Increasing enrollment requires more institutions with quality faculty and infrastructure, says Prof. P P Mathur, Vice Chancellor, Kalinga University. In conversation with Elets News Network, he says India needs structural and operational changes in the education policy

What are the challenge areas you see in revamping Indian higher education in general and in your state?

Currently, higher education system needs to be reviewed seriously in terms of excellence, equity and expansion. At this time, the country is experiencing explosive growth of involvement in higher education as around 35 per cent of the population is in the age group of 15 to 35. In this context, the country faces an increased demand for specialised human resource. In order to accommodate such an increased demand, providing quality education to a large population is a great challenge. Some of the related issues are lack of availability of quality faculty and infrastructure, outdated teaching curriculum and scarcity of financial and other resources. Increasing employment opportunities for the students and creating more avenues through skill-based and value-added training are also required.

What are the new initiatives which you have taken as the Vice Chancellor? Can you suggest if any of them can be implemented at pan-India level?

We have started new initiatives like the involvement of industrial linkages, periodical revision of syllabi, and skill development which have prepared the students to face the current challenges. We have inducted a large number of experts from industry in our academic bodies and have ongoing joint teaching and research programmes.

There have been suggestions that India needs to increase the gross enrollment ratio from 18 per cent to more than 30 per cent. How do you see it?

At this time, we require many more institutions with quality faculty and infrastructure. The country needs substantial higher investment in education and effect structural and operational changes in the education policy. We need to use disruptive processes to achieve it. The country needs more checks and balances in the form of accreditation agencies. Vocational courses, innovation and continuous learning centres need to be promoted. The new education policy should address the question of delivery of quality education to the masses which can only be done by incentivising teachers, providing education through MOOCs and social media.

Poor faculty and lack of teachers seem to mar Indian education at the primary, secondary and higher levels. How do you plan to address this challenge at your university?

The quality of faculty is very im portant for the delivery of quality education in any educational institution. We have been providing faculty development programmes and incentives for higher learning and research activities to our faculty. We are constantly trying to recruit best faculty available and has mechanism of 360 degree feedback. The University is also planning performance based incentives. The performance of teachers has significantly improved after we brought in accountability in the system.

There is a concerted push from the government towards ‘Digital India’. Are educational institutes geared up to take it on?

The country needs to have much more digital penetration in the education system. However, many of the institutions have severe challenges for making it happen. KIIT University is one of a few universities to have computer and Wi-Fi availability to all students and teachers. Learning resources are also available online.

Innovation and research by universities drive industries and economic growth in may Southeast Asian economies. How is your university engaging industries?

KIIT University, in all the areas of instruction, involves industrial participation in various forms. The university has several Centers of Excellence established by various companies in the campus. In addition, industry sponsored seminars, conferences and workshops are regularly conducted. Many industries are being encouraged to suggest training modules for our course curriculum and many members of the faculty have collaborative industry projects. The university also has a Business Incubator, a strong IPR Policy and a Students’ Research Center where several innovations have been done. n

Taking hints from the current government’s enthusiasm to promote online education, and reflecting on the present condition of Indian education system, educationists and dexterous pundits are predicting that the year 2015 will see the heralding of a new era for education in India. Let us analyse the impact that online education will have in shaping the new face of Indian education and how technology can cure the ills that currently plague it?

Infrastructure
India has the third largest base of internet users. Tapping into the power of this digitally literate population, the ailing infrastructural limitations can be easily done away with. A whole college or a school can be easily set up in the cloud, with the help of an online teaching system (like WizIQ). This simple yet revolutionary new practice will change the notion of infrastructure being the primary requirement for quality education. It may be a little difficult to accept it at first, but WizIQ is an online teaching platform which is already questioning the cliché.

Quality of Teachers
For schools facing a shortage of quality teachers, flipped classroom model has a workable solution. Schools on WizIQ have access to the Content Library, which stores media files, documents, presentations, and more, uploaded by the teacher on the cloud. These can be made available to the learners for offline viewing and reviewing. The Virtual Classroom can also be used to make educational videos. These can then be recorded and used as classwork videos. The students can download or view recording of the previous classes. Open resources like YouTube and Khan Academy can be used to build a curriculum for schools with a want of teachers. All that is required is a computer and a working internet connection.

Scalability
Public education in India is undeniably moth-stricken, and has been so for a very long time. As such, penetrating villages becomes a priority for online education. In the past, many initiatives like “each one teach one” failed miserably. But none of these initiatives have ever involved technology. If a dedicated amount of funds is utilised in setting up digital libraries in public as well as municipal schools, learners will have a greater exposure to digital literacy, and hence better education. The possibilities are endless.

Unemployment
A MOOC has the ability to reach thousands, even millions of students at once. It also has the potential to end the problem of unemployment in India. As more and more companies start recognising MOOCs at par with standard degrees, it is quintessential that the government makes MOOCs mandatory for the premier institutes. WizIQ has, in the past, collaborated with the IITs and IIMs to set up highly successful online courses. Not only do these courses make quality education available to the masses, they also promise certificates of completion, which are useful to job aspirants.

WizIQ
WizIQ is an online learning and teaching platform that connects educators and students through its virtual classroom technology and cloud-based learning management system (LMS). WizIQ is a highly scalable solution for both synchronous and asynchronous tutorials and assessments. Used for everything from teaching hybrid courses at major universities to offering one-onone classes across thousands of miles, WizIQ is an incredibly flexible tool for delivering and enhancing any type of training or instruction. .

Future
According to a McKinsey report,
While India scores well on the availability of human and financial capital, it rates poorly on Internet infrastructure, Internet engagement, the ecommerce platform, the ease of Internet entrepreneurship, and the impact of egovernance. On most indicators of the strength of the Internet ecosystem, India ranks in the bottom quartile of our comparison set of 57 countries. Clearly, development of education and the internet ecosystem go hand in hand as their impact on the overall education sector in India is mutually beneficial. WizIQ’s mission of democratizing education falls in complete sync with the present government’s aspirations of developing India’s digital ecosystem for a sustainable and bright future.

For queries, suggestions, feedback or ideas to share, feel free to drop a mail to Kalyan Sarkar, Director, Academic Liaisons, WizIQ.com, at kalyan@ wiziq.com

As the country heads for a digital tomorrow riding the ambitious `100,000 crore ‘Digital India’ programme, it is time to set right all that has plagued every sector. Unlike many flagship schemes announced by successive governments since independence, the Digital India programme in one stroke puts every sector and every Indian as its focus to deliver better services and governance so far denied to them.

As an unbiased and clear-minded chronicler of this revolution waiting to unfold, we are headed for the tenth eIndia Summit (http://eindia.eletsonline.com/2014/), India’s premier ICT event at Kovalam in Kerala this month. To be inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, the two-day event (14-16 November) organised by Elets Technomedia jointly with the Kerala government will see stakeholders in every sector from across the country brainstorm on the way ahead for the Digital India programme. The education track summit will host education policy makers from states and the Centre, vice chancellors from eminent institutions and educators across the country.

Since the inaugural eIndia event in 2005, Elets Technomedia has closely watched and recorded the contemporary India evolve. Thinking ahead, we had strongly advocated the use of information and communication tools in more than half a dozen sectors to create opportunities and improve last mile connectivity in governance, education, health, infrastructure, communication, sustainable enviornment, smart cities and financial inclusion. That was the time when India was gripped by the BPO and call centre phenomenon.

Through the years, we have strived to offer a valuable platform for all like-minded stakeholders to show their achievements, share their success and explore partnerships with others ready to embrace digital solutions. For more than a decade, several thousands of innovators have been honoured by us for their contribution to create a digital India.

Not content being passive observers, we have also acted as an enabler to improve digital ecosystems in India. One instance of our intervention in education is the Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative (GeSCI). Under this initiative, we offered expertise and assistance to the Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development, in the formulation of the National policy on ICT in School Education. Today, it is heartening to see how ‘Digital India’ has envisaged transforming education.

This issue of digitalLEARNING is a special issue on the ‘Digital India’ programme and has a holistic coverage of interviews beginning with Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to other top policymakers. We have also engaged with leading educators, academics and corporates who offer their perspectives on challenges and opportunities thrown by this ambitious programme. This edition of digitalLEARNING features preschool business in India that cries for immediate attention and regulation.

Let us gather at eIndia 2014 Summit set amid the scenic beaches of Kovalam in Kerala. ‘Digital India’ is not merely a flagship programme. It is the collective conscience of an emerging India to democratise basic needs and opportunities and consequently relegate poverty and enable India to be a global hub for manufacturing, education and health.

Let us leapfrog India from a developing nation into a digital nation. See you at Kovalam!

Dr. Haresh Tank, Director, Station-e Language Labs & Vice Chairman, CII, Western Gujarat Zonal Council

India stands at a profoundly significant juncture which can define its future and accelerate its growth, unlike any other phase in history we have seen so far. In view of unprecedented possibilities, we also face the same old issues which plague us, as usual. For a country embarking on growth juggernaut, based primarily on the idea that the largest part of our population is constituted of youth, it is challenging enough to equally and adequately skill the young population in such large numbers. On the one hand, it is a documented fact that 10% of our general graduates and 15% of our technical graduates are readily employable. On the other hand, it is found in survey after survey that 48% employers find it difficult to recruit in India. There is a large skills deficit staring at us while we bask in the glory of changed circumstances.

Appreciating the scenario a decade earlier, Station-e was envisioned to provide complete skilling solution for India. As against the conventional education system that privileges marks and grades, we had decided to focus on actual learning because it is tangible learning that translates into tangible skills. In order to ensure that the youth of the country becomes readily employable, Station-e conceptualized training programs ranging from Communicative English to Call Centre Training, from Vedic Mathematics to Computing Skills, from Interview Skills to Leadership. After the launch of Station-e a decade ago, we have implemented salient and wide-ranging training programs to address the diverse needs of the country.

In the attempts to upskill India, we have made ample use of the differentiator of the present age- technology. It is the deft use of technology and its blend with human intelligence that determine the success of any and every project today. Statione’s campaign to skill India has served its purpose due a considerable extent to the integration of cutting-edge educational technology in the training and learning of the aforementioned courses. Station-e Skills Development Centre (SDC) is the next generation lab in which skills development is defined and redefined with the use of technology. Every activity and every process is powered by the harmonious integration of technological prowess and human excellence. Each learner is empowered and armed by sophisticated tech tools to learn and deepen the learning that takes place with complete and total customization, unheard of so far in the space of education and training in India.

Where India lacks in digital space is in imagination. We have simply not been able to imagine how innovatively and creatively we can apply and integrate technology in education and training. Our conventional structures and processes have lost all the charm because the world went digital decades ago and we still continue to languish in the 20th century practices. India definitely lacks in infrastructure but India does not lack in talent to find a solution around the difficult situation that the country usually offers when it comes to implementation. We have been skeptical in making a drastic break from the past in terms of full-blooded integration of digital tools in education and training. If Station-e has been relatively effective and successful in skilling India in the decade-long run across education institutions – schools, colleges, universities etc, it is primarily because we chose to break new ground using digital means.

How we wish to see the program go forward is that Station-e becomes instrumental in upskilling India with an accelerative thrust not witnessed in the recent past and the scale of which should put us past competing economies in terms of ‘Scale, Speed and Skill’. The growth of this breath-taking society and exemplary democracy lies in the skilled hands and trained minds of the youth. We see the Station-e skilling campaign and its initiatives going forward to reach its culmination in the next decade and enable the fulfillment of the aspirations of its people.

The imminent need in the field of education in Kerala is modernisation and the state is heading towards it, says A Shajahan, Secretary, General Education Department, Kerala, in conversation with Nayana Singh of ENN

Please give us an overview of operations in your department?

We have around 12,000 schools under the direct management of the government. 62 per cent schools are in the government aided sector. Aided sector means the school is managed privately and salary to teachers is given by the government. 38 per cent schools are government and 62 per cent are government aided schools. 11,999 schools up to class 12 are in our system. Apart from that, we have some CBSE and ICSE schools, which are permitted to function in Kerala with the permission of the government. In Kerala, schools are operated under the purview of state education rules. There are state-specific education rules that require minimum criteria to be fulfilled to set up a school in Kerala. Kerala has comprehensive procedures for the education sector as stipulated by the Right to Education Act. We have achieved 100 per cent enrollment with cent percent retention and less than .5 dropout. We are even making efforts to bring the dropout students back into education. For general education development, there are institutions like State Council for Education Research and Training (SCERT), State Institute of Education Management and Training (SIEMAT) and a special project termed ‘IT at School’. We have a unique educational channel under this department and are planning 17 hours telecast under the channel named Victers. The equipment for IT facilities like computers, smartphones, and broadband connectivity has been accomplished in the state. In addition, we are also providing ITbased training to teachers through Victers.

What are the new schemes or initiatives that the state government has launched towards digitisation at the school level?

We have come up with a scheme of UID for all students and have already covered 90 per cent UID for enrollment. We have a software solution that has complete database of teaching and non-teaching staff of Kerala. We have also captured the database of all school infrastructure including furniture, building, equipments, etc., for any further planning of the schools. We have introduced IT text books for conducting examination for IT as a subject. We are also implementing SSIRMS, MP, MLA and local body funds for provisioning better education in the state. The administration of the school is distributed among local bodies. For operational ease, we have a good system of decentralisation that enables a project to be managed better.

Education sector in the state is one of the best in the country and the state has the highest literacy rate. What is the reason for your success?

Traditionally, in the state, promotion of education has been given highest priority by missionaries and community educationalists. The geographical condition of the state and its socio-cultural exchange by the means of trade relations with China, Sri Lanka, and Middle-East have also exposed the state to development outside and created an environment of development. The state is even in direct influence of western civilisation since the arrival of Vasco da Gama to Calicut in search of America.

What is your vision for future development of the state in terms of education?

Quality is an important issue to be catered to. As we are into the third generation of education, the public see scope in English medium schools which are more in demand now-a-days. Technology and physical condition of school is another big issue in Kerala education. We have school buildings that are approximately 50 to 100 years old. Some schools here even belong to the 11th century. We have to modernise those schools. One such example of a school modernised with public participation is a girl school in Calicut, where alumni and school foundation has invested `15 crore and have led the school to international standards. The state education department, with the help of associations like IIM Calicut, is devising programmes to train teachers for the modernisation of schools. So, imminent need in the field of education in Kerala is modernisation and we are heading towards it.

Having set off his political career with the Kerala Students Union, which he served as President from 1967 to 1969, Oommen Chandy is now a 10-time legislator and is currently serving his second term as the 21st chief minister of Kerala. Prior to being sworn in as the CM for the first time in 2004, he was also part of four different governments holding diverse portfolios and several constitutional positions.

In an informal conversation with Elets Technomedia CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Dr Ravi Gupta, and Nayana Singh of Elets News Network, the septuagenarian politician reflects on the strides Kerala has made vis-à-vis development, mistakes that previous governments made with regard to ignoring the power of IT and the measures initiated to offset losses from follies of the past

Tell us about the state of overall development in Kerala and the pace of infrastructure creation.

Our investment is very low and leads to unemployment and lots of development issues. This time round, we are putting thrust on social sectors like education and health to keep up the pace of development. We are also giving due importance to infrastructure development. The upcoming Kannur International Airport will be the fourth international airport in a small state like ours. Kochi Metro will be another feather in the cap of the state. We have acquired almost 55 per cent of the required land for the Metro project. Then, there is Millennium port – a dream project of Kerala, which will be getting final clearance in the days to come. We want to commence actual construction work early next year. We had also been planning Monorail for Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, but some feasibility issues cropped up. So, we have shifted to light metro now. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) is ready and plan approved, and the Cabinet will clear the project for the two important cities soon. Coming to strengthening the national highway network in the state, the main problem is land acquisition. Land is very scarce and costly. Some people are not happy as they demand more, which is too costly for the state. So, we have worked out a different plan for acquiring land for the expansion of national highways. In short, we have commenced infrastructure development in Kerala in a big way.

Kerala has a large number of expatriates. Do you have any plan to retain the local talent?

In Kerala, youngsters have not been very keen entrepreneurs traditionally. They either go for degrees to get government jobs or seek visa to go abroad. But of late, we are witnessing a shift in the attitude of youngsters in the state. In September 2012, the Prime Minister unveiled the student-entrepreneurship policy and launched “Emerging Kerala” project. I also pushed the student-entrepreneurship policy with a view to turning them into job-creators instead of jobseekers. The response was very encouraging, especially in the second year of the policy. We convened a big summit on September 12, 2014, named “Young Entrepreneurship Summit” (YES) and it was a great success. It was attended by some 4,500 delegates as against our expectations of 2,500. A new trend is here, and we are encouraging the startups.

Can you tell us something about the IT parks in the state?

Thiruvananthapuram Techno Park is best not only in India but in whole of Asia. As this Techno Park is full, we are planning another techno park city here. An info park in Ernakulam and a cyber park in Kozhikode are already under way. A smart city is also coming up, and a Dubai company has been provided 256 acres of land. The first stage of smart city is to be inaugurated in March 2015. We are fully satisfied from changes taking place in the development arena.

What about healthcare facilities in the state?

Literacy in the state is cent-per-cent and there is no starvation. However, according to our assessment, healthcare is one of the most important issues in today’s Kerala, as a large number of people require government assistance in this area. Although world-class healthcare facilities are available in Kerala, owing to financial problems, those are not available to everyone. A large number of families are yet to get access to health services in the state. So, we are planning a host of healthcare programmes. When we came to power in 2011, there were only five government medical colleges. We have decided to set up 16 government medical colleges across the state. We intend to provide free healthcare services to the common people, including free medicines and other facilities.

“We top the literacy and education chart, but we are amongst the last in terms of introduction of IT in different sectors. That’s why, now we are keen to develop the IT sector.”

How do you think IT can help improve governance in Kerala?

We lost lot many opportunities to develop IT network in the state, as since the 1980s, CPM opposed computerisation. They said computer is enemy of the youth. And, it was the time when other states excelled in computerisation and IT sector. We top the literacy and education chart, but we are amongst the last in terms of introduction of IT in different sectors. That’s why, now we are keen to develop the IT sector. We lost our chances in the past, but we will make it up through expeditious implementation of e-governance in Kerala. The Government of India has decided to make 50 districts of India e-districts, and among those 50 are 14 districts of the state. We are giving adequate importance to e-governance to ensure better delivery of citizen services. Akshaya service, first started in Kerala, is a model to the country. People living in villages are also getting excellent services…we want to take it forward.

You are also directly looking after the Science & Technology department in the state. What are the notable interventions in these areas?

The Science & Technology department in Kerala was established in 1972. Over the last three years, the department has added four premier institutions. To strengthen education and research in Basic Sciences, a new institution, Srinivas Ramanuja Institure of Basic Sciences (SRIBS) has been established at Kottayam. This is modelled on the lines of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. For felicitating technology transfer, in collaboration with Science & Technology department, Government of India, the State Centre Resource Institute of Partnerships in Technology (SCRIPT) started functioning in Trivandrum. To add value addition to the costly mineral sands of Kerala, a research & development institution, namely Critical Minerals Research Institute (KSCAT), was established for felicitating education, empowerment and employability of differently abled people, particularly the blind and visually challenged.