As the youth population peaks, looking for better education, better jobs, the national endeavour in this regard doesn’t seem quite measuring up to the urgency and the compelling national need. The lag is visible and the time is running out. If not handled, a distinctive youth advantage might soon slip away.
Education institutes are plenty, gross enrolment ratio is also fast picking up, but overall academic quality remains woefully poor. The fact that teachers in the struggling institutes are mostly drawn from the same stalk, the promotion of creativity, practical skills, innovation continues to remain in a worrisome state, making students less employable. Profession of a teacher is also not enough monetarily attractive for the sub-par institutes to draw top-merited postgraduates and PhD scholars from the eminent institutions. A few institutions with visionary leadership are however bracing up to make teachers’ profession attractive and respectable. They are also investing significantly into teachers’ development. A few best however, don’t make overall quality, wholesome. A vast ordinary system with weak students’ learning outcomes is wasted potential. At times, it seems as if we’re amongst thousands sitting in a wooden boat in a big river, and the boat moving in a snail’s speed-the farther end, simply not drawing closer !
I am sure the government of India is aware, and surely directing efforts. Are these efforts good enough, I ask ? A large number of government-funded and run institutions are no better than the private. I am of a considered view that government should deeply and directly engage with the top performing industry leaders, incentivise them to indulge and invest more in setting up labs in education campuses and undertake skilling students. After all, they are the prime beneficiaries of the skilled resources. I also wonder why the founders and sponsors of private institutes are not being directly engaged to jointly develop solutions for raising the current poor academic level ? I also wonder, given the precarious situation, why 7 to 8% of GDP is not being pushed on a war footing into the system for skilling and more importantly, creating enough jobs, particularly in the rural India ? At least, till the next two decades, education, after the National Security, must receive the highest priority. It is unfortunate that lakhs of students are seeking to study-abroad every year, some at the peril of their safety. It obviously reflects, a concerning state of quality and unaffordable cost of professional education within India.
-Prof JR Sharma-the views expressed are personal and for the larger good of education
