Is MBA still a sought after course?

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December 11, 2018

Even if a huge number of management schools have opened in different parts of the country, MBA continues to charm a lot of youngsters who join it despite not being business graduates. For many, it is a ladder of success. But is MBA still as much fascinating as it once used to be a decade ago? finds out Akash Tomer of Elets News Network (ENN).

Other than the graduates from top 20 B-Schools of India, only seven percent Master of Business Administration (MBA) students from Indian business schools got jobs immediately after the completion of the course, according to an ASSOCHAM report.

Similarly, in 2016-17, more than half of MBA graduates could not get hired in campus placements, says the data by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) shows.

The above data is sufficient enough for students to determine whether pursue an MBA/other business courses or not. Moreover, the present economical conditions and job crunch across the globe is also a big reason of worry for students to check if investing a huge amount in MBA is still beneficial or not?

Economic liberalisation in 1991 in India started unshackling the private sector leading to a growth in demand for business managers. Companies were willing to pay a handsome amount to this new breed of executives who seemed capable of putting family-held or other traditional businesses on fast track. MBA became a sought after career among the youth.

But, nowadays, with industries transforming at a rapid rate, it is important to figure out that is there any scope left for MBA graduates in coming years or a new course aligned with the latest industry-trends is needed. It has become fashionable of late to cast doubt on the merits of getting an MBA degree, especially one from a two-year programme that costs well into the six figures. Yet, there has been no shortage of applicants to any of the most highly selective schools that routinely reject the vast majority of candidates who apply to them.

So what are the key reasons that influence people to still dream of having an MBA degree?

The Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC) released its annual survey on MBA/business courses applicants who had quite a bit to say about this question. 1,377 candidates who have recently applied to at least one business school responded to the web-based survey.

Majority of the people think that top reason for a student to pursue an MBA is good salary and a good position in an organisation.

The perception is erroneous, as MBA aspirants do not consider the degree as a way to make more money and achieve great status. There are various other factors that motivate most of the candidates who invest in any such programme to get a globally competitive business management degree.

As per the survey, desire to acquire new skills and knowledge about business was at the top of the list, cited by 57 percent of the prospective students. Second on the list, cited by 49% of the respondents, was access to job prospects, including the opportunity to transition into a new career, with the degree. Not far behind was access to a strong network and the opportunity to advance a career within the same industry (both checked off by 48% of the sample).

In addition to that the business courses across the globe have some unique features which make it one of the most sought after programmes in higher education.

Unique Knowledge

Cut-throat competition is a reality and to lead others in this competition, it is necessary that a candidate has unique set of skills and knowledge in his/her respective domain. Business courses being well linked with industry offers such set of skills to every candidate pursuing them.

Specialisation

There is an increased specialisation of careers in the service sector. This has led to emergence of specialised subjects in which students can pursue courses in business administration/ management. Through subjects such as finance or marketing, candidates will not only learn the basics of business, but also be able to create a niche for themselves. Students can look for the availability of a course as per their interest in best B-schools of India online or through appearing for their entrance exams, if any.

Better Pay and Scope for Promotions

Pursuing a course such as MBA, PGDM or PGPM may change the direction of one’s career. It is an added academic achievement, which may increase the likelihood of getting a raise and promotion. It may also open up opportunities for jobs that one was not eligible for before because of its orientation towards leadership and team- building.

Entrepreneurship Skills

Startup India and other initiatives have made the Indian economy conducive to the establishment and growth of businesses. The curriculum of a business course inculcates the capability of differentiating between a good and bad business strategy. Candidates will learn how to give their business a global outreach, how to adopt techniques to attract external funding, and how to hire the best minds in the job market.

Having an MBA on CV may translate into job security because one will still be able to find a job even if your business does not perform favourably.

Emerging economies are proving to be fertile ground for MBA graduates because it is easier to navigate unstructured markets with a structured mind. Companies are constantly looking to expand in such economies, and they need professionals trained in business and management to give direction to their growth. The increase in domestic and foreign demand coupled with expansion in finance, real estate, education and investments are expected to cause a surge in India’s growth story, and a business degree is best designed to take advantage of it.

13th World Education Summit strengthens Government-industry-academia partnership

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Akash

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December 10, 2018

The Government-industry-academia partnership was strengthened, as a galaxy of edu-leaders, decision-makers, industry leaders and regulators of prominent educational institutions, came together to brainstorm the roadmap of education in the steadily changing innovative world at the 13th World Education Summit (WES) in Mumbai.

Organised by Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd,the two-day educational extravaganza was held from 8-9 December in Mumbai. Inaugurated by Meeta Rajiv Lochan, Principal Secretary; State Project Director, State Project Directorate – RUSA, Government of Maharashtra; Lt. Col. Kailash Bansal, Director, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE); Major Harsh Kumar, Secretary, NCERT, and Nitin Kumar R Toprani, District Planning Officer, Government of Gujarat, the grand congregation served as a platform for numerous edu-leaders and stakeholders of the education sector to discuss and deliberate upon latest innovative practices in the education sector.

Underlining the importance of entrepreneurship among youth on the first day of the summit, Lochan, the Principal Secretary, said, “Nurturing entrepreneurial skills along with inculcating cutting-edge skills related to digital technology such as AI among students is very important and Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) Maharashtra is laying focus on this aspect.”

Speaking on this occasion, Dr Archana Thakur, Joint Secretary, University Grants Commission (UGC), said: “New India calls for an intelligent application of technology and with such a focus, we are employing all our resources to nurture country’s youth.”

Describing the rich educational heritage of India, Major Kumar, Secretary, NCERT, said, “It is important to know about our past to move confidently in the future and in India, we used to have an excellent schooling system known as ‘Gurukul’ which helped children in their holistic development.”

Highlighting the role of latest IT innovations in promoting startup culture across the country and nurturing entrepreneurship among students, Ramanan Ramanathan, Mission Director – Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Atal Tinkering Lab, said, “Industrial revolution 4.0 offers great opportunities for the educational ecosystem of India. It can help India become a knowledge economy soon.”

Stating that key projects are being envisioned by Atal Tinkering Lab projects under its future template to encourage start-ups across the country, Ramanathan said, “In recent times, a number of projects, unique to the needs of the country’s youth have been initiated across the country and many more are in the offing.”

Navin Mittal, Commissioner, Department of College and Technical Education, Government of Telangana, said, “While on one hand extracurricular activities help students to develop holistically, on the other, it is important for the present education system to collaborate with edu-tech industry for bringing innovation in teaching-learning processes.”

“All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is involved in a number of initiatives to enhance vocational and entrepreneurial knowledge base of students, especially those in far-flung areas, which require customized solutions,” said Lt Col Bansal, Director, AICTE.

Anil Swarup, CEO, State Development Council, Jharkhand, and former Secretary, School Education, Government of India

Highlighting the role of public-private partnership in education, Anil Swarup, CEO, State Development Council, Jharkhand, and former Secretary, School Education, Government of India, said, “There are good people in both sectors –– private and public. Both are required to enhance the educational ecosystem of the country and hence I am a great believer of PPP model in education.”

“The solutions to our educational woes will not come from the US, the UK or Finland but from our motherland, meaning — enough indigenous educational models exist across the country that require hand holding now. There are success stories in states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh etc, which were earlier considered to be among the lowest performing regions. But the status quo has now been changed,” the former Secretary of School Education added.

On the occasion, a special issue of the digitalLEARNING magazine was also launched. As part of the mega event, a galaxy of edu-leaders, decision-makers, regulators and industry leaders participated in several panel discussions holding significance for the education sector.

Stressing on the need for bridging trust-deficit between educators and students, Mark Parkinson, Investment Director, International Schools Partnership Limited (UK), said, “We need to create an educational ecosystem in which students trust educators, this is relevant across the globe.”

Ryan Pinto, CEO, Ryan Group of Institution, while participating in the CEO Panel discussion on Industrial Revolution 4.0 held during the summit, said: “We want to encourage experiential learning in our schools so that students remain passionate all the times.”

Advocating for increased thrust by educators on producing “better human beings”, Pinto added that Siri, Google and Facebook will not be able to tell us how to be a good person, so this limitation of the present IT-led times needs to be addressed too./

On a similar note, Dr Manjula Pooja Shroff, MD and CEO, Kalorex Group, added, “In today’s digital age, the mental strength of students needs to be nurtured because machines can do everything except being emotional.”

The educational extravaganza witnessed participation from various eminent key stakeholders of Government, preschool, school, higher education, skill and vocational training, edu-tech, and start-ups sector.

The notable edu-leaders participated in the summit included: Dr A Ashok, Secretary and Commissioner, Board of Intermediate Education, Govt. of Telangana; Amol Arora, Managing Director, Shemrock Group Of Schools; Shreevats Jaipuria, Vice Chairman, Seth M R Jaipuria Schools and Jaipuria Institute of Management; Debshankar Mukhopadhyay, CEO, Zee Learn Limited; Raghav Podar, Chairman, Podar Education; Anil Mammen, Chief of Learning, Design and Social Impact, Tata ClassEdge; Anirudh Gupta, CEO, DCM Group of Schools; Lakshmi Rao, Academic Director, Jain Group of Schools; Reekrit Serai, Director and Dean, Satluj Group of Schools; Mahesh Shetty, Whole Time Director, MT Educare, and Divya Lal, MD, Ebix Smartclass Educational, among others.

Dr Ravi Gupta, Founder Publisher and CEO Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd and Editor-in-Chief digitalLEARNING magazine, on the occasion said: “Education has an important role to play in nation-building and one important aim of World Education Summits, being organised since 2011, serves as a platform for industry-academia-government partnership to help and better showcase innovations and initiatives that are playing an enabler role for this purpose.”

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Digital learning disrupting pedagogical processes in universities

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By

Akash

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December 10, 2018

The day-to-day growing use of technology has forced the universities to change their traditional ways of teaching and learning, observes Rohit Prasad, Co-founder and Director, SRV Media Easebuzz.

Rohit Prasad, Co-founder and Director, SRV Media Easebuzz

The world has been witnessing a digital revolution since the middle of the last century. We are now standing on the edge of the Fourth Industrial Revolution that will further alter the way we live and work. According to the World Economic Forum, this industrial revolution will blur the lines between the physical, digital, and biological sphere. Sure enough, dramatic changes have been taking place all around us and the education industry is no stranger to this.

It wasn’t long ago when students had to rely on traditional communication such as television ads, newspapers, pamphlets, etc to gain important information about universities and colleges. However, as the world is moving towards digitisation, so is higher education. Nowadays, students have access to all the data about a university online. Students have access to information regarding the programs, fees, hostel, placements, alumni rating, infrastructure, and all other important details they need to compare various universities and colleges when choosing the best one for them.

Furthermore, newer forms of online education are creating a tough competition for traditional universities. There are various online platforms that provide a valid certificate from well-known universities. This ensures that students can gain new knowledge and certifications without having to leave their jobs. Considering how the costs of traditional universities are constantly rising, students find online courses to be more cost-effective and flexible.

Therefore, more traditional universities and colleges have started investing in digital activities. Today, everything from registering and paying for entrance test, applications, and admissions has moved to the digital platform.

These digital changes have also permeated into how colleges communicate with potential students. A few years ago colleges also had to depend on traditional communication to reach potential students. Today, thanks to digitization, colleges can now reach their audience with a comparatively lower budget. Let’s take a look at how digitization is changing the admission process of universities and colleges.

Social Media

32% of students follow universities and colleges on social media platforms before they make a decision, according to a study. Students also directly communicate with alumni and current students via Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and other social platforms to discern if a particular university is a good match for them.

Considering how students turn to social media at every step of the admission process, universities are also using social media platforms to communicate with students at these steps up until their graduation. This communication can be in the form of online ads, organic posts, informative posts, etc.

SEO

Since most people turn to Google, Yahoo or Bing to look for information about various programs, it’s important that students can find a university on these search engines.

Students look for information about things they are interested in and usually only visit those websites or blogs that show up on the first page of a search engine. For instance, if a student is looking for “best b-schools in India”, he/she will only open those links that the search engine provides on the first page.

Therefore, showing up on the first of a search engine is extremely important if a university wants to attract its audience to them. To ensure that a university is visible to its potential students another digital strategy that is utilized is Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Good SEO ranking ensures that a university shows up higher on a search engines page which can be the deciding factor between gaining or losing a potential student. There are various digital marketing experts at SRV Media that can help colleges improve their SEO rankings.

Website

Along with a good social media presence and SEO ranking, it’s important that a university’s website is also up to the mark. A university’s website is one of the first places that students visit during their research. Therefore, having a quality website is a must. There are various factors that together, make a great website such as how user-friendly it is, its layout, how responsive it is, and if it offers relevant information. The website reflects the image of the university, therefore, it’s important that the website is modern. An outdated website will lead people to believe that the university is also outdated. This is an image any university must avoid at all costs, especially in today’s competitive market.

Furthermore, a modern and well-designed website lets universities track a visitor’s on-site activity so that they can send emails and mobile messages with relevant and personalized information depending on what stage of the marketing funnel a particular lead is in. For instance, if a student has filled the registration form but hasn’t made the payment, universities can send personalized messages to them encouraging them to pay for a course they are interested in. This kind of structured and pointed communication is only possible if a university has decided to incorporate technological and digital advancements in their admission process.

The other important thing to consider is creating a responsive website. A responsive website is one that responds to the particular device a person is using to browse through the website. For instance, a website looks different on a desktop, tablet, and mobile. Having a responsive website is extremely important if a university wants to gain higher rankings by Google. All these factors together create a good website and help education institutions to increase the number of enrollments.

Online Payments

These days, online payments have become the norm. Online payments are convenient, safe, and easy. Therefore, a lot of educational institutes are also offering online payment options to its students. Colleges partner with trusted payment gateway agencies to ensure that all payments are secure and easy to make without any technological complexities.

The recent initiative of discouraging cash payments by the Government of India is also another reason why universities and colleges are partnering with payment gateways like Eazebuzz. Such a partnership ensures that colleges don’t have to waste their time with unnecessary paperwork that is a huge part of the college admission process.

All in all, the digital revolution that is seeping into the admission cycle of universities and colleges is changing the way a university gains enrollments. With the help of the right digital strategies, a university or college can attract the right audience at the right time.

Teaching cadre to be streamlined in J&K

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Akash

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December 10, 2018

To streamline the teaching cadre in Jammu and Kashmir, the Governor Administration of State has approved the action plan recommended by a committee set up three months ago.

The committee was constituted on August 13. It mandated to devise a comprehensive strategy to review issues of all teachers in the school education department and also those funded under the ongoing centrally-sponsored scheme “Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)”.

“The State Administrative Council (SAC) met under the chairmanship of Governor Satya Pal Malik here, considered the departmental proposal based on the recommendations of the committee and broadly accepted the action plan proposed by the committee,” an official spokesperson said.

The decision would enable streamlining the cadre of Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teachers by transitioning them in the regular cadre of teachers and meeting the salary deficit of SSA and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) teachers, which is over Rs 1,400 crores per annum, out of the state budget,” the spokesperson said.

“Thus, all the teachers will get a regular monthly salary on time consequent to the assimilation of various cadres of teachers into one regular teaching cadre,” he added.

Over the years, school education department has been facing immense difficulties due to multiple cadres of teachers, requirement of additional funds to meet out salary of both SSA and RMSA teaching faculty and a host of other related issues, which were directly or indirectly impacting the quality of education in government-run schools and leading to avoidable chaos and confusion among the teaching fraternity.

IIT Kharagpur wins DSCI Excellence Award for Cyber Security Education

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By

Akash

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December 10, 2018

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur has won the DSCI Excellence Award 2018 for cyber security education by Data Security Council of India (DSCI).

In an official statement by IIT Kharagpur, it is stated that the institute bagged the award due to its focused curricula and research work in cryptography, hardware security, cyber security, network security. It has helped to create awareness among students of the institute.

“Our research and coursework in cyber security, network security and cryptography are targeted towards delivering the necessary technologies and also creating leaders in research, industry and governance who would bring forward such transformation in India which is undergoing the digital revolution right now as we talk,” Director, IIT KGP, Prof PP Chakrabarti said.

Research ventures of IIT kharagpur’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering and various courses in the areas of cyber security, IoT (Internet of Things) security and associated areas in artificial intelligence are among the reasons for the institute to grab the award.

The research ventures included The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)-funded projects on developing lightweight protocols for authenticating IoT nodes, IC reverse engineering and trojan detection and the DST-funded “Swarnajayanti” project on secure authentication protocols for smart grids, institute sources said.

13th World Education Summit: Edu-leaders call for nurturing entrepreneurial skills among students

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By

digitalLEARNING Network

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December 8, 2018

Nurturing entrepreneurial skills along with inculcating cutting-edge skills related to digital technology such as AI among students is very important and Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) Maharashtra is laying focus on this aspect, said Meeta Rajiv Lochan, Principal Secretary & State Project Director, State Project Directorate – RUSA, Maharashtra, on Friday at the 13th World Education Summit (WES) Mumbai.

The two-day summit is being organised by Elets Technomedia Pvt. Ltd. in Mumbai and powered by its digitalLEARNING magazine.

On Saturday, the educational extravaganza is set to witness more rounds of deliberations from the key stakeholders of preschool, school, higher education, skill and vocational training, and edu-tech corporate.

As a chief guest at the two-day education educational conclave being organised on 7-8 December, Lochan stressed on using digital technology to improve learning among students. She said, “We need to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) not just to teach Mathematics or Science, we need to equip our teachers with this technology to teach subjects like History as well.”

Describing the rich educational heritage of India, Major Harsh Kumar, Secretary, NCERT, said, “It is important to know about our past to move confidently in the future and in India, we used to have an excellent schooling system known as ‘Gurukul’ which helped children in their holistic development.”

Highlighting the role of latest IT innovations in improving startup culture across the country and nurturing entrepreneurship among students, Ramanan Ramanathan, Mission Director – Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) & Atal Tinkering Lab, said, “Industrial revolution 4.0 offers great opportunities for the educational ecosystem of India. It can help India become a knowledge economy soon.”

Mentioning key projects being envisioned by Atal Tinkering Lab projects under its future template to encourage start-ups across the country, Ramanathan said, “In recent times, a number of projects, unique to the needs of country’s youth have been initiated by Atal Tinkering Lab across the country and many more are in the offing.”

Navin Mittal, Commissioner, Department of College & Technical Education, Government of Telangana, said, “While on one hand extracurricular activities help students to develop holistically, on the other, it is important for the present education system to collaborate with edu-tech industry for bringing innovation in teaching-learning processes.”

The day-one witnessed the participation from eminent edu-leaders from the Government, schools, higher education and edu-ech corporate/start-ups. The deliberations focused on the key challenges of the educational ecosystem and possible solutions to resolve them.

Thoughts shared by the leaders during the first day of the summit were aimed at bringing innovations in the education sector and adopting the best and latest pedagogical practices being followed across the globe.

The notable edu-leaders participated on the first day of the summit include Dr Manjula Pooja Shroff, MD and CEO, Kalorex Group; Shreevats Jaipuria, Vice Chairman, Seth M R Jaipuria Schools and Jaipuria Institute of Management; Ryan Pinto, CEO, Ryan International Group of Institution; Debshankar Mukhopadhyay, CEO, Zee Learn Limited; Raghav Podar, Chairman, Podar Education; Anirudh Gupta, CEO, DCM Group of Schools; Lakshmi Rao, Academic Director, Jain Group of Schools; Reekrit Serai, Director and Dean, Satluj Group of Schools; Mahesh Shetty, Whole Time Director, MT Educare, and Divya Lal, MD, Ebix Smartclass Educational, among others.

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Is Higher Education preparing youth rightly for challenges ahead?

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digitalLEARNING Network

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December 7, 2018

Internal reformulations, regulations, reformations are necessary in higher education, as the later has the crucial role in introducing change and progress in society and is also considered a key agent in educating new generations to build the future, writes Dr Madhu Chitkara, Vice Chancellor, Chitkara University, Punjab, for Elets News Network (ENN).

The renowned scientist Albert Einstein once said, “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” Therefore, we must explore newer vistas and ways to learn – nothing short to view the world – in a creative way.

Historically, the objective of education was to create good citizens and it still is, but recently, it got supplemented with the desire to awakening of critical spirit. Today, innovation and creativity is a key element to assess whether an education system is good or not. Universities must continue their mission to educate, train and carry out innovation and research by providing a conducive environment to its stakeholders.

At Chitkara University, we stand tall with 70 start-ups and 160 (filed) patents, because we believe and train our people to innovate and contribute significantly for nation building. Our 180 international collaborations across the globe advocate our belief and commitment in producing globally responsible professionals. It also gives us an opportunity to continuously weigh ourselves against global benchmarks.

This is a world of interdisciplinary approach – Why should an engineering student be taught only how to make airplanes, Why can’t a mass-comm student fly drones, and why can’t a hotel management student repair his own microwave oven. It is also about skilling and making. We must be adequately diverse in our approach to education, yet giving the depth at the right time to the right candidate. The basic premise of this approach is to bring sense of responsibility and accountability towards all disciplines and trades amongst student and faculty. Diversity is the key driver in the effort.

We must evolve new teaching-learning approaches and propose newer models of education, where creative thinking can be integrated inclusively. The new education models should be driven by newer challenges of integrating required competencies and yet giving room for exceptions. Thus, it should be a system that can transform its takers form confused rockets to guided missiles: rockets capable of changing direction in flight, adjusting to flexible circumstances, and continually course-correcting. Teaching and learning must be more active, connected to real life, and designed with students and their unique qualities in mind. The role of higher education is critical and paramount in this makeover and the strategies and implementation needs to be more dynamic than ever.

We at Chitkara University have syllabuses in place for different courses but curriculum comes from Industry. Our curriculums are latest (in terms of present requirements of Industry and society) and challenging (in terms of future requirements of industry and society). “What Industry requires” is our “Curriculum”. This has changed the entire teaching-learning process. We need to act – and the time is now – because in the Higher Education, what we build today, becomes the future.

(Views expressed by author are a personal opinion.)

Indian Education Sector Awaits New Dawn — Industrial Revolution 4.0

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digitalLEARNING Network

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December 7, 2018

Dr Ravi Gupta, Editor-in-Chief, digitalLEARNING magazine and Founder Publisher and CEO, Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd

In this era of information and innovations, meaning of learning and acquiring knowledge is fast changing across the world. It is further set to witness a major change with the occurrence of Industrial Revolution 4.0 as well. The Indian education sector will not be an exception to this new phenomenon.

It is most likely that the meaning of being educated, skilled or knowledgeable may have a different definition than what it is at present. Traditional way of looking at intelligence and information and being efficient may have a different meaning altogether soon.

In this wake, there is a need to understand and discuss what lies ahead for the Indian education sector. What should be the approach of our temples of learning and other forums where education is already being offered in innovative ways? Our Cover Story ‘Is Indian Education Sector Ready for Industrial Revolution 4.0?‘ explores the likely impact of modern technologies on the Indian education sector.

Our latest issue carries ‘Top B-School Ranking 2018’. It observes various business schools of the country based on various parameters and throws light on various key elements of them. It also indicates at the need to keep a track of the huge proliferation of B-Schools for whom quality might not be a concern.

As part of our endeavour to confluence the finest minds under one roof, digitalLEARNING organises top- class education summits not just in India but also in different parts of the world. The 13th World Education Summit Mumbai is the biggest occasion of all of them. It aims to bring educationists, edu-preneurs along with policymakers on a common platform to share visions, strategies, and practices on a grand scale linked to preschools, schools and higher education.

Our latest issue also carries a Feature ‘Is MBA Still A Sought After Course?’ It underlines how despite a global job crunch, so many youths from varying educational backgrounds still opt for MBA or other business courses. Considering the changing dynamics of industry, it explores if MBA is still a sought after course?

We have also carried a special report of 8th School Leadership Summit Indore. The educational extravaganza proved to be a facilitator of knowledge-exchange among policymakers, edu-leaders, regulators, and industry leaders linked to school education ecosystem.

Then there is a Special Report of our recently held the 2nd Higher Education & Human Resource Conclave Jaipur, Rajasthan. It was held to promote an environment of innovations, employability and entrepreneurship across the country.

Bringing an array of interviews, features and articles, it is hoped this latest issue of the magazine issue would evoke an invaluable feedback from our esteemed readers.

13th World Education Summit Mumbai to begin Friday

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By

digitalLEARNING Network

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December 6, 2018

In an attempt to showcase the innovations and the best practices being followed across the global education ecosystem, Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd is all set to organise two-day 13th World Education Summit (WES) Mumbai on Friday.

Dr Dhan Singh Rawat, Higher Education Minister, Government of Uttarakhand, and Lahkmen Rymbui, Education Minister, Government of Meghalaya, will be present to inaugurate the grand educational extravaganza.

The summit will also witness presence of officials from various Government departments including Meeta Rajivlochan, Principal Secretary & State Project Director, State Project Directorate – RUSA, Government of Maharashtra; Anju Sharma, Principal Secretary, Government of Gujarat, India, Prof Papi Reddy, Chairman, Telangana State Higher Education Council; Dr A Ashok, Secretary & Commissioner, Board of Intermediate Education, Government of Telangana and Ramanan Ramanathan, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) among others.

The summit has been classified into School Education, Higher Education, Expo and Awards. A special issue of digitalLEARNING magazine with articles and interviews focussed on latest educational trends will also be unveiled.

At the WES Mumbai, the expo will showcases some of the unique and effective solutions in the education sector along with offering networking and product interactions among different education stakeholders. With over 50 exhibitors, the summit will witness the participation many senior government officials, nearly 300 schools and approximately 200 higher education institutions to showcase their innovative methodologies for better teaching and learning.

During the 13th WES insightful panel and rountable discussions will be organised on various trends and issues related to school and higher education. Edu-leaders from India and various parts of the world along with edu-tech leaders will deliberate upon the subject of futuristic education spectrum.

On the last day of the summit, individuals, schools, higher education institutes and edu-tech corporate will be honoured and encouraged under various categories for their exemplary contributions.

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Innovative Learning at Higher Education Level in India

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digitalLEARNING Network

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December 6, 2018

As innovation diffuses within the higher education system and touches every element of a higher education institution, the innovation process needs to be better managed, observes Elets News Network (ENN).

The economic success of any nation largely depends on the quality of education provided by its educational institutions. This is even more pertinent for India, where more than 50 percent of its 1.36 billion citizens are under the age of 25 and 65 percent are under 35 years of age. Consequently, this makes India’s higher education system the third largest in the world (in terms of number of students). The problem is that we as a nation are not effectively able to utilise such a large pool of prospective employees and assimilate them into the workforce. Of the educated citizens of India, a mere 45 percent are employable. While this statistic represents a big jump from the 33 percent employability five years ago, the situation still remains concerning.

These abysmal numbers do not come across as a surprise because the disparity can be seen clearly when we look at the demand and supply gap in the higher education system of India. With the largest population in the world between the age bracket of 5 to 25, India requires hundred- thousands of universities, schools and colleges to reach out to the dynamic talent pool it has. The next gap comes to fore when we see that quality education, especially at the higher level is limited only to a few institutes such as IITs, IIMs and some others. The conversion rate for IIMs itself is very low as only 1 out of 150 applicants manage to get admission there. This fact is partially due to the smaller number of seats available for candidates in the premier institutes of our nation.

But the situation is not that bleak all around, for one, around 75 percent of global STEM graduates will be concentrated in BRICS nations by 2030. Another development to be optimistic about in recent years is the rise of online education in India, with its market value standing at $247 Million, as of 2016 with 1.57 Million users. The more traditional and rigid teaching models are now being replaced by adaptive and personalised pedagogies, examples of which include mobile based learning, open educational resources, and utilisation of AR and VR for learning, and mobile-based learning.

Keeping in mind some of the above developments, Indian Institute of Management Rohtak offers programmes for working professionals, government officials, and entrepreneurs to enhance their productivity, quality and consciousness that will help them transform into executive managers who make a significant contribution to their respective fields. Notably, IIM Rohtak has launched several online executive programmes in the domain of Data Analytics, Project Management, Sales & Marketing, Strategic Management, Digital Marketing and Market Analysis, HR Analytics and Entrepreneurship among others. Thus, nearly 1,000 executives from private and public sector have been trained using the digital learning platform in last one year. Similarly, long duration programmes for sports professionals and working executives have been the key initiatives of the institute. All the programmes are devised to be delivered on ‘Interactive Online Learning Platform (IOL)’. The unique IOL provides a live, interactive ‘Direct to Desktop/Device’ capability where participants in any part of the country can listen and discuss questions directly with IIM Rohtak faculty members, cutting across geographical constraints.

“Great institutions are faculty led, administrative supported, and technology enabled. Therefore, one must provide facilitative environment for academic research, offer a caring and keen administration, and provide cutting edge technology in any institution for it to achieve greater success,” said Prof Dheeraj Sharma, Director, IIM Rohtak.

India today stands at the crossroads where it can either become the growth engine of the world, leveraging its demographic dividend, or lose out on the opportunity. The level of excellence in higher education will be a key factor in determining the role that India will play, globally, in the immediate future.

(Disclaimer: Views expreassed are a personal opinion).

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