The Hindu Business Line : `Our educational system emphasises knowledge but not skills'

"THERE is a chasm between a student prepared by the academics and a product required by industry," said Dr V. Balaraman, CEO & Managing Director, Adrenalin eSystems Ltd, and also the president of the Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to a group of students of the Institute for Financial and Management Research at Chennai while delivering a lecture under the Business Line Club series of lectures.

Emphasising that this is also the concern of Indian industry, he further added that "Indian engineers are unable to plunge into business immediately unlike their American counterparts who can even get under the machine and start repairing it, due to a lack of hands-on experience."

While acknowledging that the "Indian IT industry is able to attract people," he pointed out that at the same time "they are unable to retain them." This phenomenon is universal, he said. However, of late, the IT industry's explosive growth has been in the forefront of attracting almost everybody to it, leaving very few talented ones for other fields and thereby creating a scarcity of people for R and D.

"Many Indian graduates are unemployable," remarked Dr Balaraman, and urged the students to develop soft skills like communication, leadership skills and ability to tackle situations. Taking a dig at the teaching process, he said the present system of "teacher teaching and the student learning" should end. Instead, the students should take the pains to learn. There was a need for more practical learning as in industry things would not be spoon-fed.

Comparing the nature of learning in schools with that of industry, he further added that in "schools we accepted all that we were told and taught, whereas in industry one needs to develop a lot of inquisitiveness and question the existing practices to come out with new and innovative ways of doing the same things better."

About the secret of success and the situations that bring out the best in an individual, he said, "When an individual is pushed to extreme situations where things are difficult, it will help him realise and discover hidden talents."

The meeting was presided by the Director of IFMR, Dr R. Kannan. The faculty and students of IFMR were present on the occasion. Prof. M. Nagarani delivered the vote of thanks.

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