 SECTION I
COMMENTS CONCERNING TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN INDIA : PROF. G. ROSS HENNINGER, USA AND MR. E. HOUGHTON, UK

Introduction

Two months of travel and visitations to institutions of technical education and to industries in the States of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Mysore, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan have resulted in the general impressions expressed in the following pages. The selections of institutions, industries, and other -bodies to be contracted were made by the official representatives of the various Government agncies involved. It was understood that the objective would be to accomplish a representative sampling.

Throughout our travels it seemed to be assumed by those we visited that more-or-less drastic changes in curricula were all that would be necessary to make Polytechnic graduates more acceptable to industrial employers, and thus provide a correction of a reported trend of growing unemployment among technical graduates. A wide- spread predisposition seems, to prevail among the educator groups that a change-over to "sandwich"-type curricula would solve most, if not all, complaints about the present Polytechnic programme. Opinions differ as to whether such a programme must be of a 4-year duration (3- year Polytechnic plus 1 year of application experience in industrial employment); or can be kept at, a 3-year over-all length by eliminating some present curricular requirements and condensing others; or be extended to a 5 year programme.

In all the discussions about the asserted need for producing a Polytechnic graduate more attractive to industrial employers, little if anything was said by the educator-group about the possibility of producing a better qualified graduate through the medium of a better quality of instruction in the Polytechnics, and more appropriate teaching methods in both classroom and laboratory. In general, educator comments Seemed to assume blandly that teaching quality and methods are above reproach, and sometimes keen defensive resentment was exhibited when this attitude was questioned.

In general, our impression is that the foregoing represents a shallow and short-range approach to the, problem of accomplishing, competent engineering education in India at either the Degree, level or the Diploma level. we believe that there are many other and more, significant aspects to the problem, and these we shall endeavour to reflect upon in the following pages of this commentary.

* Submitted in July 1970

Industrial commentators were essentially unanimous in describing recent Polytechnic graduates as being generally poorly prepared for successful employment-sadly deficient in the ability to make practical applications of the subject-matter of their studies.

Number of Institutions

In town after town we observed capital investment in buildings and equipment in institutions providing similar or identical courses at very short distances apart. This seams to have resulted from the random establishment of private colleges and Polytechnics (now receiving government aid) of State colleges and of Women's Polytechnics, all starting engineering courses. This duplication of scarce staff and of building and equipment resources seems a very wasteful expenditure of available educational funds.

Manpower Planning

It is thought highly unlikely that any accurate forecasts can be made of the number of technicians or professional engineers of various kinds to be required over a period comparable with the length of a course from intake to qualification. This is because climate and economic variations are not accurately predictable. The educational system of India has borne the full responsibility for over or under provision of qualified engineers and seemingly industry, the user of these people, has escaped any commitment and in time of scarcity of jobs is able to -be extremely selective. This present situation does not of itself provide an adequate or dependable basis for meaningful evaluation of the effectiveness of Polytechnic education in India. Many other factors are involved.

In many industrial undertakings we noted that the industry has started from scratch within the recent past, and while its requirements for qualified personnel has been very heavy at first, in many instances (and often in the last two years) the plant had reached its maximum size as dictated by site, organizational or market considerations, and hence present requirements for technically qualified manpower are limited to hose required for replacement due to retirement or migration.

Attitude to Academic Qualification

Our visitation discussions indicate that the general attitude of the graduates has been, and is, that the mere possession of a degree or diploma entitles the holder to proclaim himself an engineer of technician. This is far form the truth, and it should be made more widely known by the faculties and others that

suitable practical training and experience is an essential component of such a qualification. This same attitude has has led to contusion with respect to the problem of qualification appropriate to the engineering college and polytechnic teacher. For further observations see this heading.

Professional bodies for engineers and technicians should seek to correct this public misunderstanding by developing and publishing suitable standards of individual capability and performance so that it becomes impossible or difficult for an individual to practice without appropriate qualifications with a strictly prescribed academic and practicing standard.

Staff Qualifications

Staff were found to be all-too-generally ingrowing in the sense that a very substantial proportion of them lack periods of normal academic study to stages beyond the courses they themselves are en- deavouring to teach. 'They also very generally lack suitable, or in many instances any, recent relevant experience in industrial or engineering practice. This is found to be resulting in progressive deterioration of teaching standards and quality. This appealing condition and attitude is firmly believed to be one of the major causes of the fact, and the industry-complaint, that diploma graduate (and degree graduates also) show such a poor initial ability to make practical applications of the theory they are supposed to have learned.

Engineering and management personnel in industry repeatedly said that faculty members of engineering colleges and polytechnics did nit visit them; would not accept offers of vacation or other employment experience or training in industry did not seem even to be aware of the officially published Indian Standards covering such things as materials of manufacture, processes, engineering drafting, etc. etc.; were seemingly unaware of established machine-tool technology even in the elementary sense of appreciating speeds, feeds, finishing techniques, etc.; and also seemed unaware of the fundamentals of quality control, tool and product-material technology, or the, elements of metrology. We met Professors of Mechanical Engineering who described the work done in workshop at final year level in degree courses as producing parts on a lathe without any attention to feeds and speeds or measurement or finish or cutting-tool technology. Although taking prime time in a degree course, the subject seemed to be treated at less than elementary craft level.

Our observations in many faculty group discussions indicated that a situation of line command existed which led us to the conclusion that neither teachers nor heads of department were encouraged to think for themselves and may not have developed that ability. We doubted therefore whether they were able to teach their students to think. We were astonished that this situation developed in academic situations whereas it did not arise in forward-thinking industrial situations.

Teaching and Learning

Unfortunately the major part of our visitation coincided with the student vacation period so that we were unable to draw any conclusions from talking to students of observation of teaching methods and learning practices. We had to draw conclusions iron questioning heads of department, and from the brief study of the examination system. and of typical papers when we could get them. In some instances we were able to see, student laboratory reports and we also questioned faculty personnel extensively concerning teaching methods, examination proce- dures, and the grade-point levels at which students are allowed to pass.

From these discussions and exhibits, it seems very clear that the prevailing interpretation lot the officially prescribed syllabuses results in classroom and laboratory instruction of a rote-type which encourages the student to memorize what the teachers tell him and to copy facts, figures, and diagrams neatly into note books, mostly without ever really studying or actually understanding much if any of the subject matter. This general tendency is found to be intensified by the, unreality of the officially imposed annual examination system with its make-up of memory-searching types of questions and serious lack of queries which would defy the, student's memory capacity and challenge his ability to think and to work out reasonable and rational applications of the theoretical knowledge he is supposed to have ac- quired. The present examination system puts a premium upon a student's ability to remember or to regurgitate facts or descriptions in some one else's words rather than upon a knowledge, of the subject and an ability for problem analysis and solving which is the real requirement of an engineer at professional or technician level.

The damaging aspects of this situation are intensified by the astonishing. prevalence of scholastic performance grades as low as 35 per cent being allowed for passing. This is a totally unrealistic approach 'to the objective of producing, through India's educational system, Engineers-Degree or Diploma--capable, of even recognizing let alone solving a problem, or making a constructive suggestion for improving an industrial process or product.

The Importance of Teaching Method

The "Problem-solving" technique is the prime essential instructional tool for teaching and learning in the field of Engineering subject matter, whether at the degree level or the diploma level. Its function is to develop in the student from the. beginning of his technical education and throughout his educational career the ability to think-to reason-to analyze-to synthesize-to visualize to hypothecate. These are his kit of essential mental tools upon which the graduate-Degree or Diploma-inescapably must depend for his employment career. The quality of these mental tools and the graduate's facility in using them will determine very largely the degree of success he may expect to achieve in the Engineering field, whether as a Degree holder or a Diploma holder.

The "Problem-solving" technique CAN and SHOULD be used preponderantly by teachers of engineering and related subject matter, whether in the classroom or in the laboratory. One difficulty encountered in the successful use of this technique lies in the necessity for the teacher (and the Department Head, and the Principal) really understanding it and using it as his own natural procedure. Our visitations revealed a very dismally small percentage, who would qualify . Even though several faculty members insisted that they were using the "Problem method", exhibits examined by us indicated that the " problem sheets" were so replete with explanations, data, wiring diagrams, etc. that anyone not totally blind in both eyes could perform the rote "experiments" without doing any significant thinking, reasoning, analysis, synthesis, or hypothecation. When we questioned the faculty members about this they protested that they were performing exactly in accordance with rules and exhibits laid down by higher authority and that there was nothing else they could do about it. We think this warrants searching investigation and correction.

Another difficulty encountered in the effective use of the "Problem method" is the fact that the teacher has to do more work, also. And more work is unpopular with many human beings, including teachers already protected by tenure. Our visitations gave us contact with a few scattered instances of teachers popular with many human beings, including teachers dedicated to their work and quite interested in the superior possibilities of the "problem method" of teaching. But not a sufficient percentage to lend great encouragement for significant general improvement in the effectiveness of Polytechnic education. Principals and Department heads should be encouraged by all available means to get this situation in India's polytechnics corrected-and promptly, for India's youth and India's economy are being damaged progressively.

Practical work in "-workshop practice" even in degree courses led to a craft understanding rather than what we would consider to be the engineer or technician understanding or "how" and "why" and the deductive reasoning- following observation of machine performance or other phenomena. Too often laboratory layouts and equipments were found to be old-fashioned and conventional bearing little if any relationship to industry's present or up-coming needs. The presence of classroom furniture in laboratories made us suspect that the laboratory programme consisted of whole classes being taken through an experiment with the prime and successfully achieved objective of getting a neatly presented well illustrated laboratory report book rather than the laboratory being the means of learning practical problem solving through good engineering method and thought process. Too often the absence of used test equipment between input sources and output measurement devices in electrical laboratories made us question most seriously whether laboratory exercises actually were done at all. Repeated questionings at laboratory after laboratory brought the essentially universal indication that laboratory students had no challenge of problem or responsibility that they are required to run to the instructor for check-ups on circuit connections and answers to related questions which should be entirely the student's respon- sibility in a competently administered laboratory.

In general, the arrangement and selection of laboratory equipment is considered to be inflexible and out-of-date.

Accommodation and Equipment-Use of Library

Wherever we went, money seemed not to have been spared on the provision of buildings for classroom and other purposes including communal accommodation, libraries and on main items of equipment. Good library space was found to be generally available for books and periodicals, and apparently library funds have been available in reasonable amount, However, free student access to books seemed rarely if ever available and timetables were such that we wondered if students were ever able to browse through books and acquire the ability to select and read for themselves and, above all, learn how to use a library in their work.

In one of the rare, instances where we found library shelves to be satisfactorily available to students (and faculty) we pulled at random 25 or 30 books on subjects of central importance to Technical Education and found without exception that NOT ONE of them had ever been charged out to a student or a faculty member since the books were placed on the shelves more than ten years ago. This gave us the shocking realization that the thousands of rupees represented in currently authoritative and useful technical books stand as a total loss to all concerned, the students, the faculties, and the Indian Nation which they were supposed to serve.

Visits to Industry

Our visits to leading firms gave us the following impressions:

1. After a very rapid expansion from 1946 onwards and particularly from mid 1950's to mid 1960's the industries visited now seem in general to be consolidating their positions, developing full production capability in plants already built. In some cases there is continuing expansion in capability. But in general the current and foreseeable manpower requirement of these industries is only that required for full utilization of present capacity and for normal wastage and retirement rather than the initial high demand of earlier years of rapid growth.

2. The large' industries we saw have achieved a relatively high standard of production competence, plant layout and production methods. Some of the in-plant industrial training school we saw are of an extremely high competence and could well be studied by college and polytechnic academic staff.

3. Several of the managers and training officers we met have a sound and deep Knowledge of good educational policy and of effective training methods and could very well be consulted by India's educational planners.

4. The country now has an enormous glut of manpower at all levels form lower graduate to unskilled (The shortage may be at the higher graduate level but since this was not within our brief we have no, studied it). Consequently industry is able, to be highly selective in manpower intake and has little it any problem of labour relations. It has need of supervisory and management skill only because of the economic need to keep down labour turnover (for conservation of training investment) and to control labour cost. Supervisors and managers did not seem to be aware of the meaning or need of super- visory or management education. Some however recognized that study of communication and liberal arts was a necessary part of technical education as much as the technical subjects since job effectiveness at all levels depended as much on human relations as technical skill.

5. Notwithstanding the comments of Item 2 above we saw little evidence yet of sophistication of product, or production method or process. We saw good conventional machine tools, oileomatic and hydraulic controls and mechanisms, forming by conventional foundry or forging or cold, working. However, computers, controlled-machine tools, electronics (especially transistorized or solid state), job transfer machinery, even mechanical handling, control systems, explosive or other sophisticated methods for forming or for material removal etc. were not in evidence. Fabrication was less used than casting or forging. Design for economy of weight or for aesthetic reasons did not seem well developed. Single or batch production was commoner than mass production. The use of 'plastics and materials has not yet replaced conventional materials presumably because such materials have to be imported. These foregoing items are but random suggestions of the many areas where engineers of superior quality-at both the degree level and the diploma level-are needed to put their minds to work on the up-dating and quality improvement of India's industrial processes products and services to make them more effectively competetive in world markets and more effective in meeting India's internal needs

College Curricula and Syllabus-Timetables

There are some exceptions, mainly in the larger centres, but broadly syllabuses, curricular content, and timetables seem to be centrally imposed by state officers or committees or university academic boards. The teacher seems to have only the job of conveying chunks of information to the student so that he is able to sit for prescribed external examinations. The curriculum and syllabus content is often conventional similar to a pass degree courses of early 1930's in the UK of a watered down version for the diploma. Regardless of the fact that industry seems, so be concerned with Production and sometimes modification rather than origination of design, design subjects rather than production engineering subjects predominate.

We commonly found topics typical of 1930 syllabuses, such as theory of steam, oil and gas prime movers and rotary converters; thermionic valve circuits being given full treatment and time allocation. More up to date topics and treatment were round generally omitted to the dis-advantage of the student with respect to his ultimate employment and advancement. Our observations indicate that educational administrators still assume that ail students will have come in from the villages and need to be familiarised with elementary metal-working and wood-working, even in the big cities which are full of bicycles, motor transport, modern buildings and shops full of electrical equipment and metal and plastic gadgets of all kinds. We believe that the prevailing emphasis on this rudimentary craft training in engineering courses-both degree level and diploma level- represents a serious wastage of time which could be, spent to much greater advantage on legitimate technical subjects and related problem-solving. We find that it is common practice to offer courses of from three to five or more years duration, with no provision for any intermediate award. Thus, if a Student cannot survive the, extre- mely arduous pace he falls away with nothing to show for his endeavour. We believe that this matter deserves study and appropriate corrective action.

We find that quite generally both industry and engineering education institutions at both degree and diploma level profess a serious interest in the upgrading of their respective personnel. However, we find also that the usual approach to this situation is seriously unrealistic and contains inherent characteristics which lead inevitably to a low level of achievement of objective. For example we find that commonly there is a 48-hour 6 day working week in industry and a 42-hour programme of class contact in educational institutions. Thus, there seems to be no time left for the student to think, to learn, to read, to develop a balanced interest in people and social surroundings, or even to develop a healthy body round a healthy mind. Yet both the Degree graduates and Diploma graduates are supposedly destined to become supervisors and managers who need to get the best out of people, who need to assess demand for products and designs and who need to be able to cause people to work effectively.

The worst example met of this was development of a part-time course for Diploma at one of the polytechnics visited. The whole of the full-time course had been spread over seven years (with no intermediate award) requiring at least two hours per day seven days a week, this on top of a 48-hour working week and Plus very considerable travelling time. Not unnaturally after 3 years of operation the intake of 120 has dwindled to 55 or less. One wonders what possible use to anybody will be the handful if any of over-worked students that may emerge after the full course, and whether anybody has counted the

cost to the state finances and to public health and morale.

The Matter of Professional Recognition

It seems unfortunate that, in the initial effort to establish an educational programme to produce engineering technicians, a bifurcation was established in the field of engineering education by the use of the concept of "Degree Engineer" to identify the graduate of a full engineering college course and "Diploma Engineer" to identify the graduate of a shorter and less sophisticated Polytechnic course. A much clew distinction would have been to designate the Polytechnic graduate as an "Engineering Technician".

Several difficulties are inherent in the present system, of which the following are examples:

1. Both the "Engineer" and the "Engineering Technician" deserve individual identity and parallel recognition as co-participants' in the "Engineering Team" concept of modem technical manpower classi- fication. With the present system the "Engineer" is confused and Justly annoyed, and his status is confused in the public mind; and the "Technician" automatically becomes a second-rate engineer and hence in effect a second-class citizen whose status is much in question in the public and professional mind, and in the minds of potential employers. This does an injustice to the legitimately qualified "Engineering Technician".

2. The practice of using a common faculty to teach the Engineering student in an Engineering College and also to teach the Technician Student in a Polytechnic results in damage to one or both groups of students and lends strong credence to the general belief that the Technician or "Diploma Engineer" is nothing but a "Watered- down Engineer". The practice of transferring Engineering college dropouts to Polytechnics also contributes a degrading influence.

The quality and level of instruction should be the same for the Technician student in a Polytechnic as it is for the Engineering student in an Engineering College, BUT the scope and balance of subject matter and the direction of emphasis should be distinctly different. Much has been published on this topic and hence it will not be enlarged upon here. (See also "Teaching Method" in this commentary).

However, it is believed that serious study should be given to dropping the "Diploma Engineer" designation for the Polytechnic graduate and establishing the Polytechnic award as an "Engineering Technician Diploma", or some equivalent and accurately descriptive nomenclature. The word "Engineering" is used only as an adjective of which other examples might be "Electrical Engineering Technician", "Mechanical Engineering Technician", "Civil Engineering Technician", "Electronics Technician", "Telecommunications Technicians, "Automobile Technician", "Chemical Technician", "Medical Laboratory Technician", etc., etc., The same system could be applied to technician education in fields other than engineering, and result in some desirable consistency which would help in public understanding.

Recommendations

1. Industry should be committed to and be responsible far forecasting its manpower requirements in the. various categories required in the years ahead. Correspondingly, the Engineering Colleges, both Degree and Diploma, should progressively become more selective in the quality and quantity of their intake.

2. At every administrative level, from the areas served by an individual Polytechnic to the Nation area which is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education, immediate and continuing effort should be made, to establish and to maintain a close collaboration and intimate cooperation between Industry and the educational institutions. The objective of this would be to bring about by direct interchange at the operating level a better mutual understanding of problems and potentialities relative to the competent development and effective utilization of qualified technical manpower, and to provide the means for effective joint efforts toward better results. This would be to the substantial benefit of A concerned-student, graduate, faculty, employer, and the community at large, locally and nationally.

3. Professional bodies of acknowledged standing should develop and get public acceptance for standards of academic learning, practical ability, and experience for the practising Engineer and for the Technician. This effort should be a joint one and should include industrialists, technical educators, and professionals practising in the various engineering fields.

4. Industry and the professional. bodies if appropriately established, should be involved in and committed to direct and appropriate participation in the establishment of policies relevant to the size of intake, selection of students, and the development of training programmes related to and if possible integrated with education curricula wherever such integration is mutually beneficial to all concerned including the students. Such bodies also should be encouraged to provide teachers and practical projects for educational institutions.

5. A closer collaboration and continuing coordination should be brought about promptly among the several Engineering Colleges and Polytechnics existing in any uran area or other appropriate proximity. Much benefit could result from faculty interchange of ideas, discussions of common problems, and in many instances through joint use of specialized facilities, or by consolidation of selected specialized classes, etc.

6. To provide a critically needed facility for immediate and continuing evolutionary development of Engineering Curricula-Degree and Diploma-to keep pace with the ever-advancing technoligies, a limited number of educational institutions should be selected from among those already nearest to a desirable standard of quality and competency. These institutions should be charged with the responsibilities and appropriate autonomy for developing appropriate new courses and modifying or eliminating old ones. Those institutions should have residential facilities and be situated conveniently close, to industries which are the

most forward-thinking in technical development and in 'personnel training.

7. It should be a requirement that the faculties of these institutions should have educational qualification at least two years above the standard to which they will teach, and should have recent, adequate, and relevant industrial experience. It should be a require- ment for continuance of service that this experience should be progressively renewed by continuing research and development in association with industry or by frequent periods of industrial employment, or both. Facility should be set up for all staff, but particularly heads of department, to spend periods abroad either in education or in industry.

8. The Principals of these institutions should have major participation in the academic governments of colleges of teacher training concerned with pedagogical improvement of technical teachers. Allowance for proper staffing etc. should be made and it should be required that faculties of those selected institutions, including department heads, will attend the teacher training college or institutes on such repetitive schedule as may be necessary to achieve top-level qualifications and teaching performance. Also, the princi- pals of these selected Polytechnic institutions should be actively concerned with continuing follow-up and assessment of the teaching performance of their faculties. Principals should be charged with responsibility and authority to make such faculty changes as may be required for achievement of substantial upgrading.

9. As soon as these selected institutions have cleaned and up-dated their faculties and correspondingly revised their facilities and teaching methods, they should be given maximum responsibility and commensurate autonomy for devising curricula and syllabuses, and for establishing and administering methods and conduct of assessment for an appropriate award. These selected institutions not only could make early -and critically needed contributions toward the development of better qualified graduates, but also could serve as prototypes toward which other institutions might seek to develop in accordance with local conditions and circumstances.

10. It should be borne in mind that the product of 'the educational system will be in responsible controlling positions in industrial development and professional activity at a period of 10-15 years after the college entry. Thus it is necessary that curricula, syllabuses of education, and technical training should be aimed at the state of national technology to be expected in that advanced period. This requires progressive updating and continuing assessment of educational programmes and policies.

11. With specific reference to various suggestions heard promoting general changes, such as "Diversification" or intensified specialization, or other broad and general changes, our reaction is strongly negative. As indicated throughout this commentary, we recom- mend general improvements in methods and quality of instruction. - Where specific changes are to be considered, they should be searchingly evaluated in advanced and adopted only if circumstances then seem to warrant adoption and only if proper and competent implementation is firmly established and provided in advance.

12. With specific reference to the much-discussed "Sandwich Couses" idea, we strongly recommend that such be adopted only after specific study-in-depth at any proposed location conclusively indicates feasibility, and then only under the following several conditions:

a. Where there is a relatively high and extensive concentration of, applicable industries.

b. Where substantial active support and participation by appro- priate industries has been prearranged well in advance, and defini- tely committed.

C. Where the participating industries are committed in advance to furnish properly instructive programmes, and to provide a system and competent personnel for the necessary supervision, instruction, and progressive evaluation of each trainee.

d. Where the institution shall be committed in advance to furnish a competent and interested faculty member to serve full-time in the plant with each group of at most 20 students to act as coordinator, counsellor and instructor and, incidentally to learn for himself about industrial problems and practices.

e. Where satisfactory allowances are committed in advance by the institution on behalf of both faculty member and students to assure a reasonable timetable and work-load properly in keeping with effective learning processes and normal social amenities.

13. Industry has need of craft-oriented technicians. This need will increase as the character of Indian Industry changes with the increased sophistication of products and manufacturing processes. Industrialists told us that they preferred to up-grade their more- experienced craftsmen than to employ and train polytech graduates. They accomplish this at present by in-plant training. It is thought that many of the present polytechnics would do well to turn their attention to serving and assisting neighboring industry in this direction.

This commentary embraces the substance of what we consider to be the more important matters which have come to our attention. It is respectfully submitted to the Ministry of Education through Mr. Damodaran's Committee in the hope that it may be of assistance in the further development and improvement of engineering-related technical education in India.

Sd./- Sd./- G. Ross Henninger E. Houghton

New Delhi, India. 15th July, 1970.

SECTION II

SECTION I COMMENTS CONCERNING TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN INDIA : PROF. G. ROSS HENNINGER, USA AND MR. E. HOUGHTON, UK