Friday, March 21, 2008

"You can't fix stupid"

I wear a T-Shirt that says "You can't fix stupid". This is so true for the Indian Government.

According to this article in Hindustan Times, we Indians spend $13 Billion on foreign education. EVERY YEAR.

Let me get my calculator out.

So we are saying around 520 billion INR are spent in one financial year by 4,50,000 Students studying abroad. If this happens 5 years in a row, we are saying that around 2,500 billion rupees is spend by Indians in foreign education.

I am not an economist. But common sense tells me that even if 10% of that money is used to build 2 more world class IITs and IIMs and upgrade the RECs and other good institutes, we will be 1] Saving a ton of money and 2] Actually making a windfall of profits out of these !!!

It's a classic demand-supply case here. There's a demand of higher education in India. USA, Singpaore, even China is helping with the supply for that demand. But what is our dear pin headed government's best response ? Yes, you guessed it. MORE RESERVATIONS.

They just turned it upside down. Its like "Wait. There's more demand for higher education. Let's REDUCE the seats. Tha'll help"

Fking asses. You really can't fix stupid, can ya?

2 comments:

rathchakra said...

Reservations were, are and will be a bane for the Indian juggernaut. However, I will not blame Government alone for the abysmal state of the Higher Education system. There aren't many private institutions which cater to quality Higher Education. The ones that exist today are more driven towards making profit. The kids whose parents are spending thousands of dollars on their foreign education will be willing to spend in India shold there be institutes which offer quality education. Why should the Government alone be responsible for IITs and IIMs? Privatisation of Higher Education has been around for much longer than other sectors. What are our successful entrepreneurs/industrialists, economists, thinkers,scientists doing? Why do we not see more private colleges popping up? How many renowned US Universities and Colleges are run by the Govt? It's time the millionaires in India did something more than receive "Entreprenur of the year" award or make a "1 lakh car". A good education system does not thrive alone by Govt initiatives, it needs a forward thinking, ownership taking population which is willing to invest in its future generations. These industrialists send their sons and daughters to the MITs and Harvards instead of building one in their own country.

kautilya said...

I think you are missing my point.

A government of a nation is responsible for creating environment for right growth. You talk of private institutes. Why do you think 90% of these insitutues are owned by Khadiwalas and Congress men? Take a guess !

Private entrepreuners are actually more than willing to help out as they have done with IBS Hyderabad, BITS Pilani and XLRI Jamshedpur. In fact some of the best institues are run by private companies. (S.P Jain for example)

And honestly lot of IITs and IIMs aluminis fund these instittues.

Can you beat this theory? At independence India had 40 crore population and after few years about 4 IITs. 60 years later we added 2 IITs with 100 crore population.

MITs and Harvards were successful because of the chutzpah of the Government here. They did not "interfere" in Education system, rather created a environment and let free market decide the need to have these institutes.

What would you make of a Government, the left, socialist kind, that kicks out an honest Doctor as head of AIIMS, one of the most prestigious institutes in the country just because he did not agree with the Minister of the nation? Interference !!!

There is a need to privatise education like never before. But good luck with that. Your leftist comrades who's support is required to run this lame government won't let it happen, will they?

If Tatas start an institute the first thing our Minister does is create quotos.
Minority quota, Dalit quota, Muslim quota, this quota , that quota. It kills the institute even before it becomes functional.

I don't see anything wrong in Profit driving the motives of education institutes. I don't expect them to be charities, coz we know what happens to these so called charities ultimately. But if profit and only profit is the driving factor, then market will take care of it. It will weed out the bad ones. Thats how market works. The greedy ones will perish. But it's important that Government regulate and create a healthy environment first and NOT INTERFERE. I am more than certain, there are many enterprising people in the nation who will come up with our own MITs and Harvards.