The McKinsey report, which claimed that just 25% of Indian graduates are employable, was released in the years 2004–2005. The first shock to the Indian educational system came from it. At that time, a lack of employment skills was the main issue. Although we excelled at coding and programming, teamwork, managerial positions, and other abilities were found to be deficient. The institutions and business sector immediately strengthened and reinforced the curriculum. Campus connect programmes were started by industries.
Naturally, the loss or lack of employment creation is the most pressing issue. The type of skills required for jobs in the upcoming generation, however, is a significant concern. We also aren’t prepared. Big data, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics are the jobs that are now in the news. There aren’t many universities that offer these courses. We started these classes because we foresaw this. We offer electives to our undergraduate students, and some of these courses are also being offered at the graduate level. We have master’s degrees in cloud computing and big data science. The appropriate balance of technology jobs has been provided to pupils. So, in a sense, we have closed the gap between education and employment.
We require the proper training that will lead to employment, design, and innovation in product designs in engineering. That is what we must carry out. We collaborate with Bangalore’s Srishti School of Design. We must consider ways to include more of these institutions in the launch of design programmes.
What is the largest issue facing private universities in terms of education?
We have no issues for a Manipal Institute. But I can’t assume that it holds true for all institutions. You must invest in professional growth and find ways to send educators back into the workforce every summer, just like students.
Why is the teaching pool in India so small?
One is entry-level, a recent college graduate. Before deciding on their future, our own students occasionally teach for one or two years after joining the faculty. This is tragic in my opinion. One university degree is enough for our top students, and once they go for work at age 21, they are no longer interested in continuing their education. They stop being students, stop working on their master’s degrees, and stop conducting research. They only seek a successful career. A well-paying job equates to a good job. Now, those who are unemployed choose to become teachers.
How successfully you educate, for instance, may be evaluated as part of your post-graduate medical education. It is only in medical school that pedagogy is evaluated. As a result, medical students naturally return to teaching. It is different in engineering. There is no system in place to introduce kids to the joy of instruction.
It’s difficult to keep good faculty on staff. Is it purely financial?
One aspect is money. What does a normal instructor desire when you examine his mindset? Money isn’t always involved. He desires a decent location to work, a kind employer, a life that is close to perfect, certain protection from the dread of losing his job, and certainties about healthcare and his children’s education. Some of the teachers who have been with us for 30 or 40 years are among the greatest.
Why do universities limit themselves to creating degrees and teaching?
One of the least significant for a university is that. Research and its potential impact on society are among the things that are most significant to me. However, not everyone has what it takes to be a great researcher or instructor. We have established a directorate of research with directors for technical education and health sciences. These take care of the research by raising awareness about how to use researchers throughout the university.
We have made investments in personnel, laboratories, data-based work, analysis tools, and research equipment. Research has been encouraged, with incentives based on impact factor and publication.
However, research takes years…
It is an obsession, not a difficulty. A good researcher is seldom one who is looking for an answer, but rather one who asks a good question. Positive research contributions to science do not always occur. Even unfavourable outcomes do. Similar outcomes also. It is not required to be cutting-edge research. It is sufficient to do research that advances science in some way.
What then accounts for the dearth of research papers?
Twelve significant publications have left the university in the past year. Although this is a tiny amount, we are progressing. We had no papers a decade ago, but now we publish 10 a year. With regard to publications per faculty, we wish to raise it to international levels.
How challenging is it to obtain financing from the government for research?
Funding is cruc
