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Two outstanding interactions in the space of twenty-four hours gave me new hope in the future of education in India. For a long time we have been worried about the appalling quality of some of our educational institutionsat primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. And have despaired about finding resources in the right quantity and quality to fuel the ever growing needs of the IT and BPO industry. The galloping economy in the last few years, and the sudden surge in the fortunes of many manufacturing, retail, healthcare, hospitality, and financial services firms have accentuated the concerns with no other a luminary than KV Kamath of ICICI Bank. Kamath has forecasted that the services industries in India would need 10 mn skilled people to enter the job market every year for India to sustain its economic momentum. And a situation where less than 20% of the 3 mn more graduates are deemed as employable is certainly not a source of great comfort or optimism.

So what was different about the two interactions? Maybe it was the quality of the institutions themselvesthe venerable Pune University and IIT Bombay, or the gentlemen at the helm of affairs, vice chancellor, Dr Narendra Jadhav, and director, Ashok Mishra who are both educationists of a quality rarely seen in this country because they combine academic excellence with worldly wisdom that will surely take the institutions under their watch to global greatness. Speaking at the valedictory session of the Research Scholars Forum in IIT, it was a pleasure to hear that IIT Bombay has been ranked first among Asian institutions because of its focus on research which has now resulted in the number of PhD scholars every year going up to over two hundred. And it is also interesting to find that the next Indian institution on the list is the Indian Institute of Science followed by the other IITs at some distance. And it is even more heartening to find that a PhD thesis cannot be submitted in IIT Bombay unless the researcher has published two peer reviewed papers in international journals.

Ganesh natarajan

On a different plane, but in an area as important as the research sphere, the Oxford of the East Pune University, under the leadership of Dr Jadhav, has made great strides in the last year. He has revamped the curriculum, using distance learning to expand the reach of quality content to the furthermost corners of the state. And has set up collaborative networks between colleges and the private sector to enable high quality vocational training to be available across the college network. The use of technology in education is neither new nor revolutionary but what is unique is the commitment with which the VC and his university is looking forward to make it happen.

In an industry where the global economic slowdown is already beginning to have some impact on the current results, as well as the future outlook of most IT and BPO companies, the relatively slower period gives all of us an opportunity to consolidate and reflect on the steps to be taken to ensure future prosperityfor our firms, our industry, and indeed our country.

We need to replicate the Pune University experiments in every college and university across the length and breadth of the country. The strengthening of the education processes and outcomes at levels from primary schools to high-end research and innovation have to be seen as a priority for all sectors. The IT industry has always shown the way to other sectors in its willingness to meet global challenges head on, and this may be the time for the local challenge of resources to be tackled on a war footing as well!

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