Introduction

    The education which imparts training to handle and operate different kinds of machines is called technical education. The present system of education is basically theoretical. This does not serve the growing population well. This creates unemployed educated young men and women. The modern age is the age of science and technology. It can also be called the age of machines. Modern thinkers say that technical education can only sustain the present day society.

The advantage of machines

    In the past man used to do everything manually. He walked from place to place. He tilled the land, with crude chisels. In course of time, man invented the wheel. Gradually bicycles, rickshaws, motor-cycles, cars, buses, trains, aeroplanes and ships were invented. The latest inventions are jet-planes, rockets, and submarines. Through these machines man has become able to conquer time and distance.

    The farmers are now cultivating their lands with the help of tractors. Grass is cut by machines. The doctors are taking the help of computers in diagnosis. There are mills for grinding corn and weaving cloth. Rooks are printed by machines. The list is very long. The machines have made life easier. Manual labour is reduced day by day. The machines do labour for man. One machine can do the job of several men. By mechanical procedure, production has increased manifold. It has helped in making the country prosperous.

The importance of technical education

    Machines are manned by mechanics and technicians. Technical education is essential for producing skilled technicians. Technical education makes a cour v industrially progressive. Technicians do not go through the trauma of unemployment. They are self-employed. Technically educated persons are always more skillful than ordinary persons. Skilled workforce is a great asset for the country.

Benefits of technical education

    The present system of education in India is a clerk-making system. The graduates produced by this system are good for nothing. They lack creative ability of any kind. They hate manual labour. These type; of graduates prefer to do file work. File work doesn't make the country rich. It only delays the process of development. Technical education is based on practical orientation. Technicians are field workers. They build the nation. They invent new tools to suit the needs. Technical education is very beneficial for the development of the country.

The place of Orissa in technology

    In the technical map of India, Orissa is not an advanced state. It is a poor state in spite of great natural resources. The reason behind Orissa's poverty is the shortage of technical infra-structure. There are good artisans in rural India who can make wonderful things. The Pata (silk) sarees and terracotta figures can be cited as examples. Rural Industrialisation is necessary for the development of Orissa, Cottage Industry must be encouraged instead of big mills. The cottage industry provides employment to a large number of people. The rural worker must have access to technical education. They must be given incentives for the same.

Conclusion

    Every man must know some kind of technical work. So technical education must be a part of higher education. It must start from school level. Manual work must be encouraged from childhood. The clerk-producing system of education must be replaced with technical education. This can only eradicate poverty and make the state rich.