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Time of India
4 days ago
- General
- Time of India
BA English: To Be or Not to Be?
There was a time when a BA English literature course was the pathway to mastering the language and exposure to Western culture, which consequently provided access to govt jobs, the civil service, and positions of influence. From the 1970s, when graduation became mainstream, the course started getting a bad reputation for being a bridge between school and marriage for girls with no intentions of a career, and for being the last option for those who couldn't find admissions in the popular courses. Even the poster boy of English language and literature, Shashi Tharoor, went for a BA in History in the 1970s, not English. Cut to 2025, and 13 arts and science colleges under the University of Madras have opted to drop the course for the 2025-26 academic year, citing "poor enrolment". Sources say enrolment for the course at these colleges was in single digits in the past two years against the sanctioned strength of 70 seats. In 2024-25, the university bodies, including the Syndicate and the Senate, gave approval to six colleges to withdraw the course. The move doesn't come as a surprise, say professors, adding that enrolment has been dwindling for more than a decade now as students with English degrees are seen as having "limited career options". by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Todos os idosos deveriam ter um desse no banheiro! Veja só! Evite quedas e escorregões Saiba Mais Undo With no recruitment for govt colleges and schools in the past few years, most end up joining private schools and colleges as faculty where pay is poor. Though top colleges in major cities in the country still get a section of good students, post-Covid, there's been a disinterest in anything which requires one to read and focus for long hours, and parents and students look for ROI or 'Return on Investment' if they're paying donations, say teachers. Also, "students of both genders now look for courses that guarantee job options with plum pay packages", which a traditional BA English course doesn't offer, says R Raman, Principal of Madras Presidency College. Professors from mofussil areas say many students are intimidated by the English language, which is also a reason for them not selecting the course. At the same time, data on govt college admissions in the state reveals that BA English remains one of the top five courses as 1.68 lakh of 1.87 lakh applicants gave the course as one of their options this year. Principals say the numbers may be because the fee is lower in the govt colleges and so students "don't mind" doing English as they are not spending much. But several private colleges and new-age universities too are in a conundrum. Depending on the number of applicants, the management makes a decision on what courses to include, and there is little demand for English literature as a canonical subject, says a staff member who doesn't wish to be named. "There is a trend of reformulating courses aligned towards technology, such as digital humanities. Also, it's more about how literature can be used to study contemporary society. For example, how health is represented in literature." A handful of colleges in Chennai, such as Women's Christian College (WCC), Ethiraj, and Stella Maris, have been constantly reinventing the course to make it relevant enough to draw in applicants. "Students today are not into reading, and certainly not keen on the old tomes. Right from the 1980s, skill-based elements were added to our traditional BA English course," says Lillian Jasper, Principal of WCC. "The course has advertising, a bit of journalism and travel writing; and the social element pervades all the subjects. " So they have a social history of English literature, besides contemporary Tamil literature in translation. Eco-literature is also popular among the new additions of the past decade. "We often screen environmental documentaries and take students on field trips; it's not just classroom teaching," says Lillian. There is also a distinct shift from canonical British texts to the literature of the colonies as well as that of America, which are among the reasons English is one of the most sought-after courses at WCC. Even at the prestigious St Stephen's College, New Delhi, they don't teach Shakespeare as such, but unconventional or Indian adaptations of it, says Ashley N P, Professor at the college which still has a strong traditional BA English literature course. "It's the age of AI where the need is to teach how to give the right prompts to ChatGPT, not how to write. One of the exercises I give my students is to find what's wrong in a ChatGPT result," says Ashley. Besides teaching and research, the modified courses open up creative and content-related career avenues such as content writing for NGOs, research organisations, and digital spaces; copywriting for advertising firms, human resource management, public administration, and translation, besides journalism. Above all, you cannot quantify liberal arts courses on "what you can get out of it", which is how every course is being sold today, says Ashley. "Even in foreign universities, there is a tendency to advertise 'takeaways' like in a sales pitch, which doesn't fit into the liberal arts structure." There is this 'MBAfication' and 'vocationalisation' of all the courses, but in the age of AI, ChatGPT can always make better PPTs than you, he says. "We don't teach Shakespeare or Amitav Ghosh, but how to read them, how to read history and culture. You can't hurry it, you develop critical thinking skills slowly by constant interactions with peers, teachers, authors, listening to countless seminars and collecting information from other sources. " A degree in literature, or any field in humanities, can foster a culture of critical thinking and the ability to question the existing social structures, says Sreelakshmi N Sreejith, a third-year student of International Relations at the Shiv Nadar Institute of Eminence, New Delhi. Universities have accumulated knowledge over the years and knee-jerk reactions like randomly picking courses which sound new-age will do more harm than good, he feels. "Rethinking a discipline doesn't mean abandoning it, but looking at it differently. Without a sense of history, the new-age courses don't make sense. What we need is a serious study of the state of higher education in India." (With inputs by A Ragu Raman) Email your feedback with name and address to
Time of India
5 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
Three in city among 5 most preferred govt colleges in TN
Chennai: Presidency College, Govt Arts College, Nandanam, and Dr Ambedkar Govt Arts College, Vyasarpadi, were among the five most preferred govt colleges in the state this year. Presidency College received 40,167 applications for 2,380 seats, while Nandanam College received 29,376 applications. Ambedkar College received 29,275 applications. Among the courses, BSc computer science received the most applications, followed by BA Tamil, BCom, BA English, BBA, BSc chemistry, and BA economics this year. According to data provided by the directorate of collegiate education, there are 1,26,465 seats in 179 govt arts and science colleges this year. So far, 1,87,310 applications have been received through the Tamil Nadu Govt Arts and Science Colleges Admissions portal. While most arts and science colleges receive fewer applications for basic sciences, Presidency College received the highest number of applications this year for BSc chemistry. "We received more than 20,000 applications for BSc chemistry this year. BA courses, including economics, historical studies, and political science, also received more applications," said R Raman, principal of Presidency College. The college doubled its intake this year by starting the second shift and increasing intake in a few branches. The college also launched BSc computer science for the first time this year. In Govt Arts College, Nandanam, of 29,376 applications 12,211 were girls. "We started enrolling girls in all UG programmes only last year. The number of applications from girls shows an overwhelming response. We will allot a minimum of 30% of seats to girls in all courses this year," said C Jothi Venkateswaran, principal of Govt Arts College, Nandanam. Queen Mary's College, another famous govt college from the city, also received 23,018 applications received for 2,038 seats. Officials said the registration is still ongoing, and they expect more applications in further phases. Last year, more than two lakh applications were received for govt college admissions. According to the admission schedule, counselling will begin on June 2 for special category students and will continue until June 14. The classes for second- and third-year students will begin on June 16, while the classes for first-year students will begin on June 30.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Larger budget, more projects under Namakku Naame scheme
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu govt has increased the yearly allocations for Namakku Naame Thittam from 100 crore last year to 150 crore this a GO issued by the rural development department, the list of permissible work has been expanded to include construction of smart classrooms, school labs, sports courts, indoor auditoriums, kitchen-cum-dining halls, gasifiers at crematoria, and energy-efficient lighting in public infrastructure such as roads, culverts, bridges, parks, and waste management facilities are also eligible. Residents must fund at least one-third of the project cost in urban and rural areas, whereas in SC/ST habitations, they can provide one-fifth of the project cost, while the remaining will be borne by the with 50% or higher public contribution can be executed directly by the contributors. District collectors will screen proposals, approve works, and oversee implementation. "However, commercial, religious, and private benefit projects remain ineligible," said an official with the rural development the 2025-26 financial year, 74% of the funds will go to districts based on population, 25% for special projects, and 1% for awareness scheme was launched to promote citizen partnership in crucial civic infrastructure work. In cities such as Chennai, it lost steam as residents who took up projects spending more than 50% of the cost did not get the remaining funds from the local body. "We restored roadside parks under the scheme, spending more than 50%, and we entirely paid the contractor. However, the funds didn't reach us. The govt has to increase the funds for the scheme," said R Raman, an Ambattur resident. In some districts, the scheme was successful. At Alagappa College of Engineering in Sivaganga district, the institution's alumni used the scheme to spend 50 lakh to renovate their college. The govt gave the rest.
