MIXING STREAMS Planning to take up
engineering? You may soon be able to choose philosophy and psychology as
electives. As technical institutions can now run humanities, science and arts
courses, your degree may soon offer more
Earlier, there was this strange
idea that even if an institute offered, say, architecture and engineering,
there had to be a boundary wall between the two. That is now over. We need no
boundary walls between streams. ANIL SAHASRABUDHE, chairman, All India Council
for Technical Education
Acomputer
engineer who’s also studying psychology, a mechanical engineer with a grounding
in accountancy, or humanities with a side of statistics — engineering colleges
are finally starting to see the big picture. Keeping pace with the demands of
the market, they are now increasing stress on knowledge beyond the selected
field.
The
All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) recently granted approval for
these institutes to run humanities, arts and commerce courses alongside
engineering.
This
decision was taken, explains AICTE chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe, because demand
for engineering has remained more or less constant in recent years while the
number of engineering colleges and the scale of their infrastructure have both
grown significantly.
“This
resulted in many private colleges shutting down courses. The infrastructure
remained unused. This step was taken to make these institutions economically
viable,” Sahasrabudhe says.
Apart
from the economic concerns, the decision was also spurred by a changing job scenario
and growing demand for a wider set of skills from all professionals.
Many
technical institutes are now thinking along these interdisciplinary lines.
Some, like the Bannari Amman Institute of Technology in Coimbatore, and the
Thadomal Shahani Engineering College in Mumbai, which already have humanities
courses, are deliberating starting full-scale MA and MSc programmes.
“We
still have a long way to go, but we would be interested in starting courses and
programmes in economics, history and sociology. We already conduct a few
sessions or students in campus on history and economics,” says GT Thampi,
principal of Thadomal Shahani Engineering College.
Today,
we need cross-disciplinary education in all fields, adds the AICTE chief. “An
engineering graduate needs to be able to study accountancy, psychology or even
philosophy. If their college already has programmes in these subjects and
faculty teaching them, then at least some students from technical streams can
opt for these as electives. In this way their width of knowledge and
employability improves.”
The
same applies for students in general courses, Sahasrabudhe adds. Why shouldn’t
a BMM student study statistics, or a science student dabble in the subject of
sociology? EARLY CROSSOVERS This approach has been in play at institutions like
the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani and at multiple
Indian Institutes of Technology, or IITs. IIT-Madras offers MA programmes in
English and Development Studies. BITS offers an integrated MSc in Development
Studies and Media & Communication. Many IITs also offer PhD courses in
economics, literature, linguistics, philosophy, policy, psychology and
sociology. Students in these institutions are also free to opt for a
multi-disciplinary approach and handpick courses across streams.
“We
had humanities and language studies since inception in 1964. But in 2012, we
revised our structure and more weightage was given to the humanities. It is now
compulsory for all engineering students to pick three compulsory courses
(modules) from the humanities too. This is aside from regular courses like
technical communication,” says Sangeeta Sharma, associate professor with the
department of humanities at BITS Pilani.
At
BITS Pilani, students can also take courses in streams they are interested in
and get a minor in those subjects. “So a mechanical engineering student can get
a minor in media and communication,” Sharma says.
She
adds that, though the courses were started to help students develop an
understanding of society, it wasn’t long before they realised that the skills
they were picking up were making them more employable and more attractive to
the employers too. PERMEABLE BORDERS The cross courses and the exchange of
ideas help everyone. “Development studies students from IITs are known for
their analytical skills and their ability do comprehensive research, which
makes them suitable for multiple jobs — from analytics to economic
consultancy,” says Umakant Dash, head of the humanities and social sciences
department at IIT-Madras.
He
adds that he hopes to see more technical engineering institutes offer degrees
in general streams after the AICTE nod. “We will definitely see more
engineering colleges offer humanities courses even if not MA or BA programmes,”
he says.
At
BITS Pilani, there’s already been a step forward, in the form of a creative
thinking course. “We discuss concepts like lateral thinking,” says associate professor
Sharma. “We are also planning a Masters course in social science. We want our
students to have well-rounded skills.”
The
proverbial wall has been brought down, Sahasrabudhe agrees. “Earlier, there was
this strange idea that even if an institute offered, say, architecture and
engineering, there had to be a boundary wall between the two. That is now over.
We need no boundary walls between streams.”
Source: THE HINDUSTAN TIMES-6th March,2019
