Why does everybody want to become an engineer here?
Today’s newspaper had an article about the booming IIT coaching industry in Kota, a small town in Rajasthan. The IIT entrace exam results were declared recently and that was as big a news item as the Left’s opposition to the privatization of BHEL. And not without reason. Every year, over 30,000 aspirants move to Kota lock, stock and barrel to spend two years preparing for the IIT entrance exam. The coaching institutes apparently have tie-ups with local schools which take it easy on these kids. Having to go to school is actually considered a distraction! Similar coaching centers exist in all big cities of India as well. But for some reason, Kota has become like the mecca of IIT coaching and the number of pilgrims is increasing every year!
Almost 200,000 students sit for the actual exam and only 5000 get selected. It is interesting to note that 5000 undergraduate seats is a fairly large number for any educational institution (even if it is spread over 6 locations). So IITs are not so exclusive by choice. But in a country of 1 Billion, even the most abundant of resources can appear to be scarce.
Even though I am an IIT-ian myself, I feel sad that so much empahsis should be laid on an engineering degree in our country. Engineering is a very traditional profession. Even considered boring in the West. The mad rush to get into IITs is a reflection of our society’s emphasis on taking the conservative, tried and tested path. If all the best and the brightest kids will become engineers, who will take the country forward in the fields of medicine, science, literature, and arts?
The high regard for engineers in India can perhaps be traced back to the time of independence when nation building required lots of local engineering talent. Pandit Nehru was known to be unhappy about the fact that India had to import foreign technology and hence he had commissioned the creation of the IITs. While Nehru’s dream has come true (at least partially), a side effect has been the creation of a society with highly skewed and prejudiced view towards all other professions.
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