Purpose of education is also to skill people: Raj Guv

Jaipur, Dec 8 : The purpose of education is that along with knowledge, one must also get skilled, Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra said on Tuesday.

Addressing a virtual webinar on Industry-Academia Interface as its chief guest, Mishra said that this is the reason why in the National Educational Policy (NEP), employment-oriented education has been linked to skill development. This will help students gain much-needed skills at the beginning of their education and the benefits of their experience and knowledge can be passed on to others, he said.

The programme was organised by the Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ) in association with the Bhardwaj Foundation Jaipur and Rajasthan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It was attended by heads of various universities and industry stalwarts. The programme was coordinated by the founder-president of Bharadwaj Foundation, P.M. Bharadwaj.

The governor further said that the educational system has been lacking practical orientation, skill-based education, vocational education and value-based education for a long time. This is why the youth are unable to find jobs despite getting a degree. To overcome the practical shortcomings of the old education policy, the NEP expands the students’ basic understanding of subjects and vocational skills keeping in mind the requirements of the industry.

The president of Manipal University Jaipur, G.K. Prabhu, said that for many years it has been said that the graduates are not ready for the industry. However, no concrete steps are being taken to address this gap between academia and industry.

The curriculum must be revised with competent flexibility, relevance, and fun in learning, he said, adding that more emphasis should be given to internship and practice schools. Industry persons with a flair for academia can be invited as adjunct faculty to the campus. Sabbatical can be given to the faculty to visit the industry so that they can bring back work culture to the institution.

The secretary general of Rajasthan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, K.L. Jain, said that only when there will be an interface between the academia and the industry, will the universities be able to fulfil the needs of the industry.

Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from IANS service.