Education System Needs to Shift Focus: Mantha
Focused skill development with employability is must for economic development of any country in the present day. The education system must shift its focus from the prevalent practice to a more pragmatic one, said Chairman of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Prof SS Mantha here on Wednesday.
Delivering his address at the sixth convocation of Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT), Mantha said, “One great incongruity of our system has been 10 per cent development of organised sector while it is 80 per cent in developed countries.” He insisted that skill development and training in organised and unorganised sectors as an education imperative is extremely important for growing economy like India.
Mantha claimed that the higher education system suits the needs of the ruling and elite sections and mooted for a truly inclusive system in everyone’s interest.
“More than 30 per cent of today’s students, who have left education midway, will experience higher education in 10 years to push the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER),” Mantha said. He hoped that GER will reach 50 per cent in next 20 years and said around 25 million
teenagers leave study after failing in 10th, 11th and 12th standards. Mantha mooted to develop a credible rating system and identify need-gaps in colleges and said lack of right metrics and planning prevents students from grabbing opportunities. For real progress there has to be a paradigm shift in education system, he added.
“The most important feature of a framework created by AICTE is that a student can also avail multi-point entry and exit between formal and vocational education and the job market,” he said. He projected a bare annual expenditure of around `870 crores to train five lakh youths in competency based skills and said AICTE will work with Odisha Government to make it happen in the State.
Speaking on the occasion, BPUT Chancellor and Governor SC Jamir said, “Knowledge is an important factor in India’s aspiration to be global player.” He insisted on creating conducive academic environment for research and opportunities for knowledge sharing to build foundation of inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional academic cooperation.
As many as 39,295 under-graduate and post-graduate degrees for 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic sessions including eight PhD holders were awarded. Among others, BPUT Vice-Chancellor Prof JK Satpathy and Registrar Nayak were present.