I recently had the opportunity to sit on the panels conducting the group discussion and personal interviews for admission to management courses. The first one was for a leading institute in Bhopal and the second was for a college in Mumbai.Both the assignments were quite diverse in terms of experience.
The students I met for the college in Bhopal need to work on their communication skills. Both in English and Hindi. In fact it appeared that many of them had come for the interview just for the fun of it. Personal hygiene was shabby, grooming left a lot to be desired and basic etiquettes missing. Ofcourse there were a few who came across as bright and well mannered.
A trend i noticed was that a number of students from the same village/tehsil had come for the interview. They had no clarity regarding why they wanted to do an MBA course or how it would benefit or not benefit them. All they could answer was, "Sir, it is imperative for getting a job." When asked about their interest in farming, most of them replied that the land holdings were so small and families large, that it was unviable for all family members to engage in farming.
That brings me to the question that when would we realise as policy makers and shapers of India's future, that ther is an urgent need for appropriate skill development programs. Drawing an analogy with farming, every land is not suitable for all types of crops. A soil study is important to arrive at the the decision to grow the crop most suitable for that soil. Similarly our schools need to conduct aptitude test for students and advise them on the most suitable career for them.
Next comes the soil-preparation stage. The way a farmer tills the land and adds fertilizers etc before planting the seeds, we need to prepare the young ones for their chosen career. Force feed leads to frustration and in many cases the youngsters committing suicide. Note the number of suicide amongst IIT students and others because they could not cope with the studies. They had been forced to take up engineering because of parental or peer pressure.A doctor I know literally forced his son into joining MBBS while one can see that the son had no aptitude or interest for the profession. Throughout his four years of the degree course his mother, herself a doctor, had to stay with him and make sure that he goes through the course. The boy is depressed and has withdrawn. I wonder what would be his level of motivation for treating patients? So why force feed?
There are some crops which need special care while there are others which are hardy and grow in abundance. So it is with the young. Each has a different mental constitution. As parents and teachers we need to train ourselves to understand this and guide our wards accordingly.
The world is changing rapidly. We need to revamp our education system to be prepared for the future. At the moment I think if we can ensure that we keep up with the times, it would be huge achievement.
The students I met for the college in Bhopal need to work on their communication skills. Both in English and Hindi. In fact it appeared that many of them had come for the interview just for the fun of it. Personal hygiene was shabby, grooming left a lot to be desired and basic etiquettes missing. Ofcourse there were a few who came across as bright and well mannered.
A trend i noticed was that a number of students from the same village/tehsil had come for the interview. They had no clarity regarding why they wanted to do an MBA course or how it would benefit or not benefit them. All they could answer was, "Sir, it is imperative for getting a job." When asked about their interest in farming, most of them replied that the land holdings were so small and families large, that it was unviable for all family members to engage in farming.
That brings me to the question that when would we realise as policy makers and shapers of India's future, that ther is an urgent need for appropriate skill development programs. Drawing an analogy with farming, every land is not suitable for all types of crops. A soil study is important to arrive at the the decision to grow the crop most suitable for that soil. Similarly our schools need to conduct aptitude test for students and advise them on the most suitable career for them.
Next comes the soil-preparation stage. The way a farmer tills the land and adds fertilizers etc before planting the seeds, we need to prepare the young ones for their chosen career. Force feed leads to frustration and in many cases the youngsters committing suicide. Note the number of suicide amongst IIT students and others because they could not cope with the studies. They had been forced to take up engineering because of parental or peer pressure.A doctor I know literally forced his son into joining MBBS while one can see that the son had no aptitude or interest for the profession. Throughout his four years of the degree course his mother, herself a doctor, had to stay with him and make sure that he goes through the course. The boy is depressed and has withdrawn. I wonder what would be his level of motivation for treating patients? So why force feed?
There are some crops which need special care while there are others which are hardy and grow in abundance. So it is with the young. Each has a different mental constitution. As parents and teachers we need to train ourselves to understand this and guide our wards accordingly.
The world is changing rapidly. We need to revamp our education system to be prepared for the future. At the moment I think if we can ensure that we keep up with the times, it would be huge achievement.
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