In the first of a five-part series on the likely defining themes of the Union budget, National Knowledge Commission (NKC) chairman Sam Pitroda shares his views on education. The commissio
n, an advisory body to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, completes its term in March. Redefining objectives: A government school in Faridabad. Pitroda says the education system in India has to be changed from spoon-feeding to instilling inquisitiveness in students and encouraging them to ask questions. Rajkumar / MintThe Planning Commission has allocated $67 billion (Rs3.25 trillion) for education in the 11th Plan (2007-2012). So I think this budget will reflect that allocation. Compared with the allocation in the 10th Plan, it’s a significant increase. A substantial amount of financial resources will be allocated to education, but in a country of this size, the government also needs to spend money on roads, energy and other sectors. There is never enough for education. The key challenge is how to use the available resources to really do things we need to do. Also, education is not just constructing buildings; it’s about content, quality and people. So our limitation at this point may not be just money. We need to focus on new processes and innovation. I do not agree with the criticism that the government is emphasizing higher education at the cost of school education. Higher education gets a lot of publicity but there is emphasis on the Right to Education Bill (which guarantees education to all children in the age group of 6-14 years). This government has paid attention to all three major segments of education: school, vocational and higher education. A lot of money is being spent on vocational education, since industry needs trained people. That’s where job creation is going to matter. Then comes higher education to create more teachers, scientists, research, innovation among other things.
For further details visit at:http://www.livemint.com/2009/06/28223947/Education-requires-innovation.html?h=B
n, an advisory body to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, completes its term in March. Redefining objectives: A government school in Faridabad. Pitroda says the education system in India has to be changed from spoon-feeding to instilling inquisitiveness in students and encouraging them to ask questions. Rajkumar / MintThe Planning Commission has allocated $67 billion (Rs3.25 trillion) for education in the 11th Plan (2007-2012). So I think this budget will reflect that allocation. Compared with the allocation in the 10th Plan, it’s a significant increase. A substantial amount of financial resources will be allocated to education, but in a country of this size, the government also needs to spend money on roads, energy and other sectors. There is never enough for education. The key challenge is how to use the available resources to really do things we need to do. Also, education is not just constructing buildings; it’s about content, quality and people. So our limitation at this point may not be just money. We need to focus on new processes and innovation. I do not agree with the criticism that the government is emphasizing higher education at the cost of school education. Higher education gets a lot of publicity but there is emphasis on the Right to Education Bill (which guarantees education to all children in the age group of 6-14 years). This government has paid attention to all three major segments of education: school, vocational and higher education. A lot of money is being spent on vocational education, since industry needs trained people. That’s where job creation is going to matter. Then comes higher education to create more teachers, scientists, research, innovation among other things.For further details visit at:http://www.livemint.com/2009/06/28223947/Education-requires-innovation.html?h=B
No comments:
Post a Comment