Saturday, October 9, 2010

Big names often deliver small in Education ऊँची दुकान, फीका पकवान

Big names & places often deliver small in the field of education.

ऊँची दुकान, फीका पकवान

Politics in Education, No, No, No, Never.

Education in Politics (for politicians)???

Well, yes. But who is interested??? (Not politicians’ at least)




We have a situation in India where education institutions are mostly owned by politicians or their family members. Once a noble profession, it is now an industry. With new phrases being heard like ROI, breakeven, growth (for the institutions, not the students). In the midst of this, if we ask the question “Where are the values??” The prompt answer is “What are values? And how are they related to the industry??”

This when the corporate and the business are talking about end to end responsibility, corporate social responsibility, social accountability. Just when the commercial world is going societal, Education has totally transformed itself into a commercial entity.

Most of the educational institutions are investor run, Investors are the decision makers. However their ignorance is in a larger quantum then their knowledge when it comes to Academics. And this (ignorance) is what they contribute to the organization.The academicians associated have no say when it comes to financial matters like investments, salaries & amenities. Their time is mostly consumed in either defending or correcting the wrong speech and the actions of the investors.

This being the situation, how then is it possible for Academic staff to work for the elevation of imparting & comprehension standards. They also slowly get into an laid back mindset and start working more for their own survival then the prestige of the institution.

This is a stage where the citadel of education transform themselves into profit centers for business.  The names remain big but delivery is Small, Substandard and Insubstantial.

We have to search with magnifying glass to locate an institution owned and run by the educationist. The prestigious institutions of yesteryear that were delivering value along with the education have become irrelevant and redundant in today’s context. Parents are no longer sending their children here because these institutions lack the glamour and the corporate status.They are mostly catering to the economically poor students who are not able to afford five star cost of the corporate institutions. 

This being the scenario, you feel a breath of fresh air when you visit the few prestigious institutions, which have been there since a long time delivering value in education and still continuing the same. Some of the University campuses (only some) have still retained the same serenity, dignity, simplicity, and continue to be the temples of learning; they were once famously regarded as.

One thing I have found very surprising, (and reassuring) is that educational institutions located in smaller towns are maintaining higher  standards in education than their counterparts located in larger towns, districts, cities and metros. The student quality is also is very high. They may be low on the general knowledge IQ, but are very high on relevant subject knowledge IQ. Reverse is the case with the students from larger cities where general & social media IQ is very huge resulting in a much depleted subject IQ. These I tell you are the students from the so called prestigious institutions owned by the famous politicians.

I humbly request the organisations going for the campus recruitment to probe the colleges in the rural areas if they are serious about techno savvy candidates, instead of socio savvy candidates.

What is the remedy for the present situation?

Now how to transform these institutions from centers imparting curriculum, to temples imparting values and education?

Please join the discussions with your valuable inputs.

Best wishes,
Shyam

Please also read my  featured article in wiki " How to impart STEM education to your children"


"When it comes to technological innovation, the United States remains number one. Yet, among 15-year-olds worldwide, the US ranks 29th in math literacy, falling behind Finland, Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Liechtenstein. This means that the US delivers a less-than-excellent education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM education). Due to the declining quality of public primary and secondary education as well as an overall lack of financial and societal support (only 10 percent of children's TV characters are scientists or engineers), fewer young American students are showing an interest in STEM education".


http://www.wikihow.com/Impart-STEM-Education-to-Your-Children

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