w w w . b w e d u c a t i o n . c o m Rs 300 JUNE-JULY 2023 EMERITUS’ GLOBAL CLASSROOM How this edtech startup, co-founded by Chaitanya Kalipatnapu and Ashwin Damera has fuelled the dreams of over 300,000 learners in 200 countries Jorge Henrique Cardoso Director General, Institute of International Universities Consortium (IIE), France describes the strength of higher education system in his country ALSO:
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w w w . b w e d u c a t i o n . c o m Rs 300 JUNE-JULY 2023 PERSEVERANCE PERSONIFIED An ode to the women leaders who have shown clarity of goal, single-minded determination and the desire to create value for the society through educational endeavours PANKAJ MITTAL SUDHA MURTY SANTISHREE DHULIPUDI PANDIT NAJMA AKHTAR SUNAINA SINGH UMA TULI DILAFROZE QAZI AARTI NAIK NISHA MENDIRATTA VINITA SAHAY BHUVANA SANTHANAM SMITA DEORAH MEGHA GHAI PURI BOBBY ABROL DHARINI UPADHYAYA CHARU MATHUR BERNADETTE PIMENTA PALLAVI RAO CHATURVEDI ZAREENA QUIRESHI SUDHA GOPALAKRISHNAN
4 B W EDUCATION J U N E -J U LY 2023 WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM I t’s an exciting world of education today, with innovative individuals, understanding the needs of students, and backed by technological prowess, are offering critical services to schools, colleges, and students individually. Notions about educational startups have changed and such entities are being embraced by the education fraternity. This time, our cover interview features two such individuals, Chaitanya Kalipatnapu and Ashwin Damera, Co-Founders of Emeritus, who have impacted over 3 lakh learners in 200 countries, through partnerships with leading higher education institutes globally. The world belongs to such brave individuals. But does everyone get a level-playing field? Interactions with women leaders in education featured in this issue highlight some interesting facets of our society. Despite being well-educated and highly qualified, they still face the pressure of justifying their dream if they set out to carve a unique path for themselves. Supplementing husband’s income is still the accepted norm and so if a woman educator feels she is up to it to step into the role of educational entrepreneur, eyebrows are raised. Not just that; in schools, the women teachers find it hard to travel outside school premises for any upskilling session as their lives revolve around school and home duties. They are thus deprived of any chance at skill upgradation, whereas the fact of the matter is that a plain B.Ed degree doesn’t suffice for a life-long job security anymore. Not surprisingly, Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General, Association of Indian Universities, whose interview we feature in this issue, asks a pertinent question – ‘Where do all the women gold medallists go?’ Citing statistics, she points out how all the topper girls at university gradually fall by the wayside as the seniority rises, to the extent that the country has less than 10 per cent women VCs. This poses a question mark on gender equality in education. I could have signed off with this question, but life is about finding hope. And the women education leaders featured in the issue are beacons of hope, performing stellar roles in their respective fields, from leading universities to doing scientific research, running rural schools, conducting teacher training, empowering students with disability, fostering documentation of country’s heritage, and providing music curriculum in schools, among others. Happy Reading. ANNURAG BATRA [email protected] Creating Opportunities For All EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’S NOTE
fifffflffiflflfflffiffflff flffiffi fl fifffflffiffflfflffifffffflffi fflfl ffifflfl fifffflffiflflffiflffi fifffflffi flfflffl flfflfflffiflffl fl fifffflffifffffflfflffiffi fl flfflflffi fl fifffflffiffffflffifflflffi fifffflffi ffffffl fffl ffi fl fifffflffiffflfflflffiffi fflflffi fl fifffflffiffflffffffffi fl flffiff flfl fifffflffifffffflfflflffffi ffifflfl flfflflfl fifffflffiffffiflffffi fifffflffiflfffffl fifffflfflffiflflffiffi U N D E R fifffflffiflffl PROF. RAMESH K. ARORA Chairman Management Development Academy Jaipur DR. MUKESH BATRA Founder & Chairperson Dr. Batra's Healthcare DR MOHIT GUPTA Professor of Cardiology GB Pant Hospital New Delhi PT. (DR.) RK SHARMA Remedial Astrology (Gem Therapy) SUZY SINGH Acclaimed Mental Health Therapist Grief Expert, International Author & Karma Scholar Suzyheals JC CHAUDHRY Founder & Chairman Chaudhry Nummero Pvt Ltd RACHNA CHHACHHI Cancer, Nutrition & Mental Health Therapist PAWAN GOYAL Astrologer ASHTAR TASHI Spiritual Diva & Soul Mentor Thought Leader, Joyologist Intuitive Healer, Author HARBINDER NARULA CEO, BW Wellbeingworld & BW Healthcareworld DR. ANNURAG BATRA Chairman & Editor-in-Chief BW Businessworld & Founder, exchange4media NOOR FATHIMA WARSIA Group Editorial Director BW Businessworld fflffl DR. MICKEY MEHTA Global Leading Holistic Health Guru & Corporate Life Coach
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Ed-tech Startup Emeritus' Global Foray Feature on Emeritus: How Co-founders Ashwin Damera and Chaitanya Kalipatnapu built this successful venture Women leaders in Education An insight into French Higher Education Launch of Medical Sciences and Technology Department in IIT Madras Columns & Op-Eds from Industry Leaders And much more In this issue: UPCOMING JUNE-JULY ISSUE Ms. Aparna Sengupta [email protected], +91 9958000128 Ms. Priya Saraf [email protected], +91 97322 47222 Mr. Ravi Khatri [email protected], +91 9891315715 Mr. CS Rajaraman [email protected], +91 9342262859 Ensure Your Brand’s Presence in this Special Issue!!! To Subscribe Scan or Visit subscribe.businessworld.in For Editorial: Ms. Noor Fathima Warsia [email protected] Meha Mathur [email protected] Block your pages...
8 B W EDUCATION JUNE-JULY 2023 WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM CONTENTS JUNE-JULY 2023 COVER INTERVIEW EVENT INTERVIEW PERSPECTIVE 16 22 28 32 Interview 30 India, France HaveMore Values In Common Than They Realise, says Jorge Cardoso, President, Consortium of Universities, Institute for Higher Education, France Perspective How the SDG Goal 4 of quality education can be realisedXX Choose Your Co-founders Wisely, advise Ashwin Damera and Chaitanya Kalipatnapu, Co-founders of Emeritus A confluence of academicians, university leaders and industry experts discussed the 21st Century education needs, at the BW Education Annual Higher Education Conference India, France have more values in common than they realise, says Jorge Henrique Cardoso, Director General, Institute of International Universities Consortium (IIE)France How the SDG Goal 4 of quality education can be realised
WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM B W EDUCATION JUNE- JULY 2023 9 REGULARS Women administrators, entrepreneurs, scholars and educators taking education to the masses and creating value for society in their own unique ways HONOURING WOMEN LEADERS IN EDUCATION 42 70 54 82 36 66 46 74 58 86 51 78 62 90 10 CURRENT UPDATES 94 CAMPUS UPDATES 34 Total no. of pages including covers 100 Covers design by Shivaji Sengupta Pankaj Mittal Secretary General Association of Indian Universities Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit Vice Chancellor Jawaharlal Nehru University Najma Akhtar Vice Chancellor Jamia Millia Islamia Uma Tuli Founder Amar Jyoti Charitable Trust Zareena Qureshi Principal Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Nagpur Aarti Naik Founder SAKHI for Girls Education Bernadette Pimenta Chairperson Snehalaya Charitable Trust Pallavi Rao Chaturvedi Founder Get Set Parent with Pallavi Smita Deorah Co-Founder & Co-CEO LEAD Sudha Gopalakrishnan Founder & Vice President Sahapedia Bobby Abrol Lead- Developing Teachers Tata Trust Dharini Upadhyaya Co-Founder & Co-CEO Furtados School of Music Charu Mathur Founder Socrates Foundation Meghna Ghai Puri President Whistling Woods International
10 B W EDUCATION J U N E -J U LY 2023 WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM Transforming Education Through Mann Ki Baat CBSE Class 10, 12 Results Declared On April 30, 2023, the 100th episode of the Mann ki Baat took place and to commemorate this occasion, numerous initiatives of the Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India and its various autonomous institutions highlighted the impact the programme has had on Indian education system. Started on October 3, 2014, Mann ki Baat is a popular programme which has completed 100 episodes in the last nine years where hundreds of varied issues have been raised for making the country better. Through this programme, PM Modi has brought to the fore many important issues, including various educational aspects before the country with facts and figures and received good response from the public each time. It has impacted all sections of the society, who have been inspired to contribute towards fulfilling the great goals he has set before the nation. MoE undertook several initiatives such as identifying young artistic talents through Kala Utsav, programmes for Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, National Yoga Olympiad, encouraging Toy-based Pedagogy for schools to promote traditional Indian toys and games, Pariksha pe Charcha, NIPUN Bharat for early Literacy and Numeracy, National Digital Library for schools, NDEAR for digital education, Manodarpan and Sahyog, PM e-Vidya, SWAYAMPRABHA channels and many more. Some of the initiatives taken up by the Ministry of Education and the NCERT have been studied by the faculty members and a special issue of Indian Educational Review, a journal of NCERT, April 2023 has been brought out highlighting the impact of the programme, with ten research papers, three in English, two each in Marathi, Gujarati and Kannada and one in Odia. T he Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced Class X and XII exam results on May 12, 2023. The Board results are available on the official website of CBSE, Digilocker and UMANG App. The Board has released an official notification regarding the security pin of Digilocker. According to the reports, CBSE has issued six-digit security pins for activating students' Digilocker accounts that can be downloaded by schools using their LOC credentials. Out of the total students who appeared for Class X board exam this year, 93.12 per cent have qualified. The overall pass percentage in Class X results this year is 93.12 per cent, which is 1.28 percentage points less than last year's 94.40 per cent. As per the board's official statement, a total of 28,471 schools participated in the exams in India and in 26 countries while the total number of students registered for 10th exams 2023 was 2,186,485. The pass percentage of girl students is 94.25 per cent while 92.27 per cent boys have passed. The Class XII exams were held in February, March and April. Out of 1,660,511 students who appeared, 1,450,174 (87.33 per cent) have been declared 'passed'. Meanwhile, the board did not award first, second and third divisions to its students, to avoid unhealthy competition. NEWS UPDATE Ministry of Education has taken up several initiatives inspired by vision highlighted in Mann ki Baat
WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM B W EDUCATION J U N E -J U LY 2023 11 Education Minister Addresses Workshop On The Future Of Work We Need To Focus On Happiness Index: Murli Manohar Joshi Union Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Dhar mendra P radhan addressed a workshop on the ‘Future of Work: Skill Architecture and Governance Models of India and Singapore’ in Bhubaneswar on April 25, 2023. HE Simon Wong, High Commissioner of the Republic of Singapore to India; and Melissa Khoo, Deputy Secretary, Higher Education and Skills, Ministry of Education, Singapore were part of the plenary session. K Sanjay Murthy, Secretary, Higher Education; Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship; Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, School Education and Literacy; and senior officials of Ministry of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship attended the workshop. Pradhan expressed his pleasure to be present among the delegation of India and Singapore, stakeholders of skill ecosystem, educationists and students at the day-long workshop being organised on the sidelines of the G20 3rd EDWG meeting. The minister said that skills development and knowledge collaboration is an important element of the strategic partnership. F ormer Minister for Human Resource Development and Science and Technology, Murli Manohar Joshi delivered the 4th Dr Rajaram Jaipuria Memorial Lecture on Thursday, April 27, 2023, at Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi. The lecture was based on the theme ‘Building A Sustainable Future Through Education’ in which Joshi touched upon various aspects influencing both education and the environment. He also mentioned the crucial role of education in making good citizens and nurturing one’s mind and cited a famous saying that says ‘Human and environment are inseparable’. The former HRD Minister also highlighted that education needs to differentiate whether it is creating humans for the market or for the family. NEWS UPDATE
12 B W EDUCATION J U N E -J U LY 2023 WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM NEWS UPDATE Breakaway Session On Civil Services Day G20 India's 3rd Education Working Group Meeting T he Ministry of Education, Department of School Education and Literacy organised the breakaway session (BS-III) based on the theme, ‘Improving Quality of Education - Improving Outcome through Vidya Samiksha Kendras'. The programme was organised at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on the occasion of the Civil Services Day on April 20, 2023. In the programme, Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Education; LS Changsan, Additional Secretary, School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, Department of School Education & Literacy; Manjul Bhargava, Professor – Mathematics, Princeton University; Anurag Behar, CEO Azim Premji Foundation; Ratanakanvar H Gandhvicharan, State Project Director, Samagra Shiksha Gujarat; and Sunny K Singh, Deputy Commissioner, Changlang, District, Arunachal Pradesh, were among the expert panellists. The session was moderated by Vipin Kumar, Joint Secretary, Dept of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education. Representatives from KVS, NVS, CBSE, CIET/NCERT, NCTE, NIEPA and NIOS, and teachers were present during the sessions. Various state and field officials also participated through the online mode. G20 India’s 3rd Education Wor k ing Group meeting concluded recently in Bhubaneswar with a commitment to ensure the betterment of learners with respect to skilling, upskilling and reskilling. The three-day seminar and meeting, held from 26th-28th April 2023, had discussions focussed around priority area ‘Building Capacities, promoting life-long learning in context of future of work’ in the seminar. K Sanjay Murthy, Secretary Higher Education; Sanjay Kumar, Secretary School Education and Literacy; and Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary Skill, Development and Entrepreneurship; and senior officials of the ministries attended the meeting. Over 60 delegates from 27 countries, including G20 members, international organisations such as United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) were present. The three-day event commenced with a seminar around the topic ‘The Future of Work' in collaboration with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. It was divided into three sessions of panel discussions.
WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM B W EDUCATION J U N E -J U LY 2023 13 NEWS UPDATE Bisleri Onboards Educational Institutions Regarding Plastic Disposal IISER TVM Research Contributes To National Quantum Mission B isleri International has partnered with educational institutions for its sustainability programme ‘Bottles For Change’. The objective of the partnership is to create awareness about the potential for recycling 'used plastic' and educate students on the importance of managing it. For the current fiscal year, the company plans to engage with over 200 institutions to empower students to become changemakers for the future. The ‘Bottles For Change’ initiative is currently operational in seven cities and the company plans to expand the programme to Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Gandhinagar in Gujarat during the year. ‘Bottles For Change’ is part of the company's overall sustainability initiative, Bisleri Greener Promise. As per the firm, the programme focusses on educating the youth about mitigating plastic waste and building a circular economy. It will teach students to treat used plastic as a valuable resource by segregating and disposing of it responsibly to prevent it from entering landfills. I ndian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM) is researching in several areas that form an integral part of the recently-announced National Quantum Mission. Quantum Computing and Quantum Technologies represents a new frontier which promises to deliver several game-changing developments to society at large. The institute has a presence in all the major themes of the National Quantum Mission, namely Quantum Computing; Quantum Communication; Quantum Sensing, and Quantum Materials. This puts the institute in a position to contribute to all facets of the mission and to help realise the deliverables of the mission in a timely manner. IISER TVM is a part of the Quantum Enabled Science and Technology (QuEST) programme of the Department of Science and Technology, a precursor to the National Quantum Mission. The institute has contributed in building the roadmap of this mission.
16 B W EDUCATION J U N E -J U LY 2 0 2 3 W W W.B WEDUCATION.COM COVER INTERVIEW By Vasudha Mukherjee CHOOSE YOUR CO-FOUNDERS WISELY, ADVISE FOUNDERS OF EMERITUS Co-founders and Executive Directors, Ashwin Damera and Chaitanya Kalipatnapu credit their strong team and vision for the success of the edtech and its global expanse S erving a critical need of skill enhancement of professionals is Emeritus, a leading edtech startup that has given wings to the dreams of more than 2.5 lakh individuals globally, in domain areas like AI, data science and analytics, coding and digital marketing. In an interview to BW Education, Co-founders Chaitanya Kalipatnapu and Ashwin Damera describe the vision with which they started, their challenges and their startup journey. Excerpts:
WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM B W EDUCATION J U N E -J U LY 2 0 2 3 17 Chaitanya Kalipatnapu Ashwin Damera
18 B W EDUCATION J U N E -J U LY 2 0 2 3 W W W.B WEDUCATION.COM COVER INTERVIEW Can you tell me about your inspiration to start Emeritus? Chaitanya Kalipatnapu: I was fortunate to have received a good undergraduate education at BITS Pilani. Then I worked at INSEAD Business School in their executive education programme. I saw the impact that high-quality education could have on individuals and companies and how it could bring about transformation. After working at INSEAD for almost four years, I had the chance to do my MBA there. Entrepreneurship was clearly something that I wanted to do because of the education I received and the opportunity I saw. I packed my bags, got highly leveraged in terms of taking an educational loan and went to another country to pursue it. But at the same time, I wondered why the flip side couldn't happen. Why can't the university or an institution come to a place where the student or a learner is, rather than the other way around? That's what led to the genesis of doing something in the education space and trying to come back to India to set this up. In the process, I met my co-founder, Ashwin. He was at the time exiting a travel group, wanting to do something again in the education space. We met through a common friend and both of us were brought to this need and pain point. We were beneficiaries of high-quality education and knew the kind of impact and transformation it could have. How can we cascade this kind of experience to more people? I think that was the point that brought us together; both of us felt very passionate about it in terms of doing something. That's how we joined hands and started the journey. Ashwin Damera: This is my second venture. My first venture was in the travel space with a company called CK: We felt the pain point and realised that there was an opportunity because there was a gap in the market in terms of high-quality institutions providing professional education programmes or upskilling/reskilling programmes. Two, there had been no digital enablement of this education, and this had been talked about since 2010. These were two things we took together. And quite early on, we converged on the mission of making high-quality education accessible and affordable. This has been the guiding principle from the start until now and is the litmus test we use for any new product or job we want to launch. We had hoped to get easily 40-50 people into the programme, making it an economic success and confirming our hypothesis, but we hardly got even 15 people. We went back to the drawing board and decided to be obsessive about the product market. We soon understood that high-quality education is extremely desirable but must be on the platform of a brand that can stand it. At that time, we were in an office and didn't have any particular brand. And while on paper, what we proposed was Travelguru. I sold it to Travelocity in 2009 and spent one year with them. After that, I was wondering what to do next with my life. Starting up new things is unpredictable; it can either go well or bad, with its own ups and downs. So, I wanted to do something that really touched people's lives and had a real impact. In my mind, it was either education or healthcare. I started researching in both and that's when I came across Chaitanya and we decided to start Emeritus. Initially, we called it Eruditus. And the idea was very simple - how do we make access to high-quality education available to everyone? Not everyone gets to go to prestigious institutions like IIT, IIM, ISB, Harvard, or MIT. So, how could we bring these institutions to the students? How do we make it accessible and affordable? That was the vision we had in 2010. Honestly, online education was not talked about much back then, but we still started with the idea and intent of making high-quality education accessible to all. What were some of the major challenges you had to overcome? Our learners are quite global, with less than 20 per cent coming from India and 25-30 per cent from the US. Our geographical footprint is extremely diverse Chaitanya Kalipatnapu
WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM B W EDUCATION J U N E -J U LY 2 0 2 3 19 very interesting, but companies were not interested in taking it up. We soon pivoted to put ourselves as a platform. That was the genesis of creating the business model. One philosophy we follow is how can we cannibalise ourselves rather than somebody else trying to do that. AD: Both travel and education have their challenges. However, our education venture has been a bigger and better one with fewer challenges. In 2010, our biggest challenge was to convince a top university to work with us. Today, we already have about 80 university partners, so signing new universities is not our biggest concern. Instead, we are focussed on adding more courses to our existing partners and driving enrolments profitably. Our emphasis has shifted towards profitable growth, while still achieving a growth rate of 40-45 per cent per year. When we started, we had to convince people about the benefits of online education, but today that is no longer necessary. However, the quality of online learning and outcomes is now a key consideration and is subject to increased scrutiny. This makes managing the learning experience all the more important. Another challenge we face is around the impact of emerging technologies like ChatGPT on education, which is an area that has not been explored much until now. As a more mature company, we face different challenges compared to our early startup days. For instance, hiring is no longer a significant challenge, unlike before when convincing someone to join us was not easy. Amongst all the other edtech players in the market, what is your value proposition? CK: Our learners are also quite global, with less than 20 per cent coming For many years, people believed that online education was a bad thing. Today, people have at least started to not ask that question anymore. However, some are still skeptical Ashwin Damera from India and 25-30 per cent from the US. Our geographical footprint is extremely diverse. Additionally, over 30 per cent of our enrolment comes from languages other than English, including Portuguese, Spanish, Mandarin and Arabic, with plans to launch in Southeast Asian languages as well. This global footprint is a distinctive feature of how Emeritus operates. To date, we have impacted over 300,000 learners in 200 countries from 80 institutes worldwide, which we believe is another distinctive factor. AD: Our business model is built around two main stakeholders: university partners and students. We act as a curated marketplace that connects these two groups to make online education happen. Our approach is different from an open marketplace like Amazon. Instead, we operate more like Netflix, where we curate the content that we offer to our students. When it comes to online education, quality matters. We want to ensure that our students receive high-quality education that meets their needs. There are a few key elements to achieve this. One, students need to have the opportunity to interact with their instructors face-to-face. It's not enough to just receive a recorded lecture. Also, students need to interact with their peers to learn and grow. To achieve this, we create cohorts of students that learn together at the same pace. They work on the same project at the same time, giving them ample opportunity to exchange ideas and feedback. We also focus heavily on project-based learning, where students apply what they learn to real-world scenarios. By doing so, they gain practical experience that prepares them for the workforce. By focussing on these key elements of online education, we have helped to raise the bar for the industry. Is there a way to measure the learning impact and student engagement of your courses? CK: In terms of the learner service that we provide, we conduct the ‘Consumer Impact Survey’ after the programme, and second, at the end of the course as well. Globally, the data shows that 94 per cent of our learners said that the programme had a positive impact on
20 B W EDUCATION J U N E -J U LY 2 0 2 3 W W W.B WEDUCATION.COM COVER INTERVIEW their career and professional development, which is encouraging. The completion rates that we have are also between 85 to 90 per cent, which is higher than the 5 to 10 per cent completion rates we see in the books. This shows a strong motivation for people to pursue this kind of education. Additionally, over 90 per cent of the learners believe that the programme had a positive impact on their business and organisation. AD: When you sit in a classroom, what are the elements of high-quality education? You want to see your instructor face-to-face and have an interaction, not just be given one recorded lecture and told, “this is it”. Also, peer interaction is important for the learning experience. Every course starts on a specific date, so even if there were 500 people in that course, you all learn together as a group of 500 as a cohort. Students work on the same project at the same time, so you can exchange ideas, talk to each other and give feedback. This is a very important part of learning, the social element of learning, where you can't just sit and watch something like in a movie theatre and come away inspired. We put a lot of focus on project learning and these are the advantages that lead to learning outcomes. I'm very happy that we did that because, for many years, people believed that online education was a bad thing. Today, people have at least started to not ask that question anymore. However, some are still skeptical. Can you share your thoughts on the importance of finding the right co-founder and what is the secret to a successful entrepreneurial partnership? CK: Entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey filled with self-doubt, ups and downs and you need to have someone to work with whom you trust and share a common value system with. Can you imagine being on this journey with this person for the long haul? While you may scrutinise before partnering with someone, there is always an element of luck and a leap of faith involved. In that sense, finding the right co-founder is crucial. Looking back, I believe it was one of the best decisions I could have made. Global Reach: Serving more than 250,000 learners across 160 countries, with programmes offered in a variety of languages Nature of programmes: Connects learners through global virtual classrooms, partnering with over 60 top universities to offer online and appbased learning in formats including courses, certificates, online degrees, boot camps, etc. Collaborations: IIM Lucknow Executive Education, IIM Calcutta Executive Education, ISB Executive Education, Harvard Business School (HBS), MIT Sloan, Columbia Business School, Kellogg Executive Education, Berkeley Executive Education, and Wharton Executive Education, amongst other leading institutes. The Emeritus Group has more than 1,400 employees globally and offices in Mumbai, New Delhi, Shanghai, Singapore, Palo Alto, Mexico City, New York, Boston, London, and Dubai. Funding: Following its $650 million Series E funding round in August 2021, the company is valued at $3.2 billion, and is backed by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Leeds Illuminate, Prosus Ventures, Sequoia Capital India, Bertelsmann, Accel and SoftBank Vision Fund EMERITUS FACT FILE
WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM B W EDUCATION J U N E -J U LY 2 0 2 3 21 AD: Chaitanya and I are simpatico. We understand each other. From day one, getting the right co-founder is essential. The right co-founder is not just about skill sets, it’s also a core value system. While you have two very different people, the core value system is crucial, especially for an education startup. You have to believe that education is the most important thing. You can't be chasing valuation, scale and all of that but forget that it's about education; it's about the student. How do you see the role of online education evolving in India and the world? How are you expanding Emeritus? CK: The education market is over $7 billion plus in terms of its total value and digital enabled education is just 5 per cent of it. Compare it with any other sector, such as consumer goods, meat, automobile, etcetera, I think that digital penetration is extremely low. Which goes on to say that there's a huge potential for digital or online to play a much bigger role in the context of education. We have just launched a course on instructional design - again in terms of enabling people to get a better grasp of education in online space. Most of our courses are geared at helping professionals to upskill. AD: I believe that education will always be a combination of offline and online, as well as blended. There won't be one dominant mode. In India, we have a demographic of 600 million people below the age of 25 who all need an education. Currently, there are about 40 million students in brick-and-mortar colleges. We need to increase the gross enrolment number to 40 per cent. To achieve this, we need to add 20 million new seats in colleges, but building brick and mortar institutes is not a feasible option. Online learning is a viable solution to this problem. However, we must address the challenges such as measuring outcomes and avoiding misleading advertising and false promises of job guarantees. IMPACT OF THE EMERITUS PROGRAMMES Eighty-eight per cent of respondents have witnessed positive impact within 12 months of programme completion In a recent survey with learners in India, Emeritus has gathered insights to determine the exact nature of how professional programmes help learners. An overwhelming majority (81 per cent) of the respondents from the survey believe that the programme they took had a positive impact on their career and professional development. Knowledge enhancement and gaining better understanding of a new field that is relevant to their practise area were cited as the key drivers for taking up an upskilling programme. The professionals surveyed revealed they have seen a positive impact within 12 months of completing a programme, while many of the respondents believe that the programme they underwent helped them validate and fill knowledge gaps in their job. More than half (58 per cent) of respondents stated that the programme provided them with the necessary skills and training needed to advance their careers and helped them future-proof their careers. The Emeritus India Impact Survey also points to how learners have more options for career progression after completing an upskilling programme. The India Impact Survey was conducted in September 2022, with learners who have completed Emeritus professional education programmes through its partner schools before June 2022.
22 B W EDUCATION JUNE-JULY 2023 WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM Reviewing Higher Education Landscape By Team BW Education EVENT/ CHENNAI CONCLAVE At the 6th edition of BW Education Annual Higher Education Conference, academicians, university leaders and industry experts discussed the need for collaboration, lifelong learning, industry partnerships and various other facets of higher education ecosystem to provide job-based skills to students and a secure future "Quality education is a must and amidst the flexible teaching–learning patterns, we need to follow the rules which are simpler and thus enhance the educational standards,” said TG Sitharam, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The AICTE Chairman said that maintaining quality education is a real issue. Key factors like multidisciplinary education, teacher’s training, research and innovation need special attention to grow in higher education. “Students today don’t consider education as a lifetime learning; for them, it’s a platform to bag good jobs,” said Sitharam pointing at the job-oriented educational system India has adopted in the past hundred years. He said gone are the days of ‘Gurukul’ teaching and learning and a value-based educational system. We need to rekindle that, stressed the professor. Today if we consider the fast-paced tech world, speed is a must and so making students ready for future jobs is an alarming requirement as job profiles are either changing or completely vanishing with the introduction of technology, said the Chairman, underlining the fact that the AICTE is thus responsible for developing future jobready students. He added skill development, teachers’ training, vocational education, regular classes, distance classes, etc., are important components of the same teaching process and which need wider acceptance. There is a need to breaking the old mindset which gave the least importance to online learning before Covid. Sitharam talked about the MoUs that AICTE has signed, its transformative initiatives, mandatory internship, NEAT, Indian Knowledge System, Multidisciplinary Education Idea Lab Networks and I-Stem in detail. Keynote Address 1: TG Sitharam Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education
WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM B W EDUCATION JUNE-JULY 2023 23 "Everything is changing and so the teaching curriculum needs revision,” said Pankaj Mittal, Secretary, General, Association of Indian Universities (AIU). Mittal said if we take the instance of Albert Einstein, he once gave his students the same question paper which they solved in the previous examination a year before. When questioned if it was a blunder, Einstein replied - the question paper is the same but the expected answers are different this time. This was because in the year 1904, when Einstein published his four papers, 'The Annals of Physics' the paradigm of physics changed completely and he wanted to check in the present year, 1905, how much the student understood the revised study, she added. Accordingly, today understanding National Assessment Policy for Basic Education (NAP), ChatGPT, teaching methods, assessment and evaluation before and after Covid is important as this process would be the same, but answers from students will be different, stressed Mittal. She underlined that with the introduction of ChatGPT, students can submit the assignment developed from this newly introduced AI chatbot. So, the assignments should be framed in such a way that artificial intelligence fails to answer them. Further, ChatGPT can even do coding, thus completely eliminating the coding job profile in near future. And according to Mittal, the need for a revised curriculum is of utmost importance, especially the tech education curriculum, which needs quick revisions with the changing technology. She further highlighted the teaching method of India which includes the lecture method, a practice not best for future learning according to NEP and so there is a need to adopt AI-based higher education techniques, the AIU Secretary added. In a nutshell, Mittal addressed advanced learning and teaching and urged the universities and institutions to adopt the ABC - Academic Bank of Credits, a system for modern and flexible education. Keynote Address 2: Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General, Association of Indian Universities
24 B W EDUCATION J U N E -J U LY 2023 WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM EVENT/ CHENNAI CONCLAVE Leadership Address: Key Takeaways: “University leaders worldwide are recognising the importance of collaboration and lifelong learning as emerging trends in education,” said Prashasti Rastogi, Director, Coursera for Campus. She emphasised the need for universities to work together to create a 'GitHub of knowledge' and collaborate with industry partners to provide job-based skills to students. "As university leaders, we prioritise strengthening academic excellence, ensuring that everything within our learning system is of the highest quality and driving student employability," Rastogi said. "We understand that the outcome of learning is a career and we aim to equip our students with the necessary skills to succeed in their chosen field," she added. She also highlighted the disruptive nature of technology and its impact on the workforce. She stressed the importance of upskilling to stay relevant and discussed how Coursera is experimenting with personalised, interactive learning to address this need. Rastogi's address also presented a new model for degrees, incorporating real-time information, micro-credentials and career outcomes. "We emphasise the relevance of industry skills and micro-credentials for students to secure a job and be successful in it, as well as their influence on choosing a programme," she said. She highlighted the importance of career-based learning and the need for universities to adapt to changing student needs. "As university leaders, we aim to provide our students with the best possible education, skills and career opportunities, while also contributing to the growth and influence of our institutions," Rastogi said. "Collaboration, industrialism, building talent pipelines and disruption are key trends shaping the future of education and we must work together to embrace them,” she added. Rev Fr C Joe Arun SJ, Director, Loyola Institute of Business Administration, providing a perspective from the industry said, "There is a need to have a change in the thought process, which has not happened." Talking about his experience at Oxford University, where he went for D.Phil (PhD), he cited examples of how change in thought process happened in his case. Similarly, a change is happening now. "All the businesses have shifted from pipeline model to platform model. Earlier, there were different functions. Now, everybody is interacting on one platform. Everybody is equal, consumer is more knowledgeable than us. But teachers have not changed," he said. Rev Fr C Joe Arun SJ Director Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA) Prashasti Rastogi Director Coursera for Campus
WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM B W EDUCATION JUNE-JULY 2023 25 EVENT/ CHENNAI CONCLAVE Panel Discussion 1: Globalisation And Internationalisation Of Higher Education Key Takeaways: Creating education that is impactful and that resonates with the globalisation and Indianisation is imperative in today's scenario that is ever evolving. The Indian education has deep roots in its culture right since Vedic times, but with the changing global scenario, there is a need to adapt to diverse international scenarios. "The internationalisation of universities cannot happen overnight. Universities across the world have spent a lot of funds for attaining the standard that they have. A lot of funding is required to set up a world class university of international standards. The larger question is whether we actually have the financial capacity to fund both private as well as public universities," S Vaidhyasubramaniam, Vice Chancellor, SASTRA University, posed the question. "India is spending 0.6 per cent of its GDP on education whereas in the US more than 5 per cent is spent on education. So, unless we spend more on our research and infrastructure, the chances are very bleak in increasing our global competency. In every university in India, the level of competency varies according to the infrastructure, faculty etc. This reduces the fast pace of globalisation," said T Arumugam, Vice Chancellor, Thiruvalluvar University. K Vijaya Bhaskar Raju, Vice Chancellor, Bharath Institute of Higher Education & Research, stated, "The institutions are ready for internationalisation. They are tying up with international universities to have faculty and student exchange programmes. This will bring about a positive change. We will have to see the impact of the international universities in the Indian scenario." India produces the best of graduates. But international skilling is absent. It is because India does not have cutting-edge laboratories. Faculty needs to be augmented through motivating them and improving their standard. Post-Covid, there has been an institutional push towards technology, felt S Ramachandran, Director, Academics, SRM Group. Prashasti Rastogi, Director, Coursera for Campus described how, during Covid, Coursera went live. “Education continuity is our responsibility and we have to enable education without any roadblocks. We try and inculcate the best practices of the world into our curriculum and make sure whatever we deliver is world class. The next step is making it attractive for the international students. For that, the perception of our academic excellence needs to be improved.” Panel Discussion 2: Fostering Right Environment For Learning Key Takeaways: "Rather than looking at innovation as a separate, standalone criterion, we need to see innovation as part of our curriculum, syllabus, teaching, learnPanel 1: (L -R) S Ramachandran, Director, Academics, SRM Group; K Vijaya Bhaskar Raju, Vice Chancellor, Bharath Institute of Higher Education & Research; T Arumugam, Vice Chancellor, Thiruvalluvar University; Prashasti Rastogi, Director, Coursera for Campus; S Vaidhyasubramaniam, Vice Chancellor, SASTRA University; Ruhail Amin, Sr Editor, BW Businessworld Panel 2: (L -R) P Sriram, Chairman, Chennai Institute of Technology; Sivaji Chadaram, Vice Chancellor, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences; V Bharathi Harishankar, Vice Chancellor, Avinashilingam Women's University Coimbatore; Malini Pande, Additional Registrar - Planning & Development, Director - Quality Assurance, Director - Academic Staff College, & Director - Center for Online Programs, Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, Chennai
26 B W EDUCATION JUNE-JULY 2023 WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM ing and part of our placement activity," stated V Bharathi Harishankar, Vice Chancellor, Avinashilingam Women's University Coimbatore, while talking about the environment that fosters creativity and innovation in students. "When we look at the Indian education system at large, we find a very uneven playing field. So, the question should be - how do we provide students with the access to undo this situation," she added. Addressing the issue of practical skills, P Sriram, Chairman, Chennai Institute of Technology, underlined that the most important stakeholder in teaching and learning is the student and we must take care of their expectations and ensure that they love to come to college. "Industry too has to come forward to collaborate with institutions for building skilled resources," Sriram emphasised. Elucidating the importance of fostering creativity in students, Sriram said, "It is very important to develop the students’ cognitive skills. For this, they have to solve problems rather than study for examinations and get grades and degrees for a job. Once the students understand the problem, they can also come up with their problem statements about how the problem can be solved." Sivaji Chadaram, Vice Chancellor, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (DU), highlighted the importance of comprehending the talent of students, saying, "We need to provide the right kind of environment to the faculty and then identify the talents among the student community. Depending on the talents, we can then segregate classrooms. The students need to be exposed to the real-life situations and it is important for teachers to guide them on how effectively they can come up with solutions, which in turn will provide for their career growth." Panel Discussion 3: Finding University Of Your Dreams Key Takeaways: From making the university affordable and accessible to designing it in a way that can mentor and shape the lives of the students, the panel discussed almost everything about making the university of dreams. “In our universities, we need student-centric teachers for better results. Universities must have friendly nature towards the students and on the campuses, students should learn to live in a society with ethics and morals," said M Krishnan, Vice Chancellor, Central University of Tamil Nadu. S Geethalakshmi, Vice Chancellor, Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, Chennai, stated, "Making university accessible to students is very important. She said, “To have a dream university it should be easily accessible and affordable to all students and it must have linkages with both the rural area and urban areas." "Parents and students think about the quality of the education given by the university and that depends upon the faculty of the institute," she further said. R Sathyanarayanan, Sundram Fasteners Associate Professor - Marketing, IFMR Graduate School of BusiPanel 3: (L -R) R Sathyanarayanan, Sundram Fasteners Associate Professor - Marketing, IFMR Graduate School of Business, Krea University; S Geethalakshmi, Vice Chancellor, Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, Chennai; M Krishnan, Vice Chancellor, Central University of Tamil Nadu; R Hariprakash, Additional Registrar, Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai Panel 4: (L -R) Vasupradha Srikrishna, Associate Director - Meston Centre for Teaching and Learning, Madras Christian College; Malini V Shankar, IAS (Retd), Vice Chancellor, Indian Maritime University; Gangineni Dhananjhay, Dean - MBA, Narayana Engineering College, Nellore (AP); J Francis Xavier, Principal, Jeppiaar Engineering College, Chennai EVENT/ CHENNAI CONCLAVE
WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM B W EDUCATION JUNE-JULY 2023 27 ness, Krea University, emphasised that different students have different choices when it comes to thinking about their dream university. He shared the insights from a study - 'Call of Dronacharya' - and said, “The study shows that a section of the students wants fun and enjoyment while learning in the university, the second group wants the badge value of the university like IIT & IIM, and the third group who are motivation seekers, apart from learning and badge value they want such faculty who can mentor them and shape their values. We must work on all these choices while building the dream university.” Panel Discussion 4: Building A Robust Digital Campus Key Takeaways: The campuses of educational institutions are the adobe of knowledge, where students and educators share the relationship of learning and training. In the present era when everything is turning digitised, the stakeholders of the education industry are also striving to switch to the digital world. J Francis Xavier, Principal, Jeppiaar Engineering College, Chennai,while introducing the topic said that digital campuses are encouraging students living in remote areas to take part in the educational process. He also highlighted the cost-effectiveness of digital campuses, in which with one single resource many audiences can be addressed. Xavier also thanked the digital space for making global networking feasible. Adding to that, Gangineni Dhananjhay, Dean - MBA, Narayana Engineering College, Nellore (AP), talked about the challenges to creating and sustaining digital campuses where students desire to have a seamless experience with a single password for every facility. Dhananjhay added that the digitalisation process should also be carried forward through the perspective of faculty as well. Vasupradha Srikrishna, Associate Director - Meston Centre for Teaching (L -R) AT Ravichandran, Dean & Professor - Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology; Porkumaran Karantharaj, Principal, Sri Sairam Engineering College, Chennai; Sridar Natarajan, Dean, Chennai Business School; Ruhail Amin, Sr Editor BW Businessworld Shankar said that teachers will have to change their entire mindset and approach to see what kind of questions and evaluation can be done better than ChatGPT. She added, “The method of testing and evaluating needs to be drastically changed in order to compete with ChatGPT.” Panel Discussion 5: Skilling Revolution: Reconciling Academia With experiential Learning Key Takeaways: The process of learning through doing is experiential learning. It is widely known that students are better able to connect ideas and knowledge taught Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology, focussed on how learning attitudes have changed after the pandemic when we started providing digital devices to our little children. He counted the new challenges and said, “It is now up to faculty members, how they will grab students’ attention and ensure involvement of students, which is possible only by bringing experiential learning in practice. iDEX by the government of India is one of the best examples.” Sridar Natarajan, Dean, Chennai Business School, rued that we are more focussed on exams and marks now rather than the overall development of students that will be ready to contribute to the industry. and Learning, Madras Christian College pointed to the issue of intellectual threat. She said, “We are in the muddled zone as regards understanding who wrote what.” AI and ChatGPT are the current trends in the education field. Emphasising their effect, Malini V Shankar, IAS (Retd), Vice Chancellor, Indian Maritime University, said that it is going to affect education a lot and teachers will have to face this challenge more than students. in the classroom to real-world issues when they are engaged in hands-on experiences and reflection. Porkumaran Karantharaj, the principal of Sri Sairam Engineering College, Chennai, emphasised experiential learning and said that instead of thinking about 'what to learn and what to teach', the focus should be on 'how to learn and 'how to teach'. AT Ravichandran, Dean & Professor - Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr EVENT/ CHENNAI CONCLAVE
28 B W EDUCATION J U N E -J U LY 2023 WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM C apitalising on the provision of the National Education Policy 2020 to offer dual degrees, several higher education institutes are looking at international collaborations. IIM Sambalpur has announced that its students can get dual degrees from French institutes - Sorbonne Business School Paris, Institute of International Universities Consortium (IIE), Paris, France, and University of Bordeaux. IIM Sambalpur made this announcement at a day-long conclave in New Delhi. Jorge Cardoso, Director General, Institute of International UniversiJorge Henrique Cardoso Director General, Institute of International Universities Consortium (IIE), France describes the strengths of higher education systems in France and how collaborations with educational institutes in India will benefit students By Meha Mathur “India, France Have More Values In Common Than They Realise” INTERVIEW
WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM B W EDUCATION J U N E -J U LY 2023 29 ties Consortium (IIE),, France, speaking to BW Education on this occasion, described the French educational ecosystem and ethos. Excerpts: In what ways has management education changed in France in the last few years? And what are the parallels with the rest of the world? When you look at successful French companies, they choose to excel in the area they choose to operate in. For example, there are many luxury companies and they are doing very well. And when they reach that level, it’s very difficult for the competition to reach there. So, it’s about understanding the niche, and doing the specifics. Just putting something in the market doesn’t work. To make it successful, you need to be very good at management as well. You need to excel in the entire chain – management, marketing, logistics – for you to shine. Which is where management schools come in as you need that level of expertise. How is technology changing the dynamics of higher education, including management education? It’s going to change a lot, of course. And it’s going to be good and bad both. It’s going to optimise automation for many sectors but anything that requires quality still requires human beings because that’s what is going to make the difference, either in products or services. When people buy something very expensive or original -it has gone through human hands. If you are working in a company, you need communication, and that needs humans. What Indians are good at is knowledge which can be used to solve problems in digital era. Most countries have raw material and technologies – they can buy technologies – but the challenge is how do you put it in the service of human beings. It’s when you combine the two – human beings knowing how to use technology – that’s when you have great outcomes. Covid, it turned 100 per cent online. The productivity of students varies – in physical mode they don’t want to be present, or they are physically present but not mentally, and in digital mode it was the opposite. When you have a mix of both, they are motivated. It’s convenient for them. It has also allowed us to do internationalisation that we are looking at today. Studies have shown that workers want the same – they don’t want to work 100 per cent from office. You stay 25-40 per cent at home and 60-75 per cent in office – it’s a major attraction. What are the challenges that French education is facing? The challenge today is not about French education only. The challenge today is about global education. A typical student in France today is closer to the Indian counterpart than ever before. They want to do well, they don’t want to be exploited, they want to have a sense of purpose. They want the flexibility of creating business anywhere in the world. They want to travel. They want to be part of global community. And that is very important for French education – in the sense that knowledge is not confined to one place. If the nations are willing to cooperate then it improves the possibilities. What are the possibilities of collaboration between Indian and French institutions? These countries have more values in common than they realise. When they begin to work together, they will have a mutual understanding and sense of complementarity. Usually, academic programmes take two to four years to take shape, but in the case of IIM Sambalpur, it (the collaborative programme) took less than one year. Because the value was there, the quality of professors was there. Once one project is set up it will raise the bar for all institutes asking for these types of partnerships. Indian students don’t have to go abroad. They will be global students. What is the typical ambition of a French youth? Are they more into startups or employment? Startups are not for everybody but we have a good number of students who go for startups because they don’t want to work in the corporate world. So, we have a mix, which is good. Globally, many people want to go for startup because of ego and want to be famous but there are medium and small size startups too and they are happy. Behind giant corporations, there will be many more players and they are fine with that. The way to approach startups (in France) is different – I want to do something meaningful for self, communities and for country. And that’s perfectly fine because you are doing something well. What has been the Covid-time experience of French institutions and are students now eager to return to classroom or are comfortable taking online classes? Before the pandemic, students had 100 per cent classes physically and in KUMAR GAURAV Just putting something in the market doesn’t work. You need to excel in the entire chain - management, marketing, logistics, for you to shine. Which is where management schools come in
32 B W EDUCATION MAY-JUNE 2023 WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM I n the contemporary era of knowledge economy, education has a crucial role to play. Education is significant because it offers social benefits. It not only expands moral standards but also the quality of human resources. Education provides positive externalities- individual acquired education spill over to the society and not confined to individuals alone. The SDG 4, which is the part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under ‘The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, targets exclusively on education. The SDG 4: Quality Education to By Kumar Gaurav Unfolding SDG 4 For India ‘Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’ is crucial for making earth a better planet to live on. The SDG 4 is among the 17 goals and includes 10 targets to achieve with 11 indicators. It stresses on dismantling educational gender gaps and social gaps based on economic background, disabilities, and vulnerabilities, providing safer environment to learning for all, providing equal opportunities for technical and vocational training and skill development, and offering employment opportunities. PERSPECTIVE 22% / 300 For achieving the goal of quality education, India will have to speed up its educational reforms to harness the potential of its young population
WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM B W EDUCATION J U N E -J U LY 2023 33 Without renovation of the educational system, India risks the flight of its knowledge economy and IT/ITES leadership to the countries like China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan The Indian government has created an extensive network of public education in India, but it is highly ineffective. Barriers at different levels severely impacts the outcome of education. The government has initiated flagship programmes for primary, secondary, and tertiary education. The Right to Education (RTE) Act, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, Mid -Day Meal (MDM), Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) are some of the initiatives in this direction. The most recent initiative has been the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Apart from the central government initiates, different states have also conceptualised and implemented novel initiatives in this direction. However, the quality of education and technical and vocational training and skills are debated again and again. Learning outcomes are poor at government schools. In developing countries like India, school education is dependent on multitude of factors ranging from qualified teachers and learning atmosphere, proximity of schools, basic infrastructure, safe drinking water and toilet facilities. Government schools need total reforms as is perceived in some states in India. Successful school models of different states can be replicated in other states for better outcomes. Structural transformations and revival of the education system is required at earliest. The world has undergone rapid transformation from industrial to a knowledge economy. This is an indication that economic activities with the highest value added comes from the knowledge-based services sector of the economy. Moreover, technological innovations are the outcome of higher education and skill-formation. Without renovation of the educational system, India risks the flight of its knowledge economy and IT/ITES leadership to the countries like China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. China, for example, has made much greater progress in modernising its higher education system and even has greater enrolment rates at various levels. India has thus a threat to its higher education system. Apart from the infrastructural and implementation issues, the educational gender gap is one of the most challenging aspects in education system of India. Empowering females and reducing the gender disparity in education essentially is the key for sustainability. It is undoubtedly the wide-ranging disparities that push the country back. Educational discrimination against women hinders economic development, in addition to reinforcing social inequality. This disparity is evident at all the levels – primary, secondary, and tertiary education in India. This manifests in the fact that low level of human capital formation is coming about as far as females are concerned. Limiting the educational gender gap by expanding educational opportunities for women is equally desirable for human capital formation. India could only sustain in knowledge world by adopting equality in providing mass education. It is essential to understand the cracks in the Indian education system so that the targeted policies and initiatives can be focused in achieving the anticipated outcomes. Allocative efficiency in directed public finance in this sector can transform the educational landscape of India. Educational indicators for measuring the educational attainment and learning outcomes are important for cross-state comparison. Moreover, the Corona pandemic has aggravated the prevailing disparities in education, with millions of children being unable to attend school due to school closures and a dearth of access to online resources for learning. SDG 4 is predominantly substantial for India given its huge population and India’s obligation to deliver education for all. India needs to harness its full potential in education and provide world class quality education for all. - The author is Head - Department of Economics, SN Sinha College, Magadh University KUMAR GAURAV
34 B W EDUCATION JUNE-JULY 2023 WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM B W Education’s Most Influential Women list, presented on the occasion of International Women’s Day each year, is a celebration of their endeavour to bring about a positive impact in education through their vision, courage and relentless effort. We felicitate women achievers in different sub-segments of education. And this year too, we selected women representing several sub-categories – from school to higher education to research fields, and from sciences to liberal arts and music. Also those working in government bodies, to those working with the grassroots. We submitted a list of 45 women educationists to our eminent Advisory Committee of Rajan Saxena, VC, NMIMS; Anup Singh, DG, Nirma University; Punam Sahgal, former Dean and Professor of Organisation Behaviour, IIM Lucknow; and Neerja Birla, Founder and Chairperson, Mpower, an initiative by the Aditya Birla Education Trust, the latter two being part of last year’s Most Influential Women list. The Committee responded with the names that they approved, listing their criteria for selection, and suggesting a few names that they felt ought to be included in this grouping. BW Education team then tallied the names who had got ‘yes’ from all, majority of three ‘yes’, and at least two ‘yes’, and came upon the list of 20 influential women. This does not take away from the tireless effort a large number of other womBW Education’s yearly honours that recognise the efforts of women leadership, entrepreneurs and educators taking education to the masses Trailblazers In EDUCATION By Team BW Education en educators are doing. Our effort at BW Education is to highlight the work being done across the country by so many individuals about whom people ought to know. As one advisory committee member wrote: “Each of those mentioned in your list is indeed highly deserving individuals. I had considered following parameters in my recommendations: • Academic brilliance • Going beyond one’s own area of work or capabilities • Contribution to society/impact of work on society • Major awards at national/global level.” Here, we bring to you interviews and profiles of some of the awardees.
WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM B W EDUCATION M J U N E -J U LY 2023 35 PANKAJ MITTAL Secretary General Association of Indian Universities SUDHA MURTY Chairperson Infosys Foundation SANTISHREE DHULIPUDI PANDIT Vice Chancellor Jawaharlal Nehru University NAJMA AKHTAR Vice Chancellor Jamia Millia Islamia SUNAINA SINGH Vice Chancellor Nalanda University VINITA SAHAY Founder Director IIM Bodh Gaya UMA TULI Founder Amar Jyoti Charitable Trust NISHA MENDIRATTA Head - Women in Science & Climate Change Programmes Department of Science & Technology, GOI DILAFROZE QAZI Founder SSM College of Engineering and Technology ZAREENA QURESHI Principal Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Nagpur AARTI NAIK Founder SAKHI for Girls Education BERNADETTE PIMENTA Chairperson Snehalaya Charitable Trust BHUVANA SANTHANAM CEO Global Outreach Prashanthi Balamandira Trust/ Sai Global Federation of Foundations PALLAVI RAO CHATURVEDI Founder Get Set Parent with Pallavi SMITA DEORAH Co-founder & Co-CEO LEAD SUDHA GOPALAKRISHNAN Founder & Vice President Sahapedia BOBBY ABROL Lead - Developing Teachers Tata Trusts DHARINI UPADHYAYA Co-founder & Co-CEO Furtados School of Music CHARU MATHUR Founder Socrates Foundation MEGHNA GHAI PURI President Whistling Woods International Most Influential Women List of BW Education for the year 2023:
36 B W EDUCATION JUNE-JULY 2023 W W W.B WEDUCATION.COM What have been some of the significant contributions of AIU in the last few years in higher education? Association of Indian Universities is the largest association of universities in the world. We have around 931 universities as the members, including 15 foreign universities as associate members. It’s also the second oldest association of the world. We have completed 98 years of existence. In two years, we will be celebrating the centenary. Stalwarts like Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Dr Zakir Husain, Dr Shyamaprasad Mukherjee, Dr Shrimali have been the presidents of AIU, which tells the legacy of AIU. AIU was established basically to serve as an organisation, to coordinate with the universities and to work as a liasoning organisation between the government and the universities. It is a voice of the universities for the government and if the government wants to implement anything in the sector of higher education, they seek the help of AIU and we help in implementing many, many government policies. In addition to that we connect with all stakeholders in the higher education Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General, Association of Indian Universities, on the benefits of NEP and foreign universities setting up their campuses here; and the glass ceiling in higher education “Where Do Women Goldmedallists Go?” By Meha Mathur Pankaj Mittal A t a time when the National Education Policy is remodelling higher education system, four-year degree programmes, academic bank of credits, multiple exit and entry points and dual degrees being introduced and foreign universities being allowed to open campuses, the Association of Indian Universities has a critical role to play in coordination between these universities and voicing their issues. The Secretary General of AIU is the dynamic Pankaj Mittal, possessing a great macro and micro vision of higher education. In an interview to BW Education, she shares her thoughts on higher education.
WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM B W EDUCATION ON JUNE-JULY 2023 37 PANKAJ MITTAL
WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM system, starting from vice chancellor till the students. For Vice Chancellors, we do six Vice Chancellors Conferences every year where the themes of seminary importance are discussed. In addition to that, we do round tables for the newly appointed vice chancellors. For faculty, we do a lot of capacity building programmes to train the faculty, whether it is on research or use of technology or any other issue which is related to higher education, pedagogy, assessment and evaluation. We engage with students in terms of promoting sports because we believe in the holistic development of the students. Around 5 to 10 lakh students participate every year in the sports events which are organised by AIU, including Khelo India University Games. We also do many youth affairs programmes for the students which includes youth festivals at zonal, national and international level. To promote research among the students, we do a programme called Anveshan, in which the research is promoted among young students through research projects submitted by them which are evaluated and big prizes are given to them to encourage them. We are trying to internationalise Anveshan in future. What kind of coordination is there between AIU and UGC? UGC is a regulator, so it basically controls the universities in terms of maintenance of standards. We are a facilitator, not a regulator. We don’t have the power to regulate or issue regulations. So whatever regulations UGC is issuing, we take it upon ourselves to help the universities to implement those in the best possible manner. For example, recently there was a regulation on the entry of foreign universities in India. UGC wanted to have the comments of the universities or the general public on the regulations. So, we called a meeting of all the universities and the recommendations based on the inputs received from all the universities were sent to UGC. This facilitates their work. 38 B W EDUCATION JUNE-JULY 2023 What are the pressures that the Indian campuses are facing and how will the dynamics change with the setting of foreign universities' campuses in India? The Foreign University Bill was pending in the parliament for a long time. World over, in many countries, foreign universities have campuses but not in India. So, this is a welcome step and will help us in many ways. As you would be knowing, around 8 to 10 lakh students go every year out of India to study in foreign universities. Whereas the number of students who come to India from foreign countries is only around 48-49,000. The type of money they are spending on their foreign education is almost equal to the education budget of India. If our students want foreign education, they can do it on Indian soil in the campuses of foreign universities in India, which will help us in saving a lot of foreign exchange. Two, we want collaborations between Indian and foreign universities, because learning is always a collaborative experience. Having a collaboration with a foreign university on Indian soil is much easier and cost-and time-effective leading to saving of lot of resources. Also, there will be the faculty in foreign universities which can be invited to the Indian universities for teaching some specialised courses to our students or even for training on innovative teaching skills. A m o n g t h e much-discussed provisions of NEP, one is the credit point system and the other is dual degrees. So how can collaboration between various universities be facilitated and also what kind of infrastructure and logistical support exists at the moment to facilitate both these things? NEP is giving a lot of flexibility both to teachers as well as the students. If our students want foreign education, they can do it on Indian soil in the campuses of foreign universities in India, which will help us in saving a lot of foreign exchange
WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM B W EDUCATION JUNE-JULY 2023 39 A lot of counselling is needed because now we are putting a lot of onus on the student, about the courses to be undertaken. They need to learn to handle wisely the flexibility given. Students have all options to study anytime, anywhere in any university in any programme and any course. For example, in the scheme of Academic Bank of Credit (ABC), the student has the flexibility to do courses from multiple universities and design his or her own degree so they can stitch their degree themselves. Unlike earlier, when you had to do all the courses from the university where you had taken admission, now you can do the courses from multiple universities. Once you have the core credits complete and the threshold number of courses, then you can go to the university from where you did 50 per cent of the credits or to National Digital University and get a degree. It means that you can design your own degree. Apart from that you also have the flexibility of studying any subject. For example, if I am a student of physics, I can study music or history, which was not possible earlier. But it also requires the faculty to teach these courses. If you really have to take the advantage of ABC, that means you should be having required and right kind of faculty. How do students choose subjects of their choice, when classes would be happening simultaneously? Timetable of every course is given to students and then they choose courses in such a manner that it is possible to pursue these courses within the given timetable. The student has to make a choice wisely to see whether the timings allow them to do those courses or not. A lot of counselling is needed because now we are putting a lot of onus on the student, about the courses to be undertaken. They need to learn to handle wisely the flexibility given. What is the kind of mentoring and counselling available in India. And also, are the teachers ready to let go of some old notions, as there is a generational shift? This is a what we call ‘change management’. In the new scheme of thing, everybody, including university administration, faculty, vice chancellors, principles and students would be affected and everybody has
40 B W EDUCATION J U N E -J U LY 2023 WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM gone through the process of change management. The teachers have to change their attitude so that they can absorb these things. And students will need a lot of counselling as they are still raw. So, ‘change management’ has to be learnt and practised. Coming to rankings, do you think NIRF and global rankings depict the same reality. Research is given a lot of emphasis in global rankings. Are the Indian institutions there in the area of research? Right now, there is no Indian university in the top 100 of the world rankings. We had many discussions and deliberations on these issues and it is felt that some of the parameters which are being used by the foreign rankings are not relevant for India. For example, a large portion of their ranking parameter includes reputation of a university or perception. In reputation we are far behind. Two, there is a lot of emphasis on research, that too research in Scopus and in English. India is a diverse country with multiple languages and multiple cultures. Our research is also in regional languages. Rather NEP promotes teaching and research in mother tongue. All those researches which are in Indian languages are not counted because they cannot be put in the Scopus index. Also, a lot of emphasis has been given to international students and international faculty on the campus. In India, the entire country has close to 50,000 international students. And international faculty is even lesser because only the private universities are somehow able to afford international faculty. NIRF understands Indian higher education system and was launched with this purpose that we should be able to assess ourselves. Every country is a unique country so they work in a particular fashion which may not be suited to rest of the world in some parameters. I feel one should not run after ranking. Ranking should be a by-product. One should do good work, produce good research, good students, good citizens and based on which they will be ranked. You are among the most influential women in education today. But do you think that there is still a glass ceiling in higher education institutions at the top echelons? It is, it is very much there. See, if you see the number of students who are in higher education, it is 50-50; rather, the gross enrolment ratio for women, this time is 0.2 per cent higher than the men. If you go to any convocation, the first position holders are mostly women. When you go to assistant professor level, again the ratio is around 50-50. When you go to associate professor it becomes something like 60-40. When you go to professor, it becomes 70-30. Go to VCs, it becomes 93 per cent men and 7 per cent women. So where do all these women go - the ones who were toppers? Right now, in our country we have around 60 to 70 women VCs. Our country has 1,100 universities. And this is the number when there are 13 to 14 women universities in the country, which have to be governed by women. So, the glass is definitely there and we have to break the glass ceiling and to break the glass ceiling one has to work really very hard.
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WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM "Uniformity Will Never Work In India" S antishree Dhulipudi Pandit was appointed as the first woman Vice Chancellor of India’s top University, Jawaharlal Nehru University on February 7, 2022. Beginning in 1988 as a lecturer at the Goa University, her teaching and research career has spanned more than 35 years. Prior to joining as the VC of JNU, she taught political science at the University of Pune (Savitribai Phule Pune University). In an interview to BW Education, she shares her vision for JNU. Excerpts: Tell us about your appointment as the first women VC of JNU. How did it feel and what was your vision for the university when you joined? I was very happy because I didn't expect it as I have no political godfathers. I come from a very middle-class, normal family from South India. My father was in the Indian Information Service and then later worked as a journalist for the Hindu. I was also happy because this is the university where I started. This university made me what I am today. I think JNU is a wonderful institution. We combine excellencewith equality, empathy with equity, and inclusionwith integrity. Ithink no institution in India has this combination, and my vision was to make JNU have the best infrastructure. You obtained your MPhil and PhD from JNU. How has JNU changed for you between that time? And how is it to be a VC after having 42 B W EDUCATION JUNE-JULY 2023 Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, Vice Chancellor, JNU provides an insight into her appointment as VC, NEP and protest culture in JNU By Himanshu Ojha Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit spent time here as a student? I still feel like I'm a student. I don't feel I'm something separate from either my faculty or my students. The difference is in numbers - when I was a student, we were just 3,000. Students did not have so many facilities. Only one boy had a motorcycle and even a cycle was a luxury. We used to walk a lot. I find that students are smart in using of smart objects like mobiles and laptops, which we never had in our period. But I think the character of JNU is still there because there is something about this campus that makes you very sensitive. Interacting with students from other parts of India broadened my vision. NEP is set to be fully implemented this year. What steps has JNU taken to be in line with
WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM B W EDUCATION JUNE-JULY 2023 43 SANTISHREE DHULIPUDI PANDIT
44 B W EDUCATION JUNE-JULY 2023 WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM this vision? What part of the NEP do you think will be most challenging to implement in JNU? NEP 2020 is a framework. I wouldn't say this is the final word. Even the government is very clear that you implement whatever is beneficial for the university. Many of the things suggested in the NEP were already implemented in JNU. For example, the credit system, flexibility, holistic nature has been there and only Indian knowledge systems is something that we have added. We have a very good school of Sanskrit and Indic Studies, where we have a five-year integrated course in Ayurvedic biology. This is the only course in India, where sity is beautiful. Let each state, each higher education institution decide what is best for it. India continues to remain at the lower end of the Annual Global Gender Gap Index released by the World Economic Forum. How can we bring recognition of women's true participation in the economy? The major issue is patriarchy. I came as the first woman vice chancellor of a university that claims to be the most radical. Even in JNU, my staff address me as ‘Sir’ and I had to correct them. And even here we have cases of faculty misbehaving with girl students. If this is the case in JNU, it can be worse in other institutions because JNU is a space where we have 55 per cent girl students. The problem is society, misogyny, and patriarchy. Also, there are a large number of qualified women at junior positions, but when it comes to associates and professors, there is a dearth. Women don't want to pursue career like men do as they have to look after kids and home. That's why even the present government is finding it difficult because you need 10 years as a professor, to even become a vice chancellor. There is no woman director at an IIT. Delhi University, one of the oldest universities, is yet to have a woman vice chancellor. The goddesses of learning, wealth and power are women. So we are a feminist civilisation but still, maybe we combine Ayurveda with modern science, and that is a very good and innovative course. We also have a certificate course in Pali, Natyashastra, Yoga, and wellness and we have also introduced the Ayurvedic clinic in our health centre, where the Ayush ministry is providing free medicines to all students. We are doing things in a holistic way and there is no opposition. It is wrong to say that JNU is not nationalistic. This is a myth because every military personnel who gets a BSc, MSc, or doctorate is a JNU graduate. Regarding NEP, JNU has taken what is good, since we are very decentralised. Each centre and school does it differently. And there are 10 schools and 14 special centres at JNU. We are also focussing on Indian languages. We have got corpus from state governments and the Tamil Nadu state government was the first to give us Rs 10 crore for a special Centre for Tamil Studies. I thank the CM of Tamil Nadu MK Stalin. JNU wants to become a hub where Indian languages are promoted. And I coming from the state of Tamil Nadu and Tamil being the oldest language, am very happy and want to become catalyst for this. In JNU we are doing it all democratically. My six Ds are development, democracy, dissent, diversity, dialogue, and difference. We do not impose things and in JNU nothing works on imposition. And I am also against any type of uniformity. We as a civilisation believe in diversity. I think diverJNU has had protests because you have the best minds coming and when the best minds come, they are not going to listen to and they're argumentative
WWW.BWEDUCATION.COM B W EDUCATION JUNE-JULY 2023 45 because of different historical influences, men would like to keep their position. So I think it will take a long time (to change) because there'll be a lot of resistance, but I believe it's not men versus women. I think rather it is a question of men, women and also the LGBTQ community working together to make a better society. In JNU we also have a lot of transgenders. And we are very empathetic to them. We have friends and colleagues who immediately realise something wrong and they are able to save them in time. And we have a much more empathetic student population. What advice do you have for young women who aspire to attain leadership position in academia or other fields? Women need to have a lot of self confidence. In no way they are inferior to anybody. And also they're not superior. I don't like this attitude. We are all human beings. I think there are very sympathetic men. Let me tell you today I'm in this position, thanks to my father. So I think you need more empathetic, sensitive human beings. The other is the issue of child abuse and I've come to hear from lots of young girls about it. We have to understand the boundaries. I observe that the young generation, at least on the JNU campus are very empathetic. They understand and many of them share household work, which I appreciate. So I think we are changing, but we have a still long way to go. What role do you see JNU playing in shaping the future of India, and what steps are you taking to ensure that it remains a leading institution of higher education? JNU is giving the best in terms of merit without discrimination. We are the only university that has students from all over the country. This is the only institution that follows the Prime Minister's dictum of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Prayas’. The fee is still very low. The IITs get people at a 9.5 level of intelligence and make them into 9.6. But we do get even 2-pointers and make them into 8 or 9 pointers. So, we are bringing in social and economic transformation.And other than the Presidency College - Madras, JNU is the only higher education institution to produce two Nobel Prize winners. And I think this comes when you give freedom and autonomy to an institution. JNU has a strong ethos of giving its student a voice, but protests can easily get out of hand. How can we ensure the safety of students on campus while also allowing them the space to express their values? Protest is not bad. But it should not become violent. And you know India or Indic civilisation has celebrated dissenters from Gautam Buddha to Baba Saheb Ambedkar. We are very comfortable with chaos. JNU has had protests because you have the best minds coming and when the best minds come, they are not going to listen to and they're argumentative. But I think we also are known for our tolerance. Youth is an age where we think we can change the world. As long as they don't trouble somebody else, I think everybody has a right to his or her opinion the Constitution has given. So JNU celebrates that dissent and diversity, and I think it is necessary in any higher education institution. And if today people are criticising that India is not a democracy, show them JNU. They will know how deep our democracy runs. Students must protest for the right things, but it should not be political. Let it be academic, research-oriented, or value-based. India cannot work on uniformity. One language, one religion, one colour, one race doesn't work for us because we are not that and we believe in the beauty of the rainbow colours. I think JNU represents it. So protest is a part of students' education.
46 B W EDUCATION JUNE-JULY 2023 W W W.B WEDUCATION.COM Jamia Millia Islamia’s Vice Chancellor Najma Akhtar is focussed on imparting 21st Century Skills to her students and being at the forefront of research Najma Akhtar Taking Jamia Into The Top League S teering the central university during a turbulent phase, and overseeing its emergence as third ranked university in NIRF rankings in 2022, is Jamia’s first lady vice chancellor, Najma Akhtar. Heading the university that has a brilliant legacy of over 100 years and ensuring its role as a leading higher education provider catering to 21st Century R&D, skilling, and employability needs is no mean achievement, but Akhtar has been doing it silently. The university was born during the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920 when a group of students and faculty had broken away from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and started a new institution outside AMU premises from tents. The university, that had the support of stalwarts like Mahatma Gandhi, was closely aligned with Independence Struggle and was for a long stint headed by Zakir Husain (later the President of India), has produced rich intellectual ferment in its 100 years. Its contribution to education and economic empowerment of masses is equally impressive, with its vast umbrella of departments and schools imparting educaBy Meha Mathur and Himanshu Ojha
W W W.B WEDUCATION.COM B W EDUCATION JUNE-JULY 2023 47 NAJMA AKHTAR tion in a large range of course. Najma Akhtar, the vice chancellor of the university informs that students and faculty are of high calibre and her role is to give them appreciation, identify their problems and provide them the necessary support. The students are drawn not just from Delhi but from across India, and get quality education that is affordable too. Options galore The university has a wide range of programmes and under the present VC, further new courses have started. The ambit of programmes – from bachelors to PhD - is vast indeed: Masters courses in energy sciences, computational mathematics, microbiology, virology (which has become crucial in the wake of Covid); MSc environment science; MBA pharmaceutical management, MBA in entrepreneurship and family business; MBA tourism and travel management; hotel management; MSc banking and financial analytics; MArch that has architecture and planning components, master of design and innovation, and vocational courses. There is a range of language-related courses, like French and Francophone studies; Spanish and Latin American studies; Mandarin, Korean; and PG diploma in the English translation bachelors’ level and some Mandarin Chinese and Korean. “We have a Centre for Korean Studies. The Korean Government has shown a lot of interest in it and our students pursue it, because it would be advantageous to them when they are seeking jobs.” The courses are being continuously upgraded, to keep them relevant in
W W W.B WEDUCATION.COM the changing job market context and global requirements. The VC is keen that the courses should make students employable, and adds, “There's no use of getting a degree if you're not able to get employed.”To that end, the placement cell works day and night to get the students placed, well in time, before the course ends. The university organises job readiness workshops, mock interviews and extension lectures by industry professionals. Further, MoUs are being signed with the CSR wings of the big corporates like IBM and NGOs like Nandi Foundation so that they can reach out through Jamia to make the needy job ready. The Coaching Academy of Jamia focusses on preparing its students for Civil Services and the provincial services, and has produced a number of success stories, including IAS topper Shruti Sharma. Women to the fore Belying stereotypes, Jamia has a lot of girl students in engineering branches and scientific research programmes. 48 B W EDUCATION JUNE-JULY 2023 "There is not a single course which is male-dominated now," Akhtar claims. Girl students from first generation learners are making a change in their whole families. Akhtar shares she also encourages girls to join Armed Forces. She informs that at Jamia, NCC girls’ wing is bigger than the boys’ wing. Elaborating on this, Akhtar says that Above and bottom: Jamia has a number of well-equipped labs for scientific research Brilliant Legacy l Jamia Millia Islamia was founded in October 1920 when a group of students and faculty broke away from parent institute Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), during the Non-cooperation Movement, in support of the freedom cause. l The institute started in tents outside the AMU campus; shifted to Karol Bagh, Delhi in 1925. It shifted to its present campus in 1935. l It was blessed by Mahatma Gandhi from the outset. Among the founding members were MA Ansari, Maulana Azad and Saifuddin Kitchlew. Ajmal Khan became the first chancellor and Mohammad Ali Johar, the first VC. l Zakir Husain took over as VC in 1926, and remained VC for the longest time, till 1948. l It became the hub of intellectual ferment. Munshi Premchand wrote his famous work Kafan on the Jamia campus. l Jamia became a deemed university in 1962 and was declared a central university in December 1988.
W W W.B WEDUCATION.COM B W EDUCATION JUNE-JULY 2023 49 We are fortunate to have good researchers, who were doing their work individually; now they are doing it collectively, identifying the areas of national importance. These are relevant researches Jamia has started a full course on Nation Building and the NCC, which helps build your character, and at the same time helps you earn credits and also helps you during job search. The university reaches out to girl students not just on the campus but through several urban centres and a few rural ones too, with educational, vocational training and health interventions. It offers short-term courses in online and offline mode like digital marketing, embroidery, basics of beautician beauty parlours, bakery training, and the university is planning to offer advanced tailoring from next year. Renowned beautician Shahnaz Husain has extended support to Jamia for its courses in beautician and Akhtar says that makes a lot of difference. Research thrust Much work is being done in research, with an increased emphasis on collaboration, joint research and multidisciplinary work. “We are fortunate to have good researchers, who were doing their work individually; now they are doing it collectively, identifying the areas of national importance. These are relevant researches, and the research is going in right direction,” Akhtar shares. She points out that the university's H index is 149; and that it has 3,000 citations. The university files 30 patents a year on an average, and got 11 patents granted in the current academic year. The research infrastructure has been augmented. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) grant of Rs 15 crore has led to the university getting sophisticated instruments, and setting up Central Instrumentation Facility. The university allows this infrastructure to be used by researchers of other universities too. Several Jamia students have also benefitted from the Prime Minister Research Fellowship. Akhtar informs that the very first year when PMRF was announced, eight students had secured the fellowship, seven of whom were girl students. The number of these students has now gone up to 20. This way, they are pursuing their research, while at the same time getting financially empowered. The research and academic thrust is further enhanced by partnerships. There are 70 MoUs - with University of Virginia, University of Erfurt (Germany), University of Westminster (UK), Korea Foundation, among others. These 'vibrant' MoUs provide opportunities for joint research and student and faculty exchange, she says. In sync with NEP All praise for NEP, Akhtar says, “This is something we have been waiting for, for a very long time. This is a futuristic policy which understands the problems of today and plans for tomorrow.” She informs that after much brainstorming over the implementation of components of NEP, like multiple entries and exits, bank of credit, switch to four-year degree courses, the university is ready for it. Akhtar says, “We are ready with implementation plan at the earliest so that there's no gap between the coming of the policy and actually bringing it to the field. NEP wanted us to be a multi-entry and multi-exit option which is something which has never been done in India. There was a lot of brainstorming at the national level and I was part of many of the committees, on how to implement it. And in Jamia, we are now ready to implement it.” Talking about the benefit of multiple exit and entry points she says, “Students can take up their credits, put them in a digilocker and also go away and do the work they have to do at that time. Maybe somebody's getting married or somebody's going abroad or is occupied with any other work. They can come back, use the credits and start from there onwards. So, the student does not lose his year.” Akhtar shared that the university, as of the date of interview, had created approximately 3,000 ABC IDs. It had uploaded nearly 6,000 degrees on the digilocker. In Akhtar, the university has an able administrator to take the brilliant legacy forward.
50 B W EDUCATION JUNE-JULY 2023 W W W.B WEDUCATION.COM Uma Tuli UMA TULI