siliconindia | | May 20189learners. Looking at the scenario, one would automatically assume that Indian universities are indeed the champions of economic development, reform in society, and above all in-vention that leads to change. That however, is not entirely true. One of the criticisms that India has had to face in recent years, regarding its edu-cation system, is its lack of emphasis on innovation. A com-mon complaint is that Indian universities, while aces when it comes to academic rigor, have lagged in the areas of creativ-ity, innovation and inventiveness. Indian universities have often been compared to some of the shinning schools of learning in the U.S., such as Stanford University, which is credited with the creation of the big-gest success story of innovation in the world--the techie hub Silicon Valley. Much of what humanity has seen in terms of innovation can often be traced back to these schools of learn-ing. Often, that's really where it all began.It has been pointed out that Stanford, riding on its culture of research, helped spawn ideas that went on to become kill-er products and services. These in turn seeded organizations that contributed to the legend of Silicon Valley. Other foreign institutions too have been spotlighted for their contribution to the growth of industry in their respec-tive countries, and above all, an eco-system of start-ups and entrepreneurship. India on the other hand, industry watchers say, has been unable to wow the world with path-breaking and pioneering products. Neither has the country been able to produce a Google, Microsoft or Facebook--all classic ex-amples of the flaming spirit of entrepreneurship and of start-ups that grew into giant organizations.Among the several reasons why the start-up revolution has been slow in coming in India is the absence of the `entre-preneurship culture' in the Indian DNA. Sadly, the country's schools, colleges and universities have been unable to pro-vide learners with an environment that is conducive to, and spurs creativity, ideation and innovation. It is also a known fact that most of Indian universities have not forged strong linkages with industry. In the absence of this connect and understanding of its needs, they have been unable to provide relevantly skilled, `Day-one, hour-one ready' manpower to industry. At the same time these institutions have not really focused on inculcating a risk tak-ing, out-of-the-box thinking attitude among students. The result is a paucity of learners who want to be entrepreneurs and establish their own ventures, their own footprint in the domain of business. One sector in India however, that has managed to swim against the tide is the IT-BPM industry, a landscape that is dotted with software product startups and emerging compa-nies. According to research firm Zinnov, the Indian technol-ogy segment ranks third globally when it comes to being home to start-ups. The report states that five tech startups are born each day, and that every week around $100 million worth of funding is disbursed to many organizations. Clear-ly, if the IT industry can be the flag-bearer of the start-up and entrepreneurship movement, why not other segments?Also, Indian institutions of higher learning need to sow the seeds of entrepreneurship on their turf itself. They need to encourage students to take the unbeaten path and be genera-tors of employment rather than employees themselves. Well known institutions of advanced, higher-end learning such as Neemrana-based NIIT University (NU), are already on this path and have been incubating some fresh ideas which have translated into innovation-led start-ups. NU, which is pro-viding a nurturing atmosphere for `would be, potential' en-trepreneurs, is also exposing them to other successful start-up ventures to learn about what makes these players tick.Indian universities therefore, can be the hotbeds of in-novation and entrepreneurship provided they can lead their learners down new avenues and fresh pastures. By igniting unique ideas and giving wing to the dreams of students, they can in fact light the fire of entrepreneurship in a major way in India. The result is a paucity of learners who want to be entrepreneurs and establish their own ventures, their own footprint in the domain of business
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