Why Germany needs IT experts

In my daughter’s class, head lice were on the rampage for the third time in the past year. The whole class had to be shunted off to the city health department for an individual lice check. The local theory about lice is that it originates in poor countries like India, and is unwittingly carried home by German tourists. Once on German soil, however, lice are treated like a common cold — irritating but basically harmless. The claim that I saw my first louse in Berlin, and not in Delhi, and that I found it incredible that an entire day was wasted checking lice, was met with the usual disbelief.

The news that Germany lacked computer specialists and that they had to be brought in from — of all places, India — exploded like a bombshell in this self-satisfied and insular education system. How come that the illiterate, poor and lice-ridden Indians had overtaken this highly advanced country, in an area like information technology? And to add insult to injury — the Indians had to be courted to come and do the job. Much has been written since Chancellor Schroeder announced his plan to invite a few thousand Indian computer experts to work in Germany for five years. The subject has been splashed across the German newspapers, and been the topic of talk-shows and satirical pieces on the Indian way of life on TV. But the debate has also prompted a new look at the German education system.

Germany lacks not only computer specialists, but also qualified personnel in other areas of science and technology. In a country which prides itself on being the land of `poets and philosophers’, the humanities have always been considered superior to the natural sciences. Added to this is the anti-technology stance of the last 30 years, born of environmental concerns.

Besides, most Germans are averse to a system of ranking in schools or universities. At every parent-teacher meeting at school, many parents complain about the pace of teaching in class. As a result, material is repeated until the last child has caught up. A system so opposed to competition cannot survive easily in a new century with new demands.

However, it is the disintegration of German society that poses the toughest problem for German schools. There has been a steady increase in the number ofdivorces and single-parent households. Perpetually stressed parents havelittle time or energy for their children. The neglect of their children manifests itself in many forms varying from lice to speech and behavioural problems. Unable to give children the care they need, parents try to make up with material substitutes. Result: a steep rise in the number of German school-children who can neither speak nor read properly.

We in India, benefiting from the boom in information technology, should remind ourselves of the role played by both our educational institutions and parents in this success story. Our computer whiz-kids would have found it difficult without the support of a stable and caring family. We cannot afford to be complacent. The success of this generation may not be repeated, for Germany’s mistakes may soon be ours.

The writer lives in Germany>