Overview

A major issue in India today is the paradox of higher education. India has the unique distinction of harbouring the world's third largest pool of educated manpower. However, less than half of India's population can read and write. Thus, India's educated elite segment floats in a sea of illiteracy. One result of this paradox is that India's intellectual calibre rates as high as that obtaining in the developed world but somehow things either do not get done or get done shoddily. An Indian architect may design a building on a par with one in New York or London but the construction will more than likely be of poor quality. By the same token an engineer may design sophisticated control systems but they will not function adequately, because implementation is in the hands of unskilled and illiterate labour. The lack of skilled labour often stymies grand projects. A large portion of the blame for this paradox can be laid at the door of the planners who emphasized higher learning but neglected basic education, and encouraged professional development but saw no merit in vocational training.

One outcome of this is what every executive experiences in day-to-day management of business: maintenance is a big problem in India. Nor is this limited to manual or blue-collar labour. A lack of attention to practical detail is a major consequence of this trend and can be felt far and wide through the world of business, indeed in every...