When VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid walked into Eden Gardens cricket ground for the second time in the second Test match against Australia in March 2001, little did they realise that their epic partnership would lay the foundation for a historic Test victory for India.
Not only did they level the series at that stage, but also proved that a follow-on can also be a winning opportunity against the popular belief that a follow-on is a penultimate step to a Test match loss. This new realisation dawned, and can also travel to different eco-spheres, including engineering education. Here is how.
The annual admission to various undergraduate disciplines in the 3,000-plus private engineering colleges in India witnessed a downtrend in the last three years. This year has also been a struggle for many as engineering colleges confronted a problem of plenty.
Adding more salt to the wounded engineering education is the employability of the engineering graduates. Reports are replete with employability percentage ranging from an unbelievable sub-10 per cent to the high 20s, leaving the remaining ‘unemployable graduates’ in search of jobs. The only solace to them is the ‘engineering degree tag’ that comes with their graduation.
However, there is another critical mass of students in the engineering college ecosystem who are one step below the unemployable. They are the ‘ungraduatable’, but does not necessarily mean unemployable.
The engineering enrolment, which peaked during the 2000s, started sliding 2010 onwards, and has been on an irreversible sliding mode since. Despite this, the average annual intake during the last eight to 10 years has been close to 10 lakh.
On a conservative estimate, the average pass percentage of engineering graduates is 85 per cent— which means every year 85 per cent of the enrolled students graduate with an undergraduate degree. This implies that around 1.5 students do not graduate within the minimum four-year period.
With an academic deficit to be filled, such students have the option of graduating within the seven-year period, and even if they do so, under the present competitive employment scenario, they will be found wanting on several fronts. A substantial number of students end up not being able to graduate after seven years and are ‘retired-hurt’. This number is slowly building up and may be a serious social concern over a period of time, especially when the formative years of the youth yield nothing.
Before it blows into a social chaos of unemployment, coupled with under-education, a meaningful exit-option intervention is necessary.
‘Retired-hurt’ students need a follow-on solution. Students who failed to graduate within seven years would have completed certain course credits. If the number of credits successfully completed is adequate for a diploma, students must be awarded a diploma in the specific discipline. Those falling short of credits may be allowed to complete the required credits and be awarded a diploma. This exit-option may also be made available for those willing to graduate with a diploma after an unsuccessful four-year engineering study.
The country requires a skilled workforce, which forms the basis for the next decade of booming employment in India. While efforts are being made through a national vocational qualification framework and various skill development initiatives, this mode of diploma is an academic identity to a tested vocational ability. Such skill-based diploma will not only provide skilled workforce, but also brighten hopes of many youths who otherwise may charter avoidable pathways. In short, engineering discards need not ‘retire hurt’, but follow-on for a not-out career progress.
S Vaidhyasubramaniam
Dean, Planning & Development, SASTRA University
vaidhya@sastra.edu