People generally view that pursuing a study in the discipline of ‘education’ will lead no where other than teaching in a school, college or a university. But for a prospective and visionary learner, this is only one amongst many other options. The ever increasing importance of the government on elementary, secondary and higher education;  the emphasis on vocational, technical and professional education; and the globalization and privatization of education; have opened a plenty of avenues for the education graduates in potential areas other than teaching, if they have an aptitude and will to work in those areas. Unlike in other professional courses in management, pharmacy or design, it seems that the graduates in education are neither aware nor do they keep their eyes open for jobs for which they are eligible beyond teaching. The author, in this write up, through his two decades of experience in the field  of education; enumerates the expanding scope for pursuing higher and specialized areas in education discipline and the kind of diverse career opportunities available for the graduates in this field. 

Studies in Education
There are various kinds of courses available at diploma, degree, post-graduate and specialized areas as: 

• Courses for teaching in pre-primary schools – Nursery Teacher Training (NTT),Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE).
• Courses for teaching in primary schools – Certified Teacher (CT), Diploma in Education (D.Ed.), Junior Basic Training (JBT), Elementary Teacher Training (ETT), Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.), Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.El.Ed.).
• Courses for teaching in secondary and senior secondary schools – Bachelor of Education (B.Ed), BA B.Ed. (integrated), B.Sc. B.Ed. (integrated), Master of Education (M.Ed.).
• Courses for teaching in General Colleges/Teacher Education Colleges/District Institute of Education and Training – Master of Education (M.Ed.), M.A. (Education); holding M.Phil / Ph.D degree or NET in Education will provide added advantage. 
• Courses in specialized field – B.Ed. (Special Education), M.Ed. (Special Education), M.A. (Adult Education), M.Ed. (Educational Technology), M.Ed. (Guidance & Counseling), MBA - Educational Management; can help a candidate to work in a specialized field/organization.
• Courses as International Programs – International Diploma in Guidance & Counseling (NCERT, New Delhi), International Diploma in Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA, New Delhi). 
• Courses through distance mode – B.Ed. (IGNOU & some state universities), B.Ed. - special education (IGNOU, MP Bhoj Open Univ.), M.Ed. (IGNOU & some state universities); Certificate in Guidance, Diploma in Higher Education, M.A. (Distance Education), Post-graduate Diploma in Distance Education, Master of Education (IGNOU).

Job Prospects in EducationDepending upon the type and level of training and one’s will, a job seeker with a degree in education has the opportunity to look for any option like the following:

Teaching in schools - as teacher in primary, secondary, sr. secondary; or para-teacher in an alternate school under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

Govt. sector –  central govt., state govt.,  (Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidaylayas), Sainik Schools, Army/Navy/Air Force Public Schools, BSF Schools, ITBP schools, Railway Board Schools, Government Schools of state government).

Private sector – (national schools, international schools) - schools run by educational trusts,  charitable societies, chain of schools by DAVPS, DPS, Apeejay, Ryan, etc.

Teaching in colleges & universities (govt. and private sectors) - General Colleges (in subject of Education), Teacher Education Colleges, University Depts. of Education, State Council of Educational Research & Training (SCERTs), District Institutes of Education & Training (DIETs).

Research Institutes - As Research Asst./Project Fellow/Project Asst./Project Associate/Research Officer in organizations as NCERT, SCERTs, NUEPA, IGNOU, NIPCCD, University Depts. of Education, ICSSR affiliate institutes.

Consultants in specialized areas - in organizations like Educational Consultant India Ltd. (EdCIL), State Project Offices of SSA, IGNOU, National council of Teacher Education, National Institute of Open Schooling, etc. Some areas of consulting opportunities are community mobilization, action research, media and advocacy, inclusive education, alternative schooling, gender sensitization, pedagogy, learning material development, monitoring & evaluation.

Testing & Evaluation – a highly specialize area in organizations like National Testing Service (NTS) of  Central Institute of Indian Languages ( Mysore), Institute of Banking Personnel Selection  (Mumbai), Center for Policy Research (New Delhi), Unified Council (Hyderabad), Educational Initiatives (Ahmedabad).

Instructional Design - As subject expert and instructional designer in leading text book publishers/ Interactive Multimedia CD developers or web-based school enrichment program in such organizations as HMSC Learning by Sultan Chand & Co., Educomp Datamatics, Scholastic India, 24x7guru.com.

NGOs – As counselor or project officer/project assistant in some NGOs working in the field of education and rehabilitation services such as Prayas, Pratham, Digantar, Goonj, Room to Read, Asha, Action Aid – India.

Entrepreneurship – Setting up pre-primary teacher training institute independently, or on franchise basis with reputed groups like ABC Montessori,  Eurokids India, Kidzee, Mother’s Pride, Maple Baer, Bachpan. One can go for setting up primary or secondary school or a teacher training college, if financially equipped with more capital.  

The courses and job avenues are suggestive and there can be many more related options for a vigilant job seeker.

Dr. Ananda Padhan
 
(The author is a Professor in School of Education, Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar, anandapadhan@yahoo.com ). 
 

Tagged in MAT MAT test pattern MAT exam AIMA MAT exam structure

Like us on :