From Rote Learning To Real Skills: How India' Universities Are Shaping Future-Ready Graduates

As universities now understand that skill-integrated higher education is the key to a prosperous career, their programmes are now changing to align with the futuristic vision.

Universities must use the educational system to foster entrepreneurial development.

Source : artursafronovvvv/Freepik

By Prof. Supriya Pattanayak

Indian students were earlier known for their capacity to rote learn theory and ace the lessons. However, they had always lagged when it came to practical aspects of these lessons. The New Educational Policy 2020 laid more emphasis on practical education, thus creating new benchmarks for universities. It came as a challenge to change the education system to inculcate skills that will be useful to the students in 2025. This shift in focus towards skill-based learning has resulted in students becoming more employable once they pass out of universities. However, the universities face a bigger challenge of providing such an education to the students.

As the universities now understand that skill-integrated higher education is the key to a prosperous career, their programmes are now changing to align with the futuristic vision. Students who graduate from college with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills are in demand, as they will become valuable members of the workforce.

Through a variety of programmes, such as the implementation of the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and National Occupational Standards (NOS) in higher education, the government is aggressively promoting the creation of a workforce ready for industry. These nationally recognised qualifications take a few months to complete and will quickly prepare them for the workforce. Students will therefore become employable if they enrol in such certificate programmes in a sector of their choice. And universities must lay the right foundation.

Skill-Integrated Learning & Industry Linkages

Another innovative step to inculcate practical learning is to start courses where students work, earn and study. Here, academic institutions and businesses come together to create a course structure that enables working students to complete their education and learn on the job. Many NSQF certifications are earned by the students by time they graduate from college, increasing their business exposure and job prospects.

Such experiences of learning while earning are definitely better than the regular internships that offer a very limited understanding of the on-ground reality. Here, the bigger challenge for universities is to partner with the right industries, and better outreach on the part of the university is needed.

For students who cannot pursue a regular degree course due to financial constraints, diplomas have also proven to be an excellent choice. With more universities choosing such a system, they can assist students in specialising in their chosen sector for one to two years, and with skill-integrated education, they will soon be prepared to join Industry 5.0. After achieving financial stability, students can opt to continue with a traditional bachelor's degree, in which the diploma's credits will be valued at the appropriate number of years.

This lateral entry and credit-based system enables students to continue their education even after a gap. In this manner, students can continue their studies at their own speed, up to the PhD level, whenever it suits them. Creating such courses might be challenging right now, but it is also the need of the hour.

Expanding Opportunities Through Diplomas & Entrepreneurship

Universities must also use the educational system to foster entrepreneurial development. Higher education must use a curriculum model that combines academic knowledge with practical experience to prepare students for the business world. Enhancing employability and encouraging entrepreneurship should be a university's main priority. Establishing production facilities on campus for commodities such as clothes, furniture, paper and chalk, transformers, and e-vehicles is one way to do so. Furthermore, product innovation and design should be prioritised because they empower students with the courage to start their own firms.

Such an educational system needs better funds, and the government can help government as well as private universities by aiding them with funds to establish such learning grounds. Moreover, the education should be inclusive, ensuring the rich and poor, as well as students of different intelligence levels, are able to get skill-based education and get a chance at succeeding in their careers.

(The author is the Vice Chancellor, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Odisha)

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