If elementary education forms the very base for an educated person in his/her academic life then, higher education forms the very superstructure of life. In this way, in the modern world of ours, to excel in one’s life higher education forms an indispensible part of his/her voyage of life. What can add a feather to an educated individual’s life and his/her livelihood or earning is the passion for skills in his/her life. Skill acquisition can add on and enrich his/her life by increasing his/her creativity and innovative power as well as supplementing his/her sources of income. This can encourage a person to invigorate into newer and exceptional domains of life.
At the same time, we need to ponder over the fact of skill acquisition especially in this technocratic world of ours. The present world is a technology driven world. Every domain of life of the present world being is influenced by technology.
Therefore, no highly educated individual can detach his/her life from technology. In this technocratic world of ours, therefore it will be wise on the part of an individual to align himself/herself with technology by skill acquisition and thereby explore himself/herself in the newer and grandeur domains of life.
Moreover, in the specific context of a populas country like India skill acquisition holds an important place. As, in the Indian economy the avenues of employment whether in the public sector or, in the private sector are shrinking and hence, skill acquisition especially, by the highly educated individual and thereby, becoming a job creator instead of being a job seeker may certainly open the avenues of new and fascinating arenas of earning and livelihood.
At this juncture, we need to ponder in our analysis on ‘higher education versus skill acquisition- the dichotomy’, as to what really is detaching ourselves being a highly educated individual from skill acquisition. The most important loophole or lacunae in skill acquisition for a highly educated individual is his/her very outlook towards skill acquisition. In most of the cases, it is generally observed that after acquiring higher education whether in Engineering, IT, Humanities or any other branch of study, most of the youths try to seek government jobs especially, in the context of our country India.
This can certainly be termed as parochial thinking so far as skill acquisition and earning his/her livelihood is concerned. For most of the highly educated youths the process of skill acquisition visa-vies earning a living is a tedious and cumbersome process for an individual in his or her life.
Coupled with it, most of the Indian youths is of the notion that, a government job would provide more social security in his youth or old age then earning a living by skill acquisition. This certainly can be considered as a mental stigma so far as Indian youths are concerned. On the contrary, earning by skill acquisition is an art of earning by the magic of the confluence of his/her brain and his/her hand.
In this effort of earning by skill acquisition in most of the cases it is an earning in life by acquiring skill by the individual. Thus, earning by dint of skill acquisition may certainly open the floodgates of creativity and high income for an individual throughout his/her life. In the long run, skill acquisition may open a phase of joy and happiness in one’s life.
Therefore, in this quest of skill acquisition and thereby earning a descent income we need to overcome the very mental barrier in this regard. From an another perspective, it can be analyzed that, skill acquisition is very important from the point of view of a highly educated individual because of the fact that, in the specific context of the Indian economy and its present state of affairs the very avenues of government jobs are shrinking and hence trying or involving oneself in skill acquisition and thereby earning a decent living seems to be an important and pivotal path to lean into in this regard.
In this endeavor we, the Indians need to overcome the age-old and parochial thinking in this regard. In such a scenario of increasing unemployment among the youths visa-vies decreasing government jobs acquiring skill by the highly educated youths may be a game changer in our country, India so far as its economy is concerned.
The present Mr. Narendra Modi led NDA government has embarked upon various skill acquisition schemes like Skill India Mission, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), India International Skill Centre’s (IISC’s) to name a few in this regard. What is therefore required in this process of skill acquisition is to rethink and reinvigorate ourselves so far as earning a descent income by acquiring skill is concerned.
At the same time, in poverty stricken country like India skill acquisition must be accompanied by financing of these skilled youths in their work or skill mission is very important. This is so because, acquiring of skill by the youths without any proper financial planning for these skilled youths is simply meaningless. The MUDRA loan as initiated by the present Mr Narendra Modi’s government is an eye opener in this regard.
In a nutshell, if we can certainly make skill acquisition and thereby earning a descent income a reality in India then, the day is not far away when we will embark upon a path of labor intensive technological society. In this way, we will certainly make the dream of a labor intensive economy as emphasized by the Father of the nation, Pujya Mahatma Gandhiji a reality. In this effort on the part of the highly educated skilled Indian youths will certainly make the rate of unemployment among them a decreasing phenomenon with the passage of time.
This development in the Indian economy will certainly open a new variant in these youth’s psychology as well as in their outlook towards their lives. Come, let we all Indians come over our parochial thinking, so far as skill acquisition is concerned and thereby opening up a new vista towards life and livelihood. All these developments on the part of the highly educated Indian youths and their journey of skill acquisition will certainly blow away the dichotomy as prevailing between the two.
By: JNANDEEP BORA
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