The recent news from Maharashtra, detailing how 300 colleges have no takers for Class 11 yet the government continues to spend crores on their staff salaries, truly highlights a deep-seated issue within our educational system. It’s a stark picture of inefficiency, a disconnect between supply and demand, and a poignant waste of invaluable resources.
I’ve often reflected on the need for systems to adapt, to shed their inertia and embrace relevance. This situation, unfortunately, is a powerful reminder of what happens when we cling to outdated structures without addressing the evolving needs of our youth and the changing landscape of opportunities.
Take a moment to notice that I had brought up thoughts on the urgent need for adaptability and efficiency in different contexts years ago. For instance, in my discussions around the emergence of Indic language AI models like Hanooman, and reflections on topics like "Next Generation NLP" and "LLMs vs SLMs" [Next Generation NLP, LLMs vs SLMs, Meet India’s own ChatGPT], my emphasis was always on leveraging innovation to create tailored, effective solutions. I spoke about the strategic approaches required to build scalable and inclusive technological advancements that truly resonated with diverse needs.
Now, seeing how things have unfolded in our education sector, it's striking how relevant that earlier insight still is. The same principles of anticipating needs, designing for impact, and optimizing resource allocation that apply to cutting-edge AI should fundamentally guide our educational planning. The persistence of institutions, even when they are effectively redundant, often stems from an "intangible legacy" or an unwillingness to disrupt the established order, a theme I touched upon in a different context when discussing how personal histories and unseen influences can shape enduring systems [Notes from a graveyard shift]. This legacy burden, in the education sector, leads to a significant drain on public funds and robs our youth of more relevant learning opportunities.
Reflecting on it today, I feel a renewed urgency to revisit those earlier ideas. We must challenge the inertia that allows such inefficiencies to fester. Our focus should be on creating agile, responsive educational frameworks that truly serve the students and the future, rather than simply maintaining structures that no longer fulfill their purpose. It is a fundamental responsibility to ensure that every rupee spent on education truly empowers the next generation.
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
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