Arise awake engineers.

Recently Narayana Murthy raised the issue of the falling quality of the graduates coming out of IITs. Indian engineers have failed to achieve their potential in proving themselves as great technocrats, designers or entrepreneurs. Can the esteemed Engineering institutions ensure that India produces another Steve Jobs, another Richard Stallman?”

I strongly believe it is possible. We have the brains and abilities to achieve any heights we wish for. We need small reforms in the system and minor changes in our mindset to achieve this. The questions set for engineering entrance examinations should be such that the coaching centres lose their ground. Multiple attempts in these examinations should be discouraged. Process of minimum cut-off marks in every subject should be removed, if a student is exceptionally brilliant in one subject of his interest. Make the entrances tough and worthwhile. Let only the deserving candidates join in.

It may sound rude, but engineering students from esteemed institutions should be restricted from pursuing MBA for at-least five years of industry experience. Research or teaching assistance should be provided to deserving and willing students so that they can start participating in the nation building process on the technical front. Research laboratories in colleges must be open 24 hours for students who wish to experiment and innovate. It must be made clear to students that engineering is not for those who want easy money and better dowry, but for those who really love technology.