In Favour Of Unlearning

A growing awareness among students and faculties about the importance of liberal arts is a positive trend

- Abhik Bhattacharya

“This is a battle; this is a war. And the casualties could be your hearts and souls. Armies of Academics going forward measuring poetry”

THESE words of John Keating, the English teacher of reputed Welton school in Dead Poets Society, a 1989 film directed by Peter Weir, resonate to our times whenever the necessities of liberal arts and humanities are pitted against profit-driven, market-oriented management and engineering studies.

In the film, as Keating asks his students to tear apart an essay titled Understanding Poetry for its diktats to quantitively measure the human emotions that shape the poetries, a new wave of empathy and sensibility starts flowing through the hearts of vibrant teenagers—till then occupied by the hegemonic disciplines.

The Welton Academy, known for its contribution to the armies of doctors, bankers, engineers and management professionals, might be fictional; but it exists across the globe in different forms and names. In India, the IITs (Indian Institute of Technology) and IIMs (Indian Institute of Management) appear to be the most-sought-for institutes. But why is there such a rush to get into these places?

According to the Indian Skills Report 2021, the employability of engineers is still the highest, standing at 46.8 per cent followed by MBAs at 46.6 per cent. Though there is a decline in the employability of the students since 2019 when it used to be 47.4 per cent, engineering and management students still lead the trail. However, if overall employability is concerned, only 45.9 per cent of graduates are found to have the required skills that are a must for hiring.