FMS, Delhi | International Conference on "Human Capital Formation in the 21st Century"

FMS, Delhi Holds 4-Day International Conference on "Human Capital Formation in the 21st Century"
Post-event Press-release

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The next speaker was Prof. S. Neelamegham, former Dean, International Relations, FMS. His keynote address 'Human Capital Formation in the 21st Century: Is A New Paradigm Needed?' held forth on the theme that human capital is not only a key determinant of economic growth but also non-economic variables like health and well-being.

According to him, planning for the 21st century would be impacted by internationalization, liberalization, massification, the info-tech revolution, the university-industry linkage as well as the university-society linkage. With illiteracy standing at 40%, the challenge of making people literate has assumed massive proportions. While primary education rates continue to be low, only 6% of the eligible age group make it to higher education. As far as the education system goes, there is a gaping need for reforms, requiring transition from national to global education, from a general education system to an education system driven by market forces, from education for a few to education for all, and finally, from a teacher-centered to a learner-centered focus on education. The skill requirements of a 'Knowledge Worker', a term coined by Peter Drucker to characterize the new age worker, are clearly not being met by the traditional educational system. As a consequence, students in India choose to move out to find a more conducive environment to develop their talents.

Talking of the main variables leading to an economic flux, Prof Neelamegham pointed out that technology has emerged as a key driver of change, prompting skill shifts in the manufacturing sector, inducing changes in work organization at the virtual workplace, leading to demands for a multi-skilled workforce and a shift in the demand for skilled labor. India has a human capital edge with over 3 million scientific and technical personnel, over 0.8 million post graduates in science, churning out 50,000 computer professionals and 3,60,000 engineers per year, showcasing its technological edge.

Day 2

The keynote address for Day 2 "Human Capital Formation: Need for a Change in Perspective" was delivered by Prof. P. R. Ramanujam, Professor of Distance Education and Director Staff Training and Research, Institute of Distance Education at IGNOU. He started the address by quoting Thirukural.

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Contributed by -
Sabihur Rahman,
Media Relations Cell,
FMS, Delhi.