Experiential learning creates environments in which the learner can apply existing knowledge while developing new knowledge and skills in a practical context. Experiential learning must start in the primary school. Even today after five decades of my life I remember a trip our school had organized to a sugar factory in Theur near Pune. We were in standard three then. Sugarcane was pounded to extract the juice and then boiling down the juice in form of syrup for several hours to get jaggery.  

We were taught civic sense by making us control traffic at different junctions, we were made to plant trees inside and outside Pune Aakasjwani and meteorology department at Shivaji Nagar Pune. We would visit those offices twice a week to water the plants, to take care of the plants. We had very good teachers for language, maths and drawing. We had bakery class from 6^th standard, we hand stitching class which was compulsory. I studied in cohead Marathi Medium school named Bharat English School, Shivaji Nagar, Pune. 7^th standard onwards we were taught to collect data from green grocers, farmers, police, doctors, lawyers about intricacies about their professions. We celebrated different festivals for knowing our culture. 

Great poets such as Vinda Karanadikar, Shanta Shelke, author Va Pu Kale, mathematician D.R.Koperkar  visited our school and we have heard poetries and prose straight from the horse’s mouth.   Students from lower financial strata came to my school, it was not a famous school, but our principal used his contacts and brough great Marathi scholars to our school. My school developed a good educational system that delivered higher-order goals, such as the encouragement to grow in life, good attitudes and a sense of morality, justice, and optimism, which is quite challenging endeavour.

It is a mix of traditional and experiential education which can prepare students for real life in today’s VUCA world. Today, because of noncognitive skills which are called “soft skills” such as motivation, integrity, negotiation skills, team building, and interpersonal interaction the students get ready to face the complex world. Soft skills are associated with an individual’s personality, temperament, and attitudes. People have forgotten using pleasantries, manners etiquette etc. Non-cognitive skills, significantly complement and enhance the confidence of students which are often neglected. The most prominent non-cognitive skills include openness to experience, conscientiousness, extroversion, amiability, and emotional intelligence. These skills have a strong ability to withstand adversities and to predict long-term outcomes from life.

At the primary education level, experiential learning can involve interactive activities, educational games, field trips, and experiments that allow young learners to explore concepts through hands-on experiences. These experiences spark curiosity, promote engagement, and lay the foundation for future learning.

In India, the focus on exam-oriented education has restrained students’ innate curiosity and suppress their ability to explore, innovate, and discover. The pressure to conform to a predetermined path can leave students feeling trapped, unable to pursue their passions or talents beyond the prescribed curriculum. People must flourish in their career, enjoy what they are doing. This rarely happens. 

In the age of information, the dynamic nature of workforces has undergone constant and consistent transformations to adjust to the advances in technology, a global pandemic, and an ever-evolving workplace. The pandemic drove a new chapter in learning, as students from across the world took to digital platforms to finish coursework and learn new skills. Meanwhile, a key concern that found credibility on a global scale was the gaps left by traditional education in the employability of a graduate. Post-secondary education, aimed at training masses to become employable, has long needed an upgrade to serve the true requirements of evolving industries. Every industry currently experiences rapid transitions internally to cope with the advancements in technology, and methods of doing business are more transient than they ever were.

Most universities have curriculums that don’t match what today’s industries need. Students are often taught old or irrelevant syllabi.  When these students graduate, they find that their knowledge doesn’t fit the requirements of modern jobs. This mismatch creates high amount of unemployment in India.

In beginning in the 1970s, David A. Kolb helped develop the modern theory of experiential learning, drawing heavily on the work of John Dewey, Kurt Lewin, and Jean Piaget. In France, the educators are constantly concerned about the danger of being labelled as irrelevant in today’s educational climate that focuses attention on the importance of science, technology, and professional career preparation. French universities have been successful at promoting a synergy between the traditional and the professional education. The goal is not to do battle between competing ideas, but rather to increase the value of both through interdisciplinary partnerships.

The challenges that we often face in India is while building meaningful collaborations with industry, university and government. We must overcome it.  Interdisciplinary learning encourages students to reflect critically on every new idea or issue they encounter, considering it from multiple perspectives.

Experiential learning is learning through reflection on doing. It focuses on the learning process for the individual. An internship in company where a student goes through sales training in which he learns how to handle customers and preparing bills. By sitting in classroom and reading sales management and accounting from books and lectures he can only imagine, but during internship he gets hand on experience.  Apprenticeships, externships, fellowships, field work, internships, workshops, seminars etc are part of experiential learning.

Experiential learning encourages students to learn from their mistakes and fosters a sense of self-confidence and continuous learning. Finally, experiential learning promotes innovation, creativity, and problem-solving skills, as students are actively engaged in project-based learning and problem-solving activities. In contrast, traditional learning typically relies on lectures and textbooks to convey information and may not provide the same level of engagement, practical application, and skill development.

In Japan a model of teacher-led research in which a group of teachers collaborate to target a particular area for development in their students’ learning. Based on their prior teaching, the group of teachers work together to research, plan, teach and observe a series of lessons, using ongoing discussion, reflection and expert input to monitor and improve their teaching.

There is vast difference in teachers with industry experience and teachers with degrees teaching in higher education. Teachers with industry experience bring practicality in teaching. Today Universities need experts in board of studies to upgrade syllabi every two-three year as the world is changing too fast. Knowing the academic side is only half the battle: understanding how those skills get used in the real world gives vital context and often makes things make more sense, it provides the reality that supplements the textbook versions of the same fields.

The real world is all about learning by making mistakes. While more traditional learning methods might end with a test or a graded paper, experiential learners do find themselves encountering holdups, yet they grow from them in many ways.

Another reason for acquiring an MBA degree is – many companies look for executives and managers with an MBA degree because MBA degrees teach leadership and analytical skills. The MBA students work with groups for doing projects, assignments, and presentations. For completing challenging assignments they need to collect lot of primary and secondary data and research methodology. They learn presentation skills, managing abilities and learn to handle almost any business problems through case studies analysis.

An MBA degree also teaches extremely important management skills such as finance skill, collaboration skill, people management etc. Not only will you learn how to manage your own time effectively, but you will also learn how to handle projects in time and how to effectively use money and group of employees in project management. Another management skill that is extremely important in today’s business world is risk management and an MBA degree will teach you how to analyze risks and make skilled and cost-effective decisions.

MBA degree will teach you to effectively negotiate with anyone.  An executive or manger will be expected to communicate well with clients, investors, colleagues, employees, general public and government agencies. As a student of MBA you will attend many seminars, workshops which will teach you to collaborate effectively with your employees, co-workers, customers and clients; it will also teach you how to delegate work responsibilities and how to lead your workforce with confidence. You will also learn the art of public speaking and therefore will be more comfortable in the board room or speaking at a seminar. It will teach you the art of speaking crisply and relevantly.

While choosing a University program look out for subjects like project management, negotiation skills, strategic leadership, managing innovations, design thinking workshops, researching skills, behavioral finance, decision science and business ethics. See if these subjects are included. Also, see if subjects like real financial models and business history are included in the curriculum. These subjects sharpen your analytical skills.

Look for MBA programs where the faculty has hands-on experience in the real tough world. Avoid faculty that overly rely on Xerox-based case teaching and power point presentations. Looking at 50-75 slides in a 3 hour lecture without any sensitization to real time issues and relevance will thoroughly bore you. Instead, look for faculty that knows about Maria Montessori (she was an Italian physician and educator best known for the philosophy of education, and her writing on scientific pedagogy). Go for the course which will prepare you for rough and tough business world. Embrace seriousness for some time; after all, it is the power of ideas, not a spreadsheet with statistical analysis which can improve business. And finally, listen to your intuition, your inner voice. Some good B Schools these days have started design thinking workshops. Opt for such schools. It will change your life forever.

Back in 1999, it was already essential to work in groups. This was arguably a crucial skill that Columbia business school taught, particularly compared with those schools that encourage students to compete against each other by allocating much of their grade to their participation in class. All case study analysis would be done in groups of five, who would sit huddled around laptops at the big tables in the library. The students in the group would actually find solutions to the real time issues in the cases. Yes, working in groups teaches you to respect other’s view points and team spirit.

Go for challenges, go for intensified studies. Work with intelligent crowd which will help you in self-awareness exercise. Work with groups which will evaluate you and you will evaluate others in terms of the personal skills needed to find and keep a job, this is probably more useful than many other over fashioned curriculum. Go for internship in your chosen areas.  For example, if you want an internship in real estate, take a couple of classes on the subject in your first year and demonstrate your commitment to recruiters. In short, choose a school which stimulates your thinking, which helps you to realize your dreams and helps you to augment your credentials. And, let me tell you, it’s not so simple to find such a school.

Operations Management is one of the most important subjects. A full-term class on the subject prepares you to run companies and making factories or supply chains work more efficiently. Don’t underestimate Micro and Macroeconomics. Nowadays, macro factors, and central bank policy, drive markets. Everyone in the world of finance needs an opinion on the Federal Reserve. Though you might find those subjects high and dry they are the most applicable and useful subjects. I feel, eventually, education cannot be treated democratically. Students must be told by their teachers what they need to know. That is part of the value of an MBA, or any other worthwhile qualification. The requirements are set by someone specialists who have researched and designed the syllabus.

But such ideas are increasingly mismatched with the changing nature of business education. The job of setting a curriculum is becoming difficult than ever before. The business environment is changing at a faster pace, it requires new skill sets. The competitive landscape for business education is changing; therefore friends give yourself time to choose the right business school and the right program. MBA is still one of the most exciting programs.

We are seeing that eBooks are in vogue. Kindle is frequently seen in hands of people; instead of carrying bunch of books one just needs to carry kindle and the person can read loads of books at his/her convenience.

In 2013, Flipkart had teamed up with Smashwords to distribute eBooks on their platform. Smashwords is World’s largest distributor of eBooks written by independent authors, worldwide. In the month of November 2015, Smashwords announced on their blog that Flipkart is terminating their contract with them. Reasons being Flipkart cannot service its clients in terms of pricing and little problems in software.

I don’t think the paper can be replaced by e-books because problems occur when people depend on digital sources. Digital systems can crash and can get corrupt. And, people like to possess things physically. Some things are irreplaceable, reading a print book is easier. Humans will always have an affinity for physical property and a digital version of a favorite story just doesn’t satisfy the same needs that a bound, uniquely pictured, individual, and colorful copy does. There are millions of avid readers who have stock of great classic books which are highly priced than gold and diamonds. They will never give up priced property of their books and they will pass it down and habituate their children and loved ones to this form of entertainment.

I am sure; countless people in this world will never give up pleasant experiences related to buying books and visiting book fairs and book stores. The entire experience which includes visiting the store, sitting in a corner, picking books, reading reviews, feeling them in hand, looking at the pictures, feeling the leaves, making note on a piece of paper is awesome. And while reading a paper book – writing all over the pages, folding the page corners, the unknown surrounding a beaten-up used book, trading with your friends, easily sharing with others, the smell of a new book versus a muskier old book. No, this cannot change. It’s just priceless.

Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited – the eBook service claims to offer over 600,000 titles in an all-you-can-read format for $9.99 a month. Such subscription services are not new; we have Scribed and Oyster which have been around for a while. But, each person has his/her own speed of reading. One of the books might be so good that you may read its pages again and again to get newer insights.

In 2013 according to a survey conducted by Pew Research in America, 28% of adults agreed to have read an eBook in past 2-3- years, but 69% reported reading a print book. More than 54% of adults visited the library for one reason or another. So while e-reader use is on the rise, and eBooks are becoming more popular, a large number of readers prefer print.

Without books there wouldn’t be librarians, library staff, or bookshops and salesmen. These are such affectionate people to be around with. There are so many eco-libraries who plant trees after they cut them down and that solves the tree problem.

You just don’t get the pleasure of reading e-Books because it’s all technical. Technology is going far, far ahead in each business segment not sparing even books. The fact is that eBook lack soul. You can hardly connect with it. It is like you trying to connect with your dear one on Skype. I think digital channels including eBooks have their many uses; but people like to develop an emotional attachment with their possessions. These attachments always have to be real and tangible! Our perception of ‘digital’ is in transitional mode. From being hailed as innovative and cutting-edge, it is sliding to the triviality of being just another utility.

It is said that e-books are environment friendly, they are green. But, it requires battery and the battery needs to be charged. For charging the battery we need electricity. If we use paper books we can cut back the use of electricity. Another good thing about paper books is people absorb more information in them. Paper books are much more portable and can be taken anywhere, and do not rely on power. You can read them in more places and the information is always easier to flip between. It’s much more natural and after having read both paper and digital, our bodies and minds are more inclined towards natural paper books.

 Libraries play a pivotal role in knowledge development:

Funding: Philanthropists and business houses fund libraries, and therefore essentially they are available at a lower cost to the public. Even calculating in the costs of property tax levies, libraries charge their patrons hardly any cost. And, they stack number of copies of each title, at any time few readers can borrow same title.

Preservation of knowledge: In fact preserving knowledge is a huge part of any library’s mission. Digital reservation is already happening worldwide of books, journals, historic record, science fictions, research etc. etc. The preservation of print materials, and the digitization of other parts of library collections, is a regular priority. So while libraries wrestle with publishers, subscription services face many similar obstacles. All content readers want is available in digital format in most of the libraries in the cities. Many institutions are juggling with technology and investment in it for making their libraries more relevant to public.

Patrons seek variety of services: Patrons count on libraries to do more than just lend books. They visit for free Wi-Fi or even computer use and research assistance from knowledgeable staff. Often such services include assistance with job searches, especially for those who do not have reliable internet service at home.

So while libraries wrestle with publishers, subscription services face many similar obstacles. Each content or let’s say most of the content readers want will be available in digital format.

While reading eBooks, we spend quite a lot of time moving, pushing, linking, scrolling, and jumping through text that when we sit down with a novel, once the matter is touched, scrolled and jumped off, we lose interest of getting back the page. We are in this new era of information behavior, and we’re beginning to see the consequences of that. There are too many interruptions on the digital platform – the hypertext, emails, videos and popup advertisements. These are terrible interruptions to readers.

Some other consequences consist of how e-books, computers, and tablets reduce our reading speed and comprehension. Researchers found people understand the material they read on paper better than they do on e-books. Even though today’s children and college students are computer savvy, the majority of them prefer printed versions of text over e-books.

Cognitive reasons score higher in case of paper books: Do you know this? Cornell University researchers found that both users and non-users of eBooks generally preferred using printed versions of textbooks, because they are convenient to use and handle.

Anne Mangen, literacy professor at Norway’s University of Stavanger, explains this fact:  “Reading is human-technology interaction. Perhaps the tactility and physical permanence of paper yields a different cognitive and emotional experience; reading that can’t be done in snippets, scanning here and there, but requires sustained attention.”

For most of us, feeling pages and smelling the book awakens interest to read in the subconscious. Marilyn Jager-Adams, literacy expert and cognitive psychologist at Brown University, offers this explanation: “All those cues like what the page looks like, what the book felt like, all those little pieces help us put together the whole thing. And they are just lost or impecunious on a Kindle or tablet.”

Lots of readers have a habit of scribbling their thoughts and opinions in the margins or some readers have habit of underlining some important lines while reading books: e-Books do not allow this happiness. For many people this is essential to understand a book deeply. There’s nothing much tangible to engage our other senses in eBook.

E-books do have comparable elements, like percentage-remaining figures or symbolic progress bars, to mimic this experience. However, rather than tangible incentives, these elements are merely visual (or illusory). Additionally, rather than pages coming in pairs, e-books and tablets are apt to be displayed individually, which limits spatial representation. E-books and tablets offer just a single page, which is re-written constantly, over and over.

Textbook makers, bookstore owners and college student surveys all say millennial still strongly prefer print for pleasure and learning, a bias that surprises reading experts given the same group’s proclivity to consume most other content digitally. A University of Washington pilot study of digital textbooks found that a quarter of students still bought print versions of e-textbooks that they were given for free.

I would sum it up this way: the distinction between e-books and paper really comes down to personal preference. Some people prefer reading on a computer screen, whereas others rather prefer to read from the printed versions. It’s too difficult to predict whether people will choose to read paper books for deep reading and tangible reasons or favor e-books in the future. In my opinion eBook cannot replace paper book.

Talent acquisition is the process of finding and acquiring skilled human labor for organizational needs. An organization needs to be ever ready to meet any labor requirement at various levels. From the context of the HR profession, talent acquisition usually refers to the talent acquisition department or a team within the Human Resources department. The talent acquisition team is responsible for planning, sourcing, assessing, hiring and on-boarding candidates to fill roles that are required to meet company goals and fill project requirements.

At P&G, they receive a million of applications every year. Applicants are made to take several assessments before being invited to meet with P&G’s selection experts. Among the first steps in the selection process is the Adaptive Reasoning Test (ART). This cognitive ability test represents some of the most significant advancements made in cognitive testing in decades, and every candidate regardless of the role they are applying for, takes it. For P&G talent acquisition is not only filling positions, but also utilization of the candidates and their skills that come out of a rigorous recruiting process as a means to fill similar positions in the future also.

Talent acquisition is an exclusive function and it is comparatively a new development. In many companies, recruiting is still a vague process. And, recruitment in many companies is a function of an HR generalist. A separate designation of talent acquisition is created because it is required to meet the advanced and unique functions. Modern talent acquisition is a strategic function of an organization, encompassing talent procurement, but it also looks at workforce planning functions such as organizational talent forecasting, talent pipelining, and strategic talent assessment and development.

High-performing companies build unique and powerful ways to source and access top employees. One innovative tactic is the use of social networks to build talent “communities” supported by full-time employees, retired workers, independent contractors, and everyone in between. AT&T’s talent acquisition department, for example, attracts potential team members by providing a forum to talk about mobile computing and telecommunications in a fun and exciting way.

Talent acquisition is swiftly becoming a unique profession, perhaps even distinct from the practice of general recruitment. Talent acquisition professionals are usually skilled not only in sourcing tactics, candidate assessment, and compliance and hiring standards, but also in employment branding practices and corporate hiring initiatives. Talent acquisition as a function has become closely allied with marketing and PR as well as Human Resources. As global organizations need to recruit globally with dissimilar needs and requirements, effective recruiting requires a well thought out corporate messaging around hiring and talent development.

When General Motors decided to ramp up the production of its flagship electric vehicle, the Volt, the company faced a significant talent challenge they faced terrible shortage of engineers and scientists with a background in electronics. They tried to draw talent from Silicon Valley and other technology centers to Detroit which proved ineffective and difficult initially. GM decided to enhance its recruiting process by building talent communities, drawing more and more people with the required skills into its network.

To help build these communities, GM enlisted engineers and technical staff to write about their jobs, highlighting the exciting work; the rewarding, socially important job opportunities at the company; the high quality of life and relatively low cost of living in Detroit’s suburban neighborhoods; and the many cultural attractions and professional sports teams in the city. Slowly, the company built a growing talent network, strengthening it through social media. New facts and insights about the company were shared among wider circles of talent, creating a positive ripple effect and a more robust talent network. This approach helped GM attract the talent needed to meet deadlines, hiring requirements, and project demands.

Talent acquisition professionals often craft the unique company message around the approach the company takes to hiring and the ongoing development of employees. The employment brand therefore encompasses not only the procurement of human capital, but the approach to corporate employee development.

Modern talent acquisition is becoming a unique skill-set. Because talent acquisition professionals many times also handle post-hire talent issues, such as employee retention and career progression, the talent acquisition role is quickly becoming a distinct craft. Some recruitment industry advisors even advocate for a talent department unique from the HR department, because talent acquisition and development is so entangled with a company’s ultimate success and effectiveness.

At Google test scores no longer are used as important parameter. Instead, the company looks at how effectively candidates pick up new information and solve problems, these qualities are better predictors of performance. Also, Google looks at ‘emergent leadership,’ or the ability to step in to help solve a problem, and just as importantly, to step back when it makes sense for someone else to take charge. They prefer candidates who are comfortable with ambiguity, bringing something new to the product mix, and having intellectual humility. This they call ‘Googleyness.’

As a craft, talent acquisition is not new; it is the simple process of recruiting good talent to meet company’s needs. As a profession, however, talent acquisition is quickly evolving into a unique and important job function. In few cases of Strategic Talent Acquisition, clients will recruit today for positions that do not even exist today but are expected to become available in the future. Taking the long term strategic approach to talent acquisition has a huge impact on how an approach is made to a candidate.

It’s a common practice these days: many companies are leveraging on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Glassdoor, Google, and other social networks to build a persuasive employment brand, to find talent, and market their companies to passive job candidates. They aggressively organize referral marketing programs and send their key executives to universities and other critical sources of new talent around the world.

Corporate are using various recruitment strategies for hiring talented candidates. 

Companies have started to treat recruitment function like marketing function: Talented people also like to join corporate which have best HR practices. Corporate need good integrated and communications strategy that attracts candidates and employees besides customers.

Keep the search on: Companies now extend the targets for strategic recruiting. Who are you looking for? Are there new talent pools? Ones you can develop? Perhaps talent you can access (such as freelancers) but not hire? Also consider where you are looking: Search globally as well as across industries and functions. Companies are now going beyond Facebook and Linkedin. Nearly every company uses social networks to post job openings. Innovative companies also leverage social media to build broader and robust talent communities. But, some companies are using networks of people interested in the company’s products or the company itself who might turn into high-quality recruits.

Buying big data from everywhere: Organizations now leverage on big data tools from vendors such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Entelo, Gild, TalentBin, Work4, Identified, and others to identify and source quality candidates around the world. They leverage on new scientific assessments and big data tools to locate and assess high-quality candidates who fit the style and type of workers needed. Corporate apply talent analytics to identify the company’s top sources of talent, understand effective interviewing techniques to determine “the right fit” to improve the quality and efficiency of hiring.

According to PricewaterhouseCooper’s (PWC) 2-14 CEO survey, seventy percent of business leaders are concerned about the availability of key skills. An end-to-end talent strategy provides more precision in finding, keeping, and enhancing the skills needed now and in the future.

Case study is a form of qualitative and also quantitative research that focuses on providing a detailed account of one or more cases. Eg: how important is sales training in e-commerce: how different e-commerce companies used sales training to the best of their advantage. And, the best part is that the case study is the most flexible of all research designs which allows the researcher to retain the holistic characteristics of real-life events while simultaneously allowing him/her to investigate the empirical events. In general, a case study is an empirical inquiry which investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context. Empirical research is based on observations made by the researcher – his/her actual experience rather than any theory or belief. Many times, the theory and observations can have contrasting facts; this is where case study type of research scores higher rank, it allows making the boundaries between phenomenon and context clearly evident and in it multiple sources of evidence are used.

Case studies are one of many ways of doing social science and humanities research: it can be carried out with experimentation, observation, surveys and archival information. Each form of data collection is suited to a certain type of research problem; degree of experimentation has control over events and historical/contemporary perspective and focus. By design researchers chose case studies usually when their topic is their principal subject and they chose selected examples of a social entity within its normal context. At the simplest level, the case study provides descriptive accounts of one or more cases; it depends on the researcher’s perspective how many cases he should handle in his research. It gives the researcher a chance to experiment intellectually more and more insights of one or more selected social factors within a real-life context.

Before deciding to use case study as your research type these are few things you need to do: first decide whether case studies can be useful for your specific investigation. There are three factors that determine the best research methodology: 1. the types of questions to be answered 2. Decide to what extent you have control over behavioural events of the respondents and your chosen sample 3. Understand the degree of focus on present-day as opposed to historical events. You will have to tackle these issues in framing your research questions which are most significant in determining the appropriate approach. Who, what when and where questions can be examined through documents, archival analysis, surveys and interviews. Therefore, I feel that case studies are one approach that supports deeper and more detailed investigation of the type that is normally necessary to answer how, when and why questions.

Case study research is also good for present-day events when the appropriate behaviour cannot be manipulated. Typically case study research uses a variety of evidence from different sources, such as documents, artefacts, interviews, journals, data banks and observation, and this goes beyond the range of sources of evidence that might be available in historical study. In summary then, case study research is useful when: A how or why question is being asked about a contemporary set of events over which the investigator has little or no control.

In contrast to surveys, typically the numbers of units studied in a case study are lesser in number, but the extent of details available for each case can be greater. As compared with an experiment, the case study researcher has much less control over the variables, than if an experiment were used to investigate a situation. In a survey data may be collected from a number of organisations in order to generalise to all other organisations of the same type. In contrast in a comparative case study across a number of different organisations, the objective is to compare or reproduce the organisations studied with each other in a systematic way, in the investigation.

Lesser usage of statistical examination:

While analyzing results for a case study, researcher need not use complex statistical tools because the analysis becomes more opinion based than statistical method based. The usual idea is to try and collate data into a manageable form and construct a narrative around it.

In subjects like social sciences and humanities conservative use of statistics reduces the significance and application of the topic. I have observed that often over usage of statistical tools destroy results which are often reported in an unnecessarily obscure manner. Secondly, in my opinion, the null hypothesis testing concept is extremely flawed. And, thirdly, there are several issues, independent of the particular statistical concepts employed, which limit the value of any statistical approach. For instance, difficulties of generalizing to different situations, and the weakness of some research in terms of the size of the effects found. I have seen how some Universities insist often over usage of statistics which kills the essence and core of a topic.

Therefore, case study as a research plan often emerges as one of the best options for research students and mature researchers who are seeking to undertake a modest scale of research project based on their workplace or the comparison of a limited number of organisations. The most challenging aspect of the application of case study research in this background is to lift the assessment from a descriptive account that can claim to be a worthwhile; it contributes modest addition to the research.

Some facts of case study:

• Case study is an empirical inquiry that Investigates a contemporary phenomena within its real life context.
• It is helpful when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident. This statement emphasises that an important strength of case studies is the ability to undertake an investigation into a phenomenon in its context; it is not necessary to replicate the phenomenon in a laboratory or experimental setting in order to better understand the phenomena.
• Thus case studies are a valuable way of looking at the world around us. On the other hand, it is important not to confuse case studies with ethnographic and other strictly qualitative research paradigms. Case study research can be based on any mix of quantitative and qualitative approaches. Typically, it uses multiple data sources including two or more of direct detailed observations, interviews, and documents. In addition, case studies can involve single or multiple cases as discussed in the next section on research design.

• Case studies are in-depth investigations of a single person, group, event or community. Typically, data is gathered from a variety of sources and by using several different methods.

Do you know that the case study research method was originated in clinical medicine (the case history, i.e. the patient’s personal history). Case studies are widely used in psychology and amongst the best known were the ones carried out by Sigmund Freud. He conducted very detailed investigations into the private lives of his patients in an attempt to both understand and help them overcome their illnesses.

In Business management studies case studies like Malden Mills, Start bucks, Tylenol’s 1982 scandal, David VS Goliath, Tesco’s international expansion and Enron are some of the famous case studies which are so in-depth that while reading them you don’t need to use other referrals. They are well described, well analysed, with apt data and conclusions and observations.

]]> https://drvidyahattangadi.com/case-study-is-one-of-vital-type-of-research/feed/ 0 https://drvidyahattangadi.com/can-examinations-assess-our-intelligence/ https://drvidyahattangadi.com/can-examinations-assess-our-intelligence/#respond Wed, 29 Jul 2015 13:51:17 +0000 http://drvidyahattangadi.com/?p=2597 Can examinations assess our intelligence?

Kiran Jonnalagadda cleared his inter college course after five attempts. And by the time he did it, his friends had completed their engineering course. For Kiran, his journey had just begun. This examination-shy boy’s name now features in the team that developed the Human Protein Reference Database by John Hopkins University. The five attempts to clear the pre university examinations did not dither Kiran’s spirit. We will find many Kirans in this mad, mad academic world.

Academic competence and intelligence are very complicated to measure the scope of a student’s aptitude. But the fact remains that we need some formal system to check the grasp of a student in a subject. We need divisions between ability levels and the amount of experience and knowledge students actually possess, otherwise students will be in environments unsuited to them and won’t be able to learn appropriately. There is no other way to divide them than by testing them in a fair and impartial manner. Exams are required from this point of view only and yes, they require clear and measurable guidelines. These guidelines must change to suit the environment. When guidelines are neither clear nor reckonable, students are deceived to believe their incapability. Do examinations test student’s innate abilities and potential? Or are we largely testing their test-taking ability, confidence and doggedness?

John Glenn, Astronaut emerged during the tense space race of the 1950s and 1960s. He was one man who represented the face of the Americans attempting to beat the Soviets into space and, ultimately, to the moon. John Glenn became a war hero and one of the most famous astronauts in history, despite being college dropout. Glenn attended Muskingum College, where he studied science, but when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor he dropped out in order to fight in World War II. The world never saw Glenn’s academic progress sheet.

Do we accurately test students? They answer, give information or question intelligently what they are best at and what they are happiest with through the lectures in the classroom; teachers give them feedback during and after classes. Quarterly or monthly the parents/guardians of those students will receive report cards, showing which subjects their son/daughter is best at, and which they need the most help with. It will also be noted which subject classes are that child’s favorite. Parents and students must also be able to suggest ways in which their classes could be made better, so long as the suggestions are sensible, reasonable and that they contribute to the learning environment in such a way that the students learn more and at no cost to student-teacher and student-student relationships. If some students present more information than the teacher, how many teachers would like it? And, how many students appreciate their bright peers?

Intellectual exploration is hindered due to constant efforts of students towards mastering guess work, rote learning, memorizing the so called ‘standard’ methods of answering recurring  questions that were originally set to test a student’s response to untried problems.

What our examination system does is – it encourages practicing past papers in the anticipation of mastering tests and not the subject. Tests do not encourage the search of knowledge as much as the pursuit of great grades. Education should free the mind not restrict it to guidelines that are not transparent. Let us get this rightly; subjective or qualitative papers with essay questions are not as easy to measure as mathematics or other quantitative papers. It requires entirely different yardsticks to assess them.

Regular examinations result in students working toward exams and exams only. They do not work in order to learn or to seek knowledge. Students learn just to get rid of those examinations. It becomes knowledge for the sake of passing the class, receiving an A or B grade. That’s about it. Whilst coursework may easily be cheated on, it is absurd to suggest that the only other way of testing a student’s abilities and knowledge is through examination.

Debates, discussions, case studies with active class participation are one of the most effective ways of learning and retaining information. When teachers motivate students to give their opinions and views, the students gain a deeper insight into their own arguments on a topic and the class benefits from listening to these views. It also gives them a glimpse to compare their views to their peers. Through this, they can amend their own opinions or form new ones. Class participation is a necessary requirement seeing as how even if one person refuses to engage in the discussion, their own ideas are never put to the test of both the peers and their teacher, and so receive no benefit for their own beliefs, and the class also receives no benefit from that particular student. Full class participation is an absolute requirement for refining the pedagogy.

Examinations should be conducted only annually, not more than that. If there are inconsistencies between one’s examination and one’s school work, then this must be investigated thoroughly.

I often think why school dropouts do better than the regular school goers – I suppose this happens because the dropouts have no ready plan, they don’t have a degree or a guaranteed job to fall back on. So they need to push themselves harder. A dropout therefore starts earlier.
A dropout faces harsh realities; he leaps forward with fears, doubts and worries and faces life head-on. For a dropout every day is an exam. Albert Einstein the man behind E=MC2; the man who came up with the theory of relativity; and the man who won a Nobel prize—was in fact a high school dropout. He attempted to get into university, but initially failed the entrance exams.

Lastly, we give undue importance to grades and examinations though they can’t determine if someone is intelligent or not. Grades aren’t everything. If someone has scored good grades, it still could mean that the person is dumb at many other things in life. Some youngsters score low, but are good at many a things and are practical people. So either way Grades can’t determine everything. If you cheat on something for instance you get a good grade but it could still mean you’re not that smart because you cheated. School exams only test mugging up skills and competitive exams test for advanced skills which you are hardly taught anywhere. And, exam results don’t determine success in life.

It is extremely important to invest your time, efforts, money, and energies in the specialization of your choice. Many of us are good at many subjects. And, many of us try to get adjusted in an area of specialization and try to ‘fit’ into it all through our professional lives. Specialization is a specific area in which you can make a career. When you chose a profession which gratifies your passion, you are the most fortunate person on earth. And, therefore, it is a wise decision to invest in a career of choice.  When we get career in which we find our passion our existence becomes very fascinating.

As Confucius said, “choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” It’s great advice, but it’s not always that simple. It is very difficult to figure out what we love, and how to change that liking into a career. There are many elements one needs to weigh before entering a job. A friend of mine who is very knowledgeable in the area of finance; he has loads of information in the stock market, banking, FDI, accounting, behavioral finance so on and forth. But he does not like to talk and does not like elucidation of concepts. Now this gentleman is a lecturer in a college. Because he does not like talking too much and explaining things in details, he obviously does not make a good teacher. Very few students attend his lectures.

A famous physician practices in heart of the city. He is famous for his diagnosis and prognosis. The problem with this physician is – he gets hyper when his patients ask him more than two questions. He feels his patients should listen to him and obey his instructions. He does not listen much to what patients speak; each patient has some or the other question regarding diet, after effects of medicines, life style, sleep etc. He does not like to listen. He breezes into the exam room with his own agenda and hardly has the time to find out what the patient expects. This common complaint his patients have. Therefore, he is considered as a conceited man.

Matching up our personality with a suitable role is extremely vital to our career. In fact it can become a career challenge. Our personality has so many facets; most of the times we fail to break it down into separate traits. And, even if we are aware of our characteristics, it’s important to know which jobs they’re suited for. I mean, how many people know which career is appropriate for which personality type. Often we have knowledge of one or two careers.

The present trend of education in universities is that students study degrees that sound highly, and at times narrowly vocational. Nevertheless, the trend of students opting for traditional subjects, such as History, English Literature and the Natural Sciences, Commerce is not wiped out completely. Many universities still regard themselves as seats of pure learning. I frequently think is it still sensible and desirable to study for love of a subject alone? On a second thought, a person can get trained up in a job rest of his life, whereas the time you spend in university is the only time in your life when you can study purely because you enjoy it.

Look at the recent changes in the global job market people do not shy away from changing and hopping into new jobs. The old traditional philosophy of sticking and retiring from one job is disappeared. In today’s job market very few people experience the stability of working for only one or two employers throughout their careers. In fact, most workers entering their first job today will change career paths at least seven to ten times before they reach retirement age.
With workers hopping from one job to other, more frequently very few companies can afford to invest heavily in into employee training and development. Therefore, more and more employers prefer job seekers to develop their own skills before joining a company. As a result, the demand for workers with college degrees has skyrocketed over the past few decades. I want to bring the point of loving your work, loving your career, doing what you love to do. Then job hopping is out of question.

Therefore, one needs to invest a little time and energy before taking decisions about career.

1. Make a list of your interests.
2. Make an honest list of your personal characteristics and your talents.
3. At the same time, make a list of your limitations and things which bore you to death.
4. Carry out some research about what kind of life style each of your interests might bring if it would turn to a job. Gather details in order to build up a realistic image of those professions.
5. Talk to people who have been in those professions for years. Gather the present trends in those particular professions.
6. Now take some more time and try to remember what you loved as a child. Often, our truest passions emerge in childhood. We stifle our childhood passion as we grow older by real life pressures. So think about what you loved in your childhood, what made you happy – was it mathematics, numbers, puzzle solving, reading stories, making collage, drawing, singing, scientific research, navigation, being close to nature…..what was that made you happy. Try to remember. Getting back in touch with those instincts is an important step in finding your passion.
7. Pease remove the materialistic element from your passion. Please don’t let the financial objective spoil your choice. While we all know money can’t be ignored, but don’t allow money dictate your choices. Listen to what your heart is saying.
8. Discuss about your thought process with your best friends who know you well. Sometimes you might not be able to make up our mind. You might misjudge your own decisions. Ask the people who know you personally, they might tell you when you seem the happiest and what you do most enthusiastically. Their answers might surprise you. Listen to your friends.
9. While choosing your educational programs check which subjects scare you to death, which ones do you find boring, whether you would love wasting your time studying them, Think, think and then decide on the choice.
10. Identify your professional hero. We all like one of the professions; we imagine being in it and hero-worship the topper in it. Whom would you most want to emulate? Reach out to him/her to learn more about how that person got to where he is.
11. In short, think of what you enjoy the most. Focus on things that you both enjoy and do well. It could be cooking, gardening, teaching, singing in opera, acting in drama, handicraft, painting …………… it could be from the funniest sounding thing to very serious sounding topic such as aeronautics or medicines. Don’t bother what others would think of you. Follow your heart.
12. Make a list of the top three or four profession which fascinate you; narrow the list to the top one thing. Keep it handy, review it often, and use it as your jumping-off point when you’re plotting your career move.

The movie ‘3 idiots’ gives the same message: chose a career which allows working with passion, believe in yourself, chase excellence and success will follow you automatically, and most important sometimes be idiotic it helps you to bring in the best in you.

Rarely do we see resumes tailored to fit a job. Sure, many of the background and academic details tend to remain the same but in a good resumes the tone and accent changes. Rarely does peole pay attention to while writing their resume. You remain the same person, but your description, narrative changes with a new perspective depending on the job you are applying for. It is therefore advisable to constantly re-examine and refine your CV. A CV speaks volumes about us in absentia.

Over some time and with experience, while looking at your CV your presentation skill and technique for language will improve. Couple this to the natural self-confidence you develop during spells of employment and your CV should for sure reflect that. It’s all about refining what you say and how you say it in the most concise way, and you’ll be surprised how your perceptions evolve on different dimensions in CV.

Yes, your CV speaks volumes about who you are, how you think, your strengths and weaknesses – though we do not present our weaknesses. It gives an image of your finesse, your capability, your background, your skills, intelligence etc. Your CV should be confident. Employers not only want to hear about your appropriate successes but also why and how you’ve achieved them. This confidence however should not be presented in an over-stating manner. Nobody can ever be great without any substance. Avoid wordy jargon, exaggeration or buzzwords. Let your CV stand out by giving the helpful facts and figures. Give those hard evidences those which are self-explanatory.  Don’t clutter your CV with too many things about yourself. Don’t lose the purpose in the midst of it. A good CV remains sharp and snappy for quick reference. Adopt the right tone throughout the CV.

Avoid pessimism: If you have had to face adversities, mention it with words such as “challenge”, faced. Also, do not shy to mention how you faced them. Avoid words such as “hate”, “quit”, or “disagreed” Alternative suitable phrases would be “overcame”, “influenced”, or “re-approached.”

If you are applying for a journalist’s job then your skills such as editing, writing, fluency over languages, your grasp to understand things, an eye for detail etc should be highlighted. Remember, one size doesn’t fit all; you will need different versions of your CV depending on whom it is aimed at. I often suggest people to avoid using standard templates. Instead, write it uniquely.  Focus on relevant experience and transferable skills from previous jobs which you have learnt.

The HR manager looks out for some of these traits in your CV: they are enthusiasm, because enthusiasm drives employee engagement and innovation.  Communication skills – no organization is able to compromise on importance communication in today’s globalized marketing environment.  Next is creativity. Organizations crave for creative people. Thinking out of the box is an extraordinary quality. If you have it, write it foremost in your CV.  In today’s age of entitlement and instant gratification, the critical concept of commitment stands out in a CV. Do present it in good words. Team spirit is very important in any field of life because it binds people together of different temperaments, different attitudes. If you can lead and activate people in group, trust me you have again an extra ordinary quality. Highlight it. HR managers look for another quality and that is openness to new ideas, new processes, and new people and so on. As corporations are ever changing entities, your ability to change with it is crucial. Your CV must speak how you adapted in the past and how you can do it again, if required.

One most important advice is keeping your research on; examine not only the work you want to do but where you want to work. When you find a job that you want to do and feel qualified to do, investigate the company, its culture as well as what is said and left unsaid about the company. Be sure about the work culture of the company. You should not land in soup.

And, also one of the hallmarks of your personality is emotional Intelligence. It is your ability to match the communication style with the organization through your CV, on email, on mobile or social media. Pay attention to not only the key words being used by the company in describing a position you are applying for but also how they have placed those words. Match their style so that you can spoon-feed them about your brilliance by helping them to see that you have the qualification, talent and experience they need.

So, let your CV have the following:

Contact details: It’s important to provide a range of up-to-date contact options including your home address, your main phone number and your email address to make it easy for employers to get in touch with you.

Employment history: Include the jobs that are relevant to the position you are applying for. If you haven’t had much applicable experience, be honest about it. However, you may express your interest by stating your grasping and learning abilities or you may want to include your entire work history.

Education and qualifications: Your education and qualifications may not be directly related to the job you are applying for, but they’re still important achievements that any employer will want to see. These days’ organizations are not too obsessed with educational qualifications. They prefer practicality of an individual.

Skills and strengths: Strength is something you’re naturally good at. A skill is something you acquire with education and experience. Make sure to express how your skills and strengths will help you to do well in the job.

References: Give references of people who know you fairly well and those who will speak on your behalf.  You don’t have to include references in your CV and leaving them out will save you space, but make sure to state at the end of your CV that they are available on request.

If your CV is shortlisted and you are called for an interview, the interviewer might ask you to “walk him/her through your resume.”  When you are asked to do so – you should be able to talk about each section of your resume in a linear, lucid, and enthusiastic fashion. Do not go too much in-depth into any one item. Do not bore the interviewer and do not remain superficial either. Touch on your academic, professional, leadership, technical, and personal qualifications, concluding with a statement about why these experiences are important for your industry.

 Lastly, use a good simple format. Check and re-check spelling and punctuation. Keep sentences short to avoid confused punctuation and, if you can, give it to a friend to check it over. Spell check should be the very last thing you do before sending it off.

If you are not applying for some time now for a new job, take some time off and work on your CV – it’s worth it.

This about three decades ago, 7 out of 10 youngsters opted for Pure Science at UG and PG level. Be it chemistry, physics or biology the colleges in India had around 35 to 40 percent of students in the Science Stream. Then, most of the colleges used to have some of the best teachers who were known for their craft; they had the research aptitude and carried on lot of research in the laboratories. But today, the scene has changed drastically. As per a report of UGC, the percentage of students joining pure science courses has dropped down to below five percent, especially in states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Many colleges in are feeling helpless as they are not finding quality teachers to teach physics, chemistry and mathematics.

Pure sciences deal with the study of natural phenomena through examination and observation, experimentation and use of scientific methods. Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Botany, Zoology, Biochemistry, and Microbiology etc are some of the major streams followed in Pure Sciences.

Pure sciences are one of the most interesting and research oriented fields. It plays a vital role in innovation, new discoveries and inventions. Studying pure sciences requires inquisitiveness in the different phenomenon that occurs in nature. It requires creating theories and hypotheses about them, and finally testing and validating them through experimentation and logic. Different science subjects address different aspects of natural phenomena. For example Physics deals with the study of properties of matter and its constituents in the universe, as they relate to motions, force and energy. Chemistry concerns itself with the reactions of the constituents of matter to create new forms of matter. And Biology is the study of life forms including their structure, function, growth, evolution, distribution, and classification.

The basic eligibility criteria for pursuing Pure Science education are to complete a 10+2 education with subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Math or Biology.  Students can then pursue a 3 years bachelor’s degree followed by a 2 years master’s degree in their chosen area or go in for a 5 year integrated M.Sc. After that students can opt for higher studies like doctoral research in India and also abroad.

Let’s understand this right: development of a country purely centers on how actively its research and development responds to changes. Pure science stream stimulates research in various areas. If we don’t wake up from our slumber, we might have to depend on countries like China for chemical formulae for developing a soaps, detergents, toothpastes and shampoos. Unlike in India, pure science is given utmost importance in all other countries like China, US, UK and Germany.

A lot of parents don’t want their children to take B.SC followed by M.SC route because it takes a lot of time to complete studies and jobs are not guaranteed. Whereas it’s a notion that an engineering graduate can get a job immediately and start earning. One needs to spend lot of years in pure science stream.

Science students who get into research are an important link in scientific application cycle. They design, plan in instrumentation and formulas which doctors and engineers use. They are therefore an important and integral part of the system. A country’s growth depends on how independent it is in terms of technology, hence it is vital to groom students for taking up higher education in pure sciences.

Indians are known for their competencies in the area of science and utilizing it well across the educational institutes the world over. But today however, Indian parents feel that the number of good colleges in the country offering pure science branch are not fit and it does not offer lucrative careers to their children. I think, Science as a subject requires more practical approach and certainly it requires training and preparing good teachers without any waste of time. If science is taught theoretically with mere lectures, it will never attract students. Another fact is that of poor conditions of laboratories in schools and colleges; if they are not well equipped and well utilized it is a tragedy. We cannot afford preparing students of science stream with bookish knowledge. And, world over the stream of science as a faculty is developing rapidly; the syllabus of schools and colleges need regular updating, we cannot teach  students the subject  backdated. It requires regular modernization and reorientation. Basically, I think we are treating the science seam shabbily and hence its numbers are dropping.

Strong analytical and conceptual skills are essential to excel in any pure sciences field. In addition curiosity to investigate a chosen area and a passion to go deep into it is a must. Generally students are confused regarding the fields of study and career opportunities in pure sciences. Guidance by expert counselors can help in such a situation.

Also, we need to bridge the gap between learning science and employment opportunities. There must be a major push towards interdisciplinary programs in basic sciences. Diversification of avenues and new choices will encourage students to take courses according to their aptitude. Emerging fields that act as a link between technology and science such as bioinstrumentation, allied health sciences, forensic science and medical imaging techniques offer a lot of scope.

Practically, in the science research one more vital fact is that many scientists have interesting findings and technology, but they are not aware about its relevance to the business world. Isn’t this a sheer waste of talent? The reason why many findings in science is not often exploitable is because the industry quite often does not provide any feedback to the scientists. We therefore need to bridge the gap between scientists and industry. Scientists cannot work in vacuum.

Are we risk-averse? Yes, in the area of research, we need to take some risks. Even business firms need to take some calculated risks while launching new products and services in the market. The business strategy followed by the Indian biotech research firms is largely service-centric. They prefer working on outsourced model which requires less investment this is because Indian biotech companies cannot afford huge investments.

We need good administrators in the science labs. Sadly, front office people are not aware what is being researched in their laboratories. Most research is not even data based it is therefore difficult to know what is happening in Kolkata from Mumbai. Our scientists get penalized for making mistakes but not rewarded for taking risks. The industry and research institutes need a friendly dialogue. Scientists require a good work culture. Most of our scientists are motivated within rather than motivated by incentives, this is a good thing. If we don’t encourage them and maintain their dignity we might lose out of whatever talent is left in the country. We have to drop the reservation system in scientific research area; promote the right candidate for his worth, not what caste creed he belongs to. Most of the scientists are frustrated because they are under appreciated.

In India, very few scientists have industry experience. India is missing the business environment where entrepreneurs scout for ideas from research labs. We are very happy importing scientific technology. I think Venture Capitalists can play a great role; they need to encourage small, mini, and micro labs with the requisite funds. Venture capital can play a pivotal role in flourishing research field in this country.

About five years ago, the government of India set up five Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) at Bhopal, Kolkata, Mohali, Pune and Thiruvananthapuram with a specific agenda: to attract scientific talent from among the youth and to nurture them to become world-class researchers in science. The integrated five-year bachelor’s and master’s program at these institutions, along with the PhD program, is designed to guide students along the research path right from the beginning of their undergraduate education.

But it is facing two major challenges; first, knowing how to select students with the potential to make important contributions to the growth of science. And, the second, implementing the kind of education that will develop and strengthen such potential, so that a significant division of those students will help picking the genuine scientific researchers. Hope the initial teething problems get sorted out fast and appropriate beginning is made.

In our society we are tremendously obsessed with academic qualifications; as a result, we check qualifications of the bride and groom before finalizing matrimony, before giving membership in a club, an association, a forum, in a sports club, while applying for a job, qualifications are checked. A person’s aptitude, ability and skill are judged by his/her academic qualifications. Any bio-data résumé or curriculum vitae are deplorable without the inclusion of education qualifications. Therefore it is an impromptu rule of both the corporate world and the social world that a man’s academic qualification is a key to his entry to a coveted position in society.

Education does help add finesse to life; it helps developing moral, civic values. It prepares us with good manners, proper behavior, hygienic living. Aacademic education gives people an encompassing experience of life, with lots of opportunities to meet people from different walks of life and to consider the importance in life of values and culture. These are necessary for a person’s growth. Educated citizens help in building a civilized nation. It uplifts our morals and ethics by exposing us to the great thinkers of the past. It makes us aware of our rights and liberties, and helps establish a liberal democracy with active citizens and an active media.

But when we spend twelve years of our life in schooling, and several more years of our precious life in college on graduation and often post graduation, and then one fine day it strikes us that our degrees are not required for success; why because Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Dhirubhai Ambani and many other rich people were schools dropouts and they built great fortunes!! Unfortunately the materialistic world has changed the concept of success.

We are also a fixated society about grades in qualifications. We have a wrong notion that grades alone can help getting success in life. If success and opportunities were measured by grades then the corporate world and potential marriage partners would not ask for bio-data, where other credentials are also mentioned. Nor would they interview the candidates in order to find out what they are like as people. Education helps us modify our people skills, our thinking, our character and our inventiveness. It prepares us for life life’s success. IT helps in honing our physical characteristics, personality, and a willingness to work hard. Grades are really irrelevant.

We have somewhere misinterpreted grades/marks in education. We attach so much importance to marks that it has become a rat-race where every student chases grades and therefore the entire perception of success and affluence has changed. Rather than studying to reach one’s full potential, children simply mug up for examinations. Further, they get frustrated when they don’t get jobs. More time is spent in job hunting than in education. Many people find themselves in the wrong profession and lacking job satisfaction. The business atmosphere is highly politicized, favoritism plays key role, and we see wrong people in big positions. In short, our idea of education has got mistaken, our idea of prosperity is mistaken, and our definition of success is changed. With so many years of education finally we misread that if anyone is able to save his/her job then he/she is successful!

If we look at some very successful people in the world, who are doctors, engineers, researchers and IT, professionals, many of them are employed by people like Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Ambani who have built empires devoid of formal educational qualifications.

Does education corrupt minds? I think yes, because by going to schools and college students do rote learning and taking multiple examinations. It forces people to learn and think like millions of other graduates. This spoils chances of some brilliant minds which can come up with the truly mould-breaking insights and “disruptive” ideas on which successful innovations and new business models are built. Our education is not outcome based; today’s students cannot implement and apply what they have learned, they are not capable of putting their knowledge into practice in an increasingly complex and challenging environment. The emphasis, therefore, should be on practical, sensible, workable learning — rather than simply accumulating information which becomes outmoded in shorter span.

And what about those fake degrees sold by thriving illegal rackets in the market? So many dubious agents are selling degrees and people are buying them. Nexus between state universities, education intermediaries and private/public educational institutions are flouting norms, often jeopardizing the careers of students by conferring on them a degree, which may not be legitimate. And, if such students get trapped, he/she loses job, reputation and chances of making a decent living thereafter.

Another question is raised against academic qualification – that is whether it can stop us from becoming a civilization of drunkards, rapists, war-mongers, immoral money launders, criminals, and villains. If you look at countries where the largest numbers of people have higher academic qualifications, they are the ones most affected by social breakdown. Can we call America a successful nation for its wars on Iraq and Afghanistan? Can we call it superior by any chance? Can we call Russia a mighty nation for creating the Crimean crisis? Can we call some fluent Indian and Pakistani politicians wise for not solving the Kashmir issue? Are the “educated” politicians of India and Pakistan solving problems of the innocent Kasmiris?  India and Pakistan have fought at least three wars over Kashmir, but still the problem is not resolved.  Does education teach us to delay and drag important decisions?

Academic qualifications may not be enough on their own to ensure success, but they indicate that their possessor has got courage, daring, moral values to speak out against any kind of injustice. I think it’s high time we bring in changes in our education system. Today’s academic qualifications have no real relevance to the jobs graduates are employed to do. A few decades ago employers in areas such as banking, engineering, management and government service recruited people straight from school at the age of 15 or 16, trained them on the job and promoted them to higher levels of responsibility according to their ability. And, those people contributed to the growth of businesses and society.  Today none of these jobs has changed very much, but all of them require applicants with university degrees. Why has this changed? One reason is that the upper and middle classes are trying to protect their own jobs – demanding new recruits have expensive academic qualifications.

Our nation needs an education system that excites and stimulates children, providing them with the learning they need and be worthy of to accomplish their potential.  This means we need a curriculum of practical and vocational learning alongside theoretical study. This need for change has become more and more critical.  Let’s except a simple fact that the world has changed whereas our education system has not changed. The gap is very big. Indeed, it is largely based on a system developed over a century ago. Our assessment standards need change, our pedagogies need change, and we need to educate teachers first. Let’s not make our schools and colleges mere factories churning out graduates – where children are placed on a learning conveyor belt, then sorted, packaged and labeled with degrees.

And finally please understand this – academic qualifications are futile if they are not helping you to lead a happy and peaceful life.