The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Syllabi has changed, but the end-product has not: former VC

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 20, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Syllabi has changed, but the end-product has not: former VC

Staff Reporter

Calls for formal body to advise policy makers on education "While private participation is important in expansion of education, the government has a major role in regulation."

CHENNAI: Despite the changes in syllabi and improvement in course content, the end-product of education in our country has by and large remained unchanged for the past 200 years, V.C.Kulandaiswamy, former Vice-Chancellor, Anna University, said.

Speaking at the inauguration of a national seminar on "Higher Education in the 21st century" organised by the department of Education, University of Madras, Prof. Kulandaiswamy said, "If a doctor of the past were to enter a hospital now, he wouldn't recognise any of the equipment. But if he entered his classroom, he would feel quite at home. Nothing would have changed."

Discussing advancements such as audio/video conferencing facilities in distance education, he said that there was little scope for teacher-student interaction in the system.

Marketable commodity

"Education has become a marketable commodity now. For instance, the issue of IIM-Bangalore opening a campus abroad is being hotly debated. But the more relevant question here is whether we are ready to export education and compete in the world market," he said. "The United States makes around $30 billion every year, from international students," he pointed out.

"While private participation is important in the expansion of education, the government has a major role to play in regulation. It would help if India had a formal body for higher education with representatives from academia and administration. They could help policy makers take the right decisions."

P.S. Balasubramanian, former professor and head, Department of Education, University of Madras, said, "It is the responsibility of the education system to create global consciousness among students."

The two-day meet features academicians from around the country.

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