CHENNAI:‘Knowledge nationalism’ is dangerous to a country with an educational system that has one of the worst learning outcomes in the world, said Amit Shovon Ray, Director, Centre for Development Studies, speaking at the ThinkEdu Conclave.
A panel comprising Lok Satta party founder Jayaprakash Narayan, Amit Shovon Ray,and Nitin Pai, Co-Founder & Director, Takshashila Institution, Bangalore were categorical in
stating that if foreign educators were good then there should be no reservation in hiring them.
“We need to open ourselves to the best of minds from all over. I disagree on the position that we do not need to bring in the best from wherever they come from,” Ray added.
Narayan, who was unequivocal in pointing out the status of Indian education, said that India needed to throw open its doors. “We need to get the best here. The better education you have, the better employment you have. It is directly proportional. But in India, it is different. This is because the system of education is dismal,” he said.
Pai asked why foreign educators should be kept away. “If they are good, then we need them. This kind of knowledge nationalism was never a part of India and it needs to be jettisoned as quickly as possible,” he concluded. The session was chaired by Deepak Mehta, Associate Professor, Delhi School of Economics.