In mid-2015, Spire Research and Consulting (http://www.spireresearch.com/) collaborated with global education service provider Pearson for the third time, to conduct a survey of 5,387 teachers in schools and higher education institutes across 527 cities and towns in India. Through this survey, teachers voiced their opinions on the employability of Indian students and shared their suggestions to improve the situation.

The Pearson-Spire survey revealed that, in the view of teachers, nearly 57% of students are educated but unfit for employment. Such unemployable students are found to be the highest in Haryana at 67% and the lowest in Uttar Pradesh at 49%.

Teachers felt that the solution lay in increasing collaboration between educational institutions, in particular for course restructuring (75%) as well as merit-based internships (48%) for students. Teachers also highlighted the need for industry-based training (44%).

Approximately 66% of the respondents felt that technology adoption with inclusion of smart boards (77%) and bundled multimedia content (51%) would drive improvement within the education system. Nonetheless, challenges such as high costs (38%), poor infrastructure and maintenance (23%) tend to impede digital adoption.

Interestingly, more teachers in Karnataka (69%) and the National Capital Territory of Delhi (45%) still perceive India’s learning environment as comprehensive and holistic.

In order to increase the employability of students, most teachers recommend a transition from subject-based learning to a more holistic approach. This is deemed possible through regular evaluation of students’ performance (47%), greater assimilation of technology and digital content into teaching curriculums (44%) and proper explanation of concepts across various subjects (43%).

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Tanushree Mukherjee