CA Sunil G. Karve, Chairman – Governing Board, Kohinoor Education Trust tells Shraddha Kamdar how small changes can make a huge difference in higher education
With great power, comes great responsibility. And if this responsibility is fulfilled by looking at the beneficiaries’ view point, the purpose is served. Such is the philosophy of CA Sunil G. Karve Founder Trustee – Mumbai Educational Trust, and Chairman – Governing Board, Kohinoor Education Trust. He is constantly thinking of the students – whether past, present or future, and how the lacunae in the system can be filled to improve their career and knowledge choices.
At such a time, when everything in the world is dynamic, I raise a question on the currency of the curriculum. “Unfortunately,” he says, “as far as university programmes are concerned, the revision of the curriculum takes a lot of time. But that doesn’t mean that the advances in the field cannot be taken care of. That is the responsibility of the institute. The institute should encourage the faculty to share new developments with the students, and keep them updated.”
In fact, the prominent educationist goes a step ahead and mentions that the recent trend, even at the school level, is shifting from information to knowledge and knowledge to application. So, it is imperative that this trend is carried on at the higher education level as well. According to Karve, this is possible since institutes are equipped with resources and can take up initiatives which can bridge the immediate gaps in the field of study.
It is due to these resources that the students are also equipped with the information about certain topics; even though they may be process that information within the realm of their experiences. So it is a possibility that they can be part of the curriculum designing body? Can they have a say in what they learn? The discussion becomes interesting when Karve says yes, and no! “As far as the syllabus is concerned, the contribution of the students who have just enrolled for a particular programme will be limited, since they are only starting off, and may not have a larger picture in mind while offering their suggestions,” he explains. On the other hand, they play a major part in the delivery of the curriculum and the teaching methodology, since the primary aim is to involve them with it. He also says that information and communication (ICT) tools will become essential at this point.
When discussion such major issues such as student empowerment, one cannot help but question whether the students are mature enough. Unfortunately, within the education system they are so concerned with marks and scores, that it is tricky o motivate them towards anything else. “Well, truth be told, marks go both ways. In certain cases, they are important, and in other cases they are not, so it is difficult to generalise. Not all students are the same. Some students have the maturity to explore new things, gain knowledge, apply that in real life situations, and excel in what they do. And there are some who are not so mature,” he elaborates.
It is due to this, he thinks that the marks system cannot be done away with. They are needed as evaluation tools, but complete dependence on them would be risky since they do now allow space for innovation or out-of-the-box thinking. Karve thinks a solution drawn out mid-way would work. While the knowledge part could be tested for marks, the application part could be taken up as a project and appreciated on a greater level, perhaps even by local bodies. This would work primarily because knowledge the students need to have, and the application shows their ability to think and work towards solving problems.
Karve offers a simple yet effective example – say students have to learn about two monuments – the first being the Qutub Minar, commissioned by Qutub-ud-din Aibak immediately after the defeat of Delhi’s last Hindu kingdom; the second, the Taj Mahal, a monument of love built by Shah Jahan. Now, he explains, that part one would be asking students about the dates and timelines regarding the history and structure, which would be factual, and can be marked. Part two could be asking students about their own ideas of what kinds of monuments would they have liked to built in similar situations – an idea for victory and one for love. That would have the students express themselves in a very different manner, think for themselves and go deeper in the learning. “At such a time, original thoughts and ideas will surface, and there is no standard answer, as each idea would be unique!”
Moving on, when we talk of the ultimate perceived goal of getting an education – placements, I happen to mention that most students want jobs in glamorous companies. “This is a very delicate and complex issue. Most institutes counsel students at some point or the other that they are just starting out and they need to climb up the ladder. The students’ psychology, however, is quite different. Everyone wants an offer from a top-five company,” Karve explains. He says that the students’ reactions to the counselling leave much to be desired.
Somewhere, according to Karve, the media is to blame as well for this situation, since the media highlights the top pay packets after every annual placement, which only a handful of students have bagged. It just prompts every other student to start wrongly aspiring for the same, which is virtually undeserved and impossible. “The media should highlight the climbing of the ladder with value addition. It lends a certain credibility to the process, because the institute’s efforts in this matter are taken with a pinch of salt,” he says.
Coming to the point of proactive learning, Karve feels the sky is the limit for those who want to acquire knowledge today. “The internet has opened up a host of avenues. From lectures from the best universities across the globe, to case studies and resource materials, it is all available. One just needs to know how to use it in an optimum manner! In fact, the time is arriving where institutes will have to work only for the application part of the curriculum, as the information and knowledge part can be acquired via the internet,” is his parting shot.
