President expresses concerns over quality of biz schools

President Pranab Mukherjee today expressed concern over the quality and education standards of institutes in India and said business schools need to impart 'right skills' to students to make them employable.
The business schools have a stimulating role to play as India has potential for setting up 10,000 start-up firms in the next few years, the President said in his address at an event of Indian School of Business here.
There is a need to impart right skills to youth, make them capable to find jobs else "the restless young mind will resort to violence", Mukherjee cautioned and asked the business schools to provide conducive environment for learning.

"There is mushrooming of management institutes in the country. However, I am noticing that they do have standards," he said.
There are many universities and polytechs "but the quality of many institutes is not up to the standards" in terms of competing in getting jobs, he noted.
Asserting that India's growing young population need to be trained to compete in the job market, the President said that the country has demographic advantage and it will add 60 crore youth by 2030.

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Sounding a note of caution, Mukherjee said, "Mere physical expansion of the academic infrastructure is not what we want."

"... There are more than 753 universities in India, more than 36,000 colleges and several number of other institutions. But the quality of many of these institutions in the areas of higher learning are not up to the standard. I am not merely referring to their absences of world rankings by important rating agencies, but I am also talking from the view point of their competitiveness in getting the job in the world market."
The President also observed that such is the quality of the education in India that only four Indians have so far bagged Noble prize and that too they have studied abroad and not in Indian varsities.

"Is there lack of talent here?" he asked while reminding the huge task that lie ahead for management institutes to improve upon.
Citing examples of the quality of learning that was imparted by ancient Nalanda and Taxila universities, Mukherjee said that these were institutions of excellence for cross-fertilisation of minds.
"Therefore, institutions must be centres to attract talents and help unfold their talent," he said.
Advising outgoing students from business schools to have social responsibility, the President said, "Don't be scared to take risk. Don't be afraid to take challenges. You are product of free India and there is no colonial baggage. Therefore, use all options. ...Don't be job seekers, be a job giver."

He further told students that "after passing out, you will get good placement, good salary and perks. But that's not all. We need social commitment and social responsibility. ...We also want the young minds to pay back dividend to the society, which has created atmosphere for their development."
Speaking on the occasion, Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the government will not interfere with the autonomy of educational institutes and will also keep a check on the quality of PhDs.
"I believe in autonomy and freedom of education. Yes, good institutions will get full autonomy, average institutions will get 50 per cent and not so good ones will have no autonomy and will be regulated," he said.

Stating that the government will soon finalise guidelines on this, the Minister said, "Till now, University Grants Commission (UGC) used to grant degrees. ...But UGC's only role will be grant the power of granting degrees to universities. Besides that, there will be no role."
On setting up of 20 world class institutes, Javadekar said that 10 each will be private and public institutes and the government will provide funding support.
The quality institutes are necessary as the sustained growth is possible in those countries which have best education institutes, he added.
Expressing concern over quality of PhDs, the Minister said, "Actually, PhD means adding to existing knowledge. But we

see them depending on Google and Wikipedia. ...We will check on that."
Punjab Governor V P Singh and Indian School of Business Executive Board Chairman Adi Godrej were among others who were present at the event.