Anna University Chennai is one of the best universities in Engineering Education in India. Most of the years Guindy college of Engineering of Anna University can be found among the top ten Engineering colleges just below the rankings for IITs. Since the number of Engineering colleges in Tamil nadu crossed more than 500, for administrative reasons and for bringing uniform Engineering Education Anna University was split into six universities as Anna University Chennai and with the name Anna University of Technology at different locations Chennai, Tiruchirappalli, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli and and Madurai In 2010 the Tamil nadu Assembly adopted a bill to make Anna University, Chennai, a unitary type university again. By this move the university would comprise the College of Engineering besides the Alagappa Chettiar College of Technology and the Madras Institute of Technology, Chromepet. This decision was made considering that 136 engineering colleges were affiliated to it and teachers of the university were unable to do research work instead they spent most of their time on administrative matters of admissions, examinations etc. With the growing number of Engineering colleges with varying standards the Anna university had to maintain its own name and quality on par with IITs. Therefore over a period of time the Anna University administrative set up has been evolved to make it the top institution in the field of research too. The Anna University (Chennai) had even outdone the Indian Institutes of Technology and other leading institutions in India in “fastest growth” in the number of science and technology research papers published in journals The university had published 311 S&T research papers during the final study period of 2001-02. which was a jump from just 63 papers a decade ago. The study showed that institutions like the IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, Punjab University and Banaras Hindu University were on decline in their activity index during that period. The activity index of the Anna University during 2001-02 was 1.84, when compared 0.91 of IIT Madras. But the recent move of the Government of Tamil nadu to again merge all the regional Anna Universities has sent shock waves among academic circles. The move will interfere midway in the academic activities. Further it is retrograde step affecting the research works in the university. While discussion with the student community it is found that there is unnecessary comparison between IIT Madras and Anna University. They even conduct opinion polls to see which is the best among the two.Many magazines conduct surveys based on certain scientific parameters. IITs will always better other institutions in terms of funding and facilities. The admission procedures for IITs is different from the procedures for Anna University. While the cream of the talents at national level are selected for IITs the best students in Tamil nadu opt for College of Engineering at Guindy the premiere engineering college of Anna University.
Salaried professionals vow to explore business ideas
Participants at an entrepreneurship programme have said that they are ready to shun their monthly pay cheque addiction to explore business ideas. The ideas suggested by them ranged from free calls anywhere in India to a do-it-yourself kit to promote science education to speech recognition software for intelligence agencies. “The success of the entrepreneurs in the IT industry in the last two decades has rekindled innovation among young Indians,” said Saurabh Srivastava, co-founder of investor group Indian Angel Network (IAN), while kicking off the entrepreneurial conference. “By nurturing these innovative ideas young professionals are becoming job providers rather than being job seekers,” he added. The biggest challenge for such entrepreneurs was lack of funding, therefore, nine out of 10 such ideas die even before taking off. IAN provides entrepreneurs funding and offers valuable feedback and mentoring. According to Srivastava, who also serves on the prime minister's National Innovation Council , the Indian IT industry was a fine example of innovation that helped it grow from $60 million to $60 billion in just 20 years. He expressed confidence that the industry now aspires to be the IT hub of the world by 2020 by achieving revenues of $245 billion much like China which aspires to be the manufacturing hub of the world.
Technology-savvy kids now to get help from television
Kids are forcing channels to go beyond television programming and adopt digital strategies. A Cartoon Network study New Generations 2011 (conducted across 19 Indian cities) confirms this trend. The report says: “Computer ownership among kids has grown to 22 per cent from 10 per cent, while mobile phone access is 95 per cent. Home Internet connectivity is also seeing an uptick.” The thrust across digital platforms intensifies during the summer break with traffic on kid channel portals going up by 30 per cent. Leading channels like Viacom 18's Nickelodeon, Walt Disney's Disney Channel and Hungama TV and Turner's Cartoon Network have appointed dedicated teams to harness the benefits of content, community building and interactivity on Internet and mobile phone. “Four years ago, the only gateway kids used to interact with us was the landline platform. This has now been overtaken by digital,” says Nina Jaipuria, vice president and general manager, Nickelodeon India. The easiest way to integrate a channel's on-air and online presence is by using popular TV characters like Dora, the Explorer, Mickey Mouse and Ben 10 online. “As kids engage with characters beyond television, be it digital or mobile, the bond with the character grows.” Teenage users like Sparsh Saxena seem to agree. “Logging on to the websites allows me to be closer to my favourite characters SpongeBob and Mickey Mouse.” He spends an hour surfing kids' channel websites. For Nickelodeon, the focus this season will be on building the first locally developed 'non mythological' animated character Keymon Ache. Games, which are the largest draw for kids on the online platform, will be the focus at Keymonache.in. Disney is following suit and claims it has the largest collection of games built around popular characters and movies. “The online version of Art Attack is one of our most sought after television shows,” says Nitin Chawla, vice president and general manager, Disney Interactive Media Group.
Workshop on IT Mass Literacy Programme
IGNOU would be organizing a Workshop to have a brain storming session on introducing an IT Mass Literacy Programme, jointly with Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Communications and IT, Govt. of India. The Workshop will be held in IGNOU main Campus on 15th July 2011. The day long activity will be scheduled, mainly, in four sessions including the inaugural session. It is targeted to bring various experts associated with IT Education / Literacy from the governmental organizations, leading educational institutions, Civil Society Orgnisations, State Resource Centers, Panchayati Raj, Sakshat, eminent Personalities in the field from well reputed IT companies etc., to participate in this day long event. India has carved out a place for itself in the world arena of IT and Indian IT industry has made significant progress in the past years and has contributed to the Indian economy. The digital technology has come up in a big way and has invaded almost all fields of life. With the spreading of e-Learning, the IT is being taken to remote corners of the country with access to the rural masses to draw the benefits of growth of IT and spread of e-Gov. solutions. To reap the benefits of this growth there is a need to bridge the digital divide by spreading IT literacy. Government of India has constituted a Working Group on IT Mass Literacy Programme headed by Prof. V.N.Rajasekharan Pillai, VC, IGNOU. It include representatives such as Joint Secretary's of MHRD (Adult Education), Ministry of Labour & Employment, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Ministry of Rural Development, Joint Secretary (e-Infra / e-Learning), Joint Secretary (e-Governance), Department of IT, MC&IT, NIIT, NASSCOM, IT Secretaries of Kerala, J&K, Mizoram, Bihar, Assam, Chattisgarh and Sr. Director & HOD (HRD), DIT as the Member Secretary. The main objective of the Working Group is to evolve long term strategies for the IT Mass Literacy Programme and suitable approach for the implementation of these strategies. The Working Group is working to evolve a definition for IT literacy, which could be applied at national level keeping in view the various latest developments including the emerging mobile applications. “We need to have different levels of programmes starting from IT awareness to various application domain-specific programmes to cover applications aimed at farmers, organized and un-organised sectors worker, etc.” said Prof. V.N.Rajasekharan Pillai, VC, IGNOU. The brain storming session will bring about a common understanding of the subject covering the various application domains and is expected to provide an insight into evolving a definition for IT Literacy, campaign & programme and an approach to leveraging various projects / initiatives in the area.
txtWeb launches App2Fame Challenge 2011
txtWeb, a platform where every mobile user can access information through SMS, has announced the launch of the App2Fame Challenge 2011. This contest encourages developers in India to create apps for this SMS-based platform. txtWeb is looking for applications that are creative, innovative and with a potential to impact the lives of billions of mobile users. The developers of the best txtWeb apps stand to win exciting prizes under several categories including “Most Popular” and Judges Choice Award”. The grand prize winner under each of these categories will receive travel vouchers for Rs 1,00,000, and the second prize winner in each of these categories will win vouchers worth Rs 50,000 redeemable at an electronics store. In addition, three third prizes in each of these categories and the best apps in the sub categories of social networking, gaming and entertainment will win prizes worth Rs 20,000. The top five student developers will also be eligible for an internship with the sponsor or its affiliates and the top five startups will be given the opportunity to present their business plan to an expert panel. While the “Most Popular” apps will be determined by the number of unique users measured between July 1, 2011 and July 30, 2011, with 200 users as the minimum eligibility criteria, the finalists and winners for the “Judges Choice Awards” will be selected by a panel of 2-5 experts. Apps will be judged based on implementation quality and user experience. txtWeb App2Fame builds on the tremendous response received for the first edition of the contest in 2010. The contest saw students across four university campuses in India creating over 150 apps. Based on this success, txtWeb has now expanded the scope of the contest for the second edition, which is open to anyone interested in app development. The second edition of the contest is the next step in achieving txtWeb's objective of empowering the hundreds of millions of Indians who have mobile phones, but do not have regular access to the Internet by giving them access to information. txtWeb provides a platform for developers to create apps that can potentially reach every one of the 800 million mobile subscribers in India. An app can be created in five hours and a simple txtSite that provides static content can be created in less than 5 minutes. txtWeb bridges the divide between the 81 million internet users and the rest of the population by delivering relevant information to every mobile user in a simple and convenient format. txtWeb is also popular among users who have internet access since it delivers the required information in a few seconds. Information includes job/career services, news, health information/services, market prices, weather and more — information and services that are often found on the internet, but not accessible with simple feature phones…until now. Currently, consumers can get updates on their mobiles from a wide range of over 800 applications. For example, SMS @WIKIPEDIA HINDI to get the Wikipedia entry on Hindi language or SMS @STOCKTIP to get latest stock tips and trends, SMS @PASSPORT to know the status of your passport application. The user has to SMS the keyword to 92433 42000 to get the information that s/he is looking for which would be delivered to their phone in seconds. txtWeb is FREE for both users and developers/publishers. txtWeb does not charge for this service, There are no premium charges or GPRS plans, to access this service, only standard SMS rates as per the user's plan with the carrier apply. Currently, txtWeb has over 650,000 unique mobile users, making 800,000 requests each day. This platform is seeing huge adoption with the user base doubling every 15 days.
IGNOU Signs MoUs with 3 Chinese Universities
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) signed MOUs with three World Class Chinese Universities viz Open University of Hongkong (OUHK), Human Normal University (HNU) and Qingdav Technological University Qindao college. The 3 institutions have identified various areas of common interest, announced Prof. PR Ramanujam, Pro Vice Chancellor, IGNOU. Development and sharing of course material and services for life long learning shall be a major area among IGNOU and 3 Chinese Universities. The Universities will start a cooperative programme with IGNOU in teaching, scientific research, faculty and student exchange. IGNOU and three Universities shall exchange books, learning resources and magazines. As per agreement, universities may accept professors from both the institutions as exchange of teachers to teach in their Universities for the period mutually agreed upon. Universities may also accept students from each other as exchange student to study from each other to study in their Universities for one semester or academic year. They may accept self financed students from IGNOU to study the Chinese language, Culture, History, Fine Arts and other related subjects. Cooperation activities may be carried after mutual consultation and agreement. These 3 Universities and IGNOU shall provide assistance to each other, where possible and practical.
NIOS Joins in the Area of Hospitality Management
Speaking on the occasion, Dr S S Jena, Chairman, NIOS hoped that this meaningful initiative would go a long way in fulfilling the aspirations of youngsters, who wish to join the hospitality industry.
The Chairman and Managing Director, ITDC referred to this initiative as a milestone in the history of ITDC, re-prioritising and diversifying to take up the cause of skill development and becoming a state- of the -art player in the hospitality industry.
The NIOS, which is authorised to issue Diploma/Certificates has agreed to accredit sixteen hotels of AIH and TM, which will function as study centres to offer one year courses in Certificate/Diploma Course in Food Production and Management, Certificate/Diploma Course in Food and Beverage Operation, Certificate/Diploma Course in House Keeping and Maintenance, Certificate/Diploma Course in Front Office Operations for 10th pass students and Certificate/Diploma Course in Bakery and Confectionery for 8th pass students.
All these course are to be offered as a joint venture by the NIOS and AIH and TM. This joint initiative of these organisations will give a substantial boost to the skill development processes in the hospitality sector in India. It has been envisaged that all the trainees pursuing the course will be given placement opportunity on completion of their courses. Efforts are also being made to tie-up with the government to get scholarship for the learners to facilitate them for timely completion of the courses. The delivery of the courses will be both through face to face and open distance learning methodologies.
Business News: June 2011
TCS launches iON in West Bengal
iON, an integrated information technology solution for small and medium businesses (SMBs), by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is planning to have 1,000 clients in India by the end of this year and expects about 20-30 per cent of them to come from Eastern part of the country.
“When we started in February, we had just above 100 clients and now it has crossed 235. By the end of this year, our client base would be above 1,000 in India and about 20-30 per cent of them would be in Eastern India,” said V Ramaswamy, Global Head of iON. Though TCS had started this business in 2008 under TCS SMB Solutions, it was branded as iON in February.
Samsung signs MoU with DTU
In a breakthrough step towards strengthening the academia-industry interface, Delhi Technological University (DTU), has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Samsung India Electronics Ltd (SIEL).
The MoU was exchanged between Prof. P.B. Sharma, Vice Chancellor, DTU and Dr. Jason D. Kwak, Managing Director, Samsung Software Engineering Lab-India in the presence of Chief Guest for the occasion, Mr. P.K. Tripathi, IAS, Chief Secretary, Govt. of NCT of Delhi today at the Delhi Secretariat.
The MoU broadly covers four areas of Collaboration-Cooperation in Knowledge Sharing through in-house tutorials, workshops conducted by DTU for employees of SIEL, sponsored doctoral and post graduate programmes at DTU for employees of SIEL, Internship opportunities for the students of DTU in SIEL and Joint Research projects.
BSETIL, IIM Indore launch PG Certificate Program in Capital Markets
BSE Training Institute Ltd. signed MOU with Indian Institute of Management Indore (IIM Indore) on 18th April 2011 for launching PG Certificate Program in Capital Markets and other certificate programs in Mumbai.
Ambarish Datta, MD, BSETIL said, “This program has been designed for decision makers in the industry who are charged with setting and implementing capital market strategies. In this program, participants will have the opportunity to explore the inner workings of the fast evolving world of capital markets. In addition to honing their analytical and decision-making skills, the program will provide them with a channel to acquire a formal specialisation in capital markets. The combined strengths will help the participants expand their capabilities, challenge their thinking, and ultimately drive company success.”
The classes will be held at BTI's premises in BSE and the program shall commence in June 2011.
Plan Panel sets up 4 working group on higher education
With the objective of raising the gross enrolment ratio (GER) in higher education to 20 per cent by 2017 and 25 per cent by 2022, the Planning Commission has constituted four working groups and steering committees that will focus on skill development and technical education for the 12th plan period from 2012-17.
The two steering committees are on higher and technical education, and science and technology human resource development while two working groups have been formed for public private partnership (PPP) in higher education and skill development.
Officials say that the committees and working groups will meet on May 23 to finalise the objectives like faculty development and teachers' training and research and innovation in higher education with cross-linkages between institutions and industry.
Sequoia Capital Invests Rs 25 Crore in K12 Techno Services
Sequoia Capital today announced an investment of ` 25 crore in K12 Techno Services Pvt. Ltd. in their second round of funding. K12 manages over 70 affordable English-medium schools run by 15 different trusts under the Gowtham Model School brand.
K12 will utilise the funds for growth as well as modernisation of classrooms to allow teachers and students to leverage superior technology infrastructure for improving learning outcomes. K12 has also partnered with best-in-class and global specialists, CfBT UK and Brilliant Tutorials for spoken English and IIT training. The investment will also be used for expansion of the network by an additional 25 new schools across Andhra Pradesh.
National News: June 2011
Govt panel moots one test for all engineering institutes
A committee appointed by the government has recommended a single entrance examination for all engineering institutes after Class 12, replacing the multiple tests given currently, including the IIT Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE).
Scores of this test, along with marks of the Class 12 Board exam, should be used to develop an index of scholastic level, the committee, headed by T Ramasami, secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST), has recommended.
Public opinion will be built over the next few months, and the proposal will be taken forward after a consensus is reached on feasibility and methodology. The exercise is likely to be complete by September.
IGNOU launches UG, PG programmes with FDDI
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has launched five undergraduate and three post graduate programmes in collaboration with the Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI).
The eight new programmes have been launched keeping in mind an urgent need to orient footwear industries and their R and D laboratories to initiate new educational programmes to upgrade the knowledge of practicing workers, semi-skilled and skilled personnel in footwear industries keeping in view the demands of technological revolution at work place.
“These programmes will open new avenues for students and will help in producing trained man power for Export oriented industries working in field of Footwear, Leather and other allied products,” said Prof. V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, VC, IGNOU.
The eight new programmes are M. Sc. (Fashion Merchandising and Retail Management), M. Sc. (Footwear Technology), M. Sc. (Creative Designing CAD/CAM), M. Sc. (Leather Goods and Accessories Design), M. Sc. (Visual Merchandising and Communication Design), B. Sc. (Fashion Merchandising and Retail Management), B. Sc. (Footwear Technology) and B. Sc. (Leather Goods and Accessories Design).
PMP Certification @SCIT, Pune
Project Management Certification (PMP) exam is a globally recognised and a most respected certification offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI), which addresses all the major requirements of project managers in communication management, integration, quality, cost, human resources, risk and time.
Symbiosis International University, Pune has a reputation for being a premier private university with its domain spread over the entire gamut of higher studies. MBA in Symbiosis is a coveted feature in the management arena and is perhaps a hot spot for MBA in Pune. Symbiosis' IT
Professionalism Grasps Higher Education
India, with a critical mass of skilled English-speaking knowledge workers, a functioning democracy and a massive domestic market, has many of the key ingredients for seizing the opportunity for making a transition to a knowledge economy
By Jaydeep Saha, digital LEARNING Bureau
The trend towards a knowledge-based economy has emphasised the importance of universities as repositories of valuable human capital to help secure shares in the global market. The accelerating shift to high-technology and information technology economy requires sustained human resource development and training.
Driven by globalisation and pressures to teach and train knowledgeable, skilled and competitive professionals, universities face a huge challenge to increase access to higher education and improve the quality of higher education against the stark reality of decreasing resources.
Fundamental to the creation of qualified human resources is an accessible, effective and efficient higher education system, particularly when governments are counting on university graduates to be competitive in creating wealth for their respective countries. Universities are compelled to be innovative and lead by example in using cutting edge technology to meet these expectations.
One activity of the ICT for accessible, effective and efficient higher education project, with the support of the Japanese Funds-in-Trust, is to document case studies of innovative ICT practices in higher education in open and distance learning, blended learning, research and administration and management.
There are over 221 universities, 39 deemed universities plus seven open universities in India. Out of 9,703 colleges, 550 are engineering and technical colleges, 655 medical and 600 management institutions. The revolution in ICT has been the main stay of globalisation of markets and knowledge systems. Availability of internet based services and communications has allowed distances and barriers to be breached in real time and that too at lower costs than ever imaginable.
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One of the major challenges for the higher education sector in India is the problem of innovation. There is a need to keep its curriculum / course content and pedagogy updated with the changing educational needs of the students, technological innovations, demographic and socio-economic changes and the consequent market transformations. The curriculum revisions run into bureaucratic bottlenecks; there is very limited use of ICT or multimedia, especially in public schools, although most children do personally use/access to internet related technologies in their daily lives. With rapid urbanisation, rural to urban demographic shift and increasing number of people from the rural sectors aspiring for higher education for their children and rise in employment in the secondary and tertiary sectors, the greatest challenge for the higher education sector in India will be to accommodate the increasing volumes of people aspiring for higher education. This can be achieved only through major infrastructural overhaul of the higher education sector in India. |
Ranjana Mukhopadhyaya, PhD. (Tokyo University), Associate Professor, Japanese Studies, Department of East Asian Studies, University of DelhiChoosing the right technological tools for school or country's needs is a vital step in ensuring the effective use of ICT in education. This section gives information about technologies that can be used in education and about challenges in using ICT in education.
Realising educational objectives of the “information age” requires integrating modern forms of information and communication technologies (ICT) into education. To do this effectively, education planners, principals, teachers, and technology specialists must make many decisions in the following areas: technical, training, financial, pedagogical and infrastructure requirements.
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What are new-age challenges in the higher education sector? India being predominantly an agricultural and service sector based economies, their needs and requirements change very fast. The biggest challenge faced by the higher education sector in India is to keep pace with the same. Therefore the Universities are expected to update the curriculum as per the latest changes and also adopt a futuristic approach for the same. The youth too is not very seriously considering the subjects as per their interest for higher education. They are usually selected due to the peer pressure or herd mentality only for the sake of obtaining a degree. Traditionally the Universities focused more on the teaching aspect and less on the practical learning. With the industries raising concern on the product coming out of the Universities, they started changing their approach from theoretical to a combination of theoretical and practical. With the abundant information now available online, professors are using practical case studies to teach the students. The Universities are also using simulation techniques on how machines would behave in the factory scenario. The students are also encouraged to visit industry to experience the practical way of doing things. Though it is a challenge but the New Age Universities are slowly aligning to the needs and trying to overcome the problem. So that a quick solution to this problem be obtained it is very important that not just the handful of Universities but all of them should work together towards the objective. How can universities adopt a curricular approach which treats knowledge in a holistic manner and creates opportunities for different kinds of interfaces between disciplines? Unlike the education system in US, which is considered the best, Indian Education system is based on closed syllabus i.e., the option to design the course or learn about various other areas is not there. It is time now that we move out of the fixed curriculum pedagogy system and enter the flexible and independent system. Since the last two years, LPU has initiated the COP programmes in its campus. Under this, the students have an option to choose subjects as per their interest and liking under the guidance of a mentor. After successful experimentation, LPU is now using flexi credit system where the students can design 100% of the programme. An Engineering student can take up music or journalism, along with a minimum of subjects in the core areas required to attain the degree. LPU is the only University to have adopted this system in India and is sure that many universities would like to do the same ad make learning more holistic rather than focused towards producing degree holders. No one can replace the role of the Government in the education sector. But looking at the stats only 11% of the population has access to higher education compared to the global average of 25% therefore a lot number of seats and institutes need to be added without diluting the quality of education. This can happen only through government and private partnership. The government has already started its bit by asking the private players to open universities and inviting them for the PPP model but still there is a long way to go before the model can prove beneficial to the society.. |
Ashok Mittal, Chancellor, Lovely Professional University, talks about the modern day needs, challenges and solutions in higher educationThis section looks at the tools themselves, from the satellites that link nations, to the machines that students work on in the classroom. It is intended to help educators, policy makers, planners, curriculum developers and others find their way through the often confusing maze of ICT tools, terms and systems.
India's emergence as one of the fastest growing economies on the globe, with the possibility of a double digit growth rate, poses a critical challenge of its preparedness to capitalise on opportunities on the horizon for its massive and growing work-force.
Economic growth, productivity improvement, innovations, job creation, poverty alleviation and social opportunities are interlinked and can be achieved only through entrepreneurship
More importantly, is the country looking towards creating new ways to harvest this promise of growth through appropriate educational and training infrastructure. In this overview we will look at the emerging prospects, the current status of India's higher education system, growing role of private institutions and challenges to emerging as a knowledge economy.
One of the drivers of India's growth, going forward is how well the professional class adapts to emerging opportunities in the new India. Historically, Indians have been reasonably risk-averse, preferring salaried jobs rather than take the plunge into doing something on their own. These days, the IIM graduate taking the entrepreneurial road is still the exception than the rule.
The reasons why so few of our qualified people take the plunge are manifold. First, there is the issue of financial safety. Most of us who come from middle class backgrounds simply do not have sufficient funds to take risk, particularly when there is no financial back up. Family commitments can also intervene and diminish risk-taking capabilities, including children's education, parents' medical and retirement worries.
Surprisingly, education can often become a handicap. You have more to lose when you can get a job in a good investment bank or consulting firm or a leading corporate. And, therefore, the safer path often seems more attractive.
Secondly, many communities and societies do not have a risk-taking culture; it's simply not built into their cultural DNA. Plus there is no family or community knowledge or network of how to go about starting a new business or the issues involved in doing so.
Equally, there are other communities where risk-taking and starting new businesses are in fact the norm and the expected thing to do. But these communities are fewer than we need.
India's culture of promoters is also unique. Banks require personal guarantees, private equity investors need there to be a strong promoter/manager and investors need a prominent face. All this militates against a professional set-up and reinforces the need to put you as the entrepreneur even more on the line. A number of people could be, and are, uncomfortable taking on this added burden.
This is a shame. To broadbase our growth, India needs an army of entrepreneurs. New businesses create new jobs and increase the value added in the economy. Profitable businesses contribute to enhanced tax collections and make the economy more efficient and streamlined while creating new and unique opportunities for growth. Over time, some of these firms could globalise and become world leaders in their respective areas.
Loss of primacy of universities in the higher education sector, erosion of autonomy, undermining of undergraduate education, growing distance between knowledge areas and isolation of universities from real world outside are some of the problems that characterise growth of Indian higher education.
Entrepreneurship has become an integral part of higher education as it primarily aims at imparting entrepreneurial qualities to enable the products of higher education to be job providers rather than job seekers.
An entrepreneurship development programme has to be conducted on a regular basis. India has been one of the best performers in the world economy during the past few years. India is uniquely positioned to reap the benefits of its economic gains by forging policies and strategies for effective use of knowledge to increase the overall productivity of the economy and benefit its own population.
