Tech. Education-Who should Control?

World experience tells us, that, now the economic and industrial competitiveness of a nation, depends on scientific and technological capability of engineers entering the work force. With the liberalization and globalization, now industries are increasingly realising that fantastic opportunities are, being opened up for trade and commerce, but to harness the same competant technical manpower is simply not available and on account of which the golden opportunities are being missed. The Ministry of Industry, Government of India, therefore would have to show concern and possibly take on itself from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the planning and control of technical education for it holds the key to industrial progress. Today, technical education under MHRD is not only poorly funded but it has many structural weaknesses. The research and development is segregated from teaching, on account of which the technical education in India is misdirected. The paper argues for a strategic change in the management of technical education at centre and state levels. It ought to be delinked from Ministry of Human Resource Development and connected to the Ministry of Industry, like the Agriculture education and Medical education connected to the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Health, respectively.