Why ‘Skill India’ may not work in strife-torn regions

Who are the targets of Skill India? Who are the targeted beneficiaries of this scheme? The marginalised, displaced, impoverished, illiterate and semi-literate youth of conflict regions would be at a disadvantage.The biggest threat to the Skill India initiative is the current state  of education in India. It is inaccessible to most and lacks quality.  Basic academic qualification is a prerequisite to skills training without which the core capabilities and core technical skills are impossible to develop in a candidate. In order to respond to the needs of the labour market and continue with gainful employment, basic academic skills are mandatory. Instead of invigorating the education sector and bringing more children to schools, the government has initiated education cuts. In this year's budget, the education spend was reduced from Rs 82,771 crore to Rs 69,074 crore. The Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan saw a cut of 22.14 per cent and secondary education witnessed a reduction by 28.7 per cent. When elementary education is compromised, how would Skill India undertake the “mapping of manpower requirements, not just in India, but globally as well”? The aim of imparting skills training is to boost the manufacturing sector and to increase the global competitiveness of the Indian workforce. With a literacy rate of mere 74.4 per cent and a gender difference of 16.6 per cent, the goal seems unattainable.  The “competitive” China is way ahead with a 95.1 per cent literacy rate and a gender difference of 4.8 per cent. Skill India targets households where “parents from middle-class, lower middle-class and poor families ask their children to learn some skill so that they can stand on their feet.” Poor and middle class have no access to affordable quality education. Kendriya Vidalaya schools and residential Navodaya Vidyalayas are in demand but are less in number. The 2015-16 budget even slashed the mid-day meal funding to 16.41 per cent on which urban and rural poor children are dependent.  Can the target of training 40.2 crore people be attained by 2022? Thrust has been given to Industrial Training Institutes which warrants secondary education. The assumption is that an ITI aspirant would possess a reasonable quality of education.  But the reality is different. The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), 2014, states that only an average 48.1 per cent of Class V children across India can read a Class II-level text. India is ranked 73rd among 74 participating economies in PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) rankings. PISA test assesses the knowledge in maths and science and real world problem-solving skills in 15-year-olds.  The Naxal hotbed of Jharkhand has a literacy rate of 67.63  per cent (Census 2011). Years of education neglect has kept 2,80,167 children Out of School (GoI report). Retention of children in school in areas which witnesses intense Naxal activities is  “low and alarming,” the report states. The Scheduled Tribes children’s drop-out rates, at  15 per cent, remain a  “cause of concern.” School-age youngsters living in Naxal regions have been denied their basic rights of education and protection. The current Right To Education (RTE) Act provisions are inept in strife-torn regions. Malnutrition is rampant in several tribal /Naxal regions that contribute to delays in cognitive development of young children. The nutritional deficit leads to slow academic learning which translates to poor manpower quality for skilling. These are real threats lurking for target year 2022 and before, in skilling 40.2 crore youth. Lack of education, nutrition and basic health are real traps to poverty, not the absence of vocational training.   Youth living in a violent atmosphere suffer from trauma.  A research conducted by Save the Children stated in its report that children have difficulty in comprehending and learning and need constant psycho-social support to realise their potential. Skilling initiatives have been undertaken in conflict regions. Under the surrender-cum-rehabilitation policy, vocational skills are imparted to provide gainful employment. The ground reality is that surrendered cadres are used for counter-insurgency (India's Child Soldiers, Asian Center for Human Rights).  The skilling programme, “Udaan” in Jammu and Kashmir seems to have fared well.  Other training initiatives include “Gram Tarang” in Naxal regions of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh and project “Roshini”, among others.  “Roshini” was launched in 2013 to train and place, in three years, 50, 000 rural poor youth from 27 Naxal/ Maoist-affected districts in nine states. In 2012, National Skill Development Corporation tied-up with corporates to train youths from the Naxal-affected states in computer and mobile phone repairing, motor mechanic, catering, hospitality, carpentry, nursing assistant among others. The already-launched and ongoing initiatives should be evaluated for effectiveness. The marketability of the courses for meaningful employability is desirable. The aspect of re-skilling must be considered in the fast-paced technological era.  It is also desirable to end the perception that vocational training is the dead end, a last resort for school drop-outs.  Internal cohesion and synergy among ministries and departments is required for effective implementation of the schemes.  There are at least 20 different government bodies running skill- development programmes but with lack of coordination and synergy resulting in confusion and duplication of work. Reaping the demographic dividend through skill-building will remain a distant dream if issues of inclusivity and basic education are not addressed.   http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/why-skill-india-may-not-work-in-strife-torn-regions/116568.html

Guns Versus Books

On January 15, two explosions at the University of Aleppo in Syria claimed lives of several students who were taking exams. The ongoing civil war in Syria, which began last mid-march, has already killed more than 40,000 people, including children, women and other non-combatants. Till now, educational institutions were spared from strikes and bombings, however, with Aleppo university attack Syria has reached a new low in its grave violations of human rights. 

The international community has not been able to put an end to Syria’s conflict till now. One of the major reasons is the sheer lack of political will. There are several provisions present within the legal remit of the UN which can be invoked to prevent the humanitarian crises. But an archaic veto system, used to its full advantage by Russia and China, two of the five UNSC permanent members, has blocked the much needed relief.

 Russia and China subscribe to Article 2(7) of the UN Charter in defense of their veto use. [The article states that the UN is not authorized to intervene in domestic jurisdiction of any state].But that is just one provision, misinterpreted, to suit vested interests.

Responsibility to Protect’ (R2P), adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2005 is a powerful provision that can be invoked in full spirit to safeguard civilians. The International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, (ICISS), which enshrines R2P was built to minimize the “capricious” use of veto. Besides, R2P stipulates that if a state fails to protect its citizens, it becomes an international responsibility that humanitarian crises be addressed.

There is no dearth of legal solution to end Syrian crises. There is chapter VII with Articles 43-47, allowing UNSC to take enforcement action when threat to peace exists or an act of aggression takes place. Others like Article 24 and 1.1 emphasize on peace and security.

But deficit in political will has caused the war to continue. The youth is engaged with weapons rather than books. The institution of war is gaining prominence over institutions of education and literally writing obituaries of their own people. May be it’s time to turn to books for a real revolution!

(photo courtesy:ibtimes.co.uk)

The Stink of Bogus Degrees

July 21^st.. Sitting in a car with  my colleague in tow, I am heading towards an institute at Sector 63, Noida, on an investigative story. I have been working on the story for a few days. Colleague Aeshwarya Tiwari  helps me when I visit institutes. He poses as my academically-challenged younger brother, a 49 percent holder, desirous of a degree. I am his concerned cousin sis. We had played our parts well in Gurgaon-based institute capturing all required information on dictaphone and mobile. This was our second fish to be hooked.

Here’s the story I was working on: There are institutes which provide illegal degrees. They provide misleading information to unassuming students and enroll them on high fees. However, these institutes are small guppies in large scheme of things. The real sharks are the universities whose degree these guppies hand over to students. But there’s an issue. Sharks don’t posses that kind of bandwidth to net maximum number of guppies or institutes that operate in the fringes of metro cities or in small- tier cities. Therefore they tie-up with sardines- the intermediaries- who do the job for them.These intermediaries go by agreeable titles such as-academic partner/ national coordinator/ outreach centers/ regional study center and so on. In reality the model is that of franchising. 

 The  racket  functions like this:  Let’s say Karnataka State Open University or  Gulbarga University or MS University, Tamil Nadu ties –up with  ( a sardine) YGen Consulting. YGen then in turn, ties up with guppies like  Academy of Business and Computer Sciences, Kalahandi, Orissa or IIBPS Institute of Business Studies, Indore or EMCONS Business Academy, Kolkata etc. Students enrolling in these colleges obtain degree of  KSOU or Gulbarga or MSU. So, sitting in Kalahandi or Kolkata, a student can get degree of Karnataka or TN . There is no problem. The faculty is not of the university but local. The university selling it's degree doesn't care, neither does the institute running it's shop. 

University Grants Commission, the regulator, bans degree deliverance in this form. It doesn't allow franchising.The entire practice is illegal. So, degrees that students obtain via this route are also illegal. No university can award degree outside its territorial jurisdiction, UGC says. Further, only a college which is affiliated to that University can confer the university’s degree. None of the existing guppies are affiliates of the universities. They can not, being outside the state. And none of these guppy-colleges are AICTE approved either.(which means you and I can open an institute, seek a university tie-up, through YGen like agent who advertises freely, admit students and mint money). The institutes are not interested in seeking AICTE approval either. Because if they do, they will have to fulfill certain quality standards, for which they are no way equipped.  

Well, we reached Noida in the afternoon. We are escorted to the director’s room. The institute  has recently shifted to this address and renovations are on . We don’ t see students. We get on with our act and the director replies us, dutifully trying to convince.( translated verbatim)

Q: ( AT) From which university I’ll get a degree? A: In Noida campus, we’ll give you a degree from two universities 1.PTU (is come under DEC) and 2. Bharathair University Q: Do you give regular degrees? A: Yes and classes are regular (9 to 5) for both universities, but PTU is come under DEC and we are the partner institute of Bharathair university. But you don’t worry nothing is mention in the certificate (degree is distance or regular) Q: What is the difference between  PTU and Bharathair? Which is better? A: Nothing , There is no difference , same faculty will teach you. We are providing same facilities to Bharathair and PTU. Nothing difference. If Bharathair going in a company then PTU also going for a same company there is nothing difference from my side. Only fees difference Bharathair is more PTU is Less. Q: How much is the fee for Bharathiar? A:3.95 lacs total cost Q:  It is for two years? A: Yes, 3.95 lakhs, In this 3.05 is tuition fee and 45,000 other cost like uniform, library, study material, placement, including all this in 45000 and total cost is 3.95 lacs. And in PTU its 2.95 lacs and you ’ll ask  why PTU is less? Q: Yes? A: Because how much is the university charged, we’ll charge according to the university. Q: So after registration fee you’ll give me a receipt? It is yours or of the university? A: That is mine Q: So we have nothing to pay to the university?  A: No you will pay nothing, we will pay the fees to the university. Q: (AT) Is 49% in graduation  ok? A: Ya ok Q: ( AT) If my parents asked to me that you ’ll study in Noida and you will get a degree from TamilNadu?  A: If you study in Bihar CBSE school then you get a certificate from Delhi because it is not a state board. Q: (AT) Now I understand.. you are the partner institute of Bharathiar so have no need to take the approval from DEC?  A:Exactly , Only distance course required DEC approval. And this is not distance program. Q: For PTU degree, does he have to go to Punjab? A: Why you will go to Punjab? ( To AT) From where you’ve completed your schooling and from which board? Q: (AT)UP Board A: So you  had been to Lucknow to get your certificate? ……. ( goes on … )

There are several universities in the fray. Punjab Technical University, for instance. It awards Mass Comm degrees to students of NRAI, located in Gautam Nagar, Delhi. It delivers it’s MBA ( Distance Learning Degree) through IIBS, Noida. Even in the case of Distance Learning, the practice is illegitimate. Every DL degree provider has to take approval of the Joint Committee of AICTE-UGC-DEC to deliver its DL programme. Not all programmes get DL nod. For instance, EIILM University of Sikkim has been given approval of running only three programmes by Distance Education Council, the regulator of Distance Learning. EIILM has regular approval till year 2010. But it offers more than 50 degrees in fashion, paramedical,engineering and M.Phil. 


Students are charged hefty fees. Ex.regular MBA from Punjab Technical University is Rs 60,000 but via this route it charges Rs 1.2 lakhs. Where does the rest of the money get sucked up? It is distributed between the three fishes’.A large number of unaccounted money changes hands.

Isn’t it time regulators curb this malpractice? UGC states the activity illegal , however, it doesn't make any real crackdowns. The business continues to thrive at the cost of nation. 

Here's an example of an advert released by an intermediary looking for colleges.Such adverts float freely without slightest regard to the UGC norms.

UGC notification
























I have covered the entire malice in Careers360. Here’s the link: http://www.careers360.com/news/9243-investigation-degrees-for-sale

Why do we drink, smoke and consume large-size branded coffee?

I notice with great amusement the guys featured in ads of cigarettes, whisky and soft drinks. They are handsome hunks, sport athletic bodies and perform stunts flawlessly; nubile women swoon over their bravado, willing to surrender. What amuses me is the concocted nature of these ads. Here’s what they imply: slaking thirst with cold drinks, consuming alcohol or smoking a certain brand brings sexual opportunities and provides vigour, health and happiness.

The truth: the exact reverse. Puffing hampers with athletic ability, it leads to cancer and pre-mature death. Coke has no health benefit. Alcohol impairs virility, causes impotency risk (Shakespeare: Drinking provokes the desire but it takes away the performance.) causes irreparable liver damage, interferes with rational judgement and breaks families.(Alcohol ads are at best anti-alcohol ads, smoking, anti-smoking ads!)

 A classic case of how companies royally twist the facts. Manufacture perception. And dish it out on a golden platter for us. We pay happily. Why? Because we buy their ‘I-will-make-you feel- good’  spiel. We fall to the perception they shape for us.

   

The feel-good factor extends to other walks of life too. Take grade system in academics, for instance. A study by Durham University, UK, states that an 'A' grade today is equivalent of a 'C' grade in the 1980s. Rings a bell? Well, back as CBSE students of the ‘70s or ‘80s did you ever score more than 65% in any language subject as they do today? ‘The Economist’ reports that in American Universities almost 45% of the graduates now get the top grade compared with 15% in 1960. How so? Are students of the ‘90s more intelligent than their counterparts of the ‘70s or ‘80s? Bring me empirical evidence and I will rest my case.  Schools accommodate more students in higher grades because they want to make students feel good. Academic institutions have, after all, become businesses. But listen closely to the problem that the much patronized 'I- will- make-you -feel- good component of schools creates. The highest grade is fixed and when more number makes entry in the top grade, it devalues the efforts of the brightest students. And the brightest face disadvantage in the job market.

Job market. Yes, it is battling its own demon. That of glamorized titles. An executive with three years of experience is a manager these days. This is an organisation's way of making an executive feel good. So, it may inch his/her salary a tad, or maybe not, but will hook him/her good, conferring a fancy title. You, the executive, buy it. Here’s what happens in the process- labour market loses its transparency. It becomes harder to assess salaries. While you know what a 'steward's' pay is, you will wonder the salary of a 'senior host officer' (fancy title of a steward).

What I note in these feel-good- factors is that they have larger adverse societal implications. We erode our own value system for short term gains.

Food too is fed on feel –good factor. Pizzas makers now rustle up pizzas in regular, large and very large sizes. Burgers are maharaja size, Starbucks coffees come in tall, Grande sizes. ‘S’ is the cuss word these days; Small, I mean.

Unless of course, the item in question is ‘Small’ label of women’s clothing.   Women readily empty their purses if they fit in clothes labelled ‘Small’. No wonder, the earlier regular (or medium) size clothes now come labelled- ‘Small.’ Manufactures are a smart breed you see.

If you are wise spender, you feel the heat of increased consumerism, if you are a callous spender, you justify with ‘keeping with the trend,’ denying having spent on perception, as some would maintain.

How many of us actually see through the game? And the frivolity of paying higher for items which actually devalues health or system. Or both.

But why am I writing a non-educational piece in my blog?  Well, maybe because I wonder if critical thinking and analysis indeed takes place in classrooms- for benefit of society at large. And if education could be a tool to reason out with some Indonesian kung –fu experts who drink kerosene. Kerosene? Why? 

What do you think?

 -end

Anthropology: Know Men Better

If you think people dark skinned people are dusky because they live near equatorial or hot tropical regions, reflect again. Tasmania, an island, 240 km south of Australia, far away from the equator, had native Tasmanians with dark complexions. Prior to colonial invasion, they had inhabited the island for 10,000 years, but despite the gargantuan time period, their skin colours didn’t change.

While, at one glance, all Chinese may appear similar to you, but the fact is a Chinese of northern China is physically and genetically different from a southern Chinese. The former is taller, heavier with paler complexion and a pointed nose and share similarity to a Tibetan or a Nepalese, whereas Southern Chinese look more like Vietnamese and Filipinos with their smaller and slanted eyes.

Interesting facts, aren’t they? Evolution and variation of humans fall in anthropology discipline. It is a fascinating field of study, but sadly highly neglected in India.

The more I dug deeper in this field, the more I got saddened at its current state of affairs. In 76 (out of 77) colleges of Delhi University (DU), the subject is still awaiting an introduction, just as it is, in over 150 colleges of University of Rajasthan, a NAAC accredited A+ University.

It is mostly central and state universities where anthropology is taught. Private institutions have, so far, remained indifferent to the commencement of this course merely because it is not a quick money spinner. For the same reason, even overseas colleges which are making a bee-line in India don’t promote the subject; instead focus on hawking fast-selling MBA programmes.

Running anthropology studies is an expensive affair. It requires setting up laboratories, museums and arranging field studies. These activities are big ticket investments . So no private college or university embarks on it. Recouping, decades-long affair, doesn't appeal to private providers.

The number of students enrolling in the subject is also dwindling because job options and pay packages are low and dismal.Why? When I upend the issue, I feel if anthropology had been glamourised and popularized, it wouldn't have been suffering this dry run. The field would have been buzzing with activity, research output would have been phenomenal and far superior by any yardstick. But in a country whose Centre is indifferent to education reforms, things do go awry. Right now students gravitate towards MBA, engineering, medical, or CA skewing the entire picture.

When I met Abhilasha Kapoor, a Ph.D student at DU campus, I asked her what her principal concern was with the subject. Abhilasha came up with two. She said post Ph.D also she might struggle for a teaching job  because affiliated colleges (for some strange reason) don’t have anthropology departments, so job search meets a dead end there. Besides, new faculty positions are hardly created at university level, so "where are the options?"  Her second concern was more immediate:  related to sub-standard quality of lab she had access to. Her research thesis on forensics call for more sophisticated lab facilities in absence of which her research quality is getting adversely impacted.

In most universities, there have hardly been new faculty recruitments. Now that raises major concern on the quality of professors under which research is undertaken. To what extent the freshness and vibrancy is maintained? University of Rajasthan has only associate professors and just three. To what degree can an associate professor with limited fieldwork and teaching experience, be a good supervisor to a research student?

 The course content is primitive. For a country that has produced some brilliant anthropologists like Irawati Karve, M. N. Srinivas, Shyam Singh Sashi, Lalita Prasad Vidyarthi among several others, the subject cries for a modern course content. When I met Prof A.K Kapur of DU, he apprised that  DU’s ( a central university) syllabus got revised after 15 years. “This was two years back,” he says. When I spoke to Dr. Bela Kothari, at the University of Rajasthan she said that their content overhaul happened in 2011 after over a decade.  While Prof Kapur  maintains that in India the curriculum is at least 30 years behind compared to what is taught in US colleges, I think he is just being modest. It is more that 50 years behind to say the least. A feedback from Prof Raghu Trichur, Sacramento State University, California as well as Prof Caroline B. Brettell, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas affirms my suspicion.

I wondered why students don’t complain on this poor arrangement. But as it turns out, even a most dissatisfied student tends to keep mum fearing retribution from the faculty members. What if research paper is withheld? What if he/she ends up repeating a class? What if ….. Students fear. Period. Content overhaul is largely in hands of whims of professors, and if students are lucky, a consensus for modification builds up; otherwise, the same syllabus gets repeated for years.

Issues abound. But when anthropology calls me, I take recourse to related books.

Do you know the genetic distance separating us from chimps is 1.6 % meaning, we share 98.4 % of our DNA with chimpanzees! While you mull over this, also note that our larynx anatomy and altered tongue gives us fine control over spoken sounds unlike chimps. Language learning comes much later!

Anthropology is sheer joy. Let’s just add some commercial and executive glamour to it!

MBA- The ongoing flavour

In a press briefing (follow up to session: The Education Prism: Global Perspectives) at HT Leadership Summit event, I volleyed a question on to Mr. M S Ahluwalia. “Private institutions are concentrated in management and professional technical studies, what is being done to address the lack of private interest in Humanities?” The answer received was on the expected lines: “Technical and management schools are mostly chosen by students. Because jobs and salaries are greater and better in these areas………”.He replied nicely, but not pointedly. Sure, these kinds of “complex” questions don’t carry simple answers, at best to be dispensed among a gathering of a handful of journalists. Bigger issues need larger, pompous political platforms.

Anyway, the point is- How much good has been brought about by an increased focus on management studies, which are generic by their very nature? An import of the West, MBA studies, when entered in India, found takers in raw graduates. Whereas abroad, MBA was designed primarily for working professionals; to rejuvenate burnt-out brains, to usher real life challenges in classroom learning, to allow class enrichment through diversity, to provide second-time campus entry.

In fact, most top notch global B-schools reject applicants who don't have work experience. The popular argument being, however talented a fresh graduate is, s/he simply can’t connect textbook learning to business issues unless s/he has worked in real situations.

Even Harvard Business School (HBS) is reinventing its curriculum, experimenting with additional field-work. Student will adopt the model of learning/doing. Other radical overhaul is expected soon. Besides, students will also be given seed money of $3000

(‘The Economist’ reports), to launch a small company. Of course, fee will increase.

But back home, what is the quality of MBA churn outs? Schools don’t make it to global MBA rankings. In 'The Economist', ranking only IIM-A finds its representation, sitting feebly at the 78th position under Asian category. One wonders about the flood of B-schools in India. According to a rough estimate, the number is over 3,000. AICTE approved schools in ‘07 totalled 1,132 and this year the number has swelled to 2,385. More schools are on their way. Isn’t this a lop-sided focus?

When foreign private providers enter India they also get only their MBA bag, leaving other goodies home. Almost all of them queue-up at the gates ISB, Hyderabad and six top IIMs for MoUs before turning their attention to others. The queue bit is flattering. But what’s disappointing is: foreign students not vying to enter in Indian B-schools.

This picture threatens a bubble trend. It also undermines other disciplines. This is not healthy. 

 

Right now, money is where management school is. Money is not where Humanities is. It will be long before attention to Humanities would be paid. Had the plan been otherwise, positive noises would have been made till now. So those who want to study Social Sciences or Arts, please queue at the government institutions which have just a handful of seats. Wait, the icing. Just one intake per year. You don’t need an overloaded wallet to get admitted but you sure require teeming luck. With due respect leadership, education is but reduced to roulette. Let’s roll the dice. And pray.

A Master's and More

In Chile, a few weeks ago, frustrated by the current education system, students poured out on the streets demanding structural reforms in the sector. Three quarters of the universities in Chile are private. So, naturally education is expensive. Though the operators are barred from making profits but they resort to subterfuges and have set themselves as property companies that rent-out their premises to the universities.

Recently violent clashes broke out between youths and the police there. How many of us know about this development? Indian media, whose allegiance lies to one or the other business or political class, decided that the event is a no-news and hence no coverage was accorded (Swami Agnivesh at Big Boss was news). The same political and business classes, which have equity in media houses, have massive equity stakes in Indian private education too. Now, who would solicit a double whammy; a dip in colossal revenues and an ugly public debate as well?

Well, Chileans… Imagine their frustration. People descending on the streets to protest against unaffordable education and demanding free higher education. When street demonstrations occur, they are not random ruptures of frivolous bearings. They are reflection of years of cumulative anger where resentments are so overpowering that participants don’t mind putting lives at stake. What else can explain a readiness to surrender life than the conviction of the demand?

Back home, if all goes well, we will not see such ugly rifts, but what if we do? The sooner the State gets its acts together, the better it is. There is no regulation of private providers. Almost every one is functioning on their whims and fancies setting any fee structure they feel like.

State’s fees are affordable but it provides meager offerings. Where do I enroll for Master’s programme in Carbon Management or in International Education if I want to? Multi-disciplinary approach, diversity in State education system is zilch. Not only that, new-age programmes are light years away from being offered. For working professionals there is no flexibility for part-time offering or evening classes. How does one improve knowledge base; learn for the joy of learning or for better career-prospects? I will have to burn holes in my pocket to satiate my knowledge, turning overseas for my Master’s education, paying Rs 9-10 lakh for a distance learning programme!  What alternatives do I have? Indian private colleges? Hah? They only offer different flavours of MBA because that’s where the money is. Which private Indian college has Master’s in History or Zoology?

What choices do you have if you reside in an education –deficient country? Stepping on the streets in the only way out for long-pending structural reforms?

Chile, in the meantime, is making their protests continental, along with Colombia. The Chilean president has offered to increase the funding but it is said to be insufficient. It’s been six months of protest; let’s see what is in store for them.  But more importantly, at home, what is in store for us, besides the news that the leadership is attending ribbon –cuttings ceremonies at summits or heralding some expensive foreign university.