Pharmacy curriculum and pedagogy need to be changed for better placement of students: An untold story of unsung heroes

1. Journal of Current Pharmaceutical Research 2010; x(x): xx-xx
JCPR 2010; x(x): xx-xx
© 2010 Medipoeia
Received: 12/05/2010
Revised: 18/06/2010
Accepted: 20/06/2010
Ruchi Sharma,
RKDF college of pharmacy,
Indore (M.P.) India
Amit Gangwal
Vivacious herbal consultant,
Indore (M.P.) India
Viraj Negi
BM college of pharmacy,
Indore (M.P.) India
Correspondence:
Amit Gangwal
1635-b, scheme no. 71
Behind Ranjit Hanuman Temple
Indore 452009, (M.P.) India
E-mail: journalistratn@yahoo.com
Mob.: 09770067373
Pharmacy curriculum and pedagogy need to be
changed for better placement of students: An untold
story of unsung heroes
Ruchi Sharma, Amit Gangwal and Viraj Negi
, Goli Divakar and Manoj K. Jangid
ABSTRACT
Objective: The Education is a must for a nation‟s progress irrespective of other problems
prevailing in that country. Education has the power to revamp the whole system or irregularities
or any gross root problems like food, clothing and shelter; three basic needs since the dawn of
civilization. In India many technical courses like engineering, pharmacy, management,
architecture, town planning etc. are being run under the aegis of various controlling bodies.
Pharmaceutical sciences is one of the most important branches dealing with medicines and thus
with the health of a nation. At present courses like diploma, degree, post-graduation and recently
launched Pharm. D. and five year integrated MBA (with pharma) are in force in country. Still
there are some lacunae in these curricula which is reflected by the unemployed people after doing
these courses. This review discusses basic problems and possible suggestions to make pharmacy
curricula foolproof along with pedagogy so that more and more students can be made employable
and versatile at the same time making them as tough as wild plants. Conclusion: The
formulation F2 was optimized based on good bioadhesive strength (19.0 ± 0.30 g) and sustained
in vitro drug permeation (85.68 % for 6 h). The chosen tablet containing 8 mg of Atorvastatin
calcium performed 6 h sustained drug release with desired therapeutic concentration.
Keywords: Pharma industry, Pharmacy, Pharm., Syllabi.
1. INTRODUCTION
HRD chief (Govt. of India) Kapil Sibbal promises that a revolution larger than the one in
the telecom sector awaits the education sector. The country is witnessing surging demand of
management courses, technical education and vocational training. This has led to a huge number
of educational and training institutes opening up in the country. In a landmark decision, the foreign
education bill got the cabinet approval recently, which is going to give a tough competition to
domestic players. At a time when gates are being opened for foreign players, students are not only
going to get an overseas degree in country itself, but also total experience and exposure. HRD
ministry is planning to help students evolve into global citizens. Curricula, faculty and research
excellence are the areas which are to be looked into.
Several technical course (viz architecture, engineering, management, hotel management,
medical courses, pharmacy etc.) are being offered in colleges run by government and private
players with some providing state of the art infrastructure, while others are gasping for facilities
(but constantly churning out imperfect products i. e. unemployable graduates and in some cases
post graduates too).
Pharmaceutical science is highly specific and health related profession. Varied courses
available in this technical domain are D. Pharm., B. Pharm., M. Pharm., Ph. D. and recently
started courses like Pharm. D. and five year integrated course in management with pharmacy. In
G
alley
Proof

2. Journal of Current Pharmaceutical Research 2010; x(x): xx-xx
a time when pharmacy education and pharmacists in many other
part of the world are gaining importance, in India these health
professionals are still mistaken as someone who did some sort of
course in farmacy. This is due to lack of focus and orientation in
pharmacy education in India. This review draws attention towards
lacunae of pharmacy syllabi & education system at large and
possible ways to make pharmacy field and students (enrolled for
different courses in pharmacy) more dynamic, updated and
employable. Purpose of the write up is not to promote or rebuke
pharmacy education or institutes or policy makers, but to address
the growing unemployment. The addressees of this article could be
such people as faculties, students, management of pharmacy
colleges, policy makers etc.
2. PRESENT STATE OF AFFAIRS
The numbers of pharmaceutical industries (may it be
small, medium or full fledged MNCs) are very very less, let alone
herbal industries, compared to mammoth figures of institutes
offering courses of pharmacy. To make situation grimmer, each
year more and more colleges are being opened after the so called
strict regulation and inspection of different govt. bodies and
concerned university.
Perhaps only pharmacy students perform practicals
rigorously in all the four years (many of them useless then also
repeatedly), mug-up what not, without even seeing many common
instruments (like HPLC, HPTLC, IR, NMR, modified dissolution
apparatus to list a few). Latter being the main reason for ending up
their career in production and marketing uninterestingly.
Come to very sad thing. In industry, medicinal chemistry
people have to fight with M.Sc. chemistry (organic/inorganic /
pharma chemistry etc.); pharmacognosy guys have the rivalry with
botany and ayurvedic doctors; pharmacology post graduates get
tough competition from MD (pharmacology), biotech man has to
confront again with M.Sc. microbiology/ biotechnology /
biochemistry etc.) and likes of, to get a job which they are most fit
for, at least from academic qualification point of view. The irony is
that pharmacy syllabi is so rigid and specific that a graduate and
post graduate in pharmacy can not be placed (or they are unable to
perform better) in other industries even not in remotely related
organizations like FMCG etc. On the other hand M. Sc. students or
a graduate in conventional course have more options to choose
from. Perhaps this is the only field whose graduates rub shoulder
with B. A., B. Com., B. Sc. in marketing of pharmaceuticals.
Because of age old syllabi and lack of; communication skills and
broader understanding of worldly affairs, pharmacist in general can
not be deployed to do marketing of non pharmacy products. If it so
and has to be continue then how a talented boy or girl will get a job
in industry; and therefore the title of this article reads “Pharmacy
curriculum and pedagogy need to be changed for better placement
of students: An untold story of unsung heroes”. It seems to be a
debatable issue that why companies hire these non technical
people. This is an area where policy makers and people from
pharmacy fraternity should look into.
One more points worth mentioning here is of Ph. D.
holders. Most of the postgraduates do research work while being in
teaching job (full time, part time or in any preferable way) so that
they could earn their livelihood. But when they send their CVs in
industries for suitable posts after prefixing Dr. with their names,
they don‟t get a call back. The indirect sources then inform that
“your teaching experience of Ph. D. tenure might have made you
lethargic and accustomed to sedentary life style which is
detrimental for the growth of so called 24×7 functioning
industries”. (It is understood at the same time that a topper has
always options whatever may be the field). Finally most of the
young researchers end up in academics either because of this
baseless denial or lack of vacancies.
2. SUGGESTIONS
The production of pharmacists who can clearly
communicate the value of their unique pharmaceutical knowledge
is increasingly significant for all those who are involved in
pharmacy education. Communication skills are increasingly
important. Students need to develop excellence in both written and
verbal communication. Moreover experience in accessing and
exploiting the vast computer information network is equally
important for successful research and teaching careers or on any
walk of life. For this addition of more and more stuff related to
communication skills will be a welcome step.
Some questions are yet to be answered like what is the
role of clinical pharmacist in India? We, as member of this noble
fraternity, are very happy and appreciate the efforts of group of
people who got the bill, for this course, passed from red tape, but at
the same time we have to think about the future of those who are
doing this course of five years (one more than the usual B. Pharm.
course in which we make them “jack of all, master of none”)
whether they want to move abroad or not.
Why not to make B. Pharm. syllabi very specific at the
level of graduation only ala engineering domain, so that there is no
need of super specialization like M. Pharm? Because situation is
more or less alike even after doing Post graduation. Now-a-days
most of the M. Pharm. degree holders are doing jobs in production
area (which until recently used to be a place for their graduate
counterparts) and B. Pharm. people are doing marketing jobs an
area initially occupied mainly by science graduates. Before few
days one of the authors came across a naïve M. Pharm. doing job
for a pharma industry, in Gujarat, at a capacity of medical
representative commonly referred to as MR. All these show that
because of burgeoning students, now ball seems to be in the court
of employer (though it had never been in the court of students) at
the cost of degrees of the students. Still there is no vindicated
answer why transverse sections of crude drugs are being taught in
colleges and what is the role of pith, fibers, calcium oxalate
G
alley
Proof

3. Journal of Current Pharmaceutical Research 2010; x(x): xx-xx
crystals and vascular bundles in an interview room where so called
smartest interviewers look at pharmacognosy (and
pharmacognosist for that matter) with contempt. It is rubbish then
to teach this stuff to a chap who has already made his mind for
other specialization or some other sector involving more relevant
and job providing stuff. Instead of all these (transverse sections
etc.), a student can be taught more about isolation and structure
elucidation of natural compounds so that she could fit herself not
only in isolation plant but also in analytical division of pharma
industry or other industry (like fertilizers, pesticides, paints etc.)
involving synthesis and analysis. Like wise so many issues are
there which seem trivial but they are very important.
Looking at the lighting fast change in technology and
every other organized sector one needs to keep pace with it
otherwise she will be forgotten at her own cost and he/she will be
thrown by her juniors/subordinates, let alone his colleagues. It will
not be exaggerating to state here that change in syllabi each year
will definitely lace students with latest information. Still syllabi at
post graduate level of many universities are replete with same
monotonous topics of graduate level. Rather to teach
pharmaceutical engineering I and II (as in most of the universities
of nation), more interesting and useful topics/subjects should be
added, motto being same to make students employable besides
teaching relevant stuff. Removal of dispensing pharmacy subject
from the curriculum of Rajiv Gandhi Technical University Bhopal
is a welcome move. But more such bold decisions are needed to be
taken as early as possible in the favor of students and profession. If
there is no incorporation of new subjects then teach them things
like marketing, selling skills, foreign languages, soft skills, group
discussion, conduct mock interviews and everything so that they
could be as strong as wild plants. Make them fully global opening
all the possible avenues available for them. Why only these will be
and should be confined to management students? College may also
start its own certificate programs for its students at concessional
rates and at regular rates for outsiders. Short term courses like PG
diploma, certificate programs and vocational courses should be
started as an additional qualification for better employability and
more importantly for self-employment. This can be offered on
topics like stability studies, DNA & RNA manipulations, plant
tissue culture, Patent and its drafting, analytical techniques, pilot
plant set up, regulatory audits etc. The benefit will be that college
will make buck and in-house students will also be benefited.
Make institutes a second home. Cut throat competition
has brought management of institutes at loggerheads. Management
bodies and other responsible people have to dance on the tunes of
students without compromising with quality at all, obviously if
former has to survive and to churn out nation-useful students. It
encompasses a amicable canteen, laboratories, well equipped
recreational room with ample sets of games stuff, Wi-Fi campus,
LCD enabled lectures with full involvement of students. Pharmacy
students also want to flaunt their attire at times, so permit them to
wear what they want at least once in a week. When you will teach
them how to dress up? Encourage students as well as faculties to
befriend only good books. This point is worth mentioning here
because in recent years market has been flooded with substandard
books misguiding the readers. Arrange field trips for showing them
botanical and medicinal garden for a first hand experience of all
those they read in books. This may also refrain students from
mugging up.
In nut shell do everything possible positively to have
more number of footfalls in institutes so that students can be
exposed to college fully which in turn will make them turn out
regularly in campus. Even colleges running basic and conventional
courses like B. Com., B. Sc. etc. have adopted semester systems;
schools also welcoming moves like grade system (besides many
other moves), then why institutes running courses like
pharmaceutical sciences (which is highly specific, targeted and
directly related to the health of a nation), are reluctant to accept
and implement changes at least those which are time tested and
being used in some part of the world? If institutes are open to these
changes then definitely it will help in employing latest technology
in various operations involved in pharmacy profession which could
be used to make teaching and learning more enjoyable and less
monotonous. In this world of 3G & 4G technologies and 20-20
generation, students won‟t give institutes second chance and
industry wont give student second chance if the latter fails to crack
the interview. In such scenario institutes are required to upgrade
themselves very fast from view point of students‟ future also.
The least looked into area in an institute at large is apathy
for its most invaluable asset i. e. faculties. Much has been said and
written about teaching and working style of staff, that teaching
should be full of ideas instead of just doling out the content from
books; there should be bilateral system in classroom. We agree
with these all stuff which are expected from a faculty but one can
extract all these qualities from a faculty just by making him
comfortable in his work area. Generally it is observed that there are
no separate tables for the staff members let alone a separate cabin.
Recommended books and journals on different subjects are also
not seen in many institutes. Until you provide a tech savvy
academician emerging teaching tools like projectors, internet
enabled class rooms, models etc; how can you expect him/her to
involve a big chunk of students in classroom?
Today‟s media influenced/marred/honed students do not
want to be mute spectators; they also want to have their say in
everything. Faculties can make a big difference while discussing
with students topics like biosynthesis of plant metabolites, jumbo
cycles of biochemistry etc. if they use novel teaching tools. An
institute can never exploit these talented people completely for the
benefit of students without providing sufficient amenities. Time to
time staff development program should be conducted and faculties
should be encouraged to attend such programs for keeping
themselves academically abreast.
Internship plays a very important role in today‟s academic
curriculum, particularly for students in technical courses. As
economies are developing and the entire world is heading towards
G
alley
Proof

4. Journal of Current Pharmaceutical Research 2010; x(x): xx-xx
globalization, prior exposure to industry work culture proves to be
useful for a graduate student who is about to enter the job market.
Potential employer looks for experienced, though little bit, people
in case of freshers. They feel that students lack the practical
experience to excel in real world, internship has become more
important than ever (Goel V., 2010).
Now-a-days a fresher could no longer be a naïve; he has
to be something extra otherwise he will be surpassed by the next in
the serpentine queue. Internship prompts students to work under
pressure and meet deadlines. They get to know how a small
concept learned in theory proves crucial when it comes to
practically implementing a project. It is not that only students get
benefitted from the internship. The industry also gains from the
interns by assigning them projects which saves a lot of time for
them, and this is why paid internship are quite popular now-a-days.
There is a huge chasm between what is being taught and
what is needed in industry. A graduate is not aware of all these and
pays same attention to all the topics and all the subjects regardless
of their utility in industry. Students are lacking in interdisciplinary
knowledge, enough practical orientation, oral and written skills.
Syllabi are not uniform, there is inclusion of outmoded and
unnecessary elements which are not being followed by
pharmaceutical industries, no exposure to upcoming projects,
molecules etc. From time to time syllabi should be revamped to
include the subjects of contemporary interest. Training is a
continuous process, not just in technical issues but also in
management skills, quality consciousness, communications,
foreign language and personal-effectiveness skills. This constant
skill up gradation had and will enable students to move into higher
realm of their career and life. More and more liaisons will have to
be made between industries and institutes not only for placing
students after the completion of their chosen course but also during
their education so that students could be sent to industries for a live
exposure as well as for the accomplishment of their academic
projects. Policy maker have to arrange things in such a way that
industry outsource its few task (such as literature survey, statistical
treatment for huge crude data etc.), to institute so that student will
get an opportunity to update themselves about the nuances of the
place where they have to go after finishing their curriculum
without actually being present in such industries plus it will be a
win-win situation for both the parties. To avoid repetition of
research topics, there can be a common register maintained by
central or sate universities in which students or mentor will make
an entry of their chosen or allotted topics. Moreover such topics
should have potency to get student direct entry into industry
without any sort of jack or link. It means chosen topic should have
immediate relevance to industries.
Make students become entrepreneur while still juggling
with college chores in B. Pharm. so that they could set off their
own small business or sort of. They may also think for a set up in
which they will embark into allied businesses like horticulture,
worm culture, selling of sapling based on their skills of plant tissue
culture and pharmacognosy. Likewise if we start thinking out-of-
box, there will be so many options which students are not aware of.
But these require through training and superb teaching at each and
every level of their graduation with training as and when required.
If there are problems or delay in getting approval from
universities or government offices for change in syllabi then go for
changes on your own making institute fully autonomous because if
changed syllabus is unique, in conformity with latest technology
and information then students are definitely going to get job, like
most of the management institutes but syllabi should always be
open for changes as per the requirements of industries and higher
researcher centers situated overseas and in country too. For this
meeting and interaction with industry personnel is inevitable.
3. CONCLUSION
Government alone cannot be blamed for prevailing
circumstance of pharmacy institutes. With due respect, honorable
policy makers sate and central agencies and authorities should look
into all these points and come out with foolproof education model
which can make pharmacy courses more attention-grabbing,
motivating and fascinating. AICTE should make fully surprise
visits to institutes and as far as possible in decision making
committee people should be from ace management and technical
institutes like IIT, IIM, IISc, etc. so that correct and timely decision
could be taken in a transparent way, the main aim being the benefit
of the students and maintenance of quality in higher education. For
this matter retired persons from reputed fields like military,
administration (IAS/IPS etc.) etc. could be appointed who cannot
be served by anybody by any means.
How many seminars and conferences (by govt.
departments, institutes and other hosts who organizes various
seminars-funded by highly active and responsible independent
bodies on topics like “recent advances/current trends in this and
that blab blab”) are arranged on really burning issues like scope in
pharmacy or how pharmacist or pharmacy graduates, postgraduates
could be make more employable or how go get rid of malpractices
in this noble profession?
If we could make pharmaceutical sciences ever evolving,
students-friendly and job providing then only there will be healthy
chance of making India healthy by 2020 as dreamt by former
president of India Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and less chance of
people mistaking pharmacy as farmacy. Main aim of education at
least in today‟s world should be to make students marketable
besides a good human being.
REFERENCES
Goel V., Internship-the „in‟ thing; Times of India, New Delhi, April 18,
2010, 10.
G
alley
Proof