20 Questions For The 2020s

We ask experts—across different fields— to visualize the next decade and come up with their vision for the 2020s

- V. Kumara Swamy With Ishani Nandi, Naorem Anuja, Saptak Choudhury, Mohini Mehrotra, Sarbani Sen And Sanghamitra Chakraborty

HEALTH: Will we find a cure for cancer in the next 10 years?

Cancers occur at many sites and have many causes, ranging from viruses and tobacco to radiation. The molecular pathways of transformation from normal to malignant cells are similar despite this diversity. Rapid progress in molecular genetics and the development of new therapies for cancer hold the promise that several cancers can be cured, especially if detected early. So, effective cancer screening and detection programmes are essential.

Prevention is even more important, through avoidance of tobacco and alcohol abuse, healthy diets, physical exercise and limiting exposure to radiation, air pollution and chemical carcinogens. Vaccine-preventable cancers (such as cervical and liver cancers) can also be reduced if not eliminated. Curing all cancers may not be possible in 10 years but many can be prevented and several can be cured through advances in public health and clinical medicine.

EDUCATION: What should be the top three priorities for education in India?

In school education, no priority can be higher than sustained investment in in-service training, in order to compensate for the poor pre-service training with which most teachers are being recruited today.

Salvaging undergraduate education deserves to be the highest priority. A range of issues concerning the youth can be addressed by curricular reorganization. Reform of undergraduate education should move parallel to, and with designed intersections with, vocational education.