The blog post is a reflection of my
experiences and the feelings as a researcher at a Doctoral level course at the
Newcastle University. As someone who hails
from a developing nation like India and who has been in the industry for more
than a decade, the blog seems to be an ideal platform to convey the thoughts
pertaining to difference in the education obtained, way back home and the
current education that I am undergoing at the University of Newcastle.
The purpose of the blog hence is to point out
the distinctions that exist at taught level courses at all levels including undergraduate
and postgraduate degrees. Some would like to argue that the distinction would
remain due to the scale, the availability of resources or prevailing systems in
the developing nations; however I would beg to differ that the current level
education system in India performs below par and essentially produces graduates
who lack required skills and competencies to be absorbed by the work force.
Friends and acquaintances, who are aware of my
ability to “call spade a spade” do laud my writing skills; however some of them
find me a strong critic who likes to point out the gaps with everything
prevalent in the Indian education system. However they fail to realize that the
purpose of pointing out deficiencies is to think objectively to visualise the
deficiencies that prevail in the Indian education structure and enable India to
learn from the best practices prevalent across the globe.
A parliamentary panel in India recently
questioned the quality of PhD’s produced in the country http://goo.gl/hoQKpc reflecting the fact that there needs to be a
complete overhaul of system and more graduates need to be absorbed by the
system. At this juncture it would be important to highlight what I visualize
distinctly in the UK and in the Indian education system and why the former is
quite a few notches away from the later.
Teaching for the future – One of the stark
contrasts that I visualize due to my constant involvement in training
programmes as well skill enhancement sessions, is the approach itself, as to
how the skills are imparted. The curriculum and the training modules, here in
the UK, are designed to prepare candidates for the future. The insights
obtained are valuable and would be particularly useful in the course of seeking
employment in the future. The curriculum and training although grueling, impart
relevant skills required for the industry and essential to build a cutting edge
for oneself in the global multinationals, which constantly seek diverse skill
sets in the students graduating from the Universities.
On the other hand In India, corporations as
well as recruiters do harp on the quality of graduates churned out by the
system http://goo.gl/UCMaf1.
The agony of the employers is evident as a lot students who graduate from
various engineering as well as business schools lack basic skills and
competencies including critical thinking, analysis, and comprehension, vital
for work force. My own experience seconds the argument, as I had the fortune of
managing one of the world’s leading assessment programmes PISA (Programme for
International Student Assessment) in India and no wonder India’s was stacked at
the bottom league http://goo.gl/rsjCz, confirming the fact that India’s potential
workforce is underprepared to take the challenges of the future. The curriculum
prevalent in most of the colleges is outdated and disconnected from the real
world and thus fails to prepare graduates for the times to come.
The teacher makes the difference - One of the
stark contrasts that I observed was evident in the teaching profession itself.
At the Newcastle University my supervisor is my friend, guide and philosopher.
He is aware of my strengths and weakness and mentors me towards my objectives
by encouraging me to carry out tasks based on my strengths, guides and suggests
effective measures to work on my weakness, which could potentially prove useful
to me in the future.
For instance, I come with industry experience
and thus bring the strength of networking with me. My supervisor guides me
effectively to strengthen the industrial ties and mentors me to leverage
relations for smooth execution of my research project, by encouraging me to
raise funds through the Corporate Social Responsibility projects of
corporations and donor agencies willing to work in developing nations of the
world.
I just step back and recollect my experience
with Indian teachers, although I had a few good teachers during my
under-graduation as well as the post-graduation stints; there were many with
whom I could never connect. The reason I presume is that, teachers in India do
not empathize with the student community and the student’s illustrious work is
never revered. Professors and lecturers demand respect by spreading fear,
confusion and fabricating a false pretense of ‘pseudo intellectualism’ importance
amongst the student community. Students address teachers as ‘Sir/Madam’ the
concept of calling tutors (teachers/professors) by their first names is almost
non-existent. Nepotism is rampant and students those who dare to question
teachers are reprimanded by low grades and humiliations during classroom interactions.
Learnings from Intercultural diversity – My
current batch at the University of Newcastle has students representing
different nationalities. The multicultural dimension at the university provides
an ideal platform to exchange ideas and thoughts with people who hail from
distinct communities and cultures. The ability of world class universities to
draw high caliber talent pool and enabling free facilitation of ideas is
definitely a benediction in disguise, which fosters tolerance and patience
towards other communities and cultures.
On the other hand when I look back at the
Indian Universities, I am appalled by the fact that admission in Universities
at all levels are undertaken on the basis of caste, class and their religious
ethnicity and the meritocracy factor is overlooked while admitting students http://goo.gl/t6SBJ5.
Finally as a word of conclusion I want to
mention that there should be a complete overhaul of the Indian education
system. With the new government in place and an energetic cabinet in place I
wish that the system gears for the challenges of the future by revamping
curriculum, hiring high quality teaching staff and promoting meritocracy in the
system rather than allowing nepotism and pseudo intellectuals flourish in the
system.
