The future of Knowledge
It is the synonym of power, not just its handmaiden. And India is uniquely positioned to seize both, provided it keeps its head, heart - and investments - in the right place. If knowledge is the key to our future, it must deploy a range of weapons, from technology to innovations, from virtual teaching to warm-bodied faculty. Most of all, a redefined knowledge must jettison its old hierarchies and exclusive constituencies, and be accessible to all. Here is what needs to be done to turn this former accomplice of power into an instrument of empowerment
At the close of the first decade of the 21st century, we stand poised between a collapsing past and an uncertain future. The landmarks of the past are slowly disappearing, and the milestones of the future are yet to take shape. The march of modern civilisation represents mans mindless exploitation of nature, in utter disregard to its consequences. The global market economy encourages the global elite to use capital for consumption of goods and services, catering to the comfort of a minority. At the turn of the 21st century, we realised that the capital provided by nature was diminishing so fast that we needed to adopt and adapt to a different way of life, or lose out on options. This is in the context of the fact that two-thirds of the worlds population lives in poverty. With diminishing resources, we need to conquer new frontiers of knowledge. We also need to innovate and find solutions that will, on the one hand, ensure economic growth, without the unbridled exploitation of nature, and on the other, bring prosperity for the millions, who are underprivileged and poor. Never has man been confronted with such a challenge. The challenge is even more daunting with the developing crisis of global warming that threatens human survival. While we endeavour to conquer new frontiers of knowledge, we need to find innovative solutions for production of energy, invent new and advanced materials, efficient transportation systems which rely less on fossil fuels for sustenance and enhance agricultural production through an evergreen revolution. We need solutions which require quantitatively fewer natural resources for greater productivity, to serve a global population that will, by 2050, be 8.9 billion. We must also ensure, as we move forward, that the solutions we offer are both accessible and affordable for the poor in the less developed world. The journey is full of opportunities and uncertainties. Technology will provide the crucial bridge between the creation of knowledge and its delivery for the benefit of the consumer. This is amply demonstrated by the ICT revolution that has changed the way we live and work. The benefits of ICT will be fully reaped only when we understand and expand the new frontiers of knowledge with breakthroughs in the area of nanotechnology, biotechnology and advanced materials. Any society and any nation that needs to be part of the mainstream of this civilisational endeavour needs to invest in the creation of knowledge and in innovation, including the creative delivery mechanisms necessary to bring them to the doorstep of the common man. No nation can afford to have vast sections of its population illiterate and unskilled. For skill development, the nature of skills that need to be acquired is directly linked to those needed for absorption in the economy in sectors, which generate growth and have future potential for growth. Each nation needs to analyse its own peculiar national circumstances to cater to the need for skill development. This applies equally to the levels of skill development required for economic growth. On the other hand, new frontiers of knowledge can only be embraced if nations invest in institutions of higher education which cater to excellence. India needs to seize the opportunity that beckons us. With a massive demographic dividend, if in the next two decades, we are able to provide quality learning which caters to excellence, both at the elementary and secondary level, and in higher education, we will transform India into a knowledge power. With 220 million children going to school and millions out of school, India's gross enrollment ratio (GER) is a meagre 12.4%. This means that for every 100 children, who pass class 12, only 12.4% obtain a university education. The flip side is that almost 88% are left out. In contrast, any developed economy has a GER above 40%, and in the most developed economies, this is above 60%. Economic growth therefore, is directly related to the percentage of children moving from secondary to higher education. This is because universities and institutions of higher learning and excellence are centres of creation of knowledge, which translates into wealth, the indices of which are reflected in the economy. We therefore, need to ensure that the Right to Education Act, 2009 is implemented in right earnest through collaborative efforts of the Central and State Governments, along with the necessary stakeholders in civil society. Our aim is to increase our GER from 12.4% at present, to 30% by 2020. If we achieve this, then of the 220 million children going to school, about 70 million will be eligible to move on for higher education. The present figure is about 26 million. In other words, by 2020, we should and must incrementally build enough capacity in the higher education sector to be able to cater to the needs of over 40 million extra children. This is a tall order, and will require commitment at all levels. Apart from this, we need to impart quality education to our young. We need to have an education system which encourages creativity and tests the raw intelligence of the child. We need to move away from the rote system of learning to methodologies which expand the childs horizon of knowledge and encourage the child to be creative and innovative in the context of the challenges that confront contemporary society. In the learning experience of a child, there must not be a disconnect between learning and solving problems. We need an education system that allows a child to evolve into a responsible, sensitive and tolerant citizen, proud of his or her roots, yet willing to embrace and meet the challenges of tomorrow. Thus, education content must be transformed. Not everyone after higher secondary is likely to seek a college degree, and the over 140 million young students who do not pass class 12, would need to be imparted skills of a level and quality that too must be matched with the growing and diverse needs of the economy. Community colleges, ITIs, polytechnics and other institutional frameworks must expand exponentially to meet these demands. We need a large number of semiskilled and skilled labour in diverse sectors of the economy. All this will require massive investments in the education sector and therefore, we need to expand opportunities. It will not be possible for the state alone to provide the wherewithal for such massive expansion. We, therefore, need to use innovative means through public-private partnerships. We will also need to make technology play a significant role in this enterprise. And this should be in ways beyond broadband, Internet and distance education. In higher learning, we need massive investments. With the transformation of our curricula and methodologies, we need to make the university system, both more independent, and accountable. Universities should have the freedom to reach out to key stakeholders for resources and talent and allow a system of recruitment, which will help meet the challenges. Our universities must become centres of knowledge, emphasising the significance of research, a sine qua non for knowledge creation. It is in this context that in the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-2012 ), allocation was stepped up to 19% from around 7.7% of the budgetary support in the 10th Plan. This meant a fivefold increase in spending. To pump up higher education, we are planning to fund 30 new Central Universities, five new Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, eight new Indian Institutes of Technology, 11 new Indian Institutes of Management and 20 new Indian Institutes of Information Technology.
We are also launching a Mission on Vocational Education and Skill Development through which we will open 1,600 new Industrial Training Institutes and Polytechnics, 10,000 new vocational schools and 50,000 new Skill Development Centres. We will ensure that over 10 million students get vocational training annually, which is a fourfold increase from todays level. Such massive expansion of the education sector requires trained faculty. Our nation is endowed with millions of young inquisitive minds, hungry for knowledge. The biggest challenge is to provide adequate quality faculty, both at the level of elementary and secondary education, as well as in higher education. There is need for massive investments, both to train teachers and to build quality faculty. Apart from Teachers Training Institutes, we also need to expand research in national institutes, as well as universities: the breeding ground for the faculty of the future. The number of doctorates in the next five years must increase five to seven times to provide for this growing need for faculty. We must make it attractive for researchers seeking doctorates and postdoctorate qualifications. In the area of elementary and secondary education, we need to embrace inclusive education, and think of measures to meet the shortfall at each level. We will need an extra one million quality faculty if we wish to effectively implement the Right to Education Act, 2009. Some part of the shortfall can be met through connectivity and distance education. But there can be no substitute to the presence of a warm-blooded teacher in the classroom, inspiring young students. Education is destined to be a globally collaborative enterprise. There is enormous interest evinced by foreign education providers to collaborate with Indian institutions, both in the private and public sector, and to avail of the opportunity to set-up a variety of educational enterprises in India. Such enterprises could issue diplomas, certificates or even degrees, through twinning arrangements or otherwise. Since there is enormous available capacity in this sector, we should not be hesitant to entertain foreign education providers subject to regulation to ensure quality. We must take care that fly-bynight operators and institutions of dubious quality are firmly kept out. The future of the nation depends on how successful we are in making India the global hub of knowledge creation. India has a natural advantage, considering the massive human resource available. It is for us to either build on that advantage or be condemned to mediocrity. The future is ours to grasp. If we are unable to do so, it will be a historic blunder. And we will have no one to blame but ourselves.
K A P I L S I BA L
is the Union Minister for Human Resources Development since May 2009. He is among the countrys most respected lawyers, and served as the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association for two terms. He has proposed several reforms to revolutionise education in India
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