Need for a vibrant liberal arts culture

Abstract

The need for economic stability dictates an Indian familys decision to send its children packing for professional degrees. Engineering, in particular, attracts a number of bright minds. As a result of which at IIM Bangalore, where I teach, more than 80 percent of my class consists of engineers. Some of them, who opted for the technical degree, neither had the aptitude, nor the interest, in it. Some of my class took the step to meet parental expectations; others to get a job.

The need for economic stability dictates an Indian familys decision to send its children packing for professional degrees. Engineering, in particular, attracts a number of bright minds. As a result of which at IIM Bangalore, where I teach, more than 80 percent of my class consists of engineers. Some of them, who opted for the technical degree, neither had the aptitude, nor the interest, in it. Some of my class took the step to meet parental expectations; others to get a job. In our country engineering courses (except those at the top-rung institutions) lack rigour. Result: Companies that recruit graduates complain that most dont come on board with a basic idea of the fundamentals. This leads me to wonder if we, as a nation, would have been better off had some of our talent pursued liberal arts instead?. Read more at: https://www.cfo-india.in/cmsarticle/need-for-a-vibrant-liberal-arts-culture/