Quality deficit is like Achilles Heel of the education system

Chennai:

Quality deficit is like Achilles Heel of the education system and India should benchmark its higher education to global standards, Indian Vice-President M Hamid Ansari said on Tuesday.

Addressing the valedictory function of the Quartoseptcentenial (175 years) of Madras Christian College (MCC) here, the vice-president said the global focus is towards knowledge economy and it is the quality of human resources that will determine the competitiveness of countries.

Ansari said that it is estimated that developed economies and even China will face a shortage of about 40 million highly skilled workers by 2020 while based on current projections of higher education, India is likely to see some surplus of graduates in 2020.

“Thus India could capture a higher share og global knowledge-based economy work, if there is focus on higher education and its quality is globally benchmarked,” he added.

He also said that the future expansion of education would have to be carefully planned so as to correct regional and social imbalances, reinvigorate institutions to improve standards and reach international benchmarks of excellence, match demand with supply by improving employability and extend the frontiers of knowledge.

He also rued about erosion of social, moral and spiritual values in the society. He said the education system should inculcate intellect, conscience and will power to reinforce the moral sense among the students.

that value education can’t be confined to concepts and has to be used as a practical instrument to address prevailing social and cultural realities and challenges.

He said the problem of declining values in society is multidimensional arising out of factors such as globalisation, materialism, consumerism, commercialization of education, threats to humanity due to climate change, environmental degradation, ideology or identity based conflicts and terrorism.

“These have led individually or collectively to insecurities, individualistic lifestyles, excessive greed, sense of alienation and other negative consequences,” he said.

“While some of the causes of this decline in values may be beyond our control, one of the correctives within our competence is the education system,” he said.

Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah, deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha P J Kurien and Tamil nadu minister for higher education P Palaniappan were also present on the occasion.

The principal of Madras Christian College R W Alexander Jesudasan said that college has maintained its top 10 position among the Arts and Science college categories in India according to anationwide survey.

Kurien rues that none of the Indian education systems figured in top 100 rankings across the world. “Even educational institutions of Brazil and China figure in it,” he said while blaming it on brain drain.

Ansari also gave away prizes to Gladys Ruby (Msc Zoology), Reenu Elsa Reji (B Com) and Udhayaraj (BA English lit).