The Joke is on us [And not the KBC girl who didn't know 404 error]

So a M.Tech computer science student was asked a question on 404 error on KBC and she couldn’t answer it.

A computer science student does not know ‘404 error’?

Sad. Really sad.
She is being mocked by everyone.
People are making fun of her. And in all possible ways, insulting her to the core.

But then, the joke is on us.

The joke is on us. The joke is on our educational system.
The problem lies with our education system which emphasizes on quantity rather than quality, theories rather than practical applications, traditional and obsolete courses rather than updated and revised curriculum.
As a result, where there is a dearth of professionals in IT and other industries, there is a dearth of jobs for engineering graduates who have spent four years waiting for something to happen as they walk out with their degrees in hand (from an earlier piece on: How to Make Engineers in India Employable?).
Importantly, there is a dearth of ‘curious’ souls – what we eventually get is bored students who are doing it, because there is a hope at the end of the tunnel which reads as ‘software job’.
Will MOOCs solve this? No. It’s not about the intent of learning (the intent is clear – get a degree and get a job). It is about the interest in learning.

It is largely about passion / about going deeper in what’er the student wants to. But first, they need to discover their passion.

And until we match the next generation’s interest with the right courses / skillsets, we will continue to be a 404 society.
The Indian education system has become a GIGO model – we teach them Garbage and we get Garbage. Note that students/individuals are not garbage, but then this quote sums up it best.