Education Insider

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES: AVIATION SECTOR ‘CEOs sans selling skills will not survive’ Subroto Bagchi

May 2012 l `50 $5

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COUNTERPOINT

Sanjeev Bikhchandani

CAMPUS FOCUS

SAE Dubai

EXPERT TALK

Miriam Haenen

Kerala’s Best 25 Pvt Engg Colleges

Volume 1 Issue 2 | May 2012 Editor Business Office - India Ravi Deecee DC MEDIA Associate Editor DC Books Pvt Ltd T N Shaji No 387, Ist Cross 4th Block, 80 Feet Road Deputy News Editor Sanjeev Neelakantan Koramangala Bengaluru – 560034 Chief Sub Editor India Dipin Damodharan Business Office - International Sr. Reporters Lakshmi Narayanan DC Books Prashob K P Near Karama Metro Station Trade Centre Road Reporters Dubai, UAE Shani K Sreekanth Ravindran Editorial Office DC MEDIA Design Kailasnath DC Books Pvt Ltd Anil P John 234/C, Adjacent to YMCA Chittoor Road, Cochin – 35 BUSINESS Kerala, India Kainakari Shibu Contact Rohil Kumar A B Ph: +91 484 3047 405 G Sreekumar Biju P Alex Fax: +91 484 4021 145 Anu P M Mail: editorial@dcmedia.in, M Kumar info@dcmedia.in

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EDITOR’S NOTE

DC Media Publication

4

The significance of specialisation

S

pecialisation in education has become the most important asset of a person in today’s times due to the increasing competition in the job market. In almost every field, it is observed that people with in-depth knowledge and subject specialisations are preferred. Apart from being given preference in employment opportunities, specialisation in one’s own subject is also very important to enable a person to make significant contributions in his field of pursuance.

In fact, the most important purpose of education is to enable people to make useful and innovative contributions to their own areas of study. Only if such contributions come up, will the realm of various subjects expand and new theories emerge.

To ensure that such contributions come up, it is essential to see that students maintain a focus of subject throughout their years of study. They should take care to choose an interested field of study and try to focus on a particular area in it and become a scholar in it.

It is seen nowadays that students are bombarded with numerous options and new generation courses and the end result is that they get confused about what course to pursue. They often opt for a degree and then go in for an entirely different post-graduation which might look more prospective to them.

This might enable them to get employed instantly, but in the long run, they will not be able to make significant growth in their career since their academic acumen in their subject becomes limited. Students should try to select their areas of interest carefully and stick to that subject rather than dilly-dally over their courses. This will not only make them confident and well-versed in their subjects, but also enable them to make further contributions and develop new theories and expand the horizon of their subjects.

Educational institutions should properly train teachers who are able to assess the merits and aptitudes of each student and plan out his further course of study. Specialisation concerns itself with equipping a student with a skill or efficiency, whereas ‘general education’ aims at training of the powers of the mind for understanding men and things.

As social animals, it is also their duty to contribute to their society and make use of their acumen to enrich the lives of their fellow human beings. This will be possible only if they have deep knowledge of their subjects and an enquiring mind to relate their academic theories with the real life issues they see.

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

CONTENTS

24

COVER STORY

Why private universities hold the key?

Failure of state-run higher education institutions in providing adequate teachers, revamping the course structures in tune with the emerging economy, according priority to research initiatives and increasing the intake of students has given private universities an edge

28 34

COUNTERPOINT

Sanjeev Bikhchandani

India’s dot-com poster boy and founder of naukri.com Sanjeev Bikhchandani tells us why he decided to become an entrepreneur?

‘Private universities set to rule the roost’ Dr P Venkat Rangan, VC, Amrita University

42

64-77

EXPERT TALK

Miriam Haenen

Educationist

Kerala’s Best 25 Pvt Engg Colleges

6

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

CONTENTS

37

CAMPUS FOCUS

SAE Dubai

SAE Institute Dubai is making concerted efforts to develop world-class content for the media and entertainment sector in the Middle East by giving the industry a new breed of youth capable of innovations

48 45

BRAINWAVE Mallika Sarabhai

INDIAN CAMPUS

Mallika Sarabhai finds gaps in our education system

ISB, Hyderabad

EDUPRENEUR

Prof J Philip XIME

Log on to http://educationinsider.thewinkstore.com

Columns 36 I Karthikeyan Iyer 55 I Snehaj Srinivas

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

7

NEWS PICS

Vietnamese teachers to learn English in India

NEW DELHI: As part of efforts to promote learning through the medium of English, Vietnam will be sending about 20,000 English teachers to India for training in the language over the next few years.

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan presented a proposal in this connection to Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal. English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad, Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University have agreed to work with Vietnamese institutions on this project. India will also assist Vietnam in curriculum development.

This cooperation programme would also include the introduction of Indian studies in Vietnam and Vietnam studies in India.

No salaries for Mizoram school teachers AIZAWL: Due to lack of funds, 4,835 teachers of 541 government schools in Mizoram have not been paid their salaries since January.

A senior Mizoram school department official told reporters, “At least Rs 173.58 crore was required for paying salaries to teachers during the just-concluded financial year (2011-12). The state finance department had allocated only Rs 113.20 crore for the purpose in the last fiscal.” The agitating Mizoram government teachers who staged various types of protests organized a rally seeking timely payment of salaries.

VCU to establish India Chair WASHINGTON: For a thorough understanding of the Indian democratic structure, a US university has decided to establish the India Chair, which is said to be the first endowed Chair in North America devoted to study the various aspects of governance in the country. The India Chair in Democracy and Civil Society at the L Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs of the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) will also study India’s history and culture and the vibrancy of its civil society.

IGNOU launches water conservation course

UK varsity’s MoU with Mumbai college

NEW DELHI: The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has started its admission process for two special courses in water harvesting. Admissions are open for a diploma course in watershed management and a certificate course in water harvesting and management. The new session will begin in July.

The programmes are meant for those interested in acquiring basic knowledge and skills for water harvesting, conservation and utilisation. It also includes basic aspects of agriculture like soil erosion and its management, integrated farming systems like crop husbandry, animal husbandry, agro-forestry and fish farming. The diploma programme can be completed in minimum one year and maximum four years while the time period for the certificate programme is minimum six months and maximum two years, the varsity informed.

MUMBAI: Britainbased University of Westminster signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mumbai’s HR College of Commerce and Economics to expand its Indian scholarship programme, officials said. “India has historically been an important partner for the University of Westminster, through students who have come to learn with us, academics who have shared their expertise, and as a partner for research,” said University of Westminster Pro Vice-Chancellor Myszka Guzkowska, while announcing their new Indian presence.

On the occasion, the university announced its new partnership with the prestigious Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi. The university also announced a new series of scholarships, specifically for Indian students, worth 1, 50,000 pounds. It is also launching an Indian Alumni Association, whose primary objective will be to promote a strong relationship between its alumni, current students, faculty and the university as a whole.

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EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

NEWS PICS

Shanghai may get its first boys’ school BEIGING: Shanghai may soon get its first boys’ school if a plan by an education official gets the go-ahead.

“The single-sex school solution is being proposed in a bid to improve the academic performance of boys, who are consistently being outperformed by girls. I felt it’s an educator’s responsibility to solve the ‘boys crisis’,” said Lu Qisheng, president of Shanghai No.8 High School. Girls mature faster than boys and it may give girls an edge in academic studies, but boys with poor exam scores may become discouraged, Shanghai Daily quoted Lu as saying. Lu believes boys and girls should be educated differently according to their character in order to reduce the new gender imbalance.

Intel develops study tablet NEW DELHI: Chip giant Intel introduced a new 7-inch education tablet named study book, a portable device with a seven-inch touch screen that is encased in particularly rugged plastic. Like its prior entries in education, Intel designed the device, but expects it to be branded, customised and sold by hardware companies to students in emerging and industrialised countries.

Pricing may depend on factors such as software and hardware add-ons. But the tablets should start at less than $200 each, says Kapil Wadhera, general manager of Intel’s education market platforms group. Hitting price points well below the iPad – with its $499 starting price – is essential in underdeveloped countries. The tablet weighs 525 grams and offers 5.5 hours of battery life on active usage, which pales in comparison to iPad’s estimated 10 hours’ battery life. The study book supports up to 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The tablet’s multi-touch screen can display images at a 1024-by-600-pixel resolution.

Kerala teachers to teach in Brazil THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: About 500 teachers from Kerala might get an opportunity to teach in Brazilian schools in the near future, say officials.

The teachers, who need not necessarily know the Portuguese language, would teach Maths and English from Class 1 to 6 using the education inventory tools developed by state-owned IT@ School. M Sivasankar, secretary of the state’s General Education Department, and K Anvar Sadath, executive director, IT@ School Project, said that their visit to Brazil has been a success in exploring the possibilities of instituting a programme of academic collaboration between Brazil and Kerala.

Through this largest ever academic collaboration with Brazil, selected teachers from Kerala would teach Maths and English at 40 schools in the Pernambuco state of Brazil.

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

New e-learning initiative in UAE DUBAI: Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai launched a Dh 1 billion e-learning initiative for public schools.

The project, titled Mohammad Bin Rashid Initiative for Smart Learning, is an integrated e-learning platform, which will involve teachers, students, administrators as well as parents through a network, enhancing the learning experience further. The phase one of the project, which is part of UAE Vision 2021, will be launched in September 2012, piloting with Grade 6 to 9 in 18 schools run by the Ministry of Education (MoE). The initiative will be jointly implemented by the MoE and the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority in four phases over the next five years.

WB offers credit for edu in India WASHINGTON: For improving the standards of secondary education, the World Bank has offered $500 million interest-free credit to India. The World Bank approved the credit that will help the Indian government’s efforts to make good quality education available, accessible and affordable to all young persons at the secondary level (grades 9 and 10). The project will support all activities as envisioned in the $12.9 billion Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan programme.The project will be financed by a credit from the International Development Association, the World Bank’s concessionary lending arm, which provides interest-free loans with 25 years to maturity and a grace period of five years. The money will be used for setting up libraries, computer laboratories, upgrading primary schools into secondary schools and providing training to teachers.

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NEWS PLUS

NCTE begins revamp of teaching education system ALLAHABAD: Following the implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009, the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) has taken an initiative to reform and revamp the teaching education system in the country. All courses of teacher education

like BEd, MEd, NTT (Nursery Teachers Training), BPEd and MPEd will undergo revision.

Member of NCTE, northern regional committee, and AU public relation officer Prof PK Sahoo said, “The revamp is being carried out as per the NCERT curriculum framework and is aimed at improving the teacher education system.”

He said the NCTE has already begun the revamp process and set up four sub-committees under a specially formed commission for the purpose. A separate sub-committee will scrutinise the distance education system and the use of information and communication technologies in teacher education, while another panel will study preparation of teacher educators.

The NCTE is also in the process of developing new, improved resource materials for teacher education programmes. The NCTE had revamped these courses in 2009, but at that time, many universities and colleges had refused to adopt the changes. With the RTE Act getting implemented, all universities, private and government colleges will have to conduct the courses in accordance with the NCTE norms, Prof Sahoo said.

Many EU countries promote entrepreneurship education BRUSSELS: Entrepreneurship education is being increasingly promoted in most European countries, according to a new report published by the European Commission.

Eight countries – Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Wales and the Flemish part of Belgium – have launched specific strategies to promote entrepreneurship education, while 13 others – Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey – include it as part of their national lifelong learning, youth or growth strategies. The report says that half of the European countries are engaged in a process of educational reforms which include the strengthening of entrepreneurship

10

education. A total of 31 European countries and five regions were surveyed for the report, entitled ‘Entrepreneurship Education at School in Europe.’

Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, said: “Entrepreneurship education is a driver for future growth and will help us inspire the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.”

The report shows that entrepreneurship education is explicitly recognised in the primary education curricula of two-thirds of the countries surveyed. While entrepreneurship is not taught

as a separate subject in primary schools, half of the countries have defined learning outcomes which relate to entrepreneurial attitudes and skills such as sense of initiative, risk-taking and creativity.

Education for entrepreneurship is proposed as a cross curricular theme identified as essential for the education of all students and for achieving the aims of education.

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

NEWS PLUS

China edu fair offers vast opportunities BEIJING: The 13th China (Liaoning) International Education Exhibition(CLIEE) is scheduled to take place from July 7 to 15. Being officially hosted by the Education Department of Liaoning Province, this year’s CLIEE will focus on international education exchange and cooperation with local universities and colleges. CLIEE will take participating universities on a recruitment tour to Dalian, Anshan and Shenyang, three major cities in Liaoning province. Liaoning province is located on the southern most tip of the north-east China region. The Liaoning province’s proximity to the sea has given it commercial and strategic advantages. Shenyang is the capital city of Liaoning province.

The fourth largest city in China, Shenyang is a leading manufacturing hub in a highly industrialised area, having one of the largest machine tool plants in China. There are 89 vocational junior and senior middle schools with 55,000 students and 10 adult schools, training 13,900 students annually.

Shenyang is also equipped with 25 universities and colleges with 350,000 students. On the other hand, Anshan’s huge integrated iron and steel complex is

the largest in China. With a population of 3.6 million, it has more than 38,000 students in high schools and 20,000 in universities. The exhibition will provide a good platform for international recruiters to meet students face-to-face from these three cities of the province. The event also provides brilliant network opportunities for international recruiters to meet local agents and representatives of educational institutions from China.

ABBS annual meet in August BENGALURU: Acharya Bangalore Business School (ABBS) to organise its annual international conference on August 22 and 23 in Colombo. The conference will focus on the business opportunities in emerging Asia. At the conference, ABBS has been focusing on themes of relevance to the academic, research and corporate community in particular and society in general. In the last two editions, the conference dealt with the ‘Business Vision 2020’ and the ‘Changing Global Dynamics and Business Opportunities in India’. ABBS would provide a platform to potential leaders and invite papers from across the world to shed light on the business opportunities in emerging Asia. Some of the key issues that will be taken up at the conference are tourism, education, infrastructure, food processing, manufacturing, non-conventional energy, outsourcing and retailing.

Scholars can send papers on any topic related to the theme of the conference. The last date for submission of papers along with registration fee is May 31.

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EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY, KALADY

(An ISO 9001:2008 Certified Institution, Approved by AICTE, Affiliated to M.G. University)

KALADY,KERALA-683574 Ph:0484-2463825 E-mail:adishankara.net@gmail.com Website:www.adishankara.net

B.TECH

ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

M.TECH MBA

ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION

APPLIED ELECTRONICS AND INSTRUMENTATION

COMPUTER SCIENCE

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

VLSI & EMBEDDED SYSTEM COMPUTER SCIENCE POWER ELECTRONICS & POWER SYSTEMS

With specialisation in HR,Finance and Marketing

B.TECH M.TECH MBA Results

Best results in the university % pass never falls below 78% 7 batches passed out Produced 13 university ranks.

1489 placements in top IT and non IT Companies

MBA admission started.Those who have MAT score more than 600 can apply now.

Add-on course of Logistic management.

PLACEMENT TRACK RECORD ASIET HAS CROSSED 1450 PLACEMENT OFFERS

2006 2007 2008 2009 Software Core Industry

170

175

180

20

13

20

190

12 200

BPO Total

2010

2011 2012

190 30

160

198

212

20

41

47

10 10 210 230

30 210

17 256

30 289

First self financing college toImplement Campus Connect soft skill & Technical program partnering with Infosys Get five university ranks in the 2010 University Examination Be visited by Former President of India for interaction with the students Have record placement of 85% consecutively from the first batch.

Cross 1247 placement offers in the first decade of Academic excellence.

Awarded the status of Active Centre by Infosys and Shriram Group of Companies Top rated college among new geneartion self financing colleges.

Register 20 patentsof students projects Achieve an over all pass percentage of 95% consecutively from the first batch.

INDUSTRY INTERACTION & ACADEMICS Training programs by experts from relevant industries-Incubation Centre- Campus Connect with Infosys-concurrent industrial visit by students and Faculty- collaboration with Department of Science and Technology-Webinar interactions with prominent experts from International Universities-Mission-10X with Wipro.

Companies who visited ASIET 2011-2012 TCS,CTS,HCL Technologies,Accenture, UST Global,Reliance Communications, PCIL,L&T Infotech,Sutherland Global Services,Godrej Infotech,IGate Patni,Sri Ram Group of Companies,Videocon,Blue Star IBS,Orion India,Federal BankMPhasis, South Indian Bank,ICICI Bank,HDFC Life etc

YOUNG ACHIEVERS

Adventure sports are meant for those free spirits who have a knack to accomplish the impossible. It beckons youngsters bubbling with energy, passion, extraordinary skills, positivity and perseverance. In this edition, we turn the spotlight on three adventurers who have scaled new heights

Hats off to you, Sucheta!

C

an you imagine yourself walking on the road for a few hours on a humid day when the temperature is hovering around 35 degree celsius? How about crossing a desert where the atmospheric temperature is above 50 degree celsius?

Sounds impossible to you? Well, kudos to Sucheta Kadethankar, an adventure-loving lady from Pune, who bagged the title of ‘The first Indian to have crossed the Gobi desert” in the year 2011. She was part of an expedition that attempted to walk across the desert in Mongolia, a distance of 1,626 km, over a span of 60 days. Only seven of the participants, including Sucheta, made it to the finishing line, while six of them dropped out, mostly because of injuries. Crossing the Gobi is no mean task. One of the biggest deserts with a high atmospheric temperature and low humidity, Gobi’s nasty climate can test one’s survival instincts. But then, Sucheta’s tenacity, determination and passion for adventure helped her overcome the challenges.

View from roof of the world

A

panoramic view of one of the world’s most beautiful landscapes from a high vantage point can be breathtaking for anyone. We are not talking about an aerial view from the cosy confines of an aeroplane. It’s a view from the roof of the world. Meet the Pune-born mountaineer Krushnaa Patil, who had the good fortune to treat herself with a bird’s eye view of the world from the pinnacle of the 8848-feet-high Mount Everest. At 20, she is the youngest woman in India to climb the mountain. For this Rajiv Gandhi Women Achiever Award winner, mountaineering gives the greatest satisfaction. Soon after conquering Mount Everest, she became the first Indian woman to scale the summit of Mount Vinson Massif, the highest peak in Antarctica. She has also scaled Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mount Kosciuszko in Australia, Mount Elbrus in Europe, and Mount Aconcagua in South America. While you are reading this, she may well be on her next expedition. Setting new mountaineering records has become her favourite hobby.

That’s the mark of a woman

F

or Jennifer Nichols, toys were never her childhood companions. Instead of dolls and teddies, she had a bow and arrows to engage herself in playful activities. That was the beginning of her grooming in archery. The American archery champion could hit the bull’s eye almost every time even at a tender age. Sharp to the point, with a straight focus - that’s Jennifer’s idea of an adventure. She started taking lessons in archery at the age of nine. Her father had gifted her first bow as a gift toy for Christmas.

She never knew then that her sharp shooting skills would catapult her to the adventurous world of shooting. Jennifer’s obsession to archery made her a strong participant in national and international competitions. She has represented America at the Olympics, the Pan-American Games Championship, the US National Championship, and the Indoor World Championship. Jennifer’s speed, accuracy and vibrancy in the field of archery makes her a unique sportswoman.

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EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

PERSONALITIES Jonathan Blow

The gamer with wits Video games are often referred to as a lazy man’s game, though they have many fans from children to the elderly. So, what’s so special about the people who design these games? Well, they just know how to provoke the gaming instincts in a person.

Meet Jonathan Blow, a US-based freelance video game developer, who is set to cement his legacy in this sector with his new game ‘The Witness’

T

hese days, children are familiar to the animated world of laser guns, obnoxious aliens, supersonic jets and fast cars right from an age when they start developing their first teeth. They may not know how to play video games at that tender age, but the visual treat and brilliant audio engineering make video games enticing enough even for the grown-ups.

Perhaps, that’s one reason why the multi-million-dollar video-gaming industry in the US stands out as one of the most viable sectors where creativity promises handsome returns. Jonathan Blow is not the conventional role model, but his genius as a game developer makes him the face of a new breed of innovators.

Jonathan has been active in the gaming profession since 2006, when he won the ‘Game Design’ award at the Independent Games Festival. He says his initiation into computer science had served him an opportunity to enter the world of gaming. He even left college one semester before completion of graduation, owing to the passion for developing video games.

Soon after withdrawal from college, he started to eke out a living by creating imaginary characters for video games. When he got a tremendous response to his creations, he planned to consolidate his foothold in

the industry by developing a game of his own. Widespread recognition for his popular game Braid in 2008 helped him carve out a unique identity in the industry.

Since then, he has hosted the Experimental Gameplay Workshop, and has been a big advocate of innovation in games and game design.

At the beginning of his career, the young man worked as a content writer for the product columns of Game Developer Magazine, a premier publication revered by both working and aspiring video game creators. As the monthly magazine reached over 35,000 industry professionals, Jonathan could develop good contacts within the sector, which helped him later in popularising his games. One of his games, Atlantic, is considered to be the most dangerous game ever designed.

In the year 2008, when he was under a debt of $40,000 and leading a spartan lifestyle, his game Braid opened the doors to a better lifestyle and earnings.

That year, he had earned $200,000 and it was only beginning of a millionaire gamer in the making.

Now, the entire gaming industry is waiting for ‘The Witness’, the latest from the stables of this audacious game developer.

In the year 2008, when he was under a debt of $40,000 and leading a spartan lifestyle, his game Braid gave him a new lease of life. That year, Jonathan earned $200,000

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

Prof J Philip EDUPRENEUR

An inspiring success story of promise, fulfillment

By Dipin Damodharan & Lakshmi Narayanan

M

The intense emotional bond that a father shared with his beloved daughter, the intent to deliver on a personal promise against all odds and resurrect a life through constructive humanism led to the birth of one of the top-rated B-schools in India, XIME. With his uncompromising commitment to social values, Prof J Philip, founder director and current president of Bengaluru-based XIME made a mark for himself as the most revered and humane edupreneur in South India. Here is the saga of a father who donned the mantle of an edupreneur to honour the promise he had made to his daughter while she was alive

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

ore than an entrepreneurship saga, this is the moving story of a father and his beloved daughter and their collective dream... A story that shaped the foundation of the Bengaluru-based Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship (XIME), a reputed management institute founded by revered management guru Prof J Philip. Today, the all-round success of XIME is a testimony to the aphorism that “Positive emotions in one’s mind will always yield better outcomes.”

Prof Philip recollects the beginning of XIME to Education Insider, “I recall the beginning with great happiness – a dream came true with the establishment of a first rate B-School in South India. This was also the fulfillment of a commitment to my late daughter Maria (who died in a freak accident in 1986, when she was just 22½ years old).”

In memory of Maria

Prof Philip began his career at Xavier Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur in 1960. He became the dean and professor of management at XLRI in March 1970. After that, he had served the Steel Authority of India Limited as the principal of the company’s Central Management College in Ranchi. In January 1980, he joined the Oberoi Hotels Group as its vicepresident (human resources). While he was serving as the director of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (from 1985 to 1991), the idea of XIME occurred to his daughter Maria.“Maria was really the inspiration behind this venture. A week before she died in that terrible accident on September 30, 1986 in Chennai, she had spoken to me about starting a B-School in Bangalore once my term with IIM-B was over, and that she would come and help me in that effort. She had spoken to

17

EDUPRENEUR Prof J Philip me on this issue once before, when she visited IIM-B sometime in June 1986,” says Prof Philip.

“Sometimes, fate is like that.

Maria had to give up her life in an accident. When I saw her dead body lying on the floor of the casu(Late) Maria Philip, alty ward at the daughter of Madras General Prof J Philip Hospital in the evening of September 30, 1986, I was shattered.

My wife collapsed on me. What a terrible tragedy for me, my wife and our two children… that this jewel should pass away at the prime age of 22½? And why should this happen to us? How could this accident happen, an accident which was so difficult to happen? Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind: Did she come to tell me that I should build a good B-School in South India and then vanish from the scene after having played her part? I remembered the passion and urgency with which she spoke to me. She was a keen observer of what I was doing in my professional career, including my directorship at IIM-B,” Prof Philip reminisces.

“As we were getting ready to go back to Bangalore from my family home, I told my wife, ‘Maria is gone. We will never get her back. But I will make sure that I produce hundreds of Marias in the years to come. That is my commitment to her’.” That was the beginning of XIME. “XIME was registered on June 19, 1991,” the birth date of XIME in Prof Philip’s words.

Money, the real challenge

As usual, money was the real challenge before Philip. He started XIME with a paltry sum of Rs 60,000. He had a firm belief that he would find the money without resorting to the standard practice of capitation fee, NRI quota, management quota and the like. “XIME would be an institution where admission would purely be based on merit. And it has been so all these years,” Prof Philip says. Then, how did he overcome that crisis? “We raised the needed money through the generosity of a large number of friends, well-wishers, philanthropists and industries. Some of the early supporters of XIME were Bhageeratha Engineering, Casino Group, Synthite Group, V-Guard, Canara Paper Mills and a number of public-spirited individuals.

Corporate supporters include the TATA Group, the Oberoi Hotels, Biocon, India Cements, etc. XIME, truly, is a partnered institution of

18

academia and industry.”

The next challenge was on the faculty front.

But he succeeded in finding his own solutions for that. “Land was the third problem – I was aghast to see black money in land transactions.

We simply did not stand a chance to buy private land since we had no black money. Fortunately, we were able to get the required land, both in Karnataka and Kerala, through government’s developmental agencies. And we thank KIADB, Karnataka, and KINFRA, Kerala, for their thoughtful action in this regard,” says Prof Philip.

Prof Philip, who had a strong vision for XIME, thinks the purpose of its existence was both social and altruistic. His days at XLRI also inspired him throughout his career. “My 11 years at XLRI were glorious years. I felt as if I belonged to the institute and the institute belonged to me. It was a perfect ‘moral relationship’.” This kind of an intrapreneurship spirit really helped him while founding XIME. “I had been a ‘workaholic’ from day one. Besides, I was influenced, early in my life, by a few fundamental ideas which management guru Peter Drucker had advocated: value time, keep asking what your upward contribution is and be good in boss management. On the ‘employer’ part, I never felt like one. I considered myself as the leader of a winning team. But I must admit, I am a relentless driver for performance,” says Prof Philip.

Moulding managers with values

XIME is now regarded as a first rate BSchool in India, which offers programmes such as PGDM and Executive PGDM. Providing high class training rooted in strong human values makes XIME unique in comparison

According to Prof Philip, building an enterprise is not an easy job.

It is going to take every ounce of your psychic energy and staying-in power. It is never going to be a cakewalk.

Don’t throw in all your resources at the same time. There must be something to fall back upon to other business schools. “When it comes to values, I must state that I am an unabashed believer in meritocracy. Therefore, XIME has no kind of reservations, quotas or special seats.

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY Mulavoor P.O, Ernakulam District., Kerala.-686673 UG Courses Offered

M.Tech

B.Tech

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2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

PG Courses Offered

Civil Engineering Mechanical Engineering Electrical & Electronics Engg.

Electronics & Communication Computer Science & Engg.

Information Technology

1.

2.

3.

4.

Applied Electronics Computer Science & Engg.

Computer Aided Structural Engg.

Computer Science & Information Systems.

MBA

1.Master Of Bussines Administration

MCA

1. Master Of Computer Application

Why ILAHIA?  Integrated Campus with modern infrastructure facilities.  Well designed class rooms equipped with modern teaching aids.  Experienced faculty with proven track record.  Personality development programs by international trainers.  Full fledged facility for carrier guidance & placement.  Well Disciplined campus.  Excellent sports and Recreation facility.  Facilities for co-curricular, extracurricular and self enhancement programmes.  Scholarship for meritorious students.  Up to date information regarding students academic progress.  Close monitoring of students academic performance with focus on weak students.  Concurrent parent teacher’s interaction to update the student’s performance.  Implementing the mission excellent performance program to focus on the overall program of the students.

K.M.Shamsudheen Chairman

M.M.Muhammed Kunju Manager

Dr.Babu Kurian Principal

EDUPRENEUR Prof J Philip

All admissions are based on merit. A visitor to XIME will be impressed by the diversity of our student body and the gender balance. The girl students’ ratio never went below 35 per cent. In the year 2010, the girls’ percentage reached 51, a record for Indian B-Schools. We also believed in charging only moderate fees. In the 2nd level institutions in the country, we would, perhaps, be one of the lowest when it comes to fees,” says Prof Philip.

Prof Philip believes that true learning takes place through the act of doing things. So, the students’ body at XIME is given plenty of opportunities to organise, manage and lead events.

The institute provides the necessary environment and support. There is also considerable emphasis on developing communication skills,

ness Schools. Prof Philip was its first President.

XIME is also known for developing ‘entrepreneurship qualities’ in students.

Message to budding entrepreneurs

According to Prof Philip, building an enterprise is not an easy job. It is going to take every ounce of your psychic energy and staying-in power. It is never going to be a cakewalk.

Don’t throw in all your resources at the same time. There must be something to fall back upon. He says, “It is going to be a struggle. But creating something new and becoming the master of oneself is a great joy. In my view, these are the essential qualities that an entrepreneur must possess: (i) a high level of self- efficacy – confidence in oneself ; (ii) a lateral thinker and a calculated risk-taker; (iii) comfortable with

As usual, money was the real challenge before Philip. He started XIME with a paltry sum of Rs 60,000. But Philip had a firm belief that he would find the money without resorting to the standard practice of capitation fee, NRI quota, management quota and the like

both written and oral. And these are clearly seen when XIME students participate in intercollegiate fests, where they win in most events almost as a routine. XIME had taken the initiative in forming the Association of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Busi-

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Prof J Philip

ambiguity; (iv) willing to put in long hours of work; (v) excellent capability in anticipating roadblocks and overcoming the same; (vi) not overdo or overreach; (vii) build a small band of committed colleagues early enough; and (viii) develop perseverance.

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

VOICES

“A dramatic reform is necessary in the legal education system to make the law fraternity sensitive to the needs of marginalised sections” Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India

“Public Private Partnership is prudent because I feel that the professional expertise offered by a private institution, when combined with the government’s infrastructural support and reach, can help us overcome the problems that are usually encountered during the execution of public policies” Meena Ganesh, CEO, Edurite Technologies

“Without a strong base in the field of science and technology, no nation can stake claim to a leadership role in the modern world” Jonathan D Moreno, Professor, Pennsylvania University

“The Gross Enrolment Ratio will improve only if we make concerted efforts towards making teaching methods in schools more childfriendly. Such a move will improve the quality of education” Prof Piyush Trivedi, Vice-Chancellor, RGPV, Madhya Pradesh

“Everybody wants higher education in the fields of technology, natural science, medicine and management to be redesigned so as to enable young minds to innovate products, services and processes” Johan Roos, management expert

“That’s the thing about science fairs — anyone with a good idea, initiative and determination to work at it can win, and those are the people who are out there changing the world” Shree Bose, cancer researcher

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EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

COVER STORY Why private universities hold the key?

Taking the lead in future education The Government of India brought the Private Universities Establishment and Regulation Bill way back in 1995. Since then, the dynamics in the higher education sector have undergone a sea change. Today, government-funded institutes do not figure in the priority list of the new crop of students. While the government is taking stock of the high dropout rates among students soon after school education, private universities are unabashedly wooing students with their market-driven courses, better learning tools and easy placements. As the debate on the negative side of privatisation in the education sector is still raging, newer and higher benchmarks of learning are being showcased by private universities. For now, private universities seem to be in a better position to bargain

By Lakshmi Narayanan & Shani K

N

ew trends indicate that the learning curve in India’s higher education sector may soon acquire a private face, and the government’s presence could at best be described as the aura surrounding the face. How and why? The answer lies in India’s new age growth. As India Inc’s trailblazing success in scripting epoch-making successes in the domestic and international markets continues to marvel the world, there is a burgeoning need for a more pronounced approach towards innovation and research initiatives, capacity expansion and capability enhancement among corporate establishments across all sectors. This has given a fresh impetus to the education sector since the stakeholders of India’s emerging economy will be looking forward to increasing the bench strength of its leaders by generating more skill-based talent pools from the new kids on the block — a colossal demand that certainly can’t be met by government-funded universities alone.

That’s where a new breed of edupreneurs has

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stepped in. With backing from venture capitalists, indepth knowledge of the fundamentals of business and the market-driven professional disciplines, a healthy line-up of visionary teachers and an impressive array of learning, research and development facilities, these edupreneurs have produced a viable alternative to the government-funded institutes in the form of private universities.

So, what’s wrong with the government-funded universities? A strong aversion to take a departure from the traditional branches of higher studies and modernise the course structure, lack of trained faculty, scant emphasis on promotion of research programmes, absence of a vision or roadmap for future growth, paucity of investment and dearth of sound budgetary measures, embarrassingly low intake of students through competitive exams and the dreariness of an exam-centric system are some key issues tarnishing the image of government-funded universities, especially in states. All this has also caused a

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

shift of priorities among the new crop of students who are being wooed by a bevy of private universities with better learning tools and easy placements. In addition to all this, the purchasing power

to set up education institutes with little knowledge of the modes of learning and the infrastructure required to support it. Such an unhealthy practice led to the mushrooming of various types of

of the middle income groups has trebled over the years, improving their access to services that come with a premium.

“What made the US superior in education is nothing but private universities. Education thrives in an atmosphere of freedom and in an atmosphere of autonomy,” said Prof J Philip, President, XIME Bangalore and the former Director of IIM-Bangalore at a seminar on education held recently in Kochi. “Control leads to corruption, and freedom leads to progress,” he added. The words of Prof Philip evidently points towards the urgency to promote more private universities in India.

Private players started foraying into the higher education sector in the 1990s following the economic liberalisation. In the beginning, entrepreneurs with political influences and deep pockets starting

institutions with no credibility. Interestingly, the first state to enact legislation on private universities was Chhattisgarh, where more than 100 private universities sprang up soon after the passage of the Bill, in clear violation of the guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC). When these universities were slapped with closure orders by the Supreme Court, it made national headlines.

State That’s when the common man learned, perhaps, for the first time the pitfalls of education in Rajasthan the private sector. Incidentally, Uttar Pradesh ever since that fiasco, there has been a significant refinement Himachal Pradesh in the profile, portfolio and delivery mechanism of private Gujarat universities.

Madhya Pradesh According to the latest

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

data, there are 107 private universities in India. There are many more colleges which are working their way up to become private deemed universities and private universities established by law. Noted academicians have described the establishment of private universities as a ‘milestone’ in the higher education sector.

“In this era of liberalisation and globalisation of education, it is germane to attract, encourage and promote private sector investment in the realm of higher education and lay the legislative pathway to establish and incorporate private selffinancing universities in India,” asserts Swati Mujumdar, Director, Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning.

Why private universities?

The higher education system in India is largest in the world in terms of the number of institutes and the third-largest in terms of enrolments. But the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education in India is 12 per cent as compared to the global average of 23 per cent.

Only 2.5 million of the seven million students who make it to class XII go on to the next level (university education).

These high drop-out rates are attributed to three reasons—lack of accessibility, affordability and employability. Now, the government has set a target of achieving 30 per cent GER by 2020. Such a feat is not possible without the assistance of private universities, which should primarily rationalise their fee structures so as to increase their visibility and access among drop-out students. As of today, the private higher education market in India is estimated to be worth $10 billion and growing at a rate of 11 per cent a year. The growth rate is reflective of the recognition and faith by a sizeable section of students and parents in private universities.

Thanks to the existence of stringent rules and regulations, private universities

No of pvt universities 24 16 12 9 6

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COVER STORY Why private universities hold the key? can neither bypass the state government and the UGC nor compromise on quality. According to Mujumdar, the basic feature of a private university is that it is unitary in nature and cannot affiliate an institution/college. It can establish off campus centre(s) and off-shore centres, subject to certain conditions including the number of years of existence with prior approval of the state government and concurrence of the UGC. Distance education courses can be started by a private university only after prior approval of the Distance Education Council and concurrence of the state government.

“Private university is a new concept where self-financed universities can be established by private sponsoring bodies without financial aid from the state. A number of private universities have been established in various states. It is the right time to develop and implement a progressive framework that provides opportunities to deserving private institutions and educational promoters, with relevant and sufficient experience and exposure in the field of higher education, to contribute towards the expansion of higher education and research in India,” says Swati Majumdar.

Private universities should know how to groom students into leadership positions. Teaching should be directed towards the overall development of a student’s personality, or else, there’s the danger of being stuck in a menial job in the absence of leadership traits. Private universities have to tighten their grip on the education sector by introducing new generation courses.

They should have a dedicated faculty of experienced academicians and a visiting faculty capable of introducing the students to the intricacies of the corporate world. This would hold them in a commanding position as against government-funded universities.

How? A large number of government-funded universities have no permanent faculty. They are dependent on less qualified or freshly passed out students as guest lecturers. That’s one of the reasons why many parents are not willing to send their children to governmentfunded universities.

In today’s globalised world, a number of employers are looking for candidates from innovative private universities i.e. those experimenting with novel courses in sync with the rapidly changing profile of the emerging economy. Private universities are already encouraging students to take part in creative programmes and work on development of innovative products and solutions.

Major pvt universities (India)

United States

Amity University

Harvard University

Symbiosis University

Stanford University

Lovely Professional Univ.

MIT

Amrita University

Yale University

SRM University

Rice University

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Research-oriented education can produce students who can combine foresight, technical know-how and subject expertise to bring about desirable changes in society by providing readymade solutions to the social, economic Swati Mujumdar, and political challenges Director, Symbiosis Centre of the new age. for Distance Learning Dr P Venkat Rangan, Vice-Chancellor, Amrita University In this era of stresses the imporliberalisation tance of putting more & globalconfidence on private universities. “When isation of we look at the US, the education, it government there has so is germane much confidence in prito attract, vate universities such as Massachusetts Institute encourage of Technology (MIT), and promote Stanford University etc. private sector Most of the technology developments investment for the Second World in the realm War came from MIT. of higher There (the US), private education universities deliver most of the technologies required for the nation.

Similarly, the government here should have more trust and confidence in the private university system,” says Dr Rangan.

Ratings and surveys

There are a handful of private institutions at the top of the quality ladder, but a majority of them are functioning like degree-delivering institutions. They only hand out degree certificates at the end of the course without focusing on the quality of the curriculum or the competencies achieved by students. In order to ensure the quality of such institutes, we have to evaluate their services and grade them with appropriate quality ratings. We can also conduct surveys that stress upon the need for qualitative education. Major independent rating agencies like CRISIL, ICRA or CARE are already conducting surveys on these private universities and publicly announcing their ratings to prospective students, enabling them to make the right choice.

Open exchange of information on the financials and credibility of the institutions in student forums and ratings by independent agencies will only generate healthy competition between various private institutions. It will also put pressure on the government-funded institutions to improve quality. On the other hand, many academicians are calling for the establishment of a strong monitoring body that can oversee the functioning of private universities and guide them towards the right direction.

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

COVER STORY Why private universities hold the key?

‘Private universities set to rule the roost’ Why has India failed to produce a world-class university so far? Is it because major educational institutions here are being run by the government?

Yes. Many in the academia think so. They believe that since state-run universities have too many limitations, private universities have a big role to play in the process of nation-building. “Now it’s the time for the government to put more faith, trust and confidence in private universities as in the case of the US and other Western countries,” suggests Dr P Venkat Rangan, Vice-Chancellor of Amrita University and a globally acclaimed technological celebrity, who founded the Multimedia Laboratory at the University of California.

Dr Rangan says that private universities should get more encouragement and support from the authorities concerned.

In an exclusive interaction with Education Insider at the Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham campus, Dr Rangan sounded enthusiastic about the role of private universities in the emerging scenario. Excerpts:

By Dipin Damodharan As yours is one of the major private universities in India, how do you perceive the role of private universities in higher education?

In my opinion, private universities have a very important role to play in Indian higher education sector. Take the case of the United States education system, which is considered to be a highly advanced and excellent system.

About 40-50 years ago, most of the universities in the United States were state-afforded universities, i.e. public universities, or government-supported universities. But look at the change that took place in due course of time.

If you look at the top ten universities in America today, seven of the top ten are private universities, which have the vision to pursue excellence.

Similarly, in India, if we look at the top 10 companies, most of them are private companies like TATA, Infosys etc. A similar movement or phenomenon can be seen in the higher education sector now. Today, the top universities in India are all government-supported universities for historical reasons. But in a few years from now, there is a strong possibility of the emergence of private universities as the key players in the Indian education sector. After all, they are putting in all kinds of resources for creating excellence in education and research.

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What are the advantages of private universities?

Private universities will definitely emerge as very important players in our education scenario. They can move much faster to adapt the needs of society. I think that gives them more flexibility and ability. Private universities in general are very much accountable to the resources they use. And they are required to be more accountable too. But the most important thing is that you should have a visionary founder to make the university beneficial for society. Social commitment must be the driving force of private universities.

As far as Amrita is concerned, there is no question of compromise on quality. But there are some quality concerns when we talk about private universities as a whole. Your comments.

Actually, private universities have just begun their journey in India. We can call this the growth phase. The growth of private institutions has just come up in the horizon. And it requires at least a few years for them to learn the best ways to deliver qualitative educational services.

This is the main concern regarding the quality of private universities.

You cannot simply use the same old methods that you used in developing or marketing a product. Education is EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

COVER STORY Why private universities hold the key? the means to give back to society.

We can’t compromise on quality. Excellence, sustainability, and affordability are the essential factors. So, a fine balance of these three goals is more important than anything…

Sometimes these goals may be in conflict with each other…

If you try to be affordable, you may not succeed. To make it (the educational enterprise) sustainable, you need high quality infrastructure. And to give high quality infrastructure, you need a lot of money. To be sustainable, you have to attract very good faculty.

For that too, you need a lot of money. But sometimes universities have no other source of funds but the student fee.

How can we rectify these problems?

There are lots of problems in this sector. As private universities are still in the growth phase, we have to accommodate mistakes. It is just like a small child who is learning to walk. The child falls several times, but we have to encourage him to walk further. Similarly, the private education system in India is just like a small child. So, we have to take the mistakes in a constructive and positive way. At the same time, we have to strictly implement some regulatory mechanisms to monitor these private universities so that they don’t go the wrong way. This, I feel, is the right approach.

Major challenges before private universities?

One of the major challenges before private universities is how to create a balance between sustainability, affordability and excellence. Another crucial issue is that the government does not seem to trust private universities. When we look at the US, the government there has so much confidence in private universities such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University etc. Most of the technology developments for the Second World War came from MIT. There (the US), private universities deliver most of the technologies required for the nation. Similarly, the government here should have more trust and confidence in the private university system. Gaining trust from the government is a big challenge for private universities. But the fact is that private universities are more accountable than government universities.

What do you have to say about the role of private industry in education?

Of course, private industry should take an active part in promoting education and research in private universities. In the US education system, private firms used to give endowments to universities. Private uni-

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versities used this endowment to reduce the cost of education by minimising the fees for students. But the private industry in India has not come forward in a big way to support education. We should adapt the American model. Private industry should come forward to support education and research in private universities.

Is there a need to encourage more private universities in our country?

Absolutely. I think we have to focus more on private universities than on government-sponsored universities. Moreover, most of the government universities are not up to the mark in the current scenario.

Why aren’t Indian universities among the world’s top universities?

For a long time, we have neither been encouraging nor providing investments in universities for research activities. That is the main reason why we are not in the list of world’s top universities. Our students are extremely good. If you give them a known task, they will do it properly. They will have a serious approach in it. But if we give them an unknown task, things are different. They don’t know how to operate in uncertainty, they don’t know how to operate in the presence of risks, and they don’t know how to be entrepreneurial… because our education system has failed to provide them the opportunity to develop a creative ability. But, for the last few years, the government has been investing heavily in research. Many national missions are in place now.

The Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Human Resource and Development, the Department of IT and the Planning Commission… all recognised the huge need for research.

And it cannot be done overnight. A lot of conferences are being organised on research and the situation is changing at a rapid pace.

Dr P Venkat Rangan is a globally-renowned academician and has been serving as the Vice-Chancellor of Amrita University since 2003. A pioneer of research in Multimedia Systems and Internet e-Commerce, he was the founder and director of the Multimedia Laboratory at the University of California, where he served as Professor of Computer Science and Engineering for 16 years. At the age of 33, he was one of the youngest full-time professors at University of California.

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

Why private universities hold the key? COVER STORY

Public + Private =

the future of

education Private universities have a vital role to play over the next decade, a time meant for allencompassing growth, mainly propelled by education. Instead of fighting with government institutes over limited resources, the idea is to complement their efforts in creating a vibrant educational environment in India and offer choice and value to students

By Pavan Soni & Vipul Mathur

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

I

f it were a game, which it’s not thankfully, we would have assigned equal goals to the public institutions and private institutions shaping up the future of higher education in India. For starters, let’s appreciate how for every good government-backed educational institution in this country, there is a competent privately run institute, in almost all disciplines of education.

For every IIT or NIT, there is a VIT or BITS; for every IIM, there is an ISB or a pack of very good MBA institutes in Mumbai or Delhi; and not to forget the IIITs and the likes of Kasturba Medical College at Manipal University, which are giving the top government institutes a serious competition. The case isn’t just limited to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) streams, but is widely visible in arts, commerce and other disciplines. Loyola College, Christ University, Symbiosis Society’s Law College, Shri Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics, St Joseph’s College… the list goes on.

But the story isn’t that rosy either, because the quality of education falls sharply beyond the first few private institutes in most fields and the amount of money getting siphoned out of the economy fails to justify their presence.

Contrast this with the Ivy League and the likes which are privately run and are consistently able to draw the brightest of the talents from the world over. Regardless of the differences in size and economic prosperity, can the education system in India draw some insights from the Western system in crafting high quality, accessible education for this emerging nation?

This article identifies some of the positive features of private education in India as well the limitations and offers a five-point agenda on how to raise the bar of education delivery, where both privately run and government-funded institutes have a complementary role to play.

One of the surest impediments to India’s growth prospect is our education system, especially the quality of our graduates and postgraduates. Research reports, ranging from McKinsey & Co to NASSCOM and the World Bank, all indicate the chasm between the potential our country can achieve and the severe issues with the sheer number of ‘employable’ youth. Though the situation has improved manifold over the past two decades since liberalisation, much thanks to private universities, the real through put hasn’t kept pace with our aspirations.

Originating as an avenue to meet the growing demand of educational

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COVER STORY Why private universities hold the key? institutes in India, the private universities and autonomous institutes have lost the plot somewhere down the line. With over 50 institutes offering an MBA education in Bangalore alone, the figure touches vulgar proportions when scaled pan-India and pan-disciplines. While students now have more options than ever, but equally acute is the misery, as the job market is heavily discounting the talent these private institutes are churning. This discount is owing to the creation of ‘market of lemons’ in the higher education sector.

This makes it hugely difficult for incumbent private institutes to differentiate themselves, a plight that gets accentuated by relatively low entry barriers for entrants. Another irony worth highlighting here is that parents often get their students admitted to private schools so that they stand a much brighter chance in securing a seat in government institutes at the undergraduate level.

With the prowess private schools have achieved in K-12 level, they are far from there when it comes to higher education. In many ways that’s almost reverse to a scenario that exists in West, where more of K-12 is publicly run and higher education is private, and the results are for everyone to witness.

Here’re a set of prescriptions that private educational institutes can look at in creating a strong position in the education space and in turn raise the performance bar for all.

Create an educational ecosystem: One of the ingredients of the continued success of Ivy League schools and other leading private universities in the West is the emphasis on ecosystem development.

Apart from companies, government agencies and other institutes of higher education, one of the essential components of the ecosystem is the alumni network. Much of the cost of education of incoming students is born by the funds granted by alumni. These funds not only help such institutions attract best of the faculties but crème de la crème of students, in turn creating high throughput research environment and academic performance.

Emphasise on Master’s and Doctoral level

programmes: What do most Indians go to Western universities for? It’s mostly to pursue MS, MBA or PhD. While the graduate level educational requirements are met in India and in certain cases they are indeed met at a world standard, the post graduate scenario remains far from competent.

There are several reasons, both on the demand and supply side of economics, but let me sight an instance right here from IIM Bangalore campus.

Having set tall standards at PG level, the focus is now slowly shifting towards research and in attracting doctoral students; but again, due to greener pastures outside and rather high opportunity cost, seldom do students get back to pursue PhD (called FPM at IIMs). The case is no different for IITs, where graduating students rarely pursue M Tech or fewer students join master’s programme at

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institutes such as IISc. Attract universal talent: One of the virtues of higher education in developed economies, especially in the US, is the confluence of a very diverse talent pool from various countries.

Private institutes, due to autonomy and financial leverage, are suitably positioned to endorse such a style of education. VIT University Vellore and Amity University, two of the institutes where one of us have taught in past, are cases in point in attracting and retaining students from a myriad of countries and surely the confluence of various cultures plays a very significant role in the intellectual vibrancy of the campus.

Growth and strategic flexibility: Education is a very unlike market that most businessmen have been exposed to otherwise. The speed of Return on Investment (ROI) has to be relaxed in this industry and the only way to expand is in a phased manner. We advise institutions to focus on key resources and competencies in carving an advantage in the market, consolidate it and only then, expand. Hence, depth comes before breadth. Only after establishing its prowess in the space of technology did MIT expand into management education and other faculties. A case which is seen in several reputed private institutes in India too. On the point of strategic flexibility, the private institutes are well placed to adapt their curriculum and delivery to changing market demands and environments.

Providing equal opportunities: By equal opportunities we are not inferring at economically or socially deprived students, but those who are physically disabled. Comprising around eight per cent of India’s population, the Persons with Disability (PWD) is one of the most overlooked sections of our society.

According to the PWD Act of 1995, students with disability be provided equal access at all level of education; but owing to poor awareness and inadequate infrastructure facilities, most such students remain deprived. That’s precisely where private institutes can step up and attract such talent.

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

COUNTERPOINT Sanjeev Bikhchandani

‘Recognise the potential of your opportunities’ W

hen you are a student, the most important question before you is, what should you do for the rest of your life? I had also gone through the same kind of phase in my life. This is a question that baffles most youngsters. Most of us are from middle class families and parents do not want their children to opt for a risky career like that of an entrepreneur.

Study hard, get into a good college, obtain an engineering or medical degree and secure a lucrative job… these are the typical hopes of a middle class parent. I am also from such a family. My father was a doctor and mother was a housewife. There were no businessmen in my family.

I had studied in a school which is famous for discipline, and I prepared well for the IIT exam. I had qualified to get into IIT, but was confused after a medical examination, which was part of the admission procedure. A question kept haunting me — why would I want to become an engineer? After giving it a deep thought, I became convinced that I didn’t really want to be an engineer.

Then I thought why should I spend five years studying a subject which holds no passion for me? That’s how I settled for the logic that it is wise to spend three years for studying another subject even if it may be of no interest to me.

I then joined for BA Economics. Since I was very clear about pursuing higher studies, I thought of working for two years after graduation and then try for IIM Ahmedabad.

Just when I had a very comfortable job of marketing Horlicks at HMM, now GlaxoSmithKline, another question bothered me — where India’s dot-com poster boy Sanjeev would I be some years down the line? I had clear answers then, Bikhchandani belongs to a rare breed such as, in five years, I would be in that cabin; in another five of entrepreneurs who has ably survived years, I would be the head, marketing department… But I was the bubble burst and managed to sustain not satisfied with that, as the thrill of doing one’s own thing was palpable. That’s what made me an entrepreneur. Along with my public interest in his maiden internet partner, I started two companies — Indmark and Info Edge. venture even today. As the founder of Indmark was specialised in pharmaceutical trademarks and Info India’s first and number one job portal Edge was dealing with the production of salary surveys and naukri.com, the first dot-com to go reports. Both were an instant success. I got immense support from my family. In India, entrepreneurs really need support from for an IPO in 2006, Sanjeev is the most their families. It was in 1997 that I started naukri.com. The rest successful internet entrepreneur in India. is history.

He has extraordinary passion and aweinspiring commitment towards his work.

For job seekers, naukri.com remains the buzzword. So, why did Sanjeev decide to become an entrepreneur? He candidly says, “The reason was independence. You are your own boss, doing your own thing, setting your own priorities. There was the urge to create something, to do something different.” Take a trip down memory lane with Sanjeev and learn about his ride to entrepreneurship

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To budding entrepreneurs

Here are some valuable things that I have learnt from my career in entrepreneurship • Look at the best opportunities before you and recognise

the potential of those opportunities • You must start small. If you have an idea, you have to be

patient until the appropriate time (for action) arrives • Discover your passion and always remember money is the

outcome of doing something you love to do • If you love your work and it gives your life meaning, then

you will have fun through the difficult times. You will find

it in your heart to keep going. You will never lose hope.

(Prepared by Dipin Damodharan) EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

INNOVATOR Guest Column Karthikeyan Iyer

Co-crafting innovation C

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was on the facilitator, the model proved difficult to scale - innovation DNA did not set roots. We had to create a system where innovation could sustain, reproduce and evolve on its own.

With this objective in mind, we started designing “change experiments” - co-crafting vehicles, if you may. Every change experiment introduced a relevant innovation framework, produced small but credible outcomes and posed new questions to seed more change experiments. Practitioners evolved into innovation champions. Some innovation High

Collaboration Intensity

o-creation, predicted by Alvin Toffler in the 1980s and discussed by C K Prahlad and V Ramaswamy a couple of decades later in The Future of Competition, primarily represents a shift in the customersupplier relationship, where the end user or customer becomes an integral participant in the creation of a product. Just compare predefined menus in restaurants with open kitchens where customers can interact with chefs to select an assortment of ingredients that they would like to go into their dish!

In a larger sense, co-creation is “collaboration on steroids”, where multiple stakeholders work together as one to create an end product. Given that most innovation pundits vouch for it, why are enterprises taking so long to embrace it as the de facto model for innovation?

Firstly, the complexity of co-creation seems to be a deterrent. Co-creation between one customer and one supplier is simple. Just add a competitor or partner or even one more supplier to the mix - the complexity of co-creation increases so much that participants tend to fall back to less intense forms of collaboration – division of work, outsourcing, islands of core competence etc.

Secondly, the future is inherently unpredictable. Henry Ford famously commented - “If I’d asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses”. Innovation is like excavating in the dark; most of us can only see the next couple of feet. Small teams are nimble, but they cannot see too far ahead; large teams enjoy slightly better visibility, but progress can be slow.

In effect, co-creation serves innovation objectives well when the number of unknowns is small in number. For example, Toyota in its ‘Ideas for Good’ campaign asked end users to imagine new ways of using certain new technology capabilities that Toyota had already created. P&G on the other hand, employs its famous ‘Connect and Develop’ open innovation model to rope in partners to co-create products that can reach the market faster, having already determined what its customers want (through surveys and discussions with end-users). Even within an enterprise, co-creation is fruitful when it is restricted to a small number of localized teams.

When the number of unknowns increases, collaboration and innovation tend to pull against each other, and co-creation merely scratches the surface.

To pull them together, a more intense form of co-creation – co-crafting is required!

So, what goes into innovation co-crafting?

First, create a common language for co-creation. One of our customers wanted to create concepts for next-generation shampoos. End user surveys did not throw up any new ideas and the chemistry of shampoos was well known; creating new shampoo compositions required large number of trials with very few successes at the end. Using a combination of systems and inventive thinking approaches we were able to view shampoos as products that perform the generic function of “cleaning solids”; this opened up a world of generic solutions to generate new shampoo concepts e.g. how anti-stick properties of a lotus leaf could be brought to bear on human hair using a shampoo composition.

Second, design a continuously growing and self-evolving set of change experiments. While championing an organisation wide process innovation initiative at one of India’s largest software services firms, we were confronted with a tricky situation. The standard training model had proven ineffective in achieving innovation outcomes. A more hands-on facilitative model achieved small breakthroughs in live projects. However, since the onus of innovation

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frameworks were so widely adopted that they were integrated into regular project management practices – a testimony to the success of the initiative.

Innovation co-crafting requires deep immersion into every innovation context, which tends to be unique. Scientific approaches provide a common platform and language that enable multiple kinds of specialists to collaborate. You can get a mathematician to work on an HR problem or an ecologist to contribute to an advertising campaign. Cocrafting is also a journey into the unknown – direction and speed cannot be pre-determined and adaptive vehicles are needed. Change experiments provide practitioners the freedom to explore and improvise on the move and cocraft innovation at a sustainable and scalable pace.

(Karthikeyan Iyer (Karthik) is a Founder Director of Crafitti Consulting, an innovation research and consulting firm)

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

SAE Dubai CAMPUS FOCUS

Creative talents in the making SAE Institute Dubai started its journey in 2005 with an objective to introduce expert training and educational modules for the youth aspiring to enter the audio, film and media industries in the Middle East. The institute, which has produced hundreds of creative graduates, is now working on development of world-class Arabic media and entertainment content

By Our Special Correspondent

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he glitz and glamour of the film and the media world have always attracted the youth. So, no wonder that a section of the youth in the Middle East is vying for a meaty role in the audio and film world after undergoing highly sophisticated training at an institute known to be the perfect talent breeding ground.

Regarded as the largest worldwide private college for audio production, film production, interactive animation and web development, SAE Institute Dubai has been producing the best professionals for the past several years.

SAE Dubai had begun its journey in 2005 with an objective to introduce expert training and educational modules in the audio and film industry in the Middle East. The institute has produced hundreds of highly skilled creative graduates in the sector. The unique thing about SAE is its uncompromising emphasis on practical as well as theoretical learning.

The institute has been recognised as an Apple Authorised Training Centre. Now, SAE is moving forward with a solid mission “to enable the development of world-class Arabic media and entertainment content.”

“We offer comprehensive web development degree programmes that encompass various disciplines to ensure a well rounded understanding of the new media. Besides, students in the final year of the course go through a new media internship which we believe enables students to examine and analyse business methodologies, communication models, production work flows, and design strategies used specifically in the new media industry,”

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

Predrag Toncev, Campus Manager, SAE Dubai told Education Insider. He says that SAE Dubai is putting in a lot of efforts towards the development of Arabic content while making sure that they nurture digital creative media careers.

SAE Dubai offers practical, industry-relevant courses in various streams of audio, web, film production and interactive entertainment. The institute has also got recognition from Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority, NSW Department of Education and Training in Australia and Middlesex University in the UK.

Genuine courses

SAE Dubai offers various degree and diploma courses. Bachelor degree courses are available in audio production, film production, arts of interactive animation and arts of web development. The bachelor degrees in audio production and film production have been accredited by the Department of Education and Training in New South Wales, Australia.

The syllabus for these courses has been designed in such a way that it broadens the learning experience beyond the purely vocational type training. The stress is on knowledge-based and research-based educational experience.

Along with the bachelor degree courses, SAE Dubai offers various short term and certificate courses. Electronic music production, digital DJ course, and film-making etc. are just some of the courses among them. If you are looking for an institution which provides the most updated knowledge on creative media sectors, then SAE Dubai may be an ideal choice for you.

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CAMPUS FOCUS SAE Dubai

‘Enormous scope for new media studies’ The SAE Institute Dubai has gone into an expansion mode. The famous media institute of Dubai has plans to cover other emirates by expanding its academic portfolio as well as short courses. In an exclusive interaction with Education Insider, Predrag Toncev, Campus Manager, SAE Dubai, touches upon many vital issues, ranging from their expansion plans and key focus areas to new media’s wide scope for growth in the Arab world. Excerpts: Could you shed some light on the journey of SAE Institute, Dubai?

SAE Institute Dubai first opened its doors in 2005, joining 55 campuses around the world across five continents.

We are a vocational and higher education provider offering accredited diplomas, bachelors and master degrees in various disciplines including film production, audio Predrag Toncev, Campus Manager production, web development, animation and games development.

Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority, the NSW Department of Education and Training in Australia and Middlesex University in the UK can vouch for our quality. SAE Institute believes in nurturing creative talent in the region by offering handson and practical academic programmes.

In July 2011, twofour54 acquired the Dubai business of the SAE Institute. We truly believe that this acquisition by twofour54 is an acknowledgement of the high quality education and training offered by SAE Institute Dubai.

As you are heading one of the leading new media

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institutes in Dubai, how do you perceive the scope of new media in the coming years?

New media is definitely becoming more relevant in the business world across industries, and is reflected in our constantly evolving courses. We offer a comprehensive web development degree programme that encompasses various disciplines to ensure a well rounded understanding of the new media. Further to this, students in the final year of the course go through a new media internship which we believe enables students to examine and analyse first-hand the business methodologies, communication models, production work flows and design strategies used specifically in the new media industry.

We’ve also added an iPhone application development short course recently that has proved to be very popular. We intend to continue to develop courses that complement the changing professional landscape and will soon be introducing a gaming development course in league with twofour54 and acclaimed game developers Ubisoft.

Could you elaborate on the courses being offered and their unique features?

We offer numerous courses throughout the year, but our four main, two-year bachelor degree courses include film production, audio production, interactive animation and web development.

One of our most popular courses, BA/ BSc Hons in audio production, explores the inner workings of the industry, the subtle complexities of science, the practicalities of emerging technologies, and the complex interaction of industry and society. The degree is government

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

Technical education with social commitment for shaping professionals of tomorrow...

SREE NARAYANA GURU COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY Chalakkode P. O., Payyanur - 670307, Kannur District, Kerala. Tel: 04985 201987/88/89.

Fax: 04985 201988, E-mail: sngcet@bsnl.in, Website: www.sngcet.org (Managed by Sree Bhakthi Samvardhini Yogam, Kannur) (Approved by AICTE, New Delhi & Affiliated to Kannur University)

Courses Offered: B.Tech. Mechanical Engineering B.Tech. Electronics & Communication Engineering B. Tech Electrical & Electronics Engineering B. Tech Computer Science & Engineering B.Tech. Civil Engineering

Qualified & experienced faculty Library & Documentation Centre with computerized data base Computer department consisting of central computer lab, Internet lab, Project lab & Hardware lab Mechanical & Electrical Workshop with sophisticated Machines & Equipments Electrical & Electronics lab with latest instruments based on course requireme CAD/CAM lab with up-dated software Campus hostel with modern facilities Career Guidance & Placement Unit.

K. P. Pavithran SECRETARY

K. P. Balakrishnan PRESIDENT

Dr. M. K Radhakrishnan PRINCIPAL

CAMPUS FOCUS SAE Dubai

accredited and highly regarded by employers. It is built on a foundation of advanced theory and practical application, preparing students for the day-to-day realities and challenges of audio engineering.

Another course, BA/BSc Hons in digital film-making, follows a similar principle and goes beyond the mere mechanics of direction and production. It delves into the complexities of creating a meaningful communication vehicle by analysing the technological, operational and cultural constraints of modern digital film-making and promotion.

Students get well-rounded knowledge of the different disciplines required to be a professional in the industry, including modules on motion graphics, film studies, music video and documentary production, post production and much more.

Despite rapid and significant advances in multimedia and web design & development over the last decade, the field is still in its infancy – boundless and uncharted. Only a few industries are holding such exciting potential for advancement. The Googles and Microsofts of tomorrow will come from the multimedia and web students of today.

But to take their place amongst the e-leaders, they need the best possible education. Our BA/BSc Hons in web development offers just that. By delivering the ideal balance of practical, technological and theoretical learning, it equips students to conceive, develop and manage the commercially and socially compelling web and multimedia products of tomorrow.

Our BA Hons in interactive animation is cutting edge in every respect: cutting edge theory and technology and cutting edge analysis of industry and culture. It endows our students with technological expertise to create highly

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sophisticated animation and the comprehensive understanding of market, management and industry contexts to make those animations compelling and effective.

Whether students opt for Bachelor Degree programmes, diploma courses or even our certificate short courses, SAE Institute Dubai offers individual attention by linking theory and practical classes and providing cutting edge equipment and software coupled with accelerated learning systems.

What about the employment potential of the courses in SAE? Opportunities abound across our various degree programmes. A number of our alumni have gone on to multi-national advertising agencies, as social media and web development consultants, audio engineers, musicians and so on.

Our courses open up wide possibilities within the industry, so every student will have numerous choices.

For example with our audio production course, some of the career paths available include broadcast engineer, audio post-production, music and dialogue editor, vocation recordist, music producer, electronic musician and sales and installation.

Do you have any specific packages to attract students from other Asian countries?

We don’t have any specific packages to attract students from Asian countries apart from our ongoing print, online and radio marketing campaigns.

What are the facilities that SAE offers for students?

We offer numerous facilities with state-of-the-art equipment catering to the various disciplines in video, audio, 3D and web development. These include six studios, green screen and a colour correction facility, three labs, numerous classrooms, the latest camera and lighting equipment and much more.

What are the future expansion plans of SAE Institute?

We have extensive plans for the coming years.

Some of our key goals include covering other emirates and expanding our academic portfolio as well as short courses. We are focusing on development of Arabic content while making sure we nurture digital creative media careers.

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

EXPERT TALK Miriam Haenen

‘Cultivate human values in children’ Known for spreading the anthroposophy-centred Waldorf education system across the globe, world renowned educationist Miriam Haenen has been revolutionising the child education system for over 30 years. The Holland-based kindergarten teacher says the Waldorf system makes education interesting to students through fun-filled activities and games.

In an exclusive interaction with Education Insider, Miriam sheds light on the principles of the Waldorf system and the need for according top priority to childhood education

By Our Special Correspondent

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You have a unique perception on education; how does it differ from the existing ones?

The Waldorf education system is based on the belief that a human being is more than a head and more than a physical body, a being of body, soul and spirit. It emphasises that deep knowledge of child development should be the base for the curriculum. The learning system is always aimed at addressing the internal and external aspects of a child’s thinking, feeling and willingness to stay together, so that a lifelong love to learn can be developed. Childhood can be looked at in phases of seven years, where the first seven years ask for a totally different way of learning than the following seven years. All the subjects in the curriculum are designed to serve the needs of the child for harmonious development. We consciously work towards connecting with the world from where the children come from, before birth, to be able to guide them to their incarnation path and thus lay the foundation of their lives.

we have lost the connection with the allimportant first seven years. In India, that precious time (first seven years) is used for development of reading and writing abilities.

This time is meant for the development of a healthy body, brains, organs etc. This is the time to lay the foundation for character-building, self-esteem and independence, a collective meaning so beautifully captured in the word Shradda. (In India) They have to learn to write, when their motoric skills are not yet ripe for that. Having to do things which are not age appropriate only produce a feeling of not being able to express or perform, resulting in a very low self-esteem, whereas real learning should start at 6 -7 years. They learn to read and write from 2.5 to 6 years, something which they can learn in a few months when aged around six!

We can have the most beautiful and big tool, but not knowing how to use it makes it worthless.

One can have high intelligence, but when there is no faith in oneself, there is a lifelong struggle.

What are your views on the Indian childhood education system?

In the Indian childhood education system,

What’s the main thrust in childhood education?

Children are the future. The labours of our EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

education system reflect in the way a society shapes itself. Once we work towards educating children on the meaning of real freedom, a change (in mindset and approach to life) will automatically come in our society. More human beings will emerge wanting to work for change and they will be bold enough to take responsibility for that. When our education system is based on competition, huge pressure and exams, then that is what we get later.

Human values like respect, faith and trust are naturally learned in an environment of truth, joy and beauty. And the first seven years are the most vital for this. Once these values are inculcated, learning becomes joyful. The first 7 years are essential for the healthy development of the child as well as the society.

What is your take on the hue and cry over adequate teachers’ training programmes in our education system?

Teacher training is of utmost importance.

Doctors undergo a six-year training period before they are allowed to work on a physical body. They have so much knowledge of the physical body that they can easily heal patients.

Teachers are often hardly trained, though they work with their souls. Therefore, effective training is crucial to enable them to impart education in a successful manner.

What are the basic concepts in the Waldorf education system?

For the first 6 to 7 years, children learn through imitation. The teacher’s way of accomplishing simple tasks, both inwardly and outwardly, creates the learning environment for the child. While connecting with oneself and the world around, a child can gain insight only by physical activity, not by books or words.

For instance, I would spend hours and hours to tell you how to swim, and then I would ask

you to jump into the water. The Waldorf early childhood education system prepares a child to face the various facets of life. During those first 7 years, the body, soul and spirit of a child are still in unity, that’s the gift they come with... something many of us long for all our life by taking to yoga, spiritual training and what not.

All that the child learns helps in bringing about a happy union of body, soul and spirit. It’s very time-specific and effective. For example, while making food together in the class, as an activity, the child learns the names of vegetables, counting and weighing, which are essential for development of the motoric skills etc. A child knows that work is to be done and that there will be joy and deep satisfaction once the meal is served. Today, how many of us know what has to be done to achieve something? And in the end, how many manage to achieve it?

What kind of educational services do you provide to the society?

I emphasise strongly on the inner development of teachers. They are the ultimate instruments in education, not books or blackboards. We connect the spiritual aspects with the physical aspects in the most natural way possible. Education then becomes yoga, a spiritual path serving childhood and future humanity. Holland is my fatherland and India is my motherland. An East-West consciousness makes it possible for me to penetrate deep into the huge cultural and religious riches of India and translate it into practical work.

Do you have any suggestions to improve the Indian primary education sector?

Look at the children… look at their eyes… look at the load of dry knowledge they carry in their bags. When we really look, we know what to do, especially in early childhood. We can make them learn that it’s fun to live and

Look at the children… look at their eyes… look at the load of dry knowledge they carry in their bags. When we really look, we know what to do, especially in early childhood. We can make them learn that it’s fun to live and that it’s fun to learn

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EXPERT TALK Miriam Haenen

The Waldorf education system is based on the belief that a human being is more than a head and more than a physical body, a being of body, soul and spirit

that it’s fun to learn. I would love to experiment in Indian schools by stopping use of early childhood for reading and writing. I would rather use it for character-building, Shradda.

Human values in education are very important.

A teacher should have an open heart. Learning should become joyful, should teach you that you are a beautiful human being, that you can become a free human being and bring about change in society.

The world is more technology-oriented now.

Is it a good sign?

Technology serves us. It shouldn’t be the other way around. Once children learn to master themselves, they will use technology to serve their development. A kindergarten child doesn’t learn anything real from a nature programme on TV. The child learns only when it sees, feels, smells. Use of technology at a

younger age will only make a child a stranger in a normal world.

How do you define a good teacher?

A good teacher is one who opens her/his heart to the students, dissolving in that process one’s own emotional issues. If the teacher doesn’t have an open attitude towards children, how on earth can we expect them to have an open attitude? Learning facts is a limited thing.

The stress must be on the development of an attitude to become independent.

Do you notice any major differences between the primary education system in Holland and India?

The Waldorf approach is not the mainstream education system in Holland. But there is much less stress on examinations than in India. The competition element is also not that strong and evident.

Born in Holland, Miriam Haenen has been a spiritualist of Waldorf Education since 1980. Miriam mentored the first Waldorf initiative in Hyderabad in 1997. She delves into the richness of Indian culture through stories, puppets, songs, knot dolls and plays. For her, education is an art of and for being human. A strong advocate of holistic education, she has been on the teaching faculty of the International Post Graduate Medical Training programmes in India. In 2008, she started the Waldorf early childhood teacher training Aja Graha Anjama.

She also guides the Ajapa Education Society, a centre promoting holistic and artistic approach in education.

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EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

ISB, Hyderabad CAMPUS FOCUS

Sets new benchmarks of excellence in 10 years Backed by alliances with a prominent cluster of foreign institutes and universities, Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, has set new benchmarks of excellence in the field of management education in a short span of a little over 10 years. Its educational system has garnered international attention, with a London-based daily adjudging the institute as among the top 20 best B-schools in the world for the fifth straight year. The institute will begin its Mohali chapter as part of expansion plans shortly

By Prashob K P

T

he incessant global demand for well-trained, smart, industrious, innovative and aggressive managers and business executives with deftness in cross-cultural communication has increased competition among home-grown B-schools to churn out market-savvy professionals endowed with high skills and strategic thinking abilities. But only a handful few manage to match the quality prescriptions of leading corporate companies.

One such institute that has built a commendable reputation for itself both on home turf as well as in the international circuit is the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad.

It was shortly after the dawn of economic liberalisation that an eminent group of business leaders and academicians sensed the industry’s acute need for dynamic business professionals. With an honest intent to establish a business school that has the hallmarks of reliability, uncompromising quality, sustainability and affordability, the spadework for laying the foundation of ISB began in 1996, and in five years, they realised their dream. The founders wanted to introduce innovative academic programmes in the curriculum and make the students of ISB intellectually and globally competent. Within a decade, the institute has managed to make it to the Financial Times, London, Global MBA Rankings of the top 100 B-schools for the fifth time. In the 2012 rankings, it shares the 20th place with Yale School of Management and University of Oxford. It is also the

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

youngest business school to secure a place in the top 20 rankings.

After a successful first phase of growth, ISB now wants to expand its reach. In the new academic session, ISB’s flagship Post Graduate Programme in Management will be introduced at its new campus in Mohali. ISB is backed by academic alliances with the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, the London Business School, the MIT Sloan School of Management and The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts University, bringing the best of global management practices and thinking into its curriculum.

Campus infrastructure

The ISB campus lies on a beautiful site, with large boulders, open fields and clusters of large trees.

Ecological balance is maintained on the campus by a large artificial lake, which collects rainwater from the roadways, parking lots and rooftops. The Academic Centre is the heart of the campus and houses the Learning Resource Centre (LRC), the knowledge hub of the institution. The Student Villages form the four cornerstones of the campus, each accommodating 130 to 210 students in a mix of four-bedroom apartments and studio apartments.

Study programmes

Within a short span of ten years, the ISB has successfully pioneered several initiatives in the field of management education. “We have an expert

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CAMPUS FOCUS ISB, Hyderabad

V K Menon, Director, Admissions and Career Advancement Services, ISB

PGPM gives more stress on global visibility. This programme also attracts international students. It catches the attention of international companies while hiring

committee to review the curriculum.

As the curriculum is a dynamic one, we periodically update it by calling a review meeting,” says V K Menon, Senior Director, Admissions and Career Advancement Services, ISB. “Our programmes have a global outlook, so that we can attract international students too. We are among the few schools in the world that focuses on research,” adds Menon.

ISB has established research centres in various areas. These centres of excellence provide a forum where knowledge and understanding of business can be exchanged between the academic and the corporate worlds. ISB is among the few schools in the world that undertakes research with a focus on emerging and transition economies, striving to create synergies between India, Asia, and the global business environment.

Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGPM)

ISB’s flagship programme, Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGPM), was launched in 2001.

“PGPM gives more stress on global visibility. This programme also attracts international students. It catches the attention of international companies while hiring,” says Menon.

“Our management programmes are focusing on emerging markets so that we can dominate in the emerging business scenario.”

Post Graduate Programme in Management for Senior Executives (PGPMAX)

PGPMAX is designed for senior executives, whose busy schedules do not permit them to pursue a fulltime programme. It is equivalent in content and rigour to an Executive MBA programme and is designed on a schedule that minimises disruption of work and personal pursuits. PGPMAX is targeted at high-calibre senior executives, with 10 to 25 years of managerial experience.

growth during the two pre-PGP years vide structured cutting edge learning and mentorship programmes and concludes with admission to the PGP in Management.

Fellow Programme in Management (FPM)

ISB has embarked upon FPM to groom promising young researchers into innovative problem solvers and thinkers. FPM is for four or five years’ duration, at the end of which the students qualify for faculty positions in top business schools around the world.

International Student Exchange Programmes

The Inbound Exchange Programme and Outbound Exchange Programme offer exciting opportunities for students to learn more about the dynamics of management in different parts of the world. ISB has partnerships with 35 leading schools from the USA, France, South Africa, Israel, Germany, China, Pakistan, South Korea, Singapore, the UK etc. for exchange programmes.

Executive Education

The school has also established itself as a leader in Executive Education through its programmes designed and delivered for private and public sector corporations, small and medium enterprises, and Central and state governments. ISB is the academic partner for Goldman Sachs’s 10,000 Women Initiative in India.

Faculty

The faculty at ISB includes eminent management intellectuals with research and teaching experience from the best B-schools in the world. The faculty at ISB brings a wealth of research, teaching and professional experience and a desire to shape the school into a global leader in management education. Over 100 visiting faculty from the best B-schools in the US, Europe, Australia, and various Asian countries complement the expertise of our resident faculty.

AACSB accreditation

ISB has been accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the oldest and longest serving global accrediting body for business schools. AACSB accreditation has been earned by less than five per cent of the world’s business schools.

Young Leaders Programme (YLP)

ISB introduced a fresh perspective to gaining expertise in Management – YLP for undergraduate students.

YLP, a first of its kind initiative in India, provides guaranteed admission to a future one year Post Graduate Programme (PGP) at ISB, contingent upon completion of one year and nine months of work experience. The programme also accelerates career

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EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

BRAINWAVE Mallika Sarabhai

Education must mould better human beings A vocal civil rights activist, celebrated choreographer and danseuse, Mallika Sarabhai is well known for her charitable works and unconditional love for the poorest of poor. Never to shy away from issues of public interest, she dared to wage a legal battle against Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi over his alleged complicity in the February 2002 riots. Her celebrity status never comes in the way of her social commitments or her strong will to act for societal education. As an icon of change, women empowerment, and arts, Mallika has drawn the attention from the global community. She has been at the helm of the prestigious Darpana Academy of Performing Arts for about 30 years as its co-director. She bares her heart and mind on the role of education in society

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ducation develops the personality of an individual and makes him lead a better life. Education does not end with our studies. It continues up to the end of life. Society is our best teacher, from where we can learn much more lessons than from formal text books. But people have a misconception that education means only to obtain high marks in the exams and secure good jobs. We

Society is one of our best teachers, from where we can learn so many lessons than from formal text books cannot blame them as our examination-centric education system itself has established that high marks hold the key to success.

If you have good educational qualification, but you don’t know how to behave before the downtrodden and the hapless, then your education is meaningless. Education should have the ability to mould human beings as responsible citizens. Education should make human beings

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raise their voice against all kinds of injustice. We all are educated, but when something happens to our neighbours, we keep mum and think that this is not a matter for me to interfere. How can people behave like this? “Mould better human beings� should be the motto of our education system. Till such a thing happens, all money, energy and time that goes into education would only go waste.

On performing arts

I do not think that performing arts have lost their sheen. Performing arts are much in demand now. The new generation has been showing utmost care and interest in performing arts like any other stream. Complete dedication and commitment are essential while pursuing performing arts. To obtain an MBA or engineering degree is easy than getting a degree in performing arts. Performing arts have great potential as compared to any other medium. If we convey a socially relevant message through performing arts, it should have a sound impact. We should use this possibility of the performing arts for the rebuilding of society.

As told to Shani K EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

OPINION Guest Column Dr A K Bakshi

Empower faculty to boost ODE system India at present has the third largest system of education in the world, next only to the US and China, with more than 500 universities and around 30000 colleges. But still a large section of the society is deprived of the elementary education. In this context, the distance education programmes have opened up a new path to nurture, build up and sustain a strong base of value-aided educational system in the country

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he Open and Distance Education (ODE) system was introduced in India primarily to meet the aspirations of the younger generations of our country. India at present has the third largest system of education in the world, next only to the US and China, with more than 500 universities and around 30000 colleges. But still a large section of the society is deprived of the elemental education. There has been no doubt a substantive increase in the number of schools, colleges, and universities since independence but the impact of education especially higher education has not been very significant. It is painful to realize that only about 12% of the population in the age group of 18 to 23 years participates in higher education in India while the corresponding world average is 23%. Experts hold that a Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of 20% in higher education is a minimum requirement for economic development in the modern world.

In such a scenario in order to provide access and benefits of higher education to a major class of people in India who have been deprived of going to conventional educational institutions because of economical, social and geographical limitations/ restrictions or because of being unable to get admissions in conventional Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs), the distance education programmes have opened up a new path to nurture, build up and sustain a strong base of value aided educational system in the country.

Distance education programmes are convenient in many ways. They are very cost effective and flexible. For example one can get MBA degree by studying at home. You may appear for an online exam after preparing according to your convenience. You will be a learner outside the four walls of the classroom and will have a unique opportunity to pursue your studies simultaneously with your career. Now even you can do PhD from open universities.

The beginning of ODE system in India

This movement was started in India in 1979 when Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) launched a project which has now taken the shape of National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) to take care of flexible and learner centric schooling needs of the masses. Today with more than 1.5 million learners on its roll, it is the largest Open Schooling

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organization of the world providing access to sustainable and learner-centric quality school education (from basic to senior secondary level).

With the growing awareness and demand of learner centric education system, India established Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in 1985 to enhance access and equality of higher education through distance mode and to promote, coordinate and determine standards in ODE systems. At present there are 14 open universities in India - one national and 13 state open universities. India has thus developed ODE system, both at school and higher education levels in the country. The Open Universities provide an opportunity for the development of the individual talent, innovative skills and help to acquire all proficiencies in the field of individual’s choice.

Distance education at present in India contributes to about 24% of total enrollment in higher education while the plan is to increase it EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

to 40% this year. In view of the serious faculty crunch, high quality higher education through ODE is the only answer to the growing demand for enrolments and to increase GER in higher education. If India has to achieve GER of 30% by 2020, it can only be through ODE.

Common prejudice about ODE

One prejudice about this mode of learning that unfortunately exists in some sections of our society is that the degrees or diplomas obtained from open universities are less valuable those from conventional institutions. This is certainly not true at all. One should rather appreciate the fact that this mode of open and distance learning has been established to empower the learners to study at their own convenience, “Anyone, Anywhere and Anytime” is the main philosophy behind the development of ODE system. It has been developed with a much wider goal to strengthen the educational background of the working class, housewives, weaker sections, etc taking care of their time and convenience.

Focus of ODE programmes

The distance education programmes offered by open universities have a different outlook as compared to those offered by conventional universities in the sense that the process of imparting education in open universities has its focus on learner centric flexibility in which student plays a pivotal. Of late, the structure of the programmes offered by ODE institutions have also been upgraded to incorporate pure and applied knowledge that takes care of the skill based competencies relevant to the society and the nation. Together with this, various vocational courses exist and many more are being added from time to time to promote employability and impart skills that suit the changing needs.

Through the ODE mode, various open universities like IGNOU at national level and UPRTOU and others at state level are offering hundreds of courses. These courses are available at different levels viz., doctoral level, under-graduate and post-graduate levels, diplomas and certificates. Of the various courses, the popular courses include B.A, B.Com, B.Sc, B.CA, B.Lib, B.Ed and Bachelor of Information Technology – B.IT. At Master’s level, MBA course is quite popular. In addition to these conventional courses, many popular vocational courses include diploma/ certificate courses in nursery teacher training, journalism, medical lab technician, tourism studies, office assistantship, textile designing, fashion designing, yoga, entrepreneurship, photography, automobile technology, child care and education, costume design and fashion EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

ODE system has come a long way during the past 30 years... there is still a long way to go in ensuring that the education imparted to the students through this system is of high quality technology, electrical equipment repairing, interior design, food quality control, criminology and forensic science, advertising, disaster management etc.

Challenges before ODE system

ODE system in the country has come a long way during the last thirty years and its impact is being felt all over. However, there is still a long way to go in ensuring that the education imparted to the students through this system is of high quality.

Though on one hand a lot of effort is being put on improving the quality of study materials delivered to the students through their upgradation, efforts are also being made at the national level on improving the quality of education through its integration with Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The launch of National Mission on Education through ICT (NMEICT) in 2009 by the MHRD is a major initiative of the Government of India in this direction. In this information age, ICT-enabled education is not only an answer to the growing demands for enrolments in education, but is also in tune with the mindset of the present day students and helps to meet the challenges of the growth of the knowledge.

With the advent of newer technologies every day, there are many challenges in adopting ICT too.

The need of the hour is the judicious selection and integration of ICT tools with educational pedagogies to enhance the quality of entire educational system. These must be able to provide individual customised solutions to learners’ right from guiding them in selection of course, admission, learning, examination, result, as well as helping them to find job and to pursue another related course in later part of their career. To cater to a larger number of students in the coming years, there is a need for open and distance education systems to move to e-governance for better and efficient management of student related services and administration.

For the open and distance learning students, integration of ICT tools can do wonders as it can help students in self-learning and self-assessment to a great extent. With the use of ICT, the boundaries between the regular students and ODE students shall diffuse as more and more learners will opt for ODE system to enhance their knowledge and skills through flexi-time mode.

(Dr A K Bakshi is the Vice-Chancellor of U P Rajarshi Tandon Open University, Allahabad)

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VC SPEAKS Dr A Murigeppa

Universities play crucial role in nation-building After serving as the Vice-Chancellor of Kannada University, Hampi, for four years, Dr A Murigeppa stepped down on March 31, 2012. In the past, he has held the position of Registrar of the Karnatak University. Selected for the Karnataka Nadaka Academy Award in 2000, he was also honoured with the title ‘Vidyarthi Chetana’ for the services he rendered during his stint as Director of Students Welfare from 2000-2004

On education

Education is the means to transform a man into a real human being with tremendous knowledge.

Role of universities

University has to create an environment where students are motivated to gain knowledge. It should prepare the curriculum in such a way that it helps students face any of life’s adversities. A university has to function as a mediator in making students committed and patriotic, the essential ingredients to build a strong nation.

Major contributions

As a Vice-Chancellor, I have been trying to involve my faculty in community development activities to make them understand the urgency to overcome the psychological constraints and bureaucratic barriers in taking up projects... and thereby solving the problems which may help in framing the curricula through which the future generation will be transparent and committed to community development.

What’s to be done?

A realistic assessment of education has to be made since it figures in the concurrent list.

Reasonable allocation of resources across the higher education sector is needed. There should be flexible options that validate and reaffirm the importance of social sciences and humanities.

On foreign universities’ entry

Foreign universities can prepare the students for global competitions. But basically, they have to be Indians. The hard reality is that the challenges in India can be better addressed by our universities. In this context, I feel foreign universities in India have a limited scope. Foreign universities can strengthen the student interaction programmes.

Universities and society

Indian students have great potential. If we provide appropriate opportunities, they will uphold the reputation of the university. A university can identify the talents of students and scholars and give good facilities and proper training. This way, universities can contribute a lot to the society and in turn, society will respect the universities with greater concern.

(Prepared by Shani K)

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EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

SPECIAL STORY Alma Mater

Reliving campus life through business

A simple wish to get a sweat shirt, with the name of their institute printed on it, made two youngsters look at the business aspect of such an idea. With a capital of Rs 1 lakh, the two, who had no prior work experience, started a merchandising firm serving the interests of outgoing students of select schools and colleges from various parts of the country

By Lakshmi Narayanan

T

here comes a time in everyone’s life when leaving behind a fun-filled school or campus life makes the heart ache. But Varun Agarwal and Rohan Malhotra, former students of Bishop Cotton Boys’ School, have managed to retain the youthful enthusiasm and fun element in their lives by making schools and campuses an inseparable part of their bread and butter. Today, they are successful entrepreneurs helping students of over a dozen schools and colleges make a fashion statement. How? Let’s get into flashback mode.

Six years ago, Varun and Rohan were holding a simple conversation on the design and flashy look of a hooded T-shirt over a cup of coffee. They too planned to get a sweat shirt with the name of their institute printed on it. Then, as the talk touched upon the business prospect of producing cotton sweat shirts for the alumni of schools and colleges, the two of them turned serious. At the raw age of 19, business seemed an alien concept to both of them. They neither had any work experience nor financial back-up to give shape to the idea. Still, they decided to go ahead with the plan to set up a merchandising firm christened as Alma Mater.

Interestingly, the start-up process for Alma Mater was quite different from the market-oriented approach of new ventures which are ever-ready to undertake campaigns to get the attention of consumers. The duo did not waste time on market research, projections, drawing charts etc. Since they were pretty confident about their proposal, they kept it simple.

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“Parents didn’t know about our initiatives for the first three months. When they came to know, we faced opposition from them as well as all the other people around us. In fact, my dad continued to call me a T-shirt salesman until we got featured in the Economic Times,” recalls Varun.

“Age, too, posed as a great barrier for us. It was becoming difficult to convince people about the viability of the new venture, be it the principal of a school, a vendor or our own parents. Everyone tried to frustrate our efforts.They viewed our age as a blockade. But in hindsight, being young did help us in many ways. Once we got talking to the naysayers and showed them what we had done, they were on board. The good thing was that we weren’t just talking about the idea. We had samples, we had sales, we had already taken major steps to kick-start our business,” says Rohan.

Alma Mater has made sweat shirts and other memorabilia for outgoing students of some of the top colleges in India, including the IITs, the National Law School of India University, NLIU Bhopal, and many schools of Bangalore, Dehra Dun, Chennai, Delhi etc. Alma Mater, which started with an initial investment of just Rs 1 lakh, is among the top merchandising firms today with a net worth of Rs 13 crore.

Varun is also on course to realise another dream. His maiden book on entrepreneurship, titled Anu Aunty, will be released in the first week of May. The book narrates a story on entrepreneurship through the central character Anu Aunty.

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

Snehaj Srinivas EX QUIZ ME

(1). Rukmini Devi Arundale (2). You scratch my back & I scratch yours (3).

Mritasanjeevani (These were the 4 herbs carried by Hanuman to rescue Lakshmana) (4). Cholesterol (5). She refused to leave her seat to a white man (6). Pinocchio effect (7).Vitamins (8). Madhya Pradesh (Sachin’s 200 from Gwalior & Sehwag’s 219 from Indore) (9).Urea (Synthesized by Frederich Wohler) (10). Varuna (Gods of ocean)

1. Not many women are offered Presidentship of a country and even fewer, refuse. She was one such woman who declined the high office when she was offered the Presidentship of India in the year 1977. Identify this lady who was instrumental in the revival of Bharatanatyam & establishment of Kalakshetra in Adayar.

2. English Navy was traditionally brutal and unimaginably harsh. It was common for a crew member to be tied to a mast after being sentenced to a dozen lashes, for minor offences such as being drunk. These punishments were usually carried out by one of the victim’s crewmates. But it was likely that the crewmate would himself be a victim of such punishment at some stage while on a voyage, so he would be lenient with his victim by whipping him lightly. He himself would then receive an equally lenient treatment by another shipmate if and when he was on the receiving end. This is said to be the origin of which popular English phrase?

3. Identify the missing herb from the list of 4 herbs…Shalya karani, Vishalya karani, Sandhana karani?

4. Which compound seen inside our body derived its name from the combination of three words bile (Greek), solid (Greek), and alcohol?

5. On December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks, aged 42, was arrested for committing a ‘crime’ as per the authorities. What was her crime?

6. Scientists at the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago found that when you lie, chemicals known as ‘catecholamines’ are released, causing tissue inside the nose to swell. This indicates that the human nose actually expands with blood during lying. This is known as the ______________ effect.

7. Frederic Hopkins received the Nobel Prize in medicine for the discovery and work on which group of compounds?

8. The highest and second highest total in ODI (men) happened from which Indian state?

9. The Vital Force Theory which assumed that organic compounds are formed only in living cells, was undermined by the synthesis of which substance in 1828?

10. If the visual on the right is that of Poseidon, who is depicted on the visual on the left ?

Answers

Questions

(Snehaj Srinivas, Chief Coordinator, Dreamz is a Reader in Biochemistry at Annoor Dental College, Moovattupuzha)

Win exciting prizes

Mail your answers at educationinsideronline @gmail.com 1. She narrowly escaped from guillotine during the French revolution.

2. What famous entity on earth is named after him?

3. How is she immortalized in medical history?

Monthly winners to get one year free subscription of Education Insider magazine and mega winner (once in six months) to get an exciting prize. Mega winner will be selected from those who furnish maximum number of correct answers in six months EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

Winners of last issue Salini K, Sarun S, Rithwik K

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WORDS OF WISDOM Subroto Bagchi

‘CEOs sans selling skills will not survive’ Subroto Bagchi co-founded MindTree, an international IT consultation and implementation company in 1999 and started as the CEO and member of the Board.

Currently co-headquartered in Warren, New Jersey, and Bengaluru, India, it has three development centres in India and 15 offices in Asia, Europe, and the US. Subroto is also the face of the company’s outreach beyond business. On April 1, 2012, Subroto took over as Chairman of MindTree’s Board of Directors. He is on the Board of Governors of the IIM, Bangalore and a member of the Governing Council of the Software Technology Parks of India. He is a well-known writer, having penned the books Go Kiss the World: Life Lessons for the Young Professional, The High Performance Entrepreneur and The Professional, besides a number of widely read columns in national newspapers and magazines. In 2011, he was acknowledged India’s No. 1 bestselling business author. In an interaction with Education Insider at MindTree’s Bengaluru office, he sounded enthusiastic about his mission, vision and attitudes as an author and an entrepreneur. Excerpts:

By T N Shaji How do you evaluate yourself as a successful business author?

First of all, I don’t have an identity as an entrepreneur outside MindTree. So when I say how I evaluate myself, it is an evaluation of MindTree. It is only 13 years old, but it has been able to achieve a lot. We made an interesting analysis a few days back. We analysed the number of companies in India which have crossed the Rs 2,000 crore mark. They have taken 25 years average and some have taken even more. We did it in 13 years.

Within two years of MindTree’s birth, we had 9/11 and a full blown economic recession. So, I think if you look at that achievement itself, to be a Rs 2000 crore company at half the time that top people have taken, is a great achievement. MindTree has always been seen as a company which is different from the rest because of what we have been doing for the people. We have a lot of reasons to feel good. But if you look at the past 13 years, we were a company which was always respected

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for culture. In other words, we are a culture-led company. Our challenge is to build an organisation which is experts-led and culture backed. We want our customers to come to us for expertise and stay because we are good people to deal with. I can evaluate myself only when MindTree gets evaluated. So MindTree is working in progress, I am also working in progress. We are ordinary people who want to do extraordinary things.

Your real life story is touching and inspiring. Could you share the reminiscences?

It’s an ordinary life story. My personal take on life is to make extraordinary things with ordinary people. We must always have a sense of legacy, which means that we are here to leave behind something. Our life can’t be about consumption alone, it should also be about creation. If you look at the overall Indian situation today, it’s all about consumption.

Life is about creations and not about consumptions. We must build extraordinary things with ordinary EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

people. We should not define life based on what we consume but what we create. What we leave behind is also very important. It may be a small project I am handling, it may be the interview that you conduct today with me, it may be cleaning the carpet, it may be building new facilities for MindTree, or it may be making a great customer presentation. Every small thing has its significance and the small things we do are the ones that make a big difference.

Do you think our education system is ideal to mould good citizens?

No, I don’t think so. Educational institutions have to ask themselves a fundamental question. In which direction is the education system going? Educationalists today get kickbacks for bringing in students in monetary and other forms. I bring in a student with 45 per cent marks and you enrol that student with donation and I can earn a kickback. I can be a cook, a school teacher or that student’s uncle. We can’t expect responsible citizenship from such an education system.

Do you have any suggestions?

I am still grappling with it in my mind. I am an ordinary guy who built a company with 11,000 people, but not an expert to moot remedies for the wrongs in the education system. But how can we let a situation of enrolling students for money to continue? Forget about the curriculum, forget about what the students learn, and forget about getting them placed. Educational institutions have to ask themselves — Can education be a business? Running an education system in a businesslike way is different from running it as a cold blooded business. I am afraid most of the educational institutions are being run as pure business concerns and with vested interests, adhering to rules of politicians and having interferences from half literate people who have nothing to do with technical and medical education. As a nation, we have trivialised education. Today’s policy makers have a short view of time. They think India will be over when their children die and all you need to do is to take care of yourself.

Education is something which people need to think of as what will be prevailing in India 100 years from now. If you evaluate an educational institution’s success on the basis of profitability, return on investments, and placements etc, you are trivialising education. So if you don’t have broad and far-sighted views of education, for heaven’s sake, quit running an educational institution and do mining. For heaven’s sake, do all the other attractive things which will make you get Rs 20,000 crore earnings on an average. I think Dawood Ibrahim is a more honest guy than these people who sell education and build institutions on paddy fields by bribing officials and acquiring farming lands.

What is your idea of education?

I repeat myself here again; first and foremost, it must have a long view of time. Today’s education system has to anticipate a world ahead of the time. Education is a preparation for life. Education is not a method to be practiced to get a job. But sadly, that is the Indian interpretation. In many states in India, engineering seats

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

are vacant. Out of 10 lakh engineers we produce, the usability or employability or worthiness is less than 5 per cent. So, we reduce things and we equate education to employability. Education is the most important life skill. We can’t equate education with employment. It is about preparing for life. Education system must be built up on the idea that human being is multiple intelligent.

Howard Gardner has given us the new idea of multiple intelligences.

In your view, what is success?

To me, success is building extraordinary things with ordinary people. Success means your ability to leave more than you took. Success is the capacity to rise above your constraints. In the Bhubaneswar airport, I saw a woman porter who is in her late thirties. I was stunned.

I had never seen a woman porter anywhere in the world.

She took the luggage of a passenger and put it in a trolley. It was a full load and I offered to help her, but she refused. I asked her name. Her name is Sanjuktha. After her husband died, she was forced to do this job. But she is doing it with confidence to look after her children. I salute her determination and see success in her life.

So, I assert, success comes when you rise above your constraints. Success can’t be judged by narrow social parameters.

Your advice to young entrepreneurs First, learn to sell, and second, be in love with money. I meet many young people and some of them have fantastic ideas to change the world. But they lack the skills to get and maintain a customer. If you don’t have paying customers, everything else is a pipe dream. Selling is the most precious, least respected skill in business.

Tomorrow’s CEOs who can’t sell, will not survive. If you have become a successful Subroto Bagchi, Chairman, seller, that is equivalent to a MindTree doctoral degree in management. So, respect the customer and respect money. Some As a nation, we people say they enter business have trivialised to change the world. This is wrong. If they want to change education. Tothe world, start an NGO. The day’s policy purpose of business is to build makers have happy customers and profitable a short view of companies. Profit is a social obligation of an enterprise. time. They think What do you enjoy most India will be about what you do? over when their If you put me away from children die and people, I will wither. What I enjoy most is being with peoall you need to ple. I am in love with people. I do is to take care am not in love with people in of yourself an HR sense. I am fascinated by people who do their jobs with commitment and passion.

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EXPERT INTERVIEW Amit Bhatia The New Delhi-based Aspire Human Capital Management, India’s leading education services firm incepted back in July 2007, stepped in their sixth year of delivering incampus education that enhances employability and talent development.

With its sprawling network of institutions across 44 campuses in 12 Indian states, Aspire has already enrolled 33,555 students.

It is an industry-promoted social enterprise of repute offering best of the Embedded Education for schools, colleges and universities enhancing employability and life skills of the youth. Amit Bhatia, CEO and Founder Member of Aspire, is a management guru and veteran educationalist.

In an exclusive interview with Education Insider, Bhatia asserts that professional grooming is something that the youth of the nation needs most. Excerpts:

Amit Bhatia

By T N Shaji

‘We aspire to make quality professionals’ In your view, what is the challenging element that exists before an employer while recruiting candidates?

Employers need to find the right knowledge, skills and attitude fit in a candidate and this is never easy. Unless the employers have a robust battery of tests, assessments and interviewers; they struggle to find the right person, especially on ‘soft’ criteria like ­­ cultural fitment. This is more acute in middle and senior level than in entrylevel or junior recruitment. Moreover, in entry-level and junior recruitment, employers are finding that increasing resume fraud and reducing work ethics pose a significant challenge in finding the right candidates.

Could you please describe about the role Aspire is playing in the human capital management scene?

Aspire embeds employability-education for both hardand-soft skills inside schools, colleges and universities

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to ensure that students come out more employable.

We specially focus on Engineering and Management education inside colleges and universities.

Additionally, we enhance Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths (STEM) skills for Grade V-X students inside schools. To date, since 2007, Aspire has trained over 50,000 students in 12 states across 27 cities.

Your main area is employability skills education.

What are the unique methods adopted by Aspire to make candidates more employable?

Aspire is working with higher education institutions to change the syllabus in Engineering & Management domains in collaboration with iCarnegie (a Carnegie Mellon University subsidiary) and Harvard Business Publishing (Harvard EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

Business School subsidiary) with our products ITPro and MBAPro. We provide our courseware (classroom PPTs, faculty guides, student notes for each lesson) on a Learning Management System (LMS), proprietary assessments, teacher training, student handbooks and certifications for both our products. Aspire has additionally deployed ProHire and EnglishPro for general employability skills (aptitude, communication, personality development, soft skills) and English language skills enhancement respectively. Lastly, Aspire’s product RoboticPro is used by Grade V-X students to use Robotics for practical and experiential learning of Computer Science, Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths (CS-STEM) domain.

What is special about your Employment Education Management System (EEMS)?

EEMS is Aspire’s proprietary Learning Management System (LMS) which is deployed inside institutions on a local Edge Server and allows synchronisation with our Main Server available on the cloud. This ensures faster access and uninterrupted access to content for institutions.

What is your take on innovative teaching methodologies? Please describe its benefits Aspire believes in experiential learning and is evangelising the project-based, participant-centred, games-and-activity-based approach in the classroom.

ITPro is project-based and creates a virtual corporation in the classroom, MBAPro reinforces participant-centred learning, RoboticPro is totally lab-based and game-based challenges while ProHire and EnglishPro are taught by trainers (not teachers) in an experiential way.

How can we make our education system more industry-friendly or employer-friendly?

For our education to be more industry-friendly, we must listen to the industry and their needs. They value skills and attitude significantly, equal or even more than knowledge sometimes. Therefore, the

education fraternity must update and rethink its curriculum and syllabus, in partnership with industry, to ensure that what happens inside the classroom is relevant at the workplace. Most importantly, we must move from teaching to learning to ensure better outcomes.

How embedded education on employability will help sustain the economic growth?

India must train 500 million new entrants into our labour market from 2007-2022. During this 15-year period, we must double our universities and colleges, grow our Gross Enrolment Ratio from 12.4-30 % if we must ensure that this new generation gets quality higher education and is employable.

Currently, only 25% of our 17 million students in higher education come out employable. Embedded education will lower the cost, increase quality and reduce time to create talent that fuels the economic growth during this period. Else, the demographic dividend may end up as a demographic disaster.

In your view, which are the major sectors badly in need of employees now?

The year 2011 was not a good indicator for all sectors. While a few core (infrastructure/ automotive), services (hospitality/media) and social (healthcare and education) sectors are driving recruitment currently; BFSI, IT, retail and telecom will continue to drive long-term employment growth.

What should be a student’s priority while selecting higher studies?

All students should first consider their own skills and aspirations before trying to take on higher studies. One should not be led by current market demand; else we will see a deluge of ‘stereo-typed’ graduates as in B.Tech (CSE) or MBA today, being served by unprepared institutions, leading to poor quality and diminishing returns for all. With the world becoming closer, many non-traditional careers (e.g., entertainment technology) lead to great professional lives.

Amit Bhatia is a social entrepreneur. His vision is to address India’s challenge of talent availability and employability through the New Delhi-based Aspire Human Capital Management, co-promoted by 28 CEOs as investors. Since 2007, Aspire has been enabling education that enhancing employability last year they trained 33,555 students across 40 institutions in over 20 Tier 2,3 & 4 Indian cities (in rural & semi urban India) across 12 states. Aspire was recognised as an ‘Education Czar’ in August 2008 by MINT, a WSJ publication and Finalist of John P McNulty Award (USA) in July 2010.

Amit has 20 years of management experience and till recently served as CEO of WNS Knowledge Services which he built to a 1200-strong operation. Amit was part of the Leadership Team which listed WNS on NYSE in 2006. Prior to WNS, Amit served as the Founding Country Manager for Free Markets Inc, leading its supply chain consulting business and offshore development centre in India and knowledge management globally. Free Markets had a record $10 billion listing on NASDAQ in 1999. Most notably, Amit conceived, founded and led the McKinsey Knowledge Centre in New Delhi, the consulting firm’s global research centre, serving over 80 McKinsey offices worldwide. He has also held analytic and research positions at American Express and a domestic brokerage firm.

Amit has a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University and Master’s Degree in Commerce from Delhi School of Economics.

He is also a qualified Cost and Works Accountant.

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

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MAKE YOUR CHOICE

Set sail as you study

Get ready for a pleasant takeoff

Packed with oodles of fun and adventures, life hits a high note in the high seas. With a degree in Nautical Science, you can lead a peaceful life topped with fine earnings and cosy comforts

Do you think you can maintain your mental equilibrium in the face of challenges and adversity? Do you have the potential to lead? If you reply in the affirmative, give wings to your dreams to become a pilot

What is Nautical Science?

Nautical Science refers to the basic knowledge required to safely navigate and operate a ship in uncharted waters. It makes you a master mariner who can plot positions and courses to track movement through water. A degree in this line of study can make a deserving candidate rise to the position of captaincy of a ship.

How to join?

Aspiring students can apply for BSc Nautical Science after 12th standard only if they have a minimum of 55 per cent marks in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.

They should be fluent in written and spoken English. As the institutes concerned conduct entrance tests, candidates are required to take the OPEN-NET examination, held every June.

Content

Nautical physics, electronics, environmental science, ship operation technology, naval architecture, mathematics, marine engineering and control system are among the main subjects in BSc Nautical Science.

Scope

Alongside the government sector, private shipping companies and the Merchant Navy offer a wide range of job opportunities as • Captain • Deck Officer • Oceanographer • Radio Officer • Marine Superintendent

Where to study?

• • •

International Maritime Institute, Noida R L Institute of Nautical Sciences, Madurai International Maritime Academy, Chennai

Study abroad • • •

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Regional Maritime University, Ghana Shanghai Maritime University, China Liverpool John Moores University, UK

Why pilot as a profession?

The job of a pilot is dynamic and challenging. This high-risk job comes with huge responsibilities, brings about an all-round development of personality and offers you a social status and salary that promises upward mobility.

How to join?

The candidate should have an aggregate of 50 per cent in Physics and Mathematics in 12th standard and be aged above 17 for applying for pilot training. He/she should be fluent in written and spoken English.

Scope

In sync with the booming air traffic, the demand for trained pilots, too, has gone up, in both public and private sectors.

MNCs and corporate tycoons, who have their own private aircraft and helicopters, offer a handsome package for licensed pilots. Those aspiring for a career in the defence services can look up to the Indian Air Force, which recruits pilot graduates.

Qualities of a pilot

A good pilot should be • a constant risk evaluator • have good flying skills • stay focused • Quick thinker

Where to study?

• • • •

Haryana Institute of Civil Aviation, Hissar, Haryana UP State Flying Training Institute, Uttar Pradesh Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Akademi, Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh Aviation Training Academy, Chennai

Study abroad • • • •

Flight School, Florida USA AYALA Aviation academy, Jordan California Flight Academy, USA Academy of Aviation, Scotland EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

Australia STUDY DESTINATION

For higher education, just go Down Under Are you planning to go abroad to pursue higher studies and unable to decide upon the right destination? May be it’s time you opted to go Down Under. Ranked among the top education hubs in the world, Australia is known for promoting a vibrant and quality-oriented academic system

By Our Special Correspondent

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xams are over for students of class XII and bachelor degree programmes. Soon, it will be time for declaration of results and commencement of the new academic session and fresh admissions. So, it’s that time of the year when students have to weigh their options, make up their mind and choose the right course and institute where they can pursue their higher studies. If you plan to go abroad, Australia, the land of kangaroos, is certainly a great destination that should find place in your checklist since it has the enviable record of 99 per cent literacy.

For the past 60 years, globally acclaimed universities of Australia have been welcoming international students.

Australia possesses high skill content in its education system and is ranked as the third most popular destination for international students after the United Kingdom and the US. Given its abiding interest, the government keeps a close watch on all aspects of higher education and maintains its high standards.

diploma, bachelor’s degree, graduate certificate/graduate diploma, master’s degree, and doctoral degree. The diploma and advanced diploma require two and three years of study, while the bachelor’s degree requires three or four years. Additional study of up to one year can result in a graduate certificate /graduate diploma. The master’s and

Earn while you learn

Australian graduates are respected the world over for being the products of a highly qualitative education system. The cost of living and expenditure on education is relatively low in Australia, when compared with other popular destinations. The Australian system of education allows international students to work up to 20 hours a week in between their studies. They also get opportunities to work full-time during study breaks. On completion of higher studies, the avenues for lucrative employment are plenty if an individual has prior work experience. Another Prime Universities for higher education

World rank

University of Melbourne

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Australian National University

38

University of Sydney

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University of Queensland

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Monash University

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perquisite of the Australia education system is the student healthcare scheme that is available across the country.

Forty-two public universities and two private universities offer six post-secondary degrees: diploma, advanced EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

doctoral degrees require an additional two and three years.

About 430,000 international students enrolled in the Australian campuses last year. This year, the inflow has touched a high of 460,000 international students. This year, the education ministry intends to give a national agency enough power to regulate accreditation and auditing of education providers. Interestingly, the country has lightened the student visa process of international students.

Affordable cost Tuition fees for higher studies in Australia are very affordable and 40% of it is paid by the government. Annual fees for a bachelor’s degree at Australian university will cost A$10,000. Other degrees have varying costs, with vocational programmes starting around A$5,000 and doctorate degrees reaching A$18,500. To entice more international students to Australia, the government, schools and colleges are offering numerous scholarship opportunities. The average cost of living for an international student in Australia is about A$ 1600 a month.

For more details on higher studies in Australia, log on to http://www.immi.gov.au/, www.cic.gc.ca/English/index.asp

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INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES Indian aviation

It’s high time for This is the right time to invest in the aviation sector, with the government extending some relief to the financially troubled carriers through a growth- oriented budgetary package. More significantly, the cabinet is considering allowing foreign carriers to invest up to 49 per cent in the domestic airlines. Such a path-breaking move will only lead to a more investor-friendly climate

By Lakshmi Narayanan Remya Devasya, Air hostess, Jet Airways

Though the recession is affecting the air travel sector, the passion of the youth for a job in this sector is high. The chances of getting placed are also increasing

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T

he Indian aviation sector is witnessing two contrasting trends in its growth trajectory – the first being the financial turbulence plaguing all carriers, and the second one comforting the stakeholders with everbooming passenger traffic. The jump in air traffic volume, coupled with a slew of growthconducive budgetary measures, will accelerate growth and create more investment and job opportunities in both aviation and its allied sectors, according to industry insiders.

Here’s the dark side of the aviation sector first. Slapped with a high tax regime on aviation turbine fuel and saddled with operational losses, private carriers have been bleeding steadily, with combined losses expected to cross the Rs 10,000-crore mark. Beleaguered national carrier Air India, on the other hand, is banking on Rs 4,000-crore equity infusion and Rs 18,000-crore financial restructuring plan to emerge out of the red, thanks to the Union Budget.

Is the rescue mission limited to the national carrier only? No, there’s more. Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, while presenting the Union Budget for 2012-2013, proposed to allow private airlines to borrow up to $1 billion in external loans for a one-year period. This will take care of their immediate financing concerns. But the news being followed with bated breath is the proposal for allowing foreign carriers to invest

up to 49 per cent in the domestic carriers. The proposal is under the active consideration of the cabinet, Mukherjee said.

Currently, the government allows foreign direct investment (FDI) up to 49 per cent in Indian carriers by non-airline players but bans foreign airlines from investing directly because of security concerns. An all-clear to the proposal would open the floodgates of investment in aviation and its allied sectors.

Mukherjee also extended relief to the nascent maintenance, repair and overhaul sector by proposing to allow full exemption from customs duty and countervailing duty to aircraft spares, tyres and testing equipment. He said India had the potential to establish itself as a hub for third-party maintenance, repair and overhaul of civilian aircraft.

Over to some more heartening news and projections, the passenger traffic has grown at the rate of 18.5 per cent in the last seven years, according to the Economic Survey for 20112012. More importantly, according to various reports, India is poised to be among the top five aviation nations in the world in the next 10 years. Currently, India is the ninth largest civil aviation market in the world, said the President of India Pratibha Patil at the International Civil Aviation Negotiation Conference.

The market size of aviation allied sectors has EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

spreading wings

also multiplied several times in the last few years, thanks to the boom in air traffic. The numbers say it all, again. In the last decade, the domestic air traffic has quadrupled from 13 million to 52 million and the international traffic has more than tripled to 38 million. A similar trend was observed in the cargo sector also. According to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, the air transport (including air freight) in India has attracted FDI worth $423.31 million from April 2000 to September 2011.

Investment potential

Estimates suggest that the domestic air traffic will touch 160-180 million passengers a year in the next 10 years and the international traffic will exceed 80 million passengers a year. Once the air traffic movement grows at such high volumes, there would be demand for employees in the administrative and service fields. Pilots, airport staff, ground hostess, air hostess and other cabin crew members, are already in high demand. Besides, each of the airports in India functions with thousands of administrative and non- administrative staff. Airline companies also require a high number of allied staff. But the dearth of qualitative institutes providing education and training in aviation allied sectors is an area of concern.

Sensing the growth potential in the aviation sector, new players are contemplating entry while the existing airlines are expanding their base. On its part, the government has accorded top priority to the revamp and modernisation of select airports to give a further fillip to this sector. Again, a lot of skilled manpower is required for such initiatives. Estimates and studies prove that within the next five years, aviation and allied sectors would create employment opportunities for nearly one million people.

Airlines companies are finding it difficult to source EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

manpower as per industry standards. But they are doing whatever they can. They are spending huge amount of funds and time in sourcing and training employees. Still, that’s not good enough. There’s a huge scope for the establishment of qualitative training institutes in aviation related studies. Heavy capital investment is the main factor that is holding back potential players. But once invested, it will keep on generating surplus as it is a lucrative investment area for edupreneurs. “There is no university or formal education system in India that provide a degree or diploma courses in aviation. Therefore, institutes related to air travel is a good investment opportunity for private entrepreneurs,” Suneesh Kumar, Director of Kerala-based Aptech Aviation Academy told Education Insider.

The number of youths opting for aviation related studies is increasing nowadays. The majority of the aspirants apply for pilot training. Air hostess and ground hostess jobs are also in great demand, thanks to the glamour quotient. While many private air and ground hostess institutes are running successfully, there’s room for more. For those interested in aviation administration, there are institutes offering diploma in airport management and customer care and BBA or MBA in aviation.

Opportunities from abroad also beckon well-trained aviation experts. Private airlines are known for hiring outstanding pilots. They are also recruiting experienced and well-trained persons in senior management positions.

Further, they are outsourcing functions such as ground handling, check-in, reservation, aircraft maintenance, catering, training, revenue accounting, IT infrastructure, loyalty and programme management. Airlines are also known to take on contract employees such as cabin crew and ticketing and check-in agents. In short, there will not be any placement problem for the new job aspirants.

“A few years ago, formal training was available only for pilot and aircraft maintenance engineering. Now, the scenario is different. Students have many options to get themselves trained in other spheres as well,” says Suneesh Kumar.

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Kerala’s Best 25 Pvt Engg Colleges

Clearing the decks to make the right choice A degree in engineering is the most sought after certification for students across the country. In Kerala, too, there is such a mad rush for engineering that other courses are not anywhere near the number of students being accommodated in the technical education sector. To enter the government engineering colleges, one needs to qualify the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering and get admission on merit. That process is devoid of any confusion. However, when it comes to the admission of the second tier of students, there are chances of being confounded. After all, private engineering institutes are dime a dozen these days. And choosing the best among them is not easy. In this context, Education Insider has come up with a line-up of 25 engineering colleges in Kerala that promise to deliver in a big way

By Prashob K P

G

etting an engineering degree has become a default course of action for a majority of students in this country these days, thanks to overbearing parents who desire an upward movement in social status by getting their children the tag of being part of a well-paid and valued force of new age professionals. Only a very small percentage of students go for engineering after measuring one’s interests, passion and skills, while a majority of them opt for it following immense pressure from parents and well-wishers, though they may not have the required skills, aptitude, mental make-up or inclination. That’s one of the reasons why the second tier of students (following the achievers in GATE and other competitive exams) are always in a state of confu-

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EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

sion when it comes to securing admissions in private engineering colleges.

Every year, India produces between four and six lakh engineering graduates, but only a miniscule percentage of them manage to find a job of their liking and abilities in the top line of companies. The rest either make do with less-paying jobs or branch out to an altogether new line of employment or career.

So what’s really wrong with the majority of these engineering degree-holders? Firstly, they may not have the problem-solving abilities or aptitude to work in a highly technological environment, given the lack of training facilities in a private engineering college to groom them for responsible roles. Secondly, they may have attended colleges where the curriculum is certainly not cutting edge or qualitative since most of them would have found it difficult to even clear the course had it been otherwise. Thirdly, the faculty in most of the private institutes does not have the expertise or knowledge in specialised fields of engineering.

Worrisome trends in Kerala

In Kerala, engineering is a popular course as well as a good employment avenue. But, of late, some worrisome trends have been noticed in the private engineering education sector. To start with, the shortage of competent teaching staff is directly affecting the quality of engineers being produced by private colleges. Secondly, the passing rate of engineering students in Kerala is not good when compared to other states. But that hasn’t affected the career choices of a sizeable section of students in the state. As usual, while the top students crack GATE and secure admissions in regional colleges, others continue learning at coaching institutes to ensure that they make it to the best of private institutes through common entrance tests.

The stakes are high both for the students and the private engineering colleges since about 40,000 engineering seats are available. Here again, there’s

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

a disturbing practice of accommodating those with lower Accreditation and certification scores in entrance Faculty status tests Infrastructure through the Admission details backdoor in lieu of some Academic details hefty donation Placement potential or capitation fee. On the other Co-curricular activities hand, since most recruiters are looking for industry-ready candidates, the engineering colleges, too, are amending their teaching mechanism and educational modules. That sounds fine so long as there is a fair mix of the traditional study material and new modules. But what would be the possible ways to clear the confusion over choosing the right course and institution? Students have very limited information at their disposal to make a judicious selection. There are no clear parameters to judge the quality of an institution or the expertise they have in a specific branch.

Sensing the difficulties faced by students in the absence of reliable information, Education Insider has featured the Best 25 Private Engineering (B25E) Colleges in Kerala. At the initial stage of the study by a team of Education Insider, 80 colleges were picked up. On further review, we shortlisted 40 institutes.

After that, our team visited the institutes and had a face to face interaction with the governing authorities. The information gathered through these interactions was then catalogued. Our team noted that that many engineering colleges are of high quality and are actually imparting good technical education in the state. A number of them have good, dedicated faculty, infrastructure and library facilities. Some of the colleges have good placement record as well. However, a large number of institutes were found to be lacking in certain crucial areas.

While several institutes have a decent number of guest faculty, some had a faculty with limited experience and bare minimum educational qualification. On the basis of these findings, our team has selected the Best 25 Private Engineering Colleges which impart a value-based technical education with sound infrastructural support.

parameters followed

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Kerala’s Best 25 Pvt Engg Colleges

RSET, Kochi

Grooming engineers of tomorrow

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ell-equipped laboratories, skill development programmes and frequent interactions with the industry are the unique features of this engineering college. Established in 2001, Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology (RSET) possesses a highly qualified and experienced faculty. All faculty members had previously served at various engineering colleges of national as well as international repute.The college offers under graduate programmes (B-Tech) in six branches and post graduation (M-Tech) in five specialised streams.

As part of an initiative to spot and nurture hidden talent, the college has been organising many talent hunt programmes throughout the academic year. The college also has remedial sessions for weaker students.RSET, which is affiliated to Mahatma

Gandhi University, has already bagged 29 university ranks since its establishment. The pass percentage is also substantially high compared to other engineering colleges in the state. The college, which has an excellent student-faculty ratio, has collaborations with leading international universities on student exchange programmes. It also has a strong alumni association.

Top MNCs, including General Electric and Robert Bosch GmbH, have been visiting the campus for recruitments. The placement cell at RSET has always been keen on finding the appropriate placement for each student according to his/her choice and aptitude. The Wi-Fi enabled campus has a bank, post office, student facility centre, fitness centre, stadium, tennis court and basket ball court. Rev Fr Dr Antony Kariyil CMI is the director of this institution.

SSET, Cochin

Committed faculty is core strength

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CMS School of Engineering and Technology (SSET), promoted by the SCMS group of educational institutions, has been providing quality education since 2001. Located on a 29-acre campus at Karukutty in Ernakulam, SSET has a high disciplined environment.

The core strength of SSET is its highly qualified, motivated and committed faculty. The personality development programmes are aimed at improving the selfconfidence of students in group dynamics, interpersonal relationships, presentation and communication and time and stress management and transforming them into professionals par excellence by the time they leave the campus. The institute offers courses in civil, mechanical, electrical, electronics and communication,

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computer science and automobile engineering at the BTech level and MTech at the post graduate level. The SSET Centre for Research and Innovation in Engineering and Technology has started functioning under the guidance of Dr Johannes Fritsch of the University of Applied Sciences, Ravensberg-Meingarten, Germany. The institute has world class infrastructural facilities, and its laboratories and workshops are equipped with modern equipment. A good track record of placement is another achievement of this institute. Many leading multinational companies have hired candidates from this institute. Besides studies, SSET is also engaged in a number of social activities. Merit scholarships are also offered to students under the tuition waiver scheme.

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Kerala’s Best 25 Pvt Engg Colleges

SCET, Thrissur

Inculcating human values

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ahrdaya College of Engineering and Technology (SCET), located in a 40-acre campus at Kodakara in Thrissur district, was set up to meet the state’s increasing need for qualitative technical education. As the college celebrates its decennial year, the institution has become a preferred destination for several engineering aspirants from Kerala.

Well-qualified teaching staffs with sufficient experience lend grace and value to the institution.

According to Rt Rev Bishop Dr Pauly Kanookadan, Patron and Chairman of SCET, mutual trust and coordination alone will help the institution to go ahead with

full thrust as one soul and one heart.

At SCET, infrastructure is in full glow. All the classrooms are equipped with networked computers and LCD projectors. An advanced computer lab with 60 networked Pentium-4 terminals, a language lab to train students in foreign languages and a vast reference library make this engineering college unique.

The placement and training unit is very active and has been successfully placing its candidates in different firms, including many MNCs. Global brands such as Accenture, Infosys and UST Global are regularly involved in the recruitment process.

AJCE, Kanjirappally

Numero uno in accreditations

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n the world of technical education, Amal Jyothi College of Engineering (AJCE) stands out because of its excellence in imparting technical higher education and research. Amal Jyothi, founded in 2001 by the Catholic Diocese of Kanjirappally, claims to be the first new generation engineering college in Kerala.

The campus spread over 60 acres of scenic landscape at the foothills of the Western Ghats, has a unique learning environment.

Amal Jyothi is among the rare engineering colleges from Kerala to be approved as a centre of relevance and excellence by TIFAC (Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council) under the DST, Govt. of India. It is also the only engineering college in Kerala to secure in its seventh year the prestigious EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

accreditation for its prime departments from the National Board of Accreditation under the All India Council for Technical Education. With an annual intake of 732 students, AJCE offers seven BTech programmes and five PG courses. Admissions are offered on the basis of a merit list, with due reservation to those from the marginalised sections of society.

Automobile, civil engineering, computer science & engineering, electronics & communication, electrical & electronics, information technology, mechanical engineering are the electives offered in the BTech programme, while the PG course includes MCA, MTech in electives like communication engineering, machine design, power electronics and power systems, computer science & engineering.

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TKMIT, Kollam

Pioneer in technical education

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f you are engaged in the task of choosing an institute of qualitative and academic excellence in the field of technical education, bear in mind the name of Thangal Kunju Musaliar (TKM) Institute of Technology, Kollam, Kerala, which offers bachelor’s and master’s programmes.

TKM College Trust, which has more than 50 years of experience in imparting technical education, is a pioneer in engineering education in South India.

TKM Institute of Technology, the latest and the seventh venture of the TKM Trust, was established in the year 2002 to deliver high quality technical education.

The administrative wing of TKM is headed by TKM Trust president Shahal H. Musaliar and Principal Dr. M.C.Philipose.

The college aims to evolve as a world-

class institution that imparts technical education in an innovative way, enabling today’s youth to come up with lasting solutions for society. It upholds the vision of “Inspiring Thought, Imparting Knowledge and Impacting Mindset”.

TKM provides BTech in six streams, including civil, food technology, electrical and electronics, mechanical, electronics and bio medical, electronics and communication, and MTech in VLSI embedded system, computer and information science, software engineering, optoelectronics and signal processing.

The institute boasts of having credentials that match the international standards of teaching and learning aids. It facilitates frequent interactions between students and industry leaders. It also has the best placement options and tie-ups with the industry.

FISAT, Angamali

Offers best study ambiance

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ith one of the largest campuses in South India, Federal Institute of Science and Technology, Angamali, Kerala, provides students an opportunity to learn the hard, energy-sapping subjects of engineering in an atmosphere lightened by the richness of nature. The 40-acre campus of FISAT enables students to take an active part in extracurricular activities, which are equally essential to maintain the mental equilibrium in stressful conditions.

Unlike other engineering institutes, FISAT is the dream project of the Federal Bank Officers’ Association Educational Society, which consists of about 2,500 members across India. For the past 10 years, the institute has been imbibing ideas from quality-driven institutions and adding value to its

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courses to provide the best technical education.

Affiliated to MG University and accredited by the All India Council for Technical Education, FISAT is known for its enterprising students. In 2009 and 2010, FISAT bagged the national award for the best student branch from the Computer Society of India.

FISAT has also received the ISO 9001-2008 certification.

Under the effective chairmanship of PV Mathew, FISAT offers quality education in BTech with specialisation in electronics and communication engineering, computer science and engineering, electrical and electronics engineering, electronics and instrumentation engineering, and mechanical engineering; M Tech in communication engineering and computer science & information systems.

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Kerala’s Best 25 Pvt Engg Colleges

ASIET, Kalady

Technical hub with ethical values

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he self-empowering philosophy of Adi Shankara resonates through the corridors of Adi Shankara Institute of Engineering and Technology (ASIET) of Kalady, Kerala, promising the aspirants of engineering an educational atmosphere that would help in cultivation of ethical values.

The concept of ASIET is starkly different from other engineering institutes. The ISO 9001-2008 certified campus, established in the year 2001, aims to provide value-added technical education with a flair of professional excellence. The college is affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam and offers under graduate courses approved by the All India Council for Technical Education.

The motto of the college is to provide students a good environment for transformation into technologically superior, socially com-

mitted, spiritually elevated and nationally responsible citizens. The college is run by the Adi Shankara Trust under the chairmanship of KNV Ramani.

ASIET has a highly qualified and wellcommitted faculty, air-conditioned computer labs with PCs of the latest configuration, well-equipped workshops and high-tech laboratories. ASIET hosts frequent interactions between students and industry representatives. It offers BTech in electrical and electronics engineering, electronics and communication engineering, computer science and engineering, information technology, applied electronics & instrumentation, mechanical engineering and MTech in computer science.

The institute has tie-ups with MNCs like TCS, HCL Technologies, UST Global and many other national firms for placing its students.

VJCET, Muvattupuzha

Producing engineers with skills

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ounded in 2001, Viswajyothi College of Engineering and Technology, located in Muvattupuzha, Kerala, has been producing well-trained engineers who can bring about a huge difference in the industry with their innovative ideas and rich technological skills.

The first batch of techies, who graduated in the year 2005, was well received by the industry and this has proved out to be an impetus for the institute’s future growth.

Affiliated to MG University and approved by the All India Council for Technical Education, the college functions under the aegis of the Kerala Catholic Engineering College Management Association. The college headed by Dr KT Mathew, has 136 faculty members who are well-experienced and highly qualified. Eminent professionals and industry leaders also visit the college EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

to deliver guest lectures.

The college has been approved as a centre of relevance and excellence by TIFAC (Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council) under the DST, Government of India. It offers the highest BTech intake of 630 seats in seven branches -- applied electronics and instrumentation, civil engineering, computer science, electronics and communication, electrical and electronics, information technology and mechanical engineering. The institute also offers M.Tech in manufacturing systems and management and power electronics.

The college has an effective placement mechanism. Many companies including IBM, Infosys, TCS, CTS, WIPRO and Accenture visit the campus regularly to recruit students.

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Kerala’s Best 25 Pvt Engg Colleges

SJCET, Palai

New promise in tech education

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t Joseph’s College of Engineering and Technology (SJCET), located in Palai in Kottayam district, is a novel promise in the field of technical education.

SJCET was established in 2002 by the Diocese of Palai. The college provides an environment conducive to learning. Discipline, hard work, positive thinking and commitment to excellence remain the guiding principles of the college in setting out on a quest for academic excellence.

The campus life at SJCET instills values in students. Besides imparting quality education, the college makes students efficient through special programmes on personality development, yoga, meditation, employability skills development and

communication skills development.

The college also provides counseling services to students.

The college has an effective Training and Placement Cell which arranges campus selection, training for interviews and competitive examinations, industrial training, assistance for higher studies in India and abroad and other career development schemes. Recruiters include Microsoft, Infosys, HCL, Campus Connect and Faith InfoTech. Satisfied with the performance of candidates from SJCET, these and many other companies have become permanent recruiters. SJCET has obtained the ISO 9001:2008 certification. It also received the minority institution status in 2008.

SNGCE, Kolenchery

Banking on gurukulam culture

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ne of the premier institutions for higher education in Kerala, SNGCE, Kolenchery, has traversed a long way since its inception, about 10 years ago.

SNGCE prides itself in providing a compatible academic environment, contributing to ultimate excellence by gathering knowledge on the strength of modern infrastructural facilities, says Adv T A Vijayan, Executive Director of SNGCE. SNGCE has an effective student council, which brings out the annual college magazine “Gurukulam Voice”. Apart from academic and intellectual stimulations, the college

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also promotes sports and games, as they are of immense significance in developing team spirit, leadership qualities and organising abilities among students. The college also has an entrepreneur development club that develops entrepreneurial culture among students.

The college has installed D-Space Repository System, the most advanced e-learning facility.

SNGCE absolutely lives by its mantra “All it takes to reach the top is your ambition, hard work and a great Gurukulam”. The students here are divided into different groups of 30 each and are placed under the mentorship of a guru.

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Kerala’s Best 25 Pvt Engg Colleges

TIST, Ernakulam

Moulding future leaders

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t TIST, the academic programmes are not merely designed to produce talented engineers every year, says director Dr V Job Kuruvila, adding that the institute is home to a diverse community of innovators and entrepreneurs.

TIST grooms future leaders through a comprehensive education system that bridges the gap between technology, enterprise and society.

Research is given prime importance and students are encouraged to gain valuable hands-on training from real world experiences.

The college has a vast library.

Apart from engineering subjects, the library has sections for pedagogy, research and development, science club, environmental studies, soft skill

development, creativity, literature and management. The digital library has a collection of more than 350 CDs and 35 personal computers with internet connectivity.

The institution also provides career counseling to students for channelising their growth and knowledge. The Department of Training and Placement is very active and has successfully placed many students in different firms, including MNCs. TIST students have been placed with top global companies such as Infosys, Wipro and Accenture.

TIST is also among the elite group of technical institutions that avails the EDUSAT facility launched by the All India Council for Technical Education.

Live lectures by eminent scholars and other personalities are received in TIST classrooms through this facility.

SNGIST, Paravoor

Cultivating right attitude

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t SNGIST, the emphasis is on intellectual transformation by liberating students from the boundaries of mind and fear of failures.

Dr K S Divakaran Nair, Director, SNGIST Group of Institutions says: “By cultivating the right attitude among students, we are creating a group of competent individuals with confidence and compassion which can propel any organisation they work for and society at large.”

SNGIST offers BTech degree in five engineering streams. The institute has already entered into a memorandum of understanding with many established firms. A blueprint for the Industry Interaction Advisory Cell has been framed with the support and active involvement of many organisations and agencies.

The library is an outstanding resource centre and e-learning is encouraged, as the institute has access to more than 1,600 e-journals.

The lush green campus has facilities for various sports activities, including basket ball, volley ball and badminton.

Placement opportunities are available for SNGIST students, and the college also has a strong alumni association.

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Kerala’s Best 25 Pvt Engg Colleges

ILAHIA, Muvattupuzha

Sets sights on innovations

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ith a firm resolve to emerge as an institution of international standards, ILAHIA College of Engineering, located in Muvattupuzha, Kerala has been working towards infusing technical and operational innovation into its educational mechanism. The institute is known for its traditional values and global perspective on education.

A private self-financing technical institution affiliated to MG University, Kottayam, ILAHIA College of Engineering is different from the unscrupulous bunch of money-minting institutes where education takes a backseat.

Managed by the ILAHIA

Trust, the institute was established by a group of eminent visionaries hailing from different socio-economic, cultural, political and business backgrounds. It has a 25-acre campus with Wi-Fi facilities. The institute offers under graduate engineering degrees in civil engineering, mechanical, electrical & electronics, electronics & communication, computer science & engineering, and information technology.

For the past 10 years, the institute has been proving its consistency in producing the best techies to relevant industries. The exclusive placements achieved by the pass outs reflect the credibility of the institution.

JEC, Thrissur

Promoting students’ talents

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yothi Engineering College, located in Cheruthuruthi in Thrissur district, has been producing engineers well-grounded in human values. The college, established in 2002, is maintained by the Catholic Archdiocese of Thrissur. Under the expert guidance of Fr Varghese Kuthur, Executive Manager, Jyothi College of Engineering, the institute has been making consistent endeavours to unfold the hidden talents in students and rekindle their spirit to excel in their chosen spheres.

The college gives equal importance to curricular and co-curricular activities. That’s why its students are very adept in soft and technical skills, energetic in physical education activities and morally conscious in following ethical practices. The institute provides BTech in instrumentation engineering, computer science, electrical and electronics, information technology and mechanical.

The well-experienced faculty of the college gives hands-on experience to students apart from theory and practical classes.

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VJEC, Thalassery

Facilitating online placements

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n ISO 9001 certified institution, Vimal Jyothi Engineering College was established in 2002 under the patronage of Archbishop of Thalassery, Mar George Valiamattam. It figures among the top private engineering colleges of the state.

The college offers under-graduate programmes (B-Tech) in six engineering streams and post-graduation (M-Tech) in computer science and thermal engineering.

The central library

supports the educational and research programmes of the institute. Personal services including circulation, reference service, reprographic service, inter-library loan and CD-based services are available for students.

Several organisations, including the Indian Army, have visited the campus to recruit efficient candidates. The placement portal provides an opportunity for employers to communicate with the placement office, facilitating online recruitment of students.

HCET, Thiruvananthapuram

Strictly professional in approach

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romoted by Heera Educational and Charitable Trust, Heera College of Engineering and Technology (HCET) envisages moulding meritorious and deserving professionals capable of confronting challenges.

College Principal Dr S Pushpakumar, who holds a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Roorkee, had previously served in the same capacity at government engineering colleges in Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur.

The central computing facility, with a local area network connecting more than 100 personal computers, enables students to engage in e-learning. The central library has about 5,400 books, 2,610 titles, 19 international journals, 54 national journals and other informative material.

The institute offers BTech courses in five engineering streams. The college authorities have also received permission for starting a school of architecture.

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MES, Kuttipuram

Best in student-faculty ratio

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ituated on the serene banks of the Bharathapuzha River, MES College of Engineering is a widely acclaimed institution where quality technical education is imparted to its students.

With over 400 faculty members and research guides for about 3,000 students, this institution undoubtedly enjoys one of the best student-faculty ratios in Kerala.

A fully automated state-ofthe-art library has more than 45,000 volumes of technical books, apart from many national and international journals. Owing to computerisation, the central library details can be accessed

from anywhere in the campus by using OPAC facility.

The placement cell is very active from the first semester.

Students receive training in communication skills, interpersonal relationship, leadership qualities and other soft skills through group discussions and interviews even during their early days. The placement cell also offers special counselling for weaker students and helps them improve their academic record. The placement cell works under the direct guidance of Principal Dr VH Abdul Salam.

The major recruiters at MES include TCS, Infosys, Wipro, CTS, IBS, Mahindra Satyam and UBS Technologies.

SAINTGITS, Kottayam

Maintains high standards

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ottayam, the land of letters, has several reasons to cheer. One among them is the presence of the acclaimed SAINTGITS College of Engineering.

The institute commenced its journey under the leadership of well-known academicians. The college is offering BTech degree in six engineering disciplines and Master’s in computer applications and business administration. Since inception, the institute has been maintaining high standards in academic as well as extracurricular activities. According to the institute’s founders, continuous perusal of knowledge is the sole path to success.

The college has 1:10 teacher-student ratio, helping the faculty to concentrate on the innate abilities of its students and nurture their talents in the best possible way. To develop the over-all personality of students, the institute provides add-on courses, training in personality development, communicative skills and soft skills. The college has an effective placement cell. Its erstwhile students have taken up coveted positions in leading MNCs across the globe.

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MACE, Kothamangalam

Nurturing young minds

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ar Athanasius College of Engineering (MACE), located in Kothamangalam in Ernakulam district, has been scaling new heights of excellence. Set up in 1961, MACE is managed by the Mar Athanasius College Association and aided by the Government of Kerala. It is the first engineering college to be affiliated to the Mahatma Gandhi University. With a campus spread over 25.3 hectares and outstanding infrastructural facilities, especially lab facilities, the institute claims to be one of the best in Kerala.

MACE is approved by the All India Council for Technical Education and accredited by the National Board of the Accreditation. MACE has six fullfledged departments apart from the two auxiliary departments of mathematics

and humanities.

“We try to nurture the young minds, help them enrich their knowledge and provide wings to their aspirations, train them with real life experiences, prepare them to face challenges in life, and encourage them to be confident in any work environment,” says Dr George Issac, Principal of MACE. A highly experienced and wellqualified faculty is the backbone of any institution. In the case of MACE, it is blessed with a committed faculty.

Some of the faculty members are PhD holders.

A full-fledged Training & Placement Cell is another attraction of the college, which helps students make the right choice. Its students are placed in wellreputed MNCs across the globe.

SNGCET, Kannur

Creating all-round performers

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uided by the ideals of the great visionary Sree Narayana Guru, Sree Narayana Guru College of Engineering and Technology (SNGCET) is emerging as a major engineering institute in Kerala.

SNGCET focuses on producing engineers who are all-round performers. The guiding principles and value system at the institute aim at moulding the students into dynamic professionals capable of taking up challenges at the global level. Situated at Chalakode, Payyannur, in Kannur district, the college is spread over 45 acres of scenic land. The campus is an ideal combination of environment and infrastructure that promises students a memorable and rewarding college experience.

The college has a well-equipped library and computer lab with modern facilities. The workshops are equipped with all instruments and machines required for the courses. The classrooms have modern facilities like overhead projectors and LCDs. The courses offered in BTech streams are mechanical, electrical and electronics, electronics and communication, computer science and civil engineering. The College is a self-financed institution promoted by Sree Bhakthi Samvardhini Yogam, Kannur, and managed by a committee consisting of industrialists, professionals and administrators.

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

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Kerala’s Best 25 Pvt Engg Colleges

SBCE, Pandalam

Teaching the real values of life

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ree Buddha College of Engineering (SBCE) was established in 2002 under the self-finance scheme of the state government. It follows the cardinal teaching of Lord Buddha on education of people through the real values of life. The institute, affiliated to the University of Kerala, has a good track record.

The primary objective is to promote quality-based education and research in the field of technology and inculcate skills in budding technocrats. The college focuses on the overall personality of students, empowering them to face future challenges. The college has excellent infrastructure, well-equipped laboratories with modern instruments to ensure world-class education, and has a qualified and wellexperienced faculty. Situated at Pattoor near Pandalam, a rural area of immense

scenic beauty, the college is blessed with lush green and picturesque landscape that overlooks a lagoon bordered by hillocks.

The serene atmosphere of the campus provides a refreshing ambience for the mind and soul. Biotechnology & biochemical engineering, civil engineering, computer science, electronics & communication, electrical & electronics, and mechanical are the courses offered under the BTech stream, while the MTech stream has embedded systems, molecular medicine, computer science and engineering. Sree Buddha College of Engineering has an enterprising Training & Placement Cell.

The cell has started an in-house training programme alongside the routine academics. An exhaustive training is provided to the students, covering all aspects of soft skills, aptitude and technical skills.

Caarmel, Pathanamthitta

Eyeing excellence in research

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aarmel Engineering College, located in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, welcomes budding talents with the promise of transforming them into best engineers. Affiliated to MG University and accredited by the All India Council for Technical Education, the college is located in a serene and picturesque campus spread over 120 acres.

Principal Dr Jobi V Paul upholds the vision of the college to emerge as an esteemed centre of excellence in engineering, technology and research. The institute wants to train students in such a way that they become value-based professionals, who would in turn contribute to the betterment of society by their life

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and service.

Caarmel Engineering College offers BTech in electrical and electronics, information technology, computer science, civil, mechanical and electronics and communication. The institute is planning to develop itself as a centre for applied research in the field of civil engineering, mechanical engineering and EEE (Electronics and Electrical Engineering).

Caarmel has a full-fledged and effective placement cell, which attends to the career aspirations of the present students as well as the alumni.

As a result of its efficient placement programmes, many of the caramel BTech-holders secured employment with various MNCs across the world.

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

RCET, Akkikavu

In tandem with global standards

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oyal College of Engineering and Technology, RCET, an NRI venture in the field of technical education, is located at Akkikavu, the meeting point of Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram districts of Kerala. “To train the youth to be the leaders of tomorrow with apt skills, deep-rooted sense of social responsibility, strong ethical values and a global outlook to face the challenges of the changing world,� is the vision RCET has been trying to accomplish. The college is striving hard to become a centre of excellence in technical education on a par with international standards.

RCET offers courses in civil engineer-

PCET, Trivandrum

ing, computer science, electronics & communication, applied electronics and instrumentation engineering and mechanical engineering.

The Royal College Central Library, which matches International standards, is spread over a large area of the campus. Specialised collections of books, journals and non-book materials are available in basic sciences, engineering and technology, humanities and social sciences. The College Library is replete with 10,000 copies of standard books.

The institute takes meaningful help from them on a regular basis for formulation of administration and academic policies.

MCT, North Paravur

Excellence norms No compromise redefined on quality

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P

ankajakasthuri College of Engineering and Technology at Trivandrum, the capital city of Kerala, is an education venture by Pankajakasthuri Group, a wellknown chain in the field of Ayurvedic medicine manufacturing and treatment.

With an expert faculty that has the academic freedom to chase cutting edge technology, an all-enveloping research culture, emphasis on all-round development of personality, acceptance of a value-based system, empowerment at all levels and a quality-focused approach, the college seeks to redefine the parameters of excellence in technical education.

College chairman Mahendran Nair and college principal Dr Sajeev Vasudevan are confident that the institute will produce students of global excellence. The college hopes to become a leading institution in the field of engineering, commanding national attention and international visibility.

It offers BTech in civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical and electronics engineering, and electronics and communication engineering.

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012

atha College of Technology (MCT), an engineering college at North Paravur in Ernakulam district of Kerala, has a distinguished standing among the current crop of self-financing engineering colleges. The college, whose motto is to impart quality-oriented technical education, is affiliated to MG University, Kottayam, and offers under-graduates courses approved by the All India Council for Technical Education.

Established in 2003, MCT’s foundation was laid by its chairman, Dr P R Radhakrishnan, who has worked in the education sector for two decades. The college offers engineering degrees in civil, mechanical, automobile, computer science, electronics and communication, and information technology. As MCT is gifted with a highly intellectual faculty and the best interactive programmes with the industry, there arises no question on the preparedness of its students in taking up responsible positions in the industry. MCT also gives importance to extracurricular activities.

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MOTIVATION Pursuit of passion

A young entrepreneur with a difference After a comprehensive evaluation of the concept of entrepreneurship, Amit Kaurav, an IIM-Kozhikode graduate, decided to kick start his own venture with help from his family and a friend. A chance encounter with an accomplished professor changed his fortunes. He simply converted his love for the ordinary things in life into a good business proposition. How? Read on…

By Prashob K P

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Amit Kaurav at his cafe

Photo: Prashob K P

A

graduate from IIM-Kozhikode, Amit Kaurav’s love for beverages, food and books, high regard for the educated advice of his institute’s director and a Harvard professor and firm belief in his ideas helped him take to entrepreneurship.

While most of his classmates have joined leading MNCs and corporate houses, drawing lucrative pay packages, Amit decided to stay back in the campus after he passed out of the institute in March 2011. While staying at the institute’s hostel for the past one year, Amit, who hails from Madhya Pradesh, worked towards translating his love for the ordinary things in life into a viable business entity.

Today, he runs a cafe-cum-food court-cum-bookshop on the IIM-K campus, a venture that has been christened as ‘High Octane’. Hordes of IIM-K students and faculty members flock to his enterprise daily, where they have tea, coffee, shakes, smoothies and snacks while flipping through literary pieces and management books.

“I wanted to do something on my own, so I stayed back while others opted for placements. During my final year, I was the co-coordinator of the entrepreneur cell in the campus… We used to organise events regularly, especially spirited debates for fostering entrepreneurship among students. It was a private conversation with a Harvard professor, who visited the IIM-K campus for a guest lecture series that introduced me to the model of entrepreneurship that I am running now. Support from the IIM-K Director, Debashis Chatterjee, prompted me to take the plunge and start the venture,” says Amit.

In the beginning, while holding intense discussions with faculty members and close friends, many project ideas had cropped up. However, Amit thought it would be wise if he pushed for a cafe-cum-food court-cum-bookshop combine, considering the interest it could generate in the campus. Now, he is looking for expansion. He is currently in talks with various banks and related agencies for financial assistance. He intends to kick-start a cafe network on campuses across the country. “We are inviting students’ suggestions and ideas for development of the café network,” says Amit.

Amit’s enterprise has been set up with an investment of Rs 10 lakh, which he raised with the help of his parents and a friend. The book shop was incorporated in the project

It was a private conversation with a Harvard professor which introduced me to the model of entrepreneurship that I am running now under a tie-up with DC Books. The IIM-K authorities also responded positively to the start-up initiative. Amit was able to get rented accommodation in the heart of the campus. “I had visited various cities to meet café managers and learn about the market potential. I also attended the coffee-board’s workshop,” recalls Amit. He says there is a huge potential for business ventures targeting educational institutions, particularly IITs and university campuses which have 5000-plus student strength.

EDUCATION INSIDER I May 2012