A student is a person registered in an educational establishment and who is under training with specific objectives of gaining knowledge, mastering skills and attaining employment in desired sector after completion of the course. The duration of the course could be short or long term. Usually, courses are provided by universities or colleges on a full time basis and the student can complete the same without holding any post-secondary office or job.
In India, the pre-tertiary level students are called pre-tertiary students. They are the ones who get admission into a university after passing all the entrance examinations such as English and Math and Science. The pre-tertiary students can opt for further studies after mastering their initial skills. Most of the pre-tertiary students are women. Most of them are trained to be teachers while some seek employment in industry. There are plenty of avenues for a female student in Indian college and universities like Teacher Training Institute, Degree College and School of Engineering etc.
For those who are interested in further education but do not have the finances, there are institutions that provide student loans to deserving students. There are many banks in India that offer student loans to deserving students attending various colleges and universities across India. Student loans from various sources such as banks, colleges and universities offer a good opportunity to the student to improve his career prospects and raise the standard of living. Apart from providing student finance, the other activities done by these institutions include: student advocacy, career counseling, career coaching, career building, etc.
Campus life at any university or college can get exciting as the student enrolls into a suitable program according to his interests. Campus life at a college or university campus can get busy during the school timings as students flock to campus to complete their graduation or to obtain admission to a university or college. This busy campus can encourage underrepresented communities, particularly the economically and socially disadvantaged ones, to take up higher education. Other institutions that also promote student interests are the private colleges and universities, which provide various student affairs programs, such as sports, theatre, arts, culture, communication and diversity.
In order to sustain the growth in the academic sector, the Indian Education Ministry has recently formed the Planning, Promotion and Management Service for Students (APIPS) who are pursuing higher studies in India. The main function of the APIPS is to ensure that the backward communities, currently facing the brunt of the backwardness, are provided with adequate access to higher education. It is very important for the academic institutions to project themselves as progressive, open, tolerant and welcoming institutions, which is possible only if the student body is aware of such initiatives. Therefore the government has taken steps to ensure that there are a greater inter-personal dimension and a cultural consensus in the student fraternity. In fact the present participle encourages the students to spread the word about academic excellence.
As part of the efforts of the Indian authorities and universities to encourage the student’s voice and thought, especially on issues of social justice and cultural diversity, the University of Hyderabad (Udhagamandalam), in India has developed a series of activities for the students in order to raise the awareness of broader sections of students and non-students on social, economic and environmental issues, besides ensuring academic growth. One such activity is a socio-cultural exchange program, in which students from different colleges and universities of India to participate in events and workshops organized by the HRM department. Such events include farmer’s markets, vegetable markets, fairs, cultural exhibitions and other similar programs. These activities are designed to make the participants aware of their past and present position in society, and also to improve their knowledge and contribution towards the betterment of society. This initiative was initiated by the then HRM Minister Smriti Irani.