Walk With a Scholar Programme
Mr. Manikandan
Coordinator, WWS
Goal:
Provide necessary orientation to the students to prepare for employment.Walk With a Scholar (WWS) scheme proposes to arrange specialized mentoring programs for students in Under Graduate Programs and to provide guidance for their future. The scheme introduces the idea of mentoring and builds on the concept of mentor as a ‘Guide’ and ‘Friend’. The primary objective of mentoring is to provide the aspirant some customized activities that would enhance their learning experience and employability skills. As it requires some training built on the foundations of knowledge, mentoring aims at providing that strong foundation in certain skills, attitudes and competencies and thereby making them equipped for better careers and life more meaningful.
The Context
The mentoring scheme for students will be purely voluntary in nature. It will be open for all students entering the first year of the Under Graduate Programme of Study. The Scheme aims at giving necessary orientation to needy students, to prepare them for employment and to give them necessary guidance, motivation and mental support, to identify appropriate areas for higher study as well as for employment. The mentoring scheme should be planned in such a way as to identify the opportunities available for the scholars, the areas suitable for them, the manner in which the scholar should proceed before them and evolve ways by which they can be acquired.
The Practice
(i) The College Council should identify a College level Coordinator for the WWS Scheme from the faculty of the college. Preference shall be given to those faculty who have worked as placement officers or coordinators of career guidance unit in the college
(ii) The scheme should be discussed by the College Council and amongst the faculty members.
(iii) The College Council should act as a Monitoring Committee for the implementation of the Programme and the Coordinator should function in consultation with the Principal and the College Council
Student Selection:
(i) Students (Scholars) of first year Degree Programme alone are to be included in the Scheme
(ii) The students of First Year UG Programme should be made aware of the Programme, for which, a meeting of the first year UG students may be convened at the college level and the scheme and objective shall be explained to them.
(iii) Applications should be invited from willing candidates for enrolment.
(iv) Students selected for the Programme should have secured at least 60% marks at the Higher Secondary/Plus Two level. This stipulation of minimum marks is not applicable for SC/ST students.
(v) The number of students identified under WWS Scheme, should not exceed 30.
(vi) If the number of applicants exceeds 30, the College council should evolve a method of selecting the required number of students so that the neediest students and those genuinely interested in the scheme alone are selected.
Identification of Mentors:
(i) For the purpose of mentoring, two categories of mentors are to be identified. One will be ‘Internal Mentor’ and the second will be ‘External Mentor’.
(ii) The Internal mentor has to be a faculty from the Institution in which the student (Scholar) is studying. They should be persons who are able to do mentoring and support the scholars and act as a Guide, in building their career.
(iii) Each Internal Mentor will be in charge of 6 students. So an institution admitting 30 students in the WWS Scheme must identify 5 Internal Mentors.
(iv) External Mentors have to be identified from persons working in Industry, as well as from Professions like Engineering, Medicine, Architecture, Law, Hospitality, Media, Business, Teaching, Administration or from any filed as found necessary according to the local needs of the Institution/students. External Mentors can be persons working in the State and Central Public sector. Reputed persons from Private sector may also be identified as External mentors. Proven expertise and merit must be the criterion for identifying External Mentors. Consent of the person must be ensured before including a person as an External Mentor. External Mentors can be identified by the institution locally or they can be identified from the list that will be made available by the Higher Education Department/Collegiate Education department. Each ‘External Mentor’ will be in charge of 5 students. Hence a total of 6 ‘External Mentors’ will have to be identified by each institution The list of ‘External Mentors’ identified by one institution may be made available to the Higher Education Department/Directorate of Collegiate Education and also to other Government Colleges if required, so that their services and expertise are made available to larger number of Scholars, under the scheme.
Implementing the Scheme:
Students selected under the Programme will be paired to two mentors. An Internal Mentor and an External Mentor. As far as possible, women external mentors should be allotted to girl scholars.
A college should identify 100 hours in an academic year (20 hours per Internal Mentor for 5 Mentors) A college should identify 30 hours (5 sessions (hours) per External mentor.
Evidence of Success
All the mentors has performed their role profoundly well and were highly beneficial and appreciated by the mentees. The mentees have got an opportunity to gain wisdom from someone who had travelled the path before them. The sessions have given them not only the means but also the wherewithal to lead a meaningful life. The most significant observation in this regard is that none of the mentees has been absent even for a single session of mentoring. The enthusiasm and interest shown by them has inspired the mentors as well. The programme has enabled the mentees to create a positive attitude in their thoughts and behaviour.
