'AI Has Pushed India 5 To 7 Years Behind!'

'Unfortunately, most of our students use AI to replace knowledge when they should be using the AI tools to enhance their knowledge.'
'I am sorry to say, even those students who have opted to study AI have no idea what AI is.'

Where does India stand in the world as far as skills and educational standards are concerned? Career consultant Jayaprakash Gandhi tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier, "far behind the US and China."

The first of a two-part interview:

Reports say that only 75% of the students from IIT Bombay got placed this year.
Since you interact with students all the time, do you think they are very concerned about the current job scenario?

The fact is, our students are not equipped with the kind of skills that industry needs. So, there is a gap between what the industry needs and what the students possess.

For example, TCS said they needed 81,000 people, but they could not get employees with the required skill set.

Our education system does not make students future-ready, and companies want students who are future-ready.

I am sorry to say, even the IITs are not able to cope up with the speed at which technology is moving.

The gap between what the students are learning and what the industry needs is widening every day.

That's why industry has to be part of creating the syllabus in every university.

Only the IITs are able to integrate industry and academia, and that is because of the huge support of their alumni.

The sad truth is, very few students learn beyond syllabus and beyond curriculum.

You mean, the curriculum is not catching up with the way technology is changing?

Yes. Not just the curriculum, the faculty also is not catching up. They would have done their PhD 10 years ago. A lot of changes take place in ten years.

I would go on to say that a PhD should be valid only for 5 years. After 5 years, the faculty should do research on the latest technological changes.

Let's not talk about the IITs. Let's talk about the second level and third level educational institutions and see the quality of their faculty. It is pathetic.

How do you expect a person who did his PhD 20 years ago to guide a student today when technology has undergone drastic advancements?

In today's times, learning is going to be life-long. You just can't pause. When you pause, when you stop, you are left behind.

What is needed in the academic field is reforms.

A recent study says that out of the top 300 engineers specialised in AI, India has only 8!

So many new AI tools are created, why is it that not even one Indian company developed them?

Where will this kind of a gap lead to?

This kind of technological gap will take India back by decades. Once, we were catching up with the rest of the world. With the arrival of AI, we have been pushed behind.

Today, China and the US have taken a big lead in AI, and the technological gap between India, and the US and China is 5 to 7 years.

Not just IT companies, every company wants people who can use AI to improve their efficiency.

IMAGE: Jayaprakash Gandhi

Unfortunately, most of our students use AI to replace knowledge when they should be using the AI tools to enhance their knowledge.

Are students aware of what they should be equipped with?

Maybe 50% of the students are aware. The rest just blindly follow the herd.

I am sorry to say, even those students who have opted to study AI have no idea what AI is.

Today, whatever profession you are going to be in, engineering technology is going to be relevant as the entire spectrum of industries from banking to finance to marketing to retail to automobiles use engineering and technology.

Even the field of medicine uses AI tools.

The other day, the Tamil Nadu governor said 75% of the students in Tamil Nadu could not recognise 2-digit numbers...

Though I don't agree completely with him, the fact is, in India we do not have a very strong examination evaluation system till the 8th standard.

If we evaluate the students strictly, I don't think not more than 40% will pass.

The problem with our education system is, we do not give strong foundation to the students.

• Part 2 of the Interview: 6 Questions To Ask Before Making A Career Choice

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com