The Education System Had A Bias Against Skills
Businessworld|November 14, 2016

WHEN PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi decided to create a new ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship, he zeroed in on young BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy to head it. Rudy, a doer, has led from the front, and helped craft a new language for skill development where none existed. In an interview with BW Businessworld’s Suman K. Jha, Rudy says skilling never had an aspirational value in the country, and that he’s determined to change the mindset.

Suman K. Jha
The Education System Had A Bias Against Skills

Your ministry just completed two years. What are your achievements as you recount the last two years’ journey?

Most important was to set up an ecosystem.

The foremost challenge for our ministry was to finalise the language for skills. Previously, 24 ministries across the union government were doing skilling. So to say that skilling started in this country when I took over, or when our ministry was created by the Prime Minister, would not be fair.

However, the language for skills was not defined. There was hardly any alignment on the common objective of skilling. Whatever they thought made for skilling was formulated and work began on it.

Our ministry was created by the PM as his own personal initiative. There was no file movement, no suggestion from the cabinet secretariat. From his own experience in Gujarat, he said ‘I want to do it’. This is something that he is passionate about. Occasionally, he has mentioned the one ministry that he would have loved to run himself was this ministry.

Hence, this came as a challenge. Convergence became a major issue because to define skills — both nationally and internationally — there was a problem.

Initially, the government of India had a ministry of education. Subsequently, it felt that education was not good enough and that human resources needed restructuring to include skilling and vocational education. So skills was added, and the ministry became Human Resource Development (HRD). But I personally feel, for whatever reasons, the education system always had a distinct bias against skills.

Education, research, scientific achievements will see inventions, but the application has to be by someone skilled. The second part was not addressed in the history of India. At best, it was on an ad hoc basis.

Denne historien er fra November 14, 2016-utgaven av Businessworld.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra November 14, 2016-utgaven av Businessworld.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA BUSINESSWORLDSe alt
MEMORIES & IMPRESSIONS
BW Businessworld

MEMORIES & IMPRESSIONS

Ratan Tata was an exceptional human being. He was a visionary leader, esteemed industrialist, and a humanitarian, who left an indelible mark on India and the world.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 19, 2024
The Robotaxi Market
BW Businessworld

The Robotaxi Market

The robotaxi market is shaping up to be a high-stakes battleground as tech giants and automakers race to transform urban mobility.

time-read
1 min  |
October 19, 2024
And the Nobel Prize Goes to AI
BW Businessworld

And the Nobel Prize Goes to AI

The recent Nobel Prize T awards to AI pioneers affiliated with Google have sparked a broader conversation about Big Tech's influence on research and the limitations of traditional prize categories.

time-read
1 min  |
October 19, 2024
Ola Electrified
BW Businessworld

Ola Electrified

Once considered a trailblazer in India’s electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem, Bhavish Aggarwal’s Ola Electric now faces a major accountability crisis.

time-read
1 min  |
October 19, 2024
Sharp Slide in Industrial Output on Eve of Deepavali
BW Businessworld

Sharp Slide in Industrial Output on Eve of Deepavali

India’s index of industrial production (IIP) saw a sharp reversal in August, contracting by 0.1 per cent, in stark contrast to the 4.7 per cent growth in July, mostly because of significant contractions in mining and electricity generation.

time-read
1 min  |
October 19, 2024
Heralding the Solar Era with Sustainable Electrification
BW Businessworld

Heralding the Solar Era with Sustainable Electrification

RAJEEV KASHYAP on the economics of solar power, the hurdles in scaling it, and much more

time-read
2 mins  |
October 19, 2024
A WELL-GREASED MACHINE
BW Businessworld

A WELL-GREASED MACHINE

The OmniBook X14 laptop runs on first-generation Snapdragon X Elite, which bets big on Al-enabled productivity and battery life, but falls short when it comes to overall experience, says Deep Majumdar

time-read
4 mins  |
October 19, 2024
DO NOT LETA HEALTH CRISIS RUIN YOUR FINANCIAL HEALTH
BW Businessworld

DO NOT LETA HEALTH CRISIS RUIN YOUR FINANCIAL HEALTH

For a family of four living in a metro, it is recommended to opt for a family floater health insurance plan with a sum insured of at least Rs 15-20 lakh

time-read
7 mins  |
October 19, 2024
Disruption Ahead: Beyond Organisation Charts and Structures
BW Businessworld

Disruption Ahead: Beyond Organisation Charts and Structures

ALBERT EINSTEIN FAMOUSLY said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 19, 2024
Dr. Rahul Shivajirao Kadam: A Visionary Leader Blending Sustainability, Innovation, And Social Empowerment
BW Businessworld

Dr. Rahul Shivajirao Kadam: A Visionary Leader Blending Sustainability, Innovation, And Social Empowerment

We are on the stage of global warming, and these technologies not only help prevent further damage but also leave behind a better environment for future generations.

time-read
2 mins  |
October 19, 2024