Sunday, January 30, 2011
My first stint with innovation
Can you envisage a better life in a world devoid of innovations? The word innovation comes from Latin “innovationem”. According to Etymology Dictionary, the word means “to renew or change”. It also connotes to the process of creating something completely new.
Innovations emanate from ideas. A small idea can prove to be the genesis of colossal innovations. The tiny seed called ‘idea’ bears the tree called ‘innovation’ which provides solace and shade to its umpteenth users for millions of years. How much ever hackneyed it may sound, but, had the idea to illuminate the world not dawned on Thomas Edison, we would still be living in a world of darkness. Innovations not only illuminate darkness in our lives and minds but also promise a convenient future. With the world shrinking today due to the introduction of newer technologies, innovations in the financial and service sector, manufacturing and agriculture can make the world not only more connected but also more economically viable.
Innovation is also a direct path to modernization. Here, the modernity symbolizes the advances in the way people utilize technology. They not only use things for their perceived advantages but also go a step further and actually ideate and innovate in the way day to day things can be employed for extracting greater benefits. Innovation also environs the amalgamation of two or more processes and techniques to derive conjoint benefits. Whatever is the method or the idea, an innovation is certain to make lives better.
A person’s dreams can be his manifestation of a better life. To tread the road to ideas is the first step towards the attainment of one’s dreams. Road2Ideas, an initiative by Young Indians (an integral part of CII, devised for providing a platform to the youth of India for realizing their dreams of a developed nation) is an endeavour to cultivate the spirit of innovation and ideation in the youth who would be the torchbearers of an improved India. The event includes a ‘national innovation run’ which would give the participants an insight into such innovations that have the potential of transforming not only our present way of thinking but also our way of life. Covering the cities of Mumbai, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Delhi, the event encompasses innovations in the field of finance, manufacturing, agriculture and service respectively. Spanning across a period of 4 days, Road2Ideas promises an adventurous and eventful experience of a lifetime. Not only does it offer the opportunity of learning from the innovators/inventors themselves but also engages the participants in interesting activities.
Indian education industry: the current challenges
The country which once had the oldest university education system with universities like Nalanda and Taxila attracting foreigners to visit India for its excellent education system is now suffering from the phenomenon wherein thousands of students go abroad for higher education every year. India, one of the pioneers of education in the world now has a dismal literacy rate of just 61% and ranks a disappointing 172nd in the world on this front. The 11th five year plan lays a huge emphasis on improving the quality of education. Still, there is a growing unrest in the minds of the students regarding the standard that the education industry offers them.
Statistics reveal that during 1960s around 3600 students went to UK to pursue higher studies; this number has now grown to 19,205 with approximately more than 83,834 studying in USA and around 97,000 studying in Australia. This dismal situation is the consequence of a lot of factors combined together. The gap in the infrastructural facilities, struggling technology, outdated pedagogical approach, theoretical framework of education, reservation system and extremely tough entrance exams are some of the factors which plague the present day Indian education industry. The aspirational value attached with a foreign degree and the lure of staying abroad for international exposure, independent lifestyle and increase in social status are some of the psychological and social benefits which play a major role in attracting students abroad. This phenomenon is detrimental to the growth of the Indian education industry.
When I draw a parallel between the education that was and the education that is, what comes to my mind is the fact that the practical approach and the mentor-mentee system of education followed in ‘Gurukuls’ is by far the best Indian model of education. The present education system needs to be modified and revamped to cater to the requirements of the new generation of students. The need of the hour is to build a sustainable system of education that focuses more on practical knowledge and is employment oriented. Vocational courses and skill development courses should be integrated into the education system right from the secondary education stage. GPRS and 3D technology should enhance the use of e-learning. Emphasis should be laid on merit based selection rather than reservations at least in Post Graduation courses. State investment policies should also be relooked into to allocate more resources for infrastructural development of the education industry and for increasing the intake capacity in centres of excellence like IITs and IIMs so that future generations are equipped sufficiently to operate in a knowledge economy.
With the World Bank launching low interest loans to develop facilities (approximately $80 million), the Government has a good opportunity to bring about the desired transformation in India’s education system and industry. Innovative education models and services like NIIT, Educomp solutions, Everonn Systems and MeritTrac provide technological advancement to the education industry and makes it more employment centric. With a little more effort, India can actually become the most desired destination in the world for pursuing higher education.
Education is not preparation for life, Education is life itself...
"An educational system isn't worth a great deal if it teaches young people how to make a living but doesn't teach them how to make a life." – Anonymous
The world is a battleground and life is like a battle, it believes in the survival of the fittest. To fight and win the battle called life, one needs to be armed with education. Education not only ensures our survival in this world but it also makes our life worth living, or better still, we can say that, “education is not preparation for life but education is life itself.” When I say that education is life, what I mean to highlight is the fact that education is a process in which we learn throughout our life. It begins in our mother’s womb and continues till we take our last breath. It is so closely integrated in our every moment that it becomes almost synonymous to life.
The process of education initiates with the development of mind. It replaces an empty mind with an open one. It has been proven medically that a child begins to recognize the voice of his parents while he is still inside his mother’s womb. As he takes his first breath into this world and opens his tiny eyes he is introduced to so many new things. The fragrance of flowers, the colourful butterflies, the velvety tenderness of rose petals, the sound of thunder, the brightness of sun, the drizzling of rain, the chirping of birds, and through them he lives his first experience of life. His mind opens and the horizon of his knowledge widens. When he starts going to kindergarten and then to school he gets introduced to the concepts of science, geography, history, mathematics, computers etc. This knowledge not only inculcates in him a spirit to cherish life but also teaches him to learn from the past and build the present to create a beautiful future. After the school comes the phase where the child, now a grown up individual, chooses his vocation and learns its nuances. What follows is a quest to fulfil his ambitions and to reach nearer to his life’s goal. Everything which he learns decides the quality of life that he will embrace.
“Education is the movement from darkness to light.” - Allan Bloom
The grown up is now metamorphosed into a man, a man ready to face the challenges posed by life. These challenges turn out to be the best teacher of man. The experience that one gains while tackling the complexities of life is the best education that one can get. It is not written in books; neither can it be taught nor can it be learnt, it is something that we acquire while we are busy in finding our path through the maze called life. The formula for living a worthy life is devised by us while unscrambling knotty situations, resolving enigmatic relationships and understanding minute difference between the right and the wrong. Our education continues while we are engrossed in playing the different roles that life offers to us, the role of a son/daughter, a parent, a sister/brother, a life partner, a friend, a confidante etc. Hence, education is for the illumination of the mind and for the liberation of the soul. An educated person is the one who is rich in experience and who has realized the significance of righteousness. He leads a morally upright and conscientious life in a peaceful manner.
Thus, we cannot alienate education from life because education is life itself. Educating oneself is an inseparable part of living. Education is weaved in each and every incidence which gives our life its form and makes us the individuals that we are.