Dec 12, 2024
Dec 12, 2024
Our education system is a training system which ultimately kills innovation. Children are trained to get admission into a good school at the age of three , at sixteen enroll for training for admission into Engineering / Medical Colleges and some choose to get trained for Civil Services subsequently.
In the above process, the focus is on clearing a certain examination. This has also spawned a sizeable market for “Guide Books” and “Guess Papers”.
In the corporate world it has become fashionable to ask employees to walk the untreaden path, ask the unasked question and so forth. But the thirst for knowledge is never encouraged in our system.
Mr N R Narayana Murthy, Chairman Emeritus, Infosys Ltd has admitted that in the last sixty years or so our students from the IIT’s or IISc have not made any path breaking contribution to the society.
He made this observation during convocation address at Indian Institute of Science, Part of which is reproduced below for reference-
“……..let us pause and ask what the contributions of Indian institutions of higher learning particularly IISc and IITs, have been over the last 60-plus years to make our society and the world a better place. Is there one invention from India that has become a household name in the globe? Is there one technology that has transformed the productivity of global corporations? Is there one idea that has led to an earth-shaking invention to delight global citizens? Folks, the reality is that there is no such contribution from India in the last 60 years”.
There must be several answers to why this scenario exists. All sectors- research institutions, government departments and business houses are affected.
What prevents these supposedly brilliant minds from making path breaking contribution ? Is it lack of courage , economic compulsions stopping one from taking risks or simply capitulation as learnt in Guru – Shishya culture !
A trained mind will only deliver what it is trained for- so it would be too much to expect , Mr Murthy.