EMERGING INDIA- What do we need?

By Sahib Singh , 7 July : India is a young nation with more than 50 percent of its population not even eligible to vote. This provides us with an unprecedented opportunity to build for us a prodigious army of skilled labour . Thus the need of the hour is to cater this young generation with optimum number of schools imparting education with international standards.

The fact is not hidden that the sight of the current government run schools is ugly and lacks even the most basic needs . The farmer in rural India is still not sure if educating his child will provide him a guaranteed guarded future. That is why India witnesses maximum number of school dropouts in the world. This trend must rescind. People must start believing that education is the only way to escape from their poverty-stricken lives.

Hence there is an urgent need to tap the power of this young generation in the most efficient way. With people now slowly changing their parochial mindsets and thinking about family planning are beginning to realize the advantage of a small family. This may be proved by the fact that the fertility rate has already started declining in India.  This is what happened in the developed nations in the twentieth century  and now as the demographics tell us the average age  is much higher amongst the developed countries. This generates a booming demand for young and skilled labour. India has a huge pool which may be fulfill this demand if we  furnish our human capital in an immaculate manner.

This young generation, I believe will hold the key to the success story of India when it emerges as a superpower and thus it must be equipped with the best skills to cater to the international demand. Reforms suggested by Mr. Kapil Sibal are a ray of hope,but the job still remains largely undone and we are yet to make a real start. The urgency of this fact has to be realized before this large human resource retrogrades and becomes a dependent flock for the country.

Writer is student of Punjab Engg. College, Chandigarh