Why persist with neglect: polytechnic colleges deserve more attention

I mentioned last week how small towns were producing big innovations,
how small institutions were producing big minds and even bigger
hearts. Concern for social  needs  whether of  small industry or
informal sector is not found universally among all social,
professional or educational  segments. But those who have it, often
are motivated by the urge to produce innovations for larger social
good. I call these empathetic innovations which are triggered by the
third party problems. Some of the innovations are guided by
affordability criteria in itself, not necessarily for meting a social
need. Idea is to make more social groups afford a machine or a device
or a solution so that they can be more efficient and thus improve
their livelihood. There are occasions where innovations are triggered
just by the urge to excel, or do something different and may be
better. Such people exist in all organizations, municipalities,
private sector, educational institutions, villages, urban households,
or even road side workshops. Using half cut tyre as a bag for workshop
tools was visible in Meghalaya as a simple incremental adaptation of
waste material. Similarly, cycle rim as a pulley for drawing water
from well was a common sight in Ranchi area. These are small
adaptations of available material for meeting local needs. But when
students from polytechnics try to innovate, and develop low cost
solutions for small entrepreneurs, they make a more significant
statement. They assert their creativity and avery down to earth
approach to making a difference in the world. It is a pity that
educational planners at state and central level continue to neglect
such institutions. So much is talked baout promoting innovation but
there is no venture fund to invest in the ideas of students at any
level particularly among ITIs and polytechnics. Even for students from
engineering, pharmacy and other science and technological and
management stream, one needs a low transaction cost fund for
encouraging talent. SRISTI is likely to come out with such a fund for
socially useful innovations.

Let me illustrate the ideas that may deserve attention: Six students
from LE college, Morbi felt that there was a need for low cost
injection moulding machine. Kavit, Ashish, Hiren, Sharad, Shailesh,
and Mayur under the guidance of profs Chavda and  Akhariya designed a
fully functional injection moulding machine in just about Rs. 45,000.
It can work at par if not better with costlier ( some times ten times)
machines in terms of wax moulding for investment casting.
Five civil Engineering students  of Dr S & S S Ghandhy College Of Engg
& Tech Surat, viz., Nekzad, Hemant, Divyen,  Jaymin, Ismail designed
traffic junction in Surat at Althan with following features: (i) spead
breakers with rollers embedded underneath to generate energy when
vehicles pass over them ( an idea which has been recived by NIF
earlier), (ii) having ‘sensors to  detect vehicular traffic for safe
pedestrian flow over the zebra crossing’, (iii) drain of junction to
take water to a garden and iv) planting trees that can absorb sound
and reduce noise pollution etc.,
Chetna, Priti and sadhana, students of sarvoday polytechnic institute,
limbdi have developed a system by which at every bus stop, a  sensor
will detect the bus identity or number from hundred meters away and
display it on dotmatix display for the convenience of passengers.
What do all these innovations scouted through SRISTI
Techpedia.in -GTU cooperation show? That a state which is industrially
so advanced still has a long way to go to make the  life of the people
even better and at low cost. If things are not improving fast enough,
it is not because we don’t have enough creative youth, or the GTU is
not encouraging the students enough, but just because policy makers
lack the hunger for leveraging innovations for inclusive, green and
sustainable development.

Anil K Gupta