“Architecture starts when you carefully put two bricks together. There is begins.” – Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
The reality from where Architecture begins for most of the Architects in India is through formal Education. The Council of Architecture is the organization that is responsible for the moderation of Architectural Education and can be solely responsible for its growth and decline. There are already several institutes providing quality education like IITs and SPAs.Still, the ratio of these institutes is less than 10% of the total institutes present currently. This leads to the large number of students unaware of the importance of the field of Architecture.
Current Scenario
Since 1913, Architectural Education History started with the Sir JJ School of Architecture even before India gained independence. This institute was the hallmark and pioneer of the Architectural educational standard recognised even by the RIBA. The graduates from this institute at the time held credibility of the highest degree from their works spanning across the Indian subcontinent with Britain. Following independence, the expansion of multiple institutes weakened the credibility on offer, and as a result, none of the institutes are currently up to level with international standards.
In the last decade, the number of Architecture institutes has grown rapidly. As of today, as per the COA, there are currently 378 registered institutes through which roughly 25000 students graduate each year. At the start of COA, the institution’s registration was done through the first come, first serve biases leading to large numbers. The institutes were unable to produce quality architects despite their efforts. From the beginning, students are taught that being an architect is a noble profession and that they hold an important place in society, similar to lawyers and doctors. This embedded mindset in the future generation when they graduate, they are incapable of completing a project independently.
Several reasons lead up to this Scenario:
Untrained Faculty
Most Faculties admitted into Architectural Education are untrained and keep the work as per the Job sake without imparting any knowledge to the Students.
Outdated Curriculum
The current curriculum is a great up to a limit. Considering the rapid change in the Architecture and Construction industry in a developing country like India, It is important to make frequent interventions in the syllabus.
Limited Practical Knowledge
The Colleges focus on the Theoretical approach towards the design interventions. Due to this, the students find it difficult to apply their concepts in realistic scenarios.
The Timeline Mismatched
The Design Studio for each semester spans a maximum of 4 months excluding the Examinations and Tests procured by the institutions. Realistically, a 1000-square-foot basic home project takes 12 to 18 months from concept to completion.
Lack of Infrastructure
Many colleges lack the proper infrastructure recommended by COA for education standards. Many Institutes across the nation are not able to provide the necessary Workshops, Labs and other necessary amenities.
Short Internship Period
The average internship lasts six months in college, which is insufficient time to fully explore a student’s interests and get familiar with real-world initiatives. Considering a year is the typical timeline for most of the small projects.
Shortcomings in Developing Times
The current scenario of Architectural Education doesn’t provide the nation with what it needs. The stacking up of meaningless assignments and work discourages the students further. The breadth that architecture gives after graduation suggests that it is a profession motivated by enthusiasm, but the truth is very different. Architects can handle a wide range of work, but if graduating students lack the necessary skills, how can they excel in other fields? Passion is another factor when considering this situation, but when accessing practically this leads to the slow doom of Architecture Education.
Positively, during the previous COA President, Ar. During Habeeb Khan’s tenure, the COA as an organisation grew exponentially in several means. In recent years, COA has taken some great initiatives to promote Architecture education in India. These projects seem hollow in some way, which raises the issue of whether or not they are necessary at this time. The other factor that COA should consider is the quality of the education being offered at every institute of Architecture. The quality of staff admitted to the college should be accessed and properly monitored regularly. There is no need for new regulations, If existing regulations are followed honestly, they will have a major impact.
Strategies for Thriving
The regulation and quality of education in India are under the umbrella of COA. It is the sole body that was stipulated to protect the Architect’s Act 1972, the education and the people of India. The supervision of the many tasks that were delegated to them was the situation where the COA utterly failed. The present situation is that there has been a strict deadline for architectural institute admissions since the pandemic. Although to the outward world, it is full of hopes and monetary value the real struggle of the Architecture industry seems like a never-ending pain to the ones in the field. Strategies must be followed to change the scenario of Architectural education to thrive.
The Architecture fraternity is a large abundance of great minds with those who are open to contributing to the educational sector. The COA should be inspired by some of the thought-provoking ideas of great educators. The best possible way is to rethink the roots of Architectural education through and through and amendments must be made for glory. An open discussion, among international and national educators should be promoted to provide effective architecture education. The revamp of the whole scenario is an essential step needed to provide the Nation with the Architects it deserves.
In conclusion, COA needs to rethink the steps by which their decision has harmed Architectural Education. They need to retrace the steps taken that resulted in this situation. For improvement, a broad call for participation from thoughts across the country must be made. These steps can be adopted by gradually increasing the quality of Architecture Education. The current need for intervention is not the quantity of the Architects that graduate from the Institutes but the Quality.
Reference:
- Khan, J. (2016). Architecture Education in India. [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303821350_Architecture_Education_in_India [Accessed 24 Sep. 2023].
