SUMMIT 2014 ~ Sessions

Break-out Sessions on Education at India-US Technology Summit

Tech-Tonic 1: Roundtable on Innovation and Excellence in Education (Track K-12)

The discussion focussed on some of the best practices at K-12 level which are sustainable and can be emulated by everybody. UNESCO’s 21st century framework and how government, private sector and industry can collaborate to create models of excellence for schools which are sustainable and scalable, the importance of assessment in teaching and learning, holistic development and building leadership qualities in children and dynamics of peer-assisted learning was also discussed.

Tech-Tonic 2: Class Room of the Future -- Flipped Learning (Track K-12)

This was a hands-on practical session where participants were able to see the actual interface with latest technology which is capable of transforming the class-rooms and making education and learning more user-centric.

Tech-Tonic 3: Using Technology for Excellence and Improved Learning (Track Higher Education)

Technology is the only answer in some areas of capacity building such as upgradation of teaching resources, providing supplementary support for better absorption of lessons, creating networks for sharing of knowledge and eliminating boundaries and distances in access to good quality resources, tools and services which aid and abet learning. This session discussed how collaboration between universities, industry and government can lead to excellence and innovation in higher education.

Tech-Tonic 4: Technology-Enabled Innovations in Teaching and Learning (Track Higher Education)

This was a hands-on practical session where participants were able to see the actual interface with latest technology which is capable of transforming the way students learn and absorb information and knowledge.

Tech-Tonic 5: Innovation, Employability and Entrepreneurship in Education (Track Vocational Education)

This session discussed the ways in which skill building efforts and vocational education can be made more relevant for future challenges and opportunities. There is a need to address societal issues, aspirational issues and making vocational education the desirable path for those who choose to opt out of the formal education system at an early stage. This session discussed some of the ways in which these issues can be tackled.

Tech-Tonic 6: Developing Digital India (Track Vocational Education)

Technology is now being deployed in more ways than could have been thought of till very recently. This is especially useful in building the backbone of a skilled India which needs to service not just the billion plus population of India but the 7 billion plus population of the entire world. This session looked at ways in which other countries are using technology for skill building efforts.

Conference Themes 2014

Session 1: India’s New Education Policy: Industry’s Expectations

Formulated in 1968, India’s new education policy has undergone several changes over the years, the last having been made in 2005. While the basic ethos of learning and pedagogy will remain unchanged forever, the policy always needs to be in sync with the times. And 10 years is a long enough time to warrant amendments which make the education policy more responsive to the needs and requirements of today’s time and generation. Industry is today much more integral to the entire ecosystem of human resource development than it ever was earlier. It needs to collaborate much more closely with institutes of higher learning, right from suggesting suitable changes in the curriculum to updating the knowledge base of faculty and sharing its research problems with them. It is only when the two sides will work together in a seamless fashion that fruits of collaboration will begin to emerge and benefit all segments of society. This session looked at some of industry’s key expectations from the government on the new education policy.

Session 2: Status of Higher Education in States and Union Territories of India

Coinciding with the launch of the National Higher Education Mission or the Rashtriya Uchchtar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, CII has been bringing out a report called the Annual Status of Higher Education in States and Union Territories of India or ASHE. The launch of this report every year is also an occasion for higher education secretaries of all state governments to converge in Delhi and discuss the relevant developments in their states.

Session 3: Community Colleges: The New Paradigm for Skilling India

Indian higher education system is characterized by three types of institutes – universities, stand-alone colleges, polytechnics. All three require basic minimum qualification for entry. This unfortunately leaves out a large percentage of those who drop out of the system after completing only the first few years of their education. A large part of learning also happens outside the formal system but there is no provision to recognize or certify it. To address this problem and to improve the skill level of those who are unable to either gain access to formal system of education or have had to drop out of it at some point, the government of India has decided to aggressively promote the community college system which is prevalent in the West and has shown good results. This session brought heads of community colleges from select institutes from across the world with proven expertise in this field and enable interaction with those from the Indian side who are interested in this model.

Session 4: University–Industry Collaborations for Improving Entrepreneurship through Innovation

The cumulative strength of post-secondary students in India is approximately 14 million. With the third largest higher education systems in the world, India adds roughly 2 million students every year to its 600+ universities and over 45,000 colleges. This large-scale influx of potential job seekers in the market every year adds to the ones already present and increases pressure on the system. Since the absorption capacity of industry does not increase at a commensurate pace every year, it is essential that more and more students become job creators rather than job seekers. Instilling entrepreneurship in students is therefore is not only desirable but imperative and indispensable. Collaboration between industry and institutes is also essential to improve the productivity of the economy and increase the gross domestic product of the country.

Session 5: Global Partnerships in Indian Context

“Come, Make in India” is the hot new mantra of India Inc and a facilitator for that is the higher education system. It is our institutes of higher learning which are going to provide the right kind of manpower to build the confidence of global community in our human resource capability and for us to become the global hubs of manufacturing and R&D. Though foreign universities have for long been present in India in some form or the other, the need now is for their larger presence in bigger form. Is the regulatory environment conducive for that? Will global universities bring dedicated faculty for their Indian operations? Or will it mean a flight of faculty from already beleaguered and short-staffed Indian universities? Can India become a global hub for higher education? Does it have what it takes to become a sought-after destination for the global student community? This session explored some of these key issues on globalization and internationalization of Indian higher education. The first edition of the joint report brought out by CII along with the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) on Trends in Internationalisation of Higher Education in India was also released in this session. There was also signing of MoUs between CII and two international organisations.

Session 6: Research Partnerships between Industry & Institutes

Despite various government incentives to private sector to increase investment in R&D, there has not been a marked improvement in the scenario. Part of the problem is the dearth of high quality human resource in research. To attract top notch students in PhD programmes, the government and CII instituted the Prime Minister’s Fellowship Scheme for Doctoral Research in 2012. In a short span of time this scheme has created a tremendous pull from both industry and academia. This session explored ways to increase research partnerships between industry and institutes through similar schemes.

Publications

1. Third Edition of AICTE-CII Survey Report 2014
2. Third Edition of ASHE Report -- Annual Status of Higher Education in States and Union Territories of India 2014
3. First Edition of CII-AIU Report on Trends in Internationalisation of Higher Education in India
4. First Edition of CII Directory of Top Industry-Linked Technical Institutes 2014
A national publication featuring the results of the AICTE-CII Survey got published. CII promoted this publication both in India and overseas. This report also carried the profiles of companies which have strong collaborations with institutes and are leaders in industry-institute linkages in India, with case studies. The profiles of Award Sponsors was also published in this report.