Patricia Ann Alvares
PANJIM: Capping his distinctions at the recent HSSC examinations with another clear win at the Goa Common Entrance Test (GCET), Soniket Chorge will get to pursue his long-cherished degree in engineering. His tenth-standard brother Saresh seems keen to follow in his footsteps. They belong to the privileged class of students who have been able make their own choices, away from parental, peer or societal pressures. “Soniket is very sure about what he wants to do. Since both the boys are good in studies, we suggested they opt for some professional degree, but the ultimate choice is theirs,” maintains dad Satpal Chorge.
A review of the 5000-odd students aspiring to a professional degree course through the Goa Common Entrance Test (GCET), would indicate that pressures – parental, societal or peer – direct the choice of career. “There is a general trend towards engineering and medicine. Most girls aspire to do medicine and the boys engineering. And unfortunately many students who do not clear their GCET get depressed. If they do not get medicine then they opt for engineering, which are two diametrically opposite fields. And if they do not get either of these then they opt for others in order of preference like architecture, dentistry and so on. They are too young to make the right choice and quite often some of them are unable to cope with the pressure of these professional degrees, they neither like or want to do,” states Arina Frank, Professor (Microbiology), St Xavier College, Mapusa. She, however, exhorts students not to cut out other degrees as they are a stepping stone to a whole lot of other careers, be it in hospitality or sports. “Medicine and engineering are saturated and more importantly not everyone is cut out to be an engineer or a doctor,” she advises.
Observing the trends over the years, Director Vivek Kamat of the Directorate of Technical Education, believes that parental and peer pressure notwithstanding, an awareness of various career paths is enabling students as well as parents make more educated and conscious choices, rather than just following the herd instinct. “Around 5000-plus students answer the GCET exams out of which only 1500 qualify, but the remaining ones do have a wider career choice today say in computers, law, cost accounting and so on. For certain degrees like medicine there is a rush as there are only 150 seats. But if they do not qualify here, then they opt for other careers in order of preference,” he says.
Capitalising on the professional rush, various institutes/coaching classes, have been coaching students to qualify for the crucial yet difficult GCET exams. “Parental choices and the market scenario influence the choice of professional degree,” observes Alok R Rout, Assistant Branch Manager, Aakash Institute, Panjim, while affirming the rush for either engineering or medicine, with a larger percentage of boys opting for the former and girls for the latter.
