Reaching Masses for Education

Am trying to focus on one of the points of my earlier blogs (http://citizenvoiceindia.blogspot.com/2009/07/combining-technology-and-education.html) about using technology to reach aspiring students.

Let’s put some statistics upfront on electronic reach. Today India has Cable and Satellite penetration of over 70 million households (35% of population), cellular phone penetration of over 350 million (30% of population) and internet penetration is over 12%. This means, over 56% of India is connected in some way or the other. This does not include the non-electronic reach.

The marketers are reaching out to each segment of this population. Using technology and innovations to tap the potential market. Isn’t it time for educationists to realize the dream of an educated India (or at least, a literate India)? Yes, there is also a commercial angle to this, for all those educationists who are not not-for-profit organizations.

If a two-minutes-noodle can change the way 15% of the country have their breakfast using TV as a medium, what stops 15% Indians to plant a tree in their neighborhood? Or to convert used news papers into paper bags? You have not only taught a way of earning a livelihood, you have also created the largest company of paper bag producers (will this not reduce the consumption of low grade plastic bags?).

You may say, ‘this is vocational education’!!! Let’s talk about primary education. Almost every village either has or can acquire a Television set. What stops us from broadcasting primary education with a live teacher teaching it and local coordinators handling 1st level questions of teachers or even using mobiles to handle questions through a call center?

This is equally applicable for rural and urban India. This is applicable for vocational, primary, secondary as well as higher studies.

If a marketer can reach the masses in India’s every nook and corner, so can education.

What we need is a ‘willingness’ to get the country educated and have an education that can earn them a living. Hope Mr. Sibal is listening!!!

Combining technology and education

A friend of mine asked me yesterday evening as to how technology can help education. Actually an interesting piece of thought. I started to think of multiple areas where technologies can really kick-start education or make it smoother.

All my thoughts gravitated to three aspects
a) How do you reach a larger number of people who have the basic infrastructure like connectivity (internet, cable TV, satellite TV, mobile phone etc.) and bring education into their fold?
b) Why is ‘Ice Age-3’ more memorable compared to the fact that Alexander invaded India in 326 BC?
c) How much of what we study today in our schools and collages is relevant to our jobs?

Using technology to reach (distribution of education), sink in (making education interesting and experiential), work for (getting students industry ready) is essential as it can change the face of education, face of students and the face of an economy.

But a bit of caution here. Technology will not solve any of these issues independently. One needs to have a ‘learner centric’ or ‘knowledge centric’ thinking and intent to create a knowledge economy. Technology can only be an enabler for making it happen. A second caution is that it is practically impossible to replace the teacher.

You know what surprised me the most? This question came in from a friend who is not an educationist. I am surprised, that our educationists, the education boards and the private training outfits are fighting for their piece of the economy and are not actually bothered thinking about growth of the knowledge economy!!!

I am dead sure technology cannot help change their mindset.

Politics of rape

Searching the net today to see reactions of Rita Bahuguna’s derogatory speech, I felt ashamed as every news channel that are worth their salt in India and abroad covered it in their websites. When will this FiM (foot in mouth) syndrome of politicians be cured?

They is being extremely lackadaisical about what they say in public and more so, of what they think of their competitors. Bad mental state and still worst, lack of understanding of peoples’ feelings.

After a long time, Congress has had a foothold in Uttar Pradesh. They selected a politician who could represent them and this is what she does.

On the other hand, Mayawati, is using this situation to gain political mileage. Another example of poor leadership in UP. She has conveniently forgotten her equally derogatory speech a year or so back. That time it was directed to female relatives of Mulayam Singh. That speech was no different from this although her party men confidently talk of different situations that both the speeches were made!!! Audacity!!!

In both these cases, the two ladies used rape and money given to rape victims as issues to go ahead in politics. I am sure politicians will never understand realities of life – actually any reality. These ladies confirm it.

To top it, the vandalism that followed of destroying the house of a politician. Where is the law and order in that state? Who is responsible for this? It was good that Rita was arrested. When are they planning arrest Mayawati and her vandals.

Politicians can never be cured from the FiM syndrome. Can we citizens realize the situation and react. I hope we vote out both the ladies who do not have a basic sense of understanding of life and compassion for other citizens.

Top Science Institutes want market driven streams scrapped

In one my earlier blogs (27/06/09), I had suggested the following to be introduced:

01. Getting students industry-ready
02. Making education boards agile to change patterns, content and education modes to drive employability of students

Yesterday, three of the leading Science Institutes have suggested scrapping of market-driven streams in BSc. These specialized courses like any other graduation courses have their limitations, but were certainly a step towards increasing employability of students.

However, with the onus of the students’ success slowly moving to the institutes and the faculties, reality has struck. It is difficult for our institutes to provide growth of a student to meet the industry, hence, the best option for them is to scrap the course.

Yes, if you can’t dance, there is something wrong with the dance floor. Break it down!!!

How about, making the courses more laser focused? How about getting industry involvement in developing students and giving them a career? How about driving a real world learning that represents the industry of today and tomorrow? Shouldn’t we be looking for these solutions?

I think the need of the hour is scrapping the institutes rather than the courses. Introducing new-age, quasi government institutes that can give a real feel of the industry and give students a pathway to jobs.

And this is only training/education that am talking about!

To convert students’ passion into a livelihood, there are three aspects other than just training:
01. Real industry Introduction
02. Talent marketing
03. Preparing a platform to succeed

Instead of thinking of generating we are thinking of degenerating. And this is the state of education in India.

No wonder the top 3 Science Institutes want market driven streams scrapped!!!

Mindful. Straight. Dhoni.

Yesterday after a harrowing traffic experience between Sion and Bandra, I had the opportunity of meeting MS Dhoni. Yes, our very own Dhoni.

When you meet people of his stature and with his kinda success, you would imagine an air around them of being a superstar. Interestingly, in a span of 2-3 minutes, he makes you feel as if you know each other for ages.

Going through with him on a certain future path, I was surprised to see his extreme involvement in a very short span of time (actually a couple of minutes). Extremely focused, you can see his mind working out strategies and plans that are relevant to the discussion. And each point picked up by him was relevant to the core – extremely mindful.

I liked his decision making style. His clarity on 'WH' questions on things he would want to do or get associated with – logic for each one clear in his mind. There are no mincing words. You almost see a Wall Street financial executive, an advertising executive and a school teacher at heart, all rolled up into one.

If Indian cricket is doing well, a good part comes from this thinking mind that has a focused goal in vision and agile strategy to change with times and adapt to situations – maintaining the core value of ‘respect for every other person’.

MS Dhoni. Very mindful. Straight. Of course Dhoni.

These are actually the signs of a true leader! How long will it take our politicians to lead India in the true sense?

Brainless in Maharashtra

In the wake of state elections, the Maharashtra Government played dirty politics to be one-up on the Sena. To ensure vote banks, they were ready to play with lives of students, introducing the 90:10 principle.

“How brainless can you get? You are ready to forego a set of students as they are from ICSE or CBSE or any private board? You are ready to leave that talent that could have helped your state and the citizens of the state?” They are forgetting that you are playing with the future for very short term gains!

They tried to make it a law, and certainly, there is taxpayer’s money involved in the futile time spent. Why should we bear this cost? I think the party/organization that wanted to woo vote banks should pay for this. They should also pay for the time spent by the courts to negate their decision. Also, to the multiple families who have lost sleep over their child’s education. On top of all this they should pay at least INR 50 crs to the govt. for fooling around and misusing their power so that no party can ever think of taking cheep and dirty steps to get voters into their fold!

Brainless in Maharashtra, that’s what these politicians are.

I like the courts as they do have their brains in place.

Thanks for the LEFT being left out!

I was watching the post budget analysis and surfing channels to see how industry stalwarts and the common people are reacting to the budget and there were multiple reactions to Pranabda’s budget. Some good and some not so good to some ugly. I do not completely like the budget although there are few small steps taken in the right direction, where, possibly I expected long leaps.

Interestingly, a spokesperson from the left felt that the common man was missed out in this budget. There could be three reasons why he said so:
01. He was sleeping through the budget,
02. He does not understand the needs of the common man and
03. He does not understand what a budget is.

My take on the gains for the common man are many:
a) Reduction in personal taxes
b) Reduction in cost of a host of products
c) Emphasis on the agro sector (with incentive to pay up on time)
d) Investment in infrastructure, power, rural and urban development

I am sure there are many more that I have not mentioning here.

Good budget, or bad budget, it’s a sigh of relief not to have the left at the helm of things.

Cheers India, we left them out!

Plan for reducing our budget deficit

With the new budget being announced, we see a well identified challenge of sustaining GDP growth of 9% (my gut feel is 7-8%). There are multiple areas announced in the budget that lay the foundation of to sustaining the GDP growth rate – infrastructure, power, agriculture and urban development. This benefit to the common man comes at a cost – higher fiscal deficit – approx INR 400,000 crores.

Here are three ways of bringing down the deficit if not completely neutralizing it:
1. Tax ‘productivity-hurdles’ for the nation (target INR 500 crores +)
a. For every political party / organization that organizes a bundh which affects productivity of a state, city or country with or without violence does it at a cost – INR 15 crores + cost of property destroyed
b. Labour groups calling for bandh at a production facility or service outlet – INR 5 crore + cost of loss of revenue
c. For over shooting of project deadlines, the contractors / vendors should be charged a part of their fee – it always happens in the private business world

2. Tax corruption (target INR 100,000 Crores +)
a. People taking bribes pay 10 times the bribed amount presuming that they have done this at least 10 times earlier and need to cough it up
b. Misuse of national property or funds – example Mayavati’s statues campaign – charge 5 times the amount spent from public money or a la Deve Gauda taking multiple trips in a month to Bangalore when he was the PM.
c. Non-payment of government dues – charge unsecured personal loan rates of interest (18-22% PA) for offenders beyond a crore of rupees, e.g., Reliance Industries not paying electricity bills to the board
d. Vote bank corruption should be charged at cost + INR 10 crores from the party resorting to such politics, e.g., 90:10 education policy of Maharashtra govt.
e. Infrastructure project revaluation midway, after lowest bid wins – the contractor pays for the increased value (surprisingly this has become a norm today)

3. Private participation in spends (INR 200,000 crores +)
a. This is at a conceptual level. Private companies earn revenues from the society pay taxes to the government. They expect rules to be changed to suit their company or industry. What about doing their bit for infrastructure, healthcare, well being of the society? I am not talking of lipstick-on-a-pig CSR initiatives. I think we have a role model in the form of Tatas as a group. Can each large corporate of over INR 100 crores of PAT contribute 10% of their profits (post tax) for a better India? Remember this 100 crores of Profit is gained from your country – India, a key stakeholder in your company

This sounds achievable and real. I am sure it will take a lot of beating from the corporate world, the babus, and politicians. But what the heck? If this is what the country needs, we got to do it.

Is India listening? Here’s over INR 300,000 crores recovered from the deficit!