Day-53: Reading Comprehension Quiz for UGC NET Exam

The Indian youth has become the first casualty, with the unemployment rate reaching 34 per cent among the 20-24-year-olds in the first quarter of 2019, according to the CMIE. One may hypothesise that this pervasive joblessness was due to the poor training of the youth as only seven per cent of the people surveyed have any formal or informal training. But there is a paradox here: According to a recent survey, 48 per cent of Indian employers reported difficulties filling job vacancies due to talent shortage. The worst affected sector — which is also one of the strong points of India’s economy — has been Information Technology (IT), where 1,40,000 skilled techies could not be recruited in 2018 despite the employers’ efforts.

The government assumed that this problem crystallised because the trained youth were not well-trained enough. Hence, the “Skill India” programme, whose objective was to train a minimum of 300 million skilled people by the year 2022. In 2014, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship was created to harmonise training processes, assessments, certification and outcomes and, crucially, to develop Industrial Training Institutions (ITIs) — the building blocks of this endeavour. The Executive Committee monitoring the mission gathered representatives of nine ministries, as vocational training was seen at the intersection of different domains, including agriculture, information technology, and human resources development. Besides the creation of more courses and institutes of vocational training, the main innovation of “Skill India” consisted in integrating “vocational training classes linked to the local economy” with formal education from class nine onwards in at least 25 per cent of the schools and higher education bodies. Skill India will not be enough to create jobs if the slowdown continues. But in the long run, Skill India will also not be enough if government expenditures in education remain low and if, therefore, the ground isn’t prepared for proper training.

SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/the-problem-of-skilling-india-unemployment-joblessness-modi-government-5973808/

The Indian youth has become the first casualty, with the unemployment rate reaching 34 per cent among the 20-24-year-olds in the first quarter of 2019, according to the CMIE. One may hypothesise that this pervasive joblessness was due to the poor training of the youth as only seven per cent of the people surveyed have any formal or informal training. But there is a paradox here: According to a recent survey, 48 per cent of Indian employers reported difficulties filling job vacancies due to talent shortage. The worst affected sector — which is also one of the strong points of India’s economy — has been Information Technology (IT), where 1,40,000 skilled techies could not be recruited in 2018 despite the employers’ efforts.

The government assumed that this problem crystallised because the trained youth were not well-trained enough. Hence, the “Skill India” programme, whose objective was to train a minimum of 300 million skilled people by the year 2022. In 2014, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship was created to harmonise training processes, assessments, certification and outcomes and, crucially, to develop Industrial Training Institutions (ITIs) — the building blocks of this endeavour. The Executive Committee monitoring the mission gathered representatives of nine ministries, as vocational training was seen at the intersection of different domains, including agriculture, information technology, and human resources development. Besides the creation of more courses and institutes of vocational training, the main innovation of “Skill India” consisted in integrating “vocational training classes linked to the local economy” with formal education from class nine onwards in at least 25 per cent of the schools and higher education bodies. Skill India will not be enough to create jobs if the slowdown continues. But in the long run, Skill India will also not be enough if government expenditures in education remain low and if, therefore, the ground isn’t prepared for proper training.

SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/the-problem-of-skilling-india-unemployment-joblessness-modi-government-5973808/

The Indian youth has become the first casualty, with the unemployment rate reaching 34 per cent among the 20-24-year-olds in the first quarter of 2019, according to the CMIE. One may hypothesise that this pervasive joblessness was due to the poor training of the youth as only seven per cent of the people surveyed have any formal or informal training. But there is a paradox here: According to a recent survey, 48 per cent of Indian employers reported difficulties filling job vacancies due to talent shortage. The worst affected sector — which is also one of the strong points of India’s economy — has been Information Technology (IT), where 1,40,000 skilled techies could not be recruited in 2018 despite the employers’ efforts.

The government assumed that this problem crystallised because the trained youth were not well-trained enough. Hence, the “Skill India” programme, whose objective was to train a minimum of 300 million skilled people by the year 2022. In 2014, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship was created to harmonise training processes, assessments, certification and outcomes and, crucially, to develop Industrial Training Institutions (ITIs) — the building blocks of this endeavour. The Executive Committee monitoring the mission gathered representatives of nine ministries, as vocational training was seen at the intersection of different domains, including agriculture, information technology, and human resources development. Besides the creation of more courses and institutes of vocational training, the main innovation of “Skill India” consisted in integrating “vocational training classes linked to the local economy” with formal education from class nine onwards in at least 25 per cent of the schools and higher education bodies. Skill India will not be enough to create jobs if the slowdown continues. But in the long run, Skill India will also not be enough if government expenditures in education remain low and if, therefore, the ground isn’t prepared for proper training.

SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/the-problem-of-skilling-india-unemployment-joblessness-modi-government-5973808/

The Indian youth has become the first casualty, with the unemployment rate reaching 34 per cent among the 20-24-year-olds in the first quarter of 2019, according to the CMIE. One may hypothesise that this pervasive joblessness was due to the poor training of the youth as only seven per cent of the people surveyed have any formal or informal training. But there is a paradox here: According to a recent survey, 48 per cent of Indian employers reported difficulties filling job vacancies due to talent shortage. The worst affected sector — which is also one of the strong points of India’s economy — has been Information Technology (IT), where 1,40,000 skilled techies could not be recruited in 2018 despite the employers’ efforts.

The government assumed that this problem crystallised because the trained youth were not well-trained enough. Hence, the “Skill India” programme, whose objective was to train a minimum of 300 million skilled people by the year 2022. In 2014, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship was created to harmonise training processes, assessments, certification and outcomes and, crucially, to develop Industrial Training Institutions (ITIs) — the building blocks of this endeavour. The Executive Committee monitoring the mission gathered representatives of nine ministries, as vocational training was seen at the intersection of different domains, including agriculture, information technology, and human resources development. Besides the creation of more courses and institutes of vocational training, the main innovation of “Skill India” consisted in integrating “vocational training classes linked to the local economy” with formal education from class nine onwards in at least 25 per cent of the schools and higher education bodies. Skill India will not be enough to create jobs if the slowdown continues. But in the long run, Skill India will also not be enough if government expenditures in education remain low and if, therefore, the ground isn’t prepared for proper training.

SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/the-problem-of-skilling-india-unemployment-joblessness-modi-government-5973808/

The Indian youth has become the first casualty, with the unemployment rate reaching 34 per cent among the 20-24-year-olds in the first quarter of 2019, according to the CMIE. One may hypothesise that this pervasive joblessness was due to the poor training of the youth as only seven per cent of the people surveyed have any formal or informal training. But there is a paradox here: According to a recent survey, 48 per cent of Indian employers reported difficulties filling job vacancies due to talent shortage. The worst affected sector — which is also one of the strong points of India’s economy — has been Information Technology (IT), where 1,40,000 skilled techies could not be recruited in 2018 despite the employers’ efforts.

The government assumed that this problem crystallised because the trained youth were not well-trained enough. Hence, the “Skill India” programme, whose objective was to train a minimum of 300 million skilled people by the year 2022. In 2014, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship was created to harmonise training processes, assessments, certification and outcomes and, crucially, to develop Industrial Training Institutions (ITIs) — the building blocks of this endeavour. The Executive Committee monitoring the mission gathered representatives of nine ministries, as vocational training was seen at the intersection of different domains, including agriculture, information technology, and human resources development. Besides the creation of more courses and institutes of vocational training, the main innovation of “Skill India” consisted in integrating “vocational training classes linked to the local economy” with formal education from class nine onwards in at least 25 per cent of the schools and higher education bodies. Skill India will not be enough to create jobs if the slowdown continues. But in the long run, Skill India will also not be enough if government expenditures in education remain low and if, therefore, the ground isn’t prepared for proper training.

SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/the-problem-of-skilling-india-unemployment-joblessness-modi-government-5973808/

India has not done well in the World University Rankings 2020 conducted by Times Higher Education (THE); for the first time since 2012 none of its higher education institutions makes it to the top 300. It would be wise not to dismiss this as an inconvenient assessment by a Western agency. The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore has dropped 50 places into the 301-350 group from its earlier position within the first 300, and although the new Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar has joined it there and seven more Indian institutions have been added to last year’s 49 in a total of 1,300, it may be worthwhile to decipher the message concealed in the rankings. Indian institutions have lost out on two criteria, although scores in the teaching environment and industrial income are good.

The IISc, Bangalore has lost its former place because of its lower citation impact score, indicating that its research is not being considered as valuable to other scholars as before. The message here is not for the IISc, Bangalore alone; it is, first and foremost, for policy-makers who also control the funds. Indian institutions lag behind in international outlook: nurturing a multicultural community among students and teachers, educating students to fit into social and political environments anywhere in the world and establishing international alliances through research and education. This failure is particularly ironic in the context of the government’s plan of making India into a global destination for education by identifying 10 private institutions as institutions of excellence, freed from prevalent rules of recruitment, salary and student fees. In practice, though, some of the best-known universities in different states are now going into protectionist mode in favour of local applicants. Nothing could be worse for education than the continuous narrowing down at all levels. As long as political priorities drive education, India will keep sliding down all lists.

SOURCE: https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/as-long-as-political-priorities-drive-education-indian-universities-will-slip-in-rankings/cid/1705184

India has not done well in the World University Rankings 2020 conducted by Times Higher Education (THE); for the first time since 2012 none of its higher education institutions makes it to the top 300. It would be wise not to dismiss this as an inconvenient assessment by a Western agency. The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore has dropped 50 places into the 301-350 group from its earlier position within the first 300, and although the new Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar has joined it there and seven more Indian institutions have been added to last year’s 49 in a total of 1,300, it may be worthwhile to decipher the message concealed in the rankings. Indian institutions have lost out on two criteria, although scores in the teaching environment and industrial income are good.

The IISc, Bangalore has lost its former place because of its lower citation impact score, indicating that its research is not being considered as valuable to other scholars as before. The message here is not for the IISc, Bangalore alone; it is, first and foremost, for policy-makers who also control the funds. Indian institutions lag behind in international outlook: nurturing a multicultural community among students and teachers, educating students to fit into social and political environments anywhere in the world and establishing international alliances through research and education. This failure is particularly ironic in the context of the government’s plan of making India into a global destination for education by identifying 10 private institutions as institutions of excellence, freed from prevalent rules of recruitment, salary and student fees. In practice, though, some of the best-known universities in different states are now going into protectionist mode in favour of local applicants. Nothing could be worse for education than the continuous narrowing down at all levels. As long as political priorities drive education, India will keep sliding down all lists.

SOURCE: https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/as-long-as-political-priorities-drive-education-indian-universities-will-slip-in-rankings/cid/1705184

India has not done well in the World University Rankings 2020 conducted by Times Higher Education (THE); for the first time since 2012 none of its higher education institutions makes it to the top 300. It would be wise not to dismiss this as an inconvenient assessment by a Western agency. The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore has dropped 50 places into the 301-350 group from its earlier position within the first 300, and although the new Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar has joined it there and seven more Indian institutions have been added to last year’s 49 in a total of 1,300, it may be worthwhile to decipher the message concealed in the rankings. Indian institutions have lost out on two criteria, although scores in the teaching environment and industrial income are good.

The IISc, Bangalore has lost its former place because of its lower citation impact score, indicating that its research is not being considered as valuable to other scholars as before. The message here is not for the IISc, Bangalore alone; it is, first and foremost, for policy-makers who also control the funds. Indian institutions lag behind in international outlook: nurturing a multicultural community among students and teachers, educating students to fit into social and political environments anywhere in the world and establishing international alliances through research and education. This failure is particularly ironic in the context of the government’s plan of making India into a global destination for education by identifying 10 private institutions as institutions of excellence, freed from prevalent rules of recruitment, salary and student fees. In practice, though, some of the best-known universities in different states are now going into protectionist mode in favour of local applicants. Nothing could be worse for education than the continuous narrowing down at all levels. As long as political priorities drive education, India will keep sliding down all lists.

SOURCE: https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/as-long-as-political-priorities-drive-education-indian-universities-will-slip-in-rankings/cid/1705184

India has not done well in the World University Rankings 2020 conducted by Times Higher Education (THE); for the first time since 2012 none of its higher education institutions makes it to the top 300. It would be wise not to dismiss this as an inconvenient assessment by a Western agency. The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore has dropped 50 places into the 301-350 group from its earlier position within the first 300, and although the new Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar has joined it there and seven more Indian institutions have been added to last year’s 49 in a total of 1,300, it may be worthwhile to decipher the message concealed in the rankings. Indian institutions have lost out on two criteria, although scores in the teaching environment and industrial income are good.

The IISc, Bangalore has lost its former place because of its lower citation impact score, indicating that its research is not being considered as valuable to other scholars as before. The message here is not for the IISc, Bangalore alone; it is, first and foremost, for policy-makers who also control the funds. Indian institutions lag behind in international outlook: nurturing a multicultural community among students and teachers, educating students to fit into social and political environments anywhere in the world and establishing international alliances through research and education. This failure is particularly ironic in the context of the government’s plan of making India into a global destination for education by identifying 10 private institutions as institutions of excellence, freed from prevalent rules of recruitment, salary and student fees. In practice, though, some of the best-known universities in different states are now going into protectionist mode in favour of local applicants. Nothing could be worse for education than the continuous narrowing down at all levels. As long as political priorities drive education, India will keep sliding down all lists.

SOURCE: https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/as-long-as-political-priorities-drive-education-indian-universities-will-slip-in-rankings/cid/1705184

India has not done well in the World University Rankings 2020 conducted by Times Higher Education (THE); for the first time since 2012 none of its higher education institutions makes it to the top 300. It would be wise not to dismiss this as an inconvenient assessment by a Western agency. The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore has dropped 50 places into the 301-350 group from its earlier position within the first 300, and although the new Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar has joined it there and seven more Indian institutions have been added to last year’s 49 in a total of 1,300, it may be worthwhile to decipher the message concealed in the rankings. Indian institutions have lost out on two criteria, although scores in the teaching environment and industrial income are good.

The IISc, Bangalore has lost its former place because of its lower citation impact score, indicating that its research is not being considered as valuable to other scholars as before. The message here is not for the IISc, Bangalore alone; it is, first and foremost, for policy-makers who also control the funds. Indian institutions lag behind in international outlook: nurturing a multicultural community among students and teachers, educating students to fit into social and political environments anywhere in the world and establishing international alliances through research and education. This failure is particularly ironic in the context of the government’s plan of making India into a global destination for education by identifying 10 private institutions as institutions of excellence, freed from prevalent rules of recruitment, salary and student fees. In practice, though, some of the best-known universities in different states are now going into protectionist mode in favour of local applicants. Nothing could be worse for education than the continuous narrowing down at all levels. As long as political priorities drive education, India will keep sliding down all lists.

SOURCE: https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/as-long-as-political-priorities-drive-education-indian-universities-will-slip-in-rankings/cid/1705184