Reforms in the Indian Education Sector

The topic reminds me of one of my article published in a leading and prestigious daily of India, The Hindu, way back in the year 2004. The article can be referred from http://manishankarthetrainer.blogspot.com/2009/01/one-of-my-old-article-on-privatization.html .The right noises is being made by Mr. Kapil Sibal and company, the report submitted by Prof. Yaspal os spot on. I had contemplated on the same lines while authoring that article 4-5 years back, but now on hindsight, I feel privatization is impossible without proper regulatory and monitoring mechanism, as quite a few incidents where pseudo-privatization of the sector have led to sheer profiteering at the cost of value based of education, have made me little skeptical and jittery.However, the moot point still remains that privatization is a necessity and sonner than later the country would have to open the floodgates.My experience for the last one and a half year in different countries outside India, made me realize, there is no other alternative for privatization of higher education, however the million dollar question to be answered before that is "whether we would be able to put the right checks and balances in place or not"?
Read and Comment.

My article on workplace politics

This is my 415th articlethrowing light on workplace related politics.While this is common, there are instances where politics takes precedence over the core objective of work.Moreover, there are individuals who considers politics to be their main bastion so as to cover up for their inefficiencies,a second type would intentionally involve or foment politics just to save his skin and chair.This may lead to the downfall of the organization concerned as negative politics have a cascading effect on the work flow and work culture of an organization.Read and Comment.

My Article on"Countries Envy,India's Pride"

Indian students are being targeted right, left and center, at the down under.At a time when Indian students comprises the leading numbers in Australian, American and European universities,a shade behind the Chinese, the happenings are really deplorable to say the least. My personal experience while dwelling with such situations overseas have revealed that India in turn can model itself to be the global base for knowledge generation and dissemination only if the right moves are being made at the right time.Mr. Kapil Sibal is making the right noises, hopefully it would more than the usual lip services witnessed by Indians time and again

My small article, published in the leading English daily of the Central India, The Hitavada, dated 21st of July 09, which also happens to be my 413th publication throws light on this aspect as to how the Indian administrators and decision makers can leverage these unfortunate happenings to the country's advantage.

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Workshop on Personality Development

It was indeed a fascinating discussion with the final year BBA and BCA students of TIME and TCSW, Nagpur. The Topic, Interview etiquette, was apt for the target audience as most of them were preparaing for jobs or for higher studies. The amount of transformation seen in the students in terms of the northward movement of the developmental curve were pleasant to the eyes, especially when yours truly was associated with them during their first year.
In addition to all these, its always a pleasure to visit ones alma matter and old colleagues, not to forget the warm hospitality extended by one and all.

Article on GROUP DISCUSSION

This is my 412th publications published in http://knowledgeoman.com/forums/showthread.php?s=922d5d8c2b87a8d57595ed40458a6f76&t=5521 which talks about the importance of GD.
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Seminar at VMA

After reaching India for vacation on the 9th July 09,it was indeed a happy feeling to interact with the industrialists, businessmen, working professionals and students for a one day seminar at Udyog Bhawan. The seminar conducted under the banner of Vidarbha Management Association (VMA)comprised of a discussion on the basics of strategic management.Although an hours time is very less to even discuss the fundamentals of the subject, yours truly tried to discuss few practical cases of the gulf, illustrations from Nagpur, India and the world at large.
The enlightened minds threw many a questions which were answered within the given time frame, however what the audience needed was a localized discussion pertaining to the industrial scenario of the orange city.This needed more time as secondary and primary research was mandatory.However, it was a good beginning!

Case Study Published in Marketing Mastermind,July 09 Issue

My 410th publication, published in http://www.iupindia.org/Marketing_Mastermind.asp is a case study on one of the caterer of central India, which was responsible for pioneering the concept of Dial For Food in the region.Jog Caterers started from a humble beginning and scaled up both in reach and target market over a period of time.It was the entrepreneurial knack of the proprietor which enabled him to smell opportunities from a market which was completely immune to the concept of home delivered food.The case study discusses the growth of the company along with the future challenges which are to be encountered by Jog Caterer in light of SEZ, MIHAN projects catapulting Nagpur into a Tier-II city.

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Management by Confusion

One has heard about Management by Objective, Management by Exception,but Management by Confusion may be an eye-opener for you. It happened to be one of my colleague having industrial experience with behemoths like Penzoil, Gulf Oil, and now a renowned academic administrator in the Indian subcontinent,who have coined the word Management by Confusion.Although I wasn't ready to toe the line of his, he tried his best to convince me about this new found concept.
I pondered later on over the same and tried to observe him from close quarters so as to decipher the actual meaning of the concept.Partially I was successful in understanding the concept,and it was all about confusing everyone around to get the work done.After that I tried to cross check my findings, but he denied that the concept had nothing unethical in it,then creating confusion is out of question!Creating confusion to get the work done cannot be ethical for sure.My hypothesis is still being tested and I welcome you to join the discussion and post your comments on this new concept and its applicability in a real life scenario, ofcourse ethically.

My article on III

This is my 309th publication published in http://knowledgeoman.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5461. The article talks about the importance of Industry-Institute-Interaction(III) in the institutes offering professional qualifications.The experience I had in the subcontinent matched with that I had in the Gulf when corporate and industry experts dealt on the importance of the III from the perspective of the employers and prospective employees(read students pursuing various programs).It wasn't really a eye-opener for me as I had realized the importance of III platforms back in India, however the one day deliberation reiterated my firm belief on continuous interactions between the industry and the institute so as to improve the academic standards of the colleges and universities. Read and Comment.

Importance of Education/Training Management System(EMS)

The modern day training and teaching fraternity is fortunate to have Software or even Technology as a perfect enabler.It increases the efficiency of the trainer/teacher manifold.The other benefits derived out of a Education Management System (EMS)or Training Management System (TMS)is generation of reports, comprehensive Management Information System(MIS),resulting in understanding the developmental curve of every trainee/student, end to end management to name a few.My first hand experience in leveraging EMS, both in the Indian subcontinent and in the Middle East compelled me to think on a few issues.They are-
(1)EMS should be implemented only after the conventional training approaches have been firmly inculcated in the existing system
(2)The innovation, creativity of a trainer/teacher should not be limited or compromised at the cost of automation
(3)While MIS is important for following up on the performance of the trainee/student, it is also important for the EMS to evaluate the contribution of a trainer/teacher
(4)Complete automation of the training process should not be done as areas like training plan, delivery mechanisms, tools and techniques to be adopted, evaluating criteria, resources to be used should be left at the discretion of the trainer
(5)The performance review should not only consider the details generated by the EMS, rather the performance of a trainer should also take into consideration on the basis of direct one-one observation along with other key factors, which are not being reflected by the EMS
(6)Periodical analysis of the functioning and benefits of the EMS should be understood so as to realize its impact on the training process
(7)Feedback from all the stake holders should be taken periodically so as to understand the actual benefit dervied by the concerned stakeholders involved in the training process
(8)TMS or EMS is better if the number of trainees are more and training is monitored by people from distant locations
(9)A cost benefit analysis and feasibility study should be conducted before EMS or TMS is incorporated.
Inspite of all these, I can see the EMS/TMS providing tangible benefit to the training and developmental domain, however a word of caution is not to get too obsessed with technology at the cost of human element.Technology may have simplified things, but human touch can only improve it.So complete substitution of human element by machine is a strict No-NO, when it is training or education.

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Corporate Glass Ceiling is easy to handle if.....

Corporate glass ceiling may not be a burning issue anymore with so many women leading different Fortune companies globally.However, the reality is far from the truth. The truth is that corporate glass ceiling still exists and has taken different shapes and nomenclature.It may be related to the harrassment of women in the workplace, physically,verbally or otherwise.The best way to manage such problems emanating from the society and visible at the workplace is to do away with the evil practices of the so called developed economies. Too much of openess in those nations have enabled the glass ceiling effect to undergo a metamorphosis and alter its name, meaning and activities therein.The solution for minimising such bad practices is to take the learnings from many Middle Eastern nations where the women are treated with respect, not only at the workplace, but also in the society.The concept is something which can provide readymade solutions globally, provided the sense of respect is culminated in the society, and then percolated into the organizations. This would reduce employee grievances especially those belonging to the weaker sex, and the organizations and the nations as a whole can grow together. The advanatges which can be provided to the world at large is amazing as the inherent strengths of women can very well compliment with that of the men, resulting in finding solution to even the most challenging propositions.

Training in the Middle-East is a big boon

Training the students of the Middle East is a challenge cum opportunity for a trainer/teacher. This is one of the best exposure which could have been there for a trainer/teacher willing to scale up in his/her career. It is because the teaching and training in the gulf calls for maintaining a perfect balance between contents and simplification while presentation. While, there is no compromise on quality and the contemporary nature of the contents being taught, one should also keep a tab on the simplicity quotient and this is where a trainer can increase his professional lexicons with simplified substitutes for the more complex jargons. This can be a one word substitution or a sentence so as to explain a jargon or a concept related to the domain area. Trainers/Teachers may complaint saying that the students are not up to the mark, however, that is nothing short of taking the underscoring the challenge and opportunity offered by this region. Once the approach sinks into the delivery system of the trainer, one can devise novel ways of achieving the objective. I devised many novel training mechanisms after training the students or the executives of the Middle East, which I could not fathom while handling the trainees/students in the Indian subcontinent. On the other hand I am able to localize my illustrations and examples thereby enhancing my knowledge pertaining to the dynamic business enviornment of the Middle East, not to forget the case studies, I am authoring for the local companies. All these when assimilated together from the perspective of the end-user(read students/trainees)can not only make the target audience a thrilled lot, but also enable the trainer to innovate and research for new ways of explaining the difficult concepts. It is important for all the trainers to understand and appreciate the cultural benefits as it allows the students/trainees to understand every concept faster. Something which may be acceptable in the European, American or even Indian markets may be a strict NO-NO over here and on minute observations after relating with the external and internal enviornmental factors, one can safely say that its a boon for the local market.