Government aims to increase the EDUCATION IN INDIA

COIMBATORE: The Central Government hopes to increase higher
education enrolment percentage from 10 to 12 in the next five
years, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister T.K.A. Nair has
said.


Increase of two percentage points would mean the number of
universities increased from 500 to 1,500, he said at Amrita
Vishwa Vidyapeetham here on Friday, while inaugurating Amrita
Tech Fest, Anokha 2010.
Ninety per cent of youth who should be going to colleges did not
go. Only a small percentage of those who went attended
professional colleges. And for those who attended professional
courses employability was a problem.
It was a paradox that at one end graduates were found unfit for
employment and at the other companies went scouting for talent.
It was a reflection on the quality of engineering education, which
had deteriorated with the mushrooming of colleges along
countryside.
Without competent teachers, the colleges produced engineers
who were found unfit in the market.
It was a waste of resources, he lamented.
India had the highest population of persons below 44 years of
age and at the productive age the group could become an asset
to the nation, if only their energy was channelled properly.
Imparting necessary skill and training would turn them an asset
to the nation and the demographic dividend would be good. Else,
they would be a liability, turn a menace and persons within the
group could take to violence and destruction.
Mr. Nair told the students that they had a great opportunity in
front of them - to not only make a career but also work for nation
building. “Through your job you must be able to lead a good
life and also be socially relevant. Learn to balance the two.”
Pro-Chancellor of the University Abayananda Chaitanya said
creativity and innovation were not the exclusive forte of the West.
Long before Pythagoras could come out with his theory,
Boudayana had enunciated it. Similarly, Charaka and Susrutha
had done pioneering work in medicine.
Even in literature, the country had so many great men to be
proud of. Somehow during colonisation, India had lost the spirit
and it was high time they were rediscovered.
Viswa Kumar, vice president, Cognisant Technology Solutions,
said innovation was not just about coming up with brilliant ideas
but executing the same, for the latter was tougher.
Dean-Engineering M.P. Chandrasekharan, Director, Corporate
and International Relations, C. Parameswaran and Chairman,
Electrical Engineering Department T.N.P. Nambiar were also
present at the inauguration.
Courtesy -  The Hindu