Prof. B. Thimme Gowda, Vice Chairman, Karnataka State Higher Education Council, Govt. of Karnataka emphasizes on the industry academia connect to make higher education relevant

“Digital education plays an important role in the present-day education and blended learning is the order of the day” says, Prof. B. Thimme Gowda, Vice Chairman, Karnataka State Higher Education Council, Govt. of Karnataka in an interview with Chandan Anand, Founding Editor, ArdorComm Media Group at the ‘ArdorComm – Higher Education and Edtech Conclave & Awards 2022’ #HEETbengaluru

We welcome you at today’s event. How does these kinds of summits and conclaves benefit the higher education sector?

Yeah thank you Mr Chandan Anand, I’m very happy to be part of your conclave. Connecting the academia and industry it is very important, it would go a very long way. In bringing together the industry and academia together that would be the order of the day because the industry and academy are put together we have to frame the programs and design courses and the contents and whatever that is relevant to the Indian society and elsewhere it has to be done. It cannot be done in isolation it can only be done in collaboration with the industry. Therefore, in that way these types of conclave would help us in finding industry academia connect and therefore what we have to do is now it was perceived that vocational education is inferior to general education, it is not so it is not true. NEP emphasizes on integrating vocational education into general education it can be either an additional course or it can also be integrated into general education as two discipline subjects, one vocational and the other discipline eventually so that the candidate can get the degree in both the vocational and the discipline and in addition to that there can also be apprenticeship embedded undergraduate programs in universities and colleges that can only be done in collaboration with the industry. That’s what we have initiated in the state of Karnataka under the visionary leadership for honourable higher education minister Dr. C N Ashwath Narayan. Similarly, it will also be introduced in all the universities so that it is to improve the employability of graduates and in addition to that the online education has become order of the day and all the institutions which have NAAC grading of 3.26 and above are NIRF ranking two consequently two consecutive times below 100 can run online programs which are treated equivalent at par with the regular education. Therefore, the digital education plays an important role in the present-day education, all these transformations all higher education institutions have to bring in to survive the education part or to improve the employability of our graduates.

We have seen a big-time difference, how the overall education industry reshaped and especially in the higher education from last two years of this Covid pandemic. How did under your leadership you made certain changes and revamped certain changes in the system under the council?

Yeah you know Covid it’s a curse in one way but it is a boon in disguise because that has helped us to concentrate on digital educational online education therefore the UGC and the national regulatory authority has realized the importance of it and therefore it has allowed in all undergraduate programs up to 40 percent of the courses can be studied through online programs we have made similar changes in Karnataka also. In all the university regulations governing various degree programs we have allowed 40 percent online programs. Therefore, the blended learning has become order of the day and therefore with the introduction of academic bank of credits the candidates can earn credits in blended mode and pull them together get the degree because even as per UGC the candidate has to earn only 50 total credits from that institution which awards the degree. Other credits can be earned through other modes therefore the blended learning has become order of the day.

As you know in today’s meeting as we are gathering we are also celebrating our one year of existence and this is our anniversary day. Any message would you like to give for ArdorComm Media?

Now I have realized the importance of media like ArdorComm Media company because you are helping in bringing the academy and industry together without which higher education cannot become relevant, order of the day. Therefore, to make it relevant, remain relevant the industry and academy have to come together this can only happen when companies like yours, ArdorComm can bring them together so that they can probably interact arrive at what is needed for this society that way you are playing an important role in the society. I congratulate you for your potential and efforts.