Ever wondered why the CEOs of some of the big companies in this world are of Indian origin. Why is it that we have to call them Indian-origin and not just Indian?
This leads us to a glaring issue in the Indian system of education. Many of these CEOs completed their higher education in foreign countries and thereafter continued to live there. What is that the foreign education system provides that our system cannot? Why do many students prefer completing their higher studies in a foreign university at exorbitant costs, remaining away from their homeland? What do we lack that we have hardly come up with an Indian CEO?
The answer I believe would be lack of research in our universities where students can take part. Yes, there are opportunities for research, but creativity and originality of thought takes a beating in our universities. Research requires creativity and originality of thought. For some reason, the syllabus in our education sector has burdened our students so much that they do not find enough time to kindle creativity in the minds of our students. Students tend to borrow ideas and work upon these very ideas and bring a few changes to bring in the uniqueness. Such uniqueness, most of them are hardly worth any value. Research and innovation are intertwined. Research leads to innovation and innovation is born out of research. Innovations help in taking the world a step forward. Without innovation, the world becomes a boring place to be in, without anything new. Research improves the lives of the people. For this reason, research is something every institution should always concentrate on and give ample amount of time to. A student learns more through practical experience. In our institutions, the students are made to go through rigorous theoretical examinations that include only cramming of texts a night before the exam. This very concept snaps the bud of creativity before it can bloom into the flower of innovation.
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As an engineering student myself, I have gone through rigorous tests that at the end proved completely a waste of time. Our final year project was guided more by deadlines than by the quality of the work done, thus significantly affecting students, who were inspired more to complete the work in time.
All institutions in our country should stop this theoretical torture and go for the practical peace that will help foster the culture of research and innovation. Besides, the budget should divide the money allocated for the education sector into parts. One looking after the primary, secondary and higher secondary education, one after the higher courses that would include anything above higher secondary and the third, looking after research. This will help us produce more Indian CEOs and then we can be rightly proud of our nation and our CEOs.
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