Edgroom's Educators Excellence Awards - 2024

EdBlogs

Lost Man Years and The Cost of Misalignment

Lost Man Years and The Cost of Misalignment: Examining Aspirations in the Indian Educational Landscape

Dear Friends and Students

A few days back, one of my friends forwarded the left side of the picture above in the context of market sentiment and fluctuations during this period. After going through this picture deeply, I want to align this with a different perspective. I added something different on the right side now!

Indian competitive examinations are the toughest in the world. UPSC Civil Services Examination selection rate is between 0.1 to 0.3%. The National Defence Academy (NDA) success rate is 0.1%. UCEED (common entrance for Design) success rate is 0.7%. The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced for IITs success rate is 1.5%. The Common Admission Test (CAT) success rate is 2%. The National Institute of Design (NID) Entrance success rate is 3%. The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) success rate is 4%. National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) success rate is 6 to 7%. The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) success rate is 15-17%. The Chartered Accountant (CA) success rate is 25%. If you think Bollywood or Tollywood's success rate, they are less than 0.01%. This career success would be much tougher than other competitive examinations!! This data might vary here and there but the intention is to showcase the shrewdness of the competition.

In a country of 140 crores population, if there is a small mistake in the preparation or aspirational mismatch, it costs heavily. More than to the individual, it costs the Nation’s aspiration and economy. If one student wrongly makes a choice, would cost him a minimum of 2-man years of effort loss. E.g. this year 11,70,000 students prepared for JEE for 2 years. We all know only 1.5% of them would go to IITs. The rest of the 98%, covering 23,00,000-man years of the effort is futile. Assume 10,00,000-man years go for genuine learning, useful in future applications and individual learning. The rest of the 13,00,000-man years of wrong selection of aspiration is completely lost!! If you sum up all competitions together, this number would be astronomical. Nearly two dozen students have taken their lives in Kota in the past eight months (The Hindu, 07, Sep 2023). It is because of a misalignment of aspirations or an inability to see beyond this line.

Why this is happening? It is a clear mismatch of knowing our strengths and weaknesses! If one selects a career aspiration based on individual socio-physical-psychological nature or natural intelligence, the same lost man years would become the most productive man years (As shown in right side of the picture), and constructively Nation can capitalize on this. NEP-2020 is all up for this game change.  

1.    A Head Smart student should apply for JEE but not for NID/UCEED!
2.    A Hand Smart student should apply for Skill based job but not for Civil Services
3.    A Heart Smart student should prepare for his/her startup but not for GATE!
4.    A Heel Smart student should prepare for NDA but not a long-sitting office job!

It requires a lot of societal changes and thinking. The left of the picture teaches us a great lesson! We need to identify whether our kids are Giraffe or Rabbit and push them to the “Water Pool of Competition”.

Do You Agree?

Ravi Saripalle


You may also like

  • The Art of Teaching
    Published 7d+

Happy Teachers, Happy Students: Building Schools That Thrive

The saying, "Happy teachers make happy students," isn’t just a feel-good mantra—it’s a profound truth that underscores the foundation of a thriving educational

  • The Art of Teaching
    Published 7d+

The Power of Teaching: Cultivating Minds Like a Garden

As educators, we often seek metaphors to better understand our roles and the impact we have on our students. One such analogy is comparing teaching to gardening—a living process that thrives

  • Bade Ramyasri
    Published 4d

The Timeless Legacy of Indian Mathematics

"Indian mathematics has always been a bridge between abstract thought and practical application, laying the foundation for the mathematical discoveries that shape our modern world."Indian

  • The Art of Teaching
    Published 2d

Lessons in Perspective: A Tale for Teachers

As teachers, we often find ourselves anticipating specific answers from our students. But what happens when their responses diverge from our expectations? This story of a young boy and his math teacher

  • The Art of Teaching
    Published 1d

Guiding Teenagers: Empowering Growth, Not Solving Problems

Teenagers often seem like puzzles—their behaviors, emotions, and choices can be perplexing to those who care for them. As parents, educators, or mentors, we may feel compelled to “fix”

  • Edgroom
    Published 7d+

EAPCET Top-20 colleges in VISAKHAPATNAM - GEO-INFORMATICS

Top-20 EAPCET colleges for GEO-INFORMATICS in VISAKHAPATNAM basis EAPCET 2023 cut-off ranks. Cut-off ranks are for OC-Male category from 2022, and 2023 data. You

  • Dr. Ravi Saripalle
    Published 7d+

Better English for Best Mathematics

Do You Need Better English for Best Mathematics? Similarly, Computer Science and Communication!! 20% drop in Maths Performance due to less understanding of words! How does a Metro, City, Town Student perform

  • Edgroom
    Published 7d+

EAPCET Top-20 colleges in RANGAMPETA - COMP. SCI. AND ENGG. (ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE )

Top-20 EAPCET colleges for COMP. SCI. AND ENGG. (ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ) in RANGAMPETA basis EAPCET 2023 cut-off ranks. Cut-off ranks are for OC-Male category from 2022, and

  • Edgroom
    Published 7d+

EAPCET Top-20 colleges in VIZIANAGARAM - COMPUTER SCIENCE AND SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

Top-20 EAPCET colleges for COMPUTER SCIENCE AND SYSTEMS ENGINEERING in VIZIANAGARAM basis EAPCET 2023 cut-off ranks. Cut-off ranks are for OC-Male category from 2022, and 2023

  • Edgroom
    Published 7d+

EAPCET Top-20 colleges in NANDYAL - COMPUTER SCIENCE AND BUSINESS SYSTEMS

Top-20 EAPCET colleges for COMPUTER SCIENCE AND BUSINESS SYSTEMS in NANDYAL basis EAPCET 2023 cut-off ranks. Cut-off ranks are for OC-Male category from 2022, and 2023 data.

  • Edgroom
    Published 7d+

EAPCET Top-20 colleges in NARSIPATNAM - COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

Top-20 EAPCET colleges for COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING in NARSIPATNAM basis EAPCET 2023 cut-off ranks. Cut-off ranks are for OC-Male category from 2022, and 2023 data.

  • Edgroom
    Published 7d+

EAPCET Top-20 colleges in VIZIANAGARAM - INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Top-20 EAPCET colleges for INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY in VIZIANAGARAM basis EAPCET 2023 cut-off ranks. Cut-off ranks are for OC-Male category from 2022, and 2023 data.