The conventional role of a teacher as a mere educator has undergone phenomenal changes, experts have said. They were participating in a seminar on ‘human capital’ on Saturday, the concluding day of TRIMA-2022, a two-day annual management convention of the Trivandrum Management Association.
The experts called for teachers to focus on upgrade of skills and employability of students, besides honing their own skills to stay relevant. Development of communication and technical skills was vital, and the role of teachers as facilitators had become paramount, they said.
Adequate training
Former Ambassador T.P. Sreenivasan, who moderated the session, said training of teachers was inadequate and they needed to be convinced that what they learnt was not relevant today. In order to attract foreign students to the State capital, development of infrastructure and technology, besides adequate training for teachers, were imperative.
Pitching for more autonomy to educational institutions, he said they should be liberated from the stranglehold of universities. He underscored the importance of conducting international interactions for students and teachers. “We have to create a good system for research, which would bring out new knowledge,” he said.
Human capital, the key
In his keynote address, Vice Admiral (retd.) B Kannan, former CEO & MD, L&T Shipbuilding Ltd., emphasised knowledge that could make an impact on individual and organisational levels. Human capital, he said, was the key driver in economic growth, while skills, knowledge and experience had to be put together in the right proportion for a better outcome.
T.P. Sethumadhavan, Director, Products, R&D, SkillFavs, said the role of teachers was to impart skills, knowledge and attitude along with ensuring mental health of students. “Teachers have to improve employability of students. They have to try to inculcate employability through appropriate skilling interventions, which is the need of the hour,” he said.
Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology Director Chandrabhas Narayana said it was a fact that employability of students was dependent on their academic and technical skills.
Jayasankar Prasad C., Director, DCSMAT Group of Institutions, spoke about the importance of developing management skills.
