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New Delhi:
Public confidence in the value of educational degrees is
diminishing, which the 12th five-year plan hopes to restore by
improving quality of education and professional development of
teachers, said Pawan Agarwal, adviser (education), Planning
Commission, Friday.
Agarwal made the observations while delivering the keynote address
on the second and last day of an education summit, organised at
India International Centre here by the Education Promotion Society
for India (EPSI), an apex body of over 500 higher education
institutions.
The Planning Commission advocates setting up community colleges
that will deliver short-cycle, low-cost skills to 2.5 million
learners at their doorsteps, said Agarwal, who has authored books
on higher education.
In the backdrop of hundreds of business schools closing down in
the last 24 months, Amit Agnihotri, chairman, MBAUniverse.com,
which conducted a survey on education in India, advocated a strong
focus on learning outcomes, corporate engagement, credible
marketing and brand-building as prescriptions for success.
At a session on technology, B.N. Jain, vice chancellor, Birla
Institute of Technology and Sciences in Pilani in Rajasthan,
shared how their institution created a networked campus by
deploying technology, said an EPSI statement.
They relied on BITSAT for online testing of 132,000 prospective
students, hiring 200 faculty members from 3,000 applications
without moving a single paper, satisfaction surveys on the
performance of faculty, administrative staff and students
electronically, a strong internet backbone that enables email,
student administration, performance management and certification.
M.J. Xavier, director, Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-
Ranchi, illustrated how previously delivered faculty lectures were
available digitally as students' prior preparation exercise,
enabling both the teacher and the taught to focus on enquiry,
discussion and debate.
Students no longer need to be physically present in the class as
using technology, they could be attending them digitally, he said.
In a session on leadership success 'sutras', Indira Parikh, former
professor, IIM-Ahmedabad, enumerated how a creative ambience,
strong focus on student discipline and non-interference by the
promoter-owners in the academic processes have helped institutions
such as FLAME (Foundation for Liberal and Management Education) in
Pune to succeed.
D.N.V. Kumara Guru, director, external relations, Indian School of
Business, said the key success factors for a new business
institution lie in building good infrastructure, creating right
alliances and partnerships and a clear focus on learning outcomes.
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