The Year 2009 has been dedicated as the Year of Creativity by some nations. For instance "The goal of the European Year 2009 is to promote creativity and innovation among the general population". (Click here for the details). Similarly, in Australia: "In 2009, the Department of Education, Training and the Arts is focusing on celebrating and developing creativity within Queensland schools". (Click for details)
Our country needs to do some serious out-of-box thinking to foster creativity in the Education sector. Though Government of India sponsors several Technology Business Incubators to promote creativity, it needs to be even more imaginative with its education system. Here is one suggestion mooted @KIIT University before the visiting DST representatives in February 2008. The e-mail communiqué (dated 28 Feb 2008, Thu) to Prof. Phatak, IIT Mumbai, has been reproduced here:
Dear Professor Phatak,
It was indeed a pleasure meeting you along with the others from DST. It was quite heartening to note your observation about our current rigid educational framework which builds diffidence into the system and does not recognize failures. Also about an examination system that destroys team work and leaves hardly any scope for adopting innovative methods of pedagogy. I am myself a supporter of radical reforms in education.
The efforts taken by Mr. Mittal and his team in setting up TBIs are quite commendable (i.e., by looking at the returns). Since time was short I could not sharpen my suggestion related to "scaling-up" of TBIs. I want to place it here in perspective for consideration whenever possible.
The suggestion for "scaling-up" does not call for any additional financial support. It only requires providing "SEZ" (Special Educational Zone) status to some Universities/Institutes. Under SEZ status their educational environment could be reengineered to overcome the difficulties cited in your talk. This would not be possible in older Institutes as they have spent decades in establishing their several "core competencies" within a rigid framework. As a result it becomes difficult for their faculty to move freely out of their own turf. Young start-up Universities (like KIIT) have the advantage of providing clean-slate design opportunities for trying out various models of coopetition with active industry participation. It may be, therefore, possible for DST to get greater returns by considering the whole University/Institute as a single TBI.
This, however, requires the Ministry of Science and Technology recommending policy changes through the MHRD for some of these Institutions. Even though it is a difficult alternative, it has the potential of unleashing creativity by ensuring that innovation becomes an integral part of the academic process.
My other suggestion was related to reengineering the admissions process for one of the IITs (which can come under this SEZ). That is, select interested applicants at random (not through JEE) and then develop them into engineers. I chose IIT-Kharagpur (i.e., IITK) because it has years of experience which could be utilized for coming up with innovative pedagogic models that the country can use for meeting the inclusive growth demands for quality higher education. Please take your time to send your response.
Regards.......K. Sahu
