THE EDUCATION CAMOUFLAGE

DailyPost 2220
THE EDUCATION CAMOUFLAGE

What is education all about? It is preparing you for a job. Is it just to garner marks or become conversant in some content to do well in one exam? Is there any area where education of no value or of peripheral value? Does education also include skills, competencies, and demonstrated capability to perform the job? Is there any mechanism to decipher the gap between the education as defined above and the requirements of a particular job? The harsh reality is that there are jobs which are declared above the relevant education threshold, and can be managed broadly with skills which are suspect. It is even difficult to make out whether they are performing the job or someone else is delivering for them.

The quality being delivered cannot debated upon and the world at large has to take it at its face value. The two categories who are deeply entrenched into education camouflage are the political executive and the generalist bureaucracy. One has laid claims on the job because of winning an election and other for having cleared an exam. It is broadly divine right to rule. The former believes that being in public life and holding ministerial positions are enough to learn the job and can handle literally everything, without education but even with no training and even worse induction workshops or acclimatization programs.

While there is lot of hue and cry over the assets and liabilities of these categories, yet have prospered as it keeps appearing in media based on records and at times guesses. If anyone who intends to get elected or being on the verge of getting into the political executive were to provide the assets and liabilities with regards to education, skills, practice and demonstrated capability to the minutest details of marks and objective parameters provided, will our understanding of their capability to deliver in the proposed job change. Will they become more careful in bragging about themselves and finally end us up in a morass which could have been very easily predictable and avoidable based on the data discussed above. Can a country run without relevant education and expertise at critical levels?

The resignation of the British PM recently is vivid reminder of what any country’s leadership and decision-making needs and how it can be met with. If the political class is beyond educational and expertise scrutiny, then the rudderless nation cannot manage in these extremely challenging times. Can one general exam provide the wherewithal of managing most complex jobs is the challenge the present Indian bureaucracy poses? Is picking up some bits and pieces of any field / area enough? Does a professional icing on the generalist cake suffice or specialist needs to pick up management capabilities and deliver? The education and expertise mapping and gaps will tell us all. Now the same malaise is hitting large number of other areas, from education to IT. It is now presumed things can be managed without the relevant global level education and expertise. If we don’t change as a country on these counts our nosedive landing would become our natural consistent crash.

WHAT CAN WE ACHIEVE BY PUTTING EDUCATION AND EXPERTISE ON ITS HEAD?
Sanjay Sahay

Wish you a very Happy Diwali once again. Illuminate yourself with knowledge & expertise.

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