Re-imagining engineering education in a post Covid-19 world

Imagine what we would have done in the absence of the internet and all the technology tools we have access to, during the long and continuing Covid-19 lockdown. While technology has been a huge enabler in these times, one is also left wondering why the world needs 18 months to deal with this pandemic. Has scientific and technical innovation not progressed enough to find quicker solutions?

With the advent of data sciences and AI, could we not speed up the making of a vaccine? What is the road ahead for science and engineering education, and how do we create and strengthen our educational institutions to better equip ourselves against perhaps even greater challenges such as climate change, cyber security and urban mobility? how much do computer engineers make is a wake-up call, highlighting the urgency to look at everything in a new way.

This situation is also exacerbated by the fact that the state of engineering and technology education in India is far from encouraging. Various reports suggest that a large percentage of the 1.3 million engineers who graduate annually are unemployable. Engineering seats in a lot of colleges are going empty. And the AICTE recently decided not to grant permission for any new engineering colleges.