Mumbai: The country is divided on the ongoing debate about the educational qualifications of new Union HRD minister, Ms Smriti Irani, and how important degrees are to do one’s job.
Ms Irani had stated in her poll affidavit with the EC that she had completed B.Com Part One in 1994 from Delhi University's School of Open Learning.
However, activist Ms Madhu Kishwar and former minister and Congress leader Mr Ajay Maken questioned the appointment of ministers who were under qualified.
Ms Irani is not the first person to reach the top without formal education. And while support for her has been overwhelming in social media, many have vehemently opposed her appointment.
Director Subhash Ghai says that real education comes from life’s experiences and not from textbooks. “Ignorant are those who say education means a degree. Education doesn't come from textbooks but from understanding and experience of life. Smriti Irani is a woman of substance.
She is intelligent and a great learner. Mr M.G. Ramchandran (MGR) was also not a degree holder but proved to be a great CM of Tamil Nadu. He had the ability to become a legendary politician of his generation. I think it’s unethical to pull down someone on the basis of a mere degree. Everyone deserves a fair chance.”
Examples of people reaching great heights in their respective fields without the benefit of degrees are numerous. From the Late CM of Maharashtra Vasantdada Patil, legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, business tycoon Dhirubhai Ambani to cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar, superstar Rajnikant, poet Rabindranath Tagore, the list is a long one.
However, there are voices from the other sides, which feel that formal education is necessary at least when dealing with a specialised sector. “Former chief minister Vasantdada Patil was active in the freedom struggle. He knew the issues of the people and how to resolve them despite being Class 4 pass,” said senior journalist Pratap Asabe.
“The Cooperative movement gained momentum during his tenure. It was some kind of smartness he had with which he ran the government without taking a degree. However, the same cannot be expected from all. Some jobs are really specialised like Finance and HRD,” Mr Asabe added.
Defending the Congress’ opposition on Irani’s elevation, Congress spokesperson Mr Anant Gadgil said the issue was not only about education qualification but contribution also. “What message are you sending to youngsters that your Education Minister is uneducated? Her contribution is limited to the glamour world, not in politics,” Mr Gadgil said.
Informal education cannot be a criterion said Dr P. G. Jogdand, HOD of Department of Sociology, University of Mumbai. “With due respect to Ms Smriti Irani, I feel some jobs are specialised. There are exceptional examples of people doing excellent in their fields without formal training. But this cannot be made the criteria for all. The names you are taking, Vasantdada Patil, Sachin Tendulkar, Lata Mangeshkar, have contributed a lot in their respective fields,” he said.
Actor Aamir Khan, who had dropped out of the college to pursue his Bollywood dreams, had said at an event in 2009: “A kid may not be interested in Math and he may be really interested in singing. We should then encourage him and teach him music. I was in the 12th when I decided to start learning about cinema and filmmaking and for that I wanted to drop out of college, which was conventional education. My parents told me ‘you have to be a graduate, don’t stop your studies’. I told them ‘no, I am not stopping it; I am starting it. My education begins now’.”
Education is different for different people, said Sachin Tendulkar’s childhood friend Mr Atul Ranade. “I have known Sachin right from his nursery days. He has always been a student of the game. He continued to learn throughout his career spanning 24 years. Follow your passion with focus and determination and you will always succeed in life,” he said.
