My letter to PM

Dear Prime Ministerji

Even after more than 60 years of independence, our nation faces a lot of basic problems of a society like poverty, corruption, inflation, etc. As an engineer, I have come to believe that there exists a logical solution to all problems around us, problems that need not necessarily involve the laws of physics or mathematics. I understand that problems such as corruption, which doesn’t have a clear face or agenda, are more difficult to address. Hence I will speak about a problem that I understand more clearly and have been facing it every day, directly or indirectly- the plight of the Indian youth.

India is a young nation, both historically and demographically. Statistics say that 70% of our population is below 35 years of age today. Yet we are highly under represented, maybe because we do not form the vote bank for our casteist politicians. Although people expect a lot from us, and often say encouraging words like ‘you are the future of the nation’ or ‘we need ignited minds to take the country forward’, they forget to tell us how. Throughout the student life, all we can think is of getting good marks because it guarantees a seat in a good college, which in turn happens to be the key for getting a good job. Do you see where the flaw lies sir?

We are a society obsessed with success, and the marks secured by a student in examinations are the direct measure of his success. Hence, parents cannot be blamed if they expect their children to be toppers, pressurizing them to become humanoids from an early age. And they are not wrong in doing so, because no parent would want their child to be unsuccessful. And such a situation arises because of a simple imbalance in higher education – the problem of demand and supply. Every year, around 20 lakhs students (actual figures are more) appear for senior secondary examinations. Based on our grading system, 10% of them are class toppers, which comes to a staggering figure of 2 lakhs students! And here in lies the paradox, because the maximum number of seats that prestigious colleges in the areas of engineering, medicine, commerce or arts put together offer today does not exceed 50000, leaving the rest in a state of despair despite their proven merit.

30 years back, every aspiring engineer wanted to study in the IITs. 30 years hence, the aspirations remain same although the number of people who aspire have increased. Same is the case in medicine and economics, where it is either AIIMS or Delhi School of Economics respectively that a student wants to study in. In these last three decades, not a single institute has come up to match the reputation of these stalwarts, compelling the youth to opt for other options like studying in some racist country or compromising by studying in one of those privately run colleges, that mushroom today in every corner of states like Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. These colleges, run mostly by businessmen (like liquor barons and sweet shop owners) and influential political leaders, lack proper infrastructure and quality faculty but offer assured jobs, howsoever minion they may be. Hence, we have students who were talented enough to score high marks but not enough to get into a college. Don’t these people deserve a shot at a good life that the elite institutions offer?

One may give clichéd arguments about why we don’t have reputed institutes today, some of them being lack of good faculty, lengthy government procedures for setting up of new colleges, etc. But no one accepts that the only thing lacking today is political will. Education has never been a politically divisive issue, and no one questions the amount of money spent on it.  All it needs is that policy makers sit together and come out with an action plan rather than simply ‘discussing’ the issue for years. Some of the possible measures that can be taken up are easing out the entry of reputed foreign universities; starting institutes along the lines of French ‘grand ecoles’ in public-private partnership mode and removing the no-profit clause for setting up private colleges (which is meaningless, since the promoters of such colleges devise other ways to make money).

The quality of higher education in a nation is an indicator of its growth, and the youth are the pillars of this growth. By introducing more opportunities for students, the extreme pressure of performance on them can be eased out. And it is then that they will strive for excellence, not just success. All our woes, like not winning Nobel Prizes, not enough R & D output and brain-drain will be addressed by one simple solution- education. I understand that current times are bad, with inflation and corruption hogging the maximum limelight. But I write in the hope that being a teacher yourself, you would understand the gravity of this issue. I hereby request you to please save the dreams of an entire generation from being robbed.

Yours Sincerely