[Tugindia] Online Certification

[Radhakrishnan CV]

>>>>> "Venkat" == S venkataraman <svenkat@ignou.ac.in> writes:

In the first place, you mail doesn't distinguish between the previous
poster's content and yours. Your mail client seems to have been
configured in the wrong way.

    CVR> That is not the idea of TUGIndia. TUGIndia will act as the
    CVR> best resource center to examine a candidate and award the
    CVR> certificate to the successful.

    CVR> Pre-test training should be taken on a commercial level
    CVR> and agencies should come forward to offer training by
    CVR> accepting reasonable fees.

    CVR> TUGIndia cannot and will not take the burden of training
    CVR> prospective candidates, a volunteer driven charity can
    CVR> seldom succeed. Organized training is not like a five day
    CVR> tutorial that TUGIndia conduct in an interested
    CVR> institution. But we will provide the syllabus, course
    CVR> content and scheme of examination in the site. And will
    CVR> provide a standardized examination system which any person
    CVR> trained in any institution across the country can attempt
    CVR> and win through.
 
    Venkat> The problem is this is for a niche audience.

What do you mean by niche audience? There are at least ten thousand
persons working on some form of TeX in the text processing industry
and several thousand in the higher places of learning.

    Venkat> So, commercial organisations will not be interested. 

They will, provided we show them the market. So far, there was no
standardization procedures for the examination, there was no syllabus,
nor any course content and scheme of examination available and the
commercial agencies are in the dark about everything including the
real market. There was no independent and competent agency which can
evaluate the candidate. Now we fill in up all these null and void
situation one by one.

    Venkat> If tex training is commercially viable, commercial
    Venkat> institutions would have taken it up long ago! 

We are going to reverse the situation. At least in Kerala you're going
to see the scenario where at least one commercial agency that
imparts training in TeX.

    Venkat> This is not charity.  We can charge the students a fee
    Venkat> that will help us in recouping the money we spend on
    Venkat> running the course and no more. How will the students
    Venkat> learn?

Who will take charge, are you ready? Are you serious? This is a
responsible job, you cant fumble and go back in the midway.

    Venkat> TUG tutorials are OK for people in scientific institutions
    Venkat> and Universities but what about our semi literate
    Venkat> graduates? I think they are a bit terse. I have some thing
    Venkat> like the material that IGNOU distributes to their
    Venkat> students.  People are probably familiar with MBA material.
    Venkat> The materials are so designed that

We dont undervalue people. Those who cant follow the tutorials can
seldom do meaningful work in TeX. And dont think that every Dick, Tom
and Harry can do everything in the world with some carefully crafted
pedagogic techniques.

[...]

And if you find the tutorials are not written in the way that it
should be, please revise it in the way it should be. TUGIndia are only
happy to re-release the modified versions. You know, all the tutorials
are released under LPPL, which means anyone can edit it and provide a
better version. Why dont you start doing it right now?

    Venkat> I have no intention of going into the business of tex

It need not be a business, do it as charity if you dont like making money.

    Venkat> training.  I neither have the aptitude nor the inclination
    Venkat> for such thing!

There comes the point! Arm chair revolutions will lead us nowhere. 

-- 
Radhakrishnan