost sheen among students at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), seems to have caught the fancy of girls, particularly those residing in rural areas.
The fact came to light on Friday, as the stall set up by the College of Home Science at the Kisan Mela had 300 prospective students lined up to register themselves for the next session commencing July, 2010.
The college authorities had been trying hard to motivate visitors to join the course and their efforts bore fruit after 300 aspirants sought admission a year before they were to join the campus. Ecstatic on receiving the huge response, Dr Neelam Grewal, dean, College of Home Science said, "Home Science is not a mere subject. It's a holistic field which aims at improving the quality of life of families. It not only teaches nutrition, home management and child rearing skills but also empowers girls to become professional women or self-employed entrepreneurs."
Echoing a similar view, Dr Kanwaljeet Kaur, another scientist said, "We had decided to publicize the course amongst visitors for which we put up charts and even distributed pamphlets at the fair." He said they had earlier ordered the printing of just 500 pamphlets, but due to the growing interest of aspirants, they ordered for more.
"People from rural areas have shown keen interest in the course. We have registered more than 300 students." The college offers various undergraduate degree courses, including BSc (Hons) Home Science. It is a 4-year programme for candidates who have passed +2 in the science stream (medical/non-medical) or any combination of Arts with Home Science as a subject.
Keeping in view that rural areas did not provide adequate infrastructure and facilities to offer programmes at the +2 level, the college has started a 6-year programme in BSc (Hons) Home Science from 2008. The candidates are admitted after matriculation.