T.N.’s higher education system needs to be aligned with needs of modern world: Governor R. N. Ravi

While appreciating the efforts and policies of the Tamil Nadu government since the epoch of former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj to ensure widespread access to basic education for a large number of people, Governor R.N. Ravi on Monday said the current job market required the education system to produce students who are in line with the needs of a modern world, one that is being shaped by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

While appreciating the efforts and policies of the Tamil Nadu government since the epoch of former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj to ensure widespread access to basic education for a large number of people, Governor R.N. Ravi on Monday said the current job market required the education system to produce students who are in line with the needs of a modern world, one that is being shaped by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Speaking at the Raj Bhavan in Udhagamandalam at the ‘Conference of Vice Chancellors of State and Private Universities of Tamil Nadu’, Mr. Ravi said the conference was extremely important to deliberate on how to impart appropriate “time-bound” education. “When I say time-bound education, it means education that meets the needs and demands of the current time, in the age of AI, which is impacting agriculture, industry, processing, production and marketing,” he said. “Our higher education system needs to be aligned to the needs of the current age,” he added.

Mr. Ravi said the Tamil Nadu government, since the time of former Chief Minister, K. Kamaraj, and subsequent governments has focused on polices aimed at ensuring maximum accessibility of basic education. While these polices have ensured a boost to the State’s economy and ensured delivery of services to the people, the spread of basic education is not enough to meet the needs of today’s job market. “As a result of this, graduates are not able to get jobs commensurate to their educational qualifications. Business leaders I have spoken to in fact state that polytechnic and students from Industrial Training Institutes have better job prospects than engineering students. This is having an impact on the productivity and economy of the state and also the nation,” he said.

According to Mr. Ravi, while Tamil Nadu was relatively better off than other states in terms of education and development, there has also been a relative decline. “From being number one in many key indicators, the State is now fifth, sixth or seventh [in those same sectors],” he said.

The conference in Udhagamandalam is being organised to deliberate on the translation of textbooks of higher education institutions into Tamil. The Governor said one of the reasons students were not opting to study science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects was that they were not fluent in English and there was a “mental block” among students that discouraged them from opting for STEM courses unless they were proficient in the English language. “This needs to change. In places like Japan and China, doctors, engineers and scientists all speak and study in their native languages. If the textbooks taught in higher education institutions are available in Tamil and regional languages, more students would be open to opting for STEM subjects,” said Mr. Ravi.

The Governor also appealed to the Vice-Chancellors of private and government universities to work together and collaborate to produce students to meet the needs and demands of modern industry and entrepreneurship. “Many of the tech giants are shifting their manufacturing centres from China and are looking at hope towards India, due to the investment in infrastructure and an ecosystem of innovation. But they are realists. They will need the right human resources to invest in the country,” he said.