Should A Country Invest More In Education/Discipline That Produces More Jobs?

Kaustubh Katdare

Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Oct 15, 2024
This topic popped up while reading article by Prof. Vivek Wadhwa: #-Link-Snipped-#

Prof. Wadhwa writes -

In a <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/03/01/gates_tells_governors_they_might_determine_public_university_program_funding_based_on_job_creation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Inside Higher Ed's News</a> before the National Governors Association on Feb 28, Gates had argued that we need to spend our limited education budget on disciplines that produce the most jobs. He implied that we should reduce our investment in the liberal arts because liberal-arts degrees don’t correlate well with job creation. Three days later, at the unveiling of the iPad 2, Steve Jobs said: “It’s in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough—it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the result that makes our heart sing, and nowhere is that more true than in these post-PC devices”
Do you think governments need to spend more on improving education in disciplines that produce more jobs, such as engineering? Or, do you have a different opinion?

Looking forward to your views.
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  • aj_onduty

    aj_onduty

    @aj-onduty-BvuwMK • Mar 27, 2011

    Investing more on job-generating disciplines will be a good option, if you want a quick development and if you are concerned only about the next 20 years. But if you want a full fledged development, if you want a never dying, strong base, you really need to invest in the 'other' disciplines. Just think of a man who is good at engineering, but fails to know the human values. He will create havoc with what education he has got.
    A human with professional education and without human values is just nuclear reactor without control rods.
    This is my view, may or may not be correct. 😁
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  • Ankita Katdare

    Ankita Katdare

    @abrakadabra • Mar 28, 2011

    The_Big_K
    Do you think governments need to spend more on improving education in disciplines that produce more jobs, such as engineering? Or, do you have a different opinion?
    I guess, if a developing country wants to uplift the poor the government should provide them with jobs that they could use to feed their families two times a day.
    When this gets streamlined, they should provide them services for on-the-job study facilities to the men and women who are illiterate. Once a whole generation gets up and earning, they can provide for education of their young ones.
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  • ISHAN TOPRE

    ISHAN TOPRE

    @ishan-nohePN • Mar 28, 2011

    Good to know your thoughts Ajit, AKD and biggie, but I have a different approach regarding education in the initial part.
    My approach is set up industries first. Those industries will make contracts with Government in which it will be binding on the Industries that they start their universities for the children of employees. This can generate skilled workers in Any country.

    Once people get education while earning in this way, they can kill two birds in one stone. We can achieve simultaneous Industrial growth along with education.
    What say everyone?
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  • aj_onduty

    aj_onduty

    @aj-onduty-BvuwMK • Mar 28, 2011

    I am with Steve Jobs. I never knew that he said this, but from a lot before, this was, is and (if nothing changes) will be in my mind for the rest of my life. Its ok if we have more job-oriented education streams, but every day in the academic years, one hour has to be spent in teaching human values, arts, about nature, and the art of appreciating what you have around you.
    It is the same things that we all lack. Amusingly, these things are not even thought of by the people who set the syllabus.The current education system is focusing on creating (not generating) energy, when we require to channel our energy in the perfect way. If the education system will start focusing on bringing out the human in us, rather than the machine, we can have a better development. The development will not be linear, but exponential. It would be showing slow to no, sometimes a negative result, but then it starts rising above, and then, there is no limit.
    If you still think that is not a good idea, then please understand one fact that if everything goes in convention, we are happy. What we are reluctant to is change. It is human nature.
    According to Newton's first law, every body continues to be in a state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line. Not just every body, but this law applies to 'everybody'. This law applies to both the physical and psychological world. As the current president of America has rightly said, "Change is what we need".
    A change in the convention will be the only way we can create super-engineers, super-doctors, super-professionals, rather than the ordinary engineers, doctors and professionals.
    Now tell me, what do we need for a better growing nation, an ordinary professional or a super-professional?
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  • Kaustubh Katdare

    Kaustubh Katdare

    @thebigk • Mar 29, 2011

    Government needs to allocate funds for development in each discipline. Of course, we aren't talking about ignoring other disciplines. But traditionally (as much I understand it 😀 ) engineering, technology, medicine are few fields that directly result into jobs as compared to arts, literature and so on.

    Does anyone have relevant stats on how much different countries spend on these fields? How's the result?
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  • ISHAN TOPRE

    ISHAN TOPRE

    @ishan-nohePN • Mar 29, 2011

    Well I both agree and disagree with Ajit. But just to mention a fact, What I feel is the syllabus is easy to set. It can be taught in one day alone. But what is more important is Teacher student interaction. Both teacher and student spend time for most of the time of a student's schooling career. It is the duty of these people to teach them noble values.

    I just now remembered a story from the life of Mahatma Gandhi and how he opposed to cheating even when his teacher asked him to write correct answer from his friend. Well the teacher was wrong but luckily Gandhi did not listen to him and kept on the path of justice.

    Well if we can create our students and youngsters like that we can easily invest a lot in industries because our education sector will be already booming.
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  • aj_onduty

    aj_onduty

    @aj-onduty-BvuwMK • Mar 29, 2011

    ishutopre
    But what is more important is Teacher student interaction. Both teacher and student spend time for most of the time of a student's schooling career. It is the duty of these people to teach them noble values.
    Kindly note that the point I have raised, to devote one hour in teaching human values covers this point up. That hour will never be a teaching process. It would be an interaction hour, as no one is perfect in the teaching process when it comes to human values. Sometimes, the students wield more information than teachers when it comes to these values. This positiveness thus set in one hour, will continue till the end.
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  • ISHAN TOPRE

    ISHAN TOPRE

    @ishan-nohePN • Mar 29, 2011

    Yup Ajit good to see this point from you. But what Students nowadays have a lot of information source say internet. They can get information about any thing but How to use it? Is the information good or bad?
    The teacher or elders have to take care of these questions.

    Slightly off topic but It may guide this discussion a little bit. Please go through another debate everyone. #-Link-Snipped-#

    What say?

    But everyone I am extremely sorry, the discussion is about investment and it should also have economic aspect. Let us add some good points on economics also i.e.; investment in education etc. 😀
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