Need to constantly upgrade skills for Atmanirbhar Bharat: Former IAS Officer Shamim Uddin

Bhopal (February 17) Expressing concern over the shortage of skilled manpower in the country, former IAS officer and Senior Director of Global Skill Park (Bhopal) Shamim Uddin has emphasized that individuals must continuously upgrade their skills to remain relevant in the age of artificial intelligence.

Speaking as a chief guest at the national seminar on “Role of Skill Education in Empowering the Youth for Atmanirbhar Bharat” organized by MANUU College of Teacher Education-Bhopal here at its lush green campus, Mr. Shamim Uddin spoke about the ‘skill gap paradox”. He noted that vocation education is provided to nearly 52 percent of youth in the US, 75 percent in Germany, 96 percent in South Korea, while in India it is less than 5 percent.

Mr. Shamim Uddin emphasized that in the era of artificial intelligence, continuous skill up-gradation is essential to remain relevant.

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Speaking on the occasion, Prof. M Vanaja, Dean, School of Education and Training, MANUU, said education must be made relevant to contemporary times. She said education has to evolve with changing societal demands and therefore teachers also have to adapt.

Prof. Rajesh P Khambayat from the National Institute of Technical Teachers’ Training and Research, Bhopal, stated that due to lack of desired skills, many graduates remain unemployable. He emphasized the value of skills, saying “Skill Hai to Kal Hai, Hunar Hai to Qadra Hai”

Prof. Noushad Husain, the Organizing Secretary of the seminar, stated that the youth have immense potential to transform the country, if they are equipped with quality education along with relevant skills.

Briefing the reports in the valedictory session, Dr. Jaki Mumtaj, the Convener of the national seminar, said as many as 140 papers were presented by the participants representing different parts of the country.

Guests of Honour included Dr. Ayesha Ali, Registrar, M.P. State Council of Homeopathy; Prof. M. Vanaja, Dean, School of Education and Training, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad; and Prof. Ratnmala Arya, Dean (Extension Education), Regional Institute of Education, NCERT Bhopal.

Special guests and key speakers included Dr. Hina Arshad, Head, School of Design at Rabindra Nath Tagore University, Bhopal; Ms. Kuhoo Sharma, Chief Finance Officer, Daulat Ram Engineering Services Limited; and Prof. Madhushree Sekher, Dean, School of Skill Education, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.