OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM needs to be restructured

Offering not just the necessary courses required for academics since 1984, but also helping students solve life problems and real-time issues for over 25 years, the PGP institutions have made a name for themselves in the education sector If someone starts an engineering college, a herd of such colleges spring up near that institution, which doesn't do any good.

Our education system has to be restructured in a way that it doesn't affect independent thinking of an individua l , " s ay s P a l a n i G Periasamy . For a person, who has been a professor for 25 years on the other side of the earth (in the United States of America), Palani G Periasamy finds Indian education system has along way to go in producing talented individuals and the leaders of tomorrow.

He came back to his motherland when the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi permitted the funding by NRIs in various industries. Along with his friends, he invested in various industries, one among them being the PGP Group of Institutions, now a big establishment that provides quality education at his hometown Namakkal, Tamil Nadu.

Offering not just the necessary courses required for academics since 1984, but also helping students solve life problems and real-time issues for over 25 years, the PGP institutions do see a lot of competition. "Education now has become more of a business.

But for a large country like India, we need more educational institutions. If we provide quality education with a clear clarity and vision, then I don't think, we should be worrying about competition," explains PG Periasamy .

And that's precisely what his institutions have been following - thriving to provide value education with a clear focus on the future of the student and the country . Competition might have been nonstagnant but that hasn't stopped influential people from establishing engineering and medical colleges that have not brought much of a change in the way education has been perceived in the country . "If someone starts an engineering college, a herd of such colleges spring up near that institution, which doesn't bring any improvement in providing e d u c at i o n , " s ay s P G P.

Similarly, there was a time when IT and computer science groups have been in great demand. The effects of recession has changed the minds of the people. Civil and mechanical engineering courses, which were once not thought to have a great future, have now become much sought after. But this situation will not last long, feels PGP. "In another two or three years, there will again be a demand for IT and computer professionals. However, courses related to basic sciences and humanities are not offered and are now forgotten by many institutions," he says adding that only strict norms and guidelines to establish educational institutions can curb the progress of making education, a mere business.

However, stringent parameters alone will not be enough. There needs to be less government intervention as at times, too much of state intervention affects the genuine initiatives taken by private institutions, says the chairman of PGP group. "I think there needs to be transparency and freedom to impart any kind of education and we need to follow innovative methods to impart," he says. PGP institutions, under which runs the arts and science, engineering and technology, school of education, industrial technical institute and polytechnic colleges - all have been seriously engaged in developing individuals to face any life experiences and not just secure high marks.

"Higher education too needs defined goals and philosophy that promote not just academics but values of life," says PGP, who runs PGP Matriculation and Higher Secondary school and Dharani Matric higher sec school.

Compared to his experience in the West, PGP says, education there is an experience and in India, it is only an exercise. "More practical oriented courses are offered. Even the most theoretical subject is made interesting with practical thoughts and innovative ideas," he explains adding that Indian education lacks innovative ideas.

PGP Group of Institutions flourishes in providing existing courses in innovative methods of teaching to make education in their colleges an experience to cherish. "We believe in creating world leaders with rational thinking and not robots," signs off the chairman adding that his long term goal is to establish his PGP group has a deemed university that can offer professional courses with update facilities and introduce various methods to make education a life changing experience for all students.