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Should schools teach students more practical things like managing Accounts, Investments etc.

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Schools, colleges, universities and any type of educational institutions are entrusted and charged to impart education to people. Our educational institutions are also doing so. But, the question comes whether syllabus, contents, subjects or topics are up-to-date? Can this education provide livelihood to people? Can a man be self dependent for livelihood? Can a man go for entrepreneurship instead of looking for government or corporate job?

Our youth icon Swami Vivekananda said, “Education is the manifestation of perfection already in men.” That is, the purpose of education is to make one aware of his potentials and to train him in a proper way to use his potentials. Besides spiritual upliftment, modern education should be job oriented, that is focus should be on technology, management, accountancy, entrepreneurship etc. so that after pursuing degree one should not be dependent only on job rather he/she should have opportunity to do something else.

Issues with existing education infrastructure:

In India there are quite a satisfactory number of schools, colleges & universities but the infrastructure of these institutions is not up-to-date especially state run or state aided ones. According to All India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE) Report, most educational institutions have not smart classrooms, science lab or modern facilities. Maximum courses offered in these institutions are of humanity subjects. Science, technology, management, entrepreneurship, accountancy are offered by a little number of institutions and number of seats are also very little. My intention is not to downgrade humanity subjects but to focus more on skill development courses. As for example, a candidate has attained degree of M.A. in history, he can use his knowledge if he is engaged as a teacher in educational institution whereas an MBA candidate can also go for setting up his own business if he does not find a job.

India wants to be a $5 trillion economy and this target would be achieved if manufacturing sector, business sector flourish and for that aspirants should be trained properly. Courses like management, accountancy, cinematography are mostly offered by private institutions with a very high cost which is not affordable by common people. So here state penetration is needed.

Govt steps taken in this regard:

  • National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 intends to upgrade intellectual ability of students in the place of just memorising pages of books.
  • Start-Up India scheme, Stand-Up India scheme intend to accelerate establishment of new business, industries etc.
  • Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) intends to upgrade skills of common people to make them suitable for industrial works.
  • Both central & state govts have setup new medical colleges, engineering colleges, ITIs etc to provide job oriented education.
  • Seats in these institutions have increased a bit.
  • Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) intend to increase lab going habits of students.

Reference from developed countries:

  • In China, the school going students take part in electronics manufacturing in their flexible time. Every house in China has become a micro manufacturing hub.
  • In USA, the students start entrepreneurship at the age of 19-20. Sometimes they fail, sometimes they get success but an entrepreneurial culture prevails there and govt supports them in their effort.
  • In Japan, the students often visit the industrial parks, manufacturing zones and enjoy practical field experiences.

What India should do?

  • Focus on rapid infrastructure upgradation of existing educational institutions, be it public or private.
  • Introduction of technical, management, accountancy, entrepreneurship, cinematography like subjects in every college, universities and if possible from 11th standard.
  • More focus on job related courses.
  • Regular field/industrial visit of students/aspirants.
  • Promotion of public administration subject for administrative jobs aspirants.
  • Allocation of more funds in education especially in research & development.

 

The issue of unemployment has become a crisis in India and the situation has worsened as the pressure is more on jobs. The youths are not motivated to start an entrepreneurship as they do not possess the required skills. India is full of talents, govt just need to provide platforms and use the potentials of our youth. Our youths should be guided in proper direction. The population burden can become resource if we lay proper strategy in this regard and no doubt India will make another Google, another Facebook in near future and will provide a tough competition to the rest of the world.

-SHUVAJYOTI DUTTA

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