Madurai: Students urged to go for career guidance, counselling

MADURAI: The school education department and counsellors have called upon students not to hesitate in seeking career guidance and counselling to get rid of dilemmas and confusion in the context of the recent announcement of NEET results and the ongoing engineering counselling.
“I have scored just above 300 marks in NEET which is not a great score. But I’m not sure if I should repeat the exam again.My teachers suggested that I try for paramedical courses without waiting another year. It is a tough call,” said J Vignesh, an MBBS aspirant. In Madurai, around 100 students took part in the three-day counselling camps held from September 7 for those who completed Class XII and gave competitive exams, organized by the school education department.
“Many students who were unsure or had doubts about their future career options approached the counsellors. Under ‘Naan Mudhalvan’ scheme, efforts are being taken by the department to make students aware of different career options. Teachers of government school students have also been provided training in career guidance so that they can reach out to students,” said an official. The official website of ‘Naan Mudhalvan’ scheme at https://naanmudhalvan.tnschools.gov.in/home can also be accessed to get information on competitive entrance exams and higher education courses available in different institutions across the country. Students are also urged to make use of the helpline numbers 14417 and 104 to get counselling.
Career counsellors said students who approach them mainly study in Class IX - Class XII. “Ideally, all students should get an idea of what their future career can be while they are still in school. Many students are not exposed to that many different career options. Some parents are also rigid in their opinions. More awareness and acceptance is needed about career counselling,” said Ishwarya Ramachandran, a career counselor in Madurai who runs a private counselling centre.