New thinking is becoming the hallmark of the India of tomorrow. The idea of new thinking was developed during the long campaign of Parliamentary election in our country. The idea actually flowed from the Prime Minister and is now gaining ground as the country is desirous of planning for future. It will be remembered that the President has more than once highlighted the necessity of raising the standards of education in our premier educational institutes. In particular, he has a message for the technical and scientific institutes in the country that carry various names like IITs, NITs and technical institutes. The point is that we are in a state of advancement as well as stagnation and what we need is to come out of stagnation and be a dynamic and forward moving nation. This is the age of science and technology. Countries that can master technology have a bright future. We in this country have a broad base for technological education and excellence. What we actually need is innovation and that comes from research. The President is very right in saying that our technical institutes must raise the level of research to the highest pinnacle and relieve the country from being a seeker of technology from abroad. We need to utilize the potential especially in our youth so that we become an innovative nation and thereby reduce our dependence on foreign support.
We are in a period of transition and although we have transited to modernity in some of the vital areas but there remains much to be done still. The benefits of technology must reach common man in the country; it must reach the labourer on the road, it must reach the farmer in the field, it must reach the worker in the factory and it must reach the student in the school. The President wants India to become skilled in next decade when 500 million of her people will have acquired proficiency in one or the other skill. We have the capacity to do that and we have the wherewithal needed for that. Therefore advice of the President to the conference of Chairmen, Board of Governors and Directors of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) was that the quality of education has to be improved without further delay and excellence has to be the hallmark of Indian institutes of higher learning and technology. It is learnt that there is overall shortage of 37 per cent in the strength of faculties in IITs at present. This is a huge deficit and needs to be overcome. At the same time, improvement in the syllabus has to be made so new and latest subjects of study are also taken up in the curricula.
Actually, India must think of competing with the advanced countries in terms of educational excellence. It is a matter of regret that not a single Indian university finds place among the first twenty best universities of the world. This is not acceptable. The President has pointed it out more than once in his addresses to educationists in the country. Therefore, onus comes to the doorsteps of the faculties at the institutes of higher learning. They owe great responsibility to the nation and they have to become the torch bearers and path breakers. It is rather sad that we are not able to make any path breaking innovation that would be in the larger interests of the nation. Just awarding degrees to the students and creating an army of educated unemployed youth is highly detrimental to the interests of the country.
Let us be frank about one more matter. There is something wrong somewhere in the governance of the technical institutes that hinders quality education, quality research and innovation. Why do our qualified and experienced faculties aspire to leave the country and go abroad in search of greener pastures? How can we create the sense of nationalism among our technocrats so that their expertise is profitably utilized in the service of the nation? These questions need introspection on all levels.
We in this country need a vision of our future. We need to realize that with enormous manpower and resources, we are capable of making great achievements. And why these achievements are not made or what hinders us from making these achievements is what we need to think deeply. The President is optimistic that our country has the capacity to be among the leading and developed countries of the world. That potential needs to be identified and exploited in the interests of the nation. The India of 2020 has to be the “Skilled India” meaning the people have to imbibe scientific and technological temperament and that is the key to banish unemployment from our country.
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