One of the debates currently going on is the unemployment that is going on and on the other hand industrialists claiming a lack of trained graduates needed for a number of jobs.
Primarily, what has happened is the number of private engineering colleges for profit opened in the last few years and a majority of them offering IT courses. Students and Parents flocked to these courses with the ultimate aim of working in US/Europe for a good pay and possibly good life.
The Private engineering colleges, in order to make profit, took students with poor aptitude for the courses or intelligence for those courses to hand out a degree at the end of the course.
With too much supply and poor quality of students, unemployment has increased. The quality students got absorbed in good companies in India and abroad, while those with just a paper certificate are left out doing BPO jobs or as delivery boys for Zomato or Swiggy or others.
Second issue is the lack of quality education that caters to the business needs of the country. Basic teaching of how office works - the filing, conduct of the meeting, the communication skills etc are not taught. Mere technical skills alone are not important in today's world. The ability to adapt to meet customer requirements are the keys to the current business world and not parroting bookish knowledge. In today's world knowledge is key and as much information is gathered before meeting a customer helps in strengthening your view point and countering the customer if required.
Another issue is that the students ( being children of current generation with ease of living and coming from one or two children family) opt for jobs like IT/Finance/Admin which will give them an AC office and free time to do SM/games on their mobile. Very few of the students opt for Civil/Mechanical/Electrical fields which will get them to work at site. Even if the get the degree in their field, their next option is to do an MBA to get back to office and 9-5 jobs.
Regarding Medical field, the NEET exam is supposed to filter candidates with interest in medicine and the tough effort that has to be put in. However, many oppose the NEET and this dilutes the intake. We can understand some States opposition to NEET as it stops poor candidates from taking high paying coaching classes, but a solution can be found by discussing and allowing top 10 candidates in State Board to have direct access to medicines and by pass the NEET. This will ensure Quality of Doctors coming out.
The biggest issue is not NEET per se. It is the high fees that is charged in private Medical colleges ( costs 50 lakhs to 1 cr for a 5 year course) that detracts smart, but poor candidates from going for Medicine. The recent example of NEET having a zero percentage cutoff ( I imagine go write your name on the answer paper and you are selected) for PG courses is precisely this. It costs appx 2.5 crs to do a two year PG course. Who will opt then for Medicine except the Richie Rich. This then gets reflected in poor service and high cost for medical treatment to recover the investment.
It is time, private college fees are capped and uniform exams conducted with exception of the exams for the top 10 or 15 candidates in the Board (state or cbse) reserved for them.
