Valuing the Unvalued

What if the value of women who work at home.. home makers was imputed and added to the GDP of our economy?

This is not only about giving credit where it is due – women do work very hard, they put in long hours and incredible skills with great reliability and precision. That is not only creditable, it is also spectacular. Most workplaces are not able to command such loyalty and reliability with little holiday unless they pay multiples of the market rate for such work.

This is about fair valuation of the GDP. All value add must be included.

Here is the dilemma.

On the one hand is the injustice of ‘unpaid work’.. on the other hand is the incredible challenge of valuing and charging for work that is done for a higher purpose – family, love, affection, tradition.

On the one hand is the question of payments to women for the household and self being considered a ‘transfer payment’.. thus not included in the national income.. since it is assumed not to generate value. On the other hand – the insult embedded in that – all payments to home makers (men or women) are labeled as transfer – they do not add any value.

That is intrinsically untrue.

The home maker is in charge of running a cost centre.

By that logic managers of a cost centre do not earn a salary, they merely get a transfer payment (yay, no taxes!!!)

Of course that leads to the next set of questions:

If women are to be paid for running the household (and this is but a thought exercise), how much should they be paid? As per their competence, delivery levels, job description? Should PhDs who stay at home be paid more than mere school leavers? Should ex-investment bankers be acknowledged for the notional loss of income in turning home makers (match with peer group incomes). Should those with more helpers be paid less because they do more or paid more – as managers are?

And for the now put to rest geopolitical analyst in me, the most fascinating question of all – if we did add the imputed income of women to the GDP (oh, lets add PPP terms for fun), then how would the ranking of the richest countries in the world change?

Countries with more women, who work productively (or even lazily) would be able to add the value of their work to the GDP valuation.

So, if women are half the sky (terrible phrase, btw) – and each of them earns at – say, for ease of back of the envelope calculation – at the same rate as India’s per capita income. Then, would India’s GDP double? Oh, some of them are already calculated in the workstream – say 20%. Then India’s GDP goes up roughly 1.75 times, right?

Wonder how the numbers will change for other countries. Would the relative rankings change?

Can the simple task of valuing and charting the contribution of women change the world order?

 

I have been asking this question for almost two decades.

Never seriously, just a thought at the back of my head.

I shared this with Varsha Joshi, a friend who knows more than I do about India’s statistics.. and here is her response:

 

http://varshajoshi95.blogspot.in/2013/03/on-women-and-work.html

 

We were pointed to Prajnya’s essay on a part of the issue: Should housewives be paid salaries linked here http://keepingcount.wordpress.com/2013/01/14/guest-series-should-housewives-be-paid-salaries-part-3-of-3/

 

Questioning the Women’s Bank

The  Budget announcement on a new public sector bank for Women has evoked mixed reactions and there are clearly two camps on the issue. No doubt millions of women (and those who are not women) are underbanked or even unbanked in India. The large proportion of the underbanked has become a hurdle in the implementation of both fiscal and monetary policy that it is a shame that the intervention was designed to make it a gender issue. Banking is a path to financial empowerment and flexibility for all, not just women. To make it about women is against the twin principles of inclusion and equality that should be the bedrock of sustainable democracies.

 

It seems in recent times, the more women are attacked, the more they are constrained in ever smaller boxes. The more they are attacked, the less inclusive the reparations seem to get, and lead to more segregation. The Women’s Bank is another such box.

 

Of course there is a need to support women towards greater economic independence, more so because ours is patriarchal society where women have few property rights. The case for banking as a means to empower women has been established and proven. It has also been proven that both rural and urban women are as competent as men in managing their banking given the right kind of initial support. At the same time, it is true that there are various barriers to women. Many have reported that in practice they cannot get a bank loan unless a husband or father stands guarantor, others have reported that they find banks daunting as they do not know what to do when they go to a bank. With little or no literacy, current banking processes in regular high volume branches seem to be impossible to navigate, a veritable chakravyuh to the uninitiated.

 

One can accept the need for more women’s branches, more schemes and more funding. But this does not build the case for a whole new bank. There do exist women’s branches and even a few women’s co-operative banking and non banking finance companies. The existing network of public sector bank branches can be leveraged. There is certainly a case for more programs and schemes that include women in banking via deposits and loans. Let the branches, especially rural ones have guidelines or even annual targets on women’s banking operations with their branches. There is even a case to run financial literacy campaigns, have account opening camps or melas and of course financial literacy support. Increasing the number of female banking correspondents and providing training and support to and via them is the obvious first step. Even a simple thing as a mahila sahayak – a female helpdesk at every branch would help to make banks more inclusive and open for women.

 

The need for support is at the retail level. Banking is one of the few sectors where women actually have risen to the top due to a few visionary organisations and star individuals who created fantastic policies that helped retention at the middle management levels when attrition usually happens. The requirement is at the bottom of the pyramid, where traditionally self regulated, self governed and self determined groups of women have brought about lasting change in their communities let by dedicated support teams. The SEWA bank is the first to be quoted in the list of successful examples.

 

Of course we do not know much about the kind of bank planned other than the fact that it will be a Public Sector bank with an initial capital of Rs. 1000 crores. Will it have an all women’s board? Will the CEOs only be women? Will it only have women employees?  Will it accept deposits only from women? Will it lend only to women? Apparently, it will accept deposits from men too. Does it mean men can have accounts there too? So, will men be allowed into the branches? Will they be able to tell women what to write on their forms? Or will they be waiting outside while women transact? Who else will be waiting outside? 

 

Creating artificial divisions based on gender really does not work – there will be a line where the humankind will have to meet as one. A women’s bank is only a token attempt at speaking to women, not a meaningful conversation. Again, when the last mile is explored the cracks begin to show. The real question is whether the overhead of a new bank is necessary or would the same interests, and genuine needs, be served best by directed and monitored inputs into specific retail programs. A thousand crores is not a small amount of money, especially when leveraged through the banking system. The question really is whether the cost of the additional infrastructure at the top is worth the loss to the principle of equality.

 

The real questions are both symbolic and pragmatic. What will the women’s bank achieve that the current banking system cannot with suitable support and supervision? What does the women’s bank stand for other than segregation and sequestration? It is almost patronising at first glance, and in the minds of some it gives women a bit less of a right to normal banking. Or it gives normal banking channels the leeway to walk away from designing more inclusive policies and processes – it is now so easy to say – ‘why don’t you go to the women’s bank?’ rather than invest in supportive programs. The women’s bank is certainly not an egalitarian construct – no positive discrimination is even as they aim for a more equitable society. For every such decision one wonders whether the costs, even as they seem to mimic investment in the future, are worth the possible benefits. One wonders what this is an investment in – a more gendered future?

 

 

The Layered Ladder

This article was posted in the Economic Times.. a fuller version of course exists.

 

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To rise in the company all I have to do is do my job well. The boss will surely notice me and reward my diligence.

Nope. Not just for that.

And this is what your parent’s generation is unlikely to tell you. (Unless you are one of the lucky few)

Think of it as Maslow’s hierarchy of deliverables.

Step One

At the bottom of the pyramid lies the Hygiene factor. This is the set of tasks that are essential and form the core of the job. The expectation here is that you do what is asked of you. The tasks are basic and mechanical. The employee is expected to work for speed and accuracy where the parameters of the task are already fixed. This is the part of the job that is likely to be mechanised or robotised in the interest of greater economy or accuracy. Examples of these include jobs of a typist or a fax operator. While both those tasks are still  part of the daily routine of most businesses, it employs fewer people each year solely for these. Every role, all the way up the hierarchy has parts that are similar. While essential, it may be wise to remember that there are no special commendations to be achieved here. Of course, mistakes in these are terribly embarrassing. Often called the ‘executive’ level (now) because what you do is execute instructions.

The Second Step

Right above that comes the layer with tasks that are your ‘responsibility’. This is the stuff that is within your domain but nobody tells you how to do them. The ‘what’ may be clear, though often made specific in annual goal setting. The ‘how’ is not always specified, though there might be a tradition of doing things a certain way. Here, both the task and its accountability come from above. Often called the managerial level, as you are expected to manage resources to get results.

Now for the bits they don’t tell you about:

The Third Step

The layer of the unasked. There is always a lot of stuff that needs doing in an organisation or business, but is not part of your job description. It is also not part of any other person’s job description (no point stepping on other people’s toes, it will only mess things up). Sometimes it is as simple as organising the annual office party. Sometimes it is volunteering to do a little project that does not really help your P&L but needs to be done. Sometimes it is just being a good team leader and a fantastic team player. Why should you do it? To get noticed, to differentiate yourself and rise above.

The Fourth Layer

If the previous one was difficult to see – let us call it translucent, the next one is even less visible. In old hindi movies there often was a sequence where lots of people were doing hard work. Say building a road or clearing a field. And then there would be one person, say the hero or heroine who would do a little bit of work, but their main job would be singing. Not that this is a lesson from Bollywood, but some of you would have observed these singers in your offices too. The guy who sends out the first congratulatory email to all.. or the person who leads the pace in a tough project. This – again – not a part of the core job. (Also very annoying when it comes from someone who has not done much work – if you are a pace setter, make sure the work layers are solid!). The guy who sings the songs, who keeps up the morale and holds the team together is doing the team a service! Well, it does not literally need you to sing songs, a few praises may not be amiss. Celebrate the successes too. Do it with a will, with honest intent (so easy to spot a fraud). To coin a cliche – till you believe in the success of a team, the team cannot believe in your success. Somebody’s got to put in the effort of making work fun.

Layer Five

And while the next layer is not the top, it is the last we speak of – even as it is invisible. If you want to rise above your level, you have to demonstrate exactly that. Do more than is expected. Always remembering of course to ensure you are helping  your team and your boss – not trampling all over their space and work. India is more openly hierarchical than many places – and it will not do much good to rock the boat you want to rule.

If you are the CEO, or close to being one – you probably know these things. (That is how you got here) The guys you want to groom to make you successful may not have realised this – send it to them. Sounds like a lot of hard work? It is.

 

Ask the person who sent you this link.

 

 

This was posted in the Economic Times Blog The Corner Office http://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com/CornerOffice/entry/the-layered-ladder on February 05, 2013

Mind the Gap

 

Years of being attacked on the streets, in homes, in buses and in offices with little or no recourse to the law in practice had scarred the women of India. Stories are pouring in from everywhere of women who learnt to cope, to cower, to cover up and the rare few who fought back. Most women were told to shut up and put up, it was pervasive and there was nothing to be done. The assault could be lewd comments, a gherao, stalking or even rape. This was the chance every woman took for just being alive, she was not safe even in the house. Something snapped after the news spread of the brutal sexual assault of a young woman in a Delhi bus. People poured out to express their sorrow and solidarity. The Government reacted slowly, not recognising the need to share the sorrow. And when it did, it was harsh. The delay was damaging, the harsh lathi-charge and tear gas shells even more so.

The weekend revealed many gaps and schisms in the fabric of the country. And then some rare blessings too, where unexpected support was found. In the middle of the protest there were those who sought to disrupt peaceful demonstrations, and then there were those who protected others from the lathis. People thought this would be a woman’s issue, but there were men standing for safer streets too. People thought that the Government would see their concerns, would share in their sorrows. But the law took another course. It was time for ministers, MPs and MLAs to step up and speak, but the winter cold kept them in. Not so the protestors, some of whom stayed out after the candlelight vigil. Cycling past the next morning, the Government bandobast was clearly in place. The day served the morning’s plan and by afternoon the protests had degenerated into a fracas. People were hurt and arrested. Much of this could have been avoided with timely action and caring conversation. The authorities needed to reach out, perhaps to console but certainly to acknowledge and to take responsibility for change.

The tale of the weekend is a tale of sorry gaps — the gaps between men and women in this country. Men have traditionally seen women as property, or a source of property. The woman brings her bride price to pay for her keep for the rest of her life. She is a liability, seen as such at birth, where tears are shed, female foeticide rates are high. Men, on the other hand can command, often not even getting a glass of water for themselves ever. Those attacked and those who are supposed to protect them, both feel ashamed. This was an outpouring against shame, a fightback for dignity and safety. Of course there were those who went to this gathering to grope women — more shame on them.

The gaps between needs and manners. In a nation where there is no shame in spitting on the streets, or urinating in public for men, there is little expectation of any other lines being drawn for their ‘needs’. Manners and self discipline are not expected. In any other society, even where men dominate, men do not walk around holding, touching, groping, feeling, poking. It is simple, you have an itch, you hold it. Don’t dig your nose in public, don’t poke your body parts on to others. It’s only good manners, child.

Then, there are the gaps in analysis. Facts and conclusions drawn seem to have no connection with each other. Rapes happen at any time of day or night, yet a 1 am curfew is imposed by the State. There are groups of people that believe that eating chow-mein (chinese noodles) and meat incite rapes. There are many who say young, attractive women are natural targets — but statistics show that age is no bar, one can be attacked at any age. Old women of 70 and above have been assaulted. Clothes are no barrier either — women need not be skimpily dressed to be targets. Statistics show that neither tents nor traditional motherly dresses seem to stop the attacks. Yet, one of the first questions that gets asked after a rape is reported is ‘What was she wearing?’. Firstly, it does not matter, she will be attacked anyway! Secondly, it does not matter as she has the right to wear what she likes. As I write this, reports come in of an RSS chief exhorting people to raise cows to inculcate values that will help them respect women. Logic takes a beating when there are such gaps of reason where beliefs defy logic.

With the gap between the average age of those who occupy ministries and the average age of the population widening, this may be a clash of the generations — the demographic disconnect. Those who believe that women must be subjugated, and others who genuinely believe that a woman has the same rights as men. When women are asked why they were out at night, the question makes no sense to the younger generation — a woman has every right to be where she wants to be at any time of day or night. She has the right not to be assaulted, period.

And finally, the toughest — the gaps between the protestors and the protectors. When the latter turned their lathis on those they should have been protecting, a new divide was born. Mind that Gap.

 

 

 

This was published in NitiCentral on December 26, 2012. And is linked here and link pasted here: http://www.niticentral.com/2012/12/uneven-gender-discourse-forces-us-to-mind-the-gap.html

The Demographic Disconnect

Every 22 minutes. The statistic of reported rapes in India.

Ponder that. Once every 22 minutes.

More frequently than you probably drink a glass of water.

So ordinary, everyday. Everywhere.

In homes, in offices, trains, buses, singly or in groups. A team sport, casually tear a life apart, tear their bodies apart. Day or night, under attack. To be was to be available, on call at every corner. To be a woman in India is to be ready to be traumatised at the next step. It is no way to live. Much analysis on rape has been repeated – a crime of passion, a cry for power, a need to subjugate, a need – physical, unfulfilled. The causes, the opportunities and some say – the provocation all have been discussed to futility. Bottomline – it is a crime. A violation. A line crossed – that must be punished.

And goes unpunished.

Justice is for the rich, we hear. Not entirely true, but there is indeed little faith or trust in policing. An ordinary girl living in India is unlikely to want to enter a police station, let alone speak to a policeman on the road. My encounters with policemen have been very civil, but then I have not dared ask for much. On the occasion when police stations had to be visited, the menfolk were firm. The women would be left at home, the men go in twos or threes – never alone. The fear of the law meant just that – you were afraid of what the law would unleash. It was best to stay away. The police too acknowledged that they had to deal with such rough people all the time that they had become used to brutality. This had little to do with gender – there are enough reports of both men and women being injured in police custody. And enough tales of the room at the back in each police station.

Police reforms have been called for time and again, and yet remain stalled. Police have scant training in interacting with people who are not criminals and seek their care and protection ( I can almost hear the laughter in the aisles as I write this). When dealing with a problem, the algorithm is not one that seeks resolution, but is one that engages a series of complex factors that include the contacts (i.e. access to privilege), monetary power among other things. Symptomatic of much that is wrong with they way priorities must be allocated within the force. And of course highlights the need to modernise the attitudes and behaviours of the police force. One suspects, they really did not know what their responses could have been other than what they delivered.

The brutal attack on a girl and her male friend in which her intestines were pulled out by a gang of six who raped her after knocking the friend out with an iron rod has shaken India. The brutality, the impunity of the crime and the fear that again, there would be no consequences – as there have been few punishments in the past. Women are considered disposable objects, their purpose to be of service, regardless of their economic worth. To be used and abused is the prerogative of men. Mediaeval? Possibly.  Still around? Clearly.

Pervasive? Yes. Universal? No. As the gatherings at India Gate showed.

The current protest at India Gate was met with a disproportionate use of force. Brutal even, with peaceful protestors being teargassed, lathi-charged (beaten with large bamboo sticks) and water-cannoned. The gathering that had come together to protest lawlessness, to seek solutions for personal safety ended up putting their own personal safety at risk. The first ask of a government is to provide safety to its citizens. As my good friend Nitin Pai said in one of our policy training sessions – drawing on Weber, Hobbes, Locke and others – “We cede to the government the monopoly over use of violence.” – this is the social contract. They keep residents safe, residents promise to adhere to the law of the land. This contract has collapsed. India Gate protests are about the inability of the government to provide security.  A girl asks – “Why are they not scared of the law?”

People sought the death penalty for rapists. Some others knowing the history of law enforcement sought to implement vigilante justice. Calls for chemical castration many. The anger overflowed seeking retribution for wrongs present and past. Seeking a system that would deter the daily terrorists from plying their trade. A system that would do the job it was hired to do. An anecdote (posted on twitter too) says it all. The girl was groped on a train. On stepping off, she stepped up to the policemen posted there and pointed out the culprit to them. They ask her – what can we do about it? Did they not know what they could do? Were they untrained? Were they unwilling to do their job? Did they not have a protocol for dealing with this? Or were they seeking to offer immunity to the attacker? Because that is what must have happened. The attacker would have strutted away smug and encouraged. Ready to take his paws forward.

Were these protests about women, and their place in society? Ultimately, yes. They were about attitudes to women. How dare a man think it even possible to reach out and fondle a woman’s body anywhere? How dare he stare at her as if she was there to be stripped of all respect? Women have been dealing with this quietly for years, some with firmness, others with resigned acceptance. The resentments have been simmering as truncated lives are managed, on sufferance. At least she can make tea and bear children.

Where did these attitudes come from? Was there a moment when men decided to subjugate women? This is global, yet the personal daily attacks on women are not pervasive everywhere. This is a personal attack that robs. The daily horror. If there was a newspaper that chronicled what happens to women as they step out, that is what it would be called – The Daily Horror.

Other countries too have had marauding armies, where rape and pillage was common, and yet both visitors and locals can walk around without fear of being molested, groped or attacked. Not eve-teased, like they seem to say amusedly in the films – attacked. Bollywood has to share some of the blame for the depravity. Not just the ‘item numbers’ but the storylines and dialogues too consistently reinforce regressive value systems. A casual meeting at a school function with the CEO of the Central Board of Film Certification this week inevitably led to a discussion on this issue – she is right. Bollywood has rarely provided an alternative narrative or positive role model for people to identify with I have to agree – womanhood in the movies is about physical desirability and access to it in ways that would qualify as crimes in many countries – stalking, harassing, imposing and much more. The woman of course capitulates and a methodology for the hapless viewer is  established. Does it make sense to arrogate so much power to the movies, and such haplessness to the viewer? Movies do have power, as do television serials – as a quick look at the numbers in the audience, revenue streams and the influence on large markets of clothing and jewellery indicate. If the data has compelled the government to pitch Bollywood as a significant source of soft power outside the nation, surely, combined with the data, proves the case that it carries power within the nation too.

The deeper malaise will take decades to be eradicated. Many do not even understand the nature of the problem, the protest. The protest is about safety, true. But for many it was about not being a second class person in society any more. It was about seeking to be an equal human. Which women are not, as evidenced by the lack of parity in pay across the world. The Indian woman often has it both better and worse than her sisters in other countries. Often getting better chances to reach the boardroom, she has to run the gauntlet of big and small sexual encounters along the way, all the while being the perfect wife, mother, daughter in law, aunt.. the list goes on. These are all relationships that do not understand boundaries, as they do in the west. A work client may call you at 11pm on a Saturday, or an aunt in law may expect you to be on hospital duty in the middle of a working day. And yet, they manage much with grace, stretching themselves beyond what is humanly possible, while running the daily battle with the groper who may turn rapist at any moment. Maybe India Gate was about the rise of an economically empowered emotionally connected version of feminism. An angry, upset, disgusted and law abiding version that only seeks to live in safety and dignity.

The Disconnect:  

Maybe the government did not understand that this was an outpouring of grief, not just anger. Maybe, as many misogynists revealed inadvertently, this was not considered important – this is the way it always has been, women can never be happy, what can anybody do, it will pass – this is just a weekend revolt. They just do not get it. For the government, was it just another angry demonstration that had to be quelled? Did they not realise that all problems are not people vs. the government – and some must be resolved together, with care and tact? Obviously not. The reaction to the peaceful gathering was disproportionate and escalated the anger and disappointments in ways that will have consequences for many years to come. Something broke this week, possibly the camel’s back.

The protest was confusing to a linear authority – there was no clear charter of demands, nothing to be negotiated, no price to be bargained. Their traditional mode of dealing with the enemy was useless – this was not the enemy. They were seeking support, and somehow this message was lost in the trek up the president’s hill. Or was willfully ignored. Could it be possible that the concept of a two way conversation with the public or a meaningful engagement is not understood? The government needs to evolve and adapt for the new generation. Demographics reveal the gap between the average age of the country and that of its ‘rulers’, the gap runs deeper. The attitudes of the future are more inclusive, collaborative and seek to build social bridges. A Public Private Partnership, if you will.

What is this protest about? What did it seek? As befits a democracy, there was no single dominant thought. Nor was there a leader, this was a gathering of equals. There were men and women there as safety is not a gender issue. There were young and old, mothers and children. Each stepping out of safe comfort zones in the bitter Delhi cold, some even staying the night. This is what a civil mature protest looks like and this is what deserves the respect and attention of authorities. Anger shared, acknowledged. You would be angry too if every living moment was running the gauntlet of groping greedy assault attack on identity and self.

The gathering sought to express and share sorrow. All it needed was a genuine acknowledgement of solidarity. What was delivered was the exact opposite – a demonstration of polarity.

What can the government do in response to an incident and consequent citizen protest? What should it do? 

Prevent: In this case, it is true that many of the crimes against women are difficult to prevent unless there is a shift in attitudes and values. This must become a national concern, even a mission, and must be led by government efforts (once more, with feeling)  . It is equally true that this is a long term goal. The flouting of little laws, the callousness of existing checkposts, all contributed to the incident. Prevention failure. Disciplinary matter.

What about the protest? Should it have been prevented? Absolutely not – in a free country, residents must be allowed to let their grief be shared. It is cathartic and even may lead to solutions being found in partnerships with governments. Holding on to grief in private enclaves can only cause problems in the future. More so – it is their right to protest.

Protect: This obviously was a failure. And at the core of the discussion. The government has failed to protect the people it was supposed to serve. As far as protecting the procession, the difference between the protest march in Bombay, (which ranks number 2 in the number of rapes) and India Gate protests in Delhi was marked. The police marched with the protestors. In Delhi, the police attacked the protestors. It is said that the protest turned violent. Does the police not have the training to calm a situation down, rather than try to stamp on it?

Prevaricate: It is possible to deflect the anger, but in this case any such pathetic attempts clearly demonstrate the disconnect with the public. As was amply demonstrated.

Procrastinate: They did – every reaction was too late, and often harsh. Situations that could have been managed were allowed to spiral. And this gave ‘lumpen’ elements and other political parties to jump into the fray. The protest was diluted, schisms were created and all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Punish: This is what happened. Those who went to seek protection were punished. Punished for being hurt. The press who tried to report it were also attacked. The photographs are telling – the brutality undeserved. Families cowering, babies in arms. India has a strong visual memory of similar scenes from the early part of the twentieth century and it may have been wise to avoid this conclusion. The protest was highjacked, giving post facto justification for violence against protestors. It does not lessen the tide of rising tears that brought people out to the streets.

What should they have done?

Speak, communicate and reach out. Reach out with warmth, feeling and understanding. Ask, not tell. All they needed to do was listen. Open the doors and seek to understand before doing anything that would damage the spirit of the people. It is these people who are your demographic dividend. It is this generation that will pay the taxes that will build your roads and hospitals. Listen to them.

Yes, the government did what their processes told them to do – but it was not enough. Finding the culprits, arresting them, suspending the bus licence – these are operational responses to the specific incident. These clearly did not reflect either empathy or understanding. And was clearly poorly communicated.

As I type this, the prime minister has addressed the nation. The reactions are predictable, as was the address. This is about national values and about upholding freedoms. About decency and dignity. About simply living life in a civil society. If this fundamental need is not met, then something breaks.

Remember, a daughter of the nation is violated once every 22 minutes. Something breaks.

Tablets and A Lesson to Learn

 

Aakash, the celebrated and vilified tablet ‘solution’ to the issues in education in India, seems to be discussed for all the wrong reasons. Whether by design or by default, the conversation is around the device and the controversies it has been associated with rather than the solution it is supposed to offer.

The device has navigated storms over the price point it aimed at, its operating system, the choice of screen, the sturdiness of the device, its designers, its delays and disappointments. The latest storm is about the revelation that, contrary to jingoistic statements that the device was indigenous, it has apparently been sourced from China. Whether there has been any mendacity or not is a mere distraction.

The real issues remain in the understanding of the process of teaching and learning. Yes, there are flagship studies that say that children can teach themselves to learn and to navigate the Internet. There are other studies that say that standalone devices with learning programmes built into them help children transform into self-teaching achievers. At the same time, there are significant studies that do point out that the key elements that aid student achievement are teacher engagement and school leadership. Significant strides in learning happen in immersive experiences that are curated and mentored. Even a decade of e-learning has taught us that technology cannot substitute for a good teacher even if it can perform a supportive role. The new success on the block—the MOOCs (massive online open courses)—is a success because of the peer learning networks and the shared, interactive learning it has spawned. The classroom aspects of learning are clearly essential to systematic learning.

A tablet is just one device that is popular at this point of time in history. Given the timeline of technology media, we should not try to predict how soon they will be succeeded by smarter devices. Aakash is accused of being substandard compared to what else is available in the market.

The price point is rather low—to compare a `4,000 device with what costs 10 times as much seems hardly fair. Yet there is no denying that the device is not what children in rich schools work with (such as the iPad) nor what is available to students in other countries.

The scale of the operation in India is such that even a large allocation in absolute terms feels small when the ‘cost per child’ is what one can afford. If that is so, then the fixation on a tablet seems inexplicable. This is then a top-down decision that may not even take into account the will or circumstances of the people it seeks to serve.

The device is only as good as its usability and its degree of adoption and adaptation. It may be possible to easily import the hardware in today’s flat world, and that is merely an economic decision. But it is not that easy to expect the same of software and content. The learning materials available freely on the Internet, and for free, may be vast. But very few of them can substitute for a good teacher. They may at best support the teachers in their endeavours, or supplement class material. But if the purpose is to provide an alternative channel of learning where traditional teaching has failed to reach, then it is unlikely to happen. A tablet cannot supplant a teacher. An absent teacher is a different problem and throwing content via textbooks or shiny devices at it does not resolve that fundamental issue.

The issue of content for pedagogical engagement is crucial to the discussion on a technology solution to upgrade the quality of education.

To purchase and issue tablets with nothing that directly serves the student is akin to saying—build the shop and the customers will come before filling the shop with goods to purchase. Even more challenging is the aspect of basic infrastructure. Without reliable electricity, the tablets will need special arrangements for charging. Not only is the shop without goods, it has no power. The path, the broadband, is yet to be put in place—so the road to the shop does not exist yet. And of course, the device can be broken or stolen—the shop is a glasshouse. It is easy to be worried about the quality of the decision.

The investment requirement is for an efficient, scaleable solution to deliver affordable quality access to those who are left behind. With the basic building blocks crumbling or nascent, the fixation on one device seems strange. Given the strides in mobile phone penetration, maybe the emphasis should be on increasing the reach of effective content.

Meeta Sengupta is an independent consultant in education strategy.

Comments are welcome at theirview@livemint.com

 

This article was published in the Mint newspaper on December 14, 2012 and is linked here and http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/1H9F8TQkaqDsLOulrYRZXO/Tablets-and-a-lesson-to-learn.html

The Future of Universities

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Higher education must break the glass ceiling by spreading out massively. It should help create quality campuses and outreach programmes

With the economic slowdown, many smaller universities globally have seen a fall in application numbers, as the short-term wage advantage for a university graduate falls. In India too, after a decade of the glamour of engineering and management, smaller colleges have been suffering a shortfall in numbers. For a country with severe shortage of higher education, it is interesting to know that most educational institutes have to have a strong marketing programme to get students to cross into their portals.

This is very encouraging because it reinforces the notion that the Indian student chooses with care and needs better information to be able to commit to an investment in a degree. It is early days yet, and student information services are yet to develop in many places, but it is a good start and begins to make the relationship with the university or college a bit more even. This is the beginning of a change in the way higher education approaches and deals with students.

Universities and schools are going to have to change to be able to provide value to their candidates in the next decades. For many it will be a question of survival, for others a fight for their reputation and prestige. The biggest disruption to the traditional bastions of knowledge is of course new technology. Massive online open courses have been so popular that universities, especially smaller universities have had to face up to any intellectual or delivery gaps that they might have. The examples and stories come from countries such as El Salvador and Kazakistan, but the numbers come from Brazil, India, China and Canada together reportedly one fifth of the enrollments. American enrollments are just over a third on Coursera, a common platform that offers free courses by Ivy league professors. Other platforms such as Venture Lab by Stanford, EdX etc. offer a variety as does the University of the People.

These technology-based solutions have been great levelers, breaking down barriers of geography, ability, income, prior qualifications and offer equal opportunities where equal opportunities legislation could not reach. While nominally the cost is zero, these are still not available to the poorest except in nations where computers, internet connections and electricity are provided to all —  but for many millions this has given them the ability to reach where their current resources could not take them. While these courses currently offer a certificate of participation if all the assignments are done, the lack of credits does not stop employers from appreciating the effort and learning of the candidates. Credits for assessment are not far behind.

Universities have been under pressure for a few decades before this too, to streamline their processes and prove the quality of their research and teaching. The European Bologna process has taken years to trickle down to practice. Asian universities often cast their growth plans in line with the criteria of world university ranking tables and achieve prominence by delivering to these. The competition for quality not just in output but also in inputs is the future of building great institutions of higher education.

Talent wars are a consequence of the demands for quality, scale, reach and access. In India universities complain of the difficulty in finding good faculty as much as they are disappointed in the quality of students. Qualifications are a proxy for ability, and the science of education is often conflated with the business of education. The purpose of the university often seems unclear — often a discovery into personal politics as much as a journey into employability. For some, a quest for knowledge for its own sake, but even here the future is in usable research and innovation.

The future of universities will be in stepping out of the tower. The traditional high bastions too have had to step out and create campuses and outreach programmes all over the world. Even as the Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operations) Bill, 2010,  waits its turn in Indian parliament, foreign universities have found ways of collaborating with Indians to support the next phase of education — to teach and to learn in the process. Harvard, Oxford, U Penn  all have India links. The latest entrant is the Stanford Graduate School of Business which comes to India with a programme on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and many more will come for the market that is India.

This Op-Ed was published in the Daily Pioneer column on November 15, 2012 and is linked here and http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/item/52828-universities-have-to-face-real-world.html

 

The final unpublished paragraph is here: 

Indian Universities have to step up to meet the needs of its future students or run the risk of becoming irrelevant. The onus is on the teachers to lead and rise above the current slump. The language of change is already in place – employer engagement, research, pathways – now it is up to the universities to deliver, for the sake of their own reputation.

MOOCs and the Future of Education

 

The conversation about the future of education has recently been dominated by the acronym MOOC – Massive Online Open Courses. These are famously run by large Ivy league colleges, often on a common platform such as Coursera, though some are run independently too. These are normally free and are available to anybody who has a good internet connection on a computer.  

MOOCs are seen as the most disruptive technology for higher education. Of you have a Stanford professor teaching you something, even if it is online, wny do you need to go to your silly little college at all? Your teachers may not be as good as the Stanford professors, and you may not learn beyond your textbook. 

The best thing about the MOOCs is the chance to study with keen students across the world. Students formed their own study groups across continents, explored areas of interest triggered off by the online sessions with the professor. The peer learning networks that we have been speaking of for over two years came alive, triggered by a good professor! 

There was plenty of assessment during the MOOCs too – in session exercises, assignments, peer discussions, reports. The work was not trivial either – there was a lot to read and research. The course was not simply about listening to a video. The challenge for these courses that provide assessment avenues is that one cannot verify the honesty and thus validity of the assessment. So far all these courses do is give one a certificate of participation that really does not carry any credits. There have been reports that employers are excited about these, but they do not translate into direct university credits. 

The challenge for online courses such as these is clearly in interaction and connection. However wonderful an online course is, there is no substitute for a wise and caring professor. The mentorship of seniors and the escapades with peers are an indelible part of  coming of age journeys. The virtual experience, even one as good as the Khan Academy, can only be a shadow of the real one. 

Yet it is a valuable addition to the brave new world of learning. There is much to be said for  these online courses – as is evidenced by their massive popularity. They provide excellent in depth explanations, standardized learning experience and repeat access to the training materials. While nominally the cost of these courses is zero, of course for many the access  to a computer with a good quality internet connection becomes an issue. Some, of course externalise their cost to their workplace. In a perfect world, all college and univerisity libraries would be open to all, 24 hours a day with free internet access. This happens in some cities and countries – there is always a resource available for those who want to learn.  

MOOCs bring value in cutting across traditional boundaries. People of all ages, from any background can participate in these lessons. And engineer can study philosophy, a scientist can learn of history. The cross seeding of knowledge and experience is bound to make great things happen in the near future.  

So, are MOOCs all good? Not really. There is no substitute for the teacher who facilitates and catalyses intellectual growth. In the absence of such a teacher, this is a good step forward. A MOOC – so far – has been unable to cater to the personalised needs of the student.. it moves on, jaggernaut like, at its own pace. It can neither stop for those left behind, nor are there any built in mechanisms to help people catch up. So far, the success rates even if measured as full participation are rather low. But then, of course, many join a MOOC to learn rather than to gain a certificate or participate in assessments. MOOCs are the face of massification, an invaluable tool in disseminating knowlege. And therefore will be an integral part of learning now and in the future. A part, not the whole. 

 

This was published in the ToI blogs on November 12, 2012 and is linked here and http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/educable/entry/moocs-and-the-future-of-education

Brand Religion

The Brand, The Logo, The Cult, The Religion

You could assume I am speaking of Apple – the brand that has dominated the conversation in geeky circles for years, with loyalty that runs so deep that its followers must have every new product launched within the first 24 hours. The religion of Apple has its rituals – the iOS upgrades, the tutorials at the Apple shop. Sacrifices at the altar of Apple are never mentioned, it is expected that for so much joy, one gives up on a few – options, mere options. The deep loyalty and the apparent schism from the other sects almost makes this a Cult.

We have seen others before this – the Cult of Coca Cola, the drive of McDonalds, the ubiquity of Johnson and Johnson’s baby powder. This is what brands seek to do – create a cult, a religious fervour that brings them loyal customers. They have learnt many lessons from the grand religions of the world.

Religions have been so successful as branding exercises that they have become part of the identity of the loyalists. Just as someone cannot imagine their morning without a particular brand of soap, they cannot imagine themselves without the connection to their religion. The interesting thing here is that each is vested in their own brand, changes are inevitably cathartic. And involve major life changing events.

All religions have layers of meaning and nuance that is not for the everyman or everywoman to know. And therein lies the perfect catch -22 for each of them. You cannot know,  but must believe that there is more. Of course there is a God, but you cannot know the God, you can only know the strength of your belief in God. And as with all good cults, this strength is tested and reinforced from time to time. Often to reinforce the faith in the one God, often to reinforce the faith in the prescribed ways. As every good brand manager would do to renew and strengthen their brands.

I speak of the religion I was brought up in, not claiming to be an expert in any. And If I were a complex philosopher with various competing, co-existing schools of philosophy to curate and promote, I could not have chosen a better vehicle than building brands. Gods as brands for philosophies are represented by their logos – the images. Our famous eight handed Gods or ten headed demons did not really have those limbs or heads (They were not even people!) The hands represent actionable capabilities. The heads represent knowledge. Ravaan was one of the greatest scholars – his head is supposed to, therefore contain as much as that of ten scholars. Each deity and their accoutrements represent aspirational values, much like what brands seek to create today.

Gods, in Hindu ‘religion’ clearly represent philosophies, a certain belief system that could translate into specific behaviours and attitudes in dealing with everyday transactions. For example, the family that worships Krishna invests in retellings of fun, wealth, intelligent solution seeking and valour that influence their behaviours. The degree of indulgence in such households would be more than in spartan households that worship the austere Shiva. He of the matted locks and looks that could kill – the dance of creative destruction is his as is the third eye. Nobody can actually believe that there was a person with an extra eye plonked in the middle of his forehead. It is but a representation of an internally coherent set of values that guide one through difficult circumstances. Given a problem to solve, the embedded stories will certainly influence choice. In everyday situations it is not difficult to envisage that a Vaishnavite response and a Shaivite response will be inherently different – I believe this is a traditional battleground.

Are these philosophies then a religion? While intellectuals and academics have written for centuries about it, a simple marketing perspective is interesting too. If philosophies are packaged and created in a brand, with a distinct logo (the image or idol), a distinct market segment that they appeal to, then religion is their marketing vehicle. The product is the set of compatible philosophies. The place, interestingly used to be restricted to temples and churches, but the rule of omnipresence and societal requirements of egalitarianism combine to make religion more universally accessible than many other institutions. Television sets blare out messages, the internets sustain debate across the globe. The promotion of these is invariably using the classic tools of marketing – advertising, word-of mouth promotion, PR  campaigns, events, bonus and reward promotions, and of course direct selling by the priesthood in organised religions. (To remind ourselves, the basic definition of ‘promotion’ in marketing 101 includes the objectives – to inform, persuade and remind). Of course there can be no product without a price – and in this, religions have trumped mere marketing managers. The price discovery mechanism is robust, because it has been handed over to the crowds. People give according to their means, their emotional needs, and most importantly, they give based on the value they receive. This of course is managed with organised giving being the mainstay of most religions – scale operations are never cheap. Most large religions, as brands also have a large asset base to operate and sustain the enterprise.

Yes, religion is the business that propagates and sustains philosophies. Does that acknowledgement demean religion or the philosophy behind it? Absolutely not! I would give it credit for pragmatism, for finding a path to sustainability. Do I have to buy in to every brand out there? Nope. Is there a free market across brands? In times of peace there well might be a free market, in times of plenty there is often free exchange. But just as economic recession puts pressure on jingoistic tendencies of countries – as we see, religions too respond to internal and external pressures and often overreach themselves. And as our financial giants have learnt, the seeds of self destruction are often sown in such ventures.

Religion is another product that we consume, possibly the greatest comfort and support to many. It has great value in having the capacity to hold and to heal peoples. It has proven its capacity to evolve and rebrand itself over generations. There is much to be said for learning from these old religionistas. Do I have to buy in? Depends on the price you ask of me.

(Caveat: There is much to be said, please say it with civility, for the sake of your own self respect. This post is but a microcosm in the sea of beliefs)

Time

“Why do we have Time, Ma?” asked the little one when he was really little.

“Because we all die.”, I replied promptly.

He looked at me. And nodded.

I was his mother, and I was always right – he was at that age.

I decided to take the plunge. Its never to early to talk metaphysics. Or meta.

“Time is an artificial construct”, I started. Then I realised he was only three, and may not understand construct. (Though he had taught me the word ‘reprise’ just a week ago, bless his teacher)

“Time is not real” I bravely marched on. “It is like pieces of cake. Everyday we wake up and look at the day, and say, mmm .. cake! What shall we do with it? But the whole cake is too big to swallow. So, we slice it up evenly, and call each piece an hour. Then, we plan what we will do with each hour and do it.”

“But Ma, then how do we have years?”

We both looked at each other and laughed. Just a few months ago, when he turned three, he woke up on the morning of his birthday and touched his ears. Then looked in wonderment and asked – “If I am three ‘ears old, why do I still have only two ears?”

When the laughter subsided, the question rose again.

Why do we have years?

“Life is like the cake, again”, I continued. “Some people have big cakes, and other people have small cakes. We slice it up, sort of sensibly, and then call them years. All the slices are the same size, some people end up with more, others with less”

He was silent.

“I like cake”, he said.

“So do I. Let’s have some now for breakfast”, I said, reaching for the cake tin, resolving to tell him about good slices and bad slices another day.

 

 

(This is a true conversation, the copyright thus is claimed)