Indian teachers rate majority of Indian students as inept for employment

While teachers from higher education institutes opined that 64 per cent of their students were incompetent for employment , school teachers felt only 48 per cent were unemployable.

It’s an eye-opener for the entire industry. Teachers across the country believe that 57 per cent of the students are inept for employment.

The opinion of teachers of higher education is even harsher. They feel 64 per cent of their students are inept for employment, whereas school teachers say that only 48 per cent are unemployable.

The teachers believe that the current lot of students lacks knowledge, skills, attitude and ethics.

This was revealed by the Pearson Voice of Teacher Survey.

When asked what could improve the current status, 75 per cent of Indian teachers opined that industry–academia partnership was important to restructure the courses. Around 48 per cent of teachers suggested merit-based industry internships across all courses as the solution, while 44 per cent wanted industry training for teachers. Around 44 per cent of teachers gave higher credits for practical assignments.

Interestingly, teachers in Karnataka and UP are more optimistic than their counterparts in Haryana and NCT (National Capital Territory) of Delhi.

For instance, around 68 per cent of teachers in Karnataka believe that the current Indian education system is providing holistic education to learners, whereas in the NCT of Delhi, the figure is only 46 per cent. The national average, though, is around 60 per cent.

Similarly, teachers in Haryana are of the opinion that 67 per cent of students in India do not possess the skills required for employment, whereas according to teachers in UP, the level of incompetency is only 49 per cent.

As scope for improvement in terms of holistic learning, 47 per cent of teachers across India suggest that there should be continuous assessment of students’ performance. It seems teachers aren’t too happy with the abolishment of school exams and marking at the board level.

Around 44 per cent of teachers also feel that there should be better integration of technology and digital content into the teaching methodology, and around 43 per cent of teachers want linkage between concepts across subjects and disciplines. Surprisingly, only 23 per cent of teachers place greater emphasis on physical education and arts and craft.

The survey represents the views of 5,387 teachers from schools and higher education institutes across 527 cities and towns of India.