The sixth annual conference of the Higher Education Forum saw experts deliberating on the key issues facing the sector today, reports Shraddha Kamdar
Excellence in higher education is a goal that many bodies are working towards, and one of them is Higher Education Forum (HEF), a voluntary non-profit group established in 2009, representing various stakeholders directly or indirectly associated with higher education in India. And Excellence in Higher Education was the theme of HEF’s sixth annual conference held last week. As the experts convened at the K.J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research (SIMSR) on Saturday, March 14, the atmosphere was charged with dynamic energy.
The Inaugural Ceremony witnessed the thoughts and debates of several luminaries with extensive experience in different walks of life. Prof. Isaac Jacob, Associate Professor, SIMSR delivered the welcome address with a warm welcome to all the delegates and students. Dr. A. K. Sen Gupta, Founder and Convener of HEF, in his address on the reforms and agenda for the future, elaborated on the serious concerns he has arrived at after observing the country’s urban and semi-urban areas in details for this cause. He talked for three aspects that heavily impact the growth of the sector today – namely the extent of independence that institutions have, the extent of the quality of the primary and secondary education in the country and the extent of the linkages of higher education with the society and industry. “Much remains to be done in many areas, with everything being regulated right from the fees that can be charged to the curriculum and the qualifications of the faculty to be hired to the incentives offered,” he said. He also provided the silver lining, in the form of a circular reported to have been floated by the HRD ministry to the Central Universities allowing them the freedom to hire faculty that they deem fit for a period of three years. He said at least it was a start in the direction of some freedom. He also thanked all the core committee members and volunteers for their tireless work over two months to make the annual seminar possible.
Prof. Indira Parikh, Founder President of FLAME, Pune, in her academic theme talk on inculcating innovation on higher education, delivered a few thoughts as the entity of higher education independent of students and teachers. She beautifully brought out the sentiment of this entity right from its existence to the present day. She spoke of how institutions have emerged and evolved and how learning anchored. “Higher education is standing at a threshold and a cross road at the same time. What is beyond the threshold is something new, and we are not comfortable with it. Unless we cross the threshold and enter the new landscape of education, we will not be able to pick a path at the crossroads,” she said, highlighting that the new generation of students is different from its predecessors and will not shy away from looking elsewhere for a meaningful education experience if we are not able to provide it.
One of the wittiest addresses of the day was delivered by Jagdeep Kapoor, CMD, Samsika Marketing Consultants, in his talk on strategic marketing towards branding of higher education institutions. He provided a simple explanation on how human beings consume brands rather than things. He followed it up with the Nine-Brand Shashtra developed by him, the basis of which states that brand equals to trust. Kapoor also provided effective tips towards institutional branding, ending with an important point – to exceed people’s expectations.
This was followed by a passionate address by T. V. Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Manipl Global Education, on the future of higher education. His words were more compelling with the statistics he provided and by the mere virtue of numbers, the audience was awed by what he had to say. He offered that the current number of three crore students in colleges is going to go up to seven crore in a matter of only 15 years, by 2030, when India will have the largest student population in higher education in the world. He emphasised the need to be prepared for it, and provided his insights on the changes required.
Dr. Ramamurthy Natarajan, Former Director, IIT Madras and Former Chairman, AICTE, was eloquent in presenting his research, findings and experiences in the sector, as he delivered the keynote address on the future of regulation in Indian higher education institutes. He negated some of the views and provided the reasons for the necessity of regulation.
The seminar then eased on to its two panel discussions for the afternoon (see below). Towards the end, before the Valedictory Session, the HEF Innovation Awards were presented under different categories to education institutions (see sidebar).
The dynamic Dr. Rajan Saxena, Vice Chancellor, NMIMS University delivered the valedictory address on the future challenges and reforms agenda in higher education in India. He talked of how innovation is the need of the hour, since we are in a highly turbulent education environment from the perspective of politicization of education, even as we stand o the threshold of the new education policy likely to be announced by the government in 2016. He termed autonomy as a Utopian dream, owing to the continuous interventions that crop up from multiple bodies in every sphere of education in our country. Admitting that the government cannot be wished away, he laid out the principles of the kind of autonomy warranted by institutions today, with which they would be able to create varied experiences for the students today. He also touched upon the points of senior citizen education and women empowerment through our institutions.
The seminar concluded with the presidential address by Dr. Ganesh Natarajan, Vice Chairman and CEO, Zensar Technologies. He highlighted his feeling of optimism for Indian higher education and the reasons for it, and provided room for the audience to hope for a brighter future. He laid down the reason for his sense of optimism, which was rooted in the youth force as well as the women workforce of the country. He presented the case for digital literacy (being able to operate a device, any device) so that the population is not left at the mercy of the asymmetry of information. He said that total digital literacy would at least make India a land where nobody would be denied an opportunity for want of access! His concluding remark, made for perfect food for thought for the dispersing audience: “Do not allow any past cynicism to affect the future of this country!”
