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No career counselling mechanism for KP students

By Sher Alam Shinwari 2014-05-25
ot a single educational institution in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has career counseling programme for own students.

Lately, a group of 12 motivated students from different colleges and universities of the province launched a campaign to create awareness among students of how to make the right career choice.

The team has so far carried out career counseling for 5,000 schoolchildren from various districts, including Peshawar.

`Since the start of this academic session, I have been thinking of making a change in career choice. I had opted for computer studies but now after undergoing a short training course, I have intended to switch over to biology.

I have no interest in biology,` Shahid Ali, a 9th grader, told Dawn.

A large number of young students don`t know the importance of the right career choice at school level from class 9 and 10.

Some follow careers suggested by parents, while others pursue vocations imposed on them by families. Still there are many, who lurk in the dark about what to do in future and why? After attending the class on career tips, Maliaka Khan, a student of 10th class, said: `Fve learnt that clarity of career is a must for every student. Earlier, I thought perhaps it`s the prerogative of parents to decide about the future plans of children but actually it is not the case.

It`s we, the students, who need to consider what career we should pursue.

The team comprising both male and female students has begun the said campaign under `Poha` (understanding), a not-for-profit non-governmental organisation, on voluntary basis.

Being unaware of the importance of the right career choice at the right time, most students end up directionless and thus, losing the supposed target in their life.

Shafiq Gigyani, president of the volunteer group, said the basic purpose of the campaign was to give some workable tips to schoolchildrenon how to make the right career choice in accordance with their interest, talents and prospective career productivity.

According to him, unfortunately, in most cases, the `so-called educated` parents impose careers of their choice on their children, while majority of people don`t know what a career is and why they are pursuing it.

`A wrong decision on career can make or break life of a student in addition to causing huge financial loss to parents,` he said.

The volunteer said to many people, career choice was no issue at all.

He said most people didn`t know the social benefit of the career they`re pursuing.

`First of all a young student should have interest or special penchant for a particular profession that could benefit from his/her talent and then comes the scope or prospect of their career goals. Our young students are in the pitched darkness about their future plans and therefore, they are unable to exploit their inter-est and talents,` Mr Gigyani said.

According to the team, a large number of doctors and engineers sit competitive examinations to become bureaucrats.

And the possible reason for it could be the inappropriate career choice at earlier stage.

Dr Syed Jamal, who recently qualified his MBBS examination at the Khyber Medical College, Peshawar, said the decision to study medicine was imposed on him by father.

`I showed to my family by securing high grades that I could do it but I never took interest in it. I am preparing for CSS examinations as I am not going to pursue it any longer,` he said.

Most parents have narrowed down the vision of their children by confining them to medical sciences and engineering and now to computer sciences. Young students are not exposed to a range of careers. Their interest and talents are also overlooked.

Some students make change in their career choice at a time when change or no change makes no or little difference.

Ms Afsheen Sardar, member of the volunteer team, said she and her colleagues counseled students on how and why they should make the right career choice.

She said even if some students excelled in a career which they had no interest in, they suffered in later stages of life with most of them remaining misfit in society due to wrong career choice.

`It is very essential to give some time to this very important decision (career choice) that have serious effects on your future. Some children react strongly if their choice is not taken care of,` Ms Sardar said.

According to experts, the results of wrong career choice are not only embarrassing for parents but also they cause disturbance for youths as they become deranged and lose interest in routine activities of life.

Mr Inayatullah, an education expert, opined that parents should not dream about their children`s future and instead, they should let children dream about future.

`Parents and teachers should facilitateyouths to decide about the right choice of career.

Imposing one`s wishes and desires on children is tantamount to not doing justice to them,` he said.

Ibrahim Khan, another member of the volunteer team, said every school should set up a career counselling programme in which a trained counsellor should guide young students on what, how and why to decide about their future.

He said the career counselling pmgramme should have a standard test for 9th and loth graders to know about their aptitude so that they could be guided on the right career.

`We focus on three As i.e. attention, ask and apply, and ask students to know three Fs i.e.

flight, fright and fight. If students give attention, ask questions and apply what they read in classroom, they can easily achieve the desired goals.

If they overcome the habit of `flight` to avoid hard work, `fright` to counter fear and learn to `fight` back challenges, our students could do wonders in life,` Mr Ibrahim insisted.