The MIT, for instance focuses on technology but brings in mathematics, the sciences and the humanities under technology. Steven Jobs -an American business magnate stated that part of the reason what made Macintosh great was that people working on it were musicians, poets, Zoologists and historians .
They also happen to be the best computer scientists in the world” .All this suggests that education is not war as we present it to our students devoid of joy ,reflection and meditation .Education is comprehensive ,holistic and total development of man and society.
University without borders
There is much to learn from S Parasuraman who helmed the Tata Institute of Social sciences for fourteen long years and passed away in September this year. Prof Lakshmi Lingam who teaches Media and cultural Studies at TISS in her obituary note thus writes:” Parasuraman,s story is a case study in organizational change, management and leadership.
The universities in India need vice Chancellors like him to build institutions for inclusive teaching and learning and to contribute to the making of a vibrant democracy like India” Each year about 3000 graduates find their way into the industry ,government and the social service professionals. Many graduates also pursue higher studies and set up social enterprises or work at the grassroots”.
TISS made its forays into the realm of public policy to aid and advise governments and other bodies which made huge change to the study of social sciences .TISS also made a meaningful intervention in Ladakh Autonomous Hill development Council. This writer visited Ladakh in 2008 to study the working of Hill councils and was told by council leaders about the invitation extended to TISS to offer its guidance to the leadership on decentralized planning in Ladakh.
In 2015 at the invitation of state government of Nagaland TISS collaborated with Gandhi Academy for Human development to offer academic programmes on sustainable development and livelihoods. Tata Institute also extended support in education , social work and health administration to Afghanistan and Mynamar. Hence there is a case to invest in humanities and social sciences to bring them in alignment with STEM so that the gap between STEM and on-STEM domain is reduced.