Recently, while attending very highly technical event, I came across some interesting statistics.China filed whopping number of patents being 293066, 415829, 535313 in Years of 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively. Total of 2,397,843 filed during 1998 to 2012. Out of these, 6.46% makes it to 154900 filed in Compute technology areas.
India’s statistics for similar period looks dwarf when compared same of china. India filed 14869, 15896, 18173 in years of 2010, 2011, 2012 respectively. India filed total of 128324 patents in period of 1998-2012. 6.52% of these numbers filed in compute technology areas which make it 8366. I can’t dare to think on comparing that of china.In year 2013, China jumped +15.6% of total filing of 2012. It makes it to 3rd in world tally only behind to US and Japan. (Above statistics are based on publishing of World Intellectual Property Organization)
The wider grown difference between India and China in this respect really needs a serious thought. Is filing patent in India such a difficult task? What made us such a poor performer in technology innovation? Or Our Education system is not encouraging enough?I see lack of general awareness and mindset behind this. Indians are none to second in intellectual properties. It just we forget directing the world. How can we reclaim what once knowledge hub to the world!!!
Let’s begin where we lost it!!!
Technology innovation is now alien to our education. It does not encourage it either. We always assume that Patenting is Job of high research & studies profiles. We ignored source of ideas available around us. Children, Olds, Uneducated are greatest inspirational sources of patent ideas. They are the one who see the problem but does not understand why it is not solved with today’s modern technology. They are the one who did not set default boundary or ground rules of any technology. Go to them, Ask them where would they want to see change (of course using technology), Give wings to your technical capabilities, novel unique way resides there.
Coming back to schooling, inducing of novel, unique thinking should start from here. Bring awareness to patenting, purpose of it, laws behind it, have it as subject to study. We see international syllabuses doing so but huge population of Indian student are still not reachable to such.Even our engineering curriculum is not great inspiration of same. Why?
When DU and UGC fights over 3 years engineering course where one claims to complete degree course in 3 years and argue on wasting of a precious year on that!!!
I would say when you can complete course in 3 Years, Give 1 year to student just to let him follow his subject of interest do more research on same. In Today’s IT technology world, Cloud, Big data analytics, Mobility etc. are buzzing words but Are they present in my today’s engineering syllabus? It would probably take few more years to come in. Engineering dropped out going to work on such technologies will he find himself fit in such technologies? We study more Aptitude, Management, Language books than focusing on technology around us. We lose our main weapon. We get job in MNC, starts learning and working on same technology then. Can’t we prepare ourselves for such subjects while passing out collage!! Make M.sc or Masters a year course and let its first year to be complete in the final year of Bachelors. A yearlong research study on same makes an Engineer student well & fully prepared, equipped to face challenges and solving issues of that technology. It’s a Kid game for him now.
Question comes across mind on how to evaluate his subject research? We don’t have answer of this question now. But going forward is the way. Such problems could be solved getting along. Waiting to solve them first and then move would simply drag us further down.
Another problem, How would I ensure that I get job in same technology? Actually this is not the problem as it looks. Today companies hires a college passed out and then pays high to the expert professionals to bring up such fresher to the level where company expected them to work on its technology. A well prepared college dropout is “Ready to Eat” food for them. Such a fast advancement in his technology area makes him Subject depth expert within acceptable period and complex problem solving patents are not away now.
We need changes in education system now to take on the world. We must need to equip, prepare each and every individual to face, love technology. This is my small thought to share from my education experience. Hope, People Seating out there who decided my curriculum would have thought on this already.
Technology innovation is greatest gift to human kind. Let’s deliver it!!!
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