Bridge between the classroom and work

Questions have often been raised about the viability of classroom teachings in the professional world with experts frequently pointing out the necessity of having an education system that will reflect the need of industries. 

On Thursday, the St Joseph’s College of Commerce organised a seminar on this theme titled ‘Industry-academia interface, challenges and opportunities’.

The seminar saw experts discussing the topic with the audience that comprised post-graduate students and lecturers among others.

Dr N Prabu Dev, vice-chancellor, Bangalore University, said, “The mistrust between the academia and industry still exists. While teachers feel they work hard, the industry thinks they hardly work. It is important to bridge the gap between the classroom and boardroom.”

Classroom knowledge needs to be supplemented with industry knowledge for the synergy to be right, feel experts. Rev Dr Vijay Prabhu explained the need for educational institutions and industry to have a research and development wing.

“The two need to collaborate. For instance, soft skills, like effective communication, need to be taught to students,” he said.

Professor RS Ganapathy, an ex-faculty member of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, said, “Education should not be treated as a commodity.” He recalled the instance of a student who wanted to pursue MBA. When he asked the student the reason for wanting to take up the course, his response was that the family would receive a lager dowry, if he had better qualifications rather than a single engineering degree.

A faculty member explained that compulsory internships provide the much needed exposure to working life and industry experience, which will help students face the world when they graduate.