By Rajal K Shinkre
With the declaration of the HSSC results a lot of students will now be reviewing their streams of study. Some will opt to continue doing what they are doing at present; some others will opt for a change.
Majority of students, for many years now, always chose between the major disciplines of Arts, Commerce, and Science. Of late, however, there has been a growing awareness towards alternative streams of graduation such as travel and tourism, management and home science.
The Home Science is a multidisciplinary programme that aims at improving the quality of family and community life. It also has professional avenues in the fields of food, nutrition and dietetics, textiles and clothing and human development. The BSc in Home Science program at the Goa College of Home Science is now open for male candidates as well, since the course in Home Science assumes relevance to both males and females in these modern times.
Many harbour prejudices that home science is very easy, that it is only the forte of girls and involves subjects like cooking and tailoring, considered ‘womanly’ jobs. However, students of home science study a variety of interesting and diverse subjects that cover many aspects of everyday life. Subjects are theoretical as well as practical and require a certain amount of language fluency, skill in writing, practical application of knowledge and a lot of hard work.
On completion of the graduate degree course, students are eligible for jobs in various capacities such as: dieticians (hospital, clinic, weight loss consultancy), housekeeping supervisors, in food processing units, preschool teachers, special educators, trainees in child guidance clinics / NGOs, writers for children’s publications, textile designers, private seamstress, laundry supervisors, self-employed entrepreneurs and so on.
Many more career options are available for students who complete their Master’s Degree. Students can also opt for management related career options in human resources, health journalism, mass media and the like since the graduate programme offers them a firm base for movement into a variety of streams; as also the relevance it has to one’s life as a member of the family, community and society.
The Goa College of Home Science has been in existence for more than 20 years. The college also stresses on all-round development of the students by offering them a vast repertoire of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.
For admission to the degree course in Home Science, a student must have passed the HSSC examination or its equivalent in any of the streams such as arts, science, commerce, or vocational streams.
(The Goa College of Home Science (GCHS), the only College of Home Science in Goa, situated at Panaji, offers a BSc in Home Science Program affiliated to Goa University. The course in Home Science revolves around four core areas – Food, Nutrition and Dietetics, Textiles and Clothing, Human Development and Community Resource Management with adequate inputs of the core areas in the first two years followed by a specialised programme at the final year. Admission process is underway. More details can be obtained from the college prospectus/ office/website.)
(The writer is the Principal of the Goa College of Home Science, Goa)
