Teaching regains lost glory

RANCHI: The growing interest in junior research fellowship and lectureship reflects a marked change in the career choice of students. Teaching is fast emerging as the preferred choice for many at Ranchi University. Those pursuing postgraduation in different subjects, believe that teaching as a profession is regaining its lost glory.
According to Ajeet Sahay, the coordinator of National Eligibility Test (NET) at Ranchi University, teaching is slowly but surely gaining popularity as it offers a wide scope to students.With the educational institutes vying with each other for the best faculty, teaching as a profession has become more lucrtaive than ever before.
As a marked departure from earlier times, teachers are now being offered astronomical salaries. Apart from being a secure professional career, a teacher's job also entails shorter working hours and regular annual vacations.
"Each passing year sees an increase in the number of students appearing for the NET examinations. The number of candidates appearing for the December examinations is expected to go up by 20000," said Sahay.
Besides, there are more and better job opportunities for NET aspirants in the field of teaching as well as research. For students, the lure of the unprecedented hike in pay following the sixth pay commission two years back has played a key role in bringing back students to this profession.
Haradhan Kumar, who cracked the NET examination last year, said, "Qualifying NET makes students eligible for acquiring jobs across the nation. Teaching is a very comfortable profession with no stress or physical strains whatsoever."
NET aspirants too claim that teaching has always been a noble profession, Parnashree, a NET aspirant said, "Teaching being such a peaceful profession, I decided to opt for NET examination. It opens a wide arena for lectureship as well as research work."
Meanwhile, for the upcoming NET exam, Ranchi University has received 13,608 applications in all the subjects. The number of students who appeared for the exam last year was 13, 838.
However, Sahay added that the slight decrease in the number of registration for selecting university teachers, conducted by University Grants Commission (UGC) twice annualy(June and December), may be owing to the clash of two examinations that is scheduled to be held on June 30.
The two examinations are scheduled on the same day includes that of assistant station master (ASM) and UGC-NET examinations.