Kapil's Devils-Reforms in Education

Kapil’s Devils…Reforms in Education.

Well this is not about cricket! This is about the other Kapil in the news. Kapil Sibal, Union Minister for HRD, has bowled entire team with a single googly of reforms with far reaching consequences. Some of his proposals, though based on Prof Yashpal’s report, do not reflect the cohesiveness and integrated approach necessary to educate and build the nation of billion plus. If Kapil Sibal wants board examinations for SSC to be scrapped, how would students understand the need to compete for survival? How would a student from non­quota, non­reservation category compete to get a job with a long queue of reserved category students ahead of him? We are giving them easy options. One learns to explore and improvise only under pressure. More than passing the examination, a student discovers his own limitations, strengths, and builds self­confidence. He knows exactly where he went wrong if he did. We are killing the spirit of learning, self­ discovery, and competition by scrapping board examination. If I may borrow the term, examination is a “Confidence Building Measure”.

Obama, Cheer up! Indian Students May Not Compete: President Obama warned the US citizens to take children away from TV rooms into class rooms to be able to compete with Indian students. This just sums up that we are able to churn out most competitive students. Why blunt the cutting edge we have by scrapping or reducing the importance of examination? A student, who is afraid of examination of what he has learnt, can not be competitive.

If ICSE and CBSE students are better than SSC students, we should not dilute their chances by introducing reservations for SSC students in local institutions as Maharashtra is trying. If ISCE or CBSE boards are scrapped it means we are accepting lower standards of SSC which is the lowest common denominator. A politician should not be allowed to take a serious issue like education in his hands. Arjun Singh with one political stroke made mockery of higher education in India. And not a single politician could raise voice against him. Mayawati can not be left behind the race and she simultaneously announced replacing system of evaluation in UP. Kapil Sibal wants IITs to also handle medical and law streams. Why can’t the best of law schools of India come up to levels of IITs by raising their standards. Or why not best of medical colleges elevate themselves to those which they wish to emulate and spread like IITs? Let IIT not lose the focus of technology. 30­years ago I read a board in an ice cream parlor in Nairobi reading “We have reached understanding with banks that they won’t sell ice cream and we won’t encash cheques”.

Rationalize, Integrate, and Strengthen the Education System:

If at all Kapil Sibal wants to rationalize board examinations, then I feel there is no need for board examination for Standard XII which has become superfluous with multiple entrance examinations for all technical disciplines. The board examination should be held only for students intending to pursue non­technical streams like arts/commerce/science.

In fact IAS selection examinations are also likely to be remodeled taking students after standard X and developing them in special training academies like National Defense Academy for defense services. We need to critically look at all streams where educated manpower contributes for national endeavor. From primary level­to­ graduation, from technical, to humanities, defense services, administrative services, multi disciplinary and multi­tasking, all the education systems have to be rationalized, integrated and strengthened.

Education and Growth Opportunities: Education reforms have been overdue. However, there is a need for serious consideration of long term needs of education 10­20 years from now. Manpower is India’s major strength in the global economic sphere. In next 20 years we will add a new generation or at least 200 million of new work force. What sort of education should they get to be able to find suitable jobs at that time to sustain and improve competitiveness of India? What would be the requirements of vocational manpower for different segments of industry?

As of today there is considerable gap between the output of educational institutions and the needs of industry. Consequently, the industry is required to hire unsuitable candidates, retrain them to make ready for use before deployment at productive work.

Plastics industry, for example, faces this problem acutely. If the educational system does not match the needs, the onus of re­educating shifts to industry.

Competitive Advantage of the Nation: While it is necessary to reduce the hype of examination and burden of backpack, the alternatives have to be evaluated by the educationists. The overall changes and reforms must fit into strategic plan of Knowledge Commission. IT industry has been the driver of Indian economic boom of last one decade. What new technologies would drive the global economic booms 10­20 years from now? Is it bio­ technology, aerospace technology or something else? Will we enjoy competitive advantage in those new areas? Competitive advantage of a nation has to be built into the economy very assiduously over generations.

Ten Year Knowledge Society Plan for Country: The educational reforms, therefore, should not be announced peace meal and must be handled with long term perspective, planning and integrated approach. The educationists, the technology planners and the user industry must have full say in formulation of policies to serve the nation. A draft education policy should be circulated amongst all the stake holders like the political parties, state governments, bodies of parent teachers

associations, educational institutions, universities, industry bodies like CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM and others. The policy document should be published on the website of HRD ministry for gathering public opinion. The document should also present strategic fit of new policy with long term needs of all the stake holders. In short, once accepted by the stakeholders, it should be a “10­ year Knowledge Society Plan for the country”, which can not be tampered by changes in the governments at center and states or by political parties at their whims and fancies. The states may update the syllabus as and when required within the overall frame work defined by this plan. The formulation of policies and consultative processes may take whole year and therefore changes, if any, should be introduced after due diligence from next academic session.

Implementation of Plan: Implementation of plan should be steered by eminent person, like Nandan Nilekani who is placed in charge of Unique National Identity Authority, and empowered for implementation. Can we give education as much importance as an ID card to deserve best of the leader to show the way?

Vijay M.Deshpande Corporate Advisor, Strategic Management Initiative Pune July 4, 2009