Some Contemporary Issues in Technical Education

PROF.R. NATARAJAN Chairman All India Council for Technical Education I.G. Sports complex I.P. Estate ,New Delhi -110002 ABSTRACT A range of contemporary issues in Technical Education is discussed in this paper. First, some recent international as well as National Initiatives in Technical Education are enumerated. Some important issues relating to Employment and Manpower Development are next discussed. Some of the reasons for the success of the Indian IT Entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley are indicated. Two Appendices provide a discussion of some contemporary issues in Engineering Education and a comparison of Education and Business. Peers recognition and assessment play and extremely important role in Higher Education. Finally, a range of relevant issues, such as Compartmentalization, Quality and Quantity, Market Forces, role of Regulatory Bodies, and Attractiveness of the Engineering profession is briefly discussed. 1.SOME RECENT INITIATIVES TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN Considerable importance attached to continuing and life-long Education. A World bank Loan for TEQIP( Technical Education Quality Improvement Project) for upgrading a relatively large number of degree level Technical institutions. The NPTEL (National Project on Technology-Enhanced learning ) of the IITs and IIMSs to develop webcompatible instructional materials, new courses, programs. The Technology Channel Introduction by the MHRD for disseminating highquality lectures country wide The Technology Education Mission announced by the MHRD in January 2002 to focus on quantitative expansion of high-quality Technical and Management Education, Leveraging of IT.etc. Substantial Alumni donations by IIT alumni. RECs conferred Deemed University status, and re-named National Institutes

A number of new initiatives in Technical Education have been implemented ,both internationally and nationally: 1.1 International Initiatives International twinning programs ,student exchange programs. Wahington Accord Consortium for establishing and enabling equivalence of Accreditation systems in Engineering Education. Radically new EC-2000 Accreditation Criteria of ABET. MIT (USA) places its courses on the web. Institutions offering degree programs exclusively through the internet spring up. Several Workshops on : Industry Institute interaction; Competencies required by XXI Century Engineers; Global Engineers.

of Technology(NITs) with re-defined roles and goals. Significant Quality Initiatives-

NAAC for higher Education NBA for Technical Education Dual degree M.tech. programs introduced in the IITs. MBA Programs introduced int eh IITs. Duration of M.tech programs increased from 1.5 to 2 years. Registration and Licensing of Engineers being introduced. All India Engineering Entrance Examination introduced. 70% of intake capacity created in Technical institutions is in IT-related areas, such as ,IT, computer Science and Engineering, Electronics, Telecom, etc. INDEST(Indian National Digital Library in Engineering Science & Technology) 2.SOME ISSUES RELATING TO EMPLOYMENT AND MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT The perceptions of employers towards prospective employees are too diverse to provide guidelines to the institutions in starting new programs or closing down existing programs. Industry Associations ,such as CII,NASSCOM,FICCI, etc. do commission studies through consultants, such as McKinsey, KPMG etc; but they do not offer unambiguous guidelines for manpower development. The following factors contribute to the complexity of the issues: Graduates or Post-Graduates specializing in one area may take up careers in another area. This is referred to as internal brain drain, such as Engineering Graduates taking up careers

in Management, Business, Administrative Service. In a finer sense, Mechanical Engineers working in the Aerospace area, or in It area, also is a deviation between the areas of study and work. In the manpower planning studies of industry associations/ consultant, provision is made for graduates of all disciplines contributing to employment rich sectors , such as IT,ITES, etc. The un-organized sector contributes significantly to the nationals GDP, but the quantity , qualification level and area/filed of the jobs and potential employees are difficult to plan for. It is generally expected that many engineering and other professional graduates would become (Successful) entrepreneurs, becoming job-creators rather than job-seekers. It is generally agreed among academics that industrial exposure is essential for engineering students during their study program, and hence technical institutions should be located in the vicinity of industries. This means that students in rural technical institutions miss out on this important input. There is another point of view that the engineering graduates from rural engineering colleges would become technical entrepreneurs and promote industrial development in the area. This is actually a chicken-and egg situation. There is a regional imbalance. in terms of number of institutions and admission capacity, with the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh ,Maharashtra and Karnataka contributing to about twothirds of the national admission capacity.

These states point out that their graduates are intended not only for the employment market of their own states, but also for other states, and indeed for the global market. There are many states in which the admission capacity is considerably less than the national average(admission capacity as a ration of population).This is largely due to the lack of proposals from these deficit states ,and local state government policies .This results in the migration of students from these states to the excess capacity states. The AICTE Project to IAMR (Institute for Applied Manpower Research),viz., NTMIS(National Technical Manpower information System) is intended to provide information on the employment profiles of the engineering graduates. However, it takes time to obtain this information in a comprehensive and reliable manner, and hence is not directly usable in the manpower planning process. For the first time in our country ,the admission capacity in Diploma-level institutions has fallen below that in Degree level institutions. This means that students as well as employers prefer Degree level educations to Diploma level education. The implications of this fact have to be carefully examined ,particularly from the point of view of manpower planning. There are general complaints from industry employers that several engineering graduates do not possess the requisite knowledge, skills and attitudes do fulfill industry expectations. However, they are not able to provide sufficient training places, nor the requisite commitment , to assist the technical

institutions in providing industry orientation. It is interesting that all engineering graduates are not looking for careers in industry ;other options being management ,higher studies, R&D ,teaching ,service sector, etc. It is proposed that only those seeking careers in industry need be given industrial training. Many existing Universities and institutions are offering Distance education programs/Correspondence Course; some for degree programs , and other for vocational/job-oriented/training programs. Often, the issue is one of equivalence/compatibility with the conventional system, and many employers prefer graduates from the conventional system. There graduates from the conventional system. There are several Pg(part-time) programs fro working professionals, which are quite popular. Lifelong Learning is coming to be recognized as extremely important for every working professional, particularly in view of the rapid obsolescence inherent in technology development and applications, and frequent changes in job requirements. Opportunities for continuous professional development are provided by technical institutions, professional societies, industry associations, industry training centres.etc. Technical Institutions have come to recognize continuing education as an extremely important responsibility and activity for the Institution. However, it is not considered as a mainstream activity, only a supplementary activity. It is generally agreed that there is considerable faculty shortage in technical education, ranging from IITs to new

institutions, and at both degree as well as diploma levels. There is both a shortagein terms of quantity as well as qualifications. there are not enough Ph.Ds or Postgraduates available for appointment as engineering faculty members. And Teaching(in addition to R & D) are among the last preference of engineering graduates.(May be Familiarity breeds contempt.) Industry and other employers complain that they find it necessary to invest in training before the graduating engineers become productive .It is generally felt that graduate engineers are under employed in industry. Industry also complains that many engineers are unemployable. In several countries, including developed countries ,while the economy thrives, unemployment also increases-referred to as jobless growth. This show that creating jobs and employment is even more difficult than ensuring economic growth.

the best technical institutions. such as the IITs. They are largely from middle class families, very keen to acquire knowledge and achieve economic success. The new technology/knowledge economy is considered to be a middle class phenomenon. They have no pressures or immediate reason to return .The opportunities are better in the US than at home. The strong social networks, such as that represented by the Indus Entrepreneurs, Tie, Provide mentoring and advice to start-ups.

4. SOME CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION A number Engineering Appendix-1 of contemporary issues Education are discussed in in

5. A COMPARISON OF EDUCATION AND BUSINESS Appendix-II provides a comparison between prevalling and emerging trends in Education and Business. 6. THE ROLE AND IMPROTANCE OF PEERS IN HIHGER EDDUCATION It may be said that the credibility of the Higher Education System worldwide rests strongly on the broad shoulders of the peers in the system. In almost every aspect of an academics activities and assessment, the voice of the peers is given great importance and significance. Most often, the peers offer their time, expertise and service in a voluntary and honorary capacity. Some of these academic activities are: Refereeing of journal/conference papers fro publication/presentation.

3. THE SUCCESS OF INDIAN IT ENTREPRENEURS IN SILICON VALEY There has been world-wide acclaim for the technological ,economic and entrepreneurial success of Indian IT entrepreneurs in SiliconValley.It has been ascribed to factors such as the right ambience, mindset, timing, preparedness, social networks, and the right chemistry between people, infrastructure ,venture capital ,technology and emerging customer requirements. Some of the special characteristics of the successful Indian entrepreneurs have been identified to be the following: These immigrant entrepreneurs represent the best and brightest from

Members of Editorial Boards of Journal /Organizing Committees of conferences. Review of Research Proposals for funding. Selection Committees of Universities/Research Labs/Industry for Selection/Promotion of faculty /professionals. Members of Accreditation Teams and other Visiting Expert Committees. Monitoring of Research Projects. Selection Committees fro Awards.

possibilities of inter-disciplinary studies or careers; for example for science students to study engineering, or for science faculty to seek faculty positions in engineering .It is encouraging that several institutions are starting inter-disciplinary programs, particularly at the PG level. Inter-disciplinary R&D is also being promoted in several technical institutions. Structural changes are also being initiated, such as formation or inter-disciplinary R&D Groups, combining Departments into Divisions etc. 7.2 On Quality and Quantity

The basic premises /principles underlying peer review are that the review process is objective, transparent, unbiased, unprejudiced and reproducible by another peer group, if necessary. In the case of some journals, the authors name and affiliation are hidden from the reviewer to avoid bias-positive or negative. In order to enhance objectivity , the author is given and opportunity to rebut the referees comments, and the Editor adjudicates the debate. More often than not, there is more than one reviewer, thus increasing the objectivity of the process. This peer-review process is clearly absent when an author posts his article on the internet and communicates to his peers. The reliability and validity of the information/knowledge presented are unestablished. The feedback he might get is unstructured and does not constitute a review. Thus ,as a medium, the printed journal has more credibility than the electronic medium. 7. A RANGE OF RELEVANT ISSUES 7.1 Compartmentalization More so in our country than in others, especially Developed Countries, there is rigid compartmentalization in terms of disciplines, both in the matter of study opportunities for students as well as career opportunities for faculty members. There are very few

Quality and Quantity need not be mutually exclusive. There are Universities with enrolment of more than 10,000 students which have succeeded in implementing high quality in their educational activities. What is essentially required is a quality Culture ,as well as, Pride in ones institution, Department and Academic activities. There are several barriers to Quality in our country. The most important barrier is the sab chalta hai attitude. It is only because of the Liberalization and Globalization that several of our industries and Businesses have, not only incorporated Quality in their products and services, but also have sought and obtained international certification for Quality. The Accreditation(NBA) of AICTE, and the NAAC of the UGC ,have definitely created an awareness of Quality in Education among our Institutions, many of whom are responding positively to these challenges. 7.2 Market Forces Market Forces are indeed a powerful stimulus for undertaking activities which are required and demanded by the stake-holders and customers. For example, it was because of the projected demand for a very large number of Software Professionals that the intake capacity in ITrelated courses was increased substantially, a

few years ago. Unfortunately, the IT sector underwent a depression which was automatically transmitted to the Education sector. However, unlike the Corporate sector, in view of the long gestation period in the Education sector , corrective action is impeded by the inertia of the system. 7.3 Roel of Rgualatory Bodies The regulatory bodies in Education-Whether Higher Education or Professional Education-are the guiding forces for ensuring conformance to Norms and Standards. Without them, there would be utter chaos. As in matters of Planning and Law ,for instance, it is in the implementation and enforcement that the country can hope to achieve progress. All the stakeholders have the responsibility for respecting the Regulations an Norms & Standards.

7.4 Attractiveness profession

of

the

Engineering

The attractiveness of a profession is almost exclusively dependent upon the attractiveness of the jobs that become available in the employment market. Engineers not only employment in their areas of study, but also migrate to other sectors. This is particularly so in recent times, as the best students among the school-leavers prefer Engineering as the career. In fact the science educations are quite concerned about the impact of this trend on science education in this country. In the recent past, in view of the decline in employment opportunities, the Engineering profession has been losing its attractiveness; particularly because of the IT depression.

SOME CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN ENGINEEING EDUCATION SOME TYPICAL CRITICISMS SOME TYPICAL RESPONSES Physics, Chemistry , Maths; and in fact, even thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Basic Electronics.are Tools with which to tackle the Engineering problems.They are best taught by Subject Experts. These Tools ar as fundamental as, for example, Computer Programming and Computer Language, and even Languages (English, German), wherein Definitions, Terminology,(jargon),Concepts are important in their own right. It is for those, who come later, to take advantage of this foundation to teach the applications. The subject specialists can, and do, teach in depth, and with more rigour.

1.The Curriculum is too 1. compartmentalized .For example ,physics ,chemistry, maths, etc are taught in isolation; by subject specialists non Engineers; without linkage with the Engineering problems in the context of which these subjects are important. 2. Even physics, chemistry and maths should be taught by Engineers who need, and use, them in their specializations. For example, in many institutions, computer programming is taught by Mechanical/Civil/Electrical Engineers. 2. 3.The connections between the different subjects, their utility and integration are not at all clear. While it may be apparent to the 3. academics, neither the students not the employees are able to perceive it. For example , students of IT- Related subjects questions the need of learning subjects like Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics.

The perceptions and requirements of the different stakeholders are quite varied: Students demand instant employability Employers demand immediate productivity

4. Since all real-life problems are multi-and interdisciplinary ,the Learning experiences should incorporate real-life problem solving, case studies,(mini) projects, group discussions , assignments, etc. 5. Since all real-life problems are tackled and solved by Teams, team-work should be promoted by requiring the students to work in teams, as far as possible ,such as ,for example ,projects , group discussions, assignments. 6. Since, in real life , it is not necessary for the practicing Professional to remember things, but to be able to access information from appropriate sources, our examination system should be reformed, since the present system places undue emphasis on memory recall. The open-book system of examination should be employed ,at least for senior-level courses, involving design, for example.

Alumni (in their mid-careers) demand liberal arts, management and leadership skills. Faculty demand ling-term utility and a strong foundation. It is therefore , necessary to integrate these diverse demands , and as in other engineering problems, the final design of the Curriculum is a compromise, a trade-off, And, since the environmental context and demands continuously vary with time, the system must have enough autonomy and responsiveness in order to be dynamically compatible. 4. Even in Management Education, exclusive use of Case Studies is not recommended. While they have their merits, they need to be employed as Complementary/Supplementary to the Lecture mode. 5. While this is valid from an academic point of view, it is very difficult in practice ,since the relative contributions of the various members of the team can never be uniform , and this is even more difficult in assessment of the work of the individual students. Effective team-working, including the definition and assessment of the work, its supervision and assessment, requires a great deal of work, time and commitment of the faculty. 6. Assessment of competency-based learning is a sophisticated activity, as also openbook exams. While it may be practical for small classes, it will be extremely difficulty for the large classes we normally encounter.

APPENDIX II EDUCATION VS BUSINESS TERMS ACCEPATABLE IN BUSINESS, BUT TERMS ACCEPTABLE IN EDUCATION, NOT IN EDUCATION BUT NOT IN BUSINESS Profit Service Market Subsidy Commodity Commercialization Sales Shareholder

BUSINESS TERMS BECOMING TERMS WHICH ARE UNACCEPTABLE/ ACCEPTABLE IN EDUCATION UNPOPULAR IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR Stakeholder Education Market Customer Education Product Consumer (cf Consumer Act) Education business Service Provider Commercialization Value for money Profit Economics of Knowledge Commodification of Education Corporatization of University Coaching Knowledge Economy Capitation Fees Education Provider

NEED Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Higer Education Institute for Empoyment Generation
PROF B M NAIK 23. Meher Nagar, Garkheda,Aurangabad-431005 Former Principal,SGGS college of Engineering and Tehnlogy,Nanded , now Education Consultant e mail-naikbm@yahoo.com ABSTRACT The conventional wisdom in higher education which once served well is no more fit for today and tomorrow. The time demands revolutionary changes to promote innovation and entrepreneurship. Institutions must act fast to reform, otherwise foreign universities are likely to take away the Indian education market. Higher Education Institutions, without centers on campus for technological innovation, entrepreneurship development, patent and technology transfer, venture capital for foundation, hitech start ups,spin-off of companies and spin-off of technologies are incomplete, irrelevant and nonviable in modern sense.If India dreams to be a developed nation b the year 2020,the present higher education system needs to be strengthened urgently in respect of above stated centers. They have to be able to provide Technology push matching with Market Pull and turn out graduates as leaders who are in short supply. They have to redesign their systems to generate new knowledge and new technologies ahead of others. The present department store approach, distributing knowledge generated elsewhere in the world only is unfit for the purpose. They will have to install systems as WELL SPRINGS of new knowledge. Institutions have to establish above stated centers afresh in their campuses, essentially in partnership or in association with industry. Restructuring in the context of global changes has to be the main item on national agenda, without which the intellectual resource will continue to be wasted, and opportunities missed. AICTE and UGC should have to do bench marking with best in the world ,and make gap analysis. This is urgent because ,our institutions follow only that which these apex bodies prescribe. The key factor behind unemployment, is insufficient innovation. Shortage of people with innovation skills is a major barrier in employment generation. Universities, colleges and polytechnics which have a major influence on nations capacity for innovations should have to resort to new strategies. They would have to install systems to generation new ideas and new technology for industry and help them to win, Indian higher education institutes must recognize the full scope of the innovation phenomenon. They should produce leaders of world standards. 1. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM On one hand there is so much of unemployment amongst educated youths, and on the other hand there is a shortage of entrepreneurship to develop innovative enterprises. There is abundance of natural resources on one hand and shortage of finished goods and services on the other hand. Lucrative opportunities due to lack of entrepreneurs are either dying or being taken away by foreigners. There is a influx of goods from east and west countries in Indian market. Indian industry ,unfortunately is are too behind the world. India ranks as low as 43 rd in industrial competitiveness ,and 127 in Human Development Index Government has set a goal

to build India a developed nation by the year 2020.So as to accomplish this , young engineers urgently need to depart from their conventional approach and focus their attention on innovation and entrepreneurship. Higher Education Institutions in partnership with industry , in this cause ,have a key role to pay .They ought to become business oriented, with focus on spinoff of hi-tech start-ups.They ought to capitalize on emerging technology. Can they provide Technology Push matching with Market Pull on sustainable basis? The present frame of universities and colleges without innovation and entrepreneurship centers is not competitive enough to produce leaders of world class standard .They are producing good soldiers ,which is necessary but not enough. They need to produced competent captains to lead on industry and economy. To be able to become so they are going abroad every year, in increasing numbers.

education and makes education relevant to market needs. Prof Terman in 1950 observed that,industry so as to remain competitive globally needs access to first class research in universities. So also the first class researchers in universities need access to industry so as to commercialize their research findings There is a greater need of University Related Research Parks{ URRP}, in India .Parks, in isolation from academic institutions being set up are good but can not substitute URRP. These centers have to be the key players. They have to be the drivers of technological revolution. A formal policy of technological innovation in higher education is urgently needed to drive the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship as a far reaching change in society and not just to target potential entrepreneurs.

Universities need to be enlarged forthwith to cover centers like, Technology innovation and Relay Center, Entrepreneurship development Center, Technology incubator, Business incubator, Research Park, Venture Capital Foundation ,Technology Park, Patent and IPR Centre, Industrial Services Center, Technology Transfer and Marketing Center, Corporate Education Center, which are exiting from last more than 50 years in counterpart institutions in developed countries .It is on account of this that those nations have prospered .IITs , IISc have recently started such centers in their campuses. Intitutions should have to initiate a movement for creation of New Technology Based Firms (NTBF) and venture capital foundations. It is new dimensions to be added to our present university and college campus .They function as profit centers. They are not a liability on university finances, but generates wealth, which subsidizes cost of

2. Need to Produce Leaders in Technology and Leaders in Industry It was presumed in good old days that new technology could be discovered only abroad. Our colleges, universities and companies used to be happy to become best followers. We have been as a result constantly buying the technologies and they are selling But now, Indian talent has become conscious of its capabilities. It has become ambitious to discover new technologies ahead of others. Indians in silicon valley have made a mark. It is observed that students who learn to innovate in college days, are better suited to discover unkown in service career. They are more fit to lead in world market. Students who aspire to become leaders in technology and leaders in industry should have necessarily to acquire skills to generate new technologies, new

products and new processes and obtain patents. It is realized that the key factor behind unemployment, is insufficient technological innovation and entrepreneurship. Do the institutes possess visions and missions to generate new knowledge. Have they nurtured culture to produce new technologies ? Visions are in short supply and not the capabilities or the resources. We need to acquire them from world class institutions. Low aim is a crime. Why do thousands of students go abroad for higher education? They have been going from pre independence period. How many more years they may have to go: Can all those who desire go? What are the things which foreign universities teach, but we do not/ Unless we teach students skills of innovation, skills for generation of new technologies, skills for discovery of new knowledge, parent and IPR, out institutes will remain behind the time, and the outflow will continue. Their institutions are innovative in character or institutions are conservative , Foreign universities exist today in future we exist today in past they teach sunrise technologies we teach sunset technologies. They produce leaders we produce followers. They lead a change we followers the change. They lead a change we follow the change. They are engines we remain bogies. They are not afraid of change we are. They practice creative destruction. The challenge now is to create a knowledge society. That society in which new knowledge is not only used but also generated. The mindset of key people in UGC and AICTE needs to be reframed in favor of creating hi-tech entrepreneurship rather than to prepare youths with knowledge for employment for employment in MNCs. Equipping universities in respect of innovation infrastructure is a must to achieve the desired goal.

Technological innovation is an essential precondition for growth, maintain employment and competitiveness. A innovative person never remains unemployed. On the country he is more in demand. He has a mission in his life , which gives him extra energy and purpose. An innovative person constantly strives to improve. He is always dissatisfied with the prevalent. He wants to create new, and again new. The innovative spirit in him does not permit him to sit idle. He contributes to uplift the human kind. Human civilization is progressing constantly on the strengths of new ideas of such persons. Can the institutions produce such innovative persons more in number? If they do so institutions will be more in demand like Oxford and Cambridge. 3. Innovation is Indispensable Ideas are the real capital. Ideas are needed to succeed. They come from innovation. Idea generated killed is opportunity killed Knowledge memorized and stored in brain is important, but more important is the ability to discover new knowledge, new theories and new ideas. Institutions are the legitimate places, the crucibles of experimentation, for the manufacture of ideas. It is their prime function they have no reason to exist if they do not do so. The importance of innovation to the countrys economic future should be realized and infrastructure as stated above provided forthwith in higher education institutions. This will avoid the shortage of suitable persons for innovation and entrepreneurship, which is found to be a major barrio in employment generation. Most of the students in colleges and polytechnics learn in a passive way. Students learn quietly what is handed over to them. They learn through transmission

and are not guided to take active hand in creation of technologies. What did the famous philosopher Socrates teach his students? He taught how to raise questions. That means institutes have necessarily to ignite the creative minds of students. The competency of work force today is measured in terms of its ability to innovate. People have to be innovate to see ahead of others the incoming opportunities. India possesses the pool of youthful work force, and high quality human capital. This is our competitive advantage. We ought to prepare youths for global needs. 4. Commercial Exploitation of Brand New Technology Invention when exploited commercially is known as innovation. Research conducted in universities colleges and polytechnics, but rarely results in commercial exploitation. Thesis written mostly remains on shelf. No conscious effort is made to obtain economic value from them, mainly because drive in this direction is lacking. Students do not get opportunity to learn to convert inventions into usable goods and services. To that extent skill set of students, in addition reduces utility of research done and the rate return on investment. It is a good sign that higher education in India, is growing. But acquisition of skills for commercial exploitation, which is the demand of time, is lagging. Multifaceted units in partnership with industry like Research Park, Innovation Center, Incubator, Venture Capital Foundation, IPR center etc which constitute innovation infrastructure, is found to lead to creation of enterprising atmosphere

enabling students to acquire innovation skills more the commercialization of technology more is the wealth generation. In developed countries innovation in academic institutes is a usual practice. This has generated a wave of entrepreneurship facilitating students and the whole community to be creative, tapping the market in the whole world. USA produces leaders who employ followers from countries like India. Unfortunately this wave of creativity, leadership and outward looking culture is yet to reach the Indian shores. 5. A New Vision of New World How long students should keep learning knowledge generated by others elsewhere in the world? How long they should join the army of foreign companies, serve in supporting roles and be content with that? If the necessary infrastructure is provided some of the students, if not all, would certainly become First movers. The institutes and students need to dream high, in tune with global competitiveness. Learning innovation enables students to consolidate their knowledge of basics. Innovation Center is more than a learning place. It gives an inspiration to students, besides generating economic surplus. The role of institutions in vision development should not be under estimated. Innovation in education in India is conspicuously absent. Students do not get global perspectives. This is a serious lacuna. The institutes without innovation are truly incomplete in modern sense. They still follow a old outdated model whose, educational and financial efficiency is too less. They live in past, while their counterparts abroad are ahead are ahead of

time. Quality of technical education and research can substantially be enhanced and returns on investment increased if innovation policy in universities colleges and polytechnics in introduced. Joblessness and industrial slowdown is a result of lack of innovation. When shall we realize this? This situation is to innovate or die. Hence Government of India has launched the following program. 6. Quality Improvement Programme For reformation of higher and technical education. Government of India has recently launched a massive program, termed as Technical Education Quality Improvement Program (TEQIP). The objectives are, to impart world class education, to enable students to grow to the level they are capable for, also reduce dependence on foreign technology. From what is reported it is observed that the scheme is good, well formulated in many respects but in competitive environment it lacks a step towards Technological Innovation: Modernization of laboratories, library, class rooms, and faculty development as usual are essential but not sufficient. It is necessary to think differently, think great, going beyond current practice. It is necessary to design new organization structures oriented towards innovation, and enable students to acquire enterprising skills equals to, if not more than their counterparts abroad, which are the need of the hour. This is to say that institutions must provide a portal through which all the students compulsorily should have to pass though. For practice of commercial exploitation of the new knowledge that is to say new technology. They should target their efforts towards

production of marketable technologies, patents etc. the students should have to do some field surveys to identify level of technology used, productivity, and difficulties in using the latest technology. 7. Can Higher Education Institutes Give new ideas, Leadership to help Industry to Win? Surveys conducted elsewhere in the world indicate that NTBF started by young entrepreneurs with organization in academic institutions are far more successful that those started by persons with enterperience in industry. Academic institutions provide a powerful engine launch the new technology based enterprises are thereby generate employment. According to a news item published recently, India slipped to 21st rank from 13th in number of scientific output. The PHDS produced in engineering are on 293[1998] as against China 2900, and 5930 in USA. The number of graduates produced in USA almost double than in India. Yet all jobs, or become employed. Still they have a shortfall, to meet is same they invite engineers from abroad. This is maintain because they produce larger number of PHDS, we constantly explore new opportunities, everywhere are anywhere in the world. A critical examination of the schemes in the light of global winds of change, so as to avoid mistakes essential. If the infrastructure like Entrepreneurs center, Research Park, Incubator, Innovation center Venture Capital Fund, Patent and Technology Transformation center etc. In partnership with industry, are incorporated, it is feared that the whole effort reformation will remain on traditional lines, prevent

change. Massive investment being made, will not yet expected results. The education politics and practice should have to come out of old ruts. They are efficient, unproductive, and outdated. You need ideas to win in the world. It should be remembered that any investment present structure, present systems and procedure without introducing autonomy and improving academic culture is like investment to perpetuate and subsides incompetence, inefficiency leading to failure. Change, is most wanted, to replace worn ideas. The resources should not be frittered away trodden paths but should be used creatively on proceed off the beaten paths; essentially improve academic culture and output. Developing countries general are hopelessly conservative, inward looking and hostile to change. Innovative societies forward looking but society wise not. Unless we change our mind set and work to accelerate reformation proceed we can not progress. Academic Culture and Infrastructure Unless innovative measures like academic autonomy, administrative autonomy, is introduced higher education the additional investment in infrastructure will not pay dividends. Our own people in college, university and government unknowingly, out of inertia become observation to reformation. The authorities which are used to older style of working and for personal benefits do not take initiative to change. However, this should be guarded to avoid failure. The experience of India-Canada, and world bank project, in the recent past, has taught us many lessons. Aid from world bank to

countries like Congo. Zambia indicate that the aid turned out to be counter productive. The men in change of governance were accustomed to benefits from the present system. They did not take any initiative to change. It went towards subsidizing inefficiency ,bad policies , corruption, discouraging etc. The present case of universities and colleges, which are offering resistance to change, is a capability failure .Raising the organizational capability, making them competent and amendable to change is the key aspect which menus be attended to with utmost care by aid receiving institutions. Without which they may not be able to make most of the aid. Development of an institute can not be forced from outside. It comes only from within .It is a endogenous growth Organizational capability need to be developed so as to bring about change. Exposure to developed world needs to be made, time and again , to accelerate arrival of change. 8. Benchmarking with the best in the world What we observe differently in higher education institute abroad is that they have on their campuses centers like Research Park, Patent and Technology Transfer Center, Entrepreneurship Development Center, Incubator, Innovation Relay Center, Industries services center, etc. Venture Capital companies have opened offices in the campuses for early commercialization of technologies. Some institutes have setp up foundations to aid spin off start ups. Enterprises based on research are started, Corporate education centers are opened to educate aging work force. Institutes are designed to generate new technologies .Companies from across the world are flocking round them in search of new technologies. Institute have become sources of new ideas enabling companies to win. An

institute functions like a light house for industry. It is these thing which have increased productivity and added value to growing economy. Such institutes are functioning like a magnet attracting best of brains from anywhere and everywhere, in the world .Benchmarking is considered to be big driver for improvement . 9. System in world have changed Where are we? Can we afford to be stationary? All these multifaceted centers provide an opportunity to students to learn beyond curriculum ,as per their intrinsic motivation. they have been established especially after 1980,in 84 technical universities of Germany, in 125 research universities of USA, and in many universities abroad.MIT Boston has a technology licensing office[TLO] in which about 200 people work. The author has personality visited this office. The institute earns about one hundred patents every year and earns as much as 20 much as 20 % of its budget from the sale of technology. Quality and relevance of education in developed countries is reported to have improved mainly because of the presence of centers in the campus. Enterprising culture is imbibed in students, which leads to spin off of companies. Around ten companies are born every year in MIT. Institutes have become the maternity homes, where good baby care is taken and companies are consequently born without any congenital defects. This is found to be a good help to budding entrepreneurs. Our institute are lacking in all such ideas .Can we not adopt these strategies? True that it is a ling journey. But it has to begin some where .Is it not that a thousand miles journey begins with a single step? The vector of learning of

our students should have to be made in right direction .Otherwise their efforts ,time and money goes astray. 10. Innovation Generates jobs Cambridge Research Park.Limerick University research Park,Harburg University Park in Germany, technology based spin-offs from Sophia Antipolis university park in France,Oulu Business University Park in Finland etc are world famous examples which have benefited most the students, industry and academia. The author has personally verified by visiting them. China , Taiwan have installed such parks in their institutes, and thereby currently have successfully been converting brain drain into brain gain .A ECD study recently reported that those nations which lead in introducing innovation tend to win jobs from those who lag. Joblessness in India is increasing due mainly to lack of innovation. Insufficient innovative activity in India, is due to shortage of people possessing innovation skills because innovation is not taught in colleges. This is cited as a key factor behind under performance of Indian economy and fast growing unemployment. India must recognize the full scope of the innovation phenomenon .Without which proportion of sick industries will increase , and new born companies will be handicapped at birth itself. Can Indian academics teach innovation skills by international standards .Can they teach skills of discovery and skills to generate technologies equal to their counterparts abroad? Certainly yes. They have the potential. Can India hope to become a developed nation with out learning innovation? Should we keep on teaching sun set technologies? Can we hope to reform education without adopting innovative strategies? Certainly not. We

cannot generate employment without NTBF. Can students acquire innovation skills without infrastructure for innovation? We essentially need a swimming pool to lean swimming. Conclusion A new enterprising society in the world is coming into being .Institute should therefore focus their attention on reorienting students for closer integration with the world. Mobility of academicians at international levels is advocated .This has remained our serious deficiency in the past. Education and training in universities , colleges and polytechnics have a major influence on nations capacity for innovation. The role played by them, however is not satisfactory. Much needs to be done. Scientific methods like in developed countries need to be introduced .Innovation policy needs to be evolved. Can they produce NTBF, and how many ,is a pertinent questions which they should be asked. How much knowledge is acquired and stored in brains is important, but how well innovative skills are learned deserve priority .India in globalization should deviate from traditional methods of learning and take a lead in sharpening the innovation potential of students. They have missed opportunities in the past because necessary infrastructure and direction for employment, were not available .Now at least the should not miss. If India does not become a centre for technologies innovation then there is no

other way to become developed nation. If we develop systems in colleges produce new knowledge and new technology , the there is a fair chance to convert brain drain in to grain gain. The knowledge infrastructure proposed in this paper is profit center. It generates wealth much in excess of consumption. It is found to subsidize education and research ,besides improving the quality and relevance. It should therefore be installed forthwith, in easy university, college without any delay. Government should play its central role. If India desires to become a technology super power, then higher education institution must have throw away the old shackles, and install new innovation and entrepreneurship culture to create NTBF.This no more and option but compulsion. Resources are not in short supply,but the visions Universities must generate leaders and brand ideas to enable industry to win. The innovator makes enemies of all those we prospered under the old order,and receives on lukewarm support from those who would prosper the new Machivali, the Prince,1513 Feed back on email, naikbm@yahoo.com< mailto:naikbm@yahoo.com>, is welcome.

Achieving Excellence in Technical Education-Quality management system Approach

T.N SRIKANTHA DATH, R. RAMACHANDRAN,V. RAVICHANDRAN Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering Pennalur,Sriperumbudur -602 105 { dath, rrama,vravi}@ svce.ac.in ABSTRACT Institutions offering higher technical education are many. Providing services in these institutions is quite demanding , as the requirements are mostly intrinsic and the situation, very dynamic. We feet a system approach in managing the institution would definitely help in responding to the changing needs and that the ISO 9000:2000 series of standards provide and appropriate base for this .Our effort here is to highlight certain aspects in designing and implementing a Quality Management System based on the ISO 9000:2000 series of standards. The benefits of following the ISO standards and some of the misconceptions regarding the system in the minds of the people are also discussed. implicit and the situation is also very dynamic as the expertise needed is more and 1. INTRODUCTION technology is changing faster along with its Higher education , in particular, technical varied applications. The courses are also education Indian is reaching the society by more practical and research oriented .This way of opening many engineering colleges. requires a process management approach for While the aim of these promoters who in continual improvement of performance that most cases come from non-technical centers on the disciplined designed and background, is appreciated, it is felt that the careful execution of institutions end to end quality of services offered is found wanting activities .As process management becomes in many ways. The primary business of any ingrained , all the organizations management organization is to ensure customer systems refocus to support processes. People satisfaction by offering a product of the work in teams, not departments, their desired quality .Product in the context of compensations will be linked to results, not education is the transfer of knowledge .The activities or seniority, and senior people employers, other educational institutions and become coaches not superiors. Computer the society at large utilize the knowledge systems should be integrated to support endgained by the students .A successful to end processes, not individual departments, organization is one that consciously seeks and the culture encourages both individual and exploits opportunities for improvements accountability and collective responsibility. at all levels. Any Quality Management system(QMS) therefore, has to be dynamic in nature and The promoters of these educational continual improvement is an important institutions should have a clear long-term feature it must necessarily provide for. The perspective regarding the purpose of starting ISO 9001:2000 standard us generic in nature, the institution. Customer satisfaction does not flexible and capable of molding itself to consist merely of conformity with the different operational requirements as needed explicitly stated requirements, but would .Successful organizations believe that ISO include meeting all the perceived and 9000 should be used to increase the expected needs of the customer in respect of consistency of product quality and serve as the service. In institutions offering technical the foundation for systematic management .In education the requirements are mostly

this article we discuss some of the important points in developing a framework(QMS) for improving the quality of service.QMS is a management system to direct to direct and control and organization with regard to quality (ISO 9000:2000,3.2.3). 2. QMS as a framework Although any functionally organized institution performs all the activities involved in delivering the service in order to achieve product realization, it does not perform them as a process. Departments plan and perform them as a process. Departments plan and perform without being largely aware of each other and pursuing different performance objectives. This does not assure consistent results unless the vision of the promoters are transferred and understood at all levels of the institution. To move in the right direction, the job management of the institutions have to establish a suitable standard framework for working .that is, a suitable standard that brings in repeatability , consistency and transparency, to name a few , into the system. The ISO 9000:2000 Standard has its base in the following principles and is developed on Demings Plan DO- check Act continuous improvement cycle. Customer focus Leadership Involvement of people Process approach System approach to management Continual improvement Faculty approach to decision making and Mutually beneficial supplier relationship.

qualities of the management and the wisdom of its policies and reflects its culture and commitment. The development of a QMS is closely related to the top managements attitude to and confidence of understanding the standard of quality management and the effectiveness of QMS is dependent on the commitment towards it. The top management has to define the scope of the QMS very clearly covering most or all the institution .The advantage in covering all the activities under QMS is that the top management can have better control over the system. A person with clear understanding of the subject and with a zeal for making changes in the working culture of the organization should be appointed as the Management Representative (MR) and trained for implementing the quality program. The MR can form a core team and train them professionally for designing , developing, implementing , maintaining and improving aspects of the QMS. The core team members should be good facilitators (public relations officers) as their job involves understanding the system and creating awareness and interest of other employees of the institution. Professional head from consultants may be taken for developing the QMS. However ,actual work has to be done be the core team members to ensure better understanding and involvement. The steps leading to the development and implementation of QMS by MR and the core team and as shown below. Deciding the scope of QMS, Identification of MR and core team members, Training and awareness programs for MR and core team members on o The standard, o QMS documentation, o Process mapping

Quality requires the continuing application of these management principles. Customer care and support indicate in essence the leadership

o Quality policy(QP) o Quality objectives(QQs), Formulation of quality policy, Setting quality objectives, Identification of QMS processes, Mapping the identified processes, Preparing the manuals, Implementing the system, Creating awareness in all other people . Planning and conducting regular audits, Planning for continual improvement.

2. Framing quality policy QP is defined as the overall intentions any direction of an organization related to quality as formation expressed by top management (ISO9000:2000,3.2.4 Framing the QP is the foremost reasonability of the management as it reflects their vision and is the new logical step after defining the scope. The QP gives the direction in which the institution moves and show include implicit responsibilities. Therefore the may include. Inculcating ethical values in students and stresses on all round development, Exposing them to latest technologies with impel on research, Promoting harmonious working culture among size.

lead to good performance .The QOs, developed after a series of brainstorming sessions at various levels , can be at the institution level as well as department level. No strategy can succeed if the people who have to implement it dont understand it. The people working in the organization have to involve in framing QOs. People always support what they have helped create .The top management has to define roles clearly and ensure a proper structure in all departments for the implementation of the QOs and the related follow-up activities to be more effective. The QOs framed should be realistic and such that the factors, which control the implementation, are mostly internal. Couple of examples of quality objectives is shown below. To ensure that the results of first year vocational/non-english language medium students rise above 80% from 2004-205. A faculty to publish one paper for every 3 years in national/International journal starting from 2004- 2005.

The implementation of these types of QOs will call for total involvement and commitment from many people at various levels. Once the QOs are set the next step is identifying and mapping various processes, which help in the implementation of these objectives. 4. Identifying and mapping the processes

In addition to the basic requirement of transfer of knowledge though a well planned curriculum. The OP should be worked in a simple manner, easily understandable by everyone and displayed at suitable places in the institution. 3. Setting quality objectives Quality objective is something sought, or aimed to be relating to quality (ISO9000:2000,3.2.5).The QQs should be in line and derived from the quality policy .It should be understood that overmodest QO easily

The processes needed for the QMS and their application throughout the institution should be identified. These processes can be categorized under the following heads: Processes or documentation needed by the standard. Eg: Management Review, Core processes. Eg: Course planning and delivery, Support processes. Eg: Library, Management processes.Eg: Budget and Purchase.

After having identified the various processes, the present and the desired ways of performing activities have to be noted. While mapping processes involving more than one department , the issues have to be discussed with the concerned dependents the process is then broken down into achievable and measurable elements called tasks. For each of these tasks the inputs, outputs , resources needed, responsibilities and constraints have to be clearly specified. The process can be mapped pictorially or as a written procedure depending on the convenience and understanding of the people usingit.Structured methods can be followed for the decision-making process. 5. Documentation

The MR and the core team members share a very large responsibility in creating awareness , convincing people regarding their roles and the benefits of implementing and following the QMS.The QMS should be open for measurement , monitoring and continual improvement. 7. Monitoring and Measurement

The documentation and formats required for the QMS have to be suitable designed and standardized. Collectively , the documents and formats are framed to ensure transparency, traceability and consistency in working .The extent of documentation depends on the number of processes and the extent to which the details are envisaged. After the processes are mapped appropriately, the next important step would be to implementation the system. 6. Implementation the system

The monitoring , measurement and analysis is done to find the effectiveness of the product, the various processes and the status of implementation of the QOs. The monitoring and measurement of the product is done by various ways by the faculty concerned at intervals. Regular preplanned audits, conducted by trained auditors, assess effectively the analysis of students performance in the tests , the awareness, acceptability and understanding of the QMS in the people , the status of implementation of QOs and the performance of the various processes. The Feedback given by the various interested parties are good indicators of the standing of the institution in the eyes of the interested parties and the general public, Given below are some of the indicators from the respective feedback reports. The auditors have to compulsorily audit the relevant processes. Student feedback- Teaching learning process, mid course corrections, curriculum planning and evaluation, improvement in infrastructure Employers feedback Quality of output of students, Modification in the curriculum, infrastructure requirement Alumni feedback The standing of the institution in the society Parents feedback Teaching learning process, overall development of the institution

A fair strategy brilliantly rolled out is arguably more valuable than a brilliant strategy badly implemented. The top management plays a very important role in implementing the QMS. They have to redefine key roles under the QMS and people occupying these positions have to be more committed so hat the implementation is effective. The need for the change and the importance is effective .The need for the change and the importance of every individuals contribution to the system and in turn to the institution has to be highlighted .The contributions of the supporting staff is equally important in implementing the system. With better awareness the working culture becomes very transparent at all levels and the departments work in close association with one another to bring in synergy.

Audits have to be conducted in a very formal, fair and impartial manner as per as the ethics of auditing. Even though the audit is only a sampling exercise, the internal auditing process should be very intensive. It

would be a good practice to consolidate the findings in the various departments and send the deviations, irrespective of the department in which it is found, to all relevant departments. This will help in partly nullifying the sampling effect and also as a preventive measure.

processes and tasks will lead to drastically reducing paperwork.

The outcome of these measurements are further analyzed and presented to the authorities concerned during the meetings conducted specifically for the purpose. All the points are thoroughly discussed before suggesting suitable changes. The changes may be required in the QMS and/or in the working culture of the people in the institution.

8.

Discussion and conclusion

When continual improvement is the aim of the institution, people should be influenced and better awareness created in them to enhance their outputs to the overall level. QMS should never be used to settle personal scores. The MR and the top management has to constantly ensure that such a thing is not happening or else the very purpose of the QMS defeated totally and no form of any improvement programs can be brought about in future. Many adopt ISO9000 standards with an unenlightened motivation hindering the effective use of the standard. Without complete grip of the nature , objective role of ISO9000 some misunderstand the standard, misuse it and perceive little benefits from it 3.

A Strong misconception in any education institution is that a QMS either framed as per the ISO standards or otherwise, does not enhance the quality of the class room teaching. It may in this context be noted that the basic purpose of the QMS should be streamline all the activities and direct it towards customer satisfaction. The core teaching and learning processes are the most important of them. If the QMS has provisions inbuilt in it identify the shortcoming of the faculty member, then the authorities concerned can identify appropriate training- in-house or otherwise. This will identify bring about a change in the position direction.

Developing the QMS is not a one time effort; the dynamism in the working system should be reflected in the QMS. Provisions should be available in the system to incorporate changes suggested by people working in the institution. However, the suggested c hangs have to be reviewed by the M R and his team and approved by the authorities concerned before incorporating on QMS. No matter how hard people work they cannot exceed the capability of a process as it has been designed. Continuous improvement needs improved process design1.

Another view expressed is that if the QMS is implemented, it increases lot pf paperwork. If there was no proper system in the place earlier, then it is true that initially it seems to increase paperwork. It is said that amount of paperwork is inversely proportions to the awareness and maturity of the institution towards the QMS. The standards have enough provision in also to prevent unnecessary paperwork. Enabling services for many of the

Procedures are made under QMS to facilitate everyone for working smoothly. Care should be taken such that the procedure itself should not create bottlenecks. This results in loosing the actual spirit for working. With procedure gaining an upper hand.

The above discussions clearly shows that the ISO9000:standards gives a very clear framework for putting a base for initiating a quality improvement

program in educational institutions can utilize the standard effectively and make the best use of it. The implementation of the system will result in gaining the confidence of the society and will also raise the reputation of the institution. This is needed at this juncture when there are a number of institutions offering higher technical education.

2.

3. Acknowledgements: The authors are thankful to the management and the core term for the lively discussions we had during the designing and to the referee for the suggestions.

4.

1.

References Michael Hammer, process Management and the Future of Six Sigma, IEEE

Engineer Management Review,2002 .vol 30. No.4, pp.56-63. A.C.L.Yeung,T.S. Lee and Y. Chan, Senior Management perspective and ISO 9000 effectiveness-an empherical research, international journal of production Reseach,2003. Vol 41,No3, pp.545-569 Richard Mcknight , the four jobs of strategy implementation, IEEE Engineering Management Review 2002 ,Vol.30,No 3 pp.64-69. Karl T. Ulrich and Steven. D. Eppinger, Product design and Development, second Edition, Irwin McGraw Hill,New Delhi.

FROM ISO 9000 to Total Quality Management in a Technical Isntituiton: A Jounne towards continuous Improvement
SRINIVASA PAI.P Asst. Professor Dept of Industrial & Production Engg., NMAM Institute of Technology, Nitte-574 110.Karnataka State Email: srinivasapai@rediffimail.com K. SUBRANHMAYA BHAT Asst. Professor Dept of Industrial & Production Engg., NMAM Institute of Technology , Nitte-574 110.Karnataka State Email: subrahmanyabhat_2000@yahoo.com ABSTRACT Quality technical education is the need of the hour. The increasing demand for qualified technical manpower has led to an unplanned expansion of the technical education system with around 1200 and above institutions offering technical education in the country today at different levels. This has led to a degradation of quality, which is very important today to face competition. The market has become global .Hence there is a need to take measures to improve the quality of technical education .ISO 9000 standards have been found to be very effective in industries with almost every industry adopting the same. These standards are now being implemented in educational institutions, particularly the 2000 version. This paper evaluates the features of ISO 9000 standards and its implementation in an educational institution and how ISO 9000 acts as a foundation for institutions to implement TQM and move on a journey towards continuous improvement.

1.

Introduction

Quality in technical education is essential to face competition-the interpretation of quality in the education delivery process is difficult .The concept of quality as applied to products is well understood by every one. Education being a service industry, service delivered at a cost, the definition of product and process have to be done carefully. The organizations who deliver technical education to the students , who are be customers of this service have to be certified for quality by adopting a quality system in place. Once a quality management system is in place, which ascertains be quality of the processes involved in the delivery of education, for providing quality output, it has to be continuously improved upon.

Quality has become a decisive factor in the new millennium in attracting students and faculty to an institution. The globalization phenomenon has also affected education .There is competition in the market and only those institution that offer quality education will survive this competition .Various techniques of quality improvement are being tried and tested .IT includes ISO 9000 standards , Total Quality Management (TQM) ,Accreditation, Benchmarking etc ISO 9000 standards are very popular around the world as far as quality certification is concerned in industries .Educational institutions we now adopting it , particularly after the latest revision of the standards have made it very simple and easy to understand, interpret and implement [3] . This paper examines the ISO 9000 standards and their revisions in brief and its advantages for implementation in a technical institution to have a quality system in

place.And how and institution after adopting ISO 9000 standards can adopt TQM in their journey towards continuous quality improvement. 2. ISO 9000 Standards An Overview

combination of continuous improved quality assurance and quality management system, which will enhance customer satisfaction[2,3]. This simplification of the ISO standards has promoted educational institute to adopt the same. The customer of the educational delivery process being the students , parents and employers, there is a need to continuously understand the requirements of these and improve the education delivery process. The customer satisfaction has to be measured though surveys and other methods , shortfalls indentified and corrective and preventive actions should be taken. 2.1. Reasons for seeking registration The reasons for seeking ISO 9000 series of standards registration are numbers and may vary between companies .According to jones et.al, 1997 the reasons are as follow: Development reasons desire to improve the companys internal processes, desire to enhance the overall competitive performance of the company. Non development reasons-requirement of major customer(s),desire not to be locked out of future tendering processes or markets, realizing that is progressively becoming a requirement of doing business , marketing and public relations tool. Mixed reasons constitutes the combination & development and nondevelopmental reasons.

International Organization for standardization (ISO) first published the ISO 9000 series of quality standards in 1987.The standards were first revised in 1994 and again in 2000.The concept of quality underlying ISO 9000 is meeting customers requirements. A product or service, therefore, has quality when it satisfies the uses needs, both stated and implied. As per ISO , by the end of December 2002, at least 5,61,747 certificates of conformity to ISO 9000 standards had been issued in 159 countries [6].The ISO 9000 series of quality assurance standards comprise: ISO 9000,ISO 9001,ISO 9002,ISO 9003 and ISO 9004 .The function of ISO 9000 and ISO 9004 is to provide guidelines to applicants of ISO 9000 certification.ISO 9001,9002 and 9003 specify the minimum requirements for establishing and maintaining a documented system to instill confidence in customer requirements.ISO 9001 covers all activities in all stages of an organizations operations , starting from the design and development to servicing customers.ISO 9002 is more suitable for organization engaged in production and installation only, while ISO 9003 is The proper choice for organizations engaged only in final inspection and testing .The three different standards are now replaced by a single quality management system requirements standard, ISO 9001:2000.The first major change in the revised standards is the shift from 20 clauses of requirements to 5 clauses with an emphasis in continuous improvement through planDo Check-Act( PDCA) and customer focus[1,2,3] the second change is reduction in the numbers of technical requirements directed at operational level of the organization .However, top management are more responsible in the quality management system. The third change is the wider coverage of quality by shifting from a focus of quality assurance system to a

Both development and non-developmental reasons can be attributed for technical institutions seeking ISO 9000 series of standards registration (2).

2.2

Benefits of ISO 9000 registration

The primary benefit is that it brings confidence among its customers both exiting and new. The other benefits include-

1) It assures opportunity and environment for quality technical education2) It provides ways and means for identifying and resolving non conformance with standards preventing their recurrence. 3) It creates quality awareness among al employers and a sense of job satisfaction 4) It provides a means for documenting the organizations processes and procedures that count serve as a basis for training staff and also to improving their performance in the future. 5) It helps in installing a cost-effective quality management system. 6) It provides national/international recognition and leads to a positive image with greater acceptable [2]. 2.3 Difficulties in Implementation of ISO 9000 standards

Misinterpretation of ISO 9000s requirements; Excessive documentation and control and Understanding of the efforts and resources needed in certification[2].

1 Total Quality Mangement According to Besterfield et.al Total Quality Management (TQM) is both philosophy and a set of guiding principles that represent the foundation of a continuously improving organization[10] TQM is the application of quantitative methods and human resources to improve the material and services supplied to an organization, all the processes within and organization and the degree to which the needs of the customer are met, now and in the future .TQM requires ranging the entire organization so that it excels in all dimensions of products and service that are important to the customer .TQM is the integration of all functions, processes and personnel within an organization in order to achieve the continuous improvement of the quality of services. The key ingredients of quality have been defined as fitness for use by the customer (Juran, 1989), quality aimed at the present and future needs of the customer(Deming,1986), conformance to requirements set by consumers (Crosby, 1979), the totality of features end characteristics of a product or service that bears on its ability to satisfy stated or implied need (BS), 1994).Extending TQM principles, Setmour(1992) edopted and embraced the improvement strategy based on plan-Do-CheckAct(PDCA) cycle of Deming (1986), to coordinate continuous improvement efforts especially for optimizing a process. Based on all these definitions, it is clear that TQMs main principle and driving force is basically founded on the importance of customer satisfaction, leadership and continuous improvement effort by all involved within the system[8]. The process of globalization has affected the education scenario in the country. The entry of private players in the field of education has really increased competition in the market. And the entry of

A survey done by Calingo et,al., 1995; Quazi and Padibjo, 1998 of Singapore companies indicate the following barriers to ISO 9000 certification.And their hold good even for its implementation in technical institutions and include: Lack of top management support and commitment; Employee resistance to change-this is not a very strong barrier in a technical institution , as there is no strong union culture in educational institution. Lack of understanding of ISO 9000 system; Constraints on resources (manpower, time ,money etc.) Lack of training and education of employees and Unclear benefits of obtaining certification .

In addition to these are some more difficulties ISO 9000 certification

foreign universities from different countries promising to offer quality in the education and service they offer has made it much more difficult for institutions to survive in this competitive world .Education in general , and technical education in particular has undergone a paradigm shift from being a noble thing which was considered as something affordable to a few to being made available to everybody today. Commercial and economic forces have started influencing technical education .This is clear from the statistics , which show that today we have around 1200 technical institutions offering education at various levels. Quality consciousness as well as the need to face competition has forced institutions to adopt quality systems like ISO 9000 ,which is a proof of the institutions commitment to quality. Such initiatives have further driven institutions towards improving the quality on a continuous basis, because educations a continuous teaching-learning process with lot of innovations, change and developments .In a ASQC survey of American universities and community colleges, Horine et.al,1993 reported valuable benefits from the use of TQM, which include: increased employee empowerment, customer satisfaction, team work and culture change[8] 3.1 TQM in Teaching learning process TQM is very relevant for education because quality in education is a continuous process.TQM works on

three fundamental principles-customer focus , process improvement and total involvement. Customers in the process of education include students, who can be called as the internal customers and employers, who are external customers. Students with raw and unprocessed skills are processed by the Teaching learning process to produce outputs, who are skilled and educated graduate The teachers manage, facilitate and work continuously to improve the teaching learning process by getting feedback from the students and driving them to learn-The output of this teaching learning process is not the student, but the education of the student Hence students also have an active role to play to facilitate continuous improvement in the teaching-learning process. This process of transformation requires support from several resources other than the teachers like supporting staff, departments, library, laboratories and other infrastructure that support this process. The commitment of the top management in the form of effective leadership is very much essential .The TQM model of teaching learning process can be represented as given in fig.1 1 below [8].

Fig.1 TQM model of Teaching Learning Process Appling TQM to education process is a multifaceted approach and can be applied step by step which should cover the entire organization. A few important steps are given beloweffective should start from the top management and should read everyone in the organization. 5. TQM requires effective leadership for in implementation .The commitment of the top management towards quality becomes clear from this. Most of the TQM implementation ,be it industries or in institutions have failed due to lack of effective leadership [4,5]. 3.2 Characteristics of successful TQM A successfully implemented TQM process exhibit nine primary characteristics .They are: Continuous, visible support by all levels and management. Decision making is based on factual data rather than intuition ,opinion , or remembered experience. Continuous, objective measurement of and planned response to all key process parameters. Continuous planned training for all employees Teamwork at all levels in the organization and at all times. Employee empowerment Clear and unambiguous communication throughout the organization Trust of and by all employees. Honesty in all actions, no hidden agendas.

1. The organization should have a clearly written or spelt out vision statement .This generally comes from the top management .This will guide an organization in its journey of quality .The vision statement should be simple ,clear , authentic, possible compelling and make one feel good. To run a successful TQM process, one needs a quality policy which will provide necessary guidance to accomplish the vision. 2. The organization should focus on customer satisfaction .A TQM organization always believes that customer is the king. By providing quality education, as perceived by the students, parents and employers and society in general on a continuous basis an institution can become a TQM institution . 3. People in a TQM organization should work in team, thereby promoting teamwork. Individuals are important in an organization, but when people work towards a goal , they should work as a team with a sense of belonging and ownership of the team process as a whole. The team should be bound by a commitment for the quality policy and the vision statement of the organization. 4. TQM is about managing the process of change always when organization adopt change ,there resistance .Change forces people to think and take decisions. The most important dimension the effective TQM process is the changing behavior of people .All organizations functions are viewed are and integrated system of interdependent processes .The change process for it to be

Most people agree that successful organizations hae two primary objectives: performance excellence (imparting high quality education to produce excellent graduates ) and customer delight )providing a student not only with education, but helping hi or her to be shaped into a complete individual to face the competitive world).To achieve these twin objectives, three structural elements are needed, which are intertwined and include TQM(Philosophy & goal),

teamwork (execution vehicle) and Statistical Process Control (SPC) (Implementation tools).SPC is an integrated system of tools and techniques that help in determination of root causes of problems. These include pareto diagram , process flow diagram , cause & effect diagram, check sheets, histogram, control charts and acatter diagram[7]. 3.3 PDCA Cycle One of the basic tenets of TQM is customer Satisfaction though continuous improvement. One of the effective tools of achieving this is the PDCA cycle.Ths basic cycle was called Plan Do-Study Act(PDSA) , which was first developed by Shewhart[10].It was modified by Deming and is called as Plan Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle. It is an effective improvement technique.Fig.2 shows the PDCA Cycle[1].

DO: Implement the plan and measure its performance. The designed or redesigned system of education delivery process has to be implemented and its performance have to be evaluated on a continuous basis using different performance indicators like performance of the students in the tests, examinations, attendance in the class, laboratories , seminars, industrial visits, submission of assignment etc. Check : Assess the measurements and report the results to decision makers. The performance indicators defined , established and accepted should be used to assess the performance of the system designed for the education delivery process and the results have to be reported to the top management and other concerned people. ACT: Decide on changes needed to improve the process. Based on the performance evaluation carried out in the previous phase, necessary changes have to be made to improve the education delivery process and conform to the requirements specified in the first phase and thereby embark on a journey of continuous improvement.

4 From ISO 9000 to TQM A quality system based on ISO 9000 is pillar in a companys approach to TQM .We can understand this better by considering and analogy of building a house. When building a house, it needs a solid foundation to prevent its collapse. In building a quality house, we can visualize the roof as the two primary objectives (performance excellence and customer delight). For building a solid frame to support this roof, we need a solid foundation .And in many organizations, ISO 9000 provides this foundation.TQM provides the necessary frame to support the roof. An analysis of organization that have attempted to implement TQM and were not successful is that the culture was not ready for TQM .These

Fig.2 PDCA Cycle

The basic steps are as follows: PLAN: Desing or revise business process components to improve results. In the context of education, desing or redesign an effective system to teaching learning process, which includes factors like curriculum development , delivery of education, supporting infrastructural facilities, effective administration etc.

organizations lacked discipline and control of their business processes. There were problems

with interdepartmental interfaces.

Fig. 3 ISO 9000: the base for the journey to TQM ISO 9000 focuses on eliminating these problems ,while keeping customer satisfaction as the goal .ISO 9000 helps and organization to shift its culture to allow successful TQM implementation. TQM and ISO are not alternatives for each other.The ISO quality system is an essential feature of TQM. To better understand the transformation process brought about by ISO 9000 to successfully implement TQM, we need to understand the commonality between TQM and ISO 9000.These areas are: Top management leadership ,commitment and involvement Prevention of errors and defects. Detection and correction of errors and defects Dependency and integration of processes. Customer focus, both internal and external Root-cause corrective action process. Training Control of product and process design. SPC Effective implementation. External customer service. There are only two areas in ISO 9000 not explicitly in TQM and they are customer supplied product control and quality records[7].Fig 3 show how ISO 9000 acts as the base for the journey of and organization to TQM[9]. 5 Conclusion Improvement in the quality of technical education is strongly emphasized by everybody associated with it. The liberalization phenomenon has affected almost every sector of life and education is one important sector. The need for increased technical manpower by different sector of the economy has led to an unplanned growth in the number of institutions offering technical education in the country, particularly in the private sector. This has led to a decrease in the quality of education offered to the students and as a result we are unable to face the global competition. There is an urgent need to take initiatives for quality improvement. This has started at different levels, with the accreditation process by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) under AICTE and ISO 9000 standards, which are universally accepted standards for quality certification .These standards were only implemented by industries initially. But now there has been an increasing awareness towards adopting these standard

for quality certification in educational institutions and the latest revision of the standards namely ISO 9001:2000 is very relevant .This paper has discussed about the evolution of these standards and how these standards can be effectively implemented in and institution. The ensuring benefits of the same and the reasons for its failure has also been discussed .ISO 9000 standards help in establishing a QMS in place. Once established the quality so achieved has to be maintained and also improved upon on a continuous basis TQM is the management process ,which helps in continuously improving quality .This paper discusses the features of TQM ,TQM in Teaching Learning Process. Characteristics of successful TQM and the PDCA cycle which plays a major role in the continuous improvement process.ISO 9000 is the minimum requirement for any organization to implement TQM. Educational institutes that have embarked on a journey of continuous improvement have to implement ISO 9000.Once achieved and maintained ,it is the first step, albeit a clearly defined and focused one ,which will help in its journey to TQM and an thereby continuous improvement of quality to achieve world class excellence and total customer satisfaction. Referemces 1. Jagadeesh R., Towards Improving Quality of Technical Education Deming Wheel Revisited ,The Indian journal of Technical Educaiton,vol. 24, No. 4, October December 2001, pp 14-17 2. Sallesh yahya and Wee-Keat Gah,The implementation of an ISO 9000 quality system, international journal of Quality and Reliability Management ,Vol. 18, No. 9, 2001,pp 941-9b6. 3. Ian Graham R., ISO 9001: 1994 and ISO 9001: 2000 compared, Manufacturing Engineer, August 2002,pp 168-169. 4. Jayalakshmi L, TQM for Effective Educational Management , University News, Feb 1996, pp 33-35

5. Subba Rao C, and Kumara Swamy N., Total Quality Management in self Finanded Technical Institutions Some Strategy for Implementation , Univeristy News,April 1996, pp 7-9 6. ISO Survey , 2002 7. Michael Kirchner R, Whats Beyond ISO 9000? A comprehensive look at the journey toward quality improvement. 8. Lee Fui Tong & Yeap Boon Han, Applying TQM philosophy to the teaching and learning process, Monash University Malaysia. 9. Applying ISO 9000 Quality Management System, published by international Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO, Geneva, Switzerland, Indian Edition printed by D.L. Shah Trust,1996. 10. Total Quality Management, by Date H. Besterfield ,Carol Besterfield Michna ,Glen H. Bestrefield and mary Besterfield Sacre, Pearson Education Asia, 2001.

Strategies for Affecting Quality Improvement in Technical Education

I.P.S. AHUJA Senior Lecturer, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Thapar Instt. Of Engg & Technology, Patiala-147 004, Punjab E.mail: ahujaips@yahoo.co.in DR. T.P. SINGH Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Thapar Instt. Of Engg. & Technology, Patiala 147 004, Punjab E-mail: tp_malik@yahoo.com ABSTRACT Liberalization of Indias economy and its gradual integration into the world economy has increased the demand for a well-trained workforce. There is an utmost requirement for the technical education system in the country to develop not only academic capabilities but also skills and technologies demanded by the rapidly changing global market place. Thus technical education system has to be relevant to the development needs of the country, provide high quality of human recourse, develop excellence in emerging technologies and remain cost effective. Thus quality improvement in technical education should be treated as the primary requirement of the nation if India has to make best use of its vast human resource. There is an increasing need to affect strategic changes in the technical education system so as to transform it into a dynamic, quality conscious, customer oriented and response system, catering to the highly dynamic technological global requirements. 1. Introduction Technical education has been envisioned as one of the levers by which a society can affect its destiny. It can be consciously and deliberately used to shape the trend of a national or even world culture. It provides human resource with an opportunity to reflect on the critical, social, economic, cultural and moral issues facing humanity by building the technology capability relevant to the socioeconomic needs of the society as well as the country. Moreover, it also contributes to national development through dissemination of specialized knowledge and skills and is therefore crucial for survival

The rapid developments in the field of S & T in the last three decades have radically transformed the socio-economic environment in the nations across the world. The transformation of the world economy into the knowledge based society calls for fostering of the technologically competent human resource as an essential input for national development. The rapidly transforming and highly competitive global scenario characterized by radical technological advancements calls for fostering of newer and more efficient methods for solving problems of the society. The /Indian technical education system has made significant progress in last three decades in the development and strengthening of research and postgraduate programs and enhance d institutional management and strategic planning capacity.

2. Quality Requirement of Technical Education in India Since early 1990s, due to liberalization politics of the government, the Indian economy has witnessed widespread economic reforms leading to entry of the many global players in the Indian market thereby exposing the Indian entrepreneurs to the global competition. The opening up of the Indian economy has created a vibrant industrial scene. As the country gears up to face stiff global competition, the need for a technology system, which responds quickly to emerging needs, becomes imperative. Indian industry has now to face unprecedented challenges from across the globe, from which it was hitherto protected. The Indian technical education system has to take a lead and respond to these challenges in an effective manner to produce highly competitive human resource by taking strategic steps to improve the quality of technical education in the country. Thus for the sustainable development of the country, technical education system has to provide for technical and scientific human resource that can compete with the best in world. It is the right time to revolutionize technical education system of the country by taking a large number of new initiatives in order to meet the needs of human resource development to meet the challenges of a highly competitive global world. However, despite the inherent potential of the Indian technical education system, it has been observed that the technical education system in the country is not well equipped to meet the new challenges of the 21st century. There has been unrestrained growth in the technical education system in country in the last two decades but the quality has really suffered and the technical education system has lost relevance to the developmental needs of the country. There are number of factors that are responsible for the poor scene of the Indian S & T. The failure of the system to deliver the goods has been attributed to a number of maladies including its colonial roots; the failure to

control unplanned expansion ; resistance to change from all its constituencies; slow R & D progress; deteriorating science and technology culture; wide spreading technology gaps; highly politicized and bureaucratized systems and of management; the distancing of universities from society ; functioning of these institutions of higher and technical education in isolation from the users of their products i.e. isolation of technical education institutes from the R & D, industry, and a general lack of concern. There is an emergent need to address these maladies in order to affect quality improvement in the technical in the technical education system. 3. Strategies for Affecting Quality Improvement in Technical Education At the time when the country is liberalizing economy and entering the global market, there is a stringent need to stress quality in higher and technical education. Thus it is therefore the right time that technology planners and the industry in the country should understand that in this highly competitive global scenario driven by rapidly changing technologies, only those who are efficient, maintain high productivity and quality will survive. For technical education to be useful for 21st century requirements, technical institutions should set an example in propagating quality consciousness, optimization of resources to manage the competitive environment and encourage team spirit among all concerned. This challenging environment puts R & D institutes in the country to interact meaningfully, collaborate and device a mechanism to develop a dynamic, responsive and high quality technical education system catering to the nations requirements of providing technically competitive human resource for sustainable development of the country. Table I shows the PDCA approach for quality improvement in the system technical education. The quality of technical education has to be improved in real terms not only to make them relevant to our society, but also to cater the needs of the competitive industry in particular and society in general. It is therefore the right

time that a large number of new initiatives are employed in the technical education system in order to meet the challenges of global world. The following remedial actions are proposed for affecting quality improvement at all levels of technical education system thereby making it relevant and useful for the sustainable development of the country. The adoption of all or some of these remedial measures can be of great help for not only the technical institutes for their sustained growth and development but will also help them in serving the societies they intend to serve. i) Curriculum Development Emerging Technologies in

of the technical education, the curriculum and teaching mythologies need to be upgraded and renewed on continuous basis to be abreast with the latest technology in the relevant field. ii) Faculty Development

The technical education system has for ages offered stereotype courses in conventional S & T disciplines, which have become obsolete. The technical education system has lost the relevance and has not been able to center effectively to the rapidly changing market requirements. The technical education system has to keep pace with the changing practices in S & T to be the socio-economic development needs of the country. Thus technical institutions should design curriculum based on the emerging technologies relevant to the rapidly changing needs of the nation. Moreover the curriculum for the countrys sustainability must incorporate the proactive strategies like developing new technologyoriented entrepreneurship and management courses; ensuring enhanced to sharpen their skills in tacking the challenging real life industrial problems ; providing for adequate opportunities for students to take up challenging real life industrial projects leading to all round development of the students ; affecting autonomy and flexibility in technical education system for individual institutions to respond to the needs of society and to organize courses in relevant technologies. Figure-1 shows the critical inputs for effective development of curriculum to meet the technological requirement of the country for socio-economic growth and sustainability. Thus in the context of the improvement in the quality

Today techno-scientific revolutionary era has witnessed radical S & T Transformations across the world. The requirement of technically competent human resource with high knowledge and skill base to maintain high quality and productivity at par with the world standards becomes all the more important. Thus the quality of training for teachers and the quality of teaching in the technical education institutes has to take up responsibility to act as an instrument of social change and the guiding spirit for the improvement of quality of the society. It therefore becomes imperative that conscious efforts should be continuously made towards developing and maintaining excellence of faculty for sustained growth of technical education. The following key strategies regarding faculty developing are therefore recommended for affecting the quality improvement in the technical in technical education system: Periodic exposure to industry to imbibe recent trends; Conducting induction-training programs; participation in short-term orientation programs, refresher courses workshop and symposiums; Facilitation to undertake minor and major research capabilities of the faculty quality improvement programs(QIP) in the leading technical institutes like IITs; Participation in the faculty exchange programs in collaboration with the best national and international counterparts; Inducting competent persons of repute from industry as visiting professors etc. these proactive faculty development measures can contribute enormously for not only sustained growth of the technical institutes but also for achieving their primary responsibility of imparting quality technical education to the students so as to create human resources for sustained competitiveness of the nation in the global marketplace.

iii) Modernization Facilities

of

Infrastructural

There is an emergent need to adopt futuristic approaches for affecting modernization of technical equipment and teaching methods to ensure self-reliance in a sustained manner. The infrastructural facilities in the technical institutions need to be upgraded and consolidated through coordinated concentrated efforts. Step should be taken to strengthen and create facilities in crucial areas of emerging technologies and in new specialized fields. Technical institutions should develop and acquire capabilities and infrastructure in the state of the art technologies to ensure the competitive edge in the relevant technologies. The state of the art facilities will not help the institutes to disseminate quality technical education but also enable the technical institutions to take up consultancy projects from the industry and impart specialized training programs for professional engineers leading to resource generation for sustained growth of the institutions and improved reputation. The Technical education should make best efforts for development of the requite infrastructure through various AICTE research & Development schemes like MODROBS, TAPTEC and R & D. the financial support provided for MODROBS, TAPTEC and R & D proposals can help the technical institutions to develop and strengthen research and technology base for effective and meaningful research capabilities and interaction with industries. iv) Better Utilization Infrastructure Facilities of the

education of relevant and state of the art management practices, training on specialized systems leading to capability enhancement of the technical manpower. This practice not only ensures the greater utilizing of institutes infrastructural facilities, but also helps in developing the required competencies for the human resource for the sustained growth of the industrial sector. These practices also facilitate the technical institutions drive for resource mobilization for sustained growth of the institution and also ensure the optimum utilization of the available competencies in human resource. Moreover, Training Cum Production Centers (TCPC) can also play a crucial role in inculcating practical skills in the students. The involvement of students in these training cum production centers not only exposes the students to the practical training skills required in the manufacture of the different products and commodities but also develops the necessary analytical skills in them through project planning techniques, managing the project executions independently and testing their skills simultaneously. This also ensures of the technical institutions. v) Enhanced Exposure of Students to Industries It has been observed that inadequate industrial exposure to the under-graduate students adversely affects their ability to effectively deal with the practical real life industrial problems, leading to unsatisfactory performance in their careers. It is therefore proposed that students should spend at least one full semester with industry, as this would not only better prepare them to understand the industrial environments and prevailing industrial practices, but also provide them an opportunity to handle projects under the capable guidance and supervision of industrial and faculty supervisors, leading to development of necessary skills to understands the industrial problems, and the tools, methodologies required to solve industrial problems.

The Utilization of infrastructure facilities In the technical institutes can be significantly improved by organizing the part time courses for the faculty from neighboring institutions, employed engineers and other technical staff. The programs under such part time courses include the post graduation studies and short term refresher and orientation courses for the faculty, while for the engineers, the short term courses/training programs may include the

The benefits of the project semester activity to the students, industry and institute are listed in Table- II. The benefits shown in the table also underline the significance of the internship in the industry and the benefits to be reaped by the effective student exposure and training in the industry Moreover the need of such training and exposure is not only required at the UG level but also at the masters level where has to be significant interaction between the technical institutes and industries. There is a stringent need to strengthen the M. Tech Programs in the country to imbibe technological skills at the institute level and extending these skills through internship and problem solving in industry. The post graduate students being better prepared can contribute effectively by enhancing R & D solutions to technological industrial problems. vi) Building the Feedback Mechanisms in Education System It has been observed that technical education system has lost its relevance to the industrial requirements. This can be attributed to absence of any feedback mechanisms in the system at various levels in the system. Moreover the resistance at various quarters has also restricted the institutions to have an effective feedback of the quality of technical education from the students. Since the institutions have been working in isolation for long, there has been little rapport between the institutions and the industries and the relevance of the technical education system to the needs of the society in general, and industry in particular is questionable. In order to affect relevance in the technical education system, it is imperative to develop adequacy in the technical education system so that technical education system can effectively respond to the rapidly changing requirements. The effectiveness of the technical education system to disseminate quality technical education can be judged from the following quarters:

Feedback from students( student reaction survey) Frequent feedback from faculty and administrative staff regarding the adequacies and performance of the technical education system Feedback from industry at the time of placement Feedback from industry after absorption of graduates in industry Feedback from alumni from time to time regarding inadequacies of the various programs

The feedback from the various quarters can lead to quantum improvements in the technical education system by providing information about deficiencies in delivery system. The critical suggestions made by the students, faculty and industry should be seriously looked into and judiciously implemented to affect quality improvements in technical education system. vii) Greater Autonomy Institutes to Technical

Moreover greater autonomy should be given to the technical institutes so that they can respond to the radical changes occurring in their neighborhood. There is the need for putting in the place the flexible management systems and practices in the technical institutions so that the institutions are in a position to react to the needs of the societies they serve, be alert to the changing requirements and organize, design and upgrade their programs accordingly. The autonomy in all dimensions namely academic, administrative, and financial, with full accountability needs to be provided to the institutions in the technical education set up so that institutes can perform to the best of the available capabilities and respond to the emerging needs of the societies due to rapid global technological transformations. The enhanced autonomy would provide an opportunity for the technical institutes means for forging lucrative industry linkages through various consultancy projects and designing of

specialized training programs depending upon the requirements of the industry. viii) Fostering / Promotion of Research Aptitude in Graduates The dwindling R & D interest by our graduates has not only deprived the country from attaining the technology competitiveness but also dearly affected the countrys competitiveness and sustainability efforts in the global marketplace. Thus there is an emergent need of revitalization of the technical education system, and conscious and concerted efforts are needed to excel in research activities so as to be in the forefront of research in the emerging technologies. The technical education system should strive hard for promoting research in the technical education with intent on building competent technical human resource and research groups matching with best in the world and capable of leading Indias sustainability and technology competency efforts. There is an emergent need for making investments in the technical education system to build up the infrastructure to provide for the research capabilities in the relevant technologies. ix) Networking between Institutions

It has been well established now that the academics, industries and the R & D laboratories together hold the key to technology development in the many sectors of the economy. The survival of industry in the present globally competitive environment largely depends on improved, innovative and new technologies. The R & D activities in the higher professional institutions are therefore important to the industries and crucial to the economy of the country. Thus the meaningful interaction between the industry, R & D and the academics needs to be supported and promoted. In this context, the various constituents of national development like universities, engineering institutions, national R & D laboratories and the professional bodies and academics have greater roles to play. A strategy may have to be evolved for effective interaction between them. The leading higher technical institutions and the industrial sector can collaborate through participation in the joint projects for development of relevant emerging technologies in the areas of mutual interest. The major synergic thrust areas can be identified by setting up a Technology Development and Fostering Group involving leading academicians from technical institutions, eminent technologists from the industries and participation from the R & D houses in the country. Such efforts can lead to the development of the state of the art technologies relevant to the development to the industrial sector and also promote the collaboration between the institutes and industries. xi) Accreditation of Institutions

The quality in the technical education system can be improved significantly developing the synergic networks between the leading technical institutions of self-sustaining excellence and developing / growing neighboring institutions. The IITs chain of RECs and a few other quality state owned and privately managed technical institutions of repute that can play the role of lead institution to perfection. The lead institutions can help developing / growing institutions in the region to mange themselves efficiently by eliminating the wastages involved with those technical institutions, and ensuring effectiveness in delivery of technical education. The institutions in the region could be benefited by the exposure to the emerging technologies to affect improvement in the skills and knowledge base of their faculty and technical manpower, leading to improved delivery of the education. x) Institute- industry Interaction

Through, the accreditation is considered to be a mark of quality assurance in the technical education, yet there has been no statutory requirement on the part of the technical institutes to get accredited and the accreditation process has continued to be a voluntary effort. Thus some compromises have been made at various levels in the technical education system and the quality has suffered. The accreditation by NBA/NAAC should be made mandatory for

all technical institutions in the country. Thus there is an emergent need of strengthening of the technical education system in particular and putting in the place an efficient accreditation program in the particular. The accredited institutes should be given certain incentives in the form of preference in enhanced MODROB, TAPTEC, R & D grants and various other funding programs. AICTE should also makes it mandatory for the technical institutes to provide the details of the grading obtained through NAAC accreditation in the institute brochures so that the students can know the quality of education they are going to receive, and this will also put added onus on the top management to continuously strive for obtaining and maintaining excellent grading for different programs provided by the institutions as the grading obtained for various programs also affect the marketability of the institution. xii) Resource Mobilization

It has been observed that the Government alone cannot bear the burden of financing the escalating costs associated with the system of technical education and therefore additional resources are to be mobilized to share the cost. The higher education system in the country is faced with deep financial constraints arising out of rapid technological obsolescence rates, with escalating costs and ever changing technological requirements on the one hand, and shrinking budgetary resources, on the other Thus, technical education sector needs to adopt proactive initiatives to become financially selfreliant for its survival and continued up gradation for sustained institutional capability by mobilization of resources not only through various measures like increase in fees, augmentation of resource and by forgoing effective relationships with industry. This brings into focus the need for taking effective measures in the technical education system to generate funds to supplement the funding from the Government through suitable means, in addition to their primary responsibility of teaching and research. xiii) Continuous Education Programs

Technical education institutions should lend themselves for imparting the quality education not only to undergraduate and postgraduate students, but also to faculty in the developing technical institutions and professional engineers working in industries. This can be done by preparing continuing education programs for faculty members from other institutions and specialized short / long term training programs for professionals from the industry and related government organizations that are tailor made to suit the specific requirements of the users. The experts in the relevant areas of science and technology can also contribute by providing Course Materials on the state of the art technologies, concepts and practices that can also help to improve the quality in technical education system through effective dissemination of knowledge and expertise. Thus, the leading technical institutions can make use of their excellent resources to pioneer the continuing education program involving faculty, and industry professionals

Conclusions In view of the reorientation and restructuring of the Indian economy, it has become imperative to achieve competencies at global standards through improvement in efficiency and productivity with the responsibility of producing technologies manpower of excellent quality, relevant to the technological needs of the country. Thus for technological education institutions to remain competitive and rapidly changing global scenario, there is no choice but to improve the quality of technical education system, to develop the human resource capable of meeting the countrys objective of sustained growth and self reliance in the fiercely competitive global environment. The S & T education and research have herefore to respond to emerging challenges to provide human resource of high caliber and competence at work standards and provide the R & D capability to enhance the technology capability of the nation. It is therefore the right time that the Indian technical education system should

get committed to providing the highest quality education, training and consulting services together with conducting applied research of international distinction to meet the developmental needs of the country. References 1. Alberto Amaral, Pedro Teixeira(2001),Private Higher Education and Diversity: An explanatory Survey Higher Education, Vol. 5.No. 4, Oct 2001,pp 359-395 2. Altbach Philip G. (1993), The Diploma of Change Indian Higher Education, Vol. 26, pp. 3-20

Quality in Higher Education, Association of Indian Universities, New Delhi , pp 93-120

9. Mitra, C.R (1996), Higher Technical Education Shifting Global Scenario, University News , Vol. xxxiv, No 35, pp 67 10. Natrajan , R (2001), Some Strategic Planning Initiatives at IIT Madras, The Indian journal of Technical Education. Vol 19, No. 1, pp. 1-10

3. Baargan Abbas(2000), Internal Evaluation as an Approach to Revitaze University System, Higher Education Policy, June 2000. Vol. 13. No. 2, pp. 173-180 4. Chatterjee, T.K(1999), Crsis in Higher Education Nature and Sources University News, Vol. 37, No 4, pp. 6-8

11. Palit S.K (1998) The Development of Engineering and Technology Education in India , Global journal of Engg. Education, Vol. 2. No. 5, pp 317-326 12. Power, K.B (1995), Higher Education in India Historical Perspective, Present Status and Outlook for the future University News, Vol. xxxiii, No. 5, pp.1520

5. Craig Mclnnis (2001), Globalizationand its Discontents: The Australian Case, International higher Education, No. 25, Fall 2001, pp. 19-21 6. Gahlot , P.S (1994) , Improvement of quality in Technical Education through Application of quality Circle Strategy, The Journal of Engineering Education, April 1994, pp.47-54

13. Rataul, H.S (2001) , Strengthening of Research in Technical Institutions, University News, Vol. 39, No.28, pp. 1-4 14. Swaminadhan, D.(1995), Technical Education and Research in India Need for Reorientation , University News, Vol. 33, no 14, pp. 1-11 15. Web site http://www.pib.nic.in., New Science Policy to Focus on Basic Research 16. Web site http://www.shikshanic.nic.in, Growth of Engineering and Technology in India

7. Grant Harman(1999), Quality Assurance Management International Higher Education , No. 15, Spring 1999, pp. 8-10 8. Hariharan M. et al (1999), Quality Assurance in Higher, Effectiveness and

Table I. PDCA Cycle for Technical Education Institutes Plan Laying Down standards and Policies Laying Down Quality Policy Statement Training of employees for TQM practices and requirements Establishing Standard procedures related to academics in technical education institutions Establishing Standard procedures related to administrative controls in technical education institutions Establishing Standard procedures related to delivery of education Providing for feedback mechanisms in the system Benchmark the best practices available in the national and global market place ( Curricula, Administrative practices, R & D practices ) Do Implementation of laid out administrative, academic practices as per quality policies and mission statements of the institutes Check Obtaining feedback from various quarters regarding the effectiveness of the system in achieving the laid down quality policies and mission statements of the Institutes Feedback from students Feedback from industry Feedback from employees Carry out the SWOT analysis to analyze the Institutes capabilities and weakness Identify the gaps existing between the current practices and the laid down procedures Analyze the weakness and device methodologies to overcome the same Plug and gaps between the existing and proposed

Act

Table II Benefits of Project Semester Benefits to Students Familiarization with industrial environments Better prepared to face industrial situations Exposure to industrial practices regarding manufacturing technologies, manufacturing managements and quality assurance strategies and practices Better understanding of needs of the industry Hands on experience on the industrial problems Exposure to various tools, techniques, methodologies to mitigate the industrial problems Help derive the relevance of theoretical tools, concepts & know how to industrial situations Improves technology capability of the students through excellent exposure to industrial environments Benefits of industry Makes available much needed human resource of low costs Lesser training requirement at the time of induction of fresh graduates into industries Better training and skill development of the students lead to enhanced performance of industries Projects undertaken by students can also lead to solutions to many industrial problems Contribute towards solutions of industrial problems through technological know -how and capability available at institutes Provides a platform for interaction with technical institutes leading to signing up of MOUs in critical industrial technological problems Benefits of institutions Better understanding of the needs of the industry & ensuring relevant of technical education Shared responsibility of training with industry Lesser demands on technical institutes acquire the state of the art technologies and equipment for training purposes

Better effectiveness through resource sharing with industries Ensures enhanced technology capability of the students through effective training in the industry leading to better performance in situations Ensures better placement of the students in the industries Better students performance also enhances the marketability of the technical institutes Provides much needed exposure to the faculty in the industry Provides a platform for the institutes to have a meaningful interaction with the industries leading to better understanding of requirements of the industries Provides a critical input for development of the curriculum relevant to the needs of the industry Provides much needed feedback regarding the quality of the human resource being produced by the technical institutes Interaction between industries and industries can leads realization of to consultancy projects for technical institutes leading to resource mobilization for the institutes

Technical Education in the Private Sector A State of the Art

Dr. CH V SRINIVAS V.R. Siddhartha Engg College, Vijaywada 520 007(A.P) ABSTRACT Globalization stresses the need of the standards and quality in the technical education. The standards of the fresh engineering graduates coming out of many private engineering colleges have rather been discouraging. The curriculum qualifications of the faculty, better infrastructure facilities and understanding level of the students play Paramount importance in maintaining the quality in the technical education. The present status of the technical education has been emphasized in the present paper. graduates for faculty positions, for what so ever reasons, As their knowledge base is limited, they 1. Introduction can not impress the pupil. The pupil slowly gets Education improves the brilliance. Unity among the disappointed and finally dissatisfied with the educated youth can make country strong. teacher. The knowledge transferred to the pupil, in the present context, is insufficient to carve him World is wide for brilliant young people. into a better citizen with a better vision. Globalization widens the opportunities is every field of activity. It doesnt mean that every average Standards of an institute, undoubtedly, depend on talented person can the quality and qualifications, of the faculty have get a better opportunity. Infect, globalization needs become darkhorses. Also, for same reason or the quality and quality workmanship. To meet the other, there is a great scarcity of qualified faculty. global requirements every student should try to Cost of higher education, limited admissions in improve his/ her standard of learning and level of postgraduates courses may be the two most understanding. Globalization has become a cause unfavorable facts that lead to the scarcity of for throwing some light on value-based education qualified staff. Besides, the postgraduate engineers and maintaining standards in the education. are expected to have an aptitude for teaching. Unfortunately, this number is discouraging. 2. Present Status In the light of this, teaching and with less acumen As far as technical education is concerned, it is at towards teaching and with minimum qualifications a great discount. The increasing population in emerges out. The student cannot expect much from India demands more number of engineering the teachers. Surprisingly, graduates are teaching to colleges and the same is being fulfilled by the PG students in some colleges teachers with B. Tech statutory body AICTE, by sanctioning number of are teaching MCA students. On the other side, the engineering college in the country, under private private sector employer recruits fresh engineering sector. While the quantity rises to the expectations, graduates, as teachers in the engineering colleges, quality suffers a lot. While for one reason the who can work for less salary. In the prevailing college has been sanctioned, for the other reason it situation, the pupil is at a great loss. The present is being run. The main objective is sidetracked in day student community is not realizing the loss, but this process. The process of knowledge transfer is they feel for it at the later stages. Neither the not effective in the new colleges for the teacher management not the student is serious about the and the student is in the same level of low quality of technical education, which intern results standards. This has the reason in the form of in the failing standards of the institute. underqualified and graduate teachers, from whom one can not expect standards. It has been observed The sence of professionalism is not being induced that many new engineering colleges recruit fresh to the pupil, now-a-days, because of many reasons.

Certain local conditions also sometimes become hindrance in making good citizen out of the available pupils. The curriculum must be so planned that the student is able to understand the subject in a systematic manner. As far as possible practical knowledge over basic principles and the real time applications in advanced technology must be imparted as a part of the curriculum. Analytical thinking is to be habituated to the pupil. It is expected that an engineering student should develop interest on his own and thereby improve his knowledge base. The teacher is supposed to help the pupil in this context by giving right guidance in right direction. Unfortunately in many technical institutes these two processes are not functioning to the degree of expectations. Surprisingly, the respective managements also are not realizing this fact. 3. Remedial measures

It is believed that the senior students are the real ambassadors of the institute. If a student feels the institute is good, he says the same to the new corners and that propagates into the public. Obviously, rumours spread at a faster rate than the facts. The management authorities must be careful in this context and see that no damage is done to the institute through rumours. To retain the intellectual brains back in the country certain incentive and encouraging steps are to be taken, b the government, which may be followed by private organizations as well. A national pool of intellectual community is to be set up which functions as a statutory body that pools up the top rankers from premier institutions like IITm, IISc and NITs. The pool officers work in their fields of interest, both in public sector and private, on contrast basis. They may be paid on par with the foreign consultants. The national pool can set up the required infrastructure of international standards, by getting sponsorship from various R & D agencies. This may be one of the activities to retain intellectual brains. However, the educated youth must have, primarily, the sense of belongingness that can latter be carved into patriotism, which is a million-dollar question. Conclusion If the ingredient is properly mixed with flavours of self-discipline, intuitive idealogy, innovation, commitment and self repect, it can turn out to be a feather in the cap of the institute. A committed young engineer enlivens the society and responsible for its upliftment. Unfortunately, globalization causes the disappearance of the sense of belongingness to ones own country and the person is getting detached from his belongings. However, he attains universal belongingness. On the other side of the coin, there has been a possibility that the country can become strong provided the brilliant young engineers are united, for the noble cause of national growth.

Every institute should develop prototype model to its own that enable the students to grow with overall personality and the faculty to improve their standards and update their knowledge, with necessary freedom. Staff and students of various disciplines must get exposed to expert lectures and technical visits can help the students to learn practical skills and real time trouble shooting. Industry institute linkage is another much sought out privilege that every student should utilize and derive benefit out of it. Faculty members are to be encouraged to work in the concerned industry for improving themselves. Another face of technical education is unemployment. Taking the Andhra Pradesh state, for example; every year more than 60,000 engineers are coming out of various institutes, but the state government can not show any concern over 7 lakh engineering graduates every year. This makes them to look for foreign placements. Global placements require quality engineers. Quality is a fruit of quality education while quality in education is possible with qualified teachers, better infrastructure, and fool-proof technology and committed management. Innovative ideas and advanced methodology should go coherently to convert the pupils into ignited engineers. The institute is expected to cultivate such atmosphere on the campus.

References 1. R. Natarajan, Challenges and opportunities in the design of Technical Education for the future, The Ind. J. of Tech. Edu. Vol. 24, No. 1, p. 1-6 (2001 R. Natarajan, Keynote Address. Nat. Conf. on Quality Assurance in Technical Education, V R Siddhartha Engg College Vijaywada (2002) Ch V. Srinivas, Technical Education, at a Discount Proc Conf. on Quality Assurance in Technical Education, p 46-47 (2002)

2.

3.

Technical Education in New Millennium

M.E. SHELKE Deptt. Of Engg. Chemistry Shree H.V.P. Mandals College of Engg. & Tech., Amravati 444605 R.E. SHELKE Principal, Govt.I.T.I. Nandagoan (KH), Distt. Amravati 444605 MISS S.B. WANKHEDE ABSTRACT One of the main strength of our engineering education is that it has retained its bias for merit based admissions, thus encouraging competitiveness. In fact the engineering education in IITs and IISc is considered superior to many well- known universities in the advanced countries. This superiority is primarily because of the focus on quantity and strict adherence to merit in admission. Competitive edge which Indian engineering and technology education has attracted many foreign universities from America, England, Canada, Australia, France and Germany come to India to seek Student for their post-graduate and research programmes. There is our weakness too. It is therefore a point to ponder as to how the quality of knowledge and skills imparted to the enthusiastic school leavers in India could significantly be improved, so that the human resource in engineering and technology produced in the engineering institutions could meet the present and future requirements and help to build the prosperous India in this millennium using science and technology development

1. THE STRENGTH
One of the main strength of our engineering education is that it has retained its bias for merit based admissions, thus encouraging competitiveness. Also the engineering and technology education in India has constantly nurtured the science base of modern engineering, along with core engineering courses. This has equipped the students with necessary tools for a meaningful integration of science with engineering and technology. Modern technologies heavily lean towards scientific analysis for continued improvement in process efficiency, a cost effective product innovation and an overall increase in the efficiency of the system. A strong component of industrial training and project work forms an integral part of the engineering curriculum in addition to well-

coordinated laboratory exercises. This promotes problem- solving capabilities of the students. With the above backdrop, it is not surprising that the engineering education in India has received widespread recognition from advanced nations. This reflects positively on the competence of Indian engineering graduates and on the capabilities if higher technical education system in India.

2. Role of University Commission ( UGC)

Grants

The UGC plays a significant role in improving the quality of teaching and research in engineering institutions in India. The quality of education is directly connected to the university to which the courses in Engineering and Technology in an institution are affiliated. The qualities of the course

curriculum and examination effectiveness are directly influenced by the efficacy of the university academia. Unfortunately, the faculty of technology in an Indian University marked a small presence in the academic council and other bodies of the university where important decisions concerning the fate of engineering and technology education are taken. Nevertheless, the professors of engineering as well as those of applied sciences enjoy individually the position of eminence in the corridors of the university. In the context, the various technical universities such as IITs, IISc and Roorkee University have been able to sustain the growth of technical education and research and attract not only the high performer school leavers but also highly qualified and motivated faculty to join these institutions. They have been able to support the engineering and technology education at the degree level by a strong commitment to postgraduate education and research. In fact, in IITs and IISc, the development is pursued by the faculty. 3. Faculty Shortagechallenge A Formidable

consultancies which the teaching engineering institutions opens up.

career

in

4. Role of Engineering Teacher Clear Perspective Needed There can be no two opinions that the role of a teacher is vital in the growth of technical education and upholding the quality of human resource development. What is however not unanimously upheld is the view that the teacher in an engineering institution should devote not only to teaching but also to R & D and industrial consultancy. Teaching activity should be given top priority is well understood but what is not acceptable is that the teacher teaches from the books and notes alone fast outdated. The new techniques of mathematical analysis, computation, design & drafting, and above all, manufacturing and management technology, which flood the academic world each year, require teaching minds to engage themselves into an active research beyond literature surveys. After all what is to be today is to become relevant four years later. The teaching process has, therefore, to dynamically assimilate the growth of knowledge into its teaching methodology. The teacher will then perform a triple role that of a teacher, a scientist and an expert practicing technologist simultaneously. 5. R & D in Educational Institutions Need for a Paradigm Shift:Teaching alone or teaching and research, both as the responsibilities and job functions of teachers in engineering institutions, is a matter. Still being debated in our country. There is a feeling which persists in academic circles that diversions of efforts of a teacher towards R & D usually sacrifice teaching interest. There are teaching and spend much of their spare time for preparation of teaching material and innovate in teaching to sustain interest in the class. They obviously do not have much interest in research and development, which beside being time consuming, deprive them of the

The shortage of well- qualified in a great majority of engineering institutions is another major factor that has presently handicapped a large number of institutions in the country. At a time when the multinationals and corporate houses are paying very well to the bright graduates as well as assuring them with rapid career growth, the inspiration to take up teaching as a career in engineering and technology is hardly visible among the well qualified youth graduating from reputed engineering institutions in the country. Hence, there should be some schemes providing avenues for the talented engineering graduates to join the teaching profession with real impact. Beside attractive rewards and merit assured career growth, we have to create a high apperception for teaching for teaching to enthrall the bright young graduates with exciting opportunities for teaching, R & D and industrial

intellectual from freedom they enjoy as teachers. R & D, being time bound and result oriented, demands that the teacher devotes his considerable time to the success of the work, which often involves managerial functions besides expert guidance. Being financially rewarding and a means of recognition in the profession, R&D acts as a catalyst to sustain ones interest in innovation and creative research. It also helps a faculty member aspire for a greater original contribution to the growth of knowledge to solve the real life problem. Hence the students in engineering institutions are to be taught by those who take pains I sustaining the interest of the students by constantly updating their teaching material while at the same time commanding a high reputation as practicing technologists something similar to what is done in the medical college. This requires a paradigm shift from the R&D for career prospects to R&D for national prosperity and for nurturing excellence in technical education. Conclusions The productivity in higher technical educational institutions is seriously affected by the quality of teachers. Teachers must therefore be highly motivated and deeply committed to the cause of teaching, research and industrial liaison. Attracting talented youth to join the faculty is a monumental challenge for the management of these institutions. There is an urgent need to review the personnel policies in this respect. Teachers in higher technical educational institutions have to expend their activities beyond teaching. They are to perform a triple role, that of a teacher, a scientist and a practicing technologist simultaneously. It is only then that their profound wisdom will be an instrument of social change and will undoubtedly to the guiding spirit for the improvement of quality of life of the people at large.

Technology development, technology transfer, increased R & D and prototype development are to be given added impetus in the higher technical educational institutions to meaningfully utilize the infrastructure and the expertise of the faculty. Heavy expenditure on modernization of laboratories, library books and journals , and highspeed computational faculties necessarily demand resource sharing between the institutions, R&D organization and the industries. A part of the solution to resources crisis lies in networking of resources facilities. A more productive utilization of infrastructure, laboratories and talent and skills of the faculty and staff is an essential aspect of resource generation. References i) funding of higher Technical Education Clear Perspective Needed, Paper Presented at the national seminar on University- Industry interaction at Tirupati, December 27,1997. ii) B.F. Jogi; L. D.Netak Strategy And Tactics To develop Global knowledge Society Face The Challenges:- For Integrating Global Technical EducationISTE Dec 28-29,2000, Nashik iii) V.D. Barve: Sarika Barve , Teacher of the 5th 21 Century . ISTE Fifth Annual Convention, Dec 28- December 27,2000 Nashik iv) P.R.Patil, the Internet: As A Tool for modern Technical Education in India. ISTE Fifth Annual convention, Dec 28-29,2000, Nashik v) Jadhv M.A.; Kanekar V:B.: Patwardhan M.M., Value Based Education. ISTE Fifth Annual convention Dec 28-29,2000 vi) Shelke M.E. ; Shelke R.E. LT- The Todays Trend.89ISC Jan 03-07-,2002, Lucknow.

vii) L. Suganthi; Anand A. Samual. Dynamics of Change in Technical Education. The journal of Engg. Education, Vol. XVI; No.2 October-2002 viii) Khond M.P.;Khodke M.P.; Dabade B.M. Attributes for Implementing TQM Philosophy in technical Institute. The journal of Engg. Education, Vol. XVI; no.2 october-2002