To most, ‘Education’ simply connotes a process of

facilitating learning or the acquisition of knowledge and skills. Often,

we do not lay enough emphasis on values, beliefs, wisdom and habits,

which are core to a good education. Good, well-rounded education should

help to bring lasting positive changes in human life and behavior, so

that we can contribute to society in a meaningful and positive way. To

create unity and justice for all.

Albert Einstein during his visit to Boston in

1921, while commenting on college education stated, “Education is not

the learning of facts, but the training of minds to think.” He argued,

that in order to learn facts, a person does not really need a school or

college education. The value of a school or college education is to

train the mind to think something that cannot be learned from textbooks,

it is to create the capacity of integrated understanding and an ability

to use the knowledge intelligently. These are fundamental aspects of

the ethos of education that we continue to aspire for even today.

Education is the catalyst that can help reduce

poverty, improve health, prevent needless deaths & illness,

eliminate gender inequality and create a sustainable planet. For

societies, education drives long-term economic growth, spurs innovation,

strengthens institutions, and fosters social cohesion. Education gives

people the skills they need to help themselves out of poverty. As per a

UN study, there is a 9% increase in hourly earnings for every one extra

year of schooling. In many cases expanding access to education is in

fact a matter of life and death. A mother who can read is able to better

protect her children from chronic illnesses and from dying young. As

per UN estimates, in the developing world, a child born to a mother who

can read is 50% more likely to survive past age five.

As far as India is concerned, we are proud of the

fact that India has youth on her side while the world is aging. By the

end of this decade, the average age of the Indian population will be 29.

As a result of India’s “demographic dividend”, by 2040, India will

account for a quarter of the globe’s incremental increase in working

population. Our present workforce (the 15-64 age group) comprises 430

million people. In the next 20 years, India will add another 480 million

people to its existing workforce.

Widespread availability of quality education is

vital to convert this demographic dividend into a valuable economic

resource and to harness the latent potential of our human capital.

Education – not only in terms of skill development but more importantly,

the development of strong value systems. On the flip side, if we as a

society fail to remove the disparities in the availability and quality

of educational opportunities, this can easily turn into a nightmarish

threat of a disillusioned and frustrated youth, fueling social &

political unrest.

While looking at skill development, globally,

technical and engineering colleges have a strong linkage with the

industry. This is a symbiotic relationship that benefits both the

industry and the academia and enhances the commercial application of

fundamental research.

I strongly believe that it is crucial to create a

more interdisciplinary approach to a technical education. Why not make

it mandatory to take electives in sculpture or painting at an

engineering college? While traditional engineering courses develop

certain skills, the Arts teach you how to think. They develop a unique

sense of awareness that stimulates empathy and the desire to be

respectful of differing opinions.

It is empathy that drives innovation. It is

empathy that drives unity. In a country and a world that is becoming

increasingly divisive, it is the value of unity and mutual respect that

should take center stage at any educational institution.

We need to reconsider the entire system of

education in India. Transitioning from an isolated method of learning to

more collaborative and interdisciplinary methods. What I mean by this

is that learning subjects such as math, history, geography and language

separately at schools, will not develop creative learning processes.

Integrating all disciplines into a classroom

together in a way that drives learning through student inquiry, dialogue

and critical thinking will not only best nurture a deeper understanding

of abstracted and factual concepts but it will also instill strong

human values of team work and mutual respect. Values that are critical

for the moral advancement of the world’s largest youth population.

Transforming the Indian education system and

providing such quality equitably could be the answer to free India’s

youth from psycho-social and socio-economic stresses. Stresses that find

ways of channeling anxiety towards activities that cause much unrest.

India is too great a nation. Its magnificence lies

in the accumulation of culture carefully protected over time. The

peaceful togetherness of people who practice many different faiths, eat

different kinds of food, dress in varied styles of clothing and speak a

wondrous number of languages. Our strength lies in our diversity.

Innovation will be a result of this diversity. Let us free ourselves

from the practice of intolerance and create systems of education that

will bring us all together.