Friday 31 August 2012
Thursday 30 August 2012
Wednesday 29 August 2012
What ails mainstream education and some remedies - Archie D'Souza
I was attracted to a headline on July 6, 2012 which
read “Class Act: In India
Private Coaching is a $ 6.5 b Business” on the first page of the Business
Line. This, I thought, is a symptom of a
great malaise our nation, not just the education system, faces. Is this, though, some malignant incurable
disease? If what this report calls shadow education is a $ 6.5 b business,
which owes its existence to the under-performance of our school and higher
education system, there is also a parallel education system for which numbers
are not available; a system which is doing a great deal of good for job-seekers
and the economy as a whole.
The main problem with mainstream education is that the
system is geared and oriented with one goal in mind – securing a maximum amount
of marks, neglecting altogether acquiring of knowledge & skills, developing
an analytic mind (thinking, by the way, is discouraged in most schools and
colleges in the country) and inculcating the right values. This is where the parallel education system
comes in – a system that should have been a part of the mainstream but, because
of its absence there, has been filled by lacs, maybe crores, of
institutions/academies offering skills and knowledge needed by industry.
I happen to be part of such an institution, Sunrise
Academy of Management Studies (SAMS), situated in Kochi, Kerala. SAMS has been set up, not be academicians or
politicians, but by people from the corporate sector. Several studies conducted by central &
state government bodies as well as others mention the skills gaps that need to
be filled to make young people, including graduates & post-graduates,
employable. SAMS is a quest to do just
that in areas like Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Hotel
Management, Property Management and other areas.
An article by Vinod Agarwal on the editorial page of
the July 7 issue of the same publication deals with the supply chain challenge
and how to meet it http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/article3610114.ece .It mentions the great deal of investments
being made in logistics infrastructure. The
founders of SAMS, who have come from this and related industries, know exactly
the skill-sets needed in the logistics sector.
SAMS hopes to contribute skilled, knowledgeable and qualified
professionals through a unique set of certificate and diploma programmes.
It was Gandhiji who said that education should be of
the heart, head and hand. Unfortunately,
our mainstream education does not follow this great message of the Father of
the Nation. All it does is orient
students towards examinations right from kindergarten to post-graduation. The ability to cram useless subjects and
reproduce them in an examination is the basis of student assessment. Languages are part of the syllabus but
several students don’t learn to speak or write, several B.Com graduates can’t
do simple calculations and MBAs lack communication skills. These two links give interesting perspectives on the subject
The end-result is a huge population of qualified unemployable
youngsters.
I am not for a moment suggesting that every subject listed
in school and university syllabi are useless.
Many are indeed useful. However,
thanks to faulty delivery methods, students end up learning nothing. Several educational institutions are set up
by people who lack the values needed and this fact is reflected in the manner
in which these institutions are run. Teachers
lack the training needed to discover talent and inculcate it. This is mainly because those who take up
teaching do so because they weren’t able to get jobs elsewhere.
Let me list out two examples from personal experience.
- I was addressing a group of MBAs who were embarking on a career in Logistics. In a hall filled with about 200 people, I couldn’t find 50 who could read a map or locate a place on Earth. Less than 20 knew more than 5% of the capitals of countries on a list given. I didn’t even try to test them on world’s currencies. The concept of time-zones was alien to them. These are MBAs embarking on a career in logistics.
- Less than 5% of the graduates I come across know the basics of the subjects they’ve graduated in and less than 1% can communicate in English and this includes those who’ve come from ICSE and CBSE schools.
Universities across the country churn out lacs of
Engineering and Management graduates. Are
these graduates fit for employment? In my
corporate career I must have interviewed hundreds of these graduates and found
most of them with no employable skills what-so-ever. These frustrated individuals take up jobs
which are in no way related to their qualifications.
So, what is the remedy for
this?
- Raise the pay-scales of teachers so that the best talent is attracted to the profession
- Raise the level of teacher training and ensure that training is a continuous process throughout the teachers’ careers
- Encourage people from the corporate sector to take up teaching, especially after retirement. The corporate experience should make up for lack of qualifications. Bring in the Gandhian principles of education of the hand, heart and head
- The vocational education sector should be accorded due recognition
- Great emphasis should be laid on sports and extra-curricular activities
- MBA programmes should concentrate on people skills rather than lectures
- Close interaction between education and agriculture/industry will ensure that society benefits from jointly developed degree syllabi
- The methodology of teaching must change. The emphasis should be on knowledge and skills not performance in examinations
- Instructors in institutions of higher education should have a minimum 3 years corporate experience. For management and engineering this should be 5 years
- 25% of the time a student spend should be on industrial training
- Have a system of refresher courses for teachers to ensure that their skill and knowledge levels are always at the highest level
If the instructions in schools is of the right quality
and teachers are paid well. The shadow education system will die a natural
death.
Today September 10, I have added two more interesting links:
http://jobs.siliconindia.com/career-news/Top-Degrees-Picked-By-HR-Experts-While-Recruiting-nid-127079.html
http://jobs.siliconindia.com/career-news/Top-5-College-Majors-With-Highest-Unemployment-Rates-nid-127726.html
Top Degrees Picked By HR Experts While Recruiting
By SiliconIndia | Wednesday, 22 August 2012, 17:54 IST |
http://jobs.siliconindia.com/career-news/Top-Degrees-Picked-By-HR-Experts-While-Recruiting-nid-127079.html
Top 5 College Majors With Highest Unemployment Rates
By SiliconIndia | Wednesday, 29 August 2012, 15:42 IST | 5 Comments
http://jobs.siliconindia.com/career-news/Top-5-College-Majors-With-Highest-Unemployment-Rates-nid-127726.html
Saturday 25 August 2012
Friday 24 August 2012
Instant Access: Maintenance Data Goes Digital at Boeing
Molly Boose, technical fellow with Boeing Research & Technology, is part of a team revolutionizing the way airplanes are maintained.See how digitizing paper maintenance manuals results in safer, faster and more efficient airplane maintenance.
Click here to watch this Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdInfGkLxGk&feature=youtu.be
Click here to watch this Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdInfGkLxGk&feature=youtu.be
Thursday 23 August 2012
Wednesday 22 August 2012
Tuesday 21 August 2012
The new Boeing 797, set to take on the Airbus A380
Better get a window seat...... BOEING 797 It can comfortably fly 10,000 Miles at Mach 0.88 or 654 mph with 1000 passengers on board ! They have kept this secret long enough. This shot was taken last month by an amateur photographer.
Click to read:
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/boeing-797-hoax.shtml
Click to read:
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/boeing-797-hoax.shtml
Monday 20 August 2012
Friday 17 August 2012
World's 10 Most Dangerous Airports
Bangalore: Building an airport is a daunting task. It is not easy finding an ideal location that has ample length of flat ground, favorable winds and proper visibility. And most of the times, engineers are left with the task of making the best out of the worst. In a survey conducted of airports around the world comes up with a list that can leave you with Goosebumps if you are landing there.
Have a look (click here):
Have a look (click here):
http://travel.siliconindia.com/news/Worlds-10-Most-Dangerous-Airports-aid-1527.html?utm_source=Subscriber&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Weekend%20Newsletter
7 firms keen to develop Kochi port’s proposed ship repair unit V. SAJEEV KUMAR
Container and cruise vessels anchored at Kochi Port (file photo).
Click to read:
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3785676.eceRailways takes over land for coach factory in Palakkad A. J. VINAYAK
Good news for Kerala and the Indian Railways. Click to read
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3784702.ece
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3784702.ece
The 10 fastest trains in the world
China will further boost the speed of its bullet train, but officials say safety and efficiency will be paramount
Click to read
http://in.finance.yahoo.com/photos/the-10-fastest-trains-in-the-world-slideshow/
Thursday 16 August 2012
Wednesday 15 August 2012
Expert questions fairness in relaxing cabotage laws K.A. MARTIN
Click to read the article
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3748940.ece
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3748940.ece
I had written earlier on this subject. Please click on the link below to read - Archie D'Souza:
Shreyas’s new feeder vessel calls at Vallarpadam terminal V. SAJEEV KUMAR
Kochi,14/08/12. MV OEL Kochi, deployed by Shreyas Shipping anchors at ICTT Vallarpadam on Tuesday. Ths is the first maiden call of the vessel for coastal trade on the west coast. Photo:H.Vibhu.
Click to read
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3771309.eceMRPL’s mooring facility at New Mangalore Port may benefit both A. J. VINAYAK
A file photo of single point mooring at Visakhapatnam Port. A similar facility is planned at New Mangalore Port.
Click to read
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3771308.ece
Tuesday 14 August 2012
Monday 13 August 2012
We bring in global best practices, says Antwerp Port CEO by N. K. KURUP
Mr Eddy Bruyninckx, CEO, Antwerp Port.
Click to read:http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3763256.ece
Sunday 12 August 2012
Saturday 11 August 2012
Friday 10 August 2012
Hindusthan Shipyard delivers bollard pull tug to Vizag port
Bollard pull tug, Col. H. Cartwright Reid, built by Hindustan Shipyard Ltd seen in Visakhapatnam on Friday. Special Arrangement
Click to read:
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3750548.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home
Here is some more information on what a Bollard tug is
http://www.towingline.com/archives/596
To get local carriers soaring, wings of global airlines may be clipped
Aviation Ministry asks domestic carriers to file plans of overseas flight
Click to read:
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3751120.ece?homepage=true
Thursday 9 August 2012
Traffic woes – don’t look for quick-fixes S.MURLIDHARAN
The Rajasthan High Court ruling that only cars with parking space should be registered cannot address road congestion
How can anyone save those living in bungalows furnish proof of parking space?
Click to read on:
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/columns/s-murlidharan/article3746749.ece?homepage=true
Guest post: Vishal Mehra's list of top commercial aviation blogs, websites, and resources Thursday, August 09, 2012 by Devesh Agarwal
Today, we feature a guest post by a regular reader of Bangalore Aviation, Vishal Mehra, a Digital Marketer by profession, and an aviation geek by passion. At our request, Vishal prepared his choice of top aviation sites and resources. We are honoured to be among some of the best known names in aviation information. Thank you Vishal.
Devesh Agarwal
Editor - Bangalore Aviation
Click to read:
http://www.bangaloreaviation.com/2012/08/guest-post-vishal-mehras-list-of-top.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BangaloreAviation+%28Bangalore+Aviation%29
Devesh Agarwal
Editor - Bangalore Aviation
Click to read:
http://www.bangaloreaviation.com/2012/08/guest-post-vishal-mehras-list-of-top.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BangaloreAviation+%28Bangalore+Aviation%29
Wednesday 8 August 2012
5 Of The World's Oldest Companies By SiliconIndia | Tuesday, 07 August 2012, 15:29 IST
Reason for posting this Lloyd's is on the list
Please click to read
http://www.siliconindia.com/news/business/5-Of-The-Worlds-Oldest-Companies-nid-125657-cid-3.html
Please click to read
http://www.siliconindia.com/news/business/5-Of-The-Worlds-Oldest-Companies-nid-125657-cid-3.html
Cabotage law to be relaxed
http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article3739480.ece
I had written earlier on this subject
http://sunriseacademyonline.blogspot.in/2012/04/relaxation-of-cabotage-rules-how-will.html
Click above to read the article in the Hindu and my opinion on the same
I had written earlier on this subject
http://sunriseacademyonline.blogspot.in/2012/04/relaxation-of-cabotage-rules-how-will.html
Click above to read the article in the Hindu and my opinion on the same
Tuesday 7 August 2012
Monday 6 August 2012
Something out of the ordinary: The story of Svendborg Mærsk, our very first container ship Jonathan Wichmann Head of Social Media 02/08/2012
In 1974 A.P. Møller took delivery of its first container vessel Svendborg Mærsk, which had a cargo capacity of about 1,800 TEU.
The vessel was originally provided with two Sulzer diesel engines with a maximum continuous performance of 2×34,800 BHP which ensured a speed of up to 26 knots; a significant speed and the highest any vessel in A.P. Møller’s fleet could make.
Click to read on
http://maersklinesocial.com/something-out-of-the-ordinary-the-story-of-svendborg-maersk-our-very-first-container-ship/
Sunday 5 August 2012
NH-216 to connect 5 coastal districts August 6, 2012 By DC Correspondent Rajahmundry
The ministry of surface transport has given top priority for road connectivity by developing wider roads to suit changing needs.
Click to read:
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/rajahmundry/nh-216-connect-5-coastal-districts-943
Saturday 4 August 2012
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