Place of English in Today's Education

With the advent of Globalization leading to India’s integration with the world economy, English as a language of international communication has become more important than ever before. The Sanskrit lovers of our ancient heritage may not appreciate the scenario, but it is the stark reality. It is obviously agreed that other Indian languages are beautiful and unique in their own right; however, English has emerged as the most prominent tool of global communication in today's cut throat competitive world. According to noted educationist Bhalchandra Mungekar, "Jobs create vertical and horizontal social mobility. With English comes important new skills and thus, the system is fast becoming achievement-oriented."

What does the emergence of English mean for education -especially education aimed at employment? The answer is that students need to be adept in the language to survive and prosper. For students from the middle and lower classes, English is of ever increasing importance, and promises to be an equaliser of sorts. “If some people have to join the process of modernity, they have to learn the tricks of the trade. English is one of them," says Vivek Kumar, a prominent faculty member in JNU.

One look at the statistics will leave you stunned. With a literacy rate of 66%, at least half of that number encounters grave problems while grappling for jobs, for the singular deficiency of being incompetent in the knowledge of the English language.

For example, a majority of F&B (food and beverage) outlets, a sector that employ large numbers of young people, insist that employees speak to customers in fluent and correct English. According to Manpreet Gulri, development agent for Subway, a popular fast food chain "If an employee speaks good English he/she can communicate far better with our customers. We are an international brand, and our customers come from cross-sections of society. Communicating in English becomes necessary." This unfortunate fact is not very well recognized by Indian Universities. Only a few such as Osmania University (recently ranked No. 10 in India by esteemed publication India Today) have taken innovative measures to include English in their curriculum. Their Vice Chancellor Professor Rao has been instrumental in introducing the basics of the language into the syllabus of most courses.

Looking at it from a student's perspective, it behoves the students to recognize that a working knowledge of English is critical in today's job environment. Students should make it an individual goal to learn English. While the Veta's and Inlingua's of the world exist, they end up being mostly ineffective, and certainly not contextual. Also, unfortunately, a language cannot be learnt in a day or even a few months. The best way is to seek programs where English is baked into the product. Such products are rare in the current scenario, but seem to be steadily growing. Apart from Osmania University, there are some work sectors that provide English language training as well.

For example, Vipul Gupta, executive director at The Metropolitan Hotel in New Delhi, says, "The management conducts regular English classes for employees whose communications skills are weak. English is the most used language in the Indian hospitality sector. Therefore, applicants with a sound knowledge of the language stand a better chance of being selected."

Career counsellor Usha Albuquerque explains the importance of being able to communicate in English in both personal and professional spheres. "English," she says, "is the language of the work-force. Anyone who wants to express himself/herself at a national or international level has to be well-versed in the language. Practically every job that requires written and verbal skills will demand knowledge of English. Moreover, in a culturally diverse subcontinent like ours, where every state and region has its own regional language, communicating in a powerful common language like English becomes imperative."

A Pragmatic Solution to India's Education Problem

The education problem of India has many facets, and all cannot be efectively covered in a short article so I am attempting to ofer a big picture perspective here.

The following statistics (for 2008) tell a story:

K-12 enrolment: 37% (132M of the 361M school age children

currently enrolled)

Tertiary education Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER): 11% (21%

in BRIC countries)

Employability of Graduates: 20 % (80 % considered unft for

the workplace)

The benefts of having an educated and skilled population are obvious – not only will it help India’s own development; it will also allow India to beneft from its much younger Demographic profle relative to the world. This need seems to have been understood by the government of India and it has set itself the goal of achieving a GER of 15% by 2012. The focus of this article is not on the intent, but the path chosen by the government to achieve this goal.

The National Knowledge Commission was appointed by the Prime Minister of India, specifcally to propose a solution to this problem. The commission, led by Mr. Sam Pitroda, has suggested, in summary, that the government spend a lot more money to create numerous new institutions, improve the current institutions, and fundamentally change regulation and governance. While the NKC has made some excellent recommendations, it seems uncomfortable with the idea of for-proft education in any segment.

In its report the NKC acknowledges that of the 1700 management schools in India (as of 2007), more than 1000 came into being after 2000, as a result of “entrepreneurial initiative”. Strangely, every single one of these “entrepreneurial” entities is set up as a non-proft.

Broadly in line with the NKC recommendations, the government has announced that it will spend INR 850B (Approx. USD 17 B) in 2007 - 2012 to achieve this goal - 5 times the amount for the previous 5 year period. This money will be spent on new institutions including 30 central universities, 8 IITs, 10 National Institutes of Technology (NIT), 20 Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIITs), three Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) seven Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and two Schools of Planning and Architecture(SPA)

“Allowing private enterprise to participate aggressively and openly improves quality, often drops prices, and addresses different segments more effectively thus improving penetration (read enrolment).”

In simple words, the Government plans to do it all largely on its own, with its own money, and by deploying its own manpower. Private participation is expected to be in non-proft / PPP models, essentially of a “non-commercial” nature. Unfortunately, the government’s track record has been quite dismal when it comes to operating educational institutions. Most of the Higher Education system of India is in a shambles, with the IITs and IIMs being visible because they are exceptions, and even these are often embroiled in political controversy.

This is a critical point of time for India, and the decisions taken now will set India up for its success or failure in this century. It is important that the government face the realities of its own abilities, and also look

globally to see how similar challenges have been met elsewhere. Also, I believe we need to fnally get rid of our “License Raj” hang-ups about education being on a higher moral plane, and therefore necessarily non-proft.

The underlying philosophy when thinking about the education industry needs to be not too different from any other industry. The government needs to create strong regulatory bodies. Then the force of private enterprise should be unleashed to address this problem. Over almost 20 years of liberalization, we have repeatedly heard how “this industry is diferent” – be it power or healthcare, and have eventually agreed that it actually was not that diferent, and that allowing private enterprise to participate aggressively and openly improves quality, often drops prices, and addresses diferent segments more efectively thus improving penetration (read enrolment).

Sure, in countries such as the UK and the US, while they do have a strong private sector in education but that was not the force behind increases in the GER. That is because they had the one luxury India does not have – time. To illustrate my point, I would like to quote the example of Brazil – a good example also because it is certainly comparable to India. Brazil also needed to see drastic increases in its GER, but it was practically static from 1991 – 1996. However, enrolments went from 1.9 Million in 1997 to 4.7 million by 2006 – a 150% increase in 10 years. What Brazil did was simply the following:

1. Create a transparent, but rigorous regulatory system. (Similar to the IRAHE proposed by the NKC). The focus was on the academic standards and the learning, not on structural aspects.

2. Encourage private participation in higher-education. They were open to people making a proft, as long as they deliver quality and meet the regulatory norms.

3. Create incentives for the private players to focus on the social and developmental needs of the country as well. For example, in 2004 Brazil ofered a tax break to the private institutions which set aside 10-20 % of their spots for low income students, provided scholarships etc.

I think the simplicity, elegance, and efectiveness of the Brazilian system is something India should learn from.

The government reduces its role instead of increasing it. The money saved in this manner can be utilized to channel and guide the entrepreneurial forces in the right direction (such as funding the tax cuts mentioned in point 3 above), and on creating a strong , transparent and independent regulatory framework. Most importantly, it legitimizes the role of private players, so that the stronger, cleaner and more professional players also participate.

I do not for a moment propose that pure capitalism will lead to equitable growth in such a sector, and believe that the government has an important role to play – especially in the K-12 segment. However, the government needs to choose its battles, and use the private sector as a useful force in its plan for the future. That will unleash vast amounts of capital, intellect, and create the kind of capacity required, and will do so efciently. With the current system, the government not only prevents open private participation, but also attracts private money and intent of the worst kind. With a few exceptions such as the Tata institutions, most private players in India blatantly make money while claiming to be charitable institutions. The education sector is the biggest spender in the print media in the country today. Full page ads for “charitable institutions” scream across the newspapers and all this communication is delivered to the doorsteps of the powers that be every day, and yet we seem to be comfortable in our delusion of education in India actually being non-proft.

I think it is time to take a close look at the facts on the ground as they are today, for the government to recognize its own strengths and weaknesses, and also to realize the power of entrepreneurship. In the telecom sector India added 15 million new subscribers in January 2009. Such numbers are possible because the government allowed private participation while regulating the industry closely. If we could do a fraction of that number in higher education, it will change India’s future.

“How to choose the correct vocational Course”

“Identifying the right course” starts with determining the fit between you as the student, and the right course from all the options available in the marketplace.

For this, the starting point is to understand who you are, and what are your interests and motives behind pursuing further education. You need to think about your interests e.g. do you like field work / meeting people / group activities? Or do you prefer working solo, and are more of an introvert? Do you have special interests such as, say, writing or cooking ?

Next is the goal of doing the course. Vocational by its very definition means “of, pertaining to, or connected with a vocation or occupation”. Broadly, it can include a very wide variety of courses including fields like accounting, Hotel management, aviation, travel and tourism, hardware technology, animation and IT etc. But for you is it for getting your first job, or pursuing a hobby, or adding a new skill to change your current line? Do you have time constraints – maybe you are currently working? Also, what is your budget, and how much time do you want to invest in the education (6 months? 3 years?).

Once you have a clear articulation of your own interests and goals, it is time to hit the market. Research the market – visit institutes, gather information in the form of brochures and prospectuses, talk to students and ex-students at various institutes and colleges, and check out their offerings on the web. As you educate yourself on the options, you will also get a good understanding of the area which you are interested in, and also you may have a shortlist of the courses you would like to pursue.

For example, lets say you have narrowed down to two areas : aviation / hotel management (a.k.a Hospitality). You can then go out and gather information on the various aviation courses. Firstly understand the options within aviation – there are ground staff courses, and also in-flight courses. Understand the various institutes which offer such courses e.g. AHA, Frankfinn, Kingfisher academy etc. Do a reality check on where the students who complete these courses get placed e.g. less than 5 % of the students of in-flight courses get into that line of work. Most others go into other service oriented jobs.

Similarly, for hospitality visit various Hotel Management schools such as the Pusa Institute, UEI Global and others to understand their offerings in the vocational space. Vocational courses can be both diploma’s and degrees. Also in hospitality, would you want to learn to be a chef, or a manager? What other specialities exist? Based on your time-frame understand the various products on offer, and try and get an understanding of the value of the course in the marketplace. Also understand how the institute plans to prepare you for the job market. Do they provide any interview guarantees? Do they equip you in any way (besides the vocational skill itself) to succeed in such interviews? Maybe teach English or personality development? If the eventual goal is to succeed in getting a career, these aspects can make a big difference.

In essence, be sure you know yourself well, and identify a course not just based on the latest fad or “hot” field, but also keeping in mind your needs and goals. And research the options in the market well before picking one. All the best !