Smart Managers for Smart Cards

Swaminathan Aiyar's article in the Times of India today on Nandan Nilekani's appointment in the government is worth a read. One can only wish Nandan Nilekani good luck and hope, for all our sakes, that his term is successful.

Correcting our Education system

Kapil Sibal, the new Education Minister recently unveiled his 100 day plan for "reforming" the education system in India. A proposal that seems, surprisingly, to have met with almost universal enthusiasm, has been that of abolishing examinations at the 10th grade. Speaking of education, he said

"We need to de-traumatise it and reduce the burden on parents and children. We could, for instance, think of abolishing the class 10 board exam. Why does a child need to appear for a board exam in class 10 if he/she is continuing in the same school?"

There a many things wrong in our education system - but eliminating competition in the name of "de-traumatising" is a huge mistake. In recent years, the world has woken up to the fact that India produces one of the largest numbers of technologists - scientists, engineers et al. In a U.S. Senate Committee Hearing on "Strengthening American Competitiveness", Bill Gates reportedly said:

"Unless we transform the American high school, we'll limit the economic opportunities for millions of Americans...we need to adopt more rigorous standards and set clear expectations. We must collect data that will enable students, parents and teachers to improve performance.And if we are going to demand more from our students, we'll need to expect more from teachers."

Those in India who hold the US education system as epitomizing the best should keep in mind the statement by Senator Enzi made at the same hearing :

"A year ago I was in India. We were trying to find out why they graduate so many scientists and engineers. I did have one person that I thought had some great insight. They said that they didn't have any professional sports teams. (Laughter.) So the highest pay and the most prestige that they could get was being a scientist or an engineer or a doctor, something in that kind of field."

Though almost farcical, there is a glimmer of truth in the statment that the votaries of "no stress" need to bear in mind.

The world does not seem to think there is much wrong with the Indian system. Japan has, seemingly, a cult following for "Indian" Maths.
A special reporter accompanying a business delegation from Japan in 2008 remarked

"After making a deep assessment of educational systems all over the world, particularly the developed countries, a majority of our educators have concluded that the teaching system in the Indian subcontinent can do wonders for Japan."

A story erroneously attributed to Bill Gates is none the less correct in the extreme. Charles Sykes when writing an op-ed on dumbing down of school education commented:

Your school may have done away with winners and losers. Life hasn't. In some schools, they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. Failing grades have been abolished and class valedictorians scrapped, lest anyone's feelings be hurt. Effort is as important as results. This, of course, bears not the slightest resemblance to anything in real life.

Is anyone listening?