Chettinad Student Wins Debate on Skilling

CHENNAI: The student debate on ‘Skill building is the raison d’etre of education’ at the ThinkEdu15 Conclave here raised some important points on whether it was skill or subject knowledge that was important for survival.

The debaters pointed out that skill building and education move in a parallel direction towards molding an individual.

While Ayush Bhargava from IIT Madras stated that education was a common platform to inculcate labour skills, soft skills and life skills, talking for the topic, Apoorva Ramachandran from Stella Maris College, Chennai, argued that skill could only be acquired with proper knowledge and practice over time.

“Education should impart wisdom, ethics and morals. Gaining skills has nothing to do with education, it is a check box while gaining knowledge,” said Amit Antony, an Electronics and Communication student of Vellore Institute of Technology-Chennai campus.

Manaswini Prasanna, a psychology student of Women’s Christian College, who spoke for the topic, pointed out that education should help develop social, personal, soft and interpersonal skills.

The winner of the debate, Ujjwala Varma, a student of Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Chennai, who spoke against the topic, said, “Skill development is not imparting of information, but is an off-shoot of academic knowledge.” Ayush and Apoorva were declared the runners-up.

The platform was set and the debate points were in place, but this did not stop students from making their rebuttal strong. Though there were heated arguments on both sides, it can be said that education is a lifelong process. It is dynamic and provides growth, and skill building is equally important for character building.