Engineering Education in India
Rajasthan | Engineering education is the one the best course. In this course, skills learned for developing own domain
{There is|There's} a perceptible disconnect {between the|involving the} students, faculty and management of engineering colleges
{For nearly|For pretty much|For almost} {two decades|2 decades|2 full decades} now, the Indian tech industry's unique selling proposition (USP) has been that India, {with its|using its|having its} vast infrastructure of engineering colleges, can supply {the world|the planet|the entire world} with well-trained, best-in-class software workers and engineers.
{But most|But many} industry veterans know {that these|these|why these} claims {are a|really are a|certainly are a} stretch. Engineering principles learned in college are rarely applied {in the world|on the planet|on earth} of software or product development. Freshly minted graduates {are not|aren't} really career-ready {to take on|to defend me against|to battle} {the task|the job|the duty} of developing and maintaining the world's computer systems, or build the next-generation killer engineering product.
{The root|The main|The basis} {causes of|reasons for|factors behind} these ills stem from {a diverse|a varied} {set of|group of|pair of} conflicting visions and goals of {the key|the important thing|the main element} stakeholders. Managements of private engineering institutions, parents, faculty, students, employers and even government {are all|are|are typical} in {the game|the overall game} for vastly different reasons unrelated to the USP.
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Parental pressures
At {a recent|a recently available|a current} conference in Hyderabad on transforming engineering education, international educators asked over 1,000 students about pursuing engineering as a career. The faculty and management of the hosting institution {were not|weren't} permitted {to attend|to go to|to wait}: {this was|this is} by design, {as the|whilst the|because the|since the|while the} experts wanted {a true|a genuine|a real} heart-to-heart exchange {with our|with this|with your} nation's youth.
The animated session {brought out|presented|introduced} truths {that are|which are|which can be} rarely told in public. {The majority of|Nearly all|Many} students confessed {that they|they|which they} never {wanted to|desired to|wished to} pursue engineering but did so {because of|due to|as a result of} parental pressure. {Nearly all|Almost all|The majority of} confessed {that they are|that they're|they are} constantly distracted by smartphones and the pressures {of having|of getting|of experiencing} {a social|a cultural} life. While these comments are anecdotal, {it is|it's} hard {not to|to not|never to} conclude that similar student sentiments exist at other institutions.
The international team then spent time {talking with|speaking with} faculty (without management teams in attendance). The takeaways here {were not|weren't} surprising. Professors had few clues {about the|concerning the|in regards to the} vision {of their|of the|of these} managements; most confessed {to not|not to|never to} {having the|getting the|obtaining the} rapidly-changing technology skills to impart them to students, {so they|so that they|so they really} resigned themselves to teaching books to an exam.
Management teams {seemed to be|appeared to be|was} {living in|residing in|surviving in} an alternate universe. The owners {of these|of those|of the} sprawling universities, {many of them|most of them|many} politically well-connected and drawing strength from their business legacies, {often have|usually have|frequently have} little experience in the field of engineering education. They complained about excessive regulation from government and accreditation bodies. The motive {to increase|to improve|to boost} revenues and improve branding is paramount, and building impressive campus infrastructure to attract students {is a|is just a|is really a} common approach.
{They use|They choose} all {the right|the best|the proper} words on stage and in conversation — sustainable development, eco-engineering, innovation and incubation cells — but generally have little {to show|to exhibit|showing} {in terms of|when it comes to|with regards to} student or teaching outcomes.
Employers are flummoxed by this disoriented state of affairs and regard most engineering graduates as unemployable, unless re-trained in basic job and technical skills. Middle and lower-tiered students {are unable to|cannot} find gainful employment in engineering and step {down to|down seriously to|right down to} other professions. In a cruel irony, {many of them|most of them|many} go {on to|onto|to} become teaching faculty at engineering colleges.
The US experience
Developments in the US may provide some clues {about how|about how exactly|about how precisely} {to solve|to resolve|to fix} this conundrum, {at least|at the very least|at the least} in {the software|the program|the application} industry. In a rapidly changing technology environment where today's youth {may have to|might have to|may need to} change career paths {at least|at the very least|at the least} {three times|3 times|3 x}, {a static|a fixed} engineering degree {may be|might be} of little value. The focus perhaps should {be more|be much more|become more} on imparting real industry skills {rather than|as opposed to} waste four years in teaching subjects {that are|which are|which can be} quickly forgotten or are of little practical consequence.
{In an|Within an|In a} earth-shattering piece in the Wall Street Journal last August, Kelsey Gee reported that GitHub, acquired by Microsoft Corp, hasn't required college degrees {for most|for many|for some} positions in years. At chip maker Intel Corp, degrees are optional {for many|for all|for a lot of|for most|for several} “experienced hire” positions and coding boot camps {are considered|are thought|are believed} adequate training.
Even executives in India {have come|came|attended} to acknowledge these developments.
Most mundane technology jobs — {such as|such as for instance|such as for example} software testing and desktop support — {are already|happen to be|already are|are actually} heavily automated. Modern coding platforms are {a lot more|much more|far more} developer-friendly. {The world|The planet|The entire world} does {not need|not require|not want} {as many|as numerous|as much} human engineers as in the past. {It is|It's} little wonder that fresher starting salaries have stayed constant {for nearly|for pretty much|for almost} 10 years, {although the|even though|even though the} rupee has substantially depreciated {against the|from the|contrary to the} dollar.
Finally, there's the inspiration of the IT industry's charismatic leaders. Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Larry Ellison, David Karp (Tumblr) and Jack Dorsey (Twitter) all earned no college degree, {far less|much less|less} {an engineering|an executive|a design} degree.
The writer is Managing Director, Rao Advisors LLC, US
Top University in India for Engineering Courses
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