Dr Eknath B Khedkar, Vice President, Ajeenkya D Y Patil University, Pune elaborates on the need of Digital Universities
“The Gross Enrolment Ratio of our country will go up, suddenly it will increase may be more than 50 percent and when the educated people will increase definitely final result of this, the GDP ratio will go up,” says Dr Eknath B Khedkar, Vice President, Ajeenkya D Y Patil University, Pune in an interview with Chandan Anand, Founding Editor, ArdorComm Media Group at the ‘ArdorComm – Higher Education and Edtech Conclave & Awards 2022’ #HEETPune Myself Dr Eknath B Khedkar, Vice President, Ajeenkya D Y Patil University as well as Vice President of Decision Sciences Institute Houston USA, again I’m also Vice President of one International Association of Asia pacific and middle east, International Society for Data Science and Innovation. We have established this association in 42 countries the head office is at IIM Nagpur. Now I would like to first congratulate Chandan Anand that he has organized this particular conclave very systematically. I appreciate his effort that he has done in Maharashtra particularly in Pune by calling number of industry experts industry people and academician, Vice Chancellor, the management people. Because of such types of event this is very very important for a timely because after the pandemic situation now I think this is the first event which he has organized when the industry people meet academia or university and university people meet industry. Definitely what is the requirement and need of the industry for a day, the university can fulfil, industry also see that what is the requirement from the industry side. Academia always want that student should be employed then how to make employable, what is the requirement such types of definitely event give a very high-level knowledge to all of us this is one thing. Second thing the topic which he has chosen about phygital university or digital universities government of India is bringing in the country and this is a need because of this pandemic situation and in hereafter also when the world is going to a digitalization everywhere education 4.0 is already started at European and American countries whereas the Asian countries part India is little bit lacking. But now the government of India has taken a very correct decision to go for a digital university and it will take some time maybe another four or five year these university will get developed few university will get developed and because of this, the gross enrolment ratio of our country will go up suddenly it will increase may be more than 50 percent and when the educated people will increase definitely final result of this, the GDP ratio will go up. There will be a number of small and medium scale industries MSME will come up because there our honourable prime minister saying, there is a need of Atma Nirbhar Bharat and this is possible only when we educate our younger people. For educating more young people we don’t have more universities we don’t have more colleges then how to do it, digital university is one of the part where maximum number I feel that say 50 percent to 60 percent student will be educated through the traditional university and remaining 50 to 40 percent student will be educated through digital university and the enrolment ratio will go up and another important point in national education policy 2020 government has announced that the student can take two degree at a time this is amazing and good decision by the government. What will happen, student will get a knowledge in different field therefore student can go for starting their business, a student can go for doing various types of multi-level jobs. This is very important moves like person like me even at this particular age also I feel that I should go for collecting some degrees I should go for taking some knowledge through digital university online while working. Therefore working people they will go for taking some degrees, people who are in village area rural area they don’t have money they can also join with this because government is making lot of facilities in rural areas as far as the infrastructure and bandwidth is concerned and therefore I think this is very very important event you have organized and you know the flagship is there in this area automatically the academician also come to know that what is the requirement for developing this digital university. Three important things are there we have to go first for development of digital infrastructure very very important it will take some time, second teacher training very very necessary teacher training number of teachers we have to train through this and last part curriculum development, content development when we go for these three things I think a lot of development will come. I would like to give the best wishes because of all this development in another four five years our GDP will go up and the country will go in 100 percent developing stage in another 10 to 15 years’ time.
