ArdorComm Media Group

Inaugural Session: Re-defining Education & 21st Century Skills in New Normal

Background: In the new normal, the way we define education and 21st-century skills has to change to adapt to the changing world. Education can no longer be confined to the four walls of a classroom or limited to traditional methods of learning. It has to become more flexible, adaptive, and accessible to cater to the changing needs of learners. Redefining education and 21st-century skills in the new normal requires a shift in our approach to learning. We need to embrace new technologies, personalize learning, and focus on developing skills that are essential in the 21st century. By doing so, we can prepare students for a future that is rapidly changing and unpredictable. To propel discussion on this, the eminent education leaders and industry experts emphasized on the topic at ArdorComm Media “New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023” held on 23rd February at Kolkata, West Bengal.

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Quotes from the Speakers

Chandan Anand

Chandan Anand, Founder, CEO & Group Editor, ArdorComm Media Group said, “I feel privileged and glad to host this event on this big scale and try to build this as the first and biggest New Normal Education Leadership Summit in this region. We are trying to present Eastern and Northeast region of India as a prominent education destination of the country.”

Dr. Amitava Datta

Dr. Amitava Datta, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal said, “In Industry we now talk about industry 4.0 where artificial intelligence, machine learning, automation these are the buzzwords and new technologies are coming up, using this artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc are also giving the educators new ways by which they can impart their education.”

Dr. Naveen Das

Dr. Naveen Das, Vice Chancellor (Officiating) & Pro Vice-Chancellor, Adamas University, Kolkata, West Bengal said, “I'll just remind all of us here since it is being held in Kolkata, a son of the soil Swami Vivekananda almost more than 100 years ago had told us that education is the manifestation of perfection already in man, he defined education in that way and I think today the time has come again to redefine it in the same way perhaps in the light of new technologies they will all come and they will all go but the crux of education that education is the manifestation of perfection already in human beings will always be there.”

Dr. Manjula Pooja Shroff

Dr. Manjula Pooja Shroff, MD and CEO, Kalorex Group, Ahmedabad, Gujarat said, “Somewhere in life I realized that the power that education has to transform Society, very few Industries can have that impact and everybody who's connected to education has to feel that power.”

Arti Dwivedi

Arti Dwivedi, Account Director & Regional Head – Academic & Government, LinkedIn said, “As a part of this ecosystem I believe it is our responsibility to create an environment in which skills can be fostered and developed. We must work together and I want to emphasize on this point that we need to work together to make sure that we build methodologies that are not only dynamic, flexible but right now solving the problems which are currently being faced by our students.”

Glimpses of the session

Inaugural Session

Panel 1: How can exposure to New Age Technologies help in fostering Experiential Learning Pedagogy?

Background: Most people agree that educational systems should give students the knowledge and abilities to deal with a constantly changing environment. It’s common to hear people talk about their ability to think critically, solve problems, work together, innovate, and be flexible. The optimum way to develop those skills is a matter of debate, particularly when it comes to the methods of teaching and learning that promote or facilitate the development of complex skills. It is essential to know from the education leaders and growth stakeholders that how can this exposure to new age technologies help in fostering experiential learning pedagogy. New age technologies like, AI, ML, IoT, Big data, etc. are paving the way for a smoother delivery of education. Advanced analytics, machine learning, and student-centric technologies have a ton of potential for the development of social and emotional learning abilities because they allow educators to personalise instruction and analyse both qualitative and quantitative data to help students acquire these skills. To propel discussion on this, the eminent education leaders and industry experts emphasized on the topic at ArdorComm Media “New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023” held on 23rd February at Kolkata, West Bengal.

Watch the session:

Quotes from the Speakers

Anantha Krishnan B

Anantha Krishnan B, CEO- Operations, Kalorex Group, Ahmedabad, Gujarat said, “The influx of technology came in the Indian schooling system somewhere in the mid-90s. With the current level of implementation of technology across schools, whatever we’re doing today is it enough for us to cope up our kids for the future? Would we really know what skills are required in the next 10 years, 20 years here on?”

Amitava Datta

Amitava Datta, Founder, Marias Day School, Howrah, West Bengal said, “Excess putting of Artificial intelligence in schools, not in colleges, is counterproductive. If writing makes a man perfect, I don’t know if typing makes a man perfect.”

Amith Bajla

Amith Bajla, Founder and Chairman, Taurian World School, Ranchi, Jharkhand said, “I think we are at a very interesting stage of learning and teaching across the world, it's almost like an industrial revolution because I feel technology has come at a stage where I think it will explode the way we think, the way we operate, the way we learn, the way we grow and the way we live.”

Dr. Shahnaz Ahmed

Dr. Shahnaz Ahmed, Chairman & Founder Principal, Springdale Senior Secondary School, Jorhat, Assam said, “When you talk about holistic development I would still suggest that digitalization is important and a balance should be there but the teacher cannot be given a back seat. The pedagogies have to be integrated with the digitization.”

Arup Mukhopadhyay

Arup Mukhopadhyay, Director, Unacco Group of School, Imphal, Manipur said, “I personally first feel that we need to have a better understanding from where the integration will work because technology is nothing but a tool, it can never replace a real teacher.”

Glimpses of the session

Panel 1

Panel 2: Research-based Learning, Skill Development and Multidisciplinary Approach: A Robust eco-system in HEIs

Background: The framework of research-based learning aids in preparing students to be lifelong learners and inquirers. In a research-based learning approach, students actively seek out and use a variety of materials, texts, and resources to explore significant, pertinent, and engaging questions and problems. A distinctive educational strategy called multidisciplinary education enables students to study and explore multiple courses or curricula from various fields. Education is not confined to one field of study. For instance, an engineering student may choose a humanities course. A multidisciplinary approach is a technique for curriculum integration that emphasises the various viewpoints that experts from various fields can contribute to demonstrate a theme, subject, or problem. An interdisciplinary curriculum uses various academic fields to study the same subject. The HEIs should ensure how this robust ecosystem can enable students to develop their skills through research based learning and multidisciplinary approach. To propel discussion on this, the eminent education leaders and industry experts emphasized on the topic at ArdorComm Media “New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023” held on 23rd February at Kolkata, West Bengal.

Watch the session:

Quotes from the Speakers

Dr. Naveen Das

Dr. Naveen Das, Vice Chancellor (Officiating) & Pro Vice-Chancellor, Adamas University, Kolkata, West Bengal said, “I cannot imagine learning to be anything but research, how can learning be not research when we read a book, when we read a storybook, when we read theory we're actually researching in our mind what our past authors, what our past thinkers have said and trying to match with what we think and that is exactly what research is all about.”

Meghdut Roy Chowdhury

Meghdut Roy Chowdhury, Executive Director and Chief Innovation Officer, Techno India University, Kolkata, West Bengal said, “If you look at the global research space, Indian research is not held at the same level as most of, say American or European universities are and that's because there's a lot of dilution in the world of research.”

Maj Gen VS Ranade

Maj Gen VS Ranade, Director, Kolkata, West Bengal said, “At the end of the day the chalk and duster does not give us that kind of a capability to convert that knowledge into a livelihood and that is what we are looking at the skill development, that is what is being required for the corporates and the industry is looking at specific skill sets which we must inculcate in the academic curriculum which is very important.”

Prof. (Dr.) Parthasarathi Chakraborthy

Prof. (Dr.) Parthasarathi Chakraborthy, Group CEO, MCKV Group (MCKV Institute of Engineering and other units), Howrah, West Bengal said, “When I talk about the multidisciplinary, it's my experiment we started one course BTech Electrical and Electronics, there are no takers AICTE approved I don't know how many colleges in West Bengal that stream exist. If I say I am a doctor specialized in cardiology and eye, you will have less trust on me. So, it's not the multi-disciplinary let it be interdisciplinary approach.”

Prof. Supriya Pattanayak

Prof. Supriya Pattanayak, Vice Chancellor, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha said “Everybody speaks of skills, the question is how do we actually embed it within the curriculum and I think that is the key thing. We are a skill university, one of the few skill universities in the country and we have actually tried to integrate skills into higher education.”

Arti Dwivedi

Arti Dwivedi, Account Director & Regional Head – Academic & Government, LinkedIn said, “LinkedIn has become the new resume and we talk about resume we know that we talk about our qualifications, we talk about the degrees, the projects etc. When the companies are hiring they talk more about skills, they talk about the specific skill sets they are looking for, hence to every job posting we have started attaching the skill sets which give us and our students and the institutes the insights the knowledge about the skills.”

Glimpses of the session

Panel 2

Panel 3: How can ICT & Upskilling play a key role in Holistic Development for Learners?

ICTs, or Information and Communication Technologies, have assisted in the adaptation of new learning pedagogies. Moreover, data literacy and digital literacy are becoming more and more important in the age of digital transformation and the rise of big data. Future educational programmes will need to show students how to make use of technology and teach them how to deal with any issues that may develop from it. When it comes to learning, technology is no longer a choice; it is a need. In this rapidly changing scenario the need for upskilling is of utmost importance. The need for essential, in-demand skills that are substantially different from what has traditionally been taught must be reflected in the education system’s adaptation to this change. It is the need of the hour to propel discussions and understand how can ICT & upskilling play a key role in the holistic development for learners. To propel discussion on this, the eminent education leaders and industry experts emphasized on the topic at ArdorComm Media “New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023” held on 23rd February at Kolkata, West Bengal.

Watch the session:

Quotes from the Speakers

Dr. Mohuya Das

Dr. Mohuya Das, Principal, Greater Kolkata College of Engineering & Management, Kolkata, West Bengal said, “For the last two years we have gone through the pandemic and whether it is forcefully or not there is a paradigm shift in education and everywhere, there’s a shift also in pedagogy. Now we can say we are in a digital era and also in digital pedagogy.”

Govind Narayan Singh

Govind Narayan Singh, Secretary, Deo Mangal Memorial Trust, Gopal Narayan Singh University, Rohtas, Bihar said, “The gap between urban and rural is reduced because digitalization has happened, now every village is connected with fibre optics, almost every house hold has a mobile phone, these days children are much smarter, they are using their smartphone better than what we are even, they are using it more efficiently but if they start misusing that and if we are not in a position to educate them how to use it properly then it’s going to be a big problem.”

Prof. B. Ghosh

Prof. B. Ghosh, Vice Chancellor, The Neotia University, Kolkata, West Bengal said, “New technologies are coming, we cannot bypass the technology we have to adapt it but it doesn’t mean that we have to forget the old technology, the old technology will help to adapt the new technology in a new version.”

Viswajeet Biswal

Viswajeet Biswal, Zonal Head, Collegedunia said, “I’ve seen lot of students are not industry ready, while we are recruiting students we see there’s a lot of gap between what students have learnt and what the industry needs because the content they are teaching or the information they are putting its not up to the industry standard what industries are seeking.”

Pravesh Dudani

Pravesh Dudani, MD, Madhvi Foundation said, “We have to see ICT from a very holistic perspective, now it is not the question of whether we are using ICT in imparting skills or education. It is the core mandatory part of the entire ecosystem of education, skilling, jobs or any sphere related to education ecosystem.”

Glimpses of the session

Panel 3

Panel 4: Bridging the Urban-Rural Digital Divide Through Mobilizing Technology

The term “digital divide” is not new to Indian educators, companies, and students. The difference has existed for millennia and has become one of the most pressing concerns in student development and education across the country. Despite many significant steps taken in the field of education, the formation of monopolies or other types of concentrated ownership lies with urban residents. Many leading innovators, educators, and empowered students believe that the rural-urban divide may be lessened by removing significant barriers to technology penetration and usage. Also, policies and budgets should be allocated to ensure the common man and students can hold the reigns of technology themselves without any third-party involvement. Increased internet access and technological advances will allow to bridge the urban-rural education divide and reduce rural poverty. To propel discussion on this, the eminent education leaders and industry experts emphasized on the topic at ArdorComm Media “New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023” held on 23rd February at Kolkata, West Bengal.

Watch the session:

Quotes from the Speakers

Col. Soumyabrata Chakraborty

Col. Soumyabrata Chakraborty, Registrar, Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani said, “I am from the Army as you might have guessed I am a civil engineering graduate and I have been very lucky to have served in some of the premier institutes of higher education, I was the Chief Executive Administration and Finance of Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata and I had also served as the Registrar of Indian Institute of Technology, Palakkad both of these when I was in the Army on deputation, and now I am back as Registrar of BITS, Pilani which is my alma mater.”

Prof. (Dr.) Satyajit Chakrabarti

Prof. (Dr.) Satyajit Chakrabarti, Director, Institute of Engineering & Management, Kolkata said, “Most people feel that people in the rural areas are at a disadvantage, I'll give you a separate angle to this entire thing, I feel that students who are in tier two cities, they are at an advantage because with affluency comes lot of distractions. People who have the higher bandwidth are super distracted but those who are not from such an affluent background they have the thirst and desire to succeed.”

Sutapa Nandi

Sutapa Nandi, Director, Olivia Enlightened English School, Siliguri, West Bengal said, “Pedagogical innovations will always bring dynamicity into teaching and when teaching is dynamic learning automatically is dynamic that was our mission.”

Prof. (Dr.) Raman Kumar Jha

Prof. (Dr.) Raman Kumar Jha, Former Vice Chancellor, Amity University, Ranchi said, “Education is one such string which binds us together to remain civilized, to remain productive, to remain of being used for somebody else and that's the divine design that we have today.”

Dr. G V Subramanian

Dr. G V Subramanian, Director, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Kolkata, West Bengal said, “According to me there is no divide at all, the challenges are the same whether it is urban or rural so we should not divide between urban and rural.”

Rajesh Surana

Rajesh Surana, CEO, Magnus Global School, Burdwan, West Bengal said, “I think first of all you need to understand why are you talking about a divide between rural and urban and I think that is what is basically the quality of education. We don't need to talk about a divide, the division is there because the quality of education which are available in the rural area is not up to the mark as it is available in the urban area and that is why you are talking about how to bridge this gap and with the help of technology which is available today.”

Glimpses of the session

Panel 4

Book Launch & Fireside chat

Dr. Manjula Pooja Shroff

Dr. Manjula Pooja Shroff, MD, and CEO, Kalorex Group launches her Book, "Success Mantras and Musings – Edupreneur Dr. Manjula Pooja Shroff" and speaks about it in a Fireside chat with Chandan Anand, Founder, CEO & Group Editor, ArdorComm Media Group at 'ArdorComm New Normal- Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2022', in Kolkata, West Bengal on 23rd February 2023. Dr. Manjula Pooja Shroff, said “If India is known for anything it's its ancient knowledge, we as educators have to be ambassadors for Indian education system, it is in our value system.”

Glimpses of the session

Book Launch

Fireside Chat

Industry Presentation

Vikas Mehrotra

Vikas Mehrotra, Territory Manager- East, Bangladesh & Bhutan, Knauf Ceiling Solutions gave an industry presentation on the topic, "Role of Acoustics in Learning Spaces" at 'ArdorComm New Normal- Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023', in Kolkata, West Bengal on 23rd Feb 2023.

Glimpses of the session

Industry Speech : Knauf Ceiling Solutions India

Industry Presentation

Arti Dwivedi

Arti Dwivedi, Account Director & Regional Head – Academic & Government, LinkedIn gave an industry presentation on the topic, "Bridging the Education to Employment Gap in India" at 'ArdorComm New Normal- Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023', in Kolkata, West Bengal on 23rd Feb 2023.

Glimpses of the session

Industry Speech : LinkedIn

Industry Presentation

Phillip Samuel Babu.S

Phillip Samuel Babu.S, Head Higher Education Skilling India & Subcontinent, SAP India gave an industry presentation on the topic, "Career Through Education 4.0" at 'ArdorComm New Normal- Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023', in Kolkata, West Bengal on 23rd Feb 2023.

Glimpses of the session

Industry Speech : SAP India

Industry Presentation

Abhishek Ballabh

Abhishek Ballabh, Co-Founder, ExtraaEdge gave an industry presentation on the topic, "Winning at Higher Education Admissions in 2023" at 'ArdorComm New Normal- Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023', in Kolkata, West Bengal on 23rd Feb 2023.

Glimpses of the session

Industry Speech : ExtraaEdge Technology

Industry Presentations

CA Mayur Zanwar

CA Mayur Zanwar, Co-Founder, TruScholar gave an industry presentation on the topic, "Introduction to Blockchain-Powered Credential Issuance & Management Platform" at 'ArdorComm New Normal- Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023', in Kolkata, West Bengal on 23rd Feb 2023.

Glimpses of the session

Industry Speech : TruScholar

Industry Presentations

Subha Mahata

Subha Mahata, Associate Director – Institution Sales | HireMee gave an industry presentation on the topic, "Effectiveness of Hybrid Assessment Model in Digital World" at 'ArdorComm New Normal- Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023', in Kolkata, West Bengal on 23rd Feb 2023.

Glimpses of the session

Industry Speech : HireMee