Internship for undergraduate students, mandatory under NEP, remains a challenge for West Bengal colleges
Colleges in West Bengal are struggling to meet a new requirement under the recently implemented National Education Policy (NEP), which is mandatory internship to be undertaken by all students in order to get a degree.
As the policy, implemented in 2023, a student can exit college at any time — after a year, two years, or after finishing the full course — but not without doing an internship. This is turning out to be a challenge for colleges with many practical problems cropping up.
'While the NEP document makes the internship sound like an exciting world of opportunities, including interning with a farmer or a shopkeeper to get hands on training, many practical problems are raising their heads. What can be the relevant fields for a student of literature to intern in? Are they just the traditional fields such as teaching or journalism, or can content creation also become a field to intern in? Our colleges and universities do not have the resources to place all their students as interns, and some organisations are even charging money from the interns, instead of paying them,' Samata Biswas, professor of English at the Sanskrit College and University, said.
Also read | Budget 2024: Internship scheme with ₹5,000 monthly allowance announced for one crore youth
Some colleges are being optimistic about it. Jaydeep Sarangi, principal of Kolkata's New Alipore College, said: 'Earlier, classroom teaching was all. Now, training, certificate courses, internships and placement drives are equally important. In our college, for example, students are trained to prepare soap, phenol, sanitizer, floor cleaners, etc. as part of their internship so that they can stand on their own feet. We train students to go for start-ups as government jobs are limited.'
Gour Mohan Sachin Mandal Mahavidyalaya, located in a village outside Kolkata, has tied up with a firm that will train students in IT and get them certificates from Infosys Foundation. 'Finding internship opportunities for a large number of students was a problem, particularly in a rural college like ours. Only when online internship was approved by the affiliating university (University of Calcutta, in their case), we could find a way out. We signed an MoU with an organisation for providing 80 hours of internship in blended mode in IT that will earn them certificates from Infosys Foundation. Classes have begun for the course,' said an associate professor at the college.
Dr. Biswas of Sanskrit College and University added: 'The internship sounds like an exciting idea on paper, but only colleges and universities with a lot of money (essentially private ones) can implement it effectively. We haven't even begun. Because we aren't offering multiple exits, we still have a semester to get it right. We will place them with organisations that we know.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Stock market next week: Global trends, inflation data, and FII flow to drive market sentiments: Analysts
NEW DELHI: Market sentiment this week will be shaped by global trends, key inflation data, and foreign investor activity. Investors will also keep a close watch on monsoon progress and updates on international trade talks, according to market experts. "Going forward, market participants will focus on key macroeconomic data for further cues. High-frequency indicators such as CPI inflation will be closely tracked to gauge demand trends and the central bank's next steps,"Ajit Mishra, SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd told news agency PTI. "Additionally, the progress of monsoon and sowing patterns will be monitored due to their implications for rural consumption," Mishra noted. Global trade discussions and US bond yield fluctuations will remain significant factors influencing market sentiment, he added. The benchmark indices witnessed substantial gains on Friday, with rate-sensitive sectors leading the rally following RBI's substantial 50 basis points rate reduction. The BSE Sensex concluded at 82,188.99, rising by 746.95 points or 0.92%, while NSE Nifty surpassed 25,000, finishing at 25,003.05, up by 252.15 points or 1.02%. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Secure Your Child's Future with Strong English Fluency Planet Spark Learn More Undo The previous week saw BSE benchmark gaining 737.98 points or 0.90%, whilst Nifty advanced 252.35 points or 1%. "We expect Indian markets to witness a gradual up-move, supported by positive sentiment following higher-than-anticipated rate cut by the RBI and optimism surrounding a potential US-India trade agreement with officials from both sides meeting in New Delhi to finalise the first phase of the proposed deal," Siddhartha Khemka, Head, Research, Wealth Management, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd, said. "Meanwhile, global headwinds, including unexpected shifts in US tariffs and ongoing geopolitical tensions, may induce volatility," he added. The aggressive RBI rate cut, backed by cooling inflation and a steady GDP outlook, is likely to support investor confidence amidst the ongoing global uncertainties, noted Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Ltd. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Delhi govt begins teacher recruitment for 75 CM Shri schools; Interface process starts June 11
T he Delhi government has officially launched a recruitment drive to appoint teachers for 75 CM Shri schools, a major education initiative announced in the Delhi Budget 2025–26. According to a circular issued by the Directorate of Education (DoE), these schools are expected to become operational within a year, with the recruitment process now underway through a special interface mechanism. Application open for government teachers The circular invites existing Delhi government school teachers to apply for voluntary transfers to the new CM Shri institutions. Applications are open for various teaching roles, including: Primary Teachers (PRTs) Trained Graduate Teachers (TGTs) Postgraduate Teachers (PGTs) Miscellaneous subject teachers Eligible teachers must have a minimum of five years of service remaining until retirement. The last date to submit applications is June 9, 2025, by 11:59 pm, and submissions must be sent via email only. Interface sessions on June 11 and 12 As per the schedule, interface sessions will be held to assess candidates: June 11, 2025 – For PRTs and TGTs June 12, 2025 – For PGTs and miscellaneous teachers Each session will commence at 10:00 AM. These interactions are expected to help the department select educators aligned with the pedagogical goals of the CM Shri model. CM Shri Schools: A Delhi budget 2025–26 initiative The CM Shri schools were first introduced in the 2025–26 state budget, with an allocation of ₹100 crore for their establishment. The project takes inspiration from the central government's PM Shri schools and aims to align closely with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2023. Is your child ready for the careers of tomorrow? Enroll now and take advantage of our early bird offer! Spaces are limited.
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Time of India
China leaders take reins at TikTok Shop in US as sales miss goal
ByteDance Ltd., TikTok 's parent company, has been replacing US-hired staff near Seattle with leaders connected to China, aiming to replicate its e-commerce success in Asia after sales fell short in America. TikTok Shop initially set a goal to increase its US e-commerce business tenfold last year to $17.5 billion in transaction volume, but the company had to drastically lower that goal, according to people familiar with the plan who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly. TikTok established its Shop business in the Seattle area near Inc., the online retail giant it was aiming to displace. Meetings that used to be held in English are now often conducted in Mandarin and managers increasingly write in Chinese when communicating on Feishu, ByteDance's internal Slack-like app, with English-speaking staff forced to rely on the built-in translation function. More than 100 TikTok Shop employees in the US have been fired or have left amid confusion between leaders that has worsened the work environment, according to people familiar with the company. The cultural transition taking place in the company coincides with its fight for survival in the US — due mainly to the app's Chinese ties. A national security law passed by Congress last year requires TikTok's US business to be spun off from its Chinese parent company or it will face a ban. Lawmakers warned that TikTok's ties to China pose a threat to the safety and security of American users. President Donald Trump has twice delayed the ban — with legal assurances from his attorney general — and another deadline for divestiture looms later this month, though that might also be extended, Wall Street Journal has reported. ByteDance has said it doesn't intend to sell. The TikTok Shop near Seattle in February began requiring workers to be in the office five days a week for eight hours a day, according to a memo reviewed by Bloomberg. The change is in contrast to some other major tech companies that still offer flexible work schedules, and has been particularly burdensome for employees who often join late-night calls with colleagues in Asia after they leave the office, according to former employees. US-based staff require human resources and manager pre-approval to work from home. The changes were introduced after Bob Kang, China-based global head of TikTok's e-commerce division, visited the office in Bellevue, Washington, earlier this year and found there weren't enough staff pressent on a work day, according to multiple people who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. Increasing influence Increasing Chinese influence over TikTok's fastest-growing business may raise questions about its previous corporate promise to distance the US operation from China. After Trump initially tried to ban the app during his first term, the company announced a security plan dubbed 'Project Texas' and vowed to wall off the app's US data and operations from any Chinese oversight. TikTok Shop is the biggest source of revenue for the video-sharing app besides advertising, and it has become a major investment area for ByteDance. Adding full-scale commerce to its eye-catching content and popular influencers sets it apart from rivals like Instagram and YouTube. The company still aims to challenge Amazon in major markets. To better compete, TikTok Shop recruited aggressively near Seattle over the past three years, targeting people with experience at Amazon, according to a review of Linkedin profiles and people who worked at both companies. In some corners of TikTok's Bellevue office of roughly 1,000 employees, the workflow felt like a remix of previous Amazon teams, the people said. But since January, growing tension in the teams below Kang and Nico Le Bourgeois, who oversaw TikTok's e-commerce operations in the US, became a distraction for staff who were often unsure about whose orders to follow, the people said. TikTok's uncertain fate in the US also weighed on morale. The company carried out a round of layoffs in April. A second batch followed in May. In the first round, Le Bourgeois was demoted when Mu Qing, a Chinese executive from ByteDance's e-commerce platform Douyin moved to the Seattle area to run TikTok Shop in the US. After the second bout, Mu sent an internal message saying Le Bourgeois was leaving to pursue other opportunities, according to a copy of the message seen by Bloomberg. Those cuts were intended to improve TikTok's 'efficiency,' according to former employees, though it wasn't clear to staff what factors contributed to a worker's efficiency rating. More like Douyin With these changes, ByteDance leaders are bringing in people who are familiar with what worked for the company in China, where Douyin, its TikTok clone for the Chinese market, has evolved into a $490 billion shopping phenomenon. In addition to Mu, who was the head of Douyin's e-commerce, six other leaders with Chinese backgrounds were appointed in April, according to a different internal memo from Kang viewed by Bloomberg. One challenge is that habits of many American users trend toward passive TikTok scrolling as opposed to making purchases in the app. Some US sellers told Bloomberg that they have also been reluctant to invest in the platform, given the possible ban. The final tally for 2024 sales came in at around $9 billion, according to an estimate by Singapore-based consultancy Momentum Works, far below the internal goal of $17.5 billion in transaction volume. A TikTok spokesperson previously called the $17.5 billion internal goal 'inaccurate.' TikTok Shop's US struggles haven't halted the company's global shopping ambitions. ByteDance in 2021 rolled out e-commerce services in countries including Indonesia, Vietnam and the UK. In Southeast Asia, it's already the region's biggest shopping platform after Shopee, according to Momentum Works. Last year, TikTok Shop opened in five countries in Europe, including Germany and Spain. The Europe expansion was delayed because the company first prioritised US growth, Bloomberg reported. A TikTok spokesperson did not respond to an emailed request for comment for this story. This is a crucial month for TikTok in the US. The company will host merchants and creators in Los Angeles next week for a summit featuring some of the new leaders of the e-commerce unit. The current deadline for ByteDance to sell the TikTok's US operation is June 19 and there have been several interested suitors. The company came close to a possible spin-off in April to a consortium of investors that included Oracle Corp., but the deal was scuttled in part because of Trump's trade war with China. Meanwhile, the churn of e-commerce employment continues in the Seattle area. Current and former TikTok Shop employees told Bloomberg that they get hounded by recruiting messages from Temu , another Chinese e-commerce competitor.
