Mind the educational gap

India’s demographic advantage could turn into a nightmare for policy makers and the society if growing automation increases redundancies. It’s already happening in the Information Technology (IT) and banking sectors. As per media reports, companies in the manufacturing and the IT space sacked over 56,000 engineers in 2017 so far. 

A report by International Labour Organisation’s World Employment Social Outlook states that the number of unemployed in India is expected to go up to 18 million in 2018. Also, as per Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) annual survey, over 30 per cent of those aged 15-29 in India are not in employment, education or training (NEETs). This is more than double the OECD average and almost three times that of China’s.

The success of ‘Skill India’ initiative is pertinent for the economy. After major tax reforms, the government needs to work towards a complete transformation of the education system to ensure the curriculum is aligned to the needs of modern times.

Our current education system focuses more on theory than practice. It lacks industry readiness and restricts all round development. Our institutes need to have an inherent ability to understand the job market requirements and prepare the generation to meet those needs.

Institutes need to provide application-based learning to ensure teaching is more interactive to promote creative thinking and leadership skills. Project-based learning that can have students involve corporates in their research assignments assignments can help boost their analytical thinking and give them exposure to corporate workings. Internship and apprenticeship should be encouraged.

Industry experts are also insisting on data analytics to evaluate teaching style and techniques. This real-time feedback can help teachers improvise based on current requirements. A rating system for colleges by private institutes will help identify areas of improvement and increase efficiency in the overall teaching system in India. These ratings should be available in the public domain so parents and students can refer to it while selecting the institutes they want to get in to.

Institutes also need to diversify their syllabus by offering students customised learning options. If a student is interested in economics and design and technology, s/he should be given an option of skip other subjects like history or arts.

Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, at various forums, has stated that the education system has to respond to the challenge of this ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ with innovation and creativity.

Employment opportunities will only come to those who have skills. But, there is a dearth of skilled professionals. Education institutes need to provide practical learning to students and make them ready for the corporate world.

The writer is the principal of KPB Hinduja College, Charni Road, Mumbai