Future of IT & Vocational Education in India
An otherwise mundane conversation about 20 years ago with some rural youth from a remote taluka has remained unforgettable. When asked what they were studying, some of them replied BA with subjects like psychology and sociology. It was as clear as daylight on that dusty, hot afternoon that their future was dark and they were wasting their time.
Their BA might have got them a degree and the "status" of graduates. A job, too, only if they were really lucky. Because their job, most likely, would have come not due to their core education.
This was the same time when school dropouts in the drought-prone Pabal village of Pune district were successfully learning skills to become welders, fabricators and simple scooter, motorcycle and pump-set mechanics. They were part of the novel "Pabal experiment" in vocational education. Without degrees, they seemed better equipped to become self-employed in a rural setting and lead successful lives.
It is a fact that the most basic degrees right up to the doctoral level are worthless in many universities across the country because of the poor quality of education. It is not for nothing that India has an entire army of the educated unemployed and the unemployable. They are the victims of a system which has forced them to spend their crucial formative years in getting a degree to become graduates.
The "graduate" tag is also important for the middle classes because a young man without it feels inferior to his graduate wife. Even if other eligibility criteria match, prospective alliances fall through because the woman is "over-qualified".
Post-liberalisation, the Indian mindset has begun to change. The hospitality industry is an attractive destination for the youth today and many academically bright youngsters won't mind pursuing a diploma in catering to follow their heart's calling. They will begin their careers in various capacities in hotels, restaurants and resorts and be proud of it. In the past, family and friends would dissuade such career choices and ask, "Why do you want to become a waiter?"
Career opportunities that were non-existent then have become a reality for today's youth. Thus, there are a variety of courses in the animation industry, television production, entertainment industry, event management, food processing, telecom, the retail sector and scores of other areas. The scope has also widened for the truly academically inclined in the pure sciences, humanities or professional degree courses.
Blessed with the power of youth and an economy that continues to grow robustly, India's future lies in unleashing a revolution in vocational education courses. These will equip young men and women with a variety of skills that add value to the economy and not draw from it.
The Maharashtra government's announcement last week to start the nation's first university for vocational courses is, therefore, very encouraging. Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal's efforts to reform the educational system are perhaps the best thing that has happened to India in a long time.
In this age of information technology, knowledge economy and cyber warfare, it is only appropriate that education should get the second highest priority in India after defence. Like China, India needs to start looking inwards, and at least for one five-year plan we need to focus on fixing education. The benefits will be incalculable.