Talent Recession, its a new combination of words :) but it is creating and will create major problems in India's progress in the coming years. NASSCOM has many times brought this in focus, time and again. But the cry is falling on deaf years. There are few reasons behind it: Firstly the growing number of engineering colleges in India, like for example in Uttar Pradesh alone; their number has tripled since I did my bachelors in computer science and engineering in 2007. These colleges have sprung up like mushrooms in every medium and largely populated cities all around the nation. The problem is not the growing number of colleges; which could have been a good sign if they provided quality education. They are presently an earning model for their managements who just want to take their share of the soup as most of the Indian youth is crazy about getting just a degree rather than getting educated and then acknowledged by a degree. The problem is not with the students alone but with the parents also who want each and every kid of theirs to become an engineer or a doctor just like that of their neighbor's son or daughter. Its sounds sarcastic but first we have to deal with this problem.
The Government first has to put a check on these "mushrooming colleges" before giving approval, it has to check whether the college is willing to hire good professors, lecturers or they will recruit some fresher pass-outs to teach the upcoming batch of freshers :) The planning has to be verified thoroughly and inspections which are nowadays thing of past should be rejuvenated to put a check on these false practices. Then the students has to be a little more sensible, I advise you my friends that don't go to a college if it's past record is not good check with it's pass-outs or read about it on the internet then only make a decision to take admission anywhere. I don't want any of my young friends to be fooled by these people as YOU are the future and YOU have DREAMS. Thirdly please Indian parents stop looking upon your neighbor's son or daughter achievements, and moreover don't push your child also to do the same, study the same, achieve the same. YOUR child is unique, he has his own share of the world, his own set of goals, and his own dreams so let him achieve them instead of forcing your neighbor's kid's goals, dreams etc. Give YOUR kids space to create their own existence and mark upon life.
The second problem which is accelerating Talent Recession is the course that is being taught at the college level. It contains a lot of theory and a little chunk of it has practicals. Rather the scenario should be vice-versa. If we consider a computer engineer who has studied a lots of theory, formulas, algorithms etc but does not know how to program a single into an executable code, its just waste of time, money and talent. So its high time that the courses has to be made more professional with more emphasis on practical problem solving skills and abilities. Due to this problem whatever talent is being generated in our country, is not at all able to withstand the professionalism required in the industry. The companies mostly end up with fewer number of recruits then required in large campus interviews, and walk-ins.
The third and the final problem that is promoting Talent Recession is "The Brain Drain". This is a serious problem as what ever talent pool we develop does not stays in the country due to the fewer number of top notch facilities available for them in the research fields. We have a handful of universities or institutions that support high tech research in India, so students who want to study further and do some quality research either don't get admission into these reputed places or they end up in fighting with too much of competition for limited number of seats available. Moreover Indian research labs still lack behind in every aspect like instrumentation facilities available, industrial exposure, funding, professionalism etc from their counterparts in the Western or now even Eastern parts of the world. The work culture has a vast difference in the labs here and abroad. I have myself personally seen how professors play politics in some top notch institutions here to get the favor from the Government or to get more influential position. The need is that either the students or those who know the truth about these problems need to come out of their shell and take necessary steps to stop all this.
Students should write to the Government's concerned authority personally or collectively to improve the conditions, get more research instruments, complain about the wrong doings of the staff etc. If these all steps are not taken again and again till the result is seen, we cannot prevent Brain Drain or better the educational system & facilities.
These were the problems due to which we are witnessing the problem of Talent Recession. Moreover we will sense it even more if nothing is done to prevent it. The need of the hour is not to just read this column and others like this and go back to work, sleep or read another one but to realize the effects this problem can bring to us if we remain so ignorant. It could be any body's child, brother, sister, even yours or even YOU who can suffer due to this. Unemployment, economic breakdown, dependency, global deficits and even recession are in some way or other related to this, may be not wholly, but still this problem accounts their impact, rise and also their fall. So rise up people and take some solid steps and help India progress faster, stronger and better....and make World a peaceful and secure place to live in....
