By; Dr. (Prof) Supriya Pattanayak, Vice Chancellor, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Odisha
The International Labour Organization recently released a report on India’s Labour market. It was alarming to know that almost 29.1% of graduates in India are jobless. While experts have always warned about the quality of Indian education that could lead to unemployable graduates, the facts are now staring in the face. Theory based education system has created individuals who might know the theories but will fail when it comes to applying this information. The world is moving at a fast pace and those who lag will be left far behind. Industry 5.0 doesn’t just need a workforce that can do mechanical and repetitive jobs, but needs people who have hands on knowledge of the workings of the industry, and this is only possible when there is a balance between theoretical and practical education.
Over the years, educational institutions have moved towards competency based and skill-based education. While the New Education Policy presses on the need to change the education to a practical based one, the challenge lies with educational institutions including schools and universities to make our students job ready and future ready. Historically, the Gurukul system in India gave holistic education to students, inculcating life skills and practical as well as theoretical knowledge as needed in those days. Post independence NCERT founded Demonstration Multipurpose Schools where students gained practical based education. About 4 of them still exist. I am also an alumnus of one such school. And it was a worthwhile experience to learn how to run a Leith machine or do woodwork. With changing times, they have also adapted and now focus on new age skills like digital literacy with an aim to create creative individuals.
However, majority of educational schools are providing only theoretical knowledge where they are ultimately unemployable. There is something amiss, and that clearly is the connect between what the education system is providing and what the industry needs. Thus, there is a need to move towards an education system that addresses this gap. In Germany, students undergo an aptitude test right after their school, and then choose a career path in tandem with their core skills. This enables them to excel in their chosen field. And such a system must be replicated here in India as well. But here students only aim to become a doctor or an engineer, while arts is the last option even though it teaches us about human behaviour. Not many know that one can get into healthcare industry not just as a doctor but as a paramedic too who supports the doctors, or study engineering’s different branches like aerospace engineering, chemical engineering and not just IT.
In India, Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) have imparted specific skills for industry though they have been considered at the bottom of the rung as they only provide diploma, which has its own limitation. This has led to a need of lab-based education that also imparts research skills for the students to grow. We now have National Skill Qualification Framework. It highlights how a career pathway can be created. Offering 600 hours courses for skill-based jobs, the students end up gaining skills to find entry level jobs like supervisors in automobile industries, programmers in IT industry, etc. In tandem with NEP, the NSQ ensures that students can now get a degree with multiple entry and exits.A student in second year can choose to work for a couple of years and get credits for it, and continue later when situation is better. Thus, even with breaks a student can now do a PHD, enabling them to continue their education.
Even as the framework has been laid, how well it is executed will show how the future will be. Meanwhile, there are some universities that are offering skill-based education, and even though it is a difficult task as it requires consistent efforts in the right direction, only those offering an industry focused education will truly win in this endeavour.
