The Hindu Business Line : Quality awareness drive for youngsters

THE National Institute for Quality and Reliability (NIQR) and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) propose to launch an initiative for creating awareness about quality and standards, the lack of which has prevented Indian companies from accessing global markets. .

The Thiruvananthapuram Chapter of NIQR is planning to meet Principals of important schools in the city to see how the message of quality and standards can be effectively taken to the student community. This `empower-them-young-campaign' is expected to evolve as the platform for a more broad-based effort with schools later.

Explaining the context, Mr C. Balagopal, Chairman, and Mr Govindan, Vice-Chairman, NIQR-Thiruvananthapuram, said that pampering of the industry all these years through reservation for the SSI sector, for instance, has not made it any easy for it to adjust to a competitive market where quality and price alone determine outcomes.

Japanese example: After World War II, when the Japanese industry lay destroyed, a small group of engineers and scientists got together and formed the Japan Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE). This organisation, with very little by way of resources, took on the heroic task of transforming Japan from a maker of cheap short-lived products to a maker of the best quality products.

This was accomplished through a long process of learning and education of the business and industrial community. JUSE invited experts such as Edward Deming of the US to come to Japan and address manufacturers. The knowledge so acquired was then rapidly disseminated among the manufacturing community.

In India, no such movement has taken root yet, although finally there appears to be something happening through the efforts of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

It is necessary for experts, business/industry, and government to work together to make quality happen. The ordinary citizen will also have to contribute by demanding products of good quality and services that conform to standards. Only then will Indian goods be able to conquer foreign markets.

Low awareness: Despite the existence of consumer courts, increasing literacy and better communications, the level of awareness on quality and standards among the public is quite low. This extends to consumer products, public services and professional services.

The solution does not lie in more rules and statutes, but in creating awareness among the general public about these rules/statutes and the manner in which they impact the lives of ordinary citizens.

For this, efforts need to be taken on a broad front in order to effectively reach the greatest number. These include inclusion of such matters in the school/university curriculum, regular coverage in the print media, and programming in TV and radio.

So far, efforts have largely consisted of events showcasing the important issues. These have not had the desired impact due to limited participation, and being one-off events. What is needed is follow through and repeated efforts, so that the message gets home.

This will, therefore, be the emphasis of the NIQR-BIS proposal. The methods will be similar to typical marketing campaigns.

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