Dr. CA Achyut Dani, Director, General & Provost, J.G. University, Gandhinagar emphasizes on internationalization of education

“Ultimately education has to lead to enlightenment and that enlightenment comes only when you are socially acceptable all across the world,” says Dr. CA Achyut Dani, Director, General & Provost, J.G. University, Gandhinagar in an interview with Chandan Anand, Founding Editor, ArdorComm Media Group at the ‘ArdorComm New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2022’ #ELSAGujarat #ELSAAhmedabad

As you have been moderating the NEP session today what is the initiative under your leadership, how is your University going to implement it?

So, the NEP is basically about enabling people or enabling students and basically University’s job is to see that whosoever comes to the university is either able to self-employ himself or is able to get into the industry seamlessly. So, as JG University what I would like to say is we have a benchmark program called M. Com honours program which is in US accounting and taxation, which is absolutely based on the NEP guidelines and which says that you study for first six months and the second semester onwards you are really on the job. You are on the job at a salary of 25,000 rupees a month for the second, third and fourth semester so just imagine the beauty of the new education policy that it brings what to the student at the end of two years, at the end of the two years student will have a full-time job, 4,50 000 rupees in his bank account and M. Com honours degree so that’s the best thing which we can achieve from NEP. This is just a single program which I’m talking about there are lot many things which we can do using the benefits which are given by the NEP for the educational arena.

How important is the industry ready curriculum and skills important apart from the regular education which is going in the system?

Industry has to be the focus if you do not focus the industry no education would mean anything to anybody because we have seen that there’s a lot of gap, there’s a big gap between what industry demands and what kind of skill set is available with the students who are studying in the traditional education system. So, there is a gap and we need to bridge that gap until and unless the industries involved, industry orientation is brought in, Industry oriented curriculum has come into the practice we will not be able to solve the problem of unemployment which we are currently facing. So, industry adoption is the basic thing which every University, every higher education institution must look for.

Would you like to highlight something about the alliances internationally and it could be led to a student exchange program or a faculty exchange program?

So, that has become an integral part of the new education policy now because any good university would need to give an amazing exposure to the students who have come to the university to develop skill. Now it is not about the hard skill, it is about hard skill, soft skill, formal education, informal education too and the kind of exposure a student will get when he travels to other countries, meets other people, comes in the conjunction with other cultural backgrounds and people from different arenas would definitely help him evolve as a better human being. Ultimately education has to lead to enlightenment and that enlightenment comes only when you are socially acceptable all across the world. So, the new education policy has made its way and we are also there to see that this is achieved.

So, you are aware that the event name is New Normal Education Leadership Summit and Awards, what does the word new normal stands for you?

New Normal is that anything which comes our way has to find its destination, new education policy or anything coming to the education arena now is not new so we have to forget the world new and we have to talk about normal. It is a normal thing that we behave in a way where education is available to all, education is more affordable, it is more open-ended and it is more student-centric. It is more faculty-centric and it is more employment centric. So, that’s the normal thing, that is the part and parcel of education which everyone must understand and implement.

You have been witnessing that we have the representation from the government, the private players from the universities, institutions and the edtech players and startup, how does certain forums and symposiums help overall the industries?

I’ll be very honest with you, first of all let me congratulate you for arranging this amazing symposium this amazing conclave wherein there was a platform for people like us who wants to talk to people and you know give the message of what is required to be done. It is an opportunity to all of us to express our views, to get it validated from the people. So, let it be the startup ecosystem, let it be the investment, venture capital ecosystem, let it be education ecosystem, let it be administrative ecosystem at all these places we need to come together and these kind of activities, symposium and these kind of panel discussions will definitely prove to be the most fatal in actual and effective implementation of the new education policy as also achieving the educational targets which we have.

As you are also a qualified and a senior CA how is a financial planning especially for the academicians like chancellors, vice chancellors should be in implementing or how should they educate themselves to have a good financial planner for a better infrastructure?

Not as a chartered accountant but otherwise as a normal human being when I think about this particular question I have to mend my finances before I do anything. So, budgeting is a very important part which every institution, every university everyone should look into before starting or venturing into anything. Finances now as we are most of the institution or the state private universities or state private players they have to create their own resources and finances and for that particular purpose they have to see that they are generating ample resources for the purpose of the activity which they have planned out. For that purpose, they should see that they plan the programs which are well accepted, which are sustainable. It is not only necessary to grow but before you can grow you have to be sustainable so when we talk about institutions or universities who are little new they should plan their finances very carefully they make the resources available again they should try and experiment with the new programs but they should not ditch the traditional programs which will prove to be their sustainability. So, if I want to do something in the technology and if I want to provide best of the courses in technology I may not shun the other courses. Say, I will not do the traditional courses like BBA, B.com, BCA and I will only do technology, I will have to do everything I will have to create a mix and match I have to see that my cash flows are steady I plan the activities in a gradual manner. You can’t become a superstar overnight, you can’t grow overnight you have to take time to grow and you have to plan your finances stage wise that is what I personally suggest.

We would be happy and glad to share that we recently celebrated our anniversary any message would you like to give for ArdorComm Media Group?

I’ll be honest it is my first interaction with ArdorComm Media Group and I was not expecting it to be so amazing. I’m delighted very happy and elated to be a part of this particular event as also it was absolute amazing meeting you and your entire team. I congratulate you on the first year anniversary of your venture which is into education and which is into many other aspects which I could see and I wish you all the best for the same.