Maroof Raza

His is a familiar face in the various television news channels, especially where issues related to war and strategies are concerned. But Maj. Maroof Raza also happens to be the Regional Director (South Asia) for Middlesex University of London, providing career counseling to hordes of young people who aspire to study in some of the well established British Universities. He has been appointed to a Visiting Research Fellowship by the War Studies Department of King's College in London, and serves as the Associate Editor of the Indian Defence Review. Maj.Raza is a proud recipient of the Times of India Fellowship and the author of a few books. The tall gentleman, whose tenor can be recognised anywhere, travels extensively in connection with his work. In spite of his hands being full, Maj.Raza is imbued with the idea of promoting the cause of education and making valuable contributions to this sphere.

Major Maroof Raza in conversation with Indiaeducationonline.net:

Tell us about your early years, schooling college and career?

I did most of my schooling from Mayo College, Ajmer from where I passed out as both the head boy and a gold medallist. I did my BA in History from St Stephen's College New Delhi. Thereafter, I joined the infantry wing of the Indian Army. My various assignments were in the North-East and the North including a teaching stint at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) Dehradun. While in the army, I took study leave and went on to obtain an M.A degree in war studies from King's College London and my M.Phil from Cambridge. In all I served in the army for 15 years, i.e., 1979-1994. Therafter, I was awarded the Times of India Fellowship. This was followed by a stint as a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, London and STIMSON's Centre in Washington. Thereafter I joined NDTV (which is now Star TV). Just about three years ago, I took up this assignment with Middlesex University as the regional director (South Asia). I remain associated with various TV news channels v.i.z., Zee News, Aaj Tak, Star TV, BBC World (Radio)etc.

What are your other achievements?

I have also authored three books on war related issues.

Why did you choose war studies as the subject of your study?

You see, I had done history at college; the subject of war interested me a great deal. I felt this was a subject, I could be comfortable with. So I chose it.

Army, journalism, defence analyst, education…how did you manage to cope? Weren't the changes jerky?

No doubt the changes were jerky. But I have always been adaptable and managed to adapt to the changing circumstances. You see, the basic principles of all professions remain the same, whether it is media, armed forces or academics. The qualities that are much sought after, are: accountability, high integrity, proficiency in one's dealings with others and commitment to work. These features remain the same in each profession, though the products that you deal with change.

Talking about Middlesex University, which are the most popular subjects among the Indian students there?

The Business and IT (Information Technology) combinations are popular at both postgraduate and undergraduate levels. Individual courses in Business and Management, Environmental Sciences, Art and Design and Social Sciences also happen to be popular.

How about scholarships?

Scholarships are largely of two types: The 1,000 Pounds Regional Scholarship based on the individual's results in school and college. This varies from time to time and from one course to another. For instance, in Arts it is difficult to score above a certain laid down percentage than in Sciences. Therefore, the cut off point will be lower in Arts than Sciences. The other type of scholarship varies between 500-1000 Pounds in addition to the Regional Scholarships. To obtain detailed information about the scholarships and other financial aids available, it is advisable to get in touch with the British Council Division in your area.

What about the availability of accommodation?

For the first year at Middlesex University, all international students (both undergraduates and postgraduates) are guaranteed accommodation. Accommodation can be booked in advance through a certain procedure. The University Halls accommodation provides most of the facilities, which a person enjoys at home, e.g. single room, attached bath, Internet facility, common kitchen etc. Additional services like students' counselling, job assistance, and a variety of feedbacks are also provided. This in order to make a student's experience of Middlesex University a pleasant and a unique one as compared to other universities.

Are students allowed to work during term time?

The students are allowed to work 20 hours per week during their term. This enables them to earn nearly half of their annual cost of living i.e., 2000-3000 pounds per year. However, the students are advised not to bank on this totally. Working can only help support your expenses.

What are the chances of getting employment upon completion of studies?

United Kingdom is currently facing a shortage of trained IT professionals. Therefore, those with IT qualifications have strong chances of getting absorbed. Employment avenues are also open international organisations that have interest in South Asia and the subcontinent. Openings are emerging in international media network like BBC, Reuters, and Associated Press. You must bear in mind that guaranteeing students jobs in the UK is based on the academic qualifications, since the job market is highly professional and competitive. There are several openings available for British degrees in the Middle East, South and South East Asia and the USA. British degrees are internationally accepted. Teaching is yet another arena where chances of employment are high. For school teaching in Britain, a master's degree suffices whereas for college teaching, a PhD is required.

What is the status of MU vis-à-vis Oxford Cambridge and London School of Economics et al?

Just as in the USA, the topmost universities (Harvard, Stanford MIT and Berkeley) are grouped under the Ivy League, so also in Britain the most reputed universities are clubbed as the Russell Group. They have rather tight entry standards. Indian XII passed students are not accepted and the Indian graduates are made to repeat their degrees once they enter any of these institutions. On the contrary, the more recently established universities accept Indian XII passed students (with a good percentage) for their graduate programmes. The Graduates are accepted for postgraduate programmes. The entry standards are relaxed because there is a growing awareness that in changed circumstances the Indian students can prove themselves quite well, as against their past experiences. The only problem area is a weak command over the English language, which is restricted to only the smaller Indian cities and towns. In the metros people have good command over English, even better than Britishers themselves!!!

Your comments on the education and job scenario in India?

One problem with our system is that people go through the routine of university education, which becomes an exercise in collection of degrees and does not necessarily prepare you for the modern world. It has now become the norm to do some diplomas or vocational training or competitive course alongside degree courses in order to secure jobs. Secondly, very little information is available through a combination of media as to what jobs might be available in diverse spheres-MNCs, PSUs, government and corporate sectors, armed forces and so on. Very little projection is made to guide people to prepare themselves. Only entry-level information is available. Other relevant details are hard to come by. There should be more resources, guidance, and more readily available information to help students decide their future careers.

The lack of opportunities for the talented and deserving individuals has led to a deep seeded frustration. Your Comments. How can this be tackled?

This phenomenon should be tackled by the government .The protection that the government provides to people in the Govt of India undertakings makes the jobs secure. Most of the public sector undertakings do not allow individuals to adopt innovation or cutting edge technology where only the best survive. The classic examples are those of Air India or Indian Airlines. Privatisation is not being allowed even though it would ensure better quality of services. Those people who have competitive attitude will go for competitive organisations, largely privately owned and having corporate culture. This model encourages people to excel even though it can be extremely ruthless. For every success story there may be scores of others who feel let down by the organisation. According to this model it is again the best that survive. Simultaneously, across schools and colleges there is a need to create awareness about the way our professional culture will evolve, in order to prepare individuals to face a ruthless world where professionalism and not a degree alone, will ensure a job. In the corporate professional milieu, if you have the right kind of drive and the desire for growth then you will manage to give yourself a good quality of life and earn well. Finally, there is a need to abandon the "Protective Raj" which dominates most of our organisations.

Given the present circumstances do you feel it is worth it to go abroad for higher studies?

Yes, it is certainly worthwhile. Most of the educational institutions abroad are very progressive. They demand much more from the students than our universities do. It takes a lot of hard work to earn a degree abroad, whereas in India, with a few exceptions degrees are available for asking. Studying abroad bring more students in contact with the international community. It is the first step towards becoming global citizens in a global society. It also helps individuals to shed their narrow parochial outlook and seek employment opportunities worldwide. People with foreign degrees are more likely to be accepted by MNCs in our country. The MNCs are aware that students have developed their skills and earned foreign degrees by putting in genuine hard work. As it is, the premier institutions in India have very high cut off points so that ultimately only a handful of students can manage to find entry. As a result students who seek quality education fail to find it. Therefore, parents are now becoming increasingly aware that instead of paying huge amounts as capitation fees to get their children into second grade institutions, it is far better to get them admitted to fairly well established institutions abroad.

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(As told to Ruchira Ghosh & Mradula Chourasia)