Rajasthan Bringing Innovations in Education, Employment & Entrepreneurship

VOLUME 15 | ISSUE 10 | DECEMBER 2019 20

RAJASTHAN Bringing Innovations in Education, Employment & Entrepreneurship

BHANWAR SINGH BHATI

Minister for Higher Education Government of Rajasthan

DR. SUBHASH GARG

Minister for Technical & Sanskrit Education Government of Rajasthan

ASHOK GEHLOT

Chief Minister, Rajasthan

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CONTENTS DECEMBER 2019 | VOLUME 15 | ISSUE 10

COVER STORY

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Rajasthan Bringing Innovations For Education, Employment & Entrepreneurship

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SPECIAL FEATURE

EMPLOYABILITY IN THE FUTURE

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LEADER’S PERSPECTIVE

BHANWAR SINGH BHATI Minister for Higher Education Government of Rajasthan

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LEADERS’S PERSPECTIVE

SHUCHI SHARMA

Secretary of Higher & Technical Education Department, Government of Rajasthan

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POLICYMAKER’S PERSPECTIVE

PROF ANIL D SAHASRABUDHE

Chairman, All India Council For Technical Education (AICTE)

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dr Ravi Gupta EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dr Ravi Gupta

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EDITORIAL

Rajasthan Bringing Innovations in Education, Employment & Entrepreneurship Education landscape of Rajasthan is fast expanding these days. The state, long being known for its royal and cultural lifestyle and scenic deserts far and wide, is today steadfastly turning into a major hub of education.

Due to the vision of the Government of Rajasthan, the state’s Higher Education sector in particular is witnessing a growth trajectory. The job-oriented approach of the state administration, especially the education department is laying a solid foundation for Rajasthan’s youth to benefit from, in decades to come. Our latest issue of digitalLEARNING magazine has tried to focus on Rajasthan’s higher education and human resources aspects in a comprehensive manner. The idea is to underline all possible angles, consistently developing the state as a hub of knowledge and learning.

Our cover story “Rajasthan Bringing Innovations for Education, Employment & Entrepreneurship” justifiably tries to explore how the Government of Rajasthan is trying to leverage innovative approach to build a robust education ecosystem in the state.

A special feature on “Employability in the Future” presents a sharp narrative on the future of employability.

Another feature on Centre for Electronic Governance (CEG) takes a closer look at its various functions and achievements so far.

We have also featured interviews of Bhanwar Singh Bhati, Minister for Higher Education, Govt of Rajasthan; Suchi Sharma, Secretary, Higher and Technical Education, Govt of Rajasthan; Pradeep Kumar Borad, Commissioner College Education & Special Secretary, Higher Education, highlighting varied dimensions of higher education space in the state and spelling out their vision We have also carried interviews of various edu-leaders and top university officials of Rajasthan, including Dr Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education, Govt of India; Biswajit Saha, Director (Training & Skill Education), CBSE; Kamal Gogoi, Secretary, Assam Higher Secondary Education Council; Dr Vinod Kumar Bhardwaj, State Nodal Officer, Innovations and Skill Development Programmes, Department of College Education, Govt of Rajasthan, among others.

The issue also carries congratulatory messages of the Hon’ble Governor of Rajasthan, Kalraj Mishra; the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot, and Rajasthan Minister for Technical Education (independent charge), Dr Subhash Garg. They have appreciated Rajasthan’s Department of Higher and Technical Education and the digitalLEARNING magazine for their joint efforts to showcase innovations and initiatives being undertaken across the higher education landscape of Rajasthan.

The 3rd Annual Higher & Technical Education and HR Conclave, Jaipur, aims to initiate discussions and deliberations on the finest practices and challenges to the country’s higher education and HR landscape. The confluence of top decision makers from the government, academia and the corporate is hoped to pave the way for formulating a more effective industrial ecosystem.

We hope that this bouquet of special features, articles and interviews would thoroughly highlight the emergence of Rajasthan as a major education hub of the country and we await the valuable feedback of our esteemed readers.

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

CHIEF MINISTER RAJASTHAN

Message It gives me immense pleasure to know that Department of Higher and Technical Education, Government of Rajasthan, in association with Elets Technomedia Pvt. Ltd. is organizing ‘Higher & Technical Education and Human Resource Conclave’ on December 16-17, 2019 in Jaipur.

A special Souvenir issue of ‘Digital Learning Magazine’ is also being brought out on this occasion.

In a world, which is continually evolving as a knowledge economy, the role of Higher Education assumes special significance. I am delighted to know that Department of Higher and Technical Education has come up with such a great initiative of knowledge interchange platform.

Government of Rajasthan is doing its best to take education to a next level focusing on qualitative aspects. I hope that this initiative will go a long way in quality improvement of Higher Education.

Message I am happy to know that Department of Higher Education and Department of Technical Education, Government of Rajasthan, in association with Elets Technomedia Pvt. Ltd is organizing “Higher Education & Human Resource Conclave� at Jaipur on December 16 -17, 2019 at Jaipur and coming up with a special Souvenir issue of Digital Learning Magazine.

We are resolutely working towards realising the dream to ensure qualitative education to all. This event will give an opportunity to showcase our achievements as well as it will be a great learning for us from good practices of other states and countries.

I am confident that it will be a good step towards accomplishing the larger goal of Education Sector. On this occasion, I extend my best wishes to all participants and the organisers for a successful event and publication of souvenir.

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RAJASTHAN BRINGING INNOVATIONS FOR EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP Rajasthan is proving to be a breeding ground for entrepreneurs and innovative thinkers where millions of young minds with new ideas, and support from the government are ready to take on the future roadmap, writes Reetika Bose of Elets News Network (ENN).

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anked at the second position in the School Education Quality Index, 2019, the state of Rajasthan has pulled itself from the 26th position to the second spot. All thanks to the reforms, initiatives, merging of schools, teachersstudents average in classrooms, availability of subject teachers in schools to be the key drivers of quality education in the state of Rajasthan.

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Quality education is the aim and with this objective, the state of Rajasthan has revamped the educational structure with new innovations, programmes and schemes in response to the aspirations of its young population for greater economic and social mobility associated with higher and technical education.

The education landscape of Rajasthan reflects that along with quantitative expansion the thrust is on qualitative aspects.

the key drivers for the enhancement of education in the state.

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The departments associated with the education in the state are committed to promote holistic learning amongst youths of Rajasthan so as to enable them to lead meaningful lives in the society.

Every department is keen to develop the requisite capacity and capability of youngsters that will lead to development of the nation.

THE VISION The Department of Higher and Technical Education, Government of Rajasthan focuses on nurturing the employable, positive and aspirational generation of lifelong learners. Such traits help the youths of the state to sustain in this competitive and quality conscious era of globalisation.

In order to make the youth employable and to make the college campuses conducive for the holistic development of the students, the Department of Higher and Technical Education in Rajasthan has several key areas of concern that need to be addressed are quality education, accessibility, facilities and employability. These are

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To improve the quality of all Higher Education Institutes (HEIs), benchmarking will be done through The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and through National Board of Accreditation (NBA).

” digitalLEARNING

The Rajasthan Government’s mission is to develop a higher and technical education system in the state that strives for excellence in quality, easily accessible to every section of the society, and produces skillful human resource that can stand up to the challenges of the changing times.

Easy access to higher education opportunities will enable students to develop knowledge and skills necessary to achieve their professional goals, improve the productivity of their organisations and provide leadership and service to their communities.

The Government, with such a higher education system, wants to ensure that it is open to all and does not discriminate an individual on the basis of religion, caste, gender, physical or financial conditions. An education system that churns out social thinkers, scientists, inventors, innovators, artistes, players, motivators of highest quality is the need of the hour.

The system has its focus on enhancement of quality of teaching and research at par with the global standards through revision of curriculum, syllabus, teaching-learning material, text books, pedagogical processes and ICT in education.

To improve the quality of all Higher Education Institutes (HEIs), benchmarking will be done through The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and through National Board of Accreditation (NBA).

Rajasthan endeavours to put in place such an education system that could support and sustain India’s undeniable status of an emerging economic power.

COVER STOREY

THE MISSION

HIGHER EDUCATION- THE MUCH NEEDED REFORMS With an aim to make students employable along with learning, many entrepreneurship programmes are now being started and some of them are in progress in colleges, with an which can help them in the creative utilisation of their time and money.

• The Pratiyogita Dakshta Program is one classic example of how the state of Rajasthan is gradually expanding to add the state’s youth other than the students for providing free coaching for the competitive exams.

• The talk of the town is the new innovative program which is the ‘Idea Bank’, where ideas are sought from the faculty and other

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stakeholders in the higher education domain.

Eventually, the best idea will be evaluated and implement them in the higher education ecosystem of the state.

Resource Assistance and College with Excellence (RACE) - The scheme has been initiated for the colleges and by the colleges.

It involves redistribution of resources at local level and it is improving the condition of colleges that lack resources.

The summer camp programme “Kaushal Unnayan” has met with great success which was organised in 163 government colleges of the State in June.

Student-centric Learning and Capacity Enhancement Programme is helping students to improve their learning (academics) as well as get hands-on experience in industryrelevant skills.

Rajasthan State Higher Education Council (RSHEC) formed for planning, monitoring and evaluating quality assurance in higher education.

TECHNICAL EDUCATION- SETTING A BENCHMARK The state of Rajasthan, with a vision to impart high quality technical education to all the sections of the society is gearing up with new reforms and

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In Rajasthan Technical University, Kota, about 60 FDP programmes, workshops and trainings, 3 international seminar and state level smart India Hackathon will be organised.

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initiatives to enhance the competitiveness of the state’s technical manpower to global standards.

• For improving the quality of technical education, a committee is formed for National Board Accreditation (NBA) accreditation of at least one branch in each of the Technical Institutes in the State.

• To enhance the training for the teachers, faculty development programmes are organised by the Rajasthan Government.

In Rajasthan Technical University, Kota, about 60 FDP programmes, workshops and trainings, 3 international seminar and state level smart India Hackathon will be organized.

• A new Collaborative Research Scheme (CRS) was started by AICTE New Delhi in which about 2 to 5 research projects were submitted by the staff of engineering colleges of Rajasthan. Among them 84 projects are sanctioned by AICTE, which is the highest in India. In this scheme, provisions were made of 10 crore for 11 Engineering colleges in Rajasthan, out of which 25% amount has been transferred to Engineering Colleges.

• For quality improvement, engineering colleges have applied in 49 branches to National Board Accreditation by preparing self-appraisal reports. Training will be organised for students of engineering colleges by using business

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EMPLOYABILITY OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS With an aim to provide maximum job opportunities to the students, the department of higher & technical education is striving to do various good practices like conducting job fairs, connecting students with potential buyers, etc. Ensuring job placements to students, on campus or of campus, is one of our major targets.

CENTRE FOR ELECTRONIC GOVERNANCE (CEG) With an aim to create industry employable IT professionals by arranging seminars lectures, vocational training, and industry relevant software training, the government has appointed Centre for Electronic Governance (CEG) as nodal agency for state level Central Placement Cell (CPC). Rajasthan is the second state in the country to be running this kind of a program after the highly acclaimed ‘Jawahar Knowledge centre’ in Andhra Pradesh.

The main objective of CEG is to provide

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opportunities of employment to students of Engineering /polytechnic colleges. More than 400 students are placed in various industries to this day. CPC has targeted more than 1000 students for providing employment and training with collaboration of Rajasthan Skill Development Department, RSLDC and Local Administrative Department.

Guidance and careers cell are formed in each of the technical institutes of Rajasthan for students.

About 149 lecturers of Engineering / Polytechnic colleges have been trained in robotics and 3D printing under faculty development programme by CEG. Also, students of Polytechnic colleges were trained in AutoCAD and Robotics by TTC and LRDC, Jodhpur.

RUSA EFFORTS ACHIEVEMENTS

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The Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS). Launched in 2013, it aims to provide strategic funding to eligible state higher educational institutions. The central funding (in the ratio of 60:40 for general category States, 90:10 for special category states and 100% for union territories) would be norm based and outcome dependent.

GOVERNMENT EMPOWERING THE MARGINALISED SECTION For those who belong to the weaker section of the society and cannot afford to attend expensive coaching classes, the government is going to start an online 24*7 Quick Response System (QRS) scheme to answer the queries of the students on

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With an aim to create industry employable IT professionals by arranging seminars lectures, vocational training, and industry relevant software training, the government has appointed Centre for Electronic Governance (CEG) as nodal agency for state level Central Placement Cell (CPC).

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DECEMBER 2019

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analytics softwares. Students will be given special training of GATE, on employability skills and summer Internship by prominent IIT/ NIT. The AICTE has prepared guidelines for the recruitment of principals of engineering colleges, strictly adhering and transparency in recruitment process. Similarly guidelines will also be prepared for the recruitment of assistants, associates and professors.

The Rajasthan Technical University, Kota is going to set up a modern research hub in which many facilities for modern technology like performance computing facilities, solar energy system, CAD/CAM, 3d printer and other software will be available.

TEQIP (The Scheme of MHRD and World Bank) has provided 10 crore to each engineering college of Rajasthan and 20 crore to Rajasthan Technical University, Kota, for enhancement of quality and up gradation of curriculum of technical education.

Strengthening the placement of students for which IIICELL (Industry Institute Interaction Cell) has been set up.

Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) and semester system has been introduced in all departments of Rajasthan Technical University, Kota. This has been recognised by National Board of Accreditation, New Delhi.

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a real-time basis. Besides, an application has been created for the universities through which helpline facility for students, monitoring the academic & extracurricular activities of universities, the transmission of orders, and overseeing the work of district resource committees.

MUKHYMANTRI YUVA KAUSHAL YOJNA – SKILLING THE FUTURE OF TOMORROW A number of students in colleges are interested in embracing a skill for their future. Likewise, the government is providing employment related training to those who are still studying.

To fulfill their need and in consideration of their job opportunities in the market, the department in collaboration with RSLDC has developed 39 skill training courses. The RSLDC has granted Rs 3 crores from its regular budget to start MYKY for training more than 7,500 regular students from 118 government colleges. The students will be given job oriented training for 200350 hours. This will enhance their performance and eventually job opportunities.

Likewise attempts are being made to affiliate all the government colleges with the Rajasthan Skill University in order to have opportunities for all the students of these colleges in getting diploma after being trained. This will definitely benefit a large

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section of the regular students studying in government colleges.

For this, the government has collaborated with Rajasthan Skill and Livelihood Development Corporation (RSLDC). Under this, 34 regular courses for skill development will be rendered in selected government colleges. 25 Language Labs are being planned to be established in the selected government colleges to help students in grasping the requisite language skills for acquiring jobs in the future.

THE FINAL DESTINATION FOR EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP Addressing the major challenge of unemployment among the Rajasthan’s youth, The state is focused on the various aspects for the betterment of higher and technical education system. The department is planning to help in establishing universities and colleges of global repute and appointment of skilled facilities along with a good support staff.

With innovative strategies and the zeal to develop the institute of excellence, the state of Rajasthan is indeed proving to be a breeding ground for entrepreneurs and innovative thinkers.

Millions of young minds with new ideas, and support from the government will make the state ready to take on the startup drive in the future.

EMPLOYABILITY IN THE FUTURE SPECIAL FEATURE

Interpersonal skills are expected to become more sought after; It may so happen that your employability skills get you your dream job rather than your technical ability, writes Debajyoti Mohanty of Elets News Network (ENN).

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ith technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) disrupting the market, the nature of human work is changing and so are the rules of employment. Jobs of the future will require high levels of social and emotional intelligence, critical thinking and problem solving capabilities, also known as employability skills.

Language skills and cross-cultural awareness have become very important as the world is becoming increasingly connected and people coming from different cultures now work towards a common goal. On the other hand, skills like creativity, negotiation and collaborative problem solving can make one flexible enough to adapt to the rapidly changing employment scenario.

Technology can automate routine, rule-based kinds of tasks, but it cannot carry out human functions such as showing empathy,

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making somebody feel understood, knowing how to define and solve complex, ambiguous problems. Interpersonal skills that can only be performed by humans are expected to become more sought after. It may so happen that your employability skills get you your dream job rather than your technical ability.

In this environment of uncertainty, looking towards universities to produce human resources with the right kind of skills is no longer the norm. Today’s graduates are entering into a fiercely competitive job market which can be characterised by highly disruptive and fast-evolving trends. With rising university fees and shrinking returns, investing in getting a formal degree has also become debatable.

Empirical data seems to suggest that employers are open to recruiting graduates for jobs outside their specialisms. The reason being that these graduates themselves are following their

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‘Skill gap’ is often a complaint, but graduates have to face an ‘experience gap’ in reality. Most employers prefer to hire young people who have spent a few years in the industry instead of hiring fresh graduates.

” digitalLEARNING

of losing specialists. On the other hand, employers want the educators to focus more on providing skill sets required by the industry including soft communication, problem-solving and analytical skills. According to some studies, more than half of the fresh graduates in management and engineering are considered unemployable by the industry because they lack the skill sets required, despite having specialised knowledge. In such a scenario, the students need better career counselling so that they can work on their strengths and also gain essential skills required for different sectors.

‘Skill gap’ is often a complaint, but graduates have to face an ‘experience gap’ in reality. It is so because most employers prefer to hire young people who have spent a few years in the industry instead of hiring fresh graduates. The need of the hour is for academia to recognise employability as an important objective and make flexible changes to accommodate direct industrial instruction and discovery learning. Integrating life skills in education degrees, facilitating on the job training, internships and apprenticeships are the front-foot steps for improving employability.

We have not yet found the right way of going from education to employment but the parameters involved are becoming increasingly clear. The need of the hour is a collaboration between educators, employers, administration, youth and parents, working together to change the entire ecosystem – perception, attitude, policies, and the approach to education as well as employer’s investment in employees.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

interests instead of sticking with the choices made by them at the ages of 16 and 18. There should be nothing strange in the idea of an engineer doing an administrative job or an art student going into sales and marketing. Except for the medical profession, which involves a strict routine of accountability, most career paths are open to lateral entry.

Employers want graduate freshers to be better prepared for the workplace. Therefore the universities now have a mandate to produce graduates who are responsive, have a good understanding of how the industry functions, and are ready to face constant change.

To measure employability, the emphasis is being put on the university’s ability to get its graduates employed in the discipline of their qualification.

Instead, the focus should be more on building career foundations rather than finding jobs.

Clarity regarding career paths and the exchange of knowledge between academia and industry would go a long way in addressing this issue.

Skilling programs are one way to achieve this, but building the whole program structure without the intervention of employers would make it redundant. When it comes to improving employability, academia and industry are working in silos, at large. Convergence between the two happens at the end but the collaboration is lacking during the journey. This is why graduates have almost zero industry knowledge at the end of their degree program.

In the current market, employers do not desire changes in higher education as it involves a risk

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NIMS UNIVERSITY RAJASTHAN,JAIPUR

THE MENTOR AND THE DRIVING FORCE

DIRECTOR: CHAIR: CHANCELLOR: CHAIRMAN:

NIMS UNIVERSITY RAJASTHAN,JAIPUR

Prof.(Dr). Balvir S. Tomar Receiving “BUSINESS LEADERS OF RAJASTHAN 2019” Award from Hon’ble Chief Minister Of Rajasthan Sh. Ashok Gehlot & Transport Minister in the Government of Rajasthan Sh.Pratap Singh Khachariyawas

Prof.(Dr). Balvir S. Tomar Receiving “BUSINESS LEADERS OF RAJASTHAN 2017” Award from Urban development and housing minister Of Rajasthan Sh. Rajpal Singh Shekhawat

NIMS UNIVERSITY awarded in “Awards on Skilling India 2017” as “Best University/Professional Institute for Skill Development ” By ASSOCHAM INDIA

LEADER’S PERSPECTIVE

INNOVATIONS PAVING WAY FOR QUALITY HIGHER EDUCATION IN RAJASTHAN

BHANWAR SINGH BHATI Minister for Higher Education Government of Rajasthan

Our priority is to make youth employable and to make the college campuses conducive for the holistic development of the students. Keeping this in focus many entrepreneurship and skill development programs are now being started and some of them are underway in colleges, says Bhanwar Singh Bhati, Minister for Higher Education, Government of Rajasthan, in conversation with Kartik Sharma of Elets News Network (ENN).

What has been your top most priority as Minister of Higher Education?

Our priority is the holistic development of the students. We want the State Higher Education to reach the level where it can match the Global standards. We want our students to grow in an environment where they can become job oriented and are capable of getting jobs globally.

The Government is endeavouring in this direction through

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its scheme and programmes for students so that they can get career and job oriented opportunities as employment is the major challenge for the youth. We do not want to create just graduates or postgraduates; in fact, we want skillful graduates and postgraduates who can sustain in the fast-changing global world and economy.

What policies and new initiatives have been

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undertaken by the Government in the last 6-7 months?

What specific has been done for the betterment of the education ecosystem?

Our Government is dedicated towards improving the quality of higher education, its development and creating a healthy educational environment in the state.

For this, CM Ashok Gehlot had announced the Resource Assistance and College with Excellence (RACE) for all the colleges. Under this, one college from each district has been nominated as ‘nodal’ and a total of 33 district resource aid committees have been formulated. Through this initiative, we are promoting the process of resource redistribution in the state education system and kick-starting a new chapter of development of the colleges.

Besides, for the first time, we are going to conduct the annual auditing of all the government colleges under Annual Auditing Programme, which was again announced in

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“

To have a big vision and take very small steps to realize that vision.

These little steps and innovations that the government has taken in last few months will help in creating something large and better.

” digitalLEARNING

LEADER’S PERSPECTIVE

Our priority is to make youth employable, and to make the environment conducive for the holistic development of the students. Keeping this in focus, many entrepreneurship and skill development programmes are now being started and some of them are in progress in colleges.

We aim to make students employable along with learning which can help them in the creative utilisation of their time and money. Our summer camp programme “Kaushal Unnayan” has met with great success which was organised in 163 government colleges of the State in June.

We have initiated the process of making college campuses secure, safe and free for the girl students. Girls mentoring cells and internal complaint committees have been set up so that our daughters feel safe and secure when they are away from home. Many programmes are organised by our colleges to train girls in self defence.

To promote education in the state, the government has opened 50 new colleges and now we can boast that not a single subdivision in the state is without a college. This shows our determination towards making education accessible to all.

To encourage physically challenged students, our Chief Minister has announced higher education scholarship which is a valuable contribution and help to the students.

the budget speech by the Chief Minister. This initiative would be a great tool in monitoring the performance and development of the colleges.

Technology is taking over education in a grand manner. What are the technological initiatives in pipeline that can empower the weaker section?

We are going to start an online 24*7 Quick Response System (QRS) scheme to answer the queries of the students on a real-time basis. It is specifically been created for the students who belong to the weaker section of the society and cannot afford to attend expensive coaching classes. Moreover, an application has been created for the Universities through which helpline facility for students, monitoring the academic & extracurricular activities of universities, the transmission of orders, and overseeing the work of district resource committees.

We are heavily focusing on imparting employment-related training to students while they are still studying. For this, we have collaborated with Rajasthan Skill and Livelihood Development Corporation (RSLDC). Under this, we will be rendering 39 regular courses for skill development in selected government colleges.

25 Language Labs are being planned to be established in the selected government colleges to help students in grasping the requisite language skills for acquiring jobs in the future.

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LEADER’S PERSPECTIVE

RAJASTHAN MOVING IN THE DIRECTION OF UPGRADING THE CURRICULUM IN TECHNICAL EDUCATION To achieve the goal of revamping the curriculum, we are urging all the colleges and universities to come up with a new and modern curriculum in their institutions, thus making the classes more interesting for the students to attend, says Shuchi Sharma, Secretary of Higher & Technical Education Department, Government of Rajasthan, in conversation with Kartik Sharma & Prathana Dutta of Elets News Network (ENN).

You have recently taken the position of Secretary, Higher Education and Technical Department, in the State of Rajasthan. How do you see this responsibility and are you looking forward to it?

It’s a great responsibility that I have been entrusted with and I feel though a lot has been done to give a good education system to the society still there is the scope of improvement. In fact, something needs to be done in a direction that emphasizes the evolution of the student as a good human being. Therefore, I believe somewhere a dent is needed in the fundamentals of the present education system to achieve this goal.

At the 15th World Education Summit Mumbai, you spoke on the concept of ‘Joy of Giving’.

Could you share your insight on this concept and what is the need of such a concept in the Higher Education sector today?

Secretary of Higher & Technical Education Department, Government of Rajasthan

What is your vision in developing the higher education ecosystem in the state of Rajasthan?

TEQIP (The Scheme of MHRD and World Bank) has provided Rs 10 crore to each engineering college of Rajasthan and Rs 20 crore to Rajasthan Technical University, Kota, for enhancement of quality and up gradation of curriculum of technical education.

In last few months, the department has arranged many training seminars, conferences for improvement of pedagogy and various latest equipment’s. About Rs 25 crore will be spent in current financial year on modern labs, computers and research facilities by

Besides infrastructure, we need to focus on the syllabus and keep it from getting redundant. Irrelevant topics which are still taught in classes need to be removed. In case of a redundant syllabus, not only are teachers disinterested in teaching, even the students don’t turn up in lectures due to boredom. We need to move in the direction of upgrading the curriculum. To achieve this goal, we are

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Shuchi Sharma

Knowledge shared is knowledge gained. ‘Joy of Giving’ is the concept that is tied up to the innate nature, compassion and interdependence in human beings. It is a paradox that more we acquire more discontented we become. In reality, acquiring more and more leads to discontentment and what we give to others is what makes us feel content. If we inculcate ‘Joy of Giving’ as an essential part of the school curriculum, we can teach the child to apply it in day-to-day activities, thereby crystallising the curriculum. A child who is a ‘giver’ is more beneficial to the society than an ‘acquirer’.

DECEMBER 2019

urging all the colleges and universities to come up with a new and modern curriculum in their institutions, thus making the classes more interesting for the students to attend.

What measures are taken to enhance the quality and upgrading the curriculum of Technical Education in the state?

LEADER’S PERSPECTIVE which more than 10 thousand students of technical institutes will be benefitted with better facilities in education, research and consultancy.

What are the newly introduced schemes for Research and Development of the state in terms of technical education?

Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) and semester system has been introduced in all departments of Rajasthan Technical University, Kota. This has been recognized by National Board of Accreditation, New Delhi.

• Uploading of university degrees on National Depository platform.

• Under RUSA Scheme of MHRD there is construction of cafeteria and books in library will be marked with radio frequency identification (RFI)

What initiatives have been undertaken by the department to make education sector vibrant and result-oriented?

With an objective to prepare good academicians, the department has started induction training programme for newly appointed assistant professors. Initiatives like free coaching classes for regular students of the colleges help the department in making education sector vibrant

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and result-oriented. Subject matter experts in the department are preparing e-content for these classes. The department is also opting for skill education initiatives along with regular studies to make students after their graduation and postgraduation degree.

‘Joy of Giving’ is the concept that is tied up to the innate nature, compassion and interdependence in human beings. It is a paradox that more we acquire more discontented we become.

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Please provide a brief description about the administrative initiatives taken for smooth functioning of the department.

The review meetings with the concerned officials of the respective department on regular basis are among the major initiatives that helped in smooth functioning of the department. We have also installed Biometric attendance system for principals and professors. The OIC system installed in various colleges helps in monitoring the progress and problems of the colleges at CCE level.

What message would you like to give to the students?

My message to the students is that life is the most precious gift of God. It should be lived joyfully. For this, every moment should be lived creatively. We should not lose any opportunity to leave something new and go on contributing to building a healthy society.

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TECHNOLOGY LEADER’S PERSPECTIVE PERSPECTIVE

RAJASTHAN TRANSFORMING EDUCATION ECOSYSTEM THROUGH SEVERAL APPROACHES & PRACTICES To improve this situation, there have been efforts made by the Rajasthan Government which has resulted in facing the problem with two different approaches. One from the pattern of attendance of the students in college and the other from the side of different beneficiaries of higher education namely students, parents, community, teachers, university and administration, writes Pradeep Kumar Borad, Commissioner, Government of Rajasthan, for Elets News Network (ENN).

A lot has been done to extend the reach of education since independence. However, in school education, due to constitutional restrictions, the state had to confine it within certain policies of the center government. No wonder, while this was being done, the aspect of quality in education was left behind somewhere in between, Nothing much was done to make education all-inclusive ie purposeful, employable and moral. As a result, today it happens to be aimless, dull, boring and hence retrogressive.

The New Education policy, 2019, aims to take the GER up to 50 percent by 2035. At present, the GER of Rajasthan is 21.8 percent, which is a bit lower than that of nation’s 25 percent. The present government in its very first budget has created history in college are now functional, thanks to the state government. Undoubtedly this is going to be of great importance in future to the development of higher education

Pradeep Kumar Borad

Commissioner, Government of Rajasthan

THE CHALLENGES? The challenges of higher education are somewhat different from those of school education. The positive aspect in national terms is that it is easy to get a degree, and at a very nominal cost at that. On the other hand, the quality has become poor and irrelevant. A graduate or a postgraduate finds himself/herself nowhere if he/she doesn’t get selected for a government job. Besides, in absence of any parental support of any sort, it becomes very difficult for him/her to get a livelihood.

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and state level as well as district level competitions were organised.

The department also introduced for the first time an Aakash calendar on the manner of school educations ‘Shivira’ depicting monthly activities. It so happened that people started calling colleges, schools.

THE CHANGE IN ATTENDANCE PATTERN:

PARENTS AND COMMUNITY

What comes out after studying the pattern of student’s attendance in colleges is quite disappointing. Only 15 to 20 percent of the total students admitted in a coeducational college turn up for the regular classes. 35 to 40 percent are busy in coaching classes outside the campus for competitive exams. Rest 30 to 35 percent are busy with their parental business. The remaining ones get admitted for the reasons best known to them. However, the situation in government girls colleges is slightly better.

Keeping in view all these, the department has started a number of short but effective programmes the results of which have been very encouraging.

Parent Teacher Meet was organised for the first time in colleges. A College Community Connect programme with the flavor of PTM and Bal Sabha was also started. This was much appreciated by the parents and the communities. PDP was also appreciated especially by the girls parents.

BEGINNING OF ACADEMIC SESSION IN TIME After a long time the academic session in the government colleges of Rajasthan started on 1 July. This became possible only because of the completion of admission formalities till 30 June otherwise the session had to be extended every year. Not only did the classes start on 1 July but the colleges also got a systematic monthly timetable with an elaborate teaching plan to be displayed on the notice board. This ensured the presence of students in class.

REGULAR MONTHLY TEST A monthly test was also introduced for the first time. It being conducted without an invigilator was also taken with appreciation.

This step also raised curiosity in the students eventually resulting in their interest in the regular classes.

FOR THE STUDENTS AND BENEFICIARIES RELATED TO EDUCATION

OTHER HIGHER

The effort under this includes implementation of Sadan Vyavastha on school manner in colleges for the first time so as to increase the co curricular activities among students. A college is divided into five time

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LEADER’S PERSPECTIVE

There are many factors as to why the condition of higher education is deteriorating day by day: There is a lack of physical and human resource and absence • of a practical and relevant curriculum, a paucity of teachers being able to stay updated and a sense of station in the whole atmosphere.

Delayed sessions, few regular classes, a lack of qualitative • teaching, traditional methods of training and teaching, absence of a calendar and of coordination between students and administrations regarding the regular activities of colleges.

• A dearth of vision of the career prospects of students etc have also contributed to its regular downfall.

To improve this situation, there have been efforts in Rajasthan which has resulted in facing the problem with two different approaches. One from the pattern of attendance of the students in college and the other from the side of different beneficiaries of higher education namely students, parents, community, teachers, university and administration.

ROLE OF TEACHERS Many Initiatives have been taken on this side. Teachers have started recording their lectures in e form. They have become more professional while conducting the PDP classes. IDEA has given them a platform for achieving academic excellence. This initiative provides a common platform through open sessions in colleges for students and teachers to discuss matters of national and international importance to enrich themselves at no expense. This has not only started dialogue between students and teachers on a higher level but also created an environment for research activities.

To develop the leadership qualities and administrative approach, regular seminars are conducted in colleges through Faculty Development Programme. ‘Joy of Giving’ has also become very popular among teachers through ‘Donate a Book’ programme.

RACE and AAP programme have been started by the government to assure quality education and its regular evaluation in colleges. RACE involves pooling of human, financial and physical resources within a district to fullfil the needs of colleges at local level. Not only is this, to conduct seminars, workshops, conferences for the students so as to train them for employment, also a part of this programme. AAP involves assessment of teaching arrangement, students helping centre, institutional arrangement and their management, opportunities related to faculty development, evaluation of teachers, contribution of the institutes in society etc. the aim of this programme is not only to develop these colleges as institutes of excellence but also prepare them for NAAC.

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POLICYMAKER’S PERSPECTIVE

AICTE: REVISING CURRICULUM IN TUNE WITH CHANGING TECHNOLOGIES AICTE has revised the technical and higher education curriculum by involving experts from academia and industry. In the new curriculum, new areas like Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Block Chain, Robotics, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, etc have also been incorporated, says Prof Anil D Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, All India Council For Technical Education (AICTE) in an interview with Elets News Network (ENN). experiments. What are AICTE’s plans in this regard?

Learning through experiments or experiential learning is very important, not only in technical education but in every field.

Earlier, the emphasis was not there but the New Education Policy talks about it in a significant manner. Experiential learning is not a new concept. From Gurukul system of old times and from ancient universities, it has been retracted back in the modern era to experience the real time challenges in any sector. If we talk about Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, people visit a village and experience the problems and try to solve them.

Similarly, internship in any industry helps students in observing what exactly happens there and learn outside of classroom through variety of activities. Under Such programmes, students experience a phenomenon and learn from it. This is what has been promoted in the New Education Policy.

Prof Anil D Sahasrabudhe

Chairman, All India Council For Technical Education (AICTE)

With New Education Policy likely to be released in some time, how it will help in strengthening and improving the higher and technical education in India.

The policy itself will not improve the higher and technical education but its implementation will do. Therefore, the threadbare discussion on the entire policy and its implementation scheme will certainly make vibrant higher education system in our country.

It is important to facilitate learning through

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For teachers, it is challenging to update themselves in tune with the changing technologies, how AICTE is helping them to overcome the same?

AICTE has revised its curriculum by involving experts from academia and industry. Once the curriculum is revised, new areas like Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Machine Learning, Digital technologies, Cloud Computing, Block Chain, Robotics, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Data Analytics have been incorporated into it. The new curriculum will also help teachers to update with latest skills and inculcate new traits. There are two ways to do it, first that we run courses and where faculty can come and get themselves abreast with the new knowledge.

Second, through our Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) platform; it will help faculty to learn from the comfort of their homes. It is also significant to create a habit of constant,

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continuous learning – lifelong learning. This is what we want to bring in our faculty.

How incubators are encouraging student for entrepreneurship? What is the role of AICTE in it?

Incubators were earlier considered as different entity, where people from outside the academic institutes were ready to help in developing entrepreneurship and start-ups. But today, large number of incubators has come into existence in the Universities and Institutes.

AICTE’s role is how to promote entrepreneurship while students are graduating, not after completing their course. We have instructed institutes to encourage their students for the courses that will empower them to be entrepreneurs. And also create incubators, accelerators and support system in terms of entrepreneurship cell, innovation cell where students will start working right from their first year. So by the time they will graduate, instead of seeking jobs, they will be able to create jobs for others.

With fresh graduates lacking the relevant practical knowledge, how does the curriculum can be corrected for more exposure and industry engagement?

Mandatory industry training during a course

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AICTE’s role is how to promote entrepreneurship while students are graduating, not after completing their course. We have instructed institutes to encourage their students for the courses that will empower them to be entrepreneurs.

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will allow students to experience the industry life during their graduation. So, it is either three summer vacations of two months each or it will be one full semester where they will go to industry and learn those practices. Moreover, the industry problems given by industry for the students’ projects in their undergraduate studies will also be helpful. All this will nurture capable practical engineers in the future.

What message would you like to give to our youth??

Many a time’s people think that demand for engineers is declining. But, I am giving assurance that world is so large and there are ample opportunities present. Because engineering education is one where you methodically study physics, chemistry and math on one side, lot of hands on wherein you learn many things – experiments, critical thinking, analytical ability, mathematical ability which will help in any domain you go outside later.

Secondly, India due to its demographic dividend, the entire world which is aging, there are enough opportunities for jobs not only in India but the rest of the world. Within the country, whether it is Skill India, Make in India, Swachh Bharat, Digital India or Unnat Bharat Abhiyan; every activity of the Government has potential for engineers to play an important role.

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EDU-EXPERT’S PERSPECTIVE

‘RAJASTHAN GOVT EMHASISES ON PROVIDING QUALITY HIGHER EDUCATION’

Dr Vinod Kumar Bhardwaj

State Nodal Officer, Innovations & Skill Development Programmes, Department of College Education, Government of Rajasthan

W

e emphasise on providing quality education to students in Rajasthan. The four areas Rajasthan Government focussing on to ensure quality higher education are: Quality, Delivery, Facility and Employability,” said Dr Vinod Kumar Bhardwaj, State Nodal Officer, Innovations & Skill Development Programmes, Department of College Education, Government of Rajasthan.

Being a key speaker 11th Higher Education and Human Resource Conclave Pune 2019, Dr Bhardwaj shared various details about the Rajasthan’s higher education ecosystem. He also provide details about current and expected Government schemes that may help the State’s higher education sector improve.

Describing about how big State’s education system is, Dr Bhardwaj said, “The State currently has 252 government colleges in which around 4.20 lakh regular students are pursuing various courses. Another interesting fact is that out of these students, almost 50% are girls. Along with government colleges, there are 1,569 private colleges and 837 BEd Colleges. So, the State has over 2,700 colleges with more than 9 lakh students.”

“Every Year, over 1,20,000 students in undergraduate arts, commerce and science courses (BA, BCom, BSc) are admitted to government colleges across Rajasthan. We received more than four lakh applications in this regard,” he added.

He also described how the department focuses on bringing

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Excellence in Higher Education. According to him, “To bring Excellence in higher education, we focus on four aspects: Student-centric quality education, standardised institutional growth, faculties’ efficiency enhancement, and institutional social responsibility.”

Raising a very important concern about overcoming the societal challenges with the help of educational institutions, Dr Bhardwaj stated, “Social Responsibility is not only the duty of corporate. It is also the responsibility to share equally by the government institutions as they have been allotted funds for various activities. Along with imparting quality education, institution must also have a good connect with the society as it will help in overcoming the societal challenges.”

Describing about various initiatives of Rajasthan Government to boost skills among students, he revealed, “As one of the Government’s strategic initiatives, the ‘Student-centric Learning and Capacity Enhancement Programme’ is helping students to improve their learning (academics) as well as get hands-on experience in industry-relevant skills.”

He also revealed that the Department of College Education, Government of Rajasthan, has signed MoUs with different organisations to boost skills among students and to impart training to faculty members in the colleges across the State.

The department has signed MoUs with organisations including: IGNOU, Microsoft, HIK Vision, McGraw Hill and many others.

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TECHNOLOGY PERSPECTIVE

CENTRE FOR ELECTRONIC GOVERNANCE: CHANGING THE EMPLOYMENT LANDSCAPE IN RAJASTHAN The objectives of Centre for Electronic Governance (CEG) is to promote interaction between the government, academia and the industry; produce industry ready IT professionals; develop and deploy e-Governance applications in a cost-effective manner, writes Dr. Sandeep Kumar, Director, Center for Electronic Governance (CEG), for Elets News Network (ENN).

Founded in 2006 under the Society Act 1956, the Centre for Electronic Governance (CEG) is an autonomous body of Government of Rajasthan under the Department of Technical Education.

Rajasthan is the second state in the country to be running this kind of a program after the highly acclaimed “Jawahar Knowledge centre” in Andhra Pradesh.

CEG has been established with an aim to create industry employable IT professionals by the way of arranging seminars, lectures, vocational training, and industry relevant software training.

The affairs of the society are carried out by two councils – Governing Council (GC) and Executive Council (EC). The president of GC is the Minister for Technical Education and the chairman of EC is Secretary, Department of Technical Education.

Dr Sandeep Kumar

Director, Center for Electronic Governance (CEG)

CEG classroom 32

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Its objectives are to promote interaction between the government, academia and the industry; produce industry ready IT professionals; develop and deploy e-Governance applications in a cost-effective manner; organise engineering seminars and lectures with eminent engineers and scientists; update the curriculum as per the needs of the industry; and empower students living in rural areas to bridge the urban-rural gap.

CEG’s activities include providing trainings and internship programs for engineering, MCA and Diploma students, providing faculty development programs, workshops for skill enhancement using virtual learning, running an IGNOU study centre for BCA, MCA, CIT and PGDIS, among others; providing Rajasthan State Certificate of Information Technology (RS-CIT) training in collaboration with Rajasthan Knowledge Corporation Limited (RKCL); and providing skill development training in collaboration with Rajasthan Skill and Livelihoods Development Corporation (RSLDC). The society also includes a state level central placement cell.

TECHNOLOGY PERSPECTIVE

CEG main office The society has many projects in pipeline, including – an MoU signed with Directorate Local Bodies for skill training on Tally and software development; training on System Analytical Software (SAS) for engineering college faculties; admission process and placement cell web portal development; affiliation with Rajasthan ILD Skill University (RISU); an MoU signed with I Start for an incubation centre; MBA and MCA courses.

CEG has many facilities in campus, including – highly committed and experienced faculties for various technical courses; five well furnished AC labs having about 140 computers; AC classrooms having projector facility; and all the labs have internet facility with 20 mbps Wi-Fi connectivity and high speed servers.

The society is presently running around 50 courses on

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programming languages, design softwares, etc., and has tieups with companies like Red Hat, CISCO, Microsoft and Oracle, among others.

CEG’s upcoming activities include – working as state coordinator for the establishment of e-Yantra Labs in 15 Engineering /Polytechnic colleges, which are to be established in technical collaboration with IIT Bombay; working as State Coordinator for the establishment of seven incubation centres at all the divisional headquarters, including one centre at CEG as well; and establishment of 3D Printing and Robotics Lab at CEG. By offering such a large range of training programmes in IT related fields, CEG has set an example for other skilling institutes in the country. And by doing so, the society has made its contribution in reducing the skill gap that exists between academia trained individuals and industry requirements.

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TECHNOLOGY PERSPECTIVE 36

A

t a time when technology is being used to make people’s lives better across the globe, India faces a myriad of problems when it comes to essentials like water, health and environment, among others. A hackathon is one of the ways to find innovative solutions to all these problems using the power of coding.

A hackathon (also known as a hack day, hackfest or codefest) is a design sprint-like event in which computer programmers and others involved in software development, often including domain experts, collaborate intensively on software projects. The word “hackathon” comes from an amalgamation of the words “hack” and “marathon”, where “hack” is used in the sense of exploratory programming, not its alternate meaning of breaking into a computer using internet.

Hackathons typically start with one or more presentations about the event, as well as about the specific subject, if any. Then participants suggest ideas and form teams, based on individual interests and skills. Then the main work of the hackathon begins, which can last anywhere from several hours to several days.

In India, hackathons have become a commonplace occurrence.

Both the government and private institutions use them to bring forward innovative solutions for a multitude of problems plaguing our society.

Keeping similar objectives in mind, a National Hackathon is being organised on 16-17th December at Jaipur by Department of Higher and Technical Education-Government of Rajasthan, Manipal University-Jaipur and Elets Technomedia Pvt. Ltd. It is being hosted

by Directorate of E-Cell and School of Computing and IT, Manipal University-Jaipur. The hackathon is open and available for pan-India participation.

DECEMBER 2019

The objective of this National Hackathon is to invite young brains from across the country who will be encouraged to find solutions to the numerous problems in the fields of water management, agriculture, rural livelihood, healthcare, water technology, environment technology, road safety, smart city innovations etc in a competitive manner. This is expected to inculcate a culture of product innovation and a mindset of problem solving, wherein participants build a prototype or deploy applications/hardware on a problem statement.

The projects will be evaluated by a panel of expert judges, along with other authoritative figures from the world of high-end innovation. The judging criteria will be based on the parameters of concept, design, development, presentation and market validation.

The panel will assign a score to each parameter, which will then determine the ranking of each participating team. Top teams will get cash prizes worth Rs 50,000 to 100,000.

The teams will be made up of students (or recent graduates within one year of having graduated) who are not organisers, volunteers, judges, sponsors, or in any other privileged position at the event. The team size will be of 2-5 members and will be open to all the streams including school students, academia, industry and entrepreneurs.

Inter disciplinary teams are also encouraged to participate.

The teams can use libraries, frameworks, or open-source codes in their projects. Working on a project before the event and opensourcing it for the sole purpose of using the code during the event is against the spirit of the rules and is not allowed.

Students from premier institutions across India will also be invited to this hackathon, which will give higher visibility and better outcomes.

The responsibility of the components and the materials required for developing the prototype during the Hackathon will lie solely on the participating teams. Meals & stay for participants will be provided at the venue.

POLICYMAKER’S PERSPECTIVE

CBSE: COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION The main objective of the Central Board of Education (CBSE) is to serve the educational institutions effectively and to be responsive to the educational needs of those students, says Dr Biswajit Saha, Director (Training & Skill Education), CBSE, in an interview with Elets News Network (ENN).

In line with Government’s vision of skilling the Indian youth, what initiatives have been undertaken by the CBSE? The CBSE has tried to include various skill-oriented subjects in its curriculum both at secondary and senior secondary level. In class ninth and tenth, we are offering 17 skill-oriented courses catering to the requirements of all sectors. Similarly at Senior Secondary level, CBSE is offering 43 courses ranging from Artificial Intelligence to early childhood education, yoga, retail, tourism, media etc. We have tried to cover all the areas such as engineering, healthcare, banking and finance along with others through these courses. Out of 21,000 schools affiliated to CBSE, 8,000 schools are imparting skill-oriented education and training with enrollment of around seven lakh students so far.

It is also important that higher education sector must encourage the skill training among its students as there are still visible gaps between Industry and Academia despite the efforts of Union and State Government. Government is also aiming to develop the schools as Skill Development Centres as their excellent infrastructure is underutilised after two pm.

It will boost the skill training, community service and social empowerment. Such training will also support in nurturing globally competitive citizens who will be ready to work in any country of the world. Ultimately the quality education and effective skill training help in India’s economic development.

With New Education Policy (NEP) likely to release in few months, how is CBSE improving its guidelines to be in line with the needs of two most important stakeholders i.e. teachers and students?

The New Education Policy is still at draft stage. There are so many components in it that are really encouraging but at the same time we are also raising our concerns about school education. As far as promoting skill education and vocational training in schools is concerned, the NEP is focusing on the same in a good way. To impart quality education in schools,

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Dr Biswajit Saha

Director (Training & Skill Education), CBSE

CBSE is emphasising on category-wise teachers’ training.

With the help of good teachers, we are now trying to convert classrooms into learning spaces. In this regard, CBSE has so far established 16 Centres of Excellence across the country.

With these centres, we are conducting various workshops and seminars on teachers’ training.

Moreover, under the guidance of our Chairperson Anita Karwal, we have developed several manuals for principals, school management, officials and other staff. We are targeting for holistic development in schools and that’s why several initiatives have been taken by the CBSE in this regard. Changing the school ecosystem regularly is not a solution rather we are eyeing for that one change which is sustainable. In line with this, we are encouraging development of 21st century skills like collaborations, creativity, and problem solving along enhancing academic skills.

Not only the new policy but also the previous initiatives like National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2005 are very helpful for improving the quality of education. NCF 2005 is so apt that if principals and teachers follow it, the education sector will

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POLICYMAKER’S PERSPECTIVE

automatically witness a positive momentum.

How do you think the technology is helping students in improving their learning outcomes and teachers in their knowledge delivery methodologies?

Technology was a key player in educations; it is a key player and it will remain a key player. The context may change but technology’s role will remain the same. Starting from industry to school space, it has a very effective role. We require more orientation programmes for teachers as students are already well versed with the technology. It is so as the teachers’ role is very crucial. As in the present scenario, teachers need to be more tech savvy and for the same content, a more innovative lecture methodology is required. It will facilitate real learning. So, implementing technology is not the only solution rather setting the context, customisation and student-centric learning is also required. Teachers are nowadays

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needed to be psychological experts as it will help them to understand students’ needs. Teachers must go through technological innovations in the changed situation as it will help them enhance their domain knowledge as well.

How does the recently announced budget likely to boost the Indian education landscape??

Budget is very important for a nation’s development and it also gives hope. Year-byyear, the Government is increasing its focus on education sector and bringing positive reforms.

The initiatives announced in Union Budget 201920 like National Research Foundation, skilling, and teachers’ training etc will cause positive momentum in Indian education landscape.

The Union Budget 2019-20 will also help the State Governments, Entrepreneurs and Eduentrepreneurs to frame their strategies in a way that provides a positive growth to Indian education.

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Technology was a key player in educations; it is a key player and it will remain a key player.

The context may change but technology’s role will remain the same. Starting from industry to school space, it has a very effective role.

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SCHOOL EDUCATION PERSPECTIVE

AHSEC: COMMITTED TO IMPART GLOBAL LEVEL EDUCATION Assam Higher Secondary Education Council is the apex body for prescribing curricula (scheme of studies), syllabus and courses of instruction for higher secondary stage which may be in a college/higher secondary school, says Kamal Gogoi, Secretary, Assam Higher Secondary Education Council, in an interview with Elets News Network (ENN).

What new initiatives have been undertaken by the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council to make higher education easily accessible to all in the state?

The Assam Higher Secondary Education Council is the apex body to regulate, supervise and develop the + 2 education (Sr Secondary/Higher Secondary) in the State. Assam is the land of multi cultural and multi lingual communities with people having diversified needs as per their geographical and economical existence. In such a State, through various initiatives listed below, the council is trying to make the education accessible to all: • Recognising the institutions from every corner of the state • Introducing need based subjects • Information are shared through website so that everyone can assess easily • Arranging teacher training program in each and every corner of the state, so that all the teachers can be trained properly • Introduction of Online submission of Registration and Examination Form

Globally many universities/institutes are following innovative practices to improve teaching-learning process. What are the board’s plans to bring the education eco system at par with the world?

“As leaders in education, our job is not to control those whom we serve, but to unleash their talent. If innovation is going to be a priority in education, we need to create a culture where trust is the norm,” said George Couros -- A leading Canadian educator in areas of innovative leadership, teaching, and learning.

To bring the education eco system at par with the world, the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council has introduced technology-based elective subjects such as Entrepreneurship Development, Multimedia and Web Technology, Retail Trade, IT/ ITes, and a number of need-based Vocational Subjects.

It is difficult for students to understand various concepts due to disconnected facts. Organised information connected with concepts and with tools to visualise the same lead to longterm understanding of what is being taught. Realising the fact,

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Kamal Gogoi

Secretary, Assam Higher Secondary Education Council

digital classrooms have been introduced initially in some of the institutions out of 1432 recognized by Assam Higher Secondary Education Council.

How does the New Education policy likely to help Assam in transforming the education sector??

The National Education Policy 2019 is built on the foundational pillars of “Access, Equity, Affordability and Accountability”.

For Assam, a major reconfiguration of curricular and pedagogical structure is proposed in school education with Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) as an integral part it. With the proposed structure of 5+3+3+4 curricular and pedagogical structure based on cognitive and socio emotional developmental stages, the schools will be re-organised into school complexes.

The Curriculum load of the learners will be also reduced.

The burden of curriculum will also be reduced in terms of examination by transforming it into semester system. Students

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SCHOOL EDUCATION PERSPECTIVE

will get the opportunity to go for deeper understanding that will help them to become more competent. The New Education Policy also aimed to promote active pedagogy that will focus on the development of core capacities, life skills, and 21st century skills.

There is a huge educational gap between rural and an urban area of India, what role does Assam Higher Secondary Education Council is playing to bridge it?

To minimise the gap between the education scenario of rural and urban areas, the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council has organised zonal-level training programmes on teaching pedagogy, different competitions, and tournaments etc. Students and teachers irrespective of either they belong to rural or urban areas are allowed to join it.

The selection of teachers has been done with utmost care so that they are selected in equal proportion from urban as well as rural areas. The objective is to develop the homogeneous academic atmosphere across the State. The Assam Higher Secondary Education Council feels proud to announce that the Higher Secondary Schools and Junior Colleges from rural areas also exhibited excellence in final examination with 100% of passing rate.

How does the recently announced budget likely to boost the State’s higher education landscape?

At present the Government of Assam has exempted students

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from paying admission fee, examination fee of Class X and Class XII. Also the Government is providing free textbooks to the students of Class X and XII. This year budgeted amount seems to be meager than the previous years. It will depend upon utilisation of the last year’s budgeted amount by the State Government.

How do you think the technology is helping students in improving their learning outcomes and teachers in their knowledge delivery methodology?

The 21st century is the era of technology. To make the teachinglearning process effective, integration of technology in and outside the classroom is inevitable. Though there is also a fear that the technology would eventually replace the teachers, but the more prevalent view now is that it is a tool which can be applied to enhance conventional teaching rather than replace it.

The use of technology helps in • Enhancing the literacy rate • Restructuring teaching methods keeping in view the objective of learning • Teachers in showcasing the content distinctly and students can develop skills essential for the 21st century.

Online courses, teaching aids, different educational softwares, social networking tools, and other emerging technologies help the teachers as well as students to become more competent. Open Educational Resources [OER] help teachers as well as learners to become competent.

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RAJASTHAN TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY KOTA: AN ENGINE FOR SOCIETAL UNIVERSITY PERSPECTIVE

GROWTH In an exclusive interview with Prathana Dutta of Elets News Network (ENN), Prof R A Gupta, Vice-Chancellor, Rajasthan Technical University (RTU), Kota, gives his insights on how RTU, Kota is working towards a bright future for the youth of Rajasthan and fostering a culture of high quality research in the institute.

What is the vision of RTU that makes it an engine of societal growth in the state of Rajasthan?

The state’s first technical university, Rajasthan Technical University at Kota has been developed with a vision to provide opportunities to the youth of the state, particularly those from humble village backgrounds. The university endeavours to provide the youth with a platform to groom their personality, improve their technical education, develop their entrepreneurship skills and make them employable. The students are encouraged to face the challenges of the competitive world by taking up projects based on solving social/ industrial problems. The university adopts villages for upliftment by spreading education through mentoring and motivation.

What are the initiatives taken by you to foster a culture of the high-quality research at your institution?

Initiative of high quality research: A type of research which is oriented to solve industrial and social problems for the benefit of the society is being promoted. To provide better opportunity and ease of access to the upcoming areas of research, various research centres have been established across the state of Rajasthan.

To ensure quality and to establish a firm place in emerging technological fields, examiners are appointed from premier institutes and scholars are encouraged to work with pioneers in the relevant fields. A plagiarism checking software has also been adopted.

Education is evolving rapidly to keep up with the needs of industry and markets. In view of this, are you making regular changes to the curriculum of popular courses like B.Tech?

To incorporate global industrial requirements in the present education system, the syllabus/curriculum has been revised as per the modular curriculum prepared by AICTE with inputs from people in industries, premier institutes and alumni of the institute.

Do you follow a student-centric approach to learning? If so, what are the initiatives taken in this regard?

Due weightage is given to interdisciplinary courses, elective courses

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Prof R A Gupta

Vice-Chancellor, Rajasthan Technical University (RTU), Kota

and open electives to provide flexibility to the students to opt for courses as per their interest and inclination. A six-week industrial training is ensured for students to familiarise them with the current trends in industries and in areas of their interest.

Various innovative teaching methods are being adopted to make the education learning based

Do schemes like the Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP) offer any remarkable assistance, or is something more required to make significant improvements to the quality of education?

TEQIP has supported the technical education on various fronts by providing faculty members to institutes, thereby improving the Student to Faculty Ratio (SFR); providing funds to establish stateof-the-art laboratories and by providing opportunity to students and research scholars to work at premier institutes.

In order to enhance the employability of students, the grant for internship may be increased.

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ABOUT THE SUMMIT New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) in collaboration with Elets Technomedia- a premier media & technology research based organization, is pleased to announce Urban Innovation Summit Noida on 23 December 2019, in Noida (UP).

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UNIVERSITY PERSPECTIVE

BIKANER TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY ENSURING AFFORDABLE QUALITY EDUCATION TO STUDENTS The university aims to develop more job creators in place of job seekers, thus developing the syllabus and curriculum, with more emphasis on practical and fieldwork, says Prof H D Charan, Vice Chancellor, Bikaner Technical University, in conversation with Prathana Dutta of Elets News Network (ENN).

The University has started some new courses fulfilling the demand of the present and future market. Eventually students will be more employable and land with good jobs. We have also started some new courses like Bachelor of Design, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Science & Computing, etc.

What are the guidelines for the recruitment at Bikaner Technical University, in order to create transparency in the recruitment process?

As per the strict guidelines by AICTE & UGC, qualifications and eligibility for the desired position should be checked from time to time. The university will follow the process for the screened candidates and they have to pass through a written examination and interview process of the weightage of 70% and 30% respectively. The written exam is based on testing the depth knowledge of the subject, while the interview comes with the presentation, discussions etc in front of the interview board. All the processes are recorded and can be reviewed.

Prof H D Charan

Vice Chancellor, Bikaner Technical University

Established in 2017, what is the vision of Bikaner Technical University that makes it stand tall amongst other universities in the state of Rajasthan?

Our vision is to provide knowledge and develop skills along with proper etiquette in the students and make them more employable for the future.

What are the initiatives taken to achieve excellence in innovation and research at your institution?

The university aims to provide knowledge and develop skills in the students. Therefore, keeping the priorities straight, it is developing the syllabus and curriculum with more emphasis on practical and fieldwork including universal Human Value Education and Professional Ethics.

Apart from MTech and MBA, what are the other courses introduced? How well is the curriculum upgraded to suit the industry demands for the students?

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What are the future schemes for Affordable Quality Education that will enable students to professional skills and develop a perspective globally?

Bikaner Technical University is working mainly in three ways mentioned below: • It is developing the syllabus and curriculum, with more emphasis on practical and fieldwork. Fieldwork includes the rigorous work performed by the students at the working site or industry of their respective fields. \ • Since a very long time, Bikaner Technical University has been working continuously to develop its syllabus and curriculum in the emerging areas of the technology i.e. Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science & Computing, and Design, etc, that meet the demands of present and future markets and industries with an ideology favorable to humanity.

• Simultaneously, the university is working to update the knowledge and skills of the faculties also by organising regular ‘Faculty Training Programs’ with AICTE in the field of the present and future technology and emerging areas also. The university has successfully organised 8 FTPs and 06 Workshops for HVE and trained around 350+ Teachers in each.

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

CREATING SCHOOLS THAT MOTIVATE, ENGAGE AND EMPOWER 21ST CENTURY LEARNERS Lit Skills Learning has recently launched its flagship “Project English” and is also partnering with Govt of Telangana, Board of Higher & Intermediate Education for implementing its Teacher Training Programs and Student Enrichment Programs. The key is to deliver world class training programs with effective methodologies says Dr Karthik Narayanan, CEO & Founder, Lit Skills Learning, in conversation with Elets News Network (ENN). school leaders around the world using 21st Century Leadership behavior, systems thinking, drivers of change, future trends and sustainability tools to create and implement innovative strategic plans to take schools successfully into the future.

I founded Lit Skills with a single thought in mind, to provide a greater platform and a simpler approach and methodology to a child in a classroom, which aims to develop the overall english language skills and bridge the gap in learning. We are in pursuit of making products that are accessible and affordable to all.

The vision of our organisation is to ensure that every child in India, especially from the rural sectors, is able to read, write and speak excellent English. We have recently launched our flagship “Project English”, an initiative to bring state of the art learning to the Tier 3 & Tier 4 sectors of India, at the 15th World Education Summit 2019, Mumbai – India.

Dr Karthik Narayanan

CEO & Founder, Lit Skills Learning

As you strongly believe that English is the gateway to global opportunities, how was your journey in the industry so far? What is the vision of LIT Skills Learning?

During my decade long journey in this industry, I have had some path breaking learnings from the tremendous experiences that I have had, as an educator. I am thoroughly passionate about creating schools that motivate, engage and empower 21st Century Learners for their future. After many successful years of working with leading schools, I wanted to give more back to the society.

So I designed a global enterprise to work with schools and

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In what ways are you enhancing the skills of a student? How are you bringing skill training and education together to create employable graduates of tomorrow?

“India Passes out 8 crore Graduates in a year and only 7% are fit to be hired.94% of Engineering Graduates are not fit to be hired as they lack the core Skills.”

This is the biggest burning problem in India today and if the nation needs to be built and advanced in the education sector, especially where technology plays a key role, then the right resources need to be given to teachers and a systematic ‘out of the box’ methodology has to be implemented for students. By introducing our program, we are trying to deliver the best student experience and assuring the teachers have all the necessary resources for effective teaching outcomes.

Lit Skills Elite Student Enrichment Programs include:

• • • •

What are the challenges that Lit Skills faces when it comes to meeting students’ expectations?

Challenges are everywhere – Life is full of them. When it comes to educating a child, there are many involved. Every child is special and has their way of learning. The key is to identify and grasp the child’s attention in the first ten minutes of the class. Most importantly, it’s the love and affection that the child receives from the teacher which will have a lasting impression and it all starts from right there in the classroom.

Entertainment has dominated most aspects of life. In what ways are you combining education and entertainment? Are there any chances of overlapping?

Edu-Tainment (Education through Entertainment) is in the new, when it comes to learning. When education and entertainment intersect, we can enjoy the best of both worlds: rich delights and profound learning.

For creative classrooms, a bevy of strategically selected edutainment modules, can offer crucial reinforcement for learning without the burdensome drudgery and drills of conventional class

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activities. When we can find ways for students to develop learning competencies through play and games, there’s a better chance they’ll be independently motivated to keep learning that skill long after class is over.

Lit Skills combines education with entertainment in a measured ratio that keeps the focus primarily on learning the various modules.

The child is incentivised moderately, for every effort of successful completion of a module, to keep one appropriately activated for a balanced learning experience. This educational strategy can be too good to improve their intellectual stimulations with gamification aimed at boosting their thinking capability, problem solving and competitive mind set.

Mr Thangaraj Pandian, Chief Advisor & Mentor - Lit Skills Learning, believes that great journeys begin with great people. Always a very transparent and straightforward advisor, his approach is cheerfully lively and lifts up the spirit of the organisation.

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Blended Learning Online Resources Assessments & Quiz Activities & Interactive Entertainment – Video Based using Projector and Speakers • Project Based Learning for Science Personalised Mentoring and Coaching for every child • who is lacking the necessary skills in English Language and much more by imparting the LSRW Skills in the Classroom.

We believe that teachers know their students best. We also believe that when given the right resources to inform and deliver effective differentiated instruction, every student benefit. With an extensive collection of incredibly powerful and flexible curriculum resources, our products fill the gaps identified in various learning environments. Without limiting their creativity, innovation, or individuality, we help teachers to provide the impactful instruction their students need to thrive Our Signature Products/ Solutions for teachers include: • In house training Programs Digital Training Programs • Workshops and • Online Video Courses (New) – Developed by Dr. Karthik • Narayanan on Effective Leadership Skills for the 21st Century Schools/Teachers and Students.

Online video courses is a new initiative which is been developed by me with my tenure of 10+ and having understood the needs and wants in the classroom from a grass-root level of understanding. The courses are custom made which will suit any teacher working in schools. There are Live Webinars and recorded webinars included in the program.

What are the innovative strategic plans to take schools successfully into the future?

As an Educator, I am primarily focused on Teacher Training Programs and different methodologies to implement the above ideologies. We have collaborated with ELT – UK for better and effective teacher training programs that can be implemented for rural Indian English medium schools which can bring the best of the teacher and be a lifelong learner.

It is always the Human Interference which plays a key role when it comes to learning, in spite of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) taking over classrooms today.

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

WHY SHOULD INSTITUTIONS SETTLE FOR OUTDATED ERPS? ASKS COLLPOLL FOUNDER, HEMANT SAHAL We wanted to develop a platform that could streamline campus workflows and also create an engaging community, says Hemant Sahal, Founder and CEO of the campus management and engagement platform – CollPoll, in a conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).

How did you see the need for a product like CollPoll?

Earlier, when I was consulting within the educational field, I saw that a lot of institutions employed ERPs. However, the problem with ERPs is that they are transactional in nature. They are impersonal and offer rigid solutions that are not easily customisable. That is why we saw the need for CollPoll. We wanted to build a holistic platform that not only offered all the functionalities of an ERP which are required to run an institution, but also the very reason why an education institution is set up - provide a learning community where students, faculty, and staff can engage, collaborate and communicate more efficiently.

Can you share some additional insights on how exactly CollPoll engages with campus stakeholders?

We have developed modules for every function of an institution.

Faculty can plan lessons in advance, manage attendance, grade assignments, and do so much more. The administrators can drastically reduce instances of human error by digitising hundreds of workflows within the campus and seamlessly manage critical functions such as admissions and fee payment, among others.

Students can register for events, take quizzes, join clubs and chapters, discover jobs or internships and give feedback. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

What is the one feature that stands out?

Nearly every module that we offer through CollPoll is critical to us.

But with our Campus Help Centre (CHC), institutions can digitise thousands of workflows with total ease. From enabling no dues process to hostel services, the feature grows along with the needs of the campus. The CHC also offers a fully digitised grievance redressal system. Users can request leave, avail visitor gate pass and do so much more just by logging onto CollPoll.

What kind of clientele do you work with?

Our clients are spread across the globe including India, Middle East, Africa, and South-East Asia. In India, we work with some of the most reputed educational institutions. Three of

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Hemant Sahal

Founder and CEO, CollPoll

our clients have the Institution of Eminence status - OP Jindal Global University, Manipal Academy of Higher Education and KIIT Bhubaneswar. But it’s not about resting on our laurels. We directly engage with senior leadership of progressive education institutions without deploying a sales team. We are already in talks with a large number of institutions to deploy CollPoll platform.

Speaking of the future, technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) have been shaping many industries. Will such technologies be incorporated onto the CollPoll platform?

Moving forward, one of our main objectives is to continue utilising advanced technologies to further upgrade the scope of what we offer. We plan on employing AI for actions such as smart timetable generation and scheduling examinations, among others. We also want to continue improving the user experience within the platform with use of technologies such as chat-bots and voice-based actions.

At CollPoll, we want to continue innovating and enhancing the platform to achieve the vision of an open and connected education system.

UNIVERSITY PERSPECTIVE

IIHMR UNIVERSITY STRIVING TO ACHIEVE OPTIMAL EDUCATION The challenge of improving the quality of teaching by training teachers and supporting them with modern teaching aids, tools and methodologies need to be taken up, says Pankaj Gupta, President, IIHMR University, in conversation with Shivani Babbar of Elets News Network (ENN). also achieving human excellence based on ethics, truthfulness and a need for self-realisation. My core area of teaching was Financial Accounting, Management Accounting and Strategic Cost Management. But now I am more focused on life related courses such as, Self-awareness and Mindfulness, Ancient Wisdom, Money to Meaning etc. Aspiring to bring in a moral compass to healthcare management education, we have recently launched, “Centre for Wellness, Mindfulness and Ethics” at IIHMR University. I have also introduced the students to the basic tenets of this ancient Indian discipline through various workshops and training sessions.

Tell us the challenges that the education ecosystem is still facing in today’s time.

Pankaj Gupta

President, IIMHR University

With almost 25 years of experience in teaching, leadership and institution building, how has been your experience in the industry so far?

What is your vision after joining IIHMR as the President?

I believe in living mindfully in the “now” and living ‘One day at a time’ and for all these years I have lived by this. Now when I look back, it seems like a beautiful canvas. I strongly believe that fulfilment in life can be achieved by the right knowledge, quality education and inner journey.

I decided to enter the world of academics at a young age of 21 with the credence that this is the way for change. Over the years, I realised the importance of spirituality and mindfulness and the long time I have spent in silence solitude at Chopta, near Kedarnath, has changed my perspective and way of living life. My personal focus now is not just academic excellence but

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Today, it is very difficult to predict over half the expertise and skillsets which will be required in the next 5 years. The concept of lifelong learning will have to be embedded in the way we teach our youth. Education institutions have been made accessible to all through various schemes and initiatives undertaken by the government. We face the challenge of student’s enrolment and learning. To enable this, an enabling ecosystem should be developed which attracts students, teachers who have a passion for their chosen vocation, pedagogy that transitions from routine learning to conceptual methods that can keep both teachers and students engaged and engrossed. The challenge of improving the quality of teaching by training teachers and supporting them with modern teaching aids, tools and methodologies need to be taken up with creating self-inspired ‘Gurus’.

How is the curriculum designed at your institution? What are the special features that make IIHMR different from other universities?

We try to make classes more interactive in nature which is a healthy mix of formal lectures, case studies, presentations and lots of experiential workshops. The teaching methodology is supplemented with lectures and sessions from industry experts. Apart from this, we have introduced practicum which

What are your future endeavours in shaping the future course of the University?

We at IIHMR have been striving to achieve optimal education, creating a formidable framework for healthcare. IIHMR University is arming its students with the right kind of tools to create a positive interference in serving the public. To enhance this, we intend to expand our scope to multidisciplinary factions, aiming for global expansion.

IIHMR-U has recently launched ‘Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship’ (CIIE) on 26 September,

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2019. CIIE aims to promote entrepreneurship and innovation using a 360-degree approach to enable start-ups. The focus is on producing venture ready workforce and transforming Job seekers to job creators. .

UNIVERSITY PERSPECTIVE

is followed one day in a week where we conduct field visits, guest lectures, quiz sessions and case studies leading to a highquality educational offering. This was introduced to develop ‘rigor and relevance’ in their ongoing Modules.

IIHMR University is South Asian region’s premier knowledge institution specialising in research, postgraduate education and training exclusively in the healthcare Sector. The University offers MBA in Hospital and Health Management, Pharmaceutical Management and in Rural Management. It also offers master’s in public health (MPH) programme, in cooperation with John Hopkins University, USA. Apart from this, the institution also runs doctoral programs, executive education, research and consultancy in a variety of fields related to the health care sector.

Over the past decades the institution has conducted more than 800 research projects and studies in health policies and programs at the national and international levels. Our vision is to make a visible impact on improvement of health services management, produce world-class research output and emerge as the one of the leading academic centres of excellence in the Asian region.

IIHMR University here has been ranked first amongst the cleanest higher educational institutions in India in the Swachh Campus rankings 2019. What were the initiatives taken to be one of the cleanest universities?

IIHMR University has been ranked first amongst the cleanest higher educational institutions in India in the non-residential universities category in the Swachh Campus Rankings 2019 organized by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Govt. of India. We are elated and proud to receive the award for being the cleanest university in India. cleanliness is one of the most important goal of real education and we must adopt it. The basic aim of education must be to make a complete human being. Our University is a green-clean institution that also promotes a culture of cleanliness, health, sanitation, waste management, rainwater harvesting, solar power, and a green eco system. The University is committed to the cause of environment conservation.

Recently, we also declared our campus ‘plastic and smoke-free’.

Our students, faculty and staff have played a very important role in this regard and we are very proud of the team. The use of plastic is detrimental to the environment and human body. Keeping this in view the university has taken an important decision to ban plastic in the university. Henceforth single-use plastic items like bottles, cups, glasses and other items, polythene bags and plastic items have been banned. Our University fared well with all the parameters of Swacchta Ranking and here we are!

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ADVERTORIAL

ENGINEERING PROJECTS (INDIA) LIMITED (A GOVT. OF INDIA ENTERPRISE)

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ngineering Projects (India) Limited (EPI), a Central PSU, under the administrative control of the Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Govt. of India is a cohesive body of professionals, having vast experience of undertaking multidisciplinary projects & infrastructure development projects on turnkey basis i.e. from concept to commissioning in India & overseas. EPI was incorporated in the year 1970 for execution of high technology projects in the sectors like industrial, process plants, material handling and electrical projects etc. EPI is a ‘Mini Ratna’ company and possess following certifications: • ISO 9001:2015 • ISO 14001:2015 • OHSAS 18001:2007 • ISO 27001:2013.

Today, it is ranked as the frontrunner Prime Contracting and Project Management Consultancy Company and has extended its mark of excellence not only in India, but in the overseas market as well. EPI has secured and executed many multidisciplinary projects

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in India & abroad. EPI’s country wide operations are taken care of by its Corporate Office at New Delhi and its five regional offices (RO) at NewDelhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata& Guwahati. Each of these offices functions as a separate profit center, with ample decentralization of executive and decision-making powers at the RO level itself.

The following are the objectives of EPI: • Focus and Maintain business in its most profitable segments while expanding into new business segments.

• Attract and retain the best people and known as the place where the Bestengineers choose to be.

• Deliver exceptional client service with an unrelenting focus on value creation.

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• To continuously upgrade and adopt all technological advancements to meet the growing needs of customers.

• To enhance competitive spirit of the organization through

principles of continuous learning and empower to perform.

To stride on the path of growth by adding every possible • value to our service in pursuit of long term relations with all our clients.

EPI has a fairly diverse portfolio of services in a wide range of section, but major portion of profit comes from civil construction projects. With constant thrust on growth, EPI continues to explore diversified frontiers. It is also expanding its overseas footprints.

The acquisition of infrastructure projects in Oman, Myanmar and Sri Lanka validates EPI’s focus on exploring new geographical and technological frontiers even further.

renowned experienced associates. Presently, EPI is making efforts to diversify in following areas as well: Urban Transportation (MRTS).

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As a prime Consultancy & Contracting Company, EPI has proven its expertise and experience in virtually every sector. The range of services provided includes: Perimeter Security Solutions • Feasibility Studies • • Detailed Project Reports Supply of Plant & Equipment • • Quality Assurance • Civil & Structural Works Erection, Trial Run and Commissioning • Training of Supervisors & Operators • Operation & Maintenance • Overall Project Management • In light of the changing market place, EPI is exploring possibilities to enter into tie ups in project execution with

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Keeping in view the various Government of India initiatives/ policies such as Ease of doing business, relaxation in FDI norms, Make in India etc., EPI has entered/is entering into MOUs with various suitable entities for securing works in infrastructure development sector.

To secure business, EPIL constantly scans the opportunities across various geographies such as Maldives, Malaysia, Qatar, Bangladesh, Kuwait, Nepal, KSA and African Countries as part of its international expansion.

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TOP

-SCHOOLS OF INDIA digitalLEARNING Magazine is going to unveil the special edition ‘India’s Top B-School Ranking 2019’ in December with aim to highlight the best B-Schools among the most aspired and reputed.

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