CHANGING FACE OF TECHNICAL
EDUCATION
Roshanara Begum
As Assam Engineering Institute, Alma Mater of hundreds of
thousands of engineers is celebrating its Foundation Day, I have been trying to
imagine the original form in which the present day AEI existed then, when it
was founded on 16th January 1948. How were classes taken in those
days, what kind of discourse existed amongst teachers and students , are some of the questions that haunt me at times. I have been
cudgelling my brains trying to hear the footsteps that walked the institute, the
voices that filled the atmosphere of the campus , particularly a familiar one
that belonged to my father an alumnus of the 4th batch of Assam
Civil Engineering School as Assam Engineering Institute was previously known.. Starting from an era
of slide rules to calculators to computers to internet, the journey and metamorphosis that took seven decades has
been a long one , during which the institute has produced generations of
successful diploma engineers.Many alumni
of this institute held eminent positions
in several engineering departments and rendered exemplary services to the whole
of north east, some are still doing.
Earlier, entry to a technical
institute was a privilege that guaranteed employment and a decent means of
living, so society would pontificate. One had limited access to books the only source
of information, one had to write letters, post them, copy notes from the
blackboard, as Xerox was not heard of. Many had limited access to electricity even.
Fast forward to today. You have everything at your fingertips. Ranging from the
worlds best libraries to any kind of information, you have access to all, with
the advent of Google, Internet and mobiles. Today one can connect, compete and
collaborate with anyone across the world. Still we find a shrinking job market.
Many would attribute this to companies becoming more mechanised. Some would
argue manufacturing industry followed by service industry not creating jobs adequately. While others
would say entrepreneurship though
bandied around as the only solution to unemployment is not a viable option for
those who lack entrepreneurial skills, business acumen and easy access to
capital. It is indeed a paradoxical situation.
The fact that stares straight in our face is that, the world
is changing, evolving at a pace and scale unheard of. At such a time, CHANGE is
the key for survival. Charles Darwin had said , ’’It is not the strongest
species that survive nor the intelligent, but the ones who are most responsive
to change.”
Therefore, like all things around us, technical education has
undergone a paradigm shift. Outcome based education , skill based education and
innovation has become the buzzwords of technical education. The shift from the
traditional input based education to the flexible output based education is a
big leap forward to improve technical education in India. It aims to enable
engineers (graduate and diploma) to compete with their global counterparts.
This model, the OBE model is going to change the face of technical education in
India.
What then is the OBE model? It is a student centric
instruction model that focuses on outcomes (goals). Students performance is
measured through predetermined outcomes
such as knowledge, skill and attitude which a student is required to
attain at the end of a programme. To achieve this, outcome based curriculum, outcome based
teaching learning process and outcome based assessment is made use of. Today
technical education is target oriented and has assumed a new definition of becoming a performance oriented experience
that focuses less on how much a student knows and more on what a student is
capable of doing as a result of the knowledge acquired. According to this
model, a faculty is not just a teacher confined to the four walls of a
classroom but an instructor, a trainer, a facilitator and a mentor.
Accreditation of a programme by NBA ( National Board of
Accreditation) requires it to follow the OBE model. Many would ask what is NBA?
or why is NBA needed at all? NBA assesses quality and assures quality to a
programme offering benchmarks by identifying good practices. What is more it
facilitates continuous quality improvement. India represented by NBA has signed
the Washington Accord in 2014 with a permanent signatory status. What it
essentially means is that any programme accredited by NBA will be recognised by
other signatory countries offering possible employment without further
examination. It will thus provide global recognition to a programme.
Technical education has initiated many changes to minimise
the gap between industry and institute and to ensure that students after
successfull completion of a programme are industry ready to take on
responsibilities. Industry-Institute interaction is stressed upon to understand
the needs of an industry. Curriculum is
designed keeping in view the requirements of industry. Industrial visits and
industrial training are arranged to acquaint students with the industrial environment
and help them correlate it with theoretical knowledge.
Acquiring the right skills and the ability to demonstrate
them to meet an employers expectation is the need of the hour in this age of
competition. While hard skills ( technical skills) are vital to land a job,
soft skills enhances ones employability. Soft skill development such as
communication skills, work place interpersonal skills has become an integral
part of technical education.
With the advent of
technology ,work has become so much easier. As companies make use of latest
technology and keep updating , students are taught the use of technology and
software that would give them added advantage in their career prospects.
Innovative and problem solving skills are honed by encouraging them to
participate in model making contests and assigning projects that requires them
to find solutions to real world problems using their technical knowhow.
Many believe that engineering is extremely difficult, much to
do with mathematics and science and not actually everyone’s cup of tea. But it
is not just about facts and numbers and systems rather it is about
understanding society’s problems and finding (technical) solutions. Engineers
can shape the future of the world and society in many ways. Today we are facing global challenges. We need
clean air, clean water, clean energy , the list goes on. To face these
challenges, which are social, economic and environmental, we need more
solutions, more ideas, diverse ideas. Diverse perspectives, new ways of looking
at a problem and out of the box thinking
is needed to find solutions to adapt and
survive in this fast changing ecosystem.
I am not aware of the vision this institute had years back.
But it certainly wore the crown of providing technical manpower to the whole of
north east. Today , in order to keep pace with the changing times because
change is one constant in life, Assam Engineering Institute stands tall with a
vision loud and clear “TO BE A CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE IN THE FIELD OF TECHNICAL
EDUCATION CONTRIBUTING TO THE CHANGING NEEDS OF SOCIETY”. The endeavour is to
provide students who graduate from this institute WINGS TO FLY by imparting technical
knowledge and skill in relevant areas and ROOTS TO BE GROUNDED by inculcating
ethical and social values.