India’s economic performance over the last 15 years has been exceptional – matched only by China.
But history is not what matters – how is India going to maintain, or even increase – growth over the next 10-15 years.
Well, it currently performs well in quite a few areas – but not in innovation. its R&D spend is low – it does not have great technology transfer from academia, and though it has a highly educated workforce, its record on skills development is also poor.
India needs fewer MBAs and more technicians. The problem is that everyone wants an MBA – and everyone’s Mom & Dad wants their child to have an MBA. India thus needs a shift in education and training policy – but this has to be matched with a shift in culture – so that high level technical skills are valued and coveted.