Author name: admin

“They live with each other, so they’re making lifelong friends as well,” says Aditi Goradia, Managing Director, Billimoria High School, in an Interview with Pratik Ghosh, Content Writer, ArdorComm Media Group at the ‘New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023’ #ELSANewDelhi #ELSAGurugram How are you feeling to witness the New Normal Education Leadership Summit & Awards in Delhi? It’s always a pleasure to come to these things and meet all of these educators from across the country, and there’s so much learning and collaborating happening. It’s great. The theme of our event is India Vision 2030. According to you, what should be the vision for the school education sector? I think a lot more training for teachers, a lot more growth infrastructure. The framework is already in place, now its time to execute it. How are you implementing technology in your school? We don’t use textbooks, we use the learning outcomes document established by CBSE. Our teachers formulate their own curriculum. We have taught the teachers how to use AI tools for their research and to put their resources together. There’s a lot of project-based learning for the kids that requires technology. Billimoria High School is a residential school, so what importance does it play for a student to stay there and get educated? So, in today’s day and age, it’s very difficult to balance life for kids because in the cities, it’s very hectic and there’s a lot of device exposure, a lot of device addiction in a very unproductive manner. In a residential school, all of that is a little more controlled. It’s a good balance of co-curriculars and social skills. They live with each other, so they’re making lifelong friends as well. It’s a more learning conducive environment. What’s your take on skill development in this 21st century? I think that we are preparing for a world where the jobs we know will not exist, and the jobs that will exist don’t exist now. So, more than content, it’s really important to focus on concept learning. It’s important to prepare kids for a variety of skills and even the NEP says 21st-century skills like collaboration, problem-solving, financial literacy. These are the things we need to focus on with the kids. In these kinds of forums where we bring in the education leaders, the EdTech players, as well as the government. How does this kind of forum benefit the education sector? A lot of schools are doing a lot of different things because there’s so much freedom now under the NCF for each of us to figure out what we need to do for our kids. It’s really important for us to meet each other because then we learn from each other. There might be something one school is doing that we haven’t thought of, but it’s something we can adapt to, something we can borrow. And collaborations, it’s very important for our kids to see how our other kids are doing. So, there’s a lot of exchange programs and stuff that come out of these conferences. Any message for ArdorComm Media Group on its 2nd anniversary? Yes, you guys are doing an amazing job. It’s a great energetic team. We love Chandan, we love working with him. So, congratulations, may there be many, many, many more years of doing this.

“Our University is on the concept of a smart campus where technology is integrated deeply into all processes,” says Prof. (Dr.) Vikas Madhukar, Pro Vice Chancellor, Amity University, Gurgaon, in an Interview with Pratik Ghosh, Content Writer, ArdorComm Media Group at the ‘New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023’ #ELSANewDelhi #ELSAGurugram How are you feeling to witness the New Normal Education Leadership Summit and Awards in Delhi? I think it was a wonderful idea to host this event, especially at this point of time when we have crossed the COVID restrictions. From last more than one year, we are operating as we were operating before COVID. It’s very important now to deliberate what we have learned during COVID and how those learnings can be integrated into the new education policy. We need to work out on the theme and decide on some good practices that can benefit all. How are you implementing technology in Amity University? Amity is a technology-driven University. In fact, our University is on the concept of a smart campus where technology is integrated deeply into all processes. We have our in-house built ERP software, which takes care of all operations from admission to graduation. We’ve integrated the Learning Management System (LMS) with Amazon. Our classrooms are well-equipped with multimedia projectors, smart boards, and other technology-enabled resources. I would say that Amity is quite proactive in implementing technology and perhaps this is a reason when in 2020 the government announced lockdown we took only two days to shift from offline to online learning. In forums like this, where education leaders, EdTech players, and government representatives come together, how does it benefit the education sector? It is very important that different stakeholders should come forward on a one single platform because otherwise hardly there is any opportunity where you are having academicians, industry and people from government coming out at one place. So, I think this is a great platform for sharing the learning and the challenges which each one of us are facing and of course a platform to express our expectations from industry and governments so that the suitable action can be taken. Any message for ArdorComm Media on its 2nd Anniversary? I’ve was going through the previous events organized by ArdorComm Media, and the quality of the events, initiatives, and speakers you’ve brought to this platform is impressive. ArdorComm Media is doing a great job, and I wish you all the best.

 “You should go for the ethnic literacy because the workforce is very diverse,” says Prof. Ambarish S. Vidyarthi, Vice Chancellor, Bikaner Technical University, Rajasthan, in an Interview with Pratik Ghosh, Content Writer, ArdorComm Media Group at the ‘New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023’ #ELSANewDelhi #ELSAGurugram How are you feeling to witness the New Normal Education Leadership Summit and Awards in Delhi? It’s great, last time I was also the panellist and that was after the covid but this time the people are in a good mood and really working and the dynamism has been a little bit changed. So, in these new normal activities, we are discussing on improvising the Indian teaching learning and entire education how it could be a meaningful impact on society and societal development. So, I think this is a great effort and I am really grateful to ArdorComm Media and especially to Chandan Anand for taking this initiative. As you know, the theme of our event is India Vision 2030. According to you, what should be the vision for the education sector? I have a different approach. I am saying that the Indian education system, though it is Indian, it is made up of foreign culture. For example, we are doing agriculture, we are an agriculture-dominated state, but starting from ploughing to harvesting, we are not at all using our Indian traditional agriculture. So, there is a difference that whether we want to Indianize our own activities which we have been doing in earlier days where the people were not so much educated like the rishis and munis. They were doing it, for example, we were ploughing with the ‘hull’, especially, you know, that was basically not damaging the vermic cultures. Now what we are doing, we are using the tractors and other things which are devastating the field, and that’s why most of the land is going to be barren. So definitely, we have to think of this. People are saying that this is an education industry. What is about the industry? Whether our traditional system was saying like this? No, the teacher was testing a lot before accepting people. But now you can clear one exam and then come and you have not designed and that’s why the output is not coming. So, this is my view. What according to you is the importance of skill development in this 21st-century workspace? If you look at from the traditional or even the World Economic Forum, the half-life of technology has been reduced. Initially, it was 10 years, then it became six years, now it is two and a half years. So, it means that the advancement of technology would come into the place, then you require specific skills. So, there is a lot of pressure in the skill development and people have to acquire, irrespective of specialized ones, they should have basic, the foundation, like they should have literacy, financial literacy, numerical methods or statistics, then you have to have cultural literacy and then you should go for the ethnic literacy because the workforce is very diverse. And what happens, we are very good technocrats, but we fail to implement because we are working with different cultural and ethnic groups. And without understanding their viewpoint, their working style, you cannot take up the work very efficiently. So, that’s why these skills are essential. Then definitely, AI, blockchain, data security, data science, AR, VR, so those kinds of technologies are coming up and we have to judiciously use those ones. So, that’s the point. Any message for ArdorComm Media on its 2nd Anniversary? Definitely, all the best to this Media Group, and we hope that more vibrant and frequent activities have to be conducted by your group. And you are really making an impact on the education system. So, thank you very much and all the best.

 “We’ve introduced the concept of “design your own degree,” giving students autonomy in choosing their mix of courses,” says Prof. (Dr.) Vikas Singh, Founder Vice Chancellor, Geeta University, Panipat, Delhi, in an Interview with Pratik Ghosh, Content Writer, ArdorComm Media Group at the ‘New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023’ #ELSANewDelhi #ELSAGurugram How are you feeling to witness the New Normal Education Leadership Summit and Awards in Delhi? It is really a pleasure to be attending this Summit here, and thanks to Chandan and his team for inviting me to participate in this event. I can see a lot of senior academicians and industry people are here, providing a great opportunity to interact, network, and reconnect with old friends and colleagues. It’s truly a wonderful experience. The theme of our event is “India Vision 2030.” According to you, what should be the vision for the education sector moving forward? The upcoming years are crucial as the Indian economy is set to grow significantly. For this growth to happen, skilled manpower is essential. As the economy expands, new job opportunities will emerge, and we need to ensure that young students are adequately trained and skilled to take up these roles. This presents both an opportunity and a challenge for the education sector. We need to prepare our students to be the driving force behind the economic growth, which requires a concerted effort from the education community. How are you implementing NEP in your University? At our University, we have taken several steps aligned with the new education policy. We’ve introduced the concept of “design your own degree,” giving students autonomy in choosing their mix of courses. This policy encourages students to follow their passions and interests. We’ve also incorporated vocational baskets, offering courses in data visualization, digital marketing, and entrepreneurship. Moreover, we’re encouraging students to create profiles on platforms like LinkedIn, Upwork, and Freelancer, enabling them to work on external projects and build their skills and profiles. Forums like this bring together education leaders, government officials, and industry representatives. How does such a platform benefit the education sector? These forums are essential because they bring together key stakeholders in the education sector. Academicians, policy makers, government bodies, regulatory bodies, and industry representatives can collectively brainstorm and find solutions to various challenges. It’s a unique opportunity to share ideas, insights, and experiences, leading to better strategies and collaborations. Any message for ArdorComm Media on its 2nd Anniversary? I’m very happy to share that I was there in the first event also and I have seen the efforts that Chandan is putting in this venture and I wish him all the very best and I’m very confident that with the kind of efforts he is putting and the kind of team that he has created I’m sure ArdorComm is going to become a big name in this media sector. All the best to the team of ArdorComm Media.

“The academic institutions can, for once, become financially viable if they can adapt and deliver quality education, link experiential learning to not just employability, but research innovation, product process, to enable local MSMEs to startups,” says Prof. (Dr.) B.S. Satyanarayana, Vice Chancellor of G.D. Goenka University, Sohna in an Interview with Pratik Ghosh, Content Writer, ArdorComm Media Group at the ‘New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023’ #ELSANewDelhi #ELSAGurugram How are you feeling to witness the New Normal Education Leadership Summit and Awards in Delhi? I think it’s been a wonderful experience so far. First of all, I’d like to congratulate ArdorComm for their second anniversary and also that we could be here. I am also moderating a panel and will also be speaking in one more. I think the whole country is transforming and India took 75 years to reach about 3.5 trillion. In the next seven years, we are going to be 7 trillion or 7.5, and that’s where this new normal of adapting technology, adapting dynamically changing with experiential learning, leveraging NEP becomes very critical. So, it’s wonderful to see that we have industry leaders coming and showcasing their products here, we have academics discussing what they are doing, their case studies, best case studies. I think we all need to seriously work together to be sure that we will be able to achieve, because the last 75 years of our education was literally rote education. It was by learning and repeating. But we don’t have any more time, nor do we have the learning time to generically grow. We not only need to maybe leapfrog but truly pole vault to deliver, as I said, a 3.5 trillion economy in spite of the education because education was irrelevant. But in the next seven years, if we have to become that 7.5 in this knowledge-driven era, skill-required era, the knowledge and the skill have to be seamlessly linked with experiential learning, leveraging technology. Both the teacher and the taught have to learn very fast, adapt. Without technology, it will not happen, but at the same time, it’s a huge lever. So, I think it’s an excellent platform for all of us to come together, discuss here about this new normal and truly say that education has always been about technology and learning. Linking the two, but then now we have to do it at a very great dynamic pace, adapt and change. Because I think the latest studies clearly show even the learning cycle or the knowledge life cycle is getting as short as three years or 36 months. Products are becoming three months. So, if we are seriously not adapting to this thought process, getting on board, working collaboratively, because nowhere can we do it on our own, I think we will be literally doomed. But it’s a unique opportunity for all of us to move forward and enable the students. The academic institutions can, for once, become financially viable if they can adapt and deliver quality education, link experiential learning to not just employability, but research innovation, product process, to enable local MSMEs to startups. And therefore, the whole ecosystem then grows with pilot production to scale the production and going global. And when the whole world is looking at India and the global value chain as a key player, I think it’s an exceptional opportunity. So, very happy that we have this opportunity to come and discuss, also learn from experts. Is your university taking some initiatives to help the students who are planning to be startup founders or entrepreneurs? Absolutely. See, to first of all bring in that mindset of multi-disciplinary experiential learning, we offer the first course we offer as a value-added course to any program, whether it’s BBA, English, Engineering, Management, Economics, Agriculture, Law, Allied Health Science, Physiotherapy, Nursing, whatever. We offer a course in design thinking in the very first semester, and in the next semester, we have a course on innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainability. Because we think entrepreneurship, sustainability, innovation, all have to go together. Because I have to choose sustainable material. I have to look at the sustainability of ROI. Look at the sustainability of human resource, skill-based training. All of them have to come in. So, we keep it as an integrated process and they do a project-based activity in the very first year of their education. And they even get a skill certification as per NEP on digital multimedia communication as a part. So that if you even leave, you would have actually carried out an entrepreneurial pursuit. That tomorrow when you go to a company, you can be a manager from day one and be entrepreneurial in your job. So, I think what you said is very true, because that is where the opportunity is. We cannot depend on multinationals. Even if they put up a company and scale it up, they can. We want the student to set up a local startup, build the ecosystem, and a local startup can grow up with more ecosystem and pilot production to scale up global product process solution with quality. That is where employment will happen, the whole value chain, the growth of the ecosystem will happen. So, all the best-developed countries, whether you look at Scandinavian countries, Israel, Ireland, South Korea, Taiwan, the local universities work with startups, they scale up, and then the multinationals acquire, and the whole ecosystem grows. Everybody’s win-win growth. So, if we are as far as we simply blindly import multinational and they set it up, it will only be lesser jobs. So, I think the NEP gives this platform. That’s going to be the new normal, and we are quite excited about being a part of this and trying to see how do we proactively create solutions which could be a role model for even others in an economical way. They don’t have to go overboard with investment. They can move forward is how we are looking at