(Transcript of a note dated 1.1.1975)
Introductory: During the last three decades, India has built dams, powerhouses, steel plants, roads, railways and industries and a host of other things, leading to the development of an infra-structure and technological capability, usually associated with top few developed countries of the world. It is really an anomaly, that, in spite of all that has been achieved, the country continues to be plagued with unemployment, poverty, ignorance and all types of social disabilities. The reason may be, that, all these years we have tried to build everything except man.
Education has been one of the most neglected portfolios at the centre and in most of the states. Education in general and technical education in particular, have been low priority items under the plans. The statistical objectives and slogans have been ambitious, but, the resource mobilization and effort has been meagre for meaningful impact on the socio-economic and political life of the country.
Problems facing technical education in the state: There is an unending sceptre of unemployment, that, makes the students frustrated and restive. The economy of the state is stagnant and the financial resources of the state are extremely limited. The development of industries is stunted and the little bit that we have, is under foreign collaboration with capital intensive machines. The committed liabilities are mounting. Expansion plans of most of the engineering departments of the state are plagued with uncertainty, due to economy cuts and meagre financial allocations. Unlike in earlier plans, the central government is also in a a tight financial situation. There is a crying need for reorganization of the existing courses in engineering colleges, polytechnics and industrial training institutes and introduction of new need based diversified courses. However, due to adhoc planning, inadequate liaison, red tape and lack of imagination and resource mobilization, there is a tremendous gap between, what is needed and what is actually done.
Due to general recession and unemployment, the intake of engineering colleges and polytechnics was slashed down by 50% in 1967. This has led to the shrinking of the staff, lack of promotional opportunities, stagnation and frustration in the faculty. Socio-economic factors and political situation in the country have combined to explode the general expectations of the people. Agitations are commonly adopted and accepted as the only method for the solution of almost all problems. This malady has touched the staff and students of technical institutions also and naturally, the environment for work has got vitiated. There are almost no diversions and amenities for staff and welfare activities are almost non-existent.
Suggested approach for a solution: Practical Training: Pre-service practical training should be accepted as an essential link between institutional training and employment. Practical training should be properly organized and conducted and should normally lead to employment or self employment. Regular cadres of engineer trainees should be created in all engineering departments, public sector undertakings and local bodies of the state. The employers in the public sector as also in the private sector should have full involvement in the selection of the trainees for meeting their reqirements. They should however be committed to make bulk of the recruitment, temporary or substantive, out of the trainees. Service rules of engineering departments, public sector undertakings and local bodies shall have to be amended accordingly.
Reorganisation of existing courses in engineering colleges, polytechnics and I.T.I.s and introduction of new need based courses: The present problem is lack of financial resources. Rajasthan is fortunate to have a galaxy of leading industrialists, spread all over the country. With proper contacts, need based specialized programmes can be run in the technical institutions of the state to meet the specific requirements of these industries. Sandwich programmes can be designed in such a manner that bulk of the practical work is done in the field or in the collaborating industry, thereby, reducing to the barest minimum, the institutional facilities in terms of laboratories, workshops and equipment. Most of the major industries could actually foot the bills for such custom made courses and could commit themselves to absorb the specially trained product. Similarly, specific programmes could be introduced in engineering colleges, polytechnics and industrial training institutes on a sandwich pattern in collaboration with engineering departments of the state and major industrial undertakings for meeting their specific requirements of skilled and semi-skilled manpower. The commitment for the absorption of the product by collaborating establishments will provide a sense of purpose to the students as also to the collaborating establishments. In the long run, it will lead to better availability of skilled and semi-skilled manpower and supervisory personnel for the engineering departments and industrial establishments of the state. The collaboration and commitment of the employers is also likely to generate additional resources for such programmes, thereby reducing the strain on the finances of the state.
Mobilising productive effort in technical institutions: Engineering colleges, polytechnics and industrial training institutes in the state have reasonably well equipped laboratories and workshops. A large number of utility jobs and institutional facilities are being developed by these institutions as part of training. However, there is need to exploit this productive potential on commercial lines in such a manner that the normal institutional programmes and training are not affected. Apart from the fact that such production will make the students and staff more creative and self reliant, it can also help in financing some of the amenities and welfare activities of the staff and students. This does not involve any financial liability to the state. It can be achieved by proper organization and simplification of procedures to encourage commercial production and some support from the state government for purchase of part of the product in state government departments.
Development of small industrial units: Technical institutions of the state can also be encouraged to establish small industrial units in the campus with the help of Rajasthan Industrial and Mineral Development Corporation and Small Scale Industries Corporation. These units could be owned by cooperative societies of the institutions, but could be managed by the engineering graduates and diploma holders passing out from the institutions concerned. The students studying in the engineering colleges. polytechnics and industrial training institutes could work on a part time basis in these units to obtain partial financial support during their studies. The staff of the institutions could be associated with the production and management and could be paid in proportion to their contribution. With proper organization this activity has the potential of completely transforming the thinking and working of the staff and students in technical institutions of the state and may help in developing quite a few entrepreneurs who could establish bigger and better units, after their earlier spell in the small industrial units attached to the institutions. A part of the profit from these units could also be utilized for the development of training facilities and welfare activities of the institutions.
Training and retraining of in-service people: The engineering and non-engineering departments of the state are increasingly using sophisticated equipment and techniques in most of their activities these days. Proper utilization of such equipment needs training and retraining of the existing staff. At present very limited technical training facilities are available in the government departments and industrial establishment of the state. The training facilities available in engineering colleges, polytechnics and I.T.I.s of the state can be utilized for the conduct of suitable short term or long term programmes, for meeting the specific job requirements of in-service people. Apart from the fact, that this will tone up substantially the working of most of the government departments and industries, it will bring about a major break-through in the sense, that, technical education will get closely woven in the socio-economic fabric of the state.