Education is at cross roads. India is on the threshold of a knowledge revolution.

It
is predicted that this revolution will catapult India as an economic superpower
ahead of China by 2010. This quantum leap is possible only through imparting
professional education to our young people. Professional education is the need for
the hour. A sound professional education has the power to convert an ordinary
individual to a knowledge worker and a revenue generator. India is in need of
thousands of engineers, doctors, scientists, teachers, technicians, advocates and
other skilled professionals. Only our institutions of higher learning can only
produce them.

Youngsters should learn the necessity to acquire mastery and develop skill sets
required for their disciplines and this alone will make them true professionals.
Instead of rot learning students should learn how to apply knowledge to solve
myriad problems faced by people using technology as an enabler.

A, twenty first century professional is different from his predecessors.

Globalization has opened new avenues of growth. The sudden spurt in economic
activity brought in a lot of problems. The unprecedented growth was followed by a
predictable global economic slowdown which literally destroyed many economies.
Super powers paid the inevitable price and helplessly watched the emergence new
economic super powers with a relatively young work force compared to their aging
work force.
In the new paradigm shift followed, knowledge became the key driver of growth.
Knowledge and skills have become the new success mantra, which determine an
organization’s core competence. Knowledge and skills, which modern managers
acquire inside and outside their campuses, equip them to grow and flourish in the
ever changing business landscape. The thrust of professional education lies in
skills acquisition, nurturing and using them to generate wealth for all stake holders.
Our universities and other institutes of higher learning must invest considerable
time and money in developing the right and world class infrastructure conducive
for world class professional education.