Interviews

Q: In today’s education system, alumni and entrepreneurship go hand in hand. How is entrepreneurship and alumni meet helping an institute at large? A: Well, when we talk about alumni affairs and alumni meets, whenever alumni come and talk about their experiences in the corporates, it helps us to develop the curriculum accordingly. It helps the students to learn more about the outside world very early in the school and college days. And alumni meets, a lot of networking happens. See, in our institution, we have been organising alumni meets not only on the campus but also at various places like Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, Delhi. And we have seen that when we have this networking, many alumni, even while they are working in the same city, they’re not able to interact. And when we interact in these alumni meets, they have more scope of hiring the fellow alumni, and they also help us hire the students from the campus to their industries. So, they have a multiple role. They help in curriculum development. They help as HR executives. They come to the city, come to the college, hire people, and definitely they help us in peer mentoring sessions. They also help in expert talks and everything. So, I think this goes hand in hand. And when I talk about entrepreneurship, again, when alumni talk about the corporate world, we understand the issues our students get to know, what best they can build. So, I think it goes hand in hand. Q: In a forum like this, when we see that school education is there, higher education is there, corporate is there, government is there, so how does it help the community or society at large? A: See, well, I am so happy to be here because I see that the stakeholders of this entire education system are present here. When I talk about myself as a higher education student, it’s very important to understand what are the challenges and opportunities in school education, which we can get here. Then, now that I’m again talking about me as a central bridge between the school and the outside world, so I understand what are the challenges in higher education. We can always convey that. And industry definitely, they understand both the things, what school needs, what colleges need, and they can build their programs or whatever devices or whatever AI-generated tools accordingly. So, I think this kind of event is very, very beneficial for us as stakeholders. For the people in the market, those who have to build the tools, those who have to talk about these. So, I think this is very, very essential. And most importantly, government, because here I saw, I heard in the morning, people were talking about school education. What are the challenges? What are the discrepancies? Government really needs to work on that. Similarly, higher education, government really needs to attend these kinds of events. They should understand what are the problems that higher education people are facing, so that they can again change their policies, reframe, redraft their policies accordingly. So, it’s a great platform. Q: At last, what would be your takeaways from today’s event? A: See, I have had a lot in the morning session when we were talking about school education. So, I got to know that teachers really need to train themselves because AI is happening everywhere, and it’s very important for us teachers. And, like, I am from a very student welfare activity kind of a thing, so I also want to know, I also want to understand what is important in terms of AI to help students build up their careers, not only in academics but in other fields also.  

Q: So much talk about the implementation of NEP is going around now. It has been a long time. How has the model been so far, and what is the implementation process at your level in your group of institutions? A: Of course, AI is really helping a lot, and all the schools, they have implemented and they’re implementing now as per NEP curriculum. We need to think where and how to utilise AI. That is very, very important. Of course, AI should not run the show. Teachers are very important. They are running the show. But it’s very important to understand where AI should be implemented and where teachers should implement their knowledge because both are equal. We cannot give importance only to AI. But it depends on place to place, and definitely teachers should be well trained on how to use it, just to think more creatively, more innovatively. Q: With so much technology coming in, including artificial intelligence, what are the steps you have taken for a teacher training programme to educate them, to guide them towards a new age of learning, including AI and similar kinds of technologies? A: I am having near about 350 teachers all together. This is their strength, and I’m proud to announce here that most of my school teachers are continuously attending the CBP programme in AI, which is digital training, and they are taking it regularly. Because teachers are a stakeholder, we are not going to teach them much, of course, but through the training, they need to know how to utilise and how to operate and how to train the parents and the students to utilise AI. Q: In this fast-moving world of education where everything is going very quickly, do teachers still have an empathy quotient towards the style of teaching which they are doing? A: We need to think sympathetic and empathetic both. Sympathy is very simple, but if they teach us, they will start thinking empathetically. Then, really, we are going to change our generation. So, of course, I am not sure about 100%, but after taking the regular training, I think near about 70% teachers, they have brought a lot of change in their thinking, and really, they are empathetic now. And yes, 30% is not far. Definitely, we are going to achieve that also. Q: Since morning you have been engaging with so many sessions, you have done so much of networking. What was the takeaway of today’s event? What was the learning from today’s event? A: So, it was a wonderful session. I must congratulate you and your team who have taken so much effort, and it was learning throughout. It was learning. All the speakers and the debate, the talks, everything was too good, sir. Sometimes, we also don’t know some of the things. So, this was the very right platform, which was really very meaningful and taught us a lot. And thank you so much for inviting us as a delegate. Q: I’m also very excited and equally emotional to share that this is the fifth year of ArdorComm Media. We are a five-year-old digital media baby and doing a lot of work into content, news generation, news publishing and organising events like this. So, any message would you like to give to ArdorComm Media on its anniversary year? A: My heartiest congratulations to you and your team. You people are really doing a great job, and not only in Delhi, all over India. So, I would only suggest, keep doing the way you people are working, motivate people and just encourage, and awareness is very important. Keep doing the same. Thank you so much.

Q: You are attending the Digital Bharat Education Conclave. When you heard this word, what made you witness this event and accept our invitation to attend this event? A: Well, I think the organisers have done a wonderful work and they have reached out to leaders from all over the industry and invited eminent educationists. So, I think that I felt very honoured to be a part of the same as a panelist, and that’s why I accepted the invitation because it’s always good to be on a platform where there are other educational leaders because you always get to learn a lot from other leaders of the same field. Q: Can you tell us more about your institution? A: So, I am Dr. Shalya, the Chief Executive Officer. I am from the Subharti Group of Institutions. It’s a university in Dehradun also and in Meerut, and we have 180-plus courses. We have 18 faculties in the university at Meerut and a similar structure in Dehradun also. We are—why I am calling myself a group is because we are in the industry of hospitality, in the industry of defence, in the industry of media and also in the industry of education. We also have a group of hospitals in rural as well as in urban areas. And we are running a charitable hospital also. We are also training personnel for the defence industry, and eventually, the students get selected for defence. So, we are in the field of education basically, but we are also in the field of other things. That’s why it’s a whole Subharti Group now. Our motto is Shiksha, Seva, Sanskar and Rashtrata. Why I am saying this is because we are not just training students into academia but with a lot of sanskar and nationalism. Q: In today’s era, where a lot of things are going on with new-age learning and artificial intelligence, every panel is talking about it. Where does empathy stay, ma’am? And how should students also be taught to balance their fast-moving pace of life towards the traditional and the roots of Indian culture? A: So, like I started my speech here, and how I am talking to you with “Jai Hind”, that is how our institution is. So, all of us say “Jai Hind” to each other. So, that is how nationalism and sanskar are built in our education system in my university. So, once we are inculcating the value system, I think that is how we have to balance. What today, also in a lot of panels, was discussed is that the students are forgetting their value system. So, we have to work at home and at the grassroots level to get the value system back. So, yes, all the education systems have to work about the NEP, they have to work about AI, they have to work about the latest curriculum and also with that, they will have to work about the IKS. We have introduced Rashtra Bodh as an IKS system, which the UGC is talking about also. Since 2008, when my university was started, since then we are talking about the values. So, we talk about sanskar in our university, and we have a Subharti Day which is celebrated in the memory of one national hero who lost his life in the memory of nation-building. Like Netaji, we mostly talk about him. We know Netaji, but there are many heroes also whom we don’t know. So, at our institute, if you come, Rani Gaidinliu will be celebrated, Avantibai Lodhi will be celebrated, Ashfaqulla Khan will be celebrated. So, we are celebrating Netaji also, and we are celebrating a lot of unsung heroes of India about whom nobody has heard. So, that is how we are contributing to nation-building. Because if our youth don’t know our actual history and the actual heroes’ sacrifices, then how will they respect India? Q: You have witnessed this event. What was the takeaway? What was the learning from today’s event? A: See, I think more such events should happen because we talked a lot about AI in this event. And what we have to understand is about AI ethics. What we talk about AI usually is how AI is integrated into the curriculum, what we should teach students about AI. But what we are forgetting is AI is a double-sided sword, and how AI ethics is also important. We have to teach our younger generation about that AI is a tool, but you have to learn to use it for your benefit. Wherever you will let go of the grasp, then it can harm you also. So, this is what we have to teach our children, the younger generation and Gen Z, as they call themselves today. It’s very trending, so I should say it. So, that’s what I feel is important. Q: I am very happy to share with you and maybe even emotional that ArdorComm Media is in its fifth year. Proudly, we have sailed through many difficult times and good times as well. Today, what we are doing is organising so many events pan-India, bringing a lot of educators, academicians and corporates from school education to higher education and skilling. So, any message would you like to give to ArdorComm Media on its anniversary year? A: Well, first of all, I will congratulate you, and I will also tell you one message which my father gave me: that a journey always has to be full of ups and downs. So, because your journey was of ups and downs, now you will have only ups. So, all the best to you, and keep doing such good work. Not an easy task. So, you did a wonderful job, and keep doing it. All the best. Jai Hind.  

Q: I want to know more about CampX and the products and services associated with your work. A: So, CampX basically is an EdTech company. CampX stands for Campus Automation and Management Platforms. We work with higher education institutions and schools. It’s an A2A platform, admissions to alumni. So, the problem CampX is trying to solve is, if you take any typical campus today, there are eight to nine different software applications which don’t talk to each other. So, this creates a redundancy. That’s why, if you look at any institution, they’re struggling to analyse their student data or take quick decisions. So, CampX helps them in that direction. It’s an A to A platform, admissions to alumni. So, everything sits in one single database so that analysis becomes easier. And these days, all of us talk about AI, but AI is as good as the data you have in the first place. So, if you put garbage in, it gives you garbage out. CampX tries to solve that problem also in terms of maintaining a single database. And we have our own agent which sits on top of our ERP and is readily available for all stakeholders to quickly analyse and help them. Q: When we are surrounded with so much technology and so many startups and established organisations as well, what should be the top three questions in mind before enrolling any EdTech in their organisation? A: So, fundamentally, these institutions are slightly different than corporates. The corporate linear structure is not applicable in institutions. So, first thing, they should understand the education ecosystem. They should be design-friendly so that all the stakeholders can be— they may not have a lot of training sessions to use certain products in the institutions. Second, customisability and serviceability is a key factor in educational institutions. So, these products or whatever tools that you’re using should be tailor-made for this institution because even though they follow similar norms, each institution has their own DNA. Now, every institution operates on their own goals. So, you need a customisable tool that can help them cater to their needs. Q: In this segment, most of the ERPs are trying to portray themselves as a multidimensional or multitasking tool at one go. How do you keep yourself different from your USPs? A: There are a lot of tools in the market. In fact, there are tons of ERPs that are actually thriving in the market, but none of them are built for this generation. There is at least a generation old. That’s one of the primary aspects. Generally, what happens in the market is people try to adopt a general-purpose ERP to education. But CampX is built inside out. So, it is built within a university, and we studied the universities. There’s nothing new that we invented in building CampX. We meticulously studied how universities and colleges function and gave a digital ecosystem around it. So, that’s one of the main USPs. It’s not just the product, the approach towards solutioning. In fact, our go-to-live strategy is eight weeks. I don’t think any other company can implement an ERP in eight weeks, but that’s our minimum timeline. We can onboard an institution in eight weeks. Q: After onboarding an institution within eight weeks, do you also have a training session, or is it a rigorous training session, or is it a user-friendly platform? A: See, nobody taught us how to use WhatsApp or Instagram, for that matter. Technology products should be intuitive enough for people to understand. You don’t have to go through multiple training sessions just to use a simple tool. So, that’s a fundamental design principle CampX follows. Most of the products, I don’t say 100% of the product, but 95% of the product can be—it’s easy to understand. Just use, just look at the application and find out what the screen is all about. So, that’s why design plays a vital role in this, and CampX follows certain good design principles to make sure people understand these things easily. Q: Since you are visiting geographies, how do you think or which geography is better adaptive to technology in terms of ease of spending the money and in terms of the habit of adopting technology? A: Again, we take it in a different way. That’s a given problem for us right now. Every market has its own pros and cons. I cannot tell you specifically which market is spending, because when you work with education, you should also be okay to serve them in different areas because everybody’s needs are also different. Right now, the good part is AI is welcomed in all the institutions. Even though I think people slightly thought that this is going to replace jobs, now people are welcoming it. That’s a very good positive sign for us, and people are looking at transformation. Now, people are looking at digital transformation. That is welcoming in all the areas, from Bangalore, Hyderabad, even Odisha, Bihar, North India. We have a good client base in Uttarakhand also. So, that’s welcoming across the country. That’s good to be in this space. Q: Digital Bharat Education Conclave is positioning itself as a national event where we have people from around the country. This event includes people from KG to PG, including skills, corporate and government. How do such forums help the community at large? A: Definitely, this brings common minds together. People can get to exchange thought processes and ideas together. In fact, for our roundtable today, there’s a lot that we learned that can be incorporated into our product. So, people have some solutions where other people can learn from their experiences. So, experience is the best feature sometimes. And also, exposure. People get exposed to a lot of things when they come to events like this. Certain things which cost them a lot to try out can be just heard from another person who can share their experiences. So, I think

Q: Could you tell us more about your institution and the kind of education you offer? A: We are very focused on specialised education for luxury brand management. When I say luxury brand management, people get really confused, but a simpler way to understand is that we produce people who can serve brands ranging from a Rolls-Royce to a Rolex. We focus on the elite class of India because our firm belief, my belief, is that the rich in India should spend within India, and we must make the environment and the atmosphere conducive for them to buy within India. India is the fastest-growing economy. Today, we are the fifth-largest economy in the world. There is a rising GDP and rising premiumisation. Young people don’t drive a Maruti anymore; everyone drives an Audi or a BMW because of various reasons. But it’s also a reflection of the growing economic upliftment of the whole country. With the growing upliftment of the economic scenario, there is going to be a demand for things good in life, better things in life. But no one is servicing them. The rich, or the people who are buying apartments for ₹200 crores in Gurgaon, spend their money overseas. They are not spending in India only because the service is lacking. India is importing the brands, India is importing the products, India is importing the environment and the merchandise. But what do you do with people? In my long years in the formative years of India’s luxury retail industry, I realised that I could bring everything except the people. I had to get down on the floor to train people, and then I realised, why don’t I create a talent pool for the industry? That was the motivation and the concept behind my business school. Over 14 years, we have evolved and, as I said on the panel, in the last three years we tied up with a skill university to make it a degree under the UGC system because we started under the NSDC framework rather than the UGC framework. But now that things are getting merged, it was the opportune time for us to move into a degree formation from a PGP. Not that we don’t do PGP; we continue to do a PGP also. So, we are not a group of institutions but very unique, very focused and very specialised. But proud to say, in 14 years, we have got some 5,000 students in the trade. The students are not only full-time MBA students, but they are students from corporate training and online education. We have now progressed into tying up with other institutes to offer our online 20 hours of specialised education to other streams of MBA programmes. That’s what we plan. Q: Is it a traditional MBA, or are you complementing it with new-age technologies in alignment with the vision of Digital Bharat? A: It’s a combination. We keep the industry in core focus. As all industries are becoming more technologically savvy, I would say COVID was the turning point. During COVID, I would say that we were the first ones in the world to bring in a programme called “Digital Disruption of Luxury.” Being from the industry, I’m very well connected. I was able to talk to people in Milan, Paris, New York and Tokyo as to what’s happening to the luxury industry there. The challenge was that people were completely flabbergasted because technology was being dumped on them. They did not know how to handle the technology. While innovation was happening, like now AI is being the topic of discussion, the disruption started coming in during COVID. The talent, like teachers, were not ready to handle Zoom. Likewise, the service industry people were not ready to handle the technological disruptions. So, what is the disruption? How does it need to be tackled? We brought a 50-hour programme back then, and this year we introduced a 20-hour programme of AI in luxury. How is AI disrupting the luxury businesses? That’s already a part of the programme. So, we try to be innovative and be the first to come up with relevance to the employment space of the particular student. Q: Forums like this, where we have representation from preschools to schools, higher education, skills, corporate and government, how do they help the overall community? A: I think it’s very important that young people like you are bringing, as you said, the governance, the stakeholders and the students together. You are going to below K-12 as well. Basic education starts at the nursery school level. So, if education can be tied up or skilling can be tied up at that level, you will get a better student going upward. I think it’s very, very important that there is a transparent dialogue between all the stakeholders because they are operating in their own silos. So, I appreciate what you’re doing, and that’s one of the reasons I support your endeavour. Q: Lastly, as we complete five years, what message would you like to give ArdorComm Media on its fifth anniversary? A: As I said, I admire what you’re doing. It takes a lot of guts today. It is not easy to continue doing entrepreneurship. People launch a startup and they fold up before they can get into year two. So, if you’ve crossed five years, as a fellow entrepreneur in the academic space, I can say it is very, very tough. We have spent 14 years and we’re still struggling. So, I have no qualms in owning that. It’s very difficult to keep yourself afloat and keep the motivation high. So, if you’re doing both of it, well, welcome to the gang. Wish you all the best.  

Q: What is your takeaway from today’s Digital Bharat Education Conclave? A: Thank you for inviting me as a speaker for this particular conference. It’s a wonderful experience. Today, I was present in the roundtable discussion and then followed by panel discussion, altogether making a digital ecosystem in the higher education system. Institutions particularly require AI plus skill plus innovation plus character building to prepare the students for the future, make them future-ready and employable. At O. P. Jindal University, what we are doing is, in addition to developing the campus as a digital campus through digital infrastructure and facilities, we are also establishing skill centres in around 25 emerging domains. Our focus is also to foster and inculcate innovation, creativity and critical thinking in the students through our Idea Lab and the incubation centre. We are also involved in building the character and integrity of the students. So, all together, the AI-enabled systems, industry connect, skill education, skill focus, and developing innovation and creativity through the incubation centre is what we are doing in the university. Q: In terms of skilling, how is it blending with artificial intelligence, and what new curricula have you launched or are planning to come up with? A: O. P. Jindal University is known for its industry connect. What we are doing in the university is adopting reverse engineering. As we all know, it is an era of digitisation, it is an era of globalisation, and it is an era of Industry 4.0. So, who knows better than the industry? What we are doing is, we are going and asking the industry what kind of engineers, what kind of scientists and what kind of managers you expect from us. Based on their input and involving them deeply in designing the curriculum, we are developing. Recently, we launched the STEEL curriculum. The STEEL curriculum means a Skill-based, Technology-driven, Exponentially Engaged Learning curriculum model. In this curriculum, the two most important best practices we are adopting in O. P. Jindal University are: number one, we are sending 100% of our faculty to the industry for one month on duty every year. And second, we have identified certain industry experts, 100 industry experts. All 100 industry experts are spending one full day every month on the campus of the university. They are interacting with the students. They are visiting our laboratories and suggesting what the gaps are, so that we can make the students industry-ready and based on the current needs of the industry. Q: Your university is also known as a corporate-governed university. Does a student come with a mindset that after studying at O. P. Jindal, they might get placed within the group of organisations, or do you assist and facilitate them for other opportunities in the corporate world? A: No, it is a very good question. We always make our students open to going globally, and we try to make the students globally competent. But the students get opportunities for placement in our group companies, including Jindal Steel, JSW, Jindal Stainless Steel and Jindal SAW. So, this is an additional opportunity for the students, but we are trying to make the students globally competent so that they can go to any corner of the world. Q: Forums like this bring together academicians from preschool education to school education and higher education, including government dignitaries and corporates. What is the outcome of such forums when you come as an attendee or a speaker? A: I think this is the best way of discussion where pre-primary education, school education, higher education and the policymakers all should come on a common platform to discuss various issues, like whether we should use AI, how much we should use AI, what are the advantages of AI, and how we should use AI ethically. This plays a very important role. So, this is a common platform where whatever problems, challenges and issues are being faced by the school as well as higher education can be discussed in front of the policymakers. So, they can incorporate these things in the policy. Q: ArdorComm Media is celebrating its fifth year of existence. Any anniversary message would you like to give to the organisation? A: Congratulations from the bottom of my heart, from the entire O. P. Jindal University family. You are completing your five years, but it looks like you are completing 50 years. The way you are organising the event and the way ArdorComm is progressing, my best wishes. We wish to see ArdorComm at much better heights in the future.  

Q: What inspired you to be a speaker at today’s event and share your perspective on AI and intelligent campuses? A: We all, as educationists and administrators, are witnessing what is actually happening on the ground. We are witnessing how innovation and this advent of technology could be a great tool to institutions in witnessing intelligent campuses, and how the ethical use of those tools could be a great spirit and spark to the upcoming learners of the country. This has made me a part of it. I think, with the experience I have over the journey of 23 years, presently taking up the position of Director Training, where soft skills and its execution at Geeta Institute of Law are concerned, I think AI is a great tool and I think nobody can escape. So, either you change yourself or time will change you. It is always better to be proactive and to take wise moves before it is too late. Q: As we are diversifying and entering into a digital era, are we losing the traditional mode of education and becoming more dependent on digital education? A: I think there is not a gap; it is transformation. Change is the law of nature. Nobody can survive, and somebody who is accepting change is moving on at a fast pace and on a winning edge. So, I would not say it is a gap. It is taking the best part of traditional education, bridging it with the best of the new aspects and making the best offering to be served to the learners. I believe AI is helping such diverse domains in the education industry. There is so much time now for key aspects rather than redundant routine tasks. So, it is an assistant to you. You need not have a PA all the time now. You are carrying your own PA along with you, so you are able to put your precious time into making key strategic moves rather than being almost all the time busy with those daily routines and missing out on things. So, I think it is the best of the two, and the best is coming to be served to the audience. Q: In student welfare, what is your key departmental role, and do alumni and apprenticeship also form a part of the department’s responsibilities? A: Student welfare is one of the domains where the holistic development of a student is taken care of. In the classroom, you can stretch to some extent to skills and knowledge, but behavioural upliftment and holistic development are the responsibility of the welfare domain. I believe it is a great department which is shaping the behavioural aspect, attitude building, and moral and values building of the student domain. So, I think it holds a great responsibility, and it is also not untouched by the use of AI because AI is helping us to categorise, classify and channelise the students as per their expertise and experience. Q: ArdorComm Media has entered its fifth year of existence. What message or good wishes would you like to share on its fifth anniversary? A: You are making a great contribution in bringing people of diverse platforms together at one place for brainstorming, for visualising the best that can happen. So, I think there are miles to go, but it is a wonderful start. I wish all the very best to ArdorComm, and I believe you people are doing really a great job. I believe you people are doing really a wonderful job. Great networking platform, and you are creative. So, I wish you all the best.  

Can you share your journey from the defense sector to becoming an academician? How are you enjoying it? I got a very unique opportunity while I was in the defense. I was asked to start one IISER, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Berhampur. There were some issues where the Ministry of Education thought that some senior officer from the army can help establish this institute. So I went on deputation for 2 years and I raised that institute. I always keep telling my people that I left IISER in 2 years, but IISER never left my head. So once I was looking at my second innings, education was a natural choice. While I was in defense, of course, it is the most prestigious work you can do for the country. But I believe that every profession, every domain is important for the country to grow. There I was doing a specific job, but here I am dealing with the next generation of society, the next generation of the country, and people who are going to work in different domains. There will be somebody in defense, somebody in corporate, people in industry, education, and all other fields. So here I am able to contribute to all those domains. So possibly this is a much bigger, much more important job, and I am thoroughly enjoying it. Do students get inspired to join defense or bureaucracy like UPSC after interacting with you? I regularly interact with my students. Other than normal courses, every week I have a session with them. But my aim is never to motivate them to join the forces. I always say that you must pursue your aptitude. The basic issues which I have learned in the forces, I try to help them imbibe. The aspect of discipline, the importance of sincerity—whatever job you are doing, you must make sure it is ethical, it contains values, and whether it is going to benefit society and the country. If I am able to instill those qualities, I think wherever they go, in whichever field they work, they will do wonders. They will help society and the country. Regarding UPSC, this issue is very close to my heart. People going for UPSC, whether at the central or state level, are the destiny makers of this country. There is no doubt about it. Whether you are doing IAS or public service at the state level, it is a very important job. But normally, people go for the job because they become ultimate leaders, they have power, and they enjoy perks and privileges. Whereas I try to tell them that it is service to society. I also feel that people should not waste what they are learning. I have seen students doing engineering or medical and then preparing for UPSC with sociology or political science. So firstly, they have wasted government resources. So here I have started a program in Public Administration. While they are doing their undergraduate degree, they are also taught how to prepare for the examination. Two advantages are there. Firstly, there is no double effort. Whatever subject you are learning here will be used for the competitive examination. Secondly, there is no duplication of effort. People will be able to take up the job at an early age. Normally, in UPSC, people join around 30 years of age, but my aim is that they should be less than 25. So they do well for themselves, and the country also benefits. Are there any key skilling initiatives under your leadership at the institute? This has always been very close to my heart because I come from the Indian Army. There, they say that you have to be skilled at your job. In any field, whether education or sports, there is always a winner and a runner-up. But in the profession of arms, there is only one—you either win or you lose. So skill is very important. If you have to fire a weapon or operate a radar, you have to be an expert because there is no second chance. In Operation Sindoor, if we did not get casualties, it was because our people were experts. Thousands of drones were fired from across the border, but our people did not allow them to enter. Otherwise, given our population density, even one hit could have caused massive casualties. So the weapon is good, but the man behind the weapon is even better. That is the importance of skill. When I came here, I started a skill development program in collaboration with the Life Sciences Sector Skill Development Council under the Ministry of Skill Development. The training provided led to 100% recruitment. After a few months, I took feedback from the company, and the company head said that in his three decades of service, these were the smartest recruits he had ever seen. He also said that usually new joiners take 3 to 6 months to learn, but our recruits were delivering from day one. They were employable immediately. That is a big achievement. We also run several industry-oriented programs where professionals from industry come and take classes. They are not regular faculty, but they bring real-world experience. What are your key takeaways from today’s forum? I must thank you for this. The best thing about such events is that all stakeholders come under one roof. That is the biggest advantage. We understand each other’s needs—whether it is educationists, industry, or media. We also get to know best practices being followed and can adopt them for everyone’s benefit. So bringing all stakeholders together and sharing best practices are the two best outcomes of such events.  

We would like to know a few highlights about IIIT Surat. So IIIT Surat, we are a young institution, we are 8 years old, we started in 2017. And I think the journey ever since I took charge in 2024, I am just trying to grow it exponentially. So we have doubled the students, we have doubled the faculty, but infrastructure is in a great shape. We are having a new campus which will be hopefully inaugurated by the Honourable Prime Minister in December. But I think I want to emphasize one thing, which all of our colleagues have also mentioned, including the Chair of the session. See, we have to focus today in India on quality. There is a lot of gap, the number of institutions are mushrooming. There is a serious issue on quality. And I am not saying quality casually, I am saying we have to focus on quality faculty recruitment, programs, industry partnership. Let us not do things for the sake of it, but do things that really make an impact on the lives of these wonderful students, who I believe are the best in the world. In a state like Gujarat, where people have an entrepreneurial mindset, is it challenging for you as an institution like IIIT, or are students still willing to become entrepreneurs? No, that is a great question. I think we are now seeing the mindset changing. First of all, hats off to Gujarat. I have been here one and a half years, and the entrepreneurial skill of Gujaratis, including our students, is world class. They beat everybody hollow. So I think we have to learn from them, and that is commendable. What is happening now is that students at every level, right from the first year onwards, of course third and fourth year that is a given, but even early-stage students are thinking of startups. They have ideas either in the product space or in the service space. And I think as people in leadership roles, as Directors or Vice Chancellors, it is our objective to ensure that we really help them, we hold their hands, and take them into the startup ecosystem. So for example, I am leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that a large number of our students have startups. Whatever they want, whether it is money, infrastructure, registering a Section 8 company, or advice, absolutely no problem at all. We are going out of the way. Because I think today our success is measured, as even said by the Honourable Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan, that we should not be job seekers now, we should be job givers. And I think that change I am really seeing happening around us. It is slow, but it will pick up very aggressively. As an institution of national repute, what kind of aspirations do students bring, and how do you handle that responsibility? The admission problem, all the students are coming through JEE, or M.Tech students come from the GATE exam. So we have the least of issues. IITs and IIITs do not have any issue about students. They are the best in the world. I say they are the best in the world, not just India. If you look at some of my students from IIT Delhi, they are now Executive Vice Presidents reporting to Satya Nadella. So they are much ahead of us, but we feel very proud of it. So to answer your question, the challenge that we face today is a positive challenge — how can we give back to the system? We are not here for ourselves. How can we give back to the ecosystem to make it a very high-quality, go-to institution? There is no break. It is 7 days a week, 12 to 15 hours a day, but it is great joy because you are doing it for the best minds in the country. But I must also say that students in India are bright. The top 25% are top-notch, they will be leaders. Satya Nadella was not from IIT, and many of them were not from IIT. They were from private institutions. So wherever you go, there is talent, there is a burning desire to do something great and become a leader. It is a great time we are living in, but we have to give it back. There are no shortcuts. We have to work very hard. In terms of skilling initiatives, what key developments or examples would you like to share? I think skilling, as we discussed in the last panel, requires a mindset change. You have to invite a large number of industries, start with the local region. For example, start with Gujarat and then go outside Gujarat. When industries come to your campus frequently, it makes a huge difference. There is no week in my campus where we do not have people from industry coming. Every week the schedule is completely stretched, but students love it. So I think this skilling aspect is very important. It is now time where we need to figure out strategies — not just problems — but strategies that we can work on to reduce the gap. I think that time has come now. What are your key takeaways from today’s Education Leadership Summit and Awards? First of all, congratulations to ArdorComm. This is commendable. I was even telling my students that such events serve a purpose. There is a lot of hard work involved — inviting people from all over — and you are growing. It is only 3–4 years now, but you are serving a purpose of bridging ecosystems. You are getting people from industry, startups, academia, and government together. That itself is commendable. Such events, whether in Ahmedabad or anywhere in the country, will continue to play a very important role going forward. We are living in times where changes are happening every day. Next month, I do not know what new technology will come. So we have to

The name “Providentia” is quite unique. Can you elaborate on its meaning and philosophy? “Providentia” means the ability to see the future. It is inspired by an Egyptian concept where the goddess represents foresight. The idea behind the name is to enable students to see the future and then act accordingly. Just like your platform envisions the future of education, we want our students to become future-ready individuals. Can you tell us more about your school and its reach? We have been established in Jamnagar for the last 10 years. Most of our students come from Jamnagar and nearby areas, including rural regions within a 40 km radius. We follow the CBSE curriculum. After attending today’s session, it has really ignited a new wave of thinking in me. It has pushed me to rethink and reshape the way education is imparted in our school. We will definitely adopt new approaches, especially around technology and an important area like cyber safety. We have taught children how to use the internet, but we have not yet taught them how to stay safe from it—and that is extremely important today. In a city like Jamnagar, how do you balance academics and preparing students for competitive exams while also making them future-ready? This is a big challenge. Skill development and competitive exams do not always go hand in hand. Competitive exams are more like a race; they are not necessarily about skills but about catering to a specific intellectual level. These exams exist because there are limited seats in institutions, so they are designed to filter students accordingly. It does not mean every student is meant for something like IIT. If a student who is not aligned with that mindset is pushed into such a system, it may not benefit them. So, competitive exams and skill development are two different things. But as educators, we must prepare students for both. We need to design an education system that caters to every type of learner—whether average, bright, or somewhere in between. Each student should get what they need based on their abilities. How do you address the digital gap between Tier 1 cities and smaller cities like Jamnagar? Ahmedabad may be a Tier 1 city, and Jamnagar a Tier 3 city, but today technology has reached everywhere. Almost every school now has digital labs or at least a multimedia room. While Tier 1 cities may have more advanced facilities, schools in smaller cities are also actively adopting technology. The difference lies more in paying capacity than availability. Despite limitations, schools everywhere are trying to build modern, technology-enabled learning environments. What are the key factors that attract parents and students to your school? From day one, I have told parents that marks and books are not everything. Knowledge is no longer confined to textbooks—it is available everywhere. We need to build a skilled and innovative India. For that, we must think beyond textbooks and marks. Parents often say they want their child to be like “Rancho” (from 3 Idiots), but during PTMs, they still focus only on marks and ranks. This mindset needs to change. We must evaluate children not just on academics but also on their skills. Some students may excel in studies, others in different skills. We need to recognize and nurture both. What are your key takeaways from today’s forum? I feel that everyone is working in isolated patches. Each school or institution is doing its own work separately. The biggest takeaway for me is that these “patches” need to come together. When combined, they can create something revolutionary. If we bring together ideas, efforts, and innovations from different stakeholders, we can build a strong roadmap for the future of education and for shaping students’ lives.