A question that lingers in
my mind continuously is that, are we providing the quality education that
caters to the current demands of our country? Does the system which we are
following provide the skills required for the future generation? Isn’t it the
time to cross examine ourselves about the quality of education that is been
given to our students. Even in schools our kids are trained to score marks
rather than understand what is being taught. Even the schools don’t seem to
worry about what a kid really understands. The parents, schools and the
community have all become too much obsessed with marks that we fail to realise
that we have forgotten to teach them how to live. The higher education scenario
is much worse where every parent wants their child to become a doctor or an
engineer. In the quest we have lost many great painters, dancers, artists,
directors, musicians, photographers, sports personalities etc. We are at a
sorry state of delivering a generation of engineers who don’t really know what
engineering is.
Across the world, we have seen great innovations evolving
from educational institutions that are absorbed by the industries. Some of them
that changed the world are seat belts (Cornell University, Newyork),
Spreadsheets (Harvard B school), GPS (MIT), Google (Stanford), Television
(German University), Internet (MIT), Computer (University of Pennsylvania), LED
(Cardiff University), Adobe Flash (Harvey Mudd College - California), Rocket
Fuel (Clark University), Solar Power (MIT), Pace Maker (University of
Minnesota) from the universities. Unfortunately in India the educational institutes
are not even in par with the industries but certainly a few years behind. With that
scenario it is extremely difficult to lift the students to be in par with the
industries, and no way to put them ahead to bring out world changing
innovations. We are producing huge quantity of engineers who are rather
unemployable by the industries. They will continue to be unemployable until we
break the existing jargons about education.
We need to think of measures of improving the quality of
education offered to the students. We need to think about unschooling at least
in the higher education domain. Schools train us to score marks, at least
higher education’s objective should be to provide the skill required for the
students not only to survive but to excel in a stream without the worry of
marks being scored. It’s the skill that needs to be tested rather than the
memory of a student. In India we need to absorb the processes and systems put
forth by the top institutions across the world that worked. One thing that
could be done is to abolish the 9 to 5 timings at institutions. Education
cannot be forced upon at particular times and the learning process should be
enabled 24 x 7, and we need to find avenues to establish it. Students should be
given flexibility to choose what to study and what not to study. The things
chosen should test the ultimate skill of the student and it should not be a
cake walk to pass the subject. In real life we need all the resources to solve
a problem, yet where we fail is that we do not know where to look. Similarly real
life situations with access to all the resources should be given and each of
them should be tested against the approaches that each one makes in order to
solve the problem. In the industries or in innovations certainly the code or a
formula is not going to be a problem since it will be readily available with a
click. But when and where to apply the formula and how to apply it is going to
be the ultimate test for which they need to be introduced. The processes should
be set where the students will be trained for self learning and develop an
attitude for continuous learning.
The quality education does not only depend on the
attitude developed in the students and the processes involved. Whatever
processes are put forth it will succeed or end up in an ultimate failure only
depending on the implementers, i.e, teachers involved. Gone are the days where
the academic institutions attracted the brightest and sharpest of the outputs
from the institutions for teaching. In today’s scenario apart from the passionate
few, most of the brightest talents end up in the industry or is shipped abroad
creating a huge void for the effective and efficient teachers. Teaching became
an option when industrial options were not available. At least in most of the
good private institutions, there is a process set forth to attract the
brightest of the teachers. But it is a worrying and saddening sight with the
government institutions where most of the positions filled up in recent times
are political, or paid postings. How can we expect someone who has paid to come
to a position,to teach ethics for engineers? Nor will they have the technical
expertise to train the future pillars of this country? The quality of education in India cannot
improve unless we produce high quality teachers. Even in pioneer institutions
like IIT’s and IISC’s there are professors who still do not use computers. How
can we expect them to prepare pioneers of the future? No doubt they were once
pioneers in their domain, but do they update themselves with the changes that
come around them. Today within a span of four years, technology changes upside
down. A technology which is latest becomes obsolete in just a matter of few
years. Are we updating ourselves, to face the challenges? If so, is there a
system set forth to measure the knowledge what a teacher updates every year. Once
I heard a student comment, will the teachers of today be able to clear GATE or
any competitive exams for that matter. My mind could not ignore that as a
passing comment. Wasn’t there an ultimate truth that lay behind that statement?
It should be made mandatory that every teacher across the country should be
certified in their domain every year by an independent body. May be NPTEL for
private institutions and something else for the IIT’s, the objective being they
cannot be tested by their own body. Those who fail to clear should be prevented
from teaching until they clear. Every teacher from the bottom most of the
hierarchy to the top most in the hierarchy should be willing to take up the
test to cross examine themselves to know where they are and also to gain the
confidence of the students they teach. They
have to be tested from the fundamentals, to the present improvements to the
futuristic possibilities in their domains. They have to be given the highest
pay in the country to attract the most deserving to this profession. Teaching
profession should not be a matter of no other choice, but a matter of the most
preferred choice. I think these steps will ensure to keep the fire of
continuous learning burning among teachers which is required to teach the
students rather than themselves getting stagnated.
Every
teacher should develop an unselfish, non egoistic attitude taking pride that
they play a part in building a great nation. The future lies in the hands of
the charismatic, never tiring, dedicated teachers to develop similar engineers.
All the problems in this country today were created by engineers. And it can be
solved only by engineers and the country is depending on them to be the
saviours and that is the ultimate worry with the existing education system that
prevails. Being from the academic profession myself, I can be criticized,
ridiculed, condemned, damned for writing this. But i see it as a sincere and
unselfish cross examination of the current scenario that would help in the
betterment of the society. Any suggestions from anybody that would give a
better insight is welcomed only objective being uncompromising betterment of
the society. It is a surgical strike that needs to be taken on our education
system and the earlier we do, the better we become.
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