MOST of the students and their lecturers in Goa being busy preparing for the forthcoming examinations, we could not produce our normal pull-out on the Colleges. However, two interesting events came to our notice in the month of February. The first one was the well-attended "Career Information Fair 2001" put up by the Rotary Club of Vasco da Gama. The other event, rather discreet and which went unpublicised, was a subtle attempt to revive the AICUF in Goa after a lapse of nearly 15 years.

CAREER INFORMATION FAIR

The Rotarians generally conduct a number of useful programmes for the benefit of their members as well as the public. This time round we talk about the highly impressive "Career Information Fair", which comanised at the Kala Academy campus last month.

Realising how difficult it is in Goa for many a student to choose the right subject to pursue, the Rotarians of port-town Vasco da Gama put up a unique two-day fair, with several stalls put up from institutions hailing from different parts of the country and two from abroad.

While speaking to Pramod Mehta, the Project Co-ordinator, we got the feeling that the Rotarians felt fully satisfied with the fabulous response to their painstaking exercise. They were immensely gratified to witness a continuous rush of young people, who were streaming in eager to find out what options are open to them after completing Class Twelve. The fair surely opened to them wide vistas in the field of computers, textiles, aeronautics, navy, tours and travels, and a plethora of other streams.

For the students, it was a satisfying experience to be able to interact directly with the people promoting the specialised courses, which could land them lucrative careers.

On the occasion, the Rotarians also brought out an 85-page booklet listing nearly 38 different careers, besides correspondence courses, and providing highly useful information on how and where the students could seek more details. The booklet talks of a need of career counselling, how to prepare for the entrance and competitive exams, the education-related web sites and the study opportunities abroad.

Perhaps one has not come across a better thumb guide than the Rotary book on a long list of topics, which also dwelt on self-employment, scholarships and the books to read.

AICUF RENEWAL

The All India Catholic University Federation (AICUF) is a student movement, promoting Catholic action in the universities. CBCI approved it in 1949. AICUF had proved to be a dynamic force among the college students in Goa about 15 years ago. Over the years, though the number of colleges have increased literally by leaps and bounds all over Goa, AICUF lost its original sheen and became virtually extinct.

So, one was rather surprised to find a national AICUF delegation, led by its national adviser Fr K Amal, sj, in Goa from February 24 to 26, to interact with the local youth, in Siolim.

We happened to come across Fr Amal, who explained to us the purpose of the sagacious meet, saying, "We help the students to develop their skills in terms of their analysis, reflection, which will eventually lead them to action plans for concrete action. All will tilt to the betterment of the church and the betterment of the society."

Fr Amal added, "We have eight States represented here. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bihar, Madya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh. There are eight of us including seven students and myself." He said that the delegation had sought an appointment with the Archbishop of Goa in connection with the reviving of AICUF in the State.

JD