Asia’s premier Monthly Magazine on ICT in Education
volume 10
I issue 04 I april 2014 I ISSN 0973-4139 I ` 75
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Justice MSA Siddiqui, Chairman, National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions
Padma Shri Dr Pritam Singh Director General, International Management Institute (IMI)
Surendra Prasad Chairman, National Board of Accreditation (NBA)
special feature Accreditation
Course Review Engineering M Anandakrishnan Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT-Kanpur
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Contents
ISSN 0973-4139
volume 10 issue 04 April 2014
cover Story
Reintroducing Teaching in Classrooms P 38 Policy Matters
cover Story
14 Quality Education: A must for Minorities
44 Providing Tailor-made Interactive Solutions
MSA Siddiqui, Chairman, National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, Government of India
16 ‘Indian Muslim Women Remain Unrepresented
since Independence’ Dr Shabistan Gaffar, Chairperson, Committee on Girls Education, National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions
22 Quality Drive in Colleges of Madhya Pradesh
Dr V S Niranjan, Commissioner, Department of Higher Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh
Ramya Chatterjee, Director - Sales & Marketing, Cybernetyx
45 Government Initiatives Propel AV Market in
Education Sector Vineet Mahajan, Head- Display Solutions, Panasonic India
46 Facilitating Complete Learning Ecosystem
Chetan Mahajan, Head - HCL Learning (HCL Infosystems Ltd)
47 The Projector Market’s Low Penetration offers
BenQ a Great Opportunity Rajeev Singh, Country Head, BenQ India
leaders’ speak
course review
18 Empowering a SMART future
50 Engineering Sprouts 10 Unique Courses
24 Fostering Faculty Members for Excellence
special feature
Chandan Sonowal, MD, SMART Technologies Padma Shri Dr Pritam Singh, Director General, International Management Institute
28 More than Money, Sincere Efforts Needed into
Education System Piyush Trivedi, Vice Chancellor, Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya
30 Institutes Need Strong Academia-industry Linkages
Dr Parag Diwan, Vice Chancellor, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies
32 CIMA launches Innovative 2015 Professional
Qualification syllabus Noel Tagoe, Executive Director – Education, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
33 India Attracts Manufacturers Due to its Size
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AT Rajan, Chief Marketing Officer & Head, Corporate Strategy Office, Ricoh
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56 Eying Global Recognition for Indian Degrees 60 Ushering Quality Improvement Through
Accreditation Surendra Prasad, Chairman, National Board of Accreditation (NBA)
62 Dawn of a New Era of Accreditation
M Anandakrishnan, Chairman, Board of Governors, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
64 Accreditation Guarantees the Quality
Gregory Prastacos, Dean, Stevens Institute of Technology, USA
News 08 School Education 12 Higher Education
Asia’s premier Monthly Magazine on ICT in Education Volume
Issue 04
10
April 2014
Partner publications President: Dr M P Narayanan Editor-in-Chief: Dr Ravi Gupta Advisory Board
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Prof Asha Kanwar, President, Commonwealth of Learning
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Dr Subhash Chandra Khuntia, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Govt of India
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Finance & Operations Team
Prof S S Mantha, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)
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Editorial Team education Sr Correspondent: Ankush Kumar Correspondent: Seema Gupta governance Research Associate: Sunil Kumar Sr Correspondent: Kartik Sharma, Mohd Ujaley, Nayana Singh Health Sr Assistant Editor: Shahid Akhter Correspondent: Ekta Srivastava ICE Connect Assistant Editor: Rachita Jha Correspondent: Veena Kurup SALES & MARKETING TEAM: digital LEARNING National Sales Manager: Fahimul Haque, Mobile: +91 - 8860651632 Associate Manager – Business Development: Amit Kumar Pundhir, Mobile: +91 - 8860635835 Subscription & Circulation Team Sr Executive – Subscription: Gunjan Singh, Mobile: +91-8860635832 Design Team Assistant Art Director: Shipra Rathoria Team Lead – Graphic Design: Bishwajeet Kumar Singh Sr Graphic Designer: Om Prakash Thakur Sr Web Designer: Shyam Kishore Editorial & Marketing Correspondence digitalLearning - Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd, Stellar IT Park Office No: 7A/7B, 5th Floor, Annexe Building, C-25, Sector 62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301, Phone: +91-120-4812600 Fax: +91-120-4812660 Email: info@digitalLearning.in
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EDITORIAL
Interactivity is the Future The UPA government had ambitious plans to revamp the country’s education. But with the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) unable to push important bills in the previous sessions of Parliament, this remains unfulfilled. In spite of the government’s inability, progress in education in India continues. It has seen several positive changes in policy practices. The last few years saw a series of reforms being proposed, which have been appreciated for revolutionizing this field. The government has been successfully promoting digitization of classrooms and the use of ICT in education across India for some years. The result has been encouraging, but the final impact needs to be seen. In this issue, we focus on technology trends that have strengthened the teaching and learning process. Interactive Whiteboards and other interactive solutions are now creating waves in the education sector, with innovative technologies also being a part and parcel of the overall education policies. Technology will be a leveler in the future with schools providing an interactive education. This edition also has a special feature on accreditation of professional courses. We are also proud to announce the fourth edition of World Education Summit (WES) 2014 (http://wes.eletsonline.com/2014/), scheduled for 8-9th August 2014, New Delhi. This will carry forward the incredible success of the 2013 Summit. This year, the Summit will highlight innovations and best practices in the education sector. The Summit will gather together ministers and secretaries of education from various countries, stakeholders from civil society organisations, educationists, academia, Communities of Practices (CoP), corporate houses, international and national developmental organizations, donor and funding agencies, and decision-makers from the education industry. It will aim at enriching global efforts towards an inclusive education and analyzing the role of governments in the development and implementation of education policies. We hope to have you at this year’s WES, where education leaders from around the globe are expected to gather. The conferences, exhibition, workshops and the award ceremony at the WES will provide a wonderful opportunity to stakeholders in the field of education, all over the world, to create opportunities of progress at all levels, namely – global, national, and regional. I invite all to join in this platform and be a part of the resurgence in the education sector.
Dr Ravi Gupta Editor-in-Chief Ravi.Gupta@elets.in
digitalLEARNING / April 2014
7
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Education
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Robotic education in Bangalore government schools
A
Japanese company in collaboration with a Bangalore firm is introducing robotic education to government schools in the city. Two government schools at Veerabhadranagar and Hosakerehalli in South Bangalore had an interaction with Japanese citizens on Saturday. LS Creative Learnings Pvt Ltd has launched STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education in collaboration with Dr Tairo Nomura of Saitama University, Tokyo. Japan had initiated this pilot project. An MoU was signed between LSC and the Department of State Educational Research and Training (DSERT) for the pilot project. On completion of the project, DSERT will evaluate students’ performance to recommend its introduction to other government schools. Other schools where the project has been implemented include Bishop Cotton Boys School, St John’s High School, Indus International Schools and Baldwin school.
India in the list of 30 countries where education attacked most often
India is among the top 30 countries where education – teachers, institutions, students – has been the target of violence. Education Under Attack 2014, a global study of threats or deliberate use of force against students, teachers, academics, education trade union members and government officials reveals that about 140 schools were attacked by militants in India in the period 2009-2012. Pointing out the situation in India, the report says that most attacks on education occurred in states affected by a long-running insurgency led by Maoist and other left-wing armed groups, also referred to as Naxalites. However, the GCPEA report also mentions attacks on Christian institutions by Hindu and Muslim extremists.
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April 2014 / digitalLEARNING
Achieving literacy of young women to take more than half a century The Unesco Education for All Global Monitoring Report data says there is gender imbalance in global education and the gender summary, which analyses the data from the report, says achieving female youth literacy will take at least 56 more years for India. There are over 100 million young women in low and lower middle income countries who cannot read a sentence. 31 million girls who are out of school are prevented from enrolling in school. The report says young women in India are not able to achieve literacy (90%) even after they have completed four years of school. 30% are unable to achieve literacy after five to six years in school. India is expected to achieve the female youth literacy in the decade between 2070 and 2080.
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School
Education
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Child mapping exercise begins
CBSE to offer law, theatre studies
T
he Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is all set to offer theatre, legal studies or gender studies as an elective in classes 11 and 12, from the academic session 2014-15. The board is offering the subjects after a pilot run in select schools last year. The board will also offer Chinese language for the middle school, pilot run of which is underway in 25 schools. Among other subjects available to senior secondary students are NCC, human rights and a unique “Knowledge Traditions and Practices of India” which combines various disciplines of study. The course will include theory and nature of political institutions, nature and sources of law, historical evolution of Indian legal system, civil and criminal courts and processes, family justice system, arbitration, tribunal adjudication and alternate dispute resolution, human rights in India, the international context and an overview of the legal profession in India.
The UT education department began a child mapping survey to identify children who are yet to be enrolled in schools. Government-run schools in the union territory have been told to conduct a survey of their respective area for identifying children upto 14 years, who are eligible for admission under the Right to Education Act, 2009. The exercise is scheduled to conclude on March 20, after which the department will file a report. The exercise, conducted every year to maintain records of children residing within the city, is meant especially to identify children of school-going age from economically weaker sections (EWS) of the population and other disadvantaged categories.
Students perform better in class 12 by skipping class 10 board exams: CBSE report In a report released by the Central Board of Secondary Education on the five years of working of Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE), it stated that students who skipped class 10 board examination performed extremely well in class 12 examination. CCE made taking class 10 board examination optional. The first batch to miss out on the class 10 board exams was in 2011. By 2013 the pass percentage recorded a high of 98.76 per cent which was miles ahead of 88.94 per cent in 2009 when CCE was not introduced. CBSE’s analysis of class 12 results shows that students who skipped the Board’s class 10 exam have done better, both in terms of high marks and mean marks. CBSE took 100 samples of 30,000 students across India who took board exams in class 10 in 2011 and similar sample of those who took school based assessment.
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April 2014 / digitalLEARNING
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Time for India to take leadership position in higher education, says President
T
he higher education institutes of India are not ranked among the best institutions across the world, says President Pranab Mukherjee. He said it was time India recovered lost ground and regained its leadership position in education. He was addressing the diamond jubilee celebration of KC College in Mumbai where he said more investments were required in higher education. He was disappointed over the exclusion of Indian universities in the list of 200 top institutions released by international rating agencies. He said he believes there is no dearth of bright students in India but the country does not have capacity to retain the best talents.
Reputation of Indian institutes takes a beating In the latest World Reputation Rankings 2014 by Times Higher Education (THE) magazine for the top 100 prestigious universities, India is the only BRIC nation absent from the list. Harvard University secured the first place. followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University. The rankings come at a time when a committee set up by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to look into the international positioning of the IITs is in the process of submitting its report. The IITs had earlier acknowledged it was the lack of visibility at the right global forums that kept them out of international rankings.
Indian degrees to get recognised globally soon Indian degrees will get recognised globally soon as India is set to get full-fledged membership status of the Washington Accord by June. Secretary higher education Ashok Thakur also said steps were being taken to set up National Accreditation Regulatory Authority (NARA), supplementing the country’s efforts to improve quality and meet international standards. India is a provisional member of Washington Accord since 2007 and is confident to get the fullfledged status by June when a meeting of the body is due to take place, he said. NARA will be an autonomous body comprising experts who will identify agencies for accrediting institutes. UGC will soon initiate steps to set up the body.
Enrolment ratio in higher education may see a rise by 2020
T
he enrolment ratio in higher education is likely to grow to 30 per cent by 2020 because of an increase in the investment in the sector and economic growth, said higher education secretary Ashok Thakur while speaking at the valedictory session of an interna-
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April 2014 / digitalLEARNING
tional conference on social science research. He further said that the government is encouraging engineering colleges, especially IITs to offer more subjects on humanities. The event was organised by Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) and International Develop-
ment Research Center (IDRC). The other participants in the session included academic experts and policy makers from other countries who collectively proposed formation of a social science research network to act as an advocacy platform in the region to strengthen research.
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21%
dip in study visas to Indians in UK in 2013
United Kingdom saw a 21 per cent dip in study visas issued to Indians in 2013. UK issued only 13,608 study visas to Indian nationals in 2013, which is 21 per cent lower than the earlier year. British High Commissioner to India James Bevan said that the dip could be due to various reasons like students think that there is a limit on the number of Indians who can come to Britain to study, they think it is difficult to get a student visa, they think that they cannot work after study. In 2013, Britain issued a total of 400,000 visas to Indians, which is 5 per cent higher than previous year.
UGC urges varsities to stop animal dissections
ICSI to hold open book examination in five elective subjects The open book examination of Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) will be held in five elective subjects: Banking, Insurance, Intellectual Property Rights, International Business (all law and practice) and Capital and Commodity and Money market in June 2014. The ICSI exams are being held on a trial basis. Announcing the exam, the ICSI President R Sridharan said that open book examination was not easy since the students need to be widely read before appearing for the examinations. The open book examination will develop creative thinking, problem solving and decision making in the students appearing for the examinations.
One entrance test for MBA and MCA in Karnataka
University Grants Commission (UGC) has sent a letter to universities asking them to ensure compliance to its recommendations of ending animal dissection and animal experimentation for zoology and life sciences courses in a phased manner. This was done after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and MP Maneka Gandhi appealed to stop animal dissections and to ensure compliance with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in January 2012. UGC has asked universities to comply to its 2011 guidelines which state undergraduate students should no longer be required to dissect animals but that one animal could be dissected by the professor for demonstration purposes.
The Karnataka government and college managements have agreed to conduct only one entrance test for CMAT and KMAT, the two entrance tests for MBA and MCA. In the combined entrance test, Visvesvaraya Technological University will be conducting the centralised counseling for the government seats. The other 50 per cent of the seats will be filled by the management taking the PGCET scores into account. Non-Karnataka students can participate in the exam to be conducted on June 2 or 8. digitalLEARNING / April 2014
13
policy matters
Quality Education:
A must for Minorities In south India, the Muslim community has established centres of excellence. But in north India, they cannot even maintain the educational institution established by their forefathers, says Justice MSA Siddiqui, Chairman, National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, Government of India in conversation with Ankush Kumar
What is the mandate of National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI)? This commission has been set up to safeguard the educational rights of the minorities enshrined under Article 30 of the Constitution that gives Right to the religious and linguistic minorities to establish their education institution and to administer them also. This is a quasi-judicial body and it enjoys all the trappings of a civil court. The act confers three roles to the commission – advisory, recommendatory and adjudicatory. So far as the adjudicatory part of the Commission is concerned, it has the jurisdiction to declare and determine the minority status of the minority educational institution. In federal polity, we have to respect the sovereignty of the state government. Therefore if any minority institution wants to get a minority status certificate, they have to apply to the state government first and if the application does not evoke any response from the state government, they should wait for three or four months and then approach to the Commission and in such cases, the Commission intervenes and grants minority status certificate on the basis of the evidence produced by the party. In case the state government rejects the application for granting minority status certificate, then one can appeal within 30 days of the order of the rejection. Similarly, if a person from the minor-
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April 2014 / digitalLEARNING
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ity community wants to establish a professional college, be it dental, medical or engineering college for which NOC from the state government is required, he has to file an application before the competent authority of the state government for the grant of the same. If the state government does not pass any order within 90 days from the date of presentation of the application, then it will be deemed that NOC is granted, and in such a situation, he can proceed with the establishment of the proposed college. If the state government rejects the
The greatest achievement of the Commission is to declare the Jamia Milia Islamia as a minority educational institution NOC grant application, then an appeal can be filed within 30 days from the date of the dismissal. The Commission’s order can be executed like the decree of a civil court. The commission has the power to execute the order, it also has the power of civil court. If a minority college wants to be affiliated to a UGC recognized university of its choice, they can file an application before the university. If the university rejects the application, then they can approach the Commission and the section says the decision of the Commission thereon shall be final. There is a provision barring the jurisdiction of the civil courts on the matters which are within the jurisdiction of the Commission. What are the key benefits that an institution can get after getting nominated under the NCMEI? Firstly, they can constitute their own governing body without any intervention from the state government. The state government and the administrative cannot impose anybody over the governing body of the managing committee of the minority educational institute.
Second, they can admit 100 percent students of their own community if he is not pursuing any aid from the state government. But if they are receiving any financial aid from the state government or the Central government than sub-Article 2 of Article 29 of the Constitution obligates the institution to admit non-minority students also to a reasonable extent. Third and very importantly, they can select and appoint teaching and nonteaching staff, subject to the rider that the qualification and availability shall be prescribed by the state government, because that is necessary in the interest of academic excellence. Supreme Court has laid down that Article 30 gives the regulatory right and the regulation must exercise the dual test. First, these regulations have to be reasonable, and they must be in the interest of academic excellence. The fourth freedom is that they can take action against the erring members of the staff. The last freedom is that they can raise the fees of their institution reasonably. Then there are three more freedoms that one can enjoy in the policy of reservation in admission, policy of reservation in employment; they cannot be made applicable to a minority institution and are exempted from it. The Supreme Court has said that Right to Education (RTE) Act also does not apply to a minority education institution covered under Article 30. Madarsas and Pathshalas are exempted from the rigors of RTE. But the Supreme Court has said that if the minority education institution is receiving any aid from the State, than Section 25 of the Act obligates the institution to admit 25 percent students from the poor community. So in that respect, it is applicable for every limited purpose. Otherwise, minority educational institutions are exempted from the purview of RTE Act. You have been heading this institution from a decade. What has been the key achievement of NCMEI under your leadership? The first achievement is that I have generated awareness among the minorities
in general and the Muslims in particular about the importance of quality education. I have also been successful in persuading our Kalma Iqra to introduce modern education in the Madarsas. The greatest achievement of the Commission is to declare the Jamia Milia Islamia as a minority educational institution. In addition, I have granted minority status certificate to two universities from the south established by the Muslim community, one university established by the Christian community and the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University of Rampur. In addition, I granted more than 10,000 minority status certificates to various institutions. How important is technical education under the whole sector of education? One message to my community is that our foundation lies in acquiring a strong knowledge of economics, powered by information technology, innovation and education. The Muslim community must establish a centre of excellence. On the contrary, they are opening teaching shops, which is wrong. They have completely failed in protecting their educational institutions which were established by their forefathers. Minorities cannot be allowed to lower down their educational standards under the guards of the Constitutional protection enshrined under Article 30. They have to establish educational excellence. In south India, the Muslim community has established centres of excellence. They have established good educational institutions. But compared to South India, north India is lacking in everything. Here, they cannot maintain even the educational institution established by their forefathers. This is a very sad commentary. What are the major road blocks in north India for the minority? People are not serious about it. Unless they are conscious of their rights, they do not know that they need quality education. There a need of enhancement of quality in education, and the Muslim community is lagging behind.
digitalLEARNING / April 2014
15
policy matters
E
ven sixty years after independence, Indian Muslim women have remained unrepresented and unheard. The Sachar Committee appointed by the Prime Minister established the fact of poverty and socio-economic exclusion of the largest minority in recent decades. Although the report is sympathetic to Muslim women, it does not have detailed analysis of their condition and the issues faced by them. Women in every community are victim of neglect, discrimination and other forms of injustice. This is true for Muslim women too. However, as has been pointed out by many perceptive observers, Muslim women constitute “minority within minority”. The condition of Muslim women from the poorer sections is far worse.
‘Indian Muslim Women Remain Unrepresented since Independence’
Dr Shabistan Gaffar, Chairperson, Committee on Girls Education, National Commission for Minority Education Institutions
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education.eletsonline.com
In today’s fast changing society, the Rights of women are at stake and their position has become vulnerable. The balance between Womens’ Rights and its protection and her family and social responsibilities is totally disturbed. Women have a role to play in society, family and country. They have to fulfill their responsibilities as daughters, sisters, mothers, wife, daughter-in-laws and as citizens of the country. If we talk about overall empowerment of women in India since independence, successive governments have tried to introduce measures to empower women. Yet, the expected measure of success has not occurred due to reasons like bureaucratic delays, political compulsions, social and cultural constraints and the continuing poverty of the masses. Obtaining some measures of economic self sufficiency and independence is prerequisite to any advancement of women at social, cultural and political level. The silver lining in the cloud has been the development of several grassroot movements initiated by women themselves, especially from the lower sections of society. No less important than the government’s initiatives are the society’s own mutually caring and cooperative actions that strengthen the ethos of social harmony and inter-dependence. Exclusive thinking, exclusive concerns and excessive reliance on exclusive policies can never lead to inclusive development. It will not promote social and national integration, which must form the bed rode of both government and societal effort for inclusive development. Yet another shortcoming in the debate and the governmental action that followed the Sachar report is that the problems and concerns of Muslim women have been largely bypassed. Grossly inadequate attention has been paid to the condition of Muslim women, their socio-economic and educational backwardness, and the efforts needed to bring them into nation’s development mainstream. Muslims lag in education, which is responsible for most of the problems faced by the community. If women of the community are educated, things would change as women are the axis of Indian families. Muslim women could reform the whole family. Moreover, this will help her in protecting her rights and controlling crimes against women.
The community’s educational and economic backwardness makes it necessary for policy makers to take urgent steps to alleviate their condition. The exclusion of women, especially, calls for a thorough analysis, leading to understanding their need and issues, followed by multi-prolonged action to ensure equality of Muslim women in principle and in reality as guaranteed by the Constitution of India. The recent census in India has brought out a positive fact about the sex ratio in the Muslim community being better than most other socio-religious communities. There is a need to build this positive trend by paying equal attention to girl’s education and health and nutrition for the girl child and the mother. Apart from health care and nutrition, girls need opportunities for higher education. They need safety and security in order to access education of their choice. They need support and encouragement at home and in the community to realize their full potential as human beings. It calls for policy measures and financial allocations by the government, apart from a supportive atmosphere in the family. Educated and empowered girls can be the change agents for an empowered community in the future. Social empowerment in general and women empowerment in particular is fundamental in achieving these goals. Territory education is especially important so that women can move into positions of political, economical and social leadership. The Sachar Committee agreed that Muslim women were homebased working women. These women missed out on education opportunities, but were nevertheless working informally and out of their homes. They work for very low wages and often in hazardous activities like beedi making and others that are hazardous to eyes, lungs and skin. They are mostly underpaid or unpaid and exploited by middlemen. These women need support at multiple levels beginning with skill training, skill upgradation, marketing support, financial support, etc. In fact, voluntary organizations and experts face a lot of challenges in empowering Muslim women. The work must happen at various levels, apart from continuous advocacy and campaigning for governmental accountability. They face the challenge of correcting and building understanding and perspective in the society.
digitalLEARNING / April 2014
17
leaders’ speak
Empowering a SMART future When you talk of Interactive White Board (IWB), everyone refers to it as SMARTBoard. Such is its brand power that the word SMARTBoard has become synonymous with anything interactive in a classroom, says Chandan Sonowal, MD, SMART Technologies in an interaction with digitalLEARNING
E
very IWB isn’t SMARTBoard because SMARTBoard is the registered trade name of SMART Technologies Ulc. Only the Interactive White Boards manufactured by SMART are actually SMARTBoards. It is like Xerox. You tend to call all photo-copiers as Xerox. For a long time, other companies have abused and misused the word to their advantage. They also came up with different flavors around the word SMART. Over the last two-and-a-half years since its presence in India, SMART Technologies has slowly and steadily grown to be the largest IWB brand in India with more than 37 percent market share in India (As per Future Source Consulting for FY12-13). In a market which is dominated mostly by cheap imports and unorganized players, SMART has been able to stand apart and create a niche for itself. Industry analysts estimate that SMART has presence in almost 75,000 classrooms across India and that is a significant achievement in two-and-a-half years. During his interactions with digitalLEARNING, Chandan Sonowal, the MD of SMART Technologies in India spoke about the various areas of focus for SMART in India.
What is the big thing happening in SMART? We had some great announcements last year. We launched the new SB480, the SBM685, which is an 87” IWB focused and priced appropriately for the Indian
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market as well as the new SMART Table. We launched the world’s first finger touch interactive projector and we are seeing significant curiosity in that space. We announced SMARTamp and have worked on some significant changes in the SMART Notebook thereby leading to significant work on our cloud and software strategy. Overall, our IWB continues to be the fastest adopted product in the Education space in India. Please tell us about your IWB product categories? What is the USP of your products? Our IWB product categories include SB480, SBM600, SB8 series and depending on the education and classroom needs, the appropriate solution is recommended. All our IWBs are based on our patented technology called DViT (Digital Vision Touch) which is different from IWB based on electromagnetic, infra red (IR) or resistive touch technology that are subjected to severe external interferences. DViT gives us an edge over others in terms of accuracy and enhanced touch interactivity. The Notebook software which is bundled with all SMARTBoards is unique in many ways. Teachers use Notebook software to create their own content and develop their own lesson plans because it is simple yet very effective, intuitive, intelligent and overall very easy to use. You can do almost anything from the
Notebook software and need not switch amongst screens to use the browser, applications, gallery items, PDF, etc. We don’t have 40 million teachers and students using notebook software across the globe without a reason. The basic question schools should ask while deciding on IWB solution, is whether the software which comes along with the Interactive device is a
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development tool or a delivery tool? You also spoke about changes in Notebook strategy. Can you throw some light for our readers? If you look at the deployment, downloads and usage of Notebook software across the globe, we are the largest maker of Education software. We realized the potential of Notebook and felt that we should find a way so that more and more teachers and students can leverage its power and capabilities. Last year, we made changes which allowed other interactive devices to work with Notebook software as well. This is a significant step because until now, Notebook was available only on SMART interactive devices. We changed our licensing policies as well as worked on making Notebook software available as browser and iPad versions. Talking about IWB, how do you see the Indian IWB Market as compared to the global market? Allow me to compare it in terms of current size, in terms of classroom penetration and finally in terms of opportunity size. If we are to look at the current market size, China dominates the IWB space with its sales representing 57 percent of the world market. Compared to 1.3 million global IWB sales, India is the fourth largest with a market size of approximately 80,000 units in FY13. In the UK, IWB penetration in classroom is 92 percent, in Singapore it is 85 percent, while in India it is merely 4.3 percent. We have a long way to go in terms of getting schools and teachers adopt IWB in imparting education to children. It is a paradigm shift and it requires thrust from all stakeholders. From an opportunity perspective, probably India is the only market which will grow significantly in terms of technology adoption in the next couple of years because of its sheer size. If I were to quote Future Source, only China (3.88 million classrooms) has more classrooms than India (3.73 million classrooms). So, given the size and the lower classroom penetration, India is
Chandan Sonowal, who is an IT Industry veteran (former Microsoft and IBM executive), leads a group of young and dynamic team in India. They are a breed of fine young executives with varied background from different industries. Mohan Kumar (Country Manager, K12 Education Sales) is a former teacher at Doon School and has worked in Vastant Valley School before venturing into the corporate world at NIIT; Adil Mirza (GM, Marketing) is from Pearson, Jasvinder Kaur (National Sales Manager) is from HP. Without creating too much of hoopla, the team in India has slowly and steadily captured the imagination of teachers, students, educators and academicians in their endeavor to help them adopt technology in classrooms.
one market which would attract lot of interest for all the players. What is the size of the Indian IWB market? What is your market share in India? Future Source has stated that the FY13 shipments to be around 80,000 units in India. This number will continue to hover around 80 to 90,000 units per annum unless OEMs take constructive efforts to make the pie bigger. As OEM, we have to identify the challenges from the context of Indian market and work on areas to grow the adoption of technology in classroom. I foresee challenges in the areas of training and teacher’s skill in using technology as the biggest deterrent to tech-
nology adoption. Amongst the branded players, we are the market leader with more than 37 percent market share (As per Future Source Consulting). What is your pricing strategy for Indian market? What is the price range of your products? When schools invest in technology for a classroom, they don’t just buy the IWB; they buy projectors, PC, UPS, networking products along with it. Our channel partners offer a comprehensive solution, which includes everything thereby quoting an overall price for the solution. To give a simpler answer, our entry level SMARTBoard is available at ` 60,000.
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External factors like electric power supply and internet penetration would also deter schools from investing in technology. There is a severe power crisis in India, mostly in the non-metro space and there is no point in investing in technology if you cannot use it.
What are the quality standards that you follow for your products? Like I said before, we have made it a policy to get BIS certification for all our products that we sell in India irrespective of whether there are any mandatory guidlines or not. This makes us stand apart from all the other Chinese or cheap and sub-standard IWB players, which form the largest unorganized group in Indian market. It is important for schools to ask these important questions to suppliers in terms of compliances and quality guidance. Apart from the BIS, our factories are ISO certified and conform to highest quality standards of environment and other regulatory standards. What was your company’s revenue growth (in IWB Category) for FY 2012-13? Number of units sold in 2013 as compared to 2012? SMART India is subsidiary of SMART Ulc. and its results aren’t announced separately. But I can tell you that our classroom deployment has increased to more than 25,000 classrooms in FY2013. We grew approximately 25 percent year on year in terms of our classroom deployment. [On checking with SMART’s Distributors in India, it is estimated that SMART would have done approximately ` 100 crores in India.]
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What are some of the challenges that you see in the market? The Indian market isn’t easy and there
What are you doing to drive technology adoption? Unless schools and teachers try out the product or solution, they won’t know what they can possibly do with it. We have adopted a different approach to drive adoption. There are five areas that we are focusing on and they are: l Help schools try and use the SMARTBoard. It is a “Try it for Free” program run by our channel partners across the country. l Professional Development Program and training for teachers across the country to help them use technology in the classroom.
We at SMART, have imparted free Professional Development Training for teachers across the country irrespective of whether you buy SMART products or offerings is a general reluctance or resistance to adopt technology. Schools and teachers see technology as the means to do away with their existing problems, which is definitely not the case. Technology is only a tool, and is only as effective as the person using it. So, the biggest challenge is to change the mindset amongst educators and have them look at ways and means to leverage the power of technology to empower themselves. At the same time, we have to enhance the capability and skill set of teachers to use technology effectively. This needs training and continuous skill building. We at SMART, have imparted free Professional Development Training for teachers across the country irrespective of whether you buy SMART products or not. We will continue to do so in the years to come to enable teachers to use technology with ease.
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Building a Teacher community to share and learn from others in terms of content creation, skills and best practices. We call it SMART Exemplary Educator program. l Educators’ focus group which acts as an Advisory group advocating the importance of technology. l Experience zones across the country whereby teachers/ schools can book time slot to give their students a complete experience of SMART Solutions and offerings. Any final comment. If we teach today as we were taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow. So, we have to adapt to changes and impart education accordingly. Teachers need to integrate technology seamlessly into curriculum instead of viewing it as an add-on, an afterthought or an event.
policy matters
Quality Drive in Colleges
of Madhya Pradesh There is a need to sustain and augment the quality of various activities undergoing in any higher education institute (HEl). The areas are teaching-learning processes, student support services, curricula design and discipline writes Dr V S Niranjan, Commissioner, Department of Higher Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh
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here is a huge gap between the rural and urban based Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Madhya Pradesh. At present, the availability of experienced teachers is not sufficient in rural and semi-urban colleges. To cater to the need, a part-time guest faculty is usually appointed. But the motivational needs are rarely fulfilled. So the department of Higher Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh. has innovatively introduced an ‘Ambassador Professor Scheme’. This scheme provides a viable innovative solution to the problem of deteriorating standard of Higher Education in the rural/semi-urban colleges in the state due to shortage of experienced and dedicated professors. In order to find a solution of this problem, the professors are shortlisted from the experienced, dedicated and willing ones (permanent/retired) on the basis of survey/students’ feedback, and have been given the designation of ‘Ambassador Professor’. These professors have been given the responsibility to take care of their respective subjects in all the government colleges of the district. The ambassador professors help and orient the faculty of the college and help in getting the college library enriched. The youth of the state are getting a direction through this innovative scheme. The annual system has been replaced by semester system in Madhya Pradesh since 2008-09. The system has many salient features and inherently includes continuous comprehensive evaluation (CCE) of the students along with compulsory job oriented project and job
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Dr V S Niranjan
internship, A.T.K.T. system has been introduced in place of supplementary examination’ system. During implementation, we have come to know about some problems. We have seriously reviewed the whole scheme and organized various high level spin off workshops. The scheme is modified and made learner friendly. Students get more time for learning and to do other co-curricular and extracurricular activities. A SWOT analysis of HEI’s was made by the academic and quality cell of the Higher Education Department. It has been noticed that not only the subject knowledge of some of the students is not up to the mark but they also lack oral as well as written communication skills. They commit lot of mistakes while writing, even in their mother tongue, Hindi. It has further been noticed that because
of economic background, being regular in the class is not the priority of the students. Students admit that though the classes are important but they can’t afford to lose any opportunity of side earning. As they are accustomed to agricultural works, they prefer to go to the fields and not the classes on getting any opportunity to earn. These are singular events and classroom teaching is not affected. But the problem becomes serious during the harvesting months when availability of employment opportunities is in abundance leading to a drastic fall in the attendance in the classes. It has been further noticed that most of the students of town colleges rarely demand quality even in the class. Most of them never participate in class proceedings. They use sub-standard study material and depend on ‘made-easy books’. They never consult good books and references. They rarely show enthusiasm in sport, extra and co-curricular activities needed for all-round development of their personality. Keeping all these facts in mind, a booklet entitled ‘Quality Management in Higher Education’ has been released to help and guide. The college activities are regularly monitored and HEIs are physically inspected. The HEIs were suggested to undertake motivation drives to make students aware of their rights, responsibilities and duties. This drive is expected to make the stakeholders aware of their potential and help them believe in themselves. Further, a suggestion is given to create free and fearless atmosphere in the campus and class rooms. A suggestion to collect
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unbiased feedback from the stakeholders is also given. HEIs were suggested to organize informal students’ sessions,’ meetings and open houses frequently. The questions, like, what is quality, what are the parameters that are used to determine quality profile of any institute, where do we stand today and where do we want to go in terms of quality within, say, next 5 years, what should be the plans to enhance the quality, wherefrom maximum support may be sought and how can they be motivated to participate and what efforts may be made during the sessions. HEIs were suggested to organize few camps to make the students aware of their rights and duties. There always remains a fear that the providers of higher education can manipulate the context for non-quality goals, if quality is not in demand or if it is enforced. So, until quality consideration comes out from heart, nothing fruitful is possible. HEIs were suggested to come forward and take initiatives to bring culture of quality in their institutions. The quality should be viewed as an inclusive activity with social, political, technical and other dimensions. They should think of making it their motto. Their conscience should not allow them to compromise on quality. National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in its memorandum prefers to view equality as value and not as strategy. According to quality experts of HE, market forces may play a negative role in Quality Assurance. Realizing this, the department has shown faith and confidence in the teachers and principal and suggested them to come in the role of leader and not only just as manager. They were suggested to invite eminent personalities and subject experts in their institutes and to organize meetings and interaction sessions. A suggestion has also been given to set up a ‘talent bank’ of local specialists and experts. Further, our students suppose teachers as ‘Gurus’ and so they never think of opposing them even if their teachers perform badly. So, HEIs should realize that they cannot depend on students on quality front. Therefore, HEIs should
The HEIs were further suggested to develop each class into a social activity club to make all the students socially responsible. They may be asked to organize cultural and sports activities on their own think of making quality as an inclusive factor in the very approach. HEIs should decide to design a work profile for all the employees including Principal. A suitable reward system may be introduced for whatever little, but remarkable any stakeholder is doing. The potential and capable students may be invited to join editorial teams of college magazines and newsletters. They may be asked to participate in the continuous evaluation process. Celebrity’s lectures and interaction sessions may frequently be organized to remove students’ inferiority complex and feelings of lowesteem. The authorities of HEIs should show faith and confidence in them. The HEIs were suggested to strengthen library. The students may be asked to come forward not only with complaints but also with some possible solutions.
The students may be involved in academic audit and in curriculum development. The students may be invited to join the campus’ cleanliness drive. The HEIs were further suggested to develop each class into a social activity club to make all the students socially responsible. They may be asked to organize cultural and sports activities on their own. The students may be asked to maintain the discipline in the class. In order to carve students’ personality, each cultural programme may be scrutinized before they are finally’ staged. Only those cultural programmes may be selected that give message. This helps in maintaining discipline and in inculcating moral and spiritual values along with national feelings in all stakeholders. The students may be asked to give their feedback willingly and without any bias. They should also give their suggestions, to lodge complaints, act creatively, shoulder responsibilities, organize functions, work for social causes, take followup action on student feedback, recognize the pro-active role of IQAC, involve the alumni, introduce formal mechanism to redress grievances and encourage student’s council for active participation at all academic decision making. The drastic fall in attendance poses a serious problem during harvesting months. Assignments, model test, etc. may emerge as solutions. A suggestion has been given to HEIs to create mobile network between the suffering students and those who are regular. The teachers may also become a part of the network. The network may become boon to the students in raising the standard and quality of education.
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Fostering Faculty Members for Excellence “When I joined IMI, there were around 31 faculty members and now, we have 65 members. Our dream is to have around 80 members” says Padma Shri Dr Pritam Singh, Director General, International Management Institute in an exclusive interview with Ankush Kumar. We share his insight on government policies, pending Foreign University Bill and qualities that a good leader should possess
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How has been your journey so far in the education sector? After doing MBA and working for a company in Pittsburg, United States, I started my career as a Professor in the area of Organization Behaviour. Later on, I also became the chairman of Management Development programme. After fourand-a-half years, I joined Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad, where I worked for about 13 years as Senior Professor and Dean. During my tenure, I organized programmes for the Ministry, bureaucrats, secretaries and joint secretaries. This was the most important period of my life. Then, I joined IIM, Bangalore as Senior Professor and Dean. In 1995, I joined the Management Development Institute (MDI) as Director. I worked for about three years. On the request of Ministry, I joined IIM Lucknow as Director for four-and-ahalf years (1998-2003). And then, I came back to MDI again as a Director. After this, I was distinguished professor for about three years till 2011. For last three years, I am Director General, International Management Institute, New Delhi looking after three campuses i.e. Delhi, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata. Before going to US, I began my career with Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi as a lecturer and then, University of Rajasthan as an assistant professor. I have been fortunte to have intimatly experienced different education sytems-be it the US; in the Indian context- the university system,IIM,MDI system among others. Academics has and will always be my passion-perhaps my being a topper in aca-
demics reflects this....This is my journey. Craze for B-schools has diminished over the years. Where did it go wrong? India is a very fascinating country. Most of the players in the education industry thought that management education is a good business. So, they came in this field to make money, which is very unfortunate. They did not make sufficient investment. The soul of any management institution is the quality of the faculty. Institutions are run by the faculty and not by the infrastructure and other things. But later on, they realized they were not making money and students were not coming. At one time, there was boom, but soon the growth started coming down from nine to five percent. Professional education is very much linked to the economy. So, 239 B-schools were closed. Today, if you ask my frank opinion, there are only 25 good B-schools in the country. If you take away these 25 schools, I would be very hesitant to recommend the students to go for management programmes because good quality faculty members are not available. Right now, there are 13 IIMs. If you take away, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Indore, Kozhikode and Lucknow, high quality faculty members are not available. When you want to establish a medical college, you must have hospitals, if you want engineering colleges, you must have workshops and if you want management institutes, you should have industry. Many of the col-
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leges lack the market. Learning in the field of management is by doing and not reading as it is not philosophy and sociology. I am not sure whether these institutes will come up as good B-schools or not. Brand IIM is also a myth. Many IIMs cannot be compared to schools like XLRI Jamshedpur, etc. The schools which have invested money in faculty development will surely come on top. If you talk about top 100 global management schools, how many Indian institutions are on this list? It is amazing to see how China is coming up. We want to become a knowledge hub and say we will train future leaders. These are very nice slogans to listen to, but ground reality is very different. We have around 46,000 academic colleges in the country.
“Today, if you ask my frank opinion, there are only 25 good B-schools in the country. If you take away these 25 schools, I would be very hesitant to recommend the students to go for management programmes because good quality faculty members are not available” Government of India’s education policy is very faulty. Are we following the existing systems? Do we have guts to bring performance management in the education system? If you go to university system, you will find that people only speak about past. Any Vice Chancellor who talks about performance or semester system lands in trouble. Our country could face youth unrest. You have to provide reasonable opportunities for bread and butter along with education otherwise, people will revolt. If you want to be global power, it is going to be through education, as we don’t have other resources which other countries have got. Our only resource is population. If you say human beings are a great asset, we need to have right kind of human beings otherwise they will be a liability. We talk about
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the pending Foreign University Bill, where universities of other countries will come and reform our system. Do you think MIT or Stanford will be coming to India? If they come here, we will not be able to afford it. Ways of US can’t work in India; educationists should formulate an education policy. When the US was built, they decided they will do things differently and not follow Europe. We also have to be innovative and do things differently. What changes have been brought by you in IMI? Academic institutions are built around great faculty. When I joined MDI, we had about 12 faculty members, when I left MDI, we were 76. When I joined IMI, there were around 31 faculty members and now, we have 65 members. Our dream is to have around 80 members. Our faculty members have PhDs from good foreign universities or are from IIM. We don’t compromise on quality of faculty members. Our salary budget was around `10 crore when I joined IMI and now it is `18 crore. This is a very productive investment if you want to be a leader. Another thing which I did was to focus on Management Development Programmes (MDPs). We had a very low number of MDPs and training programmes. We must connect with the corporate world and in this endeavor, we should do something for it. You should do different programmes for companies across sector. Today, they are coming to us. You will be surprised to know that in three years, the figure has moved from `2.35 crore to `16 crore in the MDP area. How important are corporate tieups for management institutes? If you are not connected to corporate world, you will not know what is happening there. In last six years, we have hired some adjunct faculty members, who have great experience in corporate world. They are managers, general managers, HR president, etc in the corporate world. Eight to nine persons out of our 65 faculty members are adjunct
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“If you go to university system, you will find that people only speak about past. Any Vice Chancellor who talks about performance or semester system lands in trouble.
faculty members. We are grooming leaders who can provide thought leadership. We are extremely liberal about faculty development. We have also started Phd programmes to attract scholars. We have pumped around `50 crore for infrastructure and will spend `10 crore more in future. Given your expertise in the subject of Leadership in Management, what are the five qualities that make a good leader? First, one should have humility. Forget mistakes as you can’t build tomorrow on the basis of yesterday. By serving people, you become more indispensable because people start feeling your absence if you are not around. This doesn’t happen with the king. People don’t miss a king for long. He must be capable of integrating the dots and creating a pattern. He should fly at 60,000 feet, but should also be able to walk on ground. He should be a steady thinker and action oriented. He should have a binocular vision with an eye for both the macro and micro detail. He must trust, empower and delegate. He should spend his time in some kind of value addition, not getting involved in files and nitty-grity work. In my view, he should monitor as well as deligate because delegation without monitoring is abdication. He should be liberal, supportive, but ruthless in demanding performance. How do executive progammes help in overall development of the
student who comes with corporate background? Ideally, a good MBA programme is where students join after three years of experience. In US and UK, the moment people graduate, they get something to do, but in India, if we forget engineering, people who do BA or B Com, don’t get anything to do. This is why we have two-year MBA programme. MBA is for people, who want to move from technocratic role to managerial role. People are joining management education for money. First question they ask is how much salary I would be getting and not what is the quality of education here. So, we first puncture this approach. Most of the management schools are becoming employment exchanges, which is very dangerous. People should come for learning. How important is accreditation for an institute? Accreditation is very vital for survival of an institute. Around 67 percent of our population is the young generation. Can you place all of them? It is difficult with even 15 percent growth rate. India in future will supply manpower to China, Europe, Japan, US and Canada. But what kind of people are you going to supply? If you don’t supply the right kind of people, then what will happen? Do you want people to join as a plumber or an engineer? If you have got accreditation from good universities, you can proudly say that I am grooming students of international standards. Accreditation is compulsory for all management schools, but where are the people to do it? People are very cynical now, like the government as they only talk, but nothing happens. You go to the National Board of Accreditation and see how many people work there. What kind of linkages have they got with the industry? They should clarify how they will execute their plan. They say increase of seats will be linked to accreditation. When there is more demand and less supply, corruption begins. That used to happen once upon a time in AICTE also. People used to collect money for a lot of approvals. This is the reason why AICTE got into trouble, today, the fate of AICTE is bleak. Accreditation is enabling role and the regulators should follow it.
leaders’ speak
More than Money, Sincere Efforts Needed in Education System In the last five years, huge funding has come into school and higher education but sincere effort is missing which is more important than money. Piyush Trivedi, Vice Chancellor, Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya in an exclusive interview with Mohd Ujaley says, “Today, money is not a constraint in our country but we need to have sincere teachers, sincere efforts, right approaches and it does not matter who provide it, be it state or central government” You are an educationist and have almost three decades of experience. How has the technical education scenario changed over the years? Entire technical education scene has changed over a period of time, right from the days when we were student and now, when we get students in our university. There has been vertical growth in technical and professional education in the country. Number of seats available for technical education has significantly increased. Also, the quality of the student, we get today is entirely different. Earlier, universities used to get top-notch student such as IAS meritorious. When I was student, there were 700 seats in engineering and only 30 seats in pharmacy. Today, that has changed to more than a lakh in Madhya Pradesh alone. Similarly at national level, number of seats has increased. Over the years, technical education has expanded and is available to all who are interested in pursuing technical education. It is true that access to education has increased over the years but there are a lot of educationists who say that value education has equally deteriorated in the country. How do you look at it and does RGTU have any programme that focuses on value education?
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ise programme intended to inculcate more values among our students. I also feel right intervention of spirituality can help in bridging this gap in our education system.
Piyush Trivedi, Vice Chancellor, Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya I completely agree with the statement that there has been deterioration in value education in our country. At times, I wonder why it has come to a point where we have to teach value; rather it should have been inherited. With growing young population, it is important to have right set of education and value to use the young energy for the nation building. Basically it should come from home and by in large inculcated at school level. Even at university like RGTU, we organ-
Your university portal is one of the good examples of using ICT for better interaction, bringing transparency and accountability. What is your overall perspective in the use of tools of technology for education? Information technology has changed the scenario across the globe, not only in India. The main objective of centre and state governments are access and equality in education. The idea is to provide quality education to all, but to have best professors at the remotest part of the country is a huge challenge. This challenge can be overcome by using ICT. The lecture can be delivered to the remotest part of the country with the help of using technology. Vocational education is one area where ICT can play important role. The National Knowledge Commission has provided knowledge network to large number of institutions and apart from that all the panchayats are going to be connected with the internet. Once they are linked, education can be promoted, propagated and spread.
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Also, technology has crucial role to play in skill development. Prime Minister who is also the Chairman of the Planning Commission have said that we require at least 40 percent skilled population in coming years if India has to grow at a pace that is able to generate ample employments. That is why 12th five year plan consider skill development as mission for the country. There seems to be disconnect between university and industry. Industry say that whatever they required is not being taught in university and similarly university complains that they do not participate in research. In your opinion how we can bridge this gap of different goals and mindsets of academia and industry? Yes, there are some gaps between academia and industry. The issue that graduates are not being properly trained does have some merit but universities are focusing hugely on training and practical assignments. We are also looking at establishing corporate school at university campus to bridge this gap. I also believe that on the board of university people from industry should be there so that syllabus can be revised quite often as per the requirement of the industry. But the major challenge comes from industry; they are only ready to participate in training once somebody is employed with them. They are not ready to invest into education system. Some large IT companies have supported us and actively participated at university discourse, I feel same effort is required from whole chunk of the industry. More interaction with academia and industry will raise productivity and quality for both. I agree that we require more of the training of teachers, more sincerity and access to the industrial training and regular dialogue between academia and industry. In my opinion we may have different mindsets but we are not very different to each other. There are bills pending in parliament that are directed
Policies of the government are excellent but we need to implement them sincerely and wholeheartedly towards bringing quality, transparency and access into education system. But they have not seen the light of the day because majority of states oppose these bills as they think that these are against the federal structure of the country and encroach into the power of states. In your opinion aren’t we being over-federalist? I feel there has to be good coordination between states and centre on all the issues. As far as education and health are concerned, more coordination and agreement is needed due to its sheer impact on the life of the people. What I have noticed that in last five years, huge funding has come into schools and higher education, but we need sincere effort more than money. Today, money is not constraint in our country but we need to have sincere teachers, sincere efforts, right approaches and it does not matter who provides it, be it state or central government. In the area of education, we should not go into nittygritty of federalism rather we should focus on how objective of the nation as a whole should be achieved. Nation development should be our target despite all the difference between personalities or states. Health and education for all can only grow this country. As an educationist you come across young people and also engage at leadership level to motivate them. In your opinion are we channelizing the energy of our young minds in right direction? Policies of the government are excellent but we need to implement them
sincerely and wholeheartedly. My understanding is that the sincere effort in this direction will bring laurel to the country. A young India is not and should not only be about cheap labour or more productivity, it is more about being knowledge capital and making India a developed nation.We can be a better model of growth and democracy because of our flexible nature and easy acceptability to new ideas. In this direction, proper channelization of the energy of the young students are very important and I personally feel, we have to do lot more by giving them quality education and more avenues for employment or entrepreneurship. What are the major initiatives RGTU is taking in the area of academic excellence, research and use of ICT? We have taken lot of initiatives in last 4 year. We are using various e-governance tools to enable reforms for financial transparency, academic excellence and easy access to information and tracking of the university. Apart from above, we are also planning to use web portal as a resource for students and teachers by providing them with online lectures, presentation and study materials. One important area in this regard is content development by which we shall be able to focus on all the part of the state.As far as infrastructure is concerned, we have made huge progress and now we have campus development programme in place. For promoting research and academic excellence, we are giving scholarships to meritorious students. We have also created corpus of `10 crore for research and development. In future, we are heavily going to focus on skill development programme on the campus. At RGTU campus, we have solar and wind energy creation programme which produces about 33 Kilowatts that is almost 10 percent of our energy consumption on the campus. So overall when you look at RGTU, we have made huge progress and there are lot of initiatives in the pipeline.
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Institutes Need Strong Academia-industry Linkages Going forward, the institutes expect the demand for Energy, Infrastructure and Transportation (EIT) professionals to remain high as the government and private sectors remains committed to building EIT in the country, says Dr Parag Diwan, Vice Chancellor, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES) in conversation with Ankush Kumar Institutes across the world are coming up with new ways of imparting education. How are you bringing innovation in pedagogy at your institute? The delivery mechanism in the higher education system has undergone several major transformations e.g. from teacher centric system to student centric system. Currently, the system is transforming towards learning centric model, leading to evolvement of a number of delivery models such as (1) classroom, (2) online, and (3) experimental hybrid model. Additionally, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES) is bringing the following innovations to its pedagogy: Distinctive advantage with domain specific education: Students today have greater choices and data is becoming more transparent. UPES is committed to building higher quality in its role as a university and offer distinctive advantage with domain specific education covering the entire spectrum of EIT domain. Value addition outside the content: With developments in online education and MOOCs, the content is becoming ubiquitous and would cease to be the decisive factor. UPES adds value around the content with innovations leading to high quality of teaching and mentorship programmes. Application-based education: UPES interacts with industry closely to reduce the gap between theory and practice.
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Online blended hybrid delivery models for working professionals: UPES is testing hybrid delivery models for working professionals, who desire face-to-face interaction as well as ease of studying online at their convenience. You have been one of the premium institutes in the field of Energy, Infrastructure and Transportation
(EIT). Do you think there is sufficient demand in the industry for students specialized in these subjects? Energy, Infrastructure and Transportation (EIT) sectors are the backbone of all developed and emerging economies. In India, EIT sectors make a directly contribution of 40-55 percent to the GDP and accounts for approximately 70 percent
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workforce including the tertiary and ancillary jobs. With domain specific focus on EIT, UPES has achieved a consistent placement rate of over 85 percent for the previous five years. Going forward, the institute expects the demand for EIT professionals to remain high as EIT sectors continue to experience high growth as the government and private sectors remains committed to building EIT in the country. For instance, government has proposed 88GW and 123 GW power addition during the 12th five-year plan and 13th five-year plan, respectively. Moreover, $2 trillion investment is planned in infrastructure during the 12th plan. The business environment has become more dynamic than ever before. Do you think the students need to have (a unique combination of technical skills and emotional quotient) to succeed in this competitive market scenario? We believe that rational decision-making
als who are quick to adapt technologies and have the emotional quotient to relate to the decision. How important is to have a strong academia-industry linkage for an institute and how it is beneficial to the students? The need to have strong academiaindustry linkage is more than ever. Industry and academia have common goals but usually operate in isolation to each other. Industry wants qualified graduates from academic institutes and academia wants employment for its graduates from the industry. A qualified graduate in this context does not mean someone who has a certificate but someone who is able to perform the job. Since there exists a gap in industry expectations and academia delivery, the generally accepted industry practice is to hire graduates with certificates and train them internally to make them competent for the job. A strong collaboration between academia and industry would benefit aca-
Accreditation leads to development and maintenance of standards from infrastructure to teaching pedagogy is better business. Management schools emphasise on several techniques for rational decisions such as data analysis, market research, statistical tools, econometric models, etc. In real business, however, managers are as much intuition driven as they are driven by logic. And it is acceptable because business is best when managers feel passion and commitment to what they are producing and customers feel they’ve received value. Motivation, responsibility, and an artist’s love for his/her profession are all examples of emotions in business. Therefore, the real task before management institutes is not to curb emotions out of decision making but to develop emotional maturity in students in a safe environment. The dynamic business environment requires business profession-
demia by providing industry vetted curriculum, industry level technology and equipment, and content delivery by professionals from the industry. Similarly, the industry would benefit from ready to deploy employees, hence, saving the cost of training and initial gestation time. The students are the biggest beneficiary of academia-industry collaboration as they gain employment ready skills and an expedited growth path when they join the industry. What are your views on the amendment of Supreme Court ruling on the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) Act? Last year, the Supreme Court of India had stripped many of AICTE’s powers stating that colleges affiliated to a univer-
sity does not fall under the category of technical institutions. Consequently, the MBA and MCA courses in India were taken away from the purview of the AICTE and colleges offering these courses were no longer required to obtain any permission/approval under the AICTE Act. The Ministry of Human Resource Development has proposed amendments to the AICTE Act to restore its powers to approve MBA and MCA courses. The proposed amendment to the Act is a temporary arrangement until the AICTE Act is officially amended. The power of AICTE would still be limited to approving the courses and to set the standards for technical institutions. According to the proposed arrangement, the University Grant Commission (UGC) would have to provide the affiliation for the course. Moreover, the institutions would still have to be accessed by the National Board of Accreditation. The UGC along with Government is planning to set up NARA (National Accreditation Regulatory Authority), an autonomous body comprising experts who will identify agencies for accrediting institutes. Do you think it will help in improving the quality of education? Accreditation is synonymous with quality enhancement and quality assurance. Accreditation leads to development and maintenance of standards from infrastructure to teaching pedagogy. Currently, higher education institutions in India are required to voluntarily opt for accreditation. The National Accreditation Regulatory Authority (NARA) seeks to make it mandatory for higher educational institutions (except agricultural education) to be accredited by an independent accreditation agency. Mandatory accreditation in the higher education would enable the Indian higher education system to become a part of the Global Quality Assurance system such as the Washington Accord. However, in order to achieve these goals, a clear and dynamic accreditation framework has to be evolved and published.
digitalLEARNING / April 2014
31
leaders’ speak
CIMA Launches Innovative
2015 Professional Qualification syllabus By Noel Tagoe, Executive Director – Education, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
C
hartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) is the world’s leading and largest professional body of management accountants, headquartered in London. It has over 218,000 members and students operating in 177 countries. CIMA India has been offering qualification courses for eight years. Its management accounting course is a balance of accounting and business management skills. The CIMA qualification develops analytical, application-oriented and decision-making skills, rather than just theoretical knowledge. Management Accountants not only do financial performance reporting, but also manage the company’s business opportunities using non-financial, qualitative data, prediction models, external research and environmental factors to contribute to decision making in organizations. In any organization, management accountants are the most qualified to justify the CFO and CEO’s decisions using these methods. Hence, they can also be referred to as business navigators, as they provide justification for Board’s decisions. They can gauge the integrity of the information, interpret it, and use its
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insights to inform, or make decisions. Drawing on extensive global research into employer needs, CIMA has developed and launched its 2015 Professional Qualification syllabus, in response to growing concerns about rising youth unemployment. Studies by CIMA and others have shown that youth, the world over, are unemployed not due to lack of vacancies but because they do not possess the right skills. This is because the stakeholders in the education process rarely interact with each other. It has been suggested that education providers should engage with employers to understand their needs and design courses accordingly. CIMA developed its syllabus following such an approach. This ensures that the syllabus remains relevant. It seeks to develop competent and confident management accountants who can lead their organizations to a sustainable success. For its research, CIMA interacted with leading organizations in Europe, Asia, Africa and the US, followed by roundtable discussions involving 200 organizations in 13 countries. The results of the research were validated with responses from over 3,000 participants to a global questionnaire survey. The competencies that top employers seek from finance professional are core accounting and finance skills, business acumen, people skills and leadership skills. Core accounting and finance skills include financial reporting, forecasting, planning, financial analysis, risk management, corporate finance and taxation. These competencies were organized into a competency framework which formed the basis for creating a syllabus
that met the needs of both, students and employers. New topics relevant to business accounting such as managing big data, finance function transformation and sustainability were also included. The updated syllabus maintains the current structure of three levels, with three subjects at each level. It focuses on equipping future finance professionals with the skills that meet the business needs of the day. CIMA has also changed its examination system. Previously, each subject examination had essays and calculations. Now there are objective tests for each subject at a particular level and a case study that integrates knowledge from all subjects at each level. While the objective tests focus on intellectual and academic knowledge, the case studies judge how the knowledge is put into practice. This is to ensure a practice-oriented approach. It is no longer enough for students to learn by rote and not know how to apply their knowledge at the work place. In addition, CIMA is moving towards paperless tests that can be taken more frequently. While the objective tests can be taken 365 days a year, the case studies can be taken four times a year. These changes have been made to meet the needs of today’s generation, which uses technology much more than previous generations to learn, gather and share information. Research has shown that students write for less than ten minutes a day and this has had a great impact on learning methodologies, assessment tools, etc. This generation also has a more flexibility approach to learning. The exam system’s flexibility will allow students to choose their pace of learning and progress.
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leaders’ speak
India Attracts Manufacturers Due to its Size AT Rajan, Chief Marketing Officer & Head Corporate Strategy Office at Ricoh discusses the Indian IWB market with Ankush Kumar of Elets News Network (ENN) and the growing awareness of IWBs among schools
AT Rajan, Chief Marketing Officer & Head Corporate Strategy Office, Ricoh How do you think use of IWB & AVs has changed the teachinglearning process in schools? The education process in schools has undergone significant changes since the concept of smart class gained ground in the last two-three years. Interactive display solution in teaching has made the communication more visual than verbal and the process has become more interactive and collaborative. Learning has started to become enjoyable and fun! The smart class has paved the way for more adoption of technology in schools like language labs, digital library, etc. Students now are more conversant with technology and computers and applications are a part of their daily life rather than yet another subject. Do teachers require any special training to work on IWBs? Most IWBs from reputed manufacturers are designed on the concept of ‘appliancelike’ ease of operation, and the teacher can
get used to its various functions and applications in no time. The vendors also provide training and on-site support as part of the solutions package. However, more than IWB training, teachers require orientation training on the new approach to teaching and learning. From being instructors, teachers have become facilitators in the student’s learning process. For an experienced teacher who has gained expertise in the conventional teaching method, this shift to interactivity can be challenging and needs training for new skill sets and change in mindset. Focus is needed on teachers’ training in order to make the transition to IWBs smooth and successful. How has been the response from parents? Parents in general have not been involved or exposed to this change, except in schools having high level of technology adoption, where parents can access to their children’s accounts online. Although the response from parents in cities is encouraging, we feel it could be a challenge in remote areas where awareness levels are low and there is resistance to changing the conventional methods of teaching. Where do you think India stands vis-à-vis other countries in using IWBs in schools and colleges? India has one of the largest number of classrooms globally, comparable only to China and US. However, in terms of pen-
etration of interactive display solution, India ranks one of the lowest, just about two percent penetration compared to approx eight percent in China and over 40 percent in US (as per Future source data). What are some of the challenges that you see in the market? Indian education market has interested major manufacturers and system integrators due it sheer size and the enormous growth potential. Obviously, this has made the market fiercely competitive with buyers trying to get the best solution at the lowest price. This is evident from the data of IWB market share in India, with almost half the market comprising of “other” brands. When technology is purchased purely based on price, quality is risked, which has led to products of questionable quality being imported and rebranded in India to match the lowest price expectation on the box, without focusing the quality of the total solution, and reliability of after sales support. But it is heartening to note that there is a growing awareness in the market, especially private schools, who evaluate various technologies before designing total student information and school management solution, focusing on quality and reliability in addition to affordability. Although business will be good in metro cities, schools in remote villages could be a challenge, not only in infrastructure, but also due to mind set issues.
digitalLEARNING / April 2014
33
advertorial
Information Security Skills are Extremely weak in India
I
ndia’s talent pipeline in information security skills are extremely weak, according to ‘The Talent Crisis in Infosec, Report by EC Council (International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants), October 2013’. This could cast a shadow on the government, business and individuals.
What is Infosec? Information security is the practice of protecting information from unauthorised access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, perusal, inspection, recording or destruction. Protecting confidential information is a business, ethical and legal requirement.
Demand is big... By 2015, India will need at least 5,00,000 cyber professionals. Government, IT/ ITeS, financial institutions, telecom organisations and hospitals are more vulnerable to cyber threats.
...Supply Situation is Bleak Only 0.97 percent of Indian students have the basic skills in information security. Just around 13 percent of students have an understanding of concepts and can be trained in information security. More than 86 percent have not been made aware of skills or are not trainable. McAfee’s Tweens and Technology Report 2013 said online tweens are potentially vulnerable to risky behaviour on the Internet a good number of them have chatted to someone online that they didn’t know previously.
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Best cyber security initiative of the year cyberfort SecureIT 2014 Award (For establishment of cyberfort study center contact – Dr Rajesh Kumar Mobile+91 9031489275, 9973195996 email-rajesh@cyber-fort.com) “On an average, online tweens in India are using between 3 and 4 devices that can be Internet-enabled, laptop, mobile and desktop predominantly. While 61 per cent respondents said they user desktops, 40 per cent use tablets and 68 per cent use mobile to access the Internet,” the survey said. However, a disturbing trend on the rise among tweens is their apathy towards their own online safety. 58 per cent of the respondents surveyed use risky or low level security passwords online and Almost half of the tweens surveyed share information about themselves over FB (41 per cent), it added. McAfee’s report was conducted through a survey across Indian online tweens comprising of 572 male and 428 female respondents from Mumbai, Kol-
kata, Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. Another dangerous trend that the survey by the US-based firm revealed is that Indian tweens are becoming more trusting of the virtual world to familiarise themselves with unknown people, in spite of being aware that it is risky. Thirty-six per cent of the respondents said they have spoken to someone online that they didn’t previously know, while 22 per cent said they have shared personal information online. 26 per cent who did share this did not think it to be risky. “Tweens have a clear preference for not only the devices used for Internet connectivity but also the type of activity on these devices. So while desktop is preferred mainly for home work, tablets are dominant when it comes to exchanging
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Subject Matter Experts Available in India across All Zones 1.88% 0.86% 1.48% 0.19% 0.97%
North South East
West All-India
Pan-India Trainable Talent 17.8%
10.02% 19.48% 9.74% 12.74%
North South East
West All-India
Talent Pool That is Ineligible for Training in InfoSec 80.32% 89.12% 79.04% 90.08% 86.29%
North South East
West All-India
PROFILES WHERE INFORMATION SECURITY IS REQUIRED • Security analyst • Security auditor • Information security professional
• Network administrator • Project manager • Analyst programmer
NOTE: The report is based on a sample size of more than 10,000 students and professionals from various colleges across Indian states. All these candidates appeared for a nationwide competition held by ECCouncil to test their knowledge in the information security sector.
pictures and playing games,” McAfee said. Seventy per cent of the respondents covered said they use desktop for home work related stuff compared to 38 per cent, who use tablets. Almost half of the respondents said they use tablets for playing games and exchanging pictures compared to 40 per cent using desktop, it added. About 22 per cent of the respondents said they spend 2-4 hours every day on Microsoft’s gaming platform Xbox, it said. Though the country boasts of producing the maximum number of engineering talent in the world, only 1 percent of Indian IT students have been found skilled in the information security space. According to a study done by EC-Council, a global certification body for information security professionals, nearly 86 percent of student IT talent pool in India display no awareness of cyber security basics, while a mere 13 percent was found to be trainable in the space. “This is very alarming news to the country’s corporate and defence establishments. India is known as the software and outsourcing capital of the world. However, recent industry data shows how vulnerable the Indian IT industry is. Lack of skills in both working professionals as well as students is a major area of concern for the nation,” says Amit Kumar, president and co-founder, Cyberfort. The study is indicative of the fact that while the current curriculum has some introductory topics on the subject, focus via its inclusion as a separate subject is missing. India declared its first national cyber security policy in July this year, which aims to create 5 lakh information security professionals over next five years. “Given the fact the 86 percent of the current IT talent has no awareness of cyber security, the role of academia becomes all the more challenging,” says Kumar. In a recent move to up the ante on cyber security, the government has hired 4,446 experts. However, the number is miniscule compared to the increasing number of attacks on websites every month. Financial institutions, telecom, mobility, internet organisations and hospitals are more vulnerable to cyber threats today, because of the data they handle. According to reports by CERT-In, 4,191 Indian websites were hacked in the month of August this year, up from 1,808 in May this year. In fact, corporates too agree that they have a tough time filling up positions in the information security space. “It is difficult to find basic engineering talent, let alone talent in information security space. The problem is not with students, but the whole system. You can’t expect them to be good at something they are not taught,” says the CFO of an IT company who did not wish to be named.
digitalLEARNING / April 2014
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cover story
Reintroducing Teaching in Classrooms As Interactive White Boards (IWB) change the education paradigm in India and make it more interactive, digitalLearning’s Ankush Kumar looks at the segment to gauge its impact, and challenges
T Out of 1 lakh pvt schools in India, only 7-10% have adopted smart classrooms
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o most of us of a certain vintage, classrooms have meant a teacher facing a blackboard, his back to us, writing furiously on it with a white chalk. As the teacher writes, the chalk powder spreads all over the floor. The sound of the chalk’s journey on the board is etched in our memories. From that era of white dust and chalk fights, classrooms have now moved into a digital domain, where a range of innovative tools are used for making education interactive and engaging, with no chalk fights. The Interactive White Board (IWB), first manufactured in 1991, has made education interactive and simulating. Its introduction in the Indian education system has changed it drastically. IWBs function as an effective tool for teachers to plan their lessons and make it more exciting for the students. They are used in a variety of settings, including classrooms, corporate boardrooms and work groups, in training rooms for professional sports coaching, in broadcasting studios, and others. Its impact on students has been noteworthy, as observed by teachers. Interactive projectors can make any surface in the classroom interactive and allow teachers to interact with their projected lesson plan from practically anywhere in the classroom. By using a special interactive pen, they can draw, point and click by touching the screen directly or away from the screen. Projectors play a very important role, especially in language classes. Speakers and projectors are used to enhance listening skills, which are very important in the study of foreign language. The market of projectors has grown by 25 percent this year. In
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financial year of 2013-14, 2.3 lakh units were sold in the Indian market. Education sector’s share in this is roughly 28 percent. Out of the overall education sector share in the market, nearly 35 percent is of data projectors.
Raising academic standard in schools “ICT plays a very important role in changing and modernizing teaching systems and ways of learning. Using Interactive White Boards and audio-visuals has brought about a sea of change in the teaching learning processes in school. The most significant advantage is that students are more enthusiastic and motivated to learn even the abstract concepts using multiple layers. Class work can also be made available to students in real time so students save time on copying work,” said Madhvi Chandra, Principal, Gitanjali Devshala, Secunderabad (AP). Children today are tech savvy and know how to operate the latest technology. They even help their parents when they get stuck with some functions on their mobile phones. These kids are very enthusiastic and creative, and grooming them is a very delicate task for the teachers. Those who do not adapt to the technological change will have difficulty in managing the students. Teachers need to be encouraged to keep abreast of the latest technology and the best way to do so is to hold workshops and seminars and give opportunities for hands on use in the school.
Teachers’ training and students’ feedback According to Pratibha Kohli, Principal, Maharaja Agrasen Model School, New Delhi,
“For a tech-savvy teacher, using the IWB is an easy task and such teachers readily accept the novelty of using IWB to make lessons fresh and appealing to the learner. However, a teacher not so comfortable with the use of computers shall need adequate training and timely guidance. Therefore it is important that refresher training courses should be organized for all teachers. Lack of appropriate training might dishearten the staff towards the use of IWB, hence it is important to hold regular training sessions to keep the teachers motivated to adopt and adapt to the new technology.” The response from the students to the changes has been overwhelming. Our young learners, especially the digital natives, are at ease with the advent of digital learning tools
digitalLEARNING / April 2014
39
cover story
in the classroom. Since IWB overcomes the monotony of the lecture method of tutelage, the new generation learners are definitely fascinated by the ‘wow factor’ of the interactivity that IWBs offer. The enthusiasm in the classroom is apparent. Student participation and engagement in the teaching-learning process is greatly enhanced, so the learning quotient definitely increases. Teachers can also allow students to touch and experience the IWB and also explore its interactivity. “IWB has the advantage of group-based synchronous learning where, in the class room, a group of students learn in real time using multimedia resources. This type of learning can also include audio or video conferencing, where the teacher, placed away from group of students, interacts and teaches them using IWB. Asynchronous teaching-learning is also facilitated by IWB where the teacher can save the lessons and the students can watch them after a time delay, not in real time.” Pratibha added.
Parent’s response It is important to know whether the parents are happy with this technology and how cost effective it is for the schools to install them.
“Of course the parents are happy; the students have been very excited about this technology and have shared their views with the parents about the same. Parents are happy with this kind of a teaching aid which is making learning process easier and is enhancing lateral thinking, creating mind mapping & making children socially compatible,” said Jaydeb Kar, Principal, Calorx Public School, Gujarat. “It is economical and cost-effective and is considered to be a one-time investment,” he adds. Many schools have also started using social network-
800,000 classrooms in small towns and cities are potential segment
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One smart classroom costs roughly around ` 1.25 lakh to ` 1.5 lakh
ing platforms to engage with their students. Corporates have come up with bundles of such applications that can be used by the institutes. Parents are ready to provide the best of the education to their children, be it any cost. They have started feeling the competition among the children at various levels of examination.
“Today’s parents are ready to pay the price if there is an impact on the child. IWB and AVs are no longer cosmetics for a school. They have become essential components of a classroom. They are also easily affordable and available to schools. Government introducing it in government and corporation schools is a major step which has made a big difference to the situation,” said Shanti Krishnamurthy, Principal, Chinmaya International Residential School, Coimbatore.
Global scenario The main aim of deploying ICT is to empower children and teachers to match up to the demands of a global society. According to a report by Global Industry Analysts (GIA), the global market for Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) is projected to reach US$1.85 billion by the year 2018, primarily driven by rising demand for technologybased education, Government education initiatives, and technological advancements in the sector. Further, increased adoption of Interactive Whiteboards in emerging economies including China and India is expected to fuel market growth. One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the increased government funding for the education sector. The global IWB market has been witnessing an increase in the significance of e-learning and virtual learning environments. Demand for IWBs from the corporate sector is set to rise exponentially. Futuresource consulting forecasts show that the total display technologies
1st IWB was manufactured by SMART Technologies in 1991
The total business potential of digital classrooms expected to cross ` 4000 crore in 2014
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writing during any meeting is very common, and whiteboard gives the option of continuing the written discussion on two pages and prints the document through inbuilt printer which is a necessity for post meeting notes. • Increased enjoyment and motivation for the learner Keeping these factors in mind, we see a growth of double • Greater opportunities for participation and collaboration digits in India,” Prasenjeet adds. Digital products are generally expensive and delicate, • Improved personal and social skills so installing these devices for a small school will be dif• Less need for note taking ficult. The Government has always played an important • Ability to cope with more complex concepts role in the education sector. India has been committed • Accommodation for different learning styles to providing free and compulsory education to all children for the purpose of nation build• Increased self confidence ing. “If the government makes the use of Branded IWB in classrooms mandatory while isIWBs start suing licenses to new schools, the rise in market of IWBs, interactive flat panels and from ` 21,000 demand will be multi-fold. At the same interactive projectors will reach 1.05 miltime, if the government starts buying lion devices by 2017. However, the adopand go as high IWBs for the existing and upcoming govtion rates of the three products vary by the as ` 64,350 ernment schools, the demand will go up country and even by the region. in multiple numbers,” said Radha Krishna, Aveco India. Factors driving IWB market
Positive outcomes from teaching and learning supported by IWB technology
in India
IWBs have managed to find a wide acceptance amongst education institutes and enterprises in India. “The need for innovative teaching and faster means of collaboration is mainly driving the IWB adoption mainly in education and also in large enterprises. Education sector holds the maximum share in the market whereas the enterprise segment is slowly showing a growing inclination towards interactive whiteboards. Altogether, the market is poised for a steady growth in the years to come, from its current emerging stage,” said Ramya Chatterjee, Director - Sales & Marketing, Cybernetyx. Touch screen products were available in the market for a long time but only recently their demand has gone up. Such is their impact of the technology that kids even try to slide television screens, thinking it is a touch screen. The other important thing which will drive the market is awareness. Many schools have not experienced this technology and are not aware about its advantages. But when they see the results of the schools using these technologies, they will consider buying it. The first half of 2013 witnessed sales of whiteboards mainly in the education and corporate sector, which grew by 20 percent. “Whiteboards have managed to find a widespread acceptance amongst the education and enterprise segment in India. The country has also experienced a substantial quarter, with more than 50 percent rise in sales for 2013”, said Prasenjeet Bhattacharyya, Business Head, Security and Mobility, Panasonic India. The growing number of meeting rooms in India, especially in tier two cities, is a potential market. “The need of
Challenges For a developing country like India, installation of IWB may prove to be quite expensive. “In case, the equipment of IWB is damaged, replacement may prove to be expensive. Since all areas in India do not get a continuous supply of electricity, the regular use of IWB may be a challenge in the remote areas of the country,” said Pratibha of Maharaja Agrasen Model School. Front projection boards may get obscured by the presence of the teachers. Acquiring a lot of information in a small time can become a daunting task and may lead to information overload for the students. Industry experts say that IWBs is turning into a low profit business. “In the last few years (ex-
cluding last year), we saw the peak business for interactive segment and it won’t be returning. A sharp fall in selling prices, easy availability of low cost products and interactivity through tablets have contributed to the fall in business, and this is resulting in losses for interactive companies. Few have closed or even sold out,” said Mohammed Ghouse, consultant. There are challenges for companies selling only interactive products, as even more projector companies join in. Ghouse adds, “It takes fewer efforts for mobile phone manufacturers to add the time feature, but it has damaged the watch manufacturing industry. Similarly, interactive projectors are giving IWBs, a tough time.”
digitalLEARNING / April 2014
41
advertorial
University Rankings and Skills Development By
Dr Haresh Tank,
Director, Station-e Language Lab
E
very time university rankings are announced, we harp on the way Indian university lag behind in research and we have not been able to establish world class institutions. This clamour translates into a few articles on the renowned universities with higher rankings in the world order and that is all. We have yet to unearth the root cause of why Indian universities fare so badly in the university rankings. Universities are entirely different from the culture of rote learning and rat race for numbers that we celebrate at the school level. Last year, we fared equally badly in PISA rankings. It is this kind of schooling that does not develop the key competences and skills that leads the young generation of the country to institutions of higher learning where they further the legacy of rote learning and top the universities. While all this happens, nobody asks the key question that if students score so many marks in the university examinations and secure such wonderful grades, why are they considered unemployable by the World Bank and the market at large? The university toppers, when they are asked to do the ‘real work’ in the companies, are exposed by their sheer lack of skills that are fundamental to the workings of the companies. Our problem starts with the policy of higher education. It is sad to note that our policy begins and ends with increasing the GER. When GER increases, we feel we have triumphed. And what about the quality of higher education? There is a deep, meaningful silence over this at the policy level. In the era of internationalization of education, our policy papers do not reflect any learning from the best practices
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of the world class institutions of the world. For instance, in China, all the students whether science or arts have to compulsorily study and do well in English and Computers. They form integral part of their education because China knows that these are core skills in the 21st century. In India, even if English is offered, passing marks would do and hence, engineers and MBAs are speechless when facing an interview conducted in English. At the level of policy, it is pertinent to note here that even countries like US and UK are also remodeling their education system because they have also lagged behind in the university rankings and they have been quick enough to respond to the fact that countries like Finland, South Korea and Germany have done remarkable work in terms of skilling their youth through higher education and this has led to the enhancement of students’ competencies and skills in a way that their students are readily employable and have the skills required for the real-life situations, unlike the rote learning we have cherished. Why do we need certain skills set at the end of the education process? We need certain skills set because the youth passing out of the system has a role to play in the economic processes of the country. Irrespective of the economic processes, our universities have continued to teach ‘subjects’ rather than skills that are required for the economic development of the country. The World Bank suggests that not only are these skills important but today they are crucial for ‘labour productivity’ and
employers are looking for certain skills for their companies. Here’s the testimony from the World Bank: As countries become richer and move up the value-added chain, the skills demanded will change. Bottlenecks will become more evident, constraining growth. Increasingly, labor
Dr Haresh Tank
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productivity will depend on high-level cognitive skills (such as analysis, problem solving, and communication) and behavioral skills (such as discipline and work effort). These higher productivity skills are what employers now demand. (Stepping Up Skills, The World Bank 2010, page 01) The current focus of skill development has shifted to the learner and his/ her needs and expectations from vocational education and training (VET). To empower the working population, is it essential to start from the source, i.e., the learner. The “voice” of the learner is the focal point of the mission, without which an effective conclusion to and attainment of the final goal would be incomplete. India has the advantage of the ”demographic dividend” (younger population compared to the ageing population of developed countries), which can be cultivated to build a skilled workforce in the near future. (Knowledge Paper on Skills Development in India, Executive Summary, page 2)
The European Framework of Key Competences This framework was proposed in the Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in December 2006 after five years of work by experts and civil servants collaborating within the Open Method of Cooperation. It defines eight key competences: l Communication in the mother l l
l l l l l
tongue Communication in a foreign language Mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technology Digital competence Learning to learn Social and civic competence Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship Cultural awareness and expression.
(Key Competences in Europe: interpretation, policy formulation and imple-
mentation, The European Journal of Education, Page 03) The question to be asked to the policy makers is, where are these skills mentioned above in the country’s policy of higher education? The reason why these skills are needed is that they are supposed to go into the field and do the ‘real work’ which would not be possible without these key skills. The youth in Indian universities studies the subject, perfects rote learning and then when required to go into the field and perform, is exposed. It happens because the policy does not clearly lay down the fact that universities are required to teach ‘skills’ rather than mere ‘subjects’. It is because the policy papers do not define the fact that the skills of the youth and the economic progress are inextricably linked. Countries like South Korea and Germany have thrived as economies because they have rigorously integrated skills into education policy and practice. But these case studies have not made an impression on policy makers in India and hence, the skills development policy in India is not only mono-dimensional as focused on vocational training but it does not belong to the 21st century as the contemporary world operates through the 21st century skills. These 21st century skills have unfortunately found no mention in our policy papers. As a result, no actual upskilling of students takes place at universities and the universities still languish in the previous century in theory and practice. The real world has moved on and it calls for complex skill sets in our youth and to inculcate it, innovative vision and effective implementation are inevitable.
Skills Development Centre (SDC): The Station- eModel With the concerns of Skills Development in view, Station-e envisaged the concept of Skills Development Centre (SDC). It is a unique construct, aiming at upskilling the youth of the country. We have established several SDCs at various educational institutions – college and university campuses across the country.
SDC serves as the training wing of the university, operated in a digital learning lab and powered by highly sophisticated technology. SDC comes with in-built training programs on soft and life skills, integral to the theme of skills development and empowering the youth. Customized to the core, these modules have astonishing transformation value as they produce remarkable results in virtually no time. The youth across the country have benefitted by the innovative Skills Development Centres and carved a niche for themselves in their chosen area of endeavour. What it means for a university is that it proves its worth, demonstrates its relevance through the skills training that the youth passing out of the system will be equipped with the best of skills and competencies required to operate in today’s world. Skills Development Centre is a turnkey project and a vision product of Station-e. We wish to see an economically empowered India for which skills development of its youth is the key. For this, SDC is a small but significant endeavour at making a humble contribution for taking India to its rightful place in the 21st century world. It will not happen until we elevate the universities in terms of the way they operate and contribute to the empowerment of the youth for their role in this world. University rankings in India will improve the day we bring about policy shift and make Skills Development Centres across university campuses. Dr Haresh Tank is Director, Station-e Language Lab. In the capacity of Director, he is in charge of conceptualizing and operationalizing initiatives with a special focus on Skills Development. He holds a doctorate in Statistics and is a noted Statistical Analyst. He was also nominated for Young Scientist Award. With a passion for teaching and contributing to the society, he continues to serve as Associate Professor in Statistics. As a Director, Station-e Language Lab, he has initiated several projects in the realm of Skills Development with Government and private companies. In addition, Dr. Tank is serving as Vice Chairman, CII, Western Gujarat Zonal Council.
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Providing Tailor-made Interactive Solutions Ramya Chatterjee, Director - Sales & Marketing, Cybernetyx, talks about the company’s array of products for different customer segments ing Cybernetyx the fastest growing company in the ICT space across the world. Cybernetyx has the complete range of IWB products depending on the specific need of industry vertical and end user application. Sharing below a summary:
Ramya Chatterjee, Director - Sales & Marketing, Cybernetyx Please tell us about your IWB product categories? Cybernetyx is a fast growing multinational technology corporation headquartered in Hameln, Germany with sales and support presence in multiple continents across the globe. With its philosophy of “Freude an Technik” (Technology can be fun), Cybernetyx conceptualizes, develops and manufactures the most advanced MultiTouch Interactive Products which are deployed in all market segments, including Education, Corporate and Government. Our flagship IWB product EyeRIS (Eye like Rapid Imaging System) is extremely popular and widely acknowledged as a technology leader in the interactive solutions space, already impacting more than 15 million presenters, educators and learners in a short span of time and rising at an exponential rate. Many Global Fortune 500 companies have integrated Cybernetyx’s core technology engine called Visual Touch to provide interactive display products and solutions to their clients, thus mak-
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What are the quality standards that you follow for your products? Cybernetyx has stringent and process driven quality control; quality assurance and quality check policies. Before releasing a product commercially, we do a lot of
Cybernetyx IWB Products
Target Industry Vertical
EyeRIS 6090UST (interactive area up to 90”) EyeRIS 6120ST (interactive area up to 120”) All-in-one Integrated UNIBOARD Solution Stereo 8 Series and OptiMax 3/4/6&8 Series EyeRIS Interactive Projector Mount for ST Projector EyeSIGHT Document &OptiMark Student Evaluation system IntelliSpace IWB suite Interactivity for Large format Displays & Video Walls
Education K12 Segment / Corporate Higher Education / Large Lecture Hall Education (K12) / Higher Education Government / Education Education / Corporate / SME Education K12 / Higher Education Education / Corporate / SME Corporate / Government / Education
What is the price range of the solutions that you offer in India? Do you think they are affordable for the start-up schools or the low profile schools? Cybernetyx has the complete range of IWB products depending on the specific need of industry vertical & end user application. Cybernetyx core strength is its capability to provide tailor-made solutions for different customer segments like classrooms at all levels of education, corporate board / meeting rooms, training centers, coaching centers, broadcasting studios, medical science, simulation centers, media & entertainment industries, retail application and R&D centers. Thus, the price range also varies depending on the value added features & technology advancement of the product. Typically it starts from as low as `21,000 (for OptiMax 3 series for price sensitive segments) & goes as high as `64,350 (for AIO Integrated UNIBOARD Solutions). We also manufacture ONFINIA series of interactive video wall solutions which are priced towards the high-end segment starting at `4,54,000.
internal and external quality testing. We have CE &RoHS certification for EyeRIS. Cybernetyx products are also registered with DGS&D Rate Contract. EyeRIS also undergoes multiple and thorough quality testing formalities of ERTL Lab. Our products have SGS certification for quality, and all the necessary compliances required for a global roll-out. Do you also export these products to other countries? If yes, then please specify the geographical areas? Yes, we cater to different countries in South East Asia (like Japan, Singapore, Indonesia etc.) and Middle East from our India office. Cybernetyx also acts as technology / OEM partner for ‘technology collaboration’ / ‘technology transfer’. Last year, we opened our technology platform for integration with display ODMs and signed up for global strategic tie-up with some of the renowned Projector brands who will soon launch interactive projector with Cybernetyx interactive technology engine (known as Visual Touch) inside. This would help Cybernetyx to have its presence in more than 70 countries across the globe.
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Government Initiatives Propel AV Market in Education Sector Vineet Mahajan, Head, Display Solutions, Panasonic India talks about the growth of audio visual equipments’ market in the education sector in India What are the various kinds of audio visual products available in education sector? We focus on projectors for education market like Ultra Short Throw Projectors and Short Throw Projectors, which are in high demand. In these projectors, the distance between the screen and the projector is very less. Normally, the light rays coming out of the projector fall on screen and form image. There are chances that the teacher may come in between projector and screen. So, the short throw projectors and ultra short throw projectors are used extensively to solve this issue. Nowadays, deemed universities and private institutions are looking for interactive displays. The LEDs and plasmas, which come today in various sizes, can be made interactive with the help of software. This makes the session interactive for students. Large screens of 42 inch, 50 inch, etc. have built-in interactive function. This is our latest buzz in the education industry. It is still on the higher side with respect to the prices. In next two years, this segment of interactive projector displays will catch up in education market. The use of audio-visual products in schools and colleges is a new phenomenon. When do you see the surge in demand for such products in these institutes? The audio visual equipment market in education sector is in the nascent stage. Till recent times, the universities were not keen to spend money on audio visual equipments, but in a year, there has been
ing to replicate the educational system, which is present in developed countries and use audio visual products extensively. As the products are costly, people are reluctant. One smart classroom costs roughly around Rs 1.25 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh as it includes cost of speakers, projector, screen, etc. But the situation will certainly improve and people will realize the benefits of the audio visual equipments.
Vineet Mahajan, Head, Display Solutions, Panasonic India a rise in the demand of these products and people have also started spending money for it. With the coming of solution providers like Educomp, HCL, etc, who integrate audio visual devices and provide a complete solution to educational institutions, the market is growing rapidly. For example, HCL, which is a big vendor, will buy projector from Panasonic and hire speakers from speaker brands and integrate all the hardware and will give a complete solution to the educational institutions. What has led to the demand of the audio-visual products? Awareness of these products is one reason which has led to the surge in demand of these products. Till last year, many people were not even aware about these products and their benefits. Now, everybody is try-
Where do you see Indian market visa-vis other countries of the world? We are lagging behind in comparison to developed countries right now. They normally employ higher lumens projectors with proper audio visual equipment. In one or two years, the use of projectors will become a common thing. The huge impact of initiatives of the government like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan on the education industry in various states is leading to the purchases of projectors for government schools. The positive actions of government in this direction will propel the demand of projectors. What is the Panasonic’s share and revenue in this market? Panasonic’s market share quality wise was 10.5 percent in 2013-14 and value wise was 15.5 percent. Our average selling price is very high. That is why we are placed very well in the value game. As we are not very strong in anchor level projectors, so our number share is on the lower side. Last year, Panasonic sold projectors worth `104 crore and this year, it plans to sell products worth `96 crore.
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Facilitating Complete Learning Ecosystem We at HCL Learning are planning to develop cost-effective applications and products specifically suited for both private schools and individual customers, says Chetan Mahajan, Head - HCL Learning (HCL Infosystems Ltd) What is the Business Model of HCL Learning? HCL Learning covers the entire spectrum of education and training requirements across schools, colleges, individuals and enterprises. Our initiatives are driven by the latest innovations in Information Technology and we envision transforming the Indian education space to compete with the best in the world. As a constant conscious endeavour, HCL Learning has been working towards taking the world-class-quality education to all the schools and colleges of India. Our Learning solutions are designed to fulfil the requirements of the complete learning ecosystem comprising students, teachers, administration and parents. We have been investing in building innovative, high quality, world class & differentiated solutions which are driven by content in Teacher Lead and Self learning format, for example - DigiSchool 6.0 is a content rich version of our flagship product and aligns with the needs of the students and the market. We have received excellent response among our focus groups and from the market. Another feather in our cap is the approval of our content methodology & research driven content development approach by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), a part of the Ministry of Science and Technology. What is your go to Market Strategy? Please give us the break-up of different market segment that you are focusing? At HCL Learning, each product has been customised to meet the needs of the end-user and is performing well for the business. However, keeping in mind the
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Chetan Mahajan, Head - HCL Learning (HCL Infosystems Ltd) persisting low market sentiments, HCL Learning has adopted a cautious and selective approach in its classroom additions to ensure a continued profitable business model. For instance, with rise in demand for digital learning across private institutions, HCL Learning has extended its reach and presence with the addition of new channel partners across India. Having channel partners in the distribution ecosystem gives HCL Learning the opportunity to reach a wider range of schools. With an already existing customer base of more than 3,000 schools, HCL learning will leverage its presence to further expand in the B2C space. What are some of the latest products of HCL Learning? Which product or the line of business will you term as a Cash Cow for HCL Learning and Why ? HCL Learning launched two new products ‘My IIT Tutor’ and ‘MyEduWorldDrive’ to target the growing B2C and B2B2C market. Both My IIT Tutor and
MyEduWorld-Drive are self-learning, plug & play devices that are pre-loaded with content for IIT aspirants and Class 1-10 students respectively. We at HCL Learning are planning to develop cost-effective applications and products specifically suited for both private schools and individual customers. We are constantly on a look-out for better than before hardware, content, distribution and business markets. Our continued research helps us generate and provide fundamental learning to the masses. In the Indian education sector, HCL Learning focuses on digital content and provides solutions for K-12, Higher Education, Professional Skills, and Training & Certification. How do you see the competition in the Market? What are some of the challenges that you are facing? We at HCL Learning have a reliable and scalable business model to deliver on the promises through robust support systems. A strong support of technology (backed by HCL’s IT legacy) and the best-in-class content (ensured through in-house content development capabilities), which gives us an edge over the competition. Besides, service is a critical part of Digital Classroom ecosystem. With most of the other players not having their own service networks, they are unable to meet customer expectations over a period of time and faulter majorly on services. So, customers often end up having classroom infrastructure that is not usable. HCL with its own extensive service delivery network that reaches out to more than 4000 towns in India with direct presence in 500 plus locations delivers superior customer service and experience.
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The Projector Market’s Low Penetration offers BenQ a Great Opportunity Rajeev Singh, Country Head, BenQ India talks to Ankush Kumar of digitalLearning about the Indian AV market and BenQ’s plans for India Please tell us about your AV product categories for education. What is the USP of your products? BenQ is the No one projector brand in India with 17percent market share, and we are a leader in the education projector business with more than 50 percent market share of the vertical according to FutureSource 2013 data. BenQ has the largest product offering for Indian market, with more than 20 products. There are specific projectors for education where we specialize. They can be entry level SVGA, XGA, Ultra ShortThrow, ShortThrow Interactive or Network projectors.
Rajeev Singh, Country Head, BenQ India
“BenQ’s revenue grew by more than 30 percent in 2013 as compared to 2012. Mainly this is driven by projector business with over 50 percent market share in education vertical We have just launched new projectors MX522P, MS521P, MX505 and MS504 and MX823ST, MW820ST projectors which come with 3000+ ANSI Lumens for day light projection in the classrooms, 10000 lamp hours for extra-long lamp life and SmartEco technology which reduces the consumption of electricity by up to 70 percent. These projectors give schools and educational institutes unparalleled solution for their display requirements. BenQ is also bringing interactive flat panels (IFP) in sizes from 55”, 65” & 70”. The professional displays and large screens are boon to any kind of educational setup. IFP provides display capabili-
ties in all lighting conditions, and with up to 6 interactive touches, provides a tool to teachers to make the classroom truly interactive. What is the price range of the solutions that you offer? Do you think they are affordable for the start-up institutes or the low profile schools? BenQ has products at diverse price ranges to match the need of its consumers. We have more than 20 different types of educational projectors. These start from Rs 25,000 onwards and are suitable for all kind of schools, whether they are startup or low profile.
What are some of the challenges that you see in the AV market? The education segment in India is among the fastest growing segments in the world with close to 15 lac government schools and One lac private schools in India alone. Out of this, only 7-10 percent of the private schools have tapped the potential of multimedia classroom teaching, whereas in government schools, the figure is even low. In addition to this, there are colleges and higher educational institutes, which collectively provide us with a huge educational market for technology adoption. The government has also extended support by earmarking a budget of close of USD 6 billion for technology adaptation in education in India. However, the actual user’s understanding of the right projector technology for their application is still low. In government set-up specially, lack of efficient teacher training and irregular electricity further adds hurdles in technology embracing. Systematic training and orientation is required to fight the initial apprehensions of technology adoption. What was your company’s revenue growth (in AV Category) for FY 2012-13? Number of units sold in 2013 as compared to 2012? BenQ’s revenue grew by more than 30 percent in 2013 as compared to 2012. Mainly this is driven by projector business with over 50 percent market share in education vertical. Most of the educationists work with BenQ, owing to its largest product portfolio, DLP technology providing a sturdy and long lasting colour reproduction. digitalLEARNING / April 2014
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DELHI PUBLICSCHOOL SCHOOL DELHI PUBLIC RANIPUR,HARIDWAR HARIDWAR RANIPUR,
CASE CASESTUDY STUDY
Making learningexperience experienceimpactful impactful with Making learning with EyeRIS InteractiveSystem Systemfrom from Cybernetyx Cybernetyx EyeRIS Interactive
School Campus - DPS Ranipur, Haridwar
School Campus - DPS Ranipur, Haridwar
DELHI PUBLICSCHOOL SCHOOL DELHI PUBLIC RANIPUR,HARIDWAR HARIDWAR RANIPUR,
CASE STUDY CASE STUDY
Making learning experience impactful with EyeRIS Interactive System from Cybernetyx
Shri K.C. Panday (Principal) received National Teachers Award 2012 by Hon’ble President Shri Pranab Mukharjee on 5th September 2013 at Vigyan Bhawan N. Delhi
Challenge
School Campus - DPS Ranipur, Haridwar
Looking for possibilities of making lessons more creative and engaging for students. Solution EyeRIS Interactive Solution helps teachers create their own content using Cybernetyx MyCloud Search Engine and saving the created content for future use in their own Resource Library. Benefits Allows teacher to meet the needs of each student's learning style, interests and background Relates teaching to everyday interests of students providing the same teaching interface like smartphones and tablets Provides recording of lessons to be placed online for later review
Mr. Aman Hora
Associate Manager – Product (sales@cybernetyx.com)
course review
Engineering
Sprouts 10 Unique Courses
T
oday’s hyper connected world is truly a global village, and the credit for this goes to engineering. The once monolithic field of engineering has splintered into many disciplines, creating many conventional and unconventional job opportunities. Roselin Kiro of Elets News Network (ENN) finds out some of the unusual yet upcoming careers in engineering that offer promising scopes. Technical education plays a vital role in a country’s progress, producing skilled manpower, enhancing industrial productivity and improving the quality of life. Indians have traditionally been drawn to the engineering field. But recently, engineering is seeing a significant growth in India, with a number of engineering institutions coming up. Along with reputed engineering institutions like IITs and NITs, there has been a spurt of private engineering colleges as well. Engineering education was started in India by the British and focused mainly on civil engineering, which arose out of the need for the construction and maintenance of public buildings, roads, canals, ports etc. With time, the branches of engineering have diversified. Here are some of the unique and unusual branches of engineering with new age career options for students to look out for.
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Environmental Engineering: This new branch of engineering aims to address environmental issues like the maintenance of air, water and land resources scientifically. Environmental engineers learn to design, construct and maintain proper waste management system for habitation. The water resources sector needs a large number of qualified engineers for ensuring drinking water to rising world population. Industries too require skilled environmental engineers. According to Rishabh Sethi, Chief Operating Officer, SPML Infra Limited, “There is a good demand of environmental engineers, but as of now the availability is limited. Environmental considerations and guidelines in all infrastructure development projects is much higher now than ever before, and for any large and complex projects, good qualified environmental engineers will be a resource. The demand would increase with the passage of time and hence the requirement is to produce good environmental engineers” Career path: An environmental engineer can find jobs in NGOs, research centres, and many governmental departments look out for environmental engineers. Few institutions offering this course: Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur; Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur; Delhi College of Engineering; Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati; Hindustan College of Science & Technology, Mathura.
“Engineering education have followed changes in technology and society to meet the critical challenges and to provide the workforce required skill sets to integrate new developments into the economy” - Rishabh Sethi, Chief Operating Officer, SPML Infra Limited Electronics and Communication Engineering: This discipline deals with electronic devices and software interfaces. Its scope stretches from the inside of a house to the industries. This course moulds a student to direct, control and test produce processes as well as to ensure the safety, installation and functioning of gadgets. This discipline incorporates knowledge based on digital electronics and logic design, fundamentals of communication engineering, electronic circuits, signals and systems, power electronics, applied electromagnetic theory, integrated circuits, control systems and computer architecture. According to P Sivarama Prasad, Associate Professor and HOD, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, NRI Institute of Technology, “Electronics and Communication Engineering is the evergreen branch of engineering throughout the world since its inception due to rapid development in semiconductor physics and communication technology. Electronics and communication engineering has engulfed day-today activities of human beings. As a result, there is a huge demand for electronics and communication engineering graduates, both in hardware and
software industries”. In today’s electronic age, there is a huge demand of skilled professionals to cater the needs of the society. Dr. Sunandan Baruah, HOD department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Don Bosco College of Engineering and Technology, Guwahati says, “In this electronic age, new gadgets with multiple and advanced features is a boon to us. Noise free communication and high speed data transfer has become the need of the day. Improved analytical and diagnostic instruments are being developed, increasing the demand for engineering graduates in electronics and communication engineering.”
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Career path: One can find job in the consumer electronics, electricity generation and distribution, communications, transportation and many more.
Few institutions offering this course: Alliance College of Engineering and Design, Alliance University; Uttaranchal Institute of Technology (UIT); NRI Institute of Technology, Kothur; Amity University, Noida; Don Bosco College of Engineering and Technology, Guwahati.
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course review
Aerospace Engineering: Aerospace engineering is among the glamorous branches of engineering. Aerospace engineers design and build different kinds of aircrafts using the latest technologies. They often work in large aviation companies like Airbus, Boeing and even NASA. Engineers from this field mainly deal with development of new technology in aviation, space exploration and defense system. According to Professor Bhaskar, HOD Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, “After successful completion of this course, a student can join the core engineering sector as associate engineers and senior associates. Main thrust areas of aerospace engineers in recent times are finite element method and analysis, combustion, thermal engineering, vibration and noise, aero elasticity and many more.”
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Career path: One can find jobs like aerospace designer checker, assistant technical officer, aircraft production manager, thermal design engineers, scientist at Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at ‘B’ or ‘C’ level, and students can also join as analysts in other sectors. Few institutions offering this course: Indian Institute of Technology, Madras; Anna University, Chennai; Bengal Engineering and Science University, West Bengal; Indian Institute of Aeronautical Engineering, Dehradun; Indian Institute of Aeronautics, Patna; Institute of Aviation Technology, Bahadurgarh, Haryana
Marine Engineering: This branch of engineering is an interesting and adventurous career option for water sports lovers. Also known as Ocean Engineering, it broadly refers to the engineering of boats, ships, oil rigs etc. This branch of engineering combines other engineering disciplines to develop systems that operate in the oceans and coastal waters. It also includes fields of studies like marine biology, oceanography, geophysics and marine geology, power and propulsion plants, automation and control system for marine vehicles of any kind like surface ships, submarines etc. According to A.N.S Neti, Engineer Officer and Training in-charge, Marine Engineering and Research institute (MERI), Mumbai, “A marine engineer is eligible to join the challenging and demanding shipping field as junior engineer on merchant navy
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ships. With experience and qualifying the examination conducted by DG shipping, the candidate can rise to the rank of Chief Engineer which is the highest position in engine department”.
Career path: Marine engineers can work as under acousticians in underwater vehicles, coastal engineers, geotechnical engineers, navy weapon engineering officer, marine engineering officer, harbor master, pump man and many more.
Few institutions offering this course: Marine Engineering and Research Institute, Mumbai; Indian Institute of Technology, Madras; International Maritime Academy (IMA), Chennai; Cochin University of Science and Technology; National Institute of Technology (NITC), Kozhikode.
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Agriculture Engineering: The task of an agricul-
tural engineer is to improve the agricultural production by means of better engineering methods, inventions, technology and equipment, which also require a good intellect and a desire to make a difference to the future of farming. According to Dr Derrick Mario Denis, Professor and Dean Vaugh School of Agricultural Engineering & Technology, Sam Higginbottom Institute of Technology and Science, Allahabad, “The agricultural engineering industry is on a mission to help produce ‘more with less’, whether it is a more efficient way of tilling or threshing, an irrigation system that uses less water or food preservation that manages seasonal glut for the lean times ahead. An
engineering degree in agriculture trains young minds and make them emerge as trained professionals to cater to the agricultural and related industrial needs of the community”. Dr Wazid Ali Khan, Professor, Department of Agricultural and Food Engineering, Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Aurangabad says, “Growth of agricultural engineering industry is on the higher side in the Agro & Agro-based industry. Technological changes with respect of seed production, controlled environment crop production and storage leading to high yields is picking up at a rapid rate.” There is a requirement of skilled agricultural engineers suitable for industry as well as global challenges. Dr Wazid further adds, “Banking sector needs skilled agriculture engineer and food engineer in
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dairy development, farm mechanisation, food processing with knowledge about the economic viability”.
Career path: One can find job profiles such as planning, supervising and managing irrigation, drainage, water control system, food processing, food machinery, packaging, ingredient manufacturing, and processing technology and in healthcare firms.
Few institutions offering this course: Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur; College of Agricultural Engineering, Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University, Rajendranagar; Shere-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu; Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Science, Allahabad.
Automobile Engineering: The rapid advancement of technology in recent years has ushered in a new era of hi-tech vehicles, making the Indian auto industry very competitive. It deals with the designing of vehicles, manufacturing new products, repairing and servicing vehicles. It includes fields of studies like motor systems, design, technology and many more. With the growth in the automobile sector, there is a huge demand of skilled automobile engineers. Automobile engineering field requires a lot of determination, dedication and hard work. Career path: Automobile engineers can get job profiles like executive and managerial position in automobile manufacturing industries in departments like design, planning, maintenance, Research and Development, sales and marketing, maintenance and service engineer in automobile workshops, aircraft industries and aviation and many more. Few institutions offering this course: The Oxford College of Engineering, Bangalore; JECRC University, Jaipur; Swaminarayan College of Engineering and Technology, Kalol; PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore; Manipal Institute of Technology, Karnataka; Greater Noida Institute of Technology (GNIOT).
We see a massive growth in the engineering industry, thanks to major investments from national and major international players. India is now a sought after destination mainly for highly skilled workforce and possibly for cheap raw materials digitalLEARNING / April 2014
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course review
Architectural engineering: This discipline trains students to apply the engineering principles for constructing, planning and designing buildings and other structures that can withstand natural calamities such as hurricanes, heavy snow, earthquakes, etc. It not only covers various fields like spatial design, aesthetics, safety management, material management but also works on building system designs and structures, computer aided designs and models, etc.
Career path: Architecture engineers can work as structural engineers, construction engineers, building inspector, construction technologists, urban, community and regional planners, environmental designers, technical architects etc Few institutions offering this course: Apeejay Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Noida; College of Engineering And Technology, Bhubaneswar; Government Engineering College (GEC), Kerala; Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Rajasthan.
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Robotic engineering: It is one of the top career choice made by engineering students which deals with the design, construction, operation and application of robots. Robotics is taught as a specilisation in computer science, electrical and computer engineering and interactive mechanical engineering fields. Automation and Robotics Engineering is a rapidly growing field. Research in this field focuses on human robot interaction, artificial intelligence, medical robotics, control systems and sensors, automatic navigation systems, kinematics, entertainment and gaming systems, aeronautics and space etc
Career path: There are many job opportunities in this field like, researchers, robotics system engineer, robotic specialist, analyst, and can apply the concept of robotics in the area of psychology, biology, chemistry, bioengineering etc
Few institutions offering this course: SRM College of Engineering, Chennai; University of Technology and Management, Kolkata; Vel Tech, Delhi; Vels Institute of Science, Technology & Advance Studies, Chennai.
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Petroleum Engineering: Petroleum engineering deals with the production and processing of products like gasoline, diesel, heating oil from crude oil. Petroleum engineers work closely with geologists to understand the geologic formation and properties of rocks containing the oil reservoir, determine the drilling methods to be used and the maximum profitable recovery of oil and gas. Petroleum engineering is inter-related with other disciplines such as geophysics, petroleum geology, formation evaluation, drilling, reservoir engineering and many more. According to Dr Satish Sinha, Assistant Professor, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, Raebareli, “There is a huge demand of petroleum engineers in the industry. Petroleum engineers get jobs in the upstream sectors in oil and gas
industries like ONGC, OIL, GAIL etc. There are several private sector companies like Reliance, Cairn etc. who look for talents in this field.”
Career path: The job profiles for this branch are processor, oil and gas extraction, petroleum refining, technical service etc. Few institutions offering this course: Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai; University of Petroleum & Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun; Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology (RGIPT), Uttar Pradesh; Indian School of Mines University(ISM), Dhanbad; L.D College of Engineering, Ahmedabad.
“In this electronic age, new gadgets with multiple and advanced features are a boon to us. Noise free communication and high speed data transfer has become the need of the day. Improved analytical and diagnostic instruments are being developed increasing the demand for engineering graduates in electronics and communication engineering.” -Dr Sunandan Baruah, HOD department of ECE, Don Bosco College of Engineering and Technology, Guwahati
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Production Engineering: This branch of engineering deals with application of castings, joint processes, metal cutting and tool design, automation, etc. It overlaps with certain aspects of manufacturing engineering and industrial engineering. According to Dr A Rajendra Prasad, Dean (R&D), Sri Sai Ram Engineering College, Chennai, “Production engineering was the preferred branch about quarter century ago, prior to liberalisation. During that period, India was a country of shortage, and industrial output was the sole yardstick. Job of production engineers is to ensure the smooth running of a plant, giving the stated output, production planning and control of labour force”. The production engineer’s job is to execute the engineering practices and knowledge and tackle the management related challenges during the production process. Career path: This branch offers a lucrative career for those with analytical skills and sound technical knowledge. One can get jobs in manufacturing industries, automobile industries, construction industries, jewellery industries, refining and service industries.
Few institutions offering this course: AISSMS College of Engineering, Pune; Alazhar College of Engineering & Technology, Thozhupadam; Azad Institute of Engineering & Technology, Agra; Bharath Engineering College, Chennai; Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi With the growth of industries in India, the requirement for skilled professionals in the engineering sector has also risen. The scope of engineering education has broadened, venturing into different disciplines of engineering. Today the engineering graduates need not go in search of jobs to the western countries; since India has emerged as an industrial hub in both public and private sector, creating various job opportunities. The need of the country is engineering graduates with the talent to contribute in the success and growth of Indian industries, which will result in the growth of the economy of the country
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Special Feature
Eying Global Recognition for Indian Degrees If all goes well, Indian universities will soon be on par with some of its renowned global counterparts as the country is set to get full-fledged membership of Washington Accord by June 2014. Ankush Kumar, with inputs from Mohd Ujaley of Elets News Network (ENN) explore India’s chances of becoming signatory to Washington Accord
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ndia is a provisional member of Washington Accord since 2007 and is confident to get the full-fledged status by June when a meeting of the body is due to take place. This will enable global recognition of Indian degrees improving employability of Indian engineers in other countries. The Accord signed in 1989 is an international agreement among bodies responsible for accrediting engineering degree programmes. So far, 16 countries are signatories to it. India has 723 universities, which include many institutions of national importance, 37,204 colleges and 11,356 professional schools offering diplomas. Overall, about 28.6 million students are pursuing higher education, according to an official data. Less than 25 percent of these institutions are accredited.
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There is a grave need for accreditation process to keep pace with higher education institutions in the world. It will also help in keeping abreast of changes in higher education. Several factors hinder the global employability of professionals. For instance, deep-rooted and highly contextual differences in educational framework of countries continue to be major impediments in credentialing engineers and management professionals. If the educational frameworks of different countries contain pre-defined set of internationally expected norms, then, it may form the basis of harmonizing the various educational systems. Gregory Prastacos, Dean, Stevens Institute of Technology, USA, says, “Accreditation guarantees the quality of education provided is according to
the standards agreed upon, from content and relevance, to pedagogy and connections to industry. It’s a quality guarantee not only to students and parents, but also to employers, who can be assured of the quality of education, a job candidate has received before employment.”
Accreditation: Indian Context Accreditation is an integral part of the higher education institutions. The two accreditations that higher education in-
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stitutes in India are required to have are accreditation to regulatory bodies, and accreditation to professional associations. Accreditation to regulatory bodies, such as AICTE, NAAC and UGC ensures that academic institutes are developing and maintaining certain level of standards in terms of infrastructure, faculty, pedagogy, etc. Without accreditation, institutes may go for sub-standard measures at students’ cost. Accreditation to professional associations such as the Bar Council of India, Energy Institute UK, Council of Architects, Indian Institute of Town Planners, etc. validates academic rigor required for the profession, industry acceptability of qualification, and reinforces employability of graduates. “Accreditation is very vital for survival of an institute. If you have got accreditation from good universities, you can proudly say that I am grooming students of international standards,” said Padma Shri Dr Pritam Singh, Director General, International Management Institute.
Road Ahead India has a robust system of accreditation of the professional institutes, which are also recognized by the industry within the country even though internationally, the country is yet to get accreditation for its courses. This has been preventing the Indian professionals to get recognition abroad easily and in turn practice their profession. It is being rectified now with the country moving towards becoming a full signatory to the Washington Accord. According to Ashok Thakur, Secretary, Department of Higher Education, “Once we get the full-fledged membership status of the
Signatories of washington accord and organizations holding provisional status Signatories Australia - Represented by Engineers Australia (1989) Canada - Represented by Engineers Canada (1989) Chinese Taipei - Represented by Institute of Engineering Education Taiwan (2007) Hong Kong - Represented by The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (1995) China - Represented by China Association for Science and Technology Ireland - Represented by Engineers Ireland (1989) Japan - Represented by Japan Accreditation Board for Engineering Education (2005) Korea - Represented by Accreditation Board for Engineering Education of Korea (2007) Malaysia - Represented by Board of Engineers Malaysia (2009) New Zealand - Represented by Institution of Professional Engineers NZ (1989) Russia - Represented by Association for Engineering Education of Russia (2012) Singapore - Represented by Institution of Engineers Singapore (2006) South Africa - Represented by Engineering Council of South Africa (1999) Turkey - Represented by MUDEK (2011) United Kingdom - Represented by Engineering Council UK (1989) United States - Represented by Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (1989)
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Organizations holding provisional status Bangladesh - Represented by Board of Accreditation for Engineering and Technical Education India - Represented by National Board of Accreditation Pakistan - Represented by Pakistan Engineering Council Philippines - Represented by Philippine Technological Council Sri Lanka - Represented by Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka Source: http://www.washingtonaccord.org/Washington-Accord/signatories.cfm
Washington Accord, we will be able to get global recognition for our Indian degrees and improve mobility of students and engineers. After acquiring full status of the Washington Accord, employability of Indian engineers in other countries will go up substantially. This will help our students pursuing technical education”. Right now, India is a provisional member of Washington Accord since 2007 and is confident to get the full-fledged status by June when a meeting of the body is due to take place. Two members were deputed by the Washington Accord to help India align its accreditation norms with the best international practices. He further added, “We have made the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) totally autonomous, and we are in the process of making the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) independent. As far as IITs are concerned, they are free to decide if they wish to be accredited by these bodies as these premier institutes have so far refused to be accredited.”
From Provisional to Signatory India represented by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA), New Delhi was accepted as a provisional member of the Washington Accord in 2007 and is still holding the provisional member status. By conferring provisional status, the signatories have indicated their confidence that NBA-AICTE has the potential capability to reach full signatory status. NBA
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is preparing to apply for full signatory status of Washington Accord under the guidance of the mentors appointed by IEA Secretariat (Secretariat of Washington Accord). “If this happens, it will be an important step forward. It will bring accreditation into focus in India. It will also ensure seamless mobility of our students in different countries and continents for employment and other purposes. It will also bring greater international credibility to our accreditation processes, and increase our confidence in delivering quality education to our youngsters,” said Surendra Prasad, Chairman, National Board of Accreditation. Steps are also being taken to set up National Accreditation Regulatory Authority (NARA), supplementing the country’s efforts to improve quality and meet international standards. He further added, “The role of NARA is stipulated to be very different from that of NBA. While NBA will remain the main accreditation agency for accreditation of professional technical education and has no regulatory role; NARA is a much more powerful concept, which will bring accreditation to the centre stage of higher education. If and when
enacted, NARA will regulate the standards of all accrediting agencies, which may come up in future in various fields of education.” The Washington Accord was signed in 1989. It is an agreement between the bodies responsible for accrediting professional engineering degree programmes in each of the signatory countries. It recognizes the substantial equivalency of programmes accredited by those bodies, and recommends that graduates of accredited programmes in any of the signatory countries be recognized by the other countries as having met the academic requirements for
India has 723 universities, which include many institutions of national importance, 37,204 colleges and 11,356 professional schools offering diplomas. Overall, about 28.6 million students are pursuing higher education, according to an official data. Less than 25 percent of these institutions are accredited entry to the practice of engineering. The Washington Accord covers professional engineering undergraduate degrees. Engineering technology and postgraduatelevel programmes are not covered by the Accord. The Washington Accord Agreement applies only to accreditations conducted by the signatories within their respective national or territorial boundaries. The signatories are not bound to recognize programmes accredited or recognized as substantially equivalent by other signatories outside their national boundaries.
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‘Romancing the Balance Sheets’ Online Dr Anil Lamba on Financial Literacy and Dr Lamba Think of financial literacy as cooking. We know that we SHOULD know how to cook. Everyone should know how to cook; at least the basic dishes. Yet, we (well, most of us) choose to be oblivious to the acquisition of this basic life skill and unabashedly depend largely on our Mothers. Financial literacy is no different. It is a basic life skill. We deal in money all the time. The very basis of what we do is money. So why should we shy away from learning about something that forms a quintessential element of our existence? Financial Literacy becomes even more integral to organizations. Dr Lamba’s best-selling book “Romancing the Balance Sheets” explains why: It’s a misconception that Finance Management happens in the Finance Department. In fact, it is happening right through the organization. There is a direct relationship between every action you take and the bottom line of your organization. This book will help you to discover and strengthen that relationship. Understand here what Profit really means. If Balance Sheets mystify you, these lucid truths will give you clarity. Learn the rules of Good Financial Management which will keep you secure. Make the most efficient use of your Working Capital, and understand how an increase in Sales actually impacts your Profit. Learn also the simple secrets of Marginal Costing, Leverage and Fund Flow. Ignorance is bliss, they say, but when it comes to financial literacy, there is no scope for denseness. With such an
ideology, Dr Lamba dedicates himself towards the goal of bringing financial literacy within the reach of everyone. And what better way to advocate ideas in this new age than with online education. Says Dr Lamba, “The biggest advantage of online courses is the tremendous reach. Over the years I realised how bad-
ly financial education is needed all over the globe and what a heavy price people and organisations pay for not understanding the principles of good finance management. Every time I address a class of 20, 30 or even 50 attendees, I feel the futility of it all, thinking I wish I could be addressing hundreds of thousands of similar individuals at the same time. This is exactly what online education allows. Using the same amount of energy needed to address a classroom full of students, one can reach out to really large audiences, in different timezones.” (Source: New Indian Express)
Using WizIQ
“He is a financial literacy activist; practicing chartered accountant; international corporate trainer; online teacher; prolific writer and much more” Dr Anil Lamba , founder-director of Lamcon School of Management, Pune, and a renowned finance mentor to CEOs worldwide
Having critically explored a lot of other options, Dr Lamba chose to team up with WizIQ to deliver his courses online. For a passionate teacher like him, WizIQ’s virtual classroom technology proved to be absolutely in sync with his methods and techniques. As a result, his classes have been running successfully for three years now. Currently, Dr Lamba runs numerous courses on WizIQ. When he is not functioning as the head of Lamcon Financial Management Services Ltd, Dr Lamba likes to humor himself with Golf, Swimming, Badminton, Reading and Sketching. In his new course on WizIQ, Dr Lamba encapsulates fundamentals as well as details of financial management. For more details, please visit www.WizIQ. com. If you have any queries regarding Dr Lamba’s course, free to drop a mail to Kalyan Sarkar, Director, Academic Liaisons, WizIQ.com, at kalyan@wiziq. com or call +91-9216405405 or +919897072888.
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special Feature
Ushering Quality Improvement Through Accreditation Surendra Prasad, Chairman, National Board of Accreditation (NBA) in conversation with digitalLearning’s Ankush Kumar about NBA’s accreditation as an instrument of quality assurance What were some of the key initiatives you took during your tenure as Director, IIT Delhi? It is rather late in the day to talk about the initiatives taken 3–9 years ago; IIT Delhi is always on the move. While leadership does matter, the commitment of the people is the key to progress in all aspects of academic life, and I am proud of my colleagues at IIT Delhi, who are always striving to make it better than it was yesterday. It would be sufficient to say at this stage that our focus was on creating and improving infrastructure, empowering the faculty and students to give their best in teaching, learning and research, and continuous attention on curriculum matters. The period saw an increase in student strength, for which we initiated several large infrastructure projects (including a large hostel, a large academic complex and significant addition to faculty housing), all of which have taken shape now. An initiative for starting a School of Biological Sciences was taken to give an impetus to Biology in the institute. Another initiative for nano-science and technology has led to an inter‐disciplinary activity in an emerging area.
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A `50 crore research fund was created from institute’s earnings from sponsored research and consultancy. A significant sum was raised from alumni and well‐ wishers to support these initiatives during the Golden Jubilee year. We paid attention to recruitment of the best faculty and created incentives for them, and empowered weaker sections of students by organising special confidence‐building workshops for them. We also made efforts to get additional land for campus extension, which fructified recently. How do you see the scope of Electrical Engineering as a career for students as compared to some of the other rising streams? I always tell anyone who approaches me for career advice that he/she should choose a career which is easy to relate to and for which there is passion in the heart. Unlike earlier days, when young people had limited options, today’s world offers a lot of choices. So, a comparison is not the right way of looking at career options! It is more important to choose to do what you enjoy doing most! Having said that, Electrical Engineering continues to be a great career option. Content-wise, it is an engineering discipline very closely related to basic sciences (Physical, Mathematical, Chemical, Biological and Medical), and offers the excitement of working at the frontiers of science and engineering simultaneously.
pening field for a long time, and continues to be so today! Is there anything unique about the teaching methodology at IIT Delhi as compared to some of the other institutes? The uniqueness of IIT-D’s teaching methodology lies in its diversity! Every faculty member has the freedom to try his or her own unique style for engaging with the students, and they use this freedom well. Some continue to use traditional methods, others deploy latest technologies for effective communication, and many engage students in participative learning. The focus is on teaching and understanding concepts and using them to solve complex problems in different domains. With the diversity of background and expertise that our faculty members bring, the teaching‐process has become a very vibrant one. What is your vision for NBA in the coming years? How important is accreditation for Indian Universities/ Institutes? Accreditation is an instrument for quality assurance and continued improvement. Preparing for a career in Engineering, Technology or Management profession requires attending a college with engaged faculty, impactful research, relevant and challenging curricula, and the highest standards of qual-
“Outcome-based accreditation system examines all the aspects of education very rigorously” It has a large domain of interest and has been the mother field from which many other disciplines have been born: computer science, information sciences, bio‐medical engineering, control and automation, modern high‐speed communications, and large scale power generation and distribution systems. It continues to evolve at its frontiers and has much to offer in terms of nano‐devices, and concepts, which can transform technologies of tomorrow. It has been a hap-
ity. My vision is that NBA accreditation will provide an assurance that all stakeholders, viz., students, parents and employers will get what they expected from an institution. In India, we have a two-fold objective. On the one hand, we have aligned our processes with international practices so that graduates of all tier‐I institutions (all autonomous colleges and institutions) become eligible for employment and higher studies internationally, with
a seamless mobility. On the other hand, the rapid expansion in the higher education scenario in the last decade and a half has given birth to a large number of engineering and management institutions to address the needs and aspirations of our young population. The issue of quality, however, remains. NBA is committed to be a facilitator for quality improvement and assurance in such a large and diverse system, through the instrument of accreditation. The Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operations) Bill, which aims to regulate the entry of foreign universities in India, is still pending in the Parliament. How are foreign universities going to help the Indian education system? I have not studied this Bill in sufficient depth. However, I am clear that if there is a way to set up quality education centers which are genuine and from the best universities in the world, it will bring in a new dimension to higher education in the country and help the higher education sector rise to the next level. But it must be done very cautiously, to avoid it’s obvious misuse and exploitative potential. Students complain that most engineering institutes pay more attention towards imparting theoretical knowledge rather than giving practical assignments. Has this trend changed in the last few years? As I mentioned earlier, the Indian engineering education scene has expanded rapidly and well beyond the natural capacity of any system to expand. This has given rise to many problems; lack of adequate or well‐qualified faculty and infrastructure are the biggest of these. This has naturally led to such situations. Outcome based accreditation system, the current internationally accepted model, examines all these aspects of education very rigorously. As more institutions go for accreditation, these issues will necessarily have to be addressed. I am sure that the corrective trend is already in place.
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special feature
Dawn of a New Era of Accreditation M Anandakrishnan, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT-Kanpur, talks about the need for accreditation in Indian education
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ccreditation for ensuring quality in higher education has been in India for two decades, with bodies like National Assessment and Accreditation Agency (NAAC) for institutional accreditation and the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) for programme accreditation. These agencies track the changing national and global accreditation criteria standards and formulate them for the Indian context. However, many higher educational institutions, including several premier institutions, appear to be uninterested in accreditation. Some look upon accreditation as a status symbol, while some use it as a marketing tool for enticing students.
Autonomy of Accrediting Agencies
M Anandakrishnan, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT-Kanpur
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It has been suggested that accreditation agencies need to be independent of regulatory bodies. The NBA has set an example by being delinking itself from the regulatory body, All India Council of Technical education (AICTE). NAAC too is becoming autonomous from University Grants Commission (UGC). It is hoped that the medical and law programmes will soon have accredited agencies independent of Medical Council of India (MCI) and Bar Council of India (BCI). Likewise, distance education institutions and programmes need to be accredited by agencies independent of Distance Education Council (DEC).
Mandatory Accreditation India is moving towards mandatory
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accreditation of institutions and programmes under UGC and the AICTE. This applies to all universities established or incorporated by, or under a Central, Provincial or State Act, all deemed universities, all institutions including technical institutions, and all colleges including autonomous colleges. Non-compliance of the mandatory accreditation will lead to the regulatory bodies or funding agencies de-recognising the institution, making them ineligible for financial assistance. Conversely, a higher accreditation may attract higher funding. Employers too prefer graduates from accredited institutions, while getting visas to some countries is easier with qualifications from accredited schools.
Accreditation Objectives While accrediting an institution, UGC and AICTE do a critical appraisal of the institution’s quality assurance and improvement, assurance that the institutions and programmes meet and exceed the prescribed norms, ensure that the academic aims and objectives of the institution are honestly pursued and effectively achieved, assesses the institution’s ability to maintain the relevance of the programmes during accreditation’s validity period. These objectives aim accord recognition to the quality and excellence of education in higher educational institutions to help students and stakeholders make informed choices, while facilitating the institutions to augment their quality by benchmarking reference points pertaining to academic standards. They also help the institutions in acquiring international recognition, international collaborations, helping the teachers achieve and maintain teaching and research standards. They also help higher educational institutions in introducing governance mechanisms in their management and administration.
Setting the Criteria The accreditation criterion needs to be comprehensive and include process parameters such as the approach
to teaching, learning and evaluation, student-teacher interaction, guidance counselling, and socially relevant activities. It should also include the institution’s management, autonomy, interference, transparency and ethics. It should emphasize the “outcome parameters”. NAAC and NBA develop the accreditation criteria. These are common to both bodies, and subject to change to reflect the changing ground realities. Care needs to be taken that the criteria do not stifle innovations. The criteria and the processes should be explicitly documented for the benefit of the educational institutions. In this, NBA has set a good example by publicly presenting comprehensive documentation for UG, PG, Diploma, Pharmacy, MCA, MBA courses, along with guidelines for accreditation visits, guidelines for evaluation, manual for self assessment report (SAR) and
can be turned into an accreditation authority for universities and general colleges, and NBA for technical education colleges and technical education departments of universities. We need similar authorities for medicine, law and distance education as well. When multiple organizations are involved in such a sensitive task, special care is needed to ensure objectivity and credibility. There are so many different accrediting agencies around the world, that some institutions may resort to them in order to avoid mandatory accreditation in India. It is necessary to ensure that respectable foreign accrediting agencies such as Accreditation Board of Engineering and technology (ABET) do not accredit Indian institutions. Recently the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) announced new accreditation standards
“It is hoped that the medical and law programmes will soon have accredited agencies independent of Medical Council of India (MCI) and Bar Council of India (BCI) evaluation report covering Tier-I and Tier-II technical institutions. The difficulties in defining and evaluating on the criteria are formidable. For instance, it is difficult to assess and quantify the teaching and learning processes and its impact, and so, will need proxy parameters. Also, comparing the quality and impact of teaching across countries is difficult. But despite these difficulties, we must strive to ensure seamless adoption of the accreditation systems.
The Challenges Considering the large number of universities and colleges and the number of professional programmes they run, mandatory accreditation poses an enormous challenge. It is achievable only by roping in multiple accrediting agencies in various specializations, all following the norms and standards set by an accreditation authority. NAAC
for business schools. Two Indian private management schools have been accredited by AACSB. It is also important to prevent the fraudulent ‘Accreditation Mills’ from abroad providing accreditation to gullible Indian Institutions.
Need for Innovation in Accreditation Process Established accreditation authorities should accord high priority for evolving a process of accreditation that will eliminate or minimize the need for site visits. This will require designing an online data submission system and developing an analytic programme to process the data according to prescribed norms and standards. Such a system should include severe penalties for furnishing wrong or misleading data by institutions. It system will obviate the need for multiple accrediting agencies.
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Accreditation Guarantees the Quality India may get the full-fledged membership status of the Washington Accord by June, enabling global recognition of Indian degrees and improving mobility of students and engineers. Gregory Prastacos, Dean, Stevens Institute of Technology, USA, in an interview with Mohd Ujaley says “Accreditation guarantees the quality of education provided it is according to the standards agreed upon, but accreditation alone is not sufficient to enhance the educational system” ties that do a brilliant job preparing students for the needs of the economy. I find Indian students in good private universities to be disciplined, innovative and entrepreneurial, with professional attitudes and good foundations in the knowledge of their field. As the private schools do such an admirable job preparing those students, the public universities feel the competition and improve also. In such an environment, it is essential to have an accreditation system, so the various institutions will improve their quality with the goal of getting accredited. Especially in a big country like India, with so many institutions of higher education, an accreditation system is of great importance. At WOSA, I was impressed with the enthusiasm the participants have toward the accreditation process that is going on. I am very optimistic that such a system will be established and successful. You have a vast experience for strategic leadership, teaching and deep understanding of technology. You recently attended WOSA here in India. From your interaction with the government officials and private entrepreneurs, how do you look at Indian higher education system? Do you find the real zeal in conjunction with the right policy in India? The Indian educational system is a traditional one — while it is dominated by the public universities, there are growing numbers of private non-profit universi-
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India may get the full-fledged membership status of the Washington Accord by June, enabling global recognition of Indian degrees and improving mobility of students and engineers. In your opinion, how it is going to help Indian students and engineering education system? Getting full-fledged membership in the Washington Accord is a great prospect for the country. It will facilitate mobility and provide Indian students with easier access to not only the great in-
ternational universities, but also to the global companies located outside of India. I have always been impressed by the alumni of Indian universities, who are successful in the international market. That’s a sign of the excellent foundation students get at universities here. They get all the credentials they need to succeed in a very competitive international environment. That trend stands to increase greatly with the global recognition of Indian degrees, thereby providing immense benefit to the country. In India, there are multiple agencies which look into the accreditation, but majority of them have failed to bring quality. In your opinion, does accreditation per-se helps in enhancing the quality of education? Accreditation is a necessary but not sufficient condition, as we used to say in mathematics, to improve the quality of education. The process toward accreditation is a learning one, which is how institutions and accreditation agencies should approach it. Accreditation “guarantees” the quality of education provided it is according to the standards agreed upon, from content and relevance, to pedagogy and connections to industry. It’s a quality guarantee not only to students and parents, but also to employers, who can be assured of the quality of education, a job candidate has received before employment. But, as I said, accreditation alone is not
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sufficient to enhance the educational system. A successful system incorporates accreditation while emphasizing a culture of continuous inquisition and improvement — including regular evaluation and monitoring of performance. Such a system will sustain the continuous monitoring of the appropriate metrics, and will assess the learning outcomes with respect to the learning objectives. Important bills related to education sector are pending in Parliament; one of them is “The Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operations) Bill” which is intended to regulate the entry of foreign university in India. How foreign universities are going to help Indian education system? The most successful people in any industry today are the global citizens. Providing students in India the opportunity to attend international universities at home will help create more global citizens, which can only be beneficial. Those students will be exposed to an international faculty and educational system, a different culture, maybe a new skill set and probably different pedagogical methods. This is good for any country, but especially India, which needs to increase the skill level of a large percentage of its population and maintain a high rate of growth. At the same time, the entry of international schools into India is also good for the local universities. It will enhance competition for excellence and promote collaboration between local and international institutions, thus raising the level of education and research provided by Indian universities. Therefore, it is important that the bill in Parliament goes through, allowing the opening of the market in a thoughtful and well-planned way — and especially in areas where the government realizes the need for international know-how. What is your major focus at Wesley J. Howe School of Technology Management of Stevens Institute
of Technology and where does an Indian student fit in? Stevens is a leading technology university, and the Howe School is the business school of Stevens. We are located in one of the most beautiful campuses of the United States, on the banks of the Hudson River across from New York City. We are especially known for a number of differentiating characteristics — our strong technology and analytics focus, our emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship, and our emphasis on relevance and practical approach. All three characteristics resonate very well with candidates from India. I find candidates from India to be strong on quantita-
In a big country like India, with so many institutions of higher education, an accreditation system is of great importance tive skills, have excellent knowledge of technology, be innovative and entrepreneurial, and have good problem-solving skills. For these reasons, I believe that the Howe School is a very good fit for Indian students. What do you think of academia collaborations? Why are they useful, and how would you recommend that they should be promoted? Collaborations between industry and academia are essential, and extremely beneficial to all parties involved. For universities, collaborations produce a number of benefits. They help improve the effectiveness of the learning process, they allow good placement of our graduates in the job market, they help secure internships and scholarships, thereby attracting the best students. They improve enrollments and revenue, help promote research and retain top faculty, help in commercializing R&D and raising revenue from IP, attracting philanthropic gifts for infrastruc-
ture, events, and of course, help achieve accreditation by improving rankings. Similarly, for industry, collaborations with universities can be very beneficial. They help in hiring top new employees, especially in view of the “war for talent, help bring fresh ideas from students and faculty, help in enhancing the training of the existing workforce, get access to certificate, degree or part-time programs and workshops, help solve problems through access to specialized skills (consulting), perform advanced research by tapping to the most specialized and advanced know-how in the world, submit joint proposals for research funding, and, of course, demonstrate social responsibility by giving back to society. Especially for start-up companies, collaboration with a university can be very beneficial. It gives them access to faculty with specialized know-how, as well as to students who can provide valuable research help, helps them to develop new IP that can result in wealth creation, enhances their ability to submit joint research proposals to government and funding agencies, and gives them access to specialized equipment, facilities, and market developments. Collaborations between industry and academia have been going on for a long time. However, in recent years, there has been a shift towards more strategic collaborations. Companies are interested in a smaller number of strategic collaborations, from which they can get bigger value and a fuller portfolio of services. At Stevens, we are very successful in developing excellent industry relations, as seen by the multiple collaborations at multiple levels. In addition, our students have excellent placement upon graduation, with starting salaries far above average — 10-year salaries rank No. 3 in the country, while the return on investment is ranked No. 9 in the United States. Our most visible corporate partnership, the Howe School Alliance for Technology Management, has been sharing best practices in innovation from both worlds for more than 20 years, and involves some of the most prominent businesses in New Jersey.
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