Date:14/04/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/14/stories/2008041459360500.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Varsities are in pathetic shape, graduates are unusable’

Deepa Kurup

Sam Pitroda

BANGALORE: He sits down for this interview and stops me from asking my first question by shooting one right back at me. “Have you read my Knowledge Commission report?” he asks, making me feel on the brink of a role reversal.

Having received a reply in the affirmative, Sam Pitroda, Chairman of National Knowledge Commission, settles back into his seat to talk about everything from his favourite topic of “knowledge societies” to the role of technology in creating and nurturing one.

He repeats the word access several times as he discusses his concise plan of action or vision for Indian education and its reform. So, where does the recent Supreme Court verdict fit in with his vision? In the past, Dr. Pitroda has been open about his objection to the reservation policy being extended to central educational institutes or higher education. “The only solution is expansion, and more expansion,” he says with passion. “What we need is an affirmative action programme. Give the directors of these institutes the funds and provision to expand. Don’t give them a number,” he explains, speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of the EDGE felicitation which conferred upon him the title of “Person of the year.”

“We are moving towards an era where all research will be multi-disciplinary, with knowledge being a key-driver in the last 10 years,” he says. He juxtaposes the eight to 10 per cent growth with the massive skill shortage and finds a solution in a knowledge-based system. “When we worked on telecom, everyone said that the real issues were agriculture and food, and called us fools. But aren’t the results visible now?” he asks.

Speaking about his stress on enrolment rates and his recommendation to open 1,500 universities, he says that for the first time in higher education, there is more demand than supply. “There are only 400 universities and they are in pathetic shape and graduates are unusable. Besides IIM and IISc what does Karnataka have?” he says. Speaking about the dwindling interest in basic sciences, Dr. Pitroda feels that the student is as much to blame as the system.

“Technology is a great leveller, don’t you think?” Dr. Pitroda asks. He believes that technology is not an end but an entry point. He compares it to a wedge in the system, using which one can hammer in and enter it. “Today the education system is about chalk, board, books, teacher, exam and grades. My six-year-old grandniece did a white paper. That’s technology and access,” he explains.