EDU - TECH by 9dot9 in

SPINE

VOLUME 01

ISSUE 01

Rs.150

EDU

A 9.9 MEDIA PUBLICATION NOVEMBER 2009 WWW.EDU-LEADERS.COM

FOR

LEADERS

HIGHER

EDUC ATION

FOR LEADERS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

DEMOLITION MEN VOLUME 01 | ISSUE 01 Edu_cover_nov09.indd 1

CAN THEY RESURRECT HIGHER EDUCATION? ADMINISTRATION:

FACULTY FAMINE SHAKES THE FOUNDATIONS OF ACADEMIA P42

Yash Pal & Sam Pitroda unveil a radical vision for the future P62

PROFILE:

PRITAM SINGH

“GANDHI IS MY SOLUTION” P56

TECHNOLOGY:

IT SECURITY IN CAMPUSES IS A

NECESSITY P50

10/30/2009 2:50:41 PM

Edu TEch November 2009

November 2009 Edu TEch

CONTENTS EDU NOVEMBER 2009 VOLUME 01 | ISSUE 01

UPDATES 06 06 07 07 08 08 09 09 10 09

COLLABORATION AT A GLANCE POLICY RANKINGS GOVERNMENT MONEY TECHNOLOGY VOICES TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY

VIEWPOINTS

11 RISHIKESHA T. KRISHNAN Some aspects of the US higher education system are worth emulating

13 DHEERAJ SANGHI Curriculum designed for excellence should focus on learning “how to learn” 54 SANDEEP SRIVASTAVA Technology could solve infrastructure issues in educational institutions

PROFILE

56 PRITAM SINGH He chose influence over power, and got both By Aman Singh & Smita Polite

Whenever I am faced with a dilemma I go back to Gandhi and imagine what he would have done”

ACADEMICS

30 EXECUTIVE EDUCATION Corporate India queues up at business schools, making short term courses a big hit By Smita Tripathi & Parul Gupta

24 SHAKEN ‘N’ STIRRED Radical proposals to revamp the education system are shaking the edifices of higher education. Are we ready for the change? By Navneet Anand brand needs well planned strategies and an approach that is different from marketing shampoo or telecom services By Supriya Kurane

ADMINISTRATION

42 FACULTY Scarcity of qualified teachers could put paid India’s dreams of becoming a knowledge powerhouse By Chitra Narayanan

CASE STUDY

48 NETWORKING Presidency College embarks on a journey to remodel its information infrastructure for the next decade

TECHNOLOGY

STRATEGY

36 MARKETING Building an education

COVER STORY

50 SECURITY Campuses need to be more aware of the challenges and threats to their networks and other soft infrastructure By Nupur Chaturvedi

EDU TECH November 2009

Content_NEW+Colopone-01.indd 2

10/29/2009 7:45:07 PM

FOR LEADERS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

DIALOGUE

Yash Pal believes that the idea of true education can be resurrected in India By Aman Singh

Sam Pitroda says that the new models in education that the world needs, will emerge from India By Aman Singh

16 THE CURIOUS GENIUS

20 WIZARD OF CHANGE

TIMEOUT

ADVERTISER INDEX

58 BOOKS Review: n The Marketplace of Ideas Classic Thinking: n Education and the Social Order 59 PRODUCTS n Logitech Professional n Smart Board 685ix

MICROSOFT SAMSUNG

IFC & 1

CANON

CYBEROAM

EPSON

IBC

TULIP

This index is provided as an additional service.The publisher does not assume any liabilities for errors or omissions.

PERSPECTIVE

60 RAKESH MOHAN For true progress, education must be improved at all levels

COVER FLAP

VOLUMN 01

ISSUE 01

Rs.50

YASH PAL & SAM PITRODA talk about why they believe that the current edifices of higher education need to be demolished.

DEMOLITION MEN CAN THEY RESURRECT HIGHER EDUCATION? FACULTY FAMINE HAS

SEPTEMBER 2009 EDUTECH-INDIA.IN

A 9.9 Media Publication

SHAKEN THE FOUNDATION OF

ACADEMIA P62

The great indian education revolution has taken off. P62

PROFILE:

PRITAM SINGH

“GANDHI IS MY SOLUTION” P62

TECHNOLOGY:

IT SECURITY IN CAMPUSES IS A

NECESSITY P62

MANAGING DIRECTOR: Dr. Pramath Raj Sinha PUBLISHING DIRECTOR: Vikas Gupta PRINTER & PUBLISHER: Kanak Ghosh GROUP EDITOR: R Giridhar CONSULTING EDITOR: Aman Singh ASSISTANT EDITOR: Smita Polite EDITORIAL ADVISOR: Dr R.K. Suri INTERNATIONAL CONTRIBUTOR: Vinita Belani DESIGN SR. CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Jayan K Narayanan ART DIRECTOR: Binesh Sreedharan ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR: Anil VK MANAGER DESIGN: Chander Shekhar SR. VISUALISERS: PC Anoop, Santosh Kushwaha SR. DESIGNERS: TR Prasanth & Anil T SALES & MARKETING VP SALES & MARKETING: Naveen Chand Singh BRAND MANAGER: Siddhant Raizada NATIONAL MANAGER-EVENTS & SPECIAL PROJECTS: Mahantesh Godi NATIONAL MANAGER ONLINE: Nitin Walia ( 09811772466) ASSISTANT BRAND MANAGER: Arpita Ganguli CO-ORDINATOR AD SALES, MIS, SCHEDULING: Aatish Mohite GM SOUTH: Vinodh Kaliappan(09740714817) GM NORTH: Pranav Saran(09312685289) GM WEST: Sachin N Mhashilkar(09920348755) BRAND COMMUNICATION CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Kabir Malkani SR. VISUALISER: Thomas Varghese DESIGN HEAD: Jayant Varade SR. DESIGNER: Nilanjan Ghosh GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: Subodh Dalvi, Raj Vora PRODUCTION & LOGISTICS SR. GM OPERATIONS: Shivshankar M Hiremath PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE: Vilas Mhatre LOGISTICS: MP Singh, Mohamed Ansari, Shashi Shekhar Singh OFFICE ADDRESS Nine Dot Nine Interactive Pvt Ltd C/o K.P.T House, Plot 41/13, Sector-30, Vashi, Navi Mumbai-400703, India

Cover Art: DESIGN: BINESH SREEDHARAN PHOTO: DR LOHIA

Printed and published by Kanak Ghosh for Nine Dot Nine Interactive Pvt Ltd C/o K.P.T House, Plot 41/13, Sector-30, Vashi, Navi Mumbai-400703, India EDITOR: Anuradha Das Mathur C/o K.P.T House, Plot 41/13, Sector-30, Vashi, Navi Mumbai-400703, India Printed at Silverpoint Press Pvt. Ltd. D 107,TTC Industrial Area, Nerul.Navi Mumbai 400 706 COPYRIGHT, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED : Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from Nine Dot Nine Interactive Pvt. Ltd is prohibited.

Please recycle this magazine and remove inserts before recycling

November 2009 EDU TECH

Content_NEW+Colopone-01.indd 3

10/29/2009 7:45:25 PM

FOREWORD Making a NEWBEGINNING

“WE WANT TO CHRONICLE THE STORIES AND PERSONAL JOURNEYS OF THOSE WHO CREATE BUILD AND RUN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN INDIA”

s we stand on the threshold of an exciting new era in Indian higher education, 9.9 Media is privileged to present our new offering, EDU. The first magazine of its kind in India, EDU is for you and about you— the leaders of higher education and the architects of its future. EDU will focus on three areas. First, we will highlight and discuss the opportunities and challenges of building higher education institutions in India. We will cover a whole gamut of issues from regulation to technology, from branding to quality, from faculty to research and infrastructure. We will be guided by the views of both practitioners and experts, and our in-house editorial team. Second, we will connect theory to practice by showcasing the transformation of old institutions of higher learning and the setting up of new ones. We will write about institutions that are making a difference and setting new benchmarks for higher education in India. Finally, and most significantly, we will write about you, the leaders of higher education in India. We want to chronicle the stories and personal journeys of those who create, build and run institutions of higher education in India. Through these stories, we hope to inspire others to contribute to an area that has emerged as one of the critical priorities for our nation’s future. In our first issue, we set the stage with interviews of two statesmen who may go down in history as the men who transformed India’s higher education. Professor Yash Pal, as head of the Yash Pal Committee, and Sam Pitroda, as Chairman of the Knowledge Commission, make no bones about the fact that we need radical transformation. We are struck by how remarkably aligned their bold visions for the future are. They both believe that the current system does not work and needs to be dismantled. But more importantly, they both assert that today’s world-class is not good enough. They both believe we have an unprecedented opportunity to create exciting new models for higher education not just for India, but the world. And, that is what we must aspire for. We hope you will join us in driving this exciting aspiration for Indian higher education. Every new beginning needs a lot of support to keep it going. We hope we have yours—treat us like your own, tell us how we can serve you better, and let your friends know about us!

Dr Pramath Raj Sinha editor@edu-leaders.com

EDU TECH November 2009

Editorial_NEW.indd 4

10/29/2009 8:22:44 PM

November 2009 Edu TEch

at a glance 07 POLICY 07 RANKINGS 08 GOVERNMENT 08 MONEY 09 TECHNOLOGY 09 VOICES 10 TECHNOLOGY 10 STRATEGY & MORE

SMART SATELLITE IIT-Kanpur, which celebrates its Golden Jubilee this year, has added another feather to its cap. The Indian Space Research Organisation will launch a nano-satellite Jugnu, made by a team of 20 students from the institute, in December 2009. The satellite, which weighs less than 10 kg and is built at a cost of Rs 25 million, will provide information related to drought, flood, agriculture and forestry.

SECOND CAREER

Left to right: Professor Pamela Gillies, Universities Scotland; Michael Russell minister for Culture, Scotland; Ashok Thakur, additional secretary, HRD Ministry and Professor Beena Shah, secretary general AIU

Collaboration

India Signs a Deal With Scotland The collaboration of associations in the two countries is set to benefit both students and teachers in higher education

HE Association of Indian Universities (AIU) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Universities Scotland to collaborate in the higher education space. The agreement will facilitate student and faculty exchanges, improve collaboration in research and development and encourage joint degree development. This is the first international MoU for Universities Scotland and the first agreement with the United Kingdom for AIU. Michael Russell, minister for culture, external affairs and the constitution, Scotland said, “With a worldclass educational system, Scotland is actively seeking to support India’s goals of significantly growing its education sector. Today’s agreement reflects that India is our number one country of interest for educational collaboration.” This MoU was facilitated by Scotland’s international development agency Scottish Development International.

UPDATE.indd 6

Soldiers of the Indian Army could now have a degree that helps them prepare for a variety of second careers, thanks to an MoU signed between The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and the Indian Army. Under the Gyan Deep project, the ArmyIGNOU Community Colleges will function as autonomous bodies conducting courses and examinations. Credits from such approved courses will be transferred to the programme and will count towards the desired credits to be earned for an associate degree.

ANCIENT GETS MODERN Sanskrit on the Net anyone? In a move to revive the language, a new e-tutorial project for learning Sanskrit online will allow anyone to log on to the Internet and learn Sanskrit. The module put together by Sanskrit teachers will allow even beginners to pick up the language through self-study, according to Sarvnarayan Jha, principal of the Lucknow campus of deemed university Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan. The project is expected to also attract international interest.

INDO-US EDUCATION MEET An Indo-American education summit is being organised on 8th, 10th and 13th November in Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore respectively. Around 35 US universities will be participating in the meet to seek collaborations with Indian institutions and organisations. According to Indus Foundation, the organiser of this meet it, it is the first such large scale summit in India.

EDU TECH November 2009

10/29/2009 7:48:17 PM

UPDATES Policy

Driving Change HRD Ministry is determined to take higher education in India to the next level by giving complete autonomy to a single regulatory body

HE Human Resource Department (HRD) ministry has proposed an amendment in the Constitution to ensure complete autonomy to the proposed National Commission for Higher Education and Research (NCHER). Once the constitutional amendment is made, “governments can come and go, but the regulator will remain free” from political, ideological and bureaucratic interference. So far, no regulator in any field has been set up through a constitutional amendment. After the amendment, a mandatory Bill will be brought in Parliament. The ministry is hopeful that the Constitutional amendment Bill will be ready in time for the winter session of Parliament. HRD Ministry officials believe that real autonomy will win the confidence of foreign universities, which want to make an entry in India. It could also give the institution heads power to

make effective decisions for the benefit of their institutes. The NCHER is constituted on the basis of recommendations of Professor Yash Pal Committee report, which in Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal’s words, “is a road map for the future of education in the country”. The 43-page report submitted to the HRD Ministry, suggested steps to renovate and rejuvenate higher education in the country, and recommended that the NCHER would subsume as many as 13 existing professional councils and regulatory agencies, including the University Grants Commission, the Medical Council of India and the All India Council for Technical Education. Knowledge Commission Chairman Sam Pitroda, has also stressed the importance of a single regulatory body to decide matters pertaining to higher education. “I think in higher education what

Rankings

America’s Loss is Asia’s Gain in University Rankings THIS YEAR , United States has lost four places while Asia has gained four in the top 200 world university rankings of the recently released Times Higher Education (THE) rankings. Though Harvard has retained its top slot, univer and US remains the leader with 54 universities in the top 200, the rankings have ruffled the higher education sector in US. Malay Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Malayadd sia have improved their showing adding one university each to the top 200. Asia’s climb in the rankings is inves being attributed to the heavy investements in education by the Asian countries. However, Asia is yet to

100

top universities in the rankings this year have new entrants Nagoya and Tohoku from Japan

Union Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal has been pushing for a new educational vision

we really need is now some kind of a higher education commission, council, regulatory authority to create level playing field,” he said. A multi-member task force is expected to be appointed by the Planning Commission soon to finalise the structure and scope of the proposed NCHER, based on the recommendations of the National Knowledge Commission and Yash Pal Committee report. The NCHER is expected to be operational in about two years.

break into the top 20 slot. University of Tokyo ranked 22nd and is the top Asian university. Japan has got 11 universities in the top 200, China six, Hongkong five, South Korea four, and Singapore and India two each. Malaysia has Universiti Malaya at 180th place. India’s IIT Bombay stood at 163rd and IIT Delhi at 181st spot. Meanwhile UK retained its 29 places in the top 200 with Cambridge at No.2. The rankings were done by THE in collaboration with QS global career and education network. According to THE, America’s economic problems might make it slip further in subsequent rankings. To view the rankings go t o h t t p : / / w w w. timeshighereducation.co.uk/Rankings2009Top200.html

GLOBAL UPDATE

27%

of the top 200 universities in the global rankings this year are located in the United States November 2009 EDU TECH

UPDATE.indd 7

10/29/2009 7:48:19 PM

UPDATES Government

Ready to Take on the World with Innovation Higher education could soon witness a change with fourteen world class universities coming up as a part of the XIth five-year plan

IGHER education could witness a significant change thanks to the Human Resource Department (HRD) Ministry’s plan for 14 innovation universities of worldclass standards. The idea was given further impetus by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Speaking at the 150th anniversary of the University of Mumbai, one of the country’s oldest universities, he said, “This expansion is going to be a landmark in expanding access to high-quality education across the country.” The establishment of these universities is a part of the XIth five-year (20072012) plan. The Prime Minister has said that the UGC and the Planning Commission have already begun work on setting up these central universities.

“These universities should focus on international standards of excellence and be rated among the top institutions in the world. They must become the launching pads for our entry into the knowledge economy,” said Singh. According to the proposal, admissions to undergraduate classes in these universities will be established through publicprivate partnership, and will meet international standards. The top 20 percent of students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels will be provided scholarships by the university. Candidates for the post of vicechancellor, for the universities, which are expected to set new standards in higher education either in academics or autonomy, will also go through a rigorous selection process.

Money

In a Volatile Market, Private Investors bet on Education Education is the hot new investment in todays volatile markets. And it is professional courses which seem to have struck the right chord VENTURE capitalists and PE investors have zeroed in on education as a viable sector to invest in. One of the first to benefit is FIITJEE, which received a whopping Rs 1 billion from venture capitalist Matrix Partners India. Career Point, has received a Rs 50o million fillip from PE player Franklin Templeton. Of the three big investments that newcomer Helix Investments has made in recent times, two have been in the education sector: eLearning education solution provider LearningMate Solutions and engineering and medical test tutor MT Educare. On the whole, venture capital investment in India has seen a downturn from $413 million investment in 67 projects in the first half of last year to $117 million in 27 projects during the six months ending June 2009. That is almost a 72 percent drop. The good news is that a survey by research firm Venture Intelligence of 90 venture capital and private equity investors in India found that 80 percent of them were interested in putting money into education. In the past four years, these firms have pumped in $300 million into more than 30 educa-

UPDATE.indd 8

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is focused on making India a knowledge powerhouse

tion-related institutions. One-fourth of that money has gone to companies in online learning services, while vocation training and tutoring/test preparation have also received a large share. Nonetheless this is not a concern-free sector. More than half of the fund managers polled for this report cite regulatory clauses as “a significant deterrent to the free flow of investments into the education industry”. These hurdles include a nonprofit requirement for certain schools and colleges, restrictions on foreign investments in higher education and a general lack of clarity on what is allowed. However, business-savvy heads of institutes are not complaining. The investment action spells good news for educational institutes that are looking at growth plans as trade pundits predict that the good run will last for another five years.

EDU TECH November 2009

10/29/2009 7:48:19 PM

UPDATES Technology

DU Makes Students Connect Online

DU has joined in on the fun at social networking sites with its very own networking website

VOICES “We know that good education is not only desirable in itself, but is also essential for the empowerment of our people. We have recently enacted the Right to Education Act. This law provides to each child of our country the right to elementary education. I WISH TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT FUNDS WILL NOT BE A CONSTRAINT AS FAR AS EDUCATION IS CONCERNED.” —Prime Minister MANMOHAN SINGH in his Independence Day address

OCIAL networking sites are today the coolest way for people to stay in touch, make new friends and reacquaint with old ones. And Delhi University (DU) has joined in on the action with Network DU, the networking website www.networkdu.com . At first glance it looks uncannily similar to Facebook yet offers content which is vastly different and meaningful for students. Apart from blogs, music, chat and even an online shopping link, Network DU offers students information on scholarships, internships and job openings, hostel and paying guest accommodation. An added plus is that even non-DU members can join and connect with DU students. The website has had a great start with more than 2000 people registering within 4 weeks of its launch. There are over 500 DU Alumni also listed as members. While content like blogs, polls, videos and forums are freely accessible and do not need log ins, membership is required to listen to music or view profiles of other members, or connect with them. Drawing from the several instances where social networking websites have had issues with member’s privacy and content, networkdu.com has endeavored to provide a number of privacy tools for the comfort of members. Honey Arora, an alumnus of Punjab Technical University, with help of others from IIT Delhi and IIM Bangalore, started Network DU. The team felt that it was time for DU to have a networking website of its own, given the tech-savvy nature of students and the many common issues. According to Arora, in IITs and IIMs, the alumni really help their juniors in getting internships and job placements and Network DU attempts to do just that. Arora is also hoping to rope in ministers, bureaucrats and other well-placed senior professionals from DU to get on to the website. The team also plans to launch similar sites for other universities. So, for heads of institutes looking to connect with students, this could be an easy way to make a connection.

“The great challenge before the IITs is to act as a catalyst in the growth of quality technical education in the country. THIS IS NOT ONLY NECESSARY FOR THE ECONOMIC GROWTH OF THE COUNTRY, BUT ALSO FOR THE IITS to make the transition as creators of knowledge.” —Union Human Resources Development Minister KAPIL SIBAL

“We will focus on the panchsheel (five principles) of technical education: research and innovation, world-class curriculum, integration of science and engineering, networking DTU with select world-class universities, and research-driven innovations relevant to industry. WE WANT SEAMLESS INTEGRATION OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AS ENGINEERING THRIVES ON THE POWER OF SCIENCE.” —P.B. SHARMA, the first vice chancellor of Delhi Technological University, formerly The Delhi College of Engineering

November 2009 EDU TECH

UPDATE.indd 9

10/29/2009 7:48:22 PM

UPDATES Technology

Sharda University Cuts Paperwork The smart card system at the institution will make life simpler for students

HARDA University, Greater Noida recently launched a smart card for its students. This card will not only simplify life for students, but also put less stress on resources and reduce paperwork. Just one card will be used as identity, banking, library, lab, health, mess, fees, academic record, sports, internet, attendance and examination entrance card. “We aim to provide world-class academic facilities to the students. So far students had to use different cards for different facilities. Now the smart card will save the students’ time and energy. Also there will be less chances of mistake or confusion on administrative level by using just one card for all the purposes,” said the Vice Chancellor R.P. Singh. Biometric technology will be used to identify students and a centralised system on the campus will provide unique identification to every student. The university is spread over 63 acres and is known for using technology effectively to strengthen its infrastructure. Students

Students at Sharda University campus at Greater Noida are now using one card for multiple applications

on the campus can access notes and curriculum online. The research and technology development centre at Sharda University also gained an ISO 9001:2008 certification, a quality management standard for its efforts to maintain quality.

Strategy

US Keen to Collaborate with Indian Educational Institutions Even before the Foreign Education Providers Bill becomes a reality, international players are lining up to collaborate with India THE United States Under Secretary of State William Burns on his trip to India in October paid a rare visit to the minister for human resource development Kapil Sibal, to express his keen interest in setting up an India-US Education Council. The proposed council will include people from industry and academia and will collaborate on areas like distance education, research, vocational education, faculty exchange, skill development, private public partnership and setting up of new universities. Kapil Sibal is expected to advance the concept during his visit to the US. Sibal is travelling with a delegation that includes representatives from the industry as well as universities. They will be meeting American policymakers as well as academicians at universities like Harvard, Yale and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is visiting the US in November, and education is expected to be an agenda on his visit as well.

UPDATE.indd 10

From one institution with 160 students, Sharda Group of Institutions has grown over last 14 years to 14 colleges in 4 campuses with 15,000 students. It has also got a state university status from the UP government earlier this year.

“There are many private players and US universities that are keen on investing in India and there are a lot of people here who are keen on collaborating with the US,” said Sibal. Burns said that the universities in America are keen to enter India and want the roadmap for their entry into the country to be expedited. He also conveyed that American universities would be interested in getting involved with the proposed 14 innovation universities in India. India’s higher education system is one of the biggest in the world with around 13 million students and 150,000 teachers. With the Foreign Education Providers Bill on the anvil many foreign players are trying to forge agreements with India’s higher education institutes.

EDU TECH November 2009

10/29/2009 7:48:25 PM

Rishikesha T. Krishnan

VIEWPOINT

Restructuring Higher Education

he architect of modern India, Jawaharlal Nehru, envisioned higher education as one of the change drivers for a newly independent India. Many thought that he had got his priorities wrong. In hindsight, it is apparent that he got it right, but successive governments have let the country down. They have failed to create a higher education system that would help India take advantage of its demographic dividend. If India is to provide meaningful employment opportunities to its youth, there is no doubt that it needs a better educated population. Rather than produce unemployable graduates, we need people with marketable skills. We could benefit from analysing and adapting some features of the American higher education system.

Structural Rigidity One of our biggest problems is the concept of rigid, impermeable silos. Once a student takes up a degree programme, she can rarely leave or change midway if her interests or economic circumstances change. If she does, she has to start from scratch. Things are equally inflexible for the experienced learner — while she can join an Open University or Distance learning programme, she cannot easily change programmes or move from one type of programme to another.

This system runs on a scarcity mindset. You desperately seek admission to a programme with good “prospects” (irrespective of whether it matches your interests or expertise), and then grit your teeth through the programme even if you made the wrong choice. Another silo is between the subjects traditionally deemed worthy of study (engineering, science, humanities) and courses that have practical applications. While the typical entry point into vocational courses is after class 10, few such courses provide a path to the university or formal education system.

The Community Way The concept of community colleges in America is a feature that should be of interest to Indian higher education policy-makers as they try to make up for lost time. Community colleges offer 2-year degrees leading to the title of “Associate”. The credits from these 2-year degrees can be transferred to another institution to earn regular 4-year degrees. The associate degrees are often in vocational subjects such as commercial photography, commercial food service management, and emergency paramedic skills. Community colleges are largely publicly funded local entities. They welcome all post-secondary students, instead of “selecting” new entrants as regular universities are known to do. They are, November 2009 EDU TECH

Viewpoint_1.indd 11

10/29/2009 7:54:43 PM

VIEWPOINT

Rishikesha T. Krishnan

thus, very inclusive and account for almost half of American college students. In recent years, about 20 percent of those awarded regular 4-year degrees started their higher education at community colleges. The 1195 community colleges across the US are attended by 6.5 million students pursuing degrees, and another 5 million attend on a non-credit basis. Community colleges are also cost effective and spend only 21 percent of what is spent by regular colleges and universities.

Accreditation Brings Flexibility Absence of a credit system across Indian higher education is not the only impediment to making education more flexible. Many universities and institutions now have credit systems; the problem is also the lack of willingness of institutions to see migration and transfer as legitimate activities. The contrast with the US system is stark. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee in the last US election, attended five different universities before receiving her bachelors degree! Transferability of credits, is at the heart of the flexibility in the American system. Colleges and

that hold the system together allowing students mobility and the opportunity to pursue their interests without hindrance. Other important elements of the American system are a political commitment to higher education, zealous attempts to protect academic freedom, efforts by the universities to gain and protect legitimacy, the tenure system, competition for faculty and students, and the high fees that universities are able to command (that helps them to be economically self-sufficient).

The Formula for Excellence America has universities that have different objectives. A top research university is very different from a community college that offers vocational degrees. This segmentation has helped different universities focus on what they can do best, and avoids confusion of objectives. The research universities have benefited from the competitive funding for research projects offered by the US National Science Foundation and the US National Institutes of Health, apart from the US Departments of Defense and Energy.

arah Palin, the US vice presidential nominee in last elections, attended five different universities before receiving her bachelors degree

universities use multiple criteria to decide whether to accept the transfer of credits from another college, and accreditation is a major criteria. Accreditation is undertaken by non-governmental, non-profit bodies which are themselves affiliated to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). According to the president of the CHEA, accreditation is a â&#x20AC;&#x153;trust-based, standards-based, evidence-based, judgement-based, peer-basedâ&#x20AC;? process. Accreditation is a pre-requisite for an institution to receive state funds either for itself or for its students. American system has a high degree of diversity in its institutions in terms of priorities (research for the top research-driven universities; accessibility and quality for the state schools; quick job-oriented programmes for community colleges) and ownership (local government, state government, non-profit trusts, private corporations). Accreditation and transferability of credits form the glue

US universities attract the best faculty from all over the world thanks to the environment, resources, and performance-based promotion systems. In contrast European universities have tended to be more bureaucratic, seniority-based, and have had more State involvement.

Lessons for India What are the immediate lessons we can draw from the American system of higher education? Overall, we need to promote diversity in higher education institutions, attract the best talent to teaching and research, and foster a spirit of excellence. The best way to do this would be to introduce a more transparent system of regulation that depends not on whether you own land or building, or the number of books in your library, but on the vision, commitment and proven competence of the founders to create institutions that would make a difference.

Rishikesha T. Krishnan Dr Krishnan is a professor of Corporate Strategy at IIM Bangalore. He holds an MSc in Physics from IIT Kanpur, MS in EngineeringEconomic Systems from Stanford University, and a PhD from IIM Ahmedabad

EDU TECH November 2009

Viewpoint_1.indd 12

10/29/2009 7:54:43 PM

Dheeraj Sanghi

VIEWPOINT

Curriculum Design for Excellence

very university has to design a curriculum for each academic programme that it offers. First a group of experts in that field is created. Then a curriculum workshop is held, whose recommendations are sent to a “Board of Studies.” Everyone has ideas on what needs to be added to the curriculum, and no one knows what can be cut.

This has led to a situation where it is common to have seven courses, besides labs, in any given semester. This does not help students,universities or the industry. Students have no time to grasp the material, or to be creative. They resort to memorising answers of previous years’ question papers.

Fewer is Better When it comes to a curriculum designed for excellence, “Small is beautiful” is the mantra. The best universities (like MIT of USA) have only 32-35 courses as the graduation requirement for a typical 4-year under-graduate programme (with about 40 lectures per course). The IITs have about 40-45 courses. NITs have about 45-50 courses, and most affiliating universities have more than 50 courses. Having fewer courses allows students the freedom to do self-study, creative projects, and research while attending lectures. Yes, a few students will while away their time, but the curriculum designed for excellence should ignore those who have no motivation for the programme they are pursuing. I strongly recommend that there be no more than 40 courses in a 4-year undergraduate programme.

More Hands On

A student entering an undergraduate programme this year will retire about 50 years from now. There is no point in teaching her technologies, which will be obsolete in a few years. Undergraduate education has to prepare students for challenges that they are likely to face in their last job. So the curriculum focus has to be on learning how to learn. “Do it Yourself” components like labs, projects and research should be included and terms papers and presentations should also feature in all courses. The undergraduate education should be “broad based,” preparing students for uncertainties of the future, and enabling them to change their career. Top universities typically require 20 to 25 percent of the content in the curriculum for a science or engineering degree, to be humanities and social sciences (HSS). Unfortunately, the trend in India is towards more depth and HSS content gets reduced to just 10 percent. This 10 percent content usually consists of communication skills and management, rather than psychology, sociology, economics or philosophy.

Electives Should be Encouraged While designing curriculum for excellence, one also has to understand that students have different aspirations, career goals and interests, even when they are doing the same programme. These November 2009 EDU TECH

Viewpoint_2.indd 13

10/29/2009 7:55:58 PM

Dheeraj Sanghi

differences must be accommodated in the curriculum through “elective” courses. While most universities do have elective courses, often the number is inadequate. Also, many universities assume that the slot named “elective” in the curriculum is meant for giving them freedom in offering the course, and not giving freedom to students in choosing the course. As a result, only one course is offered in that elective slot. Having several electives in the curriculum also settles the debate of “breadth versus depth” in an undergraduate programme. A student studying engineering but planning to do management later on could use those electives for breadth, while another student planning to go for a technical career could choose more depth. For the elective content, the curriculum should offer “Flexible Credits.” It is not necessary that all courses be fixed 40-lecture courses spread throughout the semester. It should be possible for a student to replace a 40-lecture course by two 20-lecture courses, or four 10-lecture courses. Having such short courses allow greater personalisation of the degree by students. It also enables

VIEWPOINT

The traditional way in India has been to offer an “honours” degree for the best students. Some universities allow students to get two degrees in compressed time format, while some others allow students to do a “minor” programme along with the regular degree. But such programmes are uncommon outside the traditional universities, particularly in technical education.

Challenging the Best While I strongly encourage universities to have flexibility in terms of honours, double degree, and minor programmes, one needs to understand that they are directed towards imparting education in more topics, and not encouraging greater depth in any topic. Recently, I came to know about another way to challenge the best. This was to have two versions of the same course, one of them conducted at a much faster pace, involving more assignments and projects. The course could be called “special” or “honours” to distinguish it. In each programme, the best students should be able to take at least one “honours” course. In universities, where there are many sections for each course,

ndergraduate education has to prepare students for challenges that they are likely to face in their last job

universities to invite outside experts for short courses on state-of-the-art topics. There are many in the industry, who may be able to take leave for a couple of weeks, and teach a 10-lecture course. This will improve industry-academia interaction, and expose students to what is happening in the industry.

Promoting Excellence One of the common problems in universities across the world is keeping the interest of its best students alive in a programme. Typically, curriculum is designed keeping in view the average student. Weaker students are encouraged to do less courses than average, and either do extra courses in the summer term, or spend some extra time in the programme. There is nothing special for the top 10 to 15 percent of the students. It is important that the curriculum includes elements that “challenge the best” students in the class.

this is easy to implement. One of the sections could be the “honours” section and it would not require additional faculty. In smaller universities, it may be difficult to support such a programme. We also need flexibility in terms of “sequencing of courses.” A good curriculum should only suggest the graduation requirements and not specify which course should be done in which semester. A university should then announce, in which semester (first or second), each compulsory course will be offered. along with the pre-requisites of the courses. Based on this information, a student should be able to decide the sequence in which she wants to complete all the courses. Having a curriculum designed for excellence, does not require additional resources. On the contrary, having less courses, more breadth and more electives, can save precious faculty resource, particularly in the areas where faculty shortages are the most severe.

Dheeraj Sanghi Dr Sanghi is the director of Laxmi Narayan Mittal Institute of Information Technology, Jaipur. He is currently on leave from IIT Kanpur, where he is a professor of Computer Science. He is a BTech in Computer Science from IIT Kanpur, and has MS and PhD from University of Maryland, USA

EDU TECH November 2009

Viewpoint_2.indd 14

10/29/2009 7:55:58 PM

COVER STORY

DEMOLITION

MEN

CAN THEY RESURRECT HIGHER EDUCATION?

ash Pal and Sam Pitroda have led their respective committees to the same conclusion: demolish the current edifice of higher education in India. Their radical recommendations and an aggressive HRD Minister promise to finally shake up Indian higher education (see page 24). However, the controversy around the reports has drowned their bold and sweeping visions of the future of Indian education. EDU brings you a first-hand account of how these two longhaired men—an 83-year-old physicist with a child-like mind and a telecom revolutionary raring to win a new war—want to take India to the pinnacle of higher education, and change the destiny of our nation.

I N S I D E 16 Dialogue

YASH PAL

20 Dialogue

SAM PITRODA 24 Cover Story

SHAKEN ‘N’ STIRRED November 2009 EDU TECH

False Cover.indd 15

10/29/2009 7:58:06 PM

YASH PAL BORN: 26th November, 1926 MSc Physics from Punjab University PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) AREA OF WORK: Cosmic Rays, High Energy Physics, Astrophysics, Science Education, Space Technology, Communication Development, and Education

EDU TECH November 2009

Dialogue-Yashpal.indd 16

10/29/2009 8:01:07 PM

Dialogue

COVER STORY

Curious The

GENIUS He is unhappy with the way universities are being run in the country, and has made radical recommendations to the government to rid higher education of archaic curricula, poor management and corruption. In a conversation with EDU Professor Yash Pal outlines his vision of real education BY AMAN SINGH IMAGING ANIL T

recommendation on how to restructure and realign the UGC and other regulatory bodies – maybe add a few people and modify a few functions. In my opinion, that would have been rather trivial. I believed that there was something more fundamental that needed to be explored and presented about the state of higher education in India and universities in particular. With some support from other team members we requested for a change in the agenda and termed it the “renovation and rejuvenation of higher education in India”. This change allowed for a more liberal scope of work. Now we could explore the more fundamental aspects of higher education. November 2009 EDU TECH

Dialogue-Yashpal.indd 17

DR LOHIA

EDU: Can you confirm the widely held view that you influenced a change in the original agenda of the committee? Yash Pal: If we went by the original agenda, we would have probably made a

10/29/2009 8:01:16 PM

COVER STORY Dialogue What is your view of the prevailing system of education in universities? The idea of education in the true sense has been completely demolished in universities. The sense of enquiry among students has become stunted, permanently. A university should be full of curious people. It should have an environment where students and teachers are free to wander, interact and figure out what they want to learn. Students and teachers should be connected to the world at large where new things happen every day besides being connected to other disciplines within the university. Students should not be restricted by their so called areas of specialisation. An integrated curriculum should have passages between disciplines so that it is easy to go from one to the other. Every classroom session, irrespective of the level, should be a new experience – something that the teachers or students have never thought about before. If you create a university like that, then it cannot be controlled. The students should be free to choose their combination of subjects. If teachers want to cross over subjects, they should be allowed to do so. It is only in such an ambience that new things will emerge. The only guiding principle that should be adhered to is that the universities should be true to human rights, constitution and freedom.

What has led to the present models of higher education? I think it started with the industrial age. Globally, there emerged a new kind of requirement for workforce, which could be customised to the needs of the factory system. The first place they came looking for was the university. Gradually the idea of a university as a knowledge creation centre started taking backseat. It became more like a breeding ground for a particular type of student. The focus started to shift from science and humanities to professional courses. In India, as we positioned ourselves as a centre of low cost manpower, we began to discount the relevance of deeper areas of knowledge. The universities started to modify their curriculum to suit this mas-

sive requirement of technical manpower. It came at the cost of a debilitating shift in what an institution of higher learning should stand for. The problem was further aggravated by poor funding, which could not keep pace with the requirements. In fact, there were times when it was being debated whether higher education is an economic good. This led to a gradual decline and universities became mere certifying agencies. Professional colleges started mushrooming in a stand-alone format and students flocked to them as the demand for “workers” swelled. The other problem lies in the fact that our academic and political leadership does not aim high. When I was setting up the remote sensing centre at the Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad, someone suggested we send our engineers to train in America, which had launched the LANDSAT in 1972. So I had to ask them “where did the Ameri-

ACHIEVEMENTS HONOURS & AWARDS Kalinga prize for the popularisation of science 2009 Shiromani Award 1989 Annual Award of the Association of Space Explorers 1989 Marconi International Fellowship Award 1980 Padma Bhushan 1976

LEADERSHIP IN ACADEMIC DOMAINS Chairman of the Steering Committee for the National Curriculum Framework Jawaharlal Nehru Chair in Technology, Punjab University Chairman, University Grants Commission Secretary, Department of Science & Technology Chief Consultant, Planning Commission Distinguished Scientist, Indian Space Research Organisation Member, UN Advisory Committee on Science and Technology for Development Member UNESCO Study group on Future of Universities Chairman of the National Advisory Committee report “Learning without Burden”

cans send their people for training?” The point is that we need to believe that we can do it within the resources that we have. We just need to aim high.

What has happened to the IITs? The IITs have always had a phenomenal pool of talent — talent that could be matched only by the very best in the world. But we undermined its potential and made it an undergraduate factory for producing workers and software programmers with only a small fraction going in for further studies. We discounted the potential of these students to turn into great researchers and Nobel laureates, which could have transformed these institutions into respected knowledge creators. The IITs still have the DNA for becoming high-quality universities if the multi-disciplinary nature of its academic curriculum is strenghtened. While most IITs offer some courses in humanities, they are not taken seriously by the students because of the design of the degree requirements. Yet, several students have told me that they would prefer these subjects over the engineering ones, which they were mostly “destined” to study owing to the rank system. Imagine allowing talented students to explore different areas of learning and then you can see possibilities of the growth of a truly exemplary university that will produce new knowledge.

What is your advice to people who want to set up a university? The first step is to find high quality academics who are attracted to the idea of building the institution. The faculty should not be afraid to innovate or build a university that creates new knowledge. The university should be run by the academics. Let them decide what they want to do. A promoter should weave the institution around such teams of solid people. This model was used beautifully by Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha when he was building the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. The institution was founded mainly for research in physics and mathematics. That, however, did not stop Bhabha from inviting Obed Siddiqui, who want-

EDU TECH November 2009

Dialogue-Yashpal.indd 18

10/29/2009 8:01:16 PM

Dialogue COVER STORY

At 83 years I still feel that things can change before I say goodbye, so you can surely be hopeful ed to research in molecular biology, to help him build a separate institute for the subject. A promoter should manage the university like JRD Tata did. He should monitor the developments from a distance and never allow himself, or his family to get elected as the vice-chancellor. Otherwise, the whole initiative will soon sink into a quagmire of distrust and favouritism. A university vice-chancellor should be able to identify and nurture talent, and have an equally infectious commitment towards developing creativity. The management should try to define the goal, and not be afraid to explore and develop new opportunities. It must also ensure that the institution operates autonomously â&#x20AC;&#x201C; free of political and economic pressures.

and physical structures located in Massachusetts. Harvard is an atmosphere created by people who want to do things that have never been done before. This attitude has to be developed from within and not imposed from outside. We have to remind ourselves that there was a time when the US did not have any great universities. They would have liked to import Cambridge and Oxford and other European universities. They could not and did not. Instead they imported many first rate people from Europe and set up their own distictly different and great universities. That is what we ought to do. Get good people, Indians and foreigners, and let them slowly created something. A great university grows like a tree â&#x20AC;&#x201C; slowly, with love and care.

What do you think of foreign universities coming to India?

What is your take on the plan to set up numerous world-class universities in India?

Every university is defined by the social, cultural and economic context of its environment. You cannot transplant Harvard to India. There is a suggestion that we can get these top universities to set up a few professional colleges under their brand, to establish worldclass institutions. This idea is not wellfounded. We must first understand that Harvard or MIT are not just buildings

The common notion of world-class is that the faculty gets paid handsome salaries, have plush houses with swimming pools with kids going to fancy schools on campus. That is ridiculous. World-class universities are not pieces of furniture that you can buy and put in an empty room. It is a place where all kinds of crazy teachers and crazy gradu-

ate students and teaching assistants get together and explore. I believe that the existing IITs and IIMs are ideally positioned to become full-fledged universities. This could be followed by guiding the rest of the central and state universities into becoming proper seats of learning with support from the proposed Higher Education Commission.

The renowned universities of the world have taken long years to become what they are. Do we have the luxury of time? These things do not take as much time as you make it out to be. Things start emerging very quickly once the atmosphere changes. At 83 years I still feel that things can change before I say goodbye, so you can surely be hopeful.

What is your view on the implementation of the changes that you have proposed? I would like to make it clear that there cannot be a piecemeal approach to this thing. There has to be integrity of implementation of the full scope of the proposed changes. We have to sit down and create a taskforce that can implement it on the ground. The implementation of a mix of various proposals or even a limited portion of the plan could be futile. November 2009 EDU TECH

Dialogue-Yashpal.indd 19

10/29/2009 8:01:26 PM

COVER STORY

Dialogue

Wizard of

CHANGE After leading the telecom revolution in India, Dr Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda, better known as Sam Pitroda, has paved the way for an education revolution as chairman of the Knowledge Commission. In a conversation with EDU he talks about how the world needs new models of education BY AMAN SINGH IMAGING ANIL T

BY DR LOHIA

EDU: Tell us about your experience in developing the Knowledge Commission report. Sam Pitroda: When I decided to take over the Knowledge Commission work, my

wife asked me â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why are you doing this? You are not an educationist. You do not know anything about education.â&#x20AC;? I told her that my biggest strength lies in the fact that I do not know anything about education. It will help me start afresh, and view things differently. To add to that, my Indian roots help me look at things holistically. The beauty of India is that we do not compartmentalise issues. The commission also took a holistic view of higher education, and prepared a report on more than thirty issues. No one in the world has addressed the issue in such a comprehensive manner.

EDU TECH November 2009

Dialogue-Sam-Pitroda-01.indd 20

10/29/2009 8:04:54 PM

Cover Story DIALOGUE

SAM PITRODA BORN: 16th November, 1942 MSc Physics and Electronics from Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda. MS in Electrical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago. AREA OF WORK: Technology research in telecommunications and hand held computing; introduced microprocessors in telephone switches November 2009 EDU TECH

Dialogue-Sam-Pitroda-01.indd 21

10/29/2009 8:05:03 PM

COVER STORY Dialogue What was the purpose of Knowledge Commission? The basic problems in higher education were all known. Somehow, we had not been able to come to a consensus on how to go about implementing it. Knowledge Commission was an effort to build consensus, and create a master plan. We have handed over the execution plans to the ministries. Various departments are implementing it, and we will be around to ensure that it is done as per our recommendations. The Right to Education Act has been one such achievement. You will see more changes in other domains of education.

So what made you interested in education? I value, and understand education. I am the product of education. My father migrated from Gujarat to Orissa, in search of better opportunities. I was born in a village which had no water, electricity or school. During the course of his work, my father had to interact with some Britishers. He saw that his inability to speak in English was a serious impediment in his efforts to get out of the rut of poverty. He made up his mind that his children would not face the same issues. He said, “They all must go to school and learn English.” I was the first in my family to go to college. I graduated in physics, got an electrical engineering degree and then turned a telecom entrepreneur. All my siblings also did extremely well. Education empowered and liberated us. I have seen what opportunities education created for me and I know that the changes that I drive will bring the same opportunity to millions in this country.

You are one of the few non-political leaders who has been able to influence the government on many critical issues. How? You might be surprised to know that I do not take a penny from the government. I have kept it like that to ensure that no one can point a finger at me. I take up these issues, because if I don’t then no one will. All these areas are no-man’s territory. I do all the running

around so that all parts of the machinery move in tandem. I believe that each person can just try to do his own thing. You do not do it for others, but for your own satisfaction of having brought about some change in your life time. Who cares about what happens after that?

What are the key challenges for higher education sector in India? The first issue is of scale. Just 6 to 7 percent of young adults going to college is not enough given the kind of economic growth we are planning. At least 15 to 20 percent of our young adults should be going to college, and that requires additional institutions. The second issue is of quality. Leaving aside a few institutions like the IITs, IIMs, DU and Madurai University the quality of higher education is quite poor. A typical graduate from an ordinary college is not employable. We need to work on improving quality at all levels of education including teachers, training and infrastructure. The third major issue is access. We have to make sure that the poorest of the poor can get access to quality institution. Education is important, and “elitist” edu-

ACHIEVEMENTS HONOURS & AWARDS Padma Bhushan 2009 Rajiv Gandhi Global Indian Award 2009 Canada India Foundation Chanchlani Global Indian Award 2008

LEADERSHIP IN VARIOUS PROJECTS Chairman, National Knowledge Commission Established Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Tradition near Bangalore Advisor to the Prime Minister Set up the Center for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), an autonomous telecom R&D organisation Founded Wescom Switching Chairman, World-Tel Ltd Founder and CEO, C-SAM Inc Head, National Information Highway Authority

cation is irrelevant. I did not go to any great school or college but it did not make any difference. When my children were growing up in America I ensured that all of them went to public schools. Because that is where ordinary people are. That is where life is. We should not create ivory towers.

Why do you think we have come to this state of affairs? I think the key reasons are rooted in the manner in which we have administered higher education in India. Education has always been controlled by the government. However, it was very different during Nehru’s time. I went to MS University and the VC Mrs. Mehta called the shots — no one interfered. But, gradually the situation deteriorated. Political interference increased, universities got bureaucratised and the sanctity in selection of VCs and the manner in which they used their power got compromised. Another major reason has been the twisted process of getting permissions for setting up colleges and universities. This led to a structure where we have some 17000 colleges affiliated to 131 affiliating universities. Andhra University alone has 1100 colleges affiliated to it. The legal complexities involved in the process created a whole culture of bribes, and commissions. A politically connected person could just pull a few strings, and set up a college in Timbaktu with affiliation to Bombay University. So a student might have studied in Timbaktu but he gets a certificate from Bombay University, and it looks good – but the quality of education in Bombay University is very different from Timbuktu. This is not the way to go.

So how do we realign the system? We need a new way of thinking about administration, and address issues within universities as well as issues related to government intervention and support. We should separate colleges like community colleges, university colleges and specialised research centres which are more focussed on higher levels of learning and knowledge creation.

EDU TECH November 2009

Dialogue-Sam-Pitroda-01.indd 22

10/29/2009 8:05:03 PM

Dialogue COVER STORY

The world needs new models and I believe that the new model will emerge from India The process of setting up a university should also be simplified. Given the problem of scale we need to grow quickly from the base of 350 universities to at least 1500 in the next few years. If someone wants to set up a university, let’s garland the guy. But we have to make sure that what he sets up is of high quality. If not, then shut him off.

ensured higher education remains very elitist. They have created a new class system defined by unstated communities of Harvard Club, MIT Club and the like, ensuring that it cannot be scaled up. And, everyone is trying to copy this in their own small ways.

What is your view of the prevailing models of higher education?

I don’t think so. Two percent of the Americans are in prison. Somebody needs to ask why, with the so called great standards of higher education, such a significant fraction of its people is in the prison? My submission is that it is because they are not spending money on providing access to quality higher education to the masses.

Universities in India and abroad are all unequipped to cater to the challenges of the future. If you look at the history of the university set-up, you will see that it all started with Nalanda and Taxila. They established the Indian subcontinent as the centre of the world for knowledge creation and dissemination. Buddha’s contribution added to this reputation. Then some 400 years ago, the Europeans took over with Cambridge and Oxford, and then came the turn of United States to take over as the Mecca of higher education. Now everyone wants to copy a Stanford, Harvard, MIT and Hopkins. The biggest problem with the US system is that it is too expensive. According to me, the student–teacher ratio idea is bogus. These universities have never used technology to improve productivity in spite of being the front runners in creating new technologies. They have

But hasn’t the society developed using this format?

So what is the new model? I do not know. But without doubt the answer is not in America. The world needs a new model and I believe that the new model will emerge from India. One of the key recommendations of the Knowledge Commission is to set-up 50 national universities and 14 innovation universities. Innovation universities are actually about developing different ideas, or models of universities. Over the next few years these 14 on the top will give us some kind of a model for the next few hundred years.

If we do not come up with the right model for the 21st century, we will not be able to scale up the delivery for so many people. At the end of the day you really need to worry about seven things when you are defining the objective of education— a disciplined mind, analytical mind, creative mind, respectful mind, ethical mind, global mind, and multi-disciplinary mind. The days of uni-dimensional learning are gone. You cannot just be an electrical engineer, or a robotics engineer. We need a little of physics and a little of sociology. So, we have to come up with a new model.

Do you see actual examples of universities which have done it differently? We are planting seeds and it will take some time before we can see tangible results on the ground. There are no current examples. All we need is ten to twenty initiatives and you will see a new paradigm emerge.

What next for the Knowledge Commission? We decided to terminate it. There is no sense in perpetuating our survival. Officially, we are not involved any more but we are following up on the implementations from the PM’s office. November 2009 EDU TECH

Dialogue-Sam-Pitroda-01.indd 23

10/29/2009 8:05:11 PM

“At a time when we are moving towards sectoralisation of education, THIS TALK OF CONVERGING ALL INTO ONE is not wise”

Pritam Singh Former director, MDI, Gurgaon

“We have been LEFT FAR BEHIND in the race of knowledge societies”

Anand Kumar

“Despite thousands of colleges churning out millions of students, WE STILL LACK AN ADEQUATE WORKFORCE. That suggests that something is fundamentally wrong with higher education”

Ashok K. Chauhan

Founder President, Amity University

“A REGULATORY OVERDOSE LEADS US NOWHERE. We require moderation and modesty”

A.K. Shrivastava

Chairman, Asia Pacific Institute of Management, Delhi

Professor of Sociology, JNU

Shaken‘n’

STIRRE D 24

Cover Story.indd 24

EDU TECH November 2009

10/29/2009 8:06:25 PM

COVER STORY COVER STORY

merica has bagged a Nobel Prize every year barring in 1935, 1940-42 and 1957. On an average three Americans have bagged a Nobel each year since it was instituted in 1901. Out of the 789 individuals that have got Nobel till date, only six are Indians. What could justify these jaw-dropping statistics? Among others, it is primarily the educational system and institutions that nations create, the kind of talent they nurture and the way they do it. Higher education development, in our country has followed a snail’s pace even as things around us moved at alarming speed. Six decades into independence, and there is little improvement in the situation. Against this backdrop, the recent brouhaha over the need to “reform” and “rejuvenate” higher education has begun to make lot of sense. The air has suddenly turned palpable with anxiety, and anticipation, and voices of different hues are beginning to overwhelm us all. We are on the path to the Great Indian Higher Education Reforms —however, late they may be.

Rocking the Boat Harvard Law School trained lawyer and Human Resources Development minister Kapil Sibal has also emerged as a vociferous advocate, and the beacon-holder for reforms. A little over 30 days after he assumed office, Sibal made his intent clear —go whole hog with revamps and reforms; The Yash Pal Committee on higher education reforms, which was constituted in February 2008, submitted its recommendations in June this year, and without mincing words prescribed scrapping of agencies such as University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), among others. The preamble of the Yash Pal Committee Interim Report “Renovation and Rejuvenation of Universities”, while acknowledging the lack of any policy reforms in last four decades, sums up the hiatus, “The world around us has changed dramatically but our higher education continues to operate in the old policy frame. There is a need for a major paradigm shift in this sector which would not happen with small incremental and unrelated changes here and there.” The message is loud, and clear. “Despite thousands of colleges churning out million of students, we still have lack of adequate workforce. That suggests something has been fundamentally wrong with higher education,” avers Ashok K Chuahan, Founder President, Amity University.

The higher education world has been visibly shaken by the suggested slew of reforms and renovation. EDU examines the many questions that confront this sector today BY NAVNEET ANAND IMAGING PC ANOOP

November 2009 EDU TECH

Cover Story.indd 25

10/29/2009 8:06:31 PM

COVER STORY

Becoming Obsolete The UGC was mandated with the twin tasks of providing funds and ensuring quality. But over the years, it has turned into a mere disbursal agency. Experts opine, in its role as a fund manager, UGC is no longer being hawk-eyed about quality. “You pay Rs 14,000 a month to a PhD scholar in a central university who may be carrying a vague research on Korea’s religious habits, with no consequence whatsoever for India. There is a mismatch in cost-benefit,” says Percy Fernandez, who worked on Indian Cinemas for his doctoral programme from New Delhi’s prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University. If we were to peruse the UGC Act, it would become evident that it has not kept pace with the times. It had laid down that people with experience in agriculture, commerce, forestry, industry, engineering, legal, medical or any other “learned profession” can be members of the commission. “Doesn’t the Commission deem it fit to have people with experience in information technology, bio-technology, public administration, management education as its members,” questions Jitendra Nath, retired professor of English from Bihar University. He thinks it is time, the Commission went in for an overhaul of its thought, structure and processes. Experts also feel the agency lacks the teeth to check violations – Clause 24 of Chapter IV prescribes, if an individual or agency uses the term “university”

DEGREE DELUSION Only 10 to 25% of Indian graduates are employable

13.2 Million

2.8

Million

Unemployable Students Employable students Source: Planning Commmision Study

UGC can impose a fine of Rs 1000! There is, also a very arbitrary clause on “inspection” in the Act. “In an age when we are looking at standardisation and transparency, this highly arbitrary clause, along with numerous others, indicates irrelevance and obsoleteness of the Commission,” says a former director of the UGC requesting anonymity. And if a university department was found to be non-complying, the UGC shall “withhold” the funds – for how long and with what consequence, no one knows. To give the impression, it was responding to changes, UGC did issue various regulations from time to time.

“UNIVERSITIES SHOULD BE FREE OF THE BURDEN OF GRANTING AFFILIATIONS” —KULDIP S. DHINDSA Director General, JCD Vidyapeeth, Sirsa

Cover Story.indd 26

But the question skeptics ask is: how prudent and contemporary have they been? There has been a simmering discontent over the defining logics that have propelled the UGC and there is little surprise that its role has been questioned even by the Planning Commission. In the XIth Plan Document on Education, the Commission notes, “The schemes implemented by UGC have not yet been evaluated by any external professional agencies. There is an urgent need for such in-depth evaluation and streamlining the range of schemes, and rationalising the procedures and delivery mechanism including the disbursal of grants.” According to the Yash Pal Committee the UGC has failed to erect an “all-encompassing university system, dynamically and creatively responding to the ever– changing needs of life and society”. A sentiment echoed by Prof Kuldip Singh Dhindsa, noted scientist and director general of JCD Vidyapeeth, Sirsa who says, “Universities should be free of the burden of granting affiliations and should instead be focused on imparting knowledge and developing technologies for the betterment of humankind.” However, it would be improper to belittle the contribution of UGC in expanding the scope of higher education and creating a network of institutions. By the end of the Tenth Plan (2007), the Indian higher education system had grown into one of the largest in the world with 378 universities, 18064 colleges, a faculty strength of 492,000 and an estimated enrollment of 14 million students. The higher education institutions included 23 Central universities, 216 State universities, 110 deemed universities, 11 private universities, and 33 institutions of national importance established through central legislation and another five institutions established through State legislations. But, the system did not keep pace with time. A recent McKisnsey report has found that only 15 percent of India’s finance graduates and 25 percent of its engineering graduates are employable. “One of the glaring failures of our higher education has been the collapse of the

EDU TECH November 2009

10/29/2009 8:06:35 PM

COVER STORY knowledge system with low quality, blatant commercialisation and inherent corruption,” says Professor of Sociology at JNU, Anand Kumar. “We have been left far behind in the race of knowledge societies,” he adds.

Regulatory Conundrum If blatant compromises with quality were not enough, over the years higher education got enmeshed in an intricate regulatory framework. The many private initiatives that came up over the years to supplement the government efforts and create a new pool of skilled personnel had to face stringent set of rules— often claimed to be discriminatory, and at times even debilitating. Specially for those institutions whose mission primarily was education and who were not interested in asking either for a “whimsical capitation fee” or get funded by “unaccounted wealth of businessmen,” as Yash Pal Committee would have us believe. Yash Pal Committee documents the quagmire of regulatory agencies— 13 in all. In addition to UGC and AICTE, you have the Medical Council of India (MCI), Bar Council of India (BCI), National Council on Teacher Education (NCTE), and the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI). Then there are regulation institutions by Central and State universities as well as by the Directorates of College and Technical Education. Each of these have had different focus leading to a fragmentation of higher education from a policy perspective. “Every year I have to submit a compliance report by August 31 to AICTE saying if I have the same few thousand square feet space for my institute which I built few years ago, among others,” rues AK Shrivastava, chairman of 13-year-old Asia Pacific Institute of Management, New Delhi, adding “it defies all logic”. “A regulatory overdose leads us nowhere. We require moderation and modesty,” says the young entrepreneur, who has come a long way, and has two institutes in Delhi and a soon-to-be launched facility at Lucknow. Such compliance and regulatory irritants eventually spell gloom and disenchantment all around, avers Biswajeet Pattanayak, founder director of Asian

ACCREDITATION GETS MUSCLE TO streamline accreditation and end monopoly of government-led agencies, a unified fivemember National Authority for Regulation in Accreditation of Higher Educational Institutions (NARAHEI) is being constituted NARAHEI Bill in circulation with various ministries for opinions NARAHEI will be a nodal body to register accreditation agencies, on the lines of Securities & Exchange Board of India NARAHEI will certify agencies to carry out accreditation, much like credit rating agencies; certification process will be transparent NARAHEI to have powers of civil court and can revoke certificate of an agency MANDATORY for all higher education institutions to get accreditation. They will have to make public how they have been accredited

School of Business Management, Bhubaneswar. “The US higher education scenario is dominated by private players. They too have black sheep but the agencies do not penalise all and sundry in garb of regulation. Most of the US centres of excellence are private initiatives, be it Wharton or Harvard,” he contends.

Steel Frame of AICTE A look at the regulatory framework of AICTE also reveals amusing facts, in addition to the “square-feet compliance” conundrum. For instance, as per the AICTE Act, while a rural area requires 10 hectares for starting an institution in engineering and technology, the same gets reduced to 4 hectares for district headquarters and 2 hectares for metropolitan cities or state capitals! Also even while AICTE makes you invest heavily in infrastructure and faculty development, it only allows you to provide MBA

“REVIEW CURRICULUM, MAKE THEM RELEVANT TO THE CHANGING TIMES AND MAKE STRINGENT RULES” —ROSHAN LAL RAINA Professor, IIM, Lucknow

education to just 60 students. Precious resources are wasted because of this rigidity, and students are the ultimate victims as they land in hands of unscrupulous elements. In its zeal to force compliance with, what many believe, trivial issues AICTE blatantly ignores quality and curriculum concerns. “Review curriculum, make them relevant to the changing times and make stringent rules for faculty development and library upgradation. All this will achieve much more than imposing irrelevant and archaic rules,” suggests Roshan Lal Raina, professor of communication at IIM Lucknow. There is little the agency does to encourage institutions to go in for global benchmarking of courses, introduction of new-age programmes, promoting global collaborations and creating an enabling environment for innovations through global linkages.

Accreditation Issues Another issue that plagues higher education is accreditation or lack of it. The Indian government established the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in 1994. To date, the NAAC has accredited only 140 universities and 3,492 colleges out of around 21,000 higher education institutes. Scale is a big challenge — accrediting an institute once every three years will require rating around 30 institutes every day. The XIth Plan Document also notes, November 2009 EDU TECH

Cover Story.indd 27

10/29/2009 8:06:35 PM

COVER STORY “The results of the accreditation process indicate serious quality problems. Only 9 percent of the colleges and 31 percent of the universities are rated as A grade and the rest fall in ‘B’ and ‘C’ categories.” There is a need for third-party accreditation, suggests Pattanayak. “Multiple independent accreditation agencies that periodically publish quality scores will ensure competition among educational institutions and improve their performance,” says a new Planning Commission study led by Victor Menezes, former Vice Chairman Citigroup. The government has long realised this and has set into motion the setting up of a five-member National Authority for Regulation in Accreditation of Higher Educational Institutions (NARAHEI). It is proposed that NAAC and National Board of Accreditation be turned into independent accreditation agencies. Many hope this will bring in high standards of benchmarking.

Opening the Gates Another development that is likely to instill quality is the entry of foreign players into higher education domain. There has been a fair amount of excitement, coupled with caution, over the proposed entry of foreign universities. Many like Dr Mohammed Firoz, associate professor of Journalism at Dubai Campus of Manipal University, feel that things may brighten up once “credible” players are allowed to enter Indian mar-

“THE UGC AND AICTE WERE MADE AFTER LOT OF DELIBERATIONS AND TO PROVIDE SECTORAL THRUST, I WONDER IF SCRAPPING THESE WILL ACHIEVE MUCH EXCEPT ADD TO THE CHAOS” —PRITAM SINGH Former director, MDI Gurgaon ket. “It will create new benchmarks, enhance competition, broaden research horizons, bring in best practices, contain outflow of bright students, and even attract faculty, like me, from abroad,” thinks Firoz, who shifted to Dubai after facing stifling circumstances in local institutions. Over the past few decades, a number of foreign players have operated in India, through the tie-up route. After complaints of fleecing and false promises surfaced, the UPA government mulled regulation and introduced the Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operation, Maintenance of Quality and Prevention of Commercialisation) Bill, 2007.

“MOST OF THE US CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE ARE PRIVATE INITIATIVES, BE IT WHARTON OR HARVARD” —BISWAJEET PATTANAYAK Founder Director, Asian School of Business Management, Bhubaneswar

Cover Story.indd 28

Among others, the Bill calls for redesignating a Foreign Education Institution (FEI) into a Foreign Education Provider (FEP) to bring it into the purview of regulation of the UGC. The essence is to ensure quality and integrity, cultural and linguistic sensitivity of people, and prevent the offer of courses that may impact the “sovereignty and integrity of India”. There are stiff penalties for violations including misleading advertisements. While the intent, much like the UGC Act, is noble there has been a lot of apprehension. The possibility of host of second and third tier universities swarming into India is one that worries many. Some have lamented that these foreign players will pose a threat to local players, especially in professional programmes. This is rubbished by Professor Mirza S Saiyadain, who has spent 27 years teaching Human Resources Management at IIM A. He says, “Management education is quite pronounced here and the craving for foreign education is gone. Also management education has to be culture specific to be effective. The abilities of foreign universities to comprehend the many local nuances are restricted.” Quality of local collaboration is another issue. The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) in UK has prepared a report recently which reviewed collaborations and highlighted the need for equivalence of academic standards in assessments and external examination, and having a monitoring mechanism to ensure quality and readiness to meet changing conditions. The hope is that when foreign universities do start coming in, we shall see adequate quality norms. The big problem, however, is that these institutions will fall under the purview of the UGC, which the Yash Pal Committee has little confidence in.

Yash Pal’s Panacea Prof Yash Pal, suggests scrapping of the UGC, along with AICTE and creation of an all-encompassing National Commission for Higher Education and Research (NCHER). All the 13 regulatory agencies are proposed to be combined under one umbrella. It suggests turning IIMs and

EDU TECH November 2009

10/29/2009 8:06:37 PM

COVER STORY

IITs into universities, creation of single accreditation windows, judicious mix of equity and access to ensure regional balance and so on. The Committee also proposes the discontinuation of granting of deemed university status, emphasis on curriculum reforms, turning universities into self-regulatory bodies, bringing levels of teacher education (BEd) under the purview of higher education and the establishment of “live relationship” of universities with “real world outside”. Significantly, the Committee notes, that “substantial damage” has been done to professional and general education because of the separation of the two. It recommends that professional institutions be turned into universities and suggests abolition of intermediary bodies set up to issue licenses to professional colleges. Many feel that these recommendations are fanciful, lack substance, and have a huge disconnect with ground realities. “At a time when we are moving towards sectoralisation of education, this talk of converging all into one is not wise,” avers Dr Pritam Singh professor of eminence at MDI, and former director of IIM Lucknow and MDI, Gurgaon. Singh finds many other glaring gaps in the recommendations. “The UGC and AICTE were made after lot of deliberations and to provide sectoral thrust, I wonder if scrapping these will achieve much, except add to the chaos,” he says. He thinks that the problem could lie with the processes associated with these institutions. “If a structure is built in a seismic zone, it does not mean the structure itself is faulty,” says the management guru. Singh does not believe that getting rid of the regulatory bodies is the right way to go about reforming the higher education sector. Instead he recommends a review of the way these bodies appoint people in important positions and a scrutiny of their functioning. “I wonder if IIMs and IITs, which were created to nurture specialisation and excellence should be subsumed” he says. Raina echoes these sentiments and pleads, “Let these centres of excellence nurture

and contribute to a better tomorrow.” Kaushik Basu, noted economist known for his sharp views, also thinks it is prudent to reform agencies like UGC and AICTE, and divest them of their enormous powers, rather than scrapping them altogether. “It is the responsibility of the UGC to maintain the quality of our higher education and research. However, this must be achieved by nurturing excellence instead of spending a disproportionate amount of energy creating barriers to entry, and preventing new colleges and universities from coming into existence. The latter has led to the creation of what is effectively a ‘licensing system’ in higher edu-

panied by rational thinking,” says one entrepreneur who has applied for a license for a new management institution. In the cacophony of reforms, he suspects, the focus could be lost. “The whole debate about private participation in education has been hijacked by certain moral police, who have little at stake,” asserts Fernandez. Even in India private institutions such as Indian Institute of Science (Bangalore), Xavier Labour Relations Institute (Jamshedpur), Birla Institute of Science & Technology (Pilani), and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (Mumbai) have created their own unique identity and are known for striving for excellence.

EMPLOYABILITY ENIGMA India does not compare well with other countries in terms of employability. India Malaysia

17.5% 27.5%

Percentage of employable students after graduation

76.5% Source: Planning Commmision Study

cation. The reformed UGC and AICTE should give up on the licensing of higher education,” he writes in his now popular note of dissent to Yash Pal Committee recommendations.

Private Is Precious Basu also feels privatisation is a reality and it would be premature to think placing a curb on this in education, unlike Professor Yash Pal who takes a cynical view of it. “Those that are interested in profit would not be interested in good education is a fallacy. We should allow private investments in education, and if it becomes a success, it will attract huge infusion of funds into our higher education system,” notes Basu. While many hail the policy debate and craving for reforms, some are quietly lamenting the accompanying confusion. “Reform is alright but only if it is accom-

Many believe that these models of excellence are good examples in favour of public-private partnership for a holistic development. Professor AK Sengupta, expert in international business and former Dean of Indian Institute of Foreign Trade thinks it imperative for management institutions, even if private, to create global business leaders than to get into the nitty gritty of regulations. For pro reformists, the air is palpable with anticipation; for agnostics there are big question marks. While we do seem to have finally woken up from a slumber, there is the risk of being myopic and misguided if we were to rush with the proposed reforms. Education policy requires wideranging deliberations involving all stakeholders. To catch up with Nobel winning nations, we will need much more than mere reforms and rejuvenation. November 2009 EDU TECH

Cover Story.indd 29

10/29/2009 8:06:39 PM

ACADEMICS

Executive Education

As corporate India goes back to school, short-term refresher courses become a big revenue stream for business schools BY SMITA TRIPATHI & PARUL GUPTA

EDU TECH November 2009

Feature_2_Academic.indd 30

10/29/2009 8:07:39 PM

Executive Education

eveloping effective relationships with customers and other stakeholders within time and resource constraints had become an issue at a leading FMCG company. To look for solutions it packed off a couple of its marketing honchos to a 3-day executive education programme on Integrated Marketing Communication at the Indian School of Business (ISB). The cost ? Rs 75,000 per head. Similarly, a leading IT provider sent a team of four senior HR executives to attend a 5-day course on Managerial Leadership and Conflict Resolution to the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata for Rs 48,000 per head. Welcome to the rarefied world of executive education which is attracting more and more organisations from the public and private sectors. Even state and central governments are sending their employees to top business schools for short duration programmes aimed at improving their managerial and leadership skills. And reaping the rewards are business schools, both Indian and international. For instance, at the Harvard Business School, the revenue from executive education contributed 23.5 percent of its total revenue of US$ 451 million in 2008. In Europe, nearly 20 percent of INSEAD’s revenues come from executive education while the figure is much higher, almost 90 percent for IMD and 80 percent for UK’s Ashridge. It is a similar story in India. At ISB, this revenue stream accounted for 35 percent of the total revenue. While the Indian Institute of ManagementAhmedabad (IIM A) made 15 percent of its revenues by organising management development programmes. At the Management Development Institute (MDI), this figure is in excess of 40 percent. The executive education market in India is estimated to be about Rs 10,000 crore. While some estimates say that the compound annual growth rate of this segment is about 12 percent, others think that its potential cannot be limited by numbers. Since the penetration rates are so low industry experts believe that only around 1 or 2 percent executives ever attend an executive education class.

ACADEMICS

Deepak Chandra, Associate Dean at the Centre for Executive Education, ISB. He also points out that as people move up in their careers, transition happens continuously but each point requires a certain level of preparation, and these programmes help facilitate this transition. Adds Narendra Laljani, dean of Graduate Studies, and director of Executive Education at Ashridge Business School in the UK, “Your ability to learn faster than your rivals is the only sustainable competitive advantage of the future. This applies to organisations as well as individuals, and executive education plays a crucial role in this process.” While these programmes provide networking forums for people at similar levels, they also expose them to new horizons and possibilities at institutes with contemporary library and research facilities, says Anil Sachdev, founder and CEO, School of Inspired Learning (SOIL). Thus, executive education is a way for employers to retain their best employees in these especially difficult times, while allowing employees to learn and grow in their professional capacity.

Open or Custom Programmes

ganisations are increasingly realising the fact that while open programmes might address the basic issues of leadership development and strategic planning, customised programmes are the only answer to specific challenges and problems faced by different sectors, industries and organisations. These tailor-made programmes involve extensive study of the client organisation, preparation of specific teaching

Need for Executive Education

FACT FILE

hile historically, executive education programmes were used as perks or incentives, organisations are now realising that these programmes prepare middle and top management to be better equipped for making strategic decisions. “Executive education programmes help companies bridge the gap in education and capabilities of their employees, which helps in creating better quality people who can continuously learn ways to adapt in a changing business scenario and find new ways to look at emerging business challenges,” says

IMD Short courses contribute to 90 percent of revenue.

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL Executive education contributed 23.5 percent to its total revenue in 2008. INSEAD 20 percent of revenue comes from executive education. November 2009 EDU TECH

Feature_2_Academic.indd 31

10/29/2009 8:07:39 PM

ACADEMICS

Executive Education

materials and cases for the developing of a customised course. In fact, International Management Institute (IMI) professor (OB and HRD) and Dean (corporate relations) Satish K. Kalra says that the efficacy of the programme increases manifold when the company has a specific objective behind sending its employees there. “Unless the programme is linked to a central theme or long term objective of the company, the effectiveness is very limited,” he observes. Agrees Anil Sachdev of SOIL, “What makes these programmes especially useful for organisations is that they can have custom-built innovations to drive certain objectives, or custom-built interventions in new areas that the company might be foraying into.” For example, if a company is trying to bring about changes in its hierarchical structure or performance appraisal systems, or trying to venture into a new service segment and thus wants to familiarise its employees with the principles of service excellence, an executive education programme aimed specifically at these sectors would be far more effective and useful than a general management programme. Small wonder, companies are queuing up. Engineers India Limited (EIL) decided to commission IMI to design a course on management development for its top-level executives in order to position itself with the best in the business. The course hit a chord within EIL and IMI has trained all its middle and top management executives in 13 separate sessions. The programme is likely to continue even with the lower rungs of management. Anil Ahuja, senior manager (instrumentation), EIL says, “We, as engineers, were always involved with instruments. Our interpersonal skills were limited to our team of about 10 people. By giving us cues on talent and cost management, strategic thinking and team development, the programme has widened our vision and shown us the direction towards making our company profitable and successful.”

The trend in executive education is apparent in numbers, both for international as well as the Indian management institutes. In Europe, IMD and INSEAD get over 50 percent of their revenue from tailor-made courses. Today, custom-made courses contribute more than 70 percent of the revenues from executive education for MDI, about 80 percent for IMI and almost 50 percent for IIM A. While currently the break-up between open and custom programmes is 50:50 for ISB, Chandra feels that gradually the ratio would move 35:65 in favor of custom programmes.

Rush for Foreign Affiliations

nternational tie-ups provide a readymade course structure for many programmes as well as the assurance that the programmes are in syncronisation with the latest developments and techniques in their related field.

ISB has tied up with the Wharton School of Business and the Kellogg School of Management. IIM A has partnered with London School of Business and Duke CE. MDI has linkages with about 50 foreign institutes from around the world. IIM-Lucknow also has partnerships with 22 institutes across the globe. While the obvious reason is to add a certain brand value to the institute by facilitating best and adept brains from across the globe to address specific themes or disciplines, the extent of affiliations help in several ways. In some cases, Indian institutes are able to obtain a readymade curriculum for their firsttime courses, which can be customised for the Indian audience. In others like MDI, it also includes sending its participants to those universities to get a feel of global environment and practices. For example, in case of MDI, the foreign affiliations facilitated actual plant visits to factories of Audi and Mercedes, Metro

Hospitals Join in with Short Term Courses

WO YEARS BACK, St John’s College (Bangalore) and Sir Gangaram Hospital (SGRH) heard that the American Heart Assosiation (AHA) was launching its emergency medicine programmes in India. Without wasting time, they started organising their own courses on Basic Life Support (BLS-for healthcare providers and laymen) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS-for medical personnel) in India. Today, SGRH alone conducts 14 batches every year with an intake of 40 students in each batch. “We are not being able to meet the demand that the course is generating,” says Dr Sanjeev Mittal, consultant (critical care medicine) and course director (ACLS and BLS), SGRH. Same is the case with Apollo, which is also generating healthy demand for these courses at its centres. Since the certification has become mandatory for medical personnel in some countries abroad, it can spell boom for these medical institutes since any doctor going abroad for a job needs this certification. Moreover, the workshop has to be attended every two years to keep the certification alive. Although the certification is still not mandatory in India, most of the medical institutes, especially the new and upcoming ones, want to get this certification for its doctors to add value and enhance customer faith. This is just the beginning of a potential boom in short-term medicine programmes in India. Doctors say that while the market size is currently very small since only 5 to 6 such courses are available in India, it has future potential since many more programmes are available internationally.

EDU TECH November 2009

Feature_2_Academic.indd 32

10/29/2009 8:07:39 PM

Executive Education

Rail in London, Euro Rail and a nuclear power plant. Also, the programmes with foreign faculty are more profitable since institutes charge a much higher fee for these courses. For example, ISB’s workshop on “integrating sales and marketing” with faculty from the Kellogg School of Management costs Rs 100,000 per participant, while its workshop on “negotiation strategies” with internal faculty costs only Rs 50,000 per participant.

Reaping the Rewards

ducationists agree that if the course structure, content and faculty is good, the courses can secure good returns for the institutions. Laljani clarifies that by saying: “Like in any other business, the demand depends on the client base, the portfolio of products and services, the cost structure, and your competitive edge.” Since fees for different courses can range from $2000 per day to $20,000 per day, this industry also has winners and losers, he added. In recent times, this market has seen many new players enter with expectations of attractive returns. But experts caution that it is not easy to flourish. Unless proper research goes into structuring a course, the returns cannot be guaranteed. Deepak Chandra of ISB explains by saying that a lot of investment, time and resources are required to craft a good executive programme. Once a programme area is finalised, best available faculty in that area needs to be identified, and then a lot of research goes into identifying the prominent issues and challenges in the segment. The course content is conceptualised and customised according to the requirements of the target audience, he adds. “This acts as a key differentiator between similar programmes being offered by various institutes and thus generates a healthy demand from the corporates,” says Chandra. Professor S Manikutty, chairman (management development programmes), IIM A adds that if the programme is conceptualised well and addresses the needs of the company, cor-

ACADEMICS

porates do find value in them, even in, and sometimes especially during, a down turn. He says that if the programmes add clear value, decent and, at times, good returns are possible.

Addressing New Segments

ublic and private sector have traditionally been the major sectors availing executive education programmes because of the hunger to grow and expand beyond the defined frontiers. While the scope in these sectors has not been exploited fully, the top business management institutes are aggressively targeting others to grow the market further. ISB, for example, is organising workshops for various government departments like the Ministry of External Affairs for capability enhancements, the Planning Commission for restructuring the public-private partnership policy and the Ministry of Railways for building capacity. Institutes are also launching new programmes to cover all sectors of the economy. For instance, IIM A has added 25 new programmes this year targeting sectors, which were not addressed earlier such as education, agriculture and infrastructure. Various institutes are also targeting technology-assisted education mechanisms for ways to make programmes more effective and also reach out to larger numbers of executives across various centres, maybe through web-casts.

Challenges Abound

imited faculty is a very big impediment in the growth of these programmes. As Anil Sachdev of SOIL points out, “There is a dearth of well read faculty for the institutes. While experts are limited, they charge a lot and are perennially booked in advance.” Laljani agrees: “Executive education faculty, wherever they may be in the world need more than just academic credentials. Credibility and empathy with practitioners is vital.” He rhetorically asks, “Would you learn law from someone who has never argued

“Executive education programmes help companies bridge the gap in education and capabilities of their employees, which helps in creating better quality people who can continuously learn ways to adapt in a changing business scenario and find new ways to look at emerging business challenges” —DEEPAK CHANDRA Associate Dean, Centre for Executive Education, ISB

a case in court? Or surgery from someone who has never been inside an operating theatre?” Assuring corporates sponsoring their employees to these programmes that they provide good returns on their investment, is another challenge the institutes are likely to face in the future. According to experts, currently companies treat executive education as a tool for adding value to their employees and hence themselves, and also as a retention tool. However, eventually companies will want to know about the returns made on investment. In fact, The Centre for Executive Education at ISB has November 2009 EDU TECH

Feature_2_Academic.indd 33

10/29/2009 8:07:40 PM

ACADEMICS

Executive Education

Executive Courses Should be Crafted Around Business Needs Do you think executive education provided in the US, UK and European colleges offers some distinct advantages to executives? Executive education is a very fragmented market and includes big organisations as well as individual consultants. So it is impossible to generalise. However, in addition to core management knowledge that all reputable providers have, Asian and US markets prioritise analytical skills and focus on business functions, whereas there’s a greater focus on inter-personal skills, leadership skills, and execution in Europe.

Given your global experience is there a market gap in executive education in India? The Indian market has been relatively small for any international provider. However, the market is growing rapidly. Also, in comparison to say China, the large numbers of English fluent and business-savvy managers in India make it a demanding and discerning market for executive education. NARENDRA LALJANI Dean of Graduate Studies and director of Executive Education, Ashridge Business School, UK

Is there a sector bias in spending on executive education? At Ashridge, we do not see such bias. Our clients include large international organisations, as well as medium-sized national players. I don’t think either sector or size, are good indicators. Organisations in a state of strategic change or transition, or the need for new competencies are usually the triggers for executive development.

Do you think that the Indian work environment is conducive to those who have secured such education abroad? One of the challenges is that management education is often delivered with the assumption of context neutrality. In other words, that what works in an advertising agency will also work in a chemical manufacturing business, or that what works in Dallas will also work in Delhi. Indians who have studied abroad may need to pay special attention to the unique Indian business context, and become discerning consumers of international management thinking. On the other hand, ideas and insights acquired elsewhere can help the manager bring a fresh perspective to a situation. So it’s a double-edged sword.

What according to you is the future of executive education? I believe that the knowledge component will be commoditised and will go online. As a result, the emphasis in learning will shift from analytical to behavioral competencies. Executive education providers will need to craft learning experiences —which may or may not be programmes —that are customised both for the individual and the organisation, and tightly integrated with business needs.

already developed expertise to consult on the return on learning for organisations. However, others like Laljani say that the ROI numbers can be made to look whatever you want, because there is no foolproof methodology to calculate it.

Road Ahead

here is no doubt that the institutes will have to try hard to not only ensure continuous clientele, but also be successful. To succeed, some of them will have to develop innovative ways to earn revenue, such as exploring ways to target funds available for education from international bodies. For example, MDI has tied up with School of Public Policy of George Mason University of the US through which it gets funding from international bodies like UNDP and USAID. Good training content and a permanent faculty with global industry exposure is a must. “Institutes which are relying on freelance faculty are likely to face very tough times ahead,” warns MDI’s Ashok Kapoor. Improved facilities that help make the total learning experience memorable will also provide a competitive advantage. For instance, the IIMs have tied up with the Sarovar Group of hotels to professionally manage their catering and hotel facilities. With competition intensifying between various institutes, the institutes will have to find ways and means to garner maximum revenues. Since the stream of revenue from executive education cannot be ignored, continuous innovations and upgrades to suit the palate of the corporate sector will help maintain a steady demand for these courses in the future.

What’s Online To read more about executive education: l The Economist: www.economist.com/globalexecutive/education l Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/07/executive-education-business-leadership-careers schools.html Write in with your views and opinions about the stories in this magazine, or any other issues related to higher education. Send them to the Editor, EDU at editor@edu-leaders.com

EDU TECH November 2009

Feature_2_Academic.indd 34

10/29/2009 8:07:42 PM

November 2009 EDU TECH

Content_NEW+Colopone-01.indd 3

10/30/2009 6:00:30 PM

Building YOUR OWN

R B AND 36

EDU TECH November 2009

Feature_1_Strategy.indd 36

10/29/2009 8:09:35 PM

MarketingFeature STRATEGY STRATEGY

With private educational institutes mushrooming across the country, edupreneurs are looking for ways to cut through the clutter. Is there a tried and tested way to do this? BY SUPRIYA KURANE ILLUSTRATION PC ANOOP November 2009 EDU TECH

Feature_1_Strategy.indd 37

10/29/2009 8:09:46 PM

E STRATEGY

Marketing

ighteen-year-old Ashish Mehta scored a respectable 70 percent in his board exams. However, he fears that his marks aren’t good enough to get him into a wellknown college in his city, Mumbai. He is prepared to look beyond the top-notch colleges, and even move out of Mumbai. “Right now either the institute will eliminate me or I will eliminate the institute based on what I hear,” says an exasperated Ashish. His parents are ready to empty their bank accounts to get him into an institute that will guarantee him a job. Ashish’s story is being played out across households in India, as demand for quality education institutes outstrips supply. This demand has led to education institutes mushrooming across the country. People who earlier ran family-owned businesses in garments, sweets and manufacturing are becoming “edupreneurs”. A variety of general as well as niche institutes have emerged. Some of these new institutes fill their seats within days of putting up admission notices. The opportunity is huge — a recent report from brokerage CLSA estimates that students in India will spend $68 billion (Rs3.5 trillion) on education by 2012. India’s 75,000 private schools account for 7 percent of total institutes but enroll almost 40 percent of the country’s 219 million students.

Creating A Unique Brand As institutes look for ways to attract students, the question is whether the well known marketing principles apply to them? Is it the same as marketing shampoo or telecom services?

Typically, branding principles are universal. You define your brand, decide what it stands for, articulate its distinctive features, develop a brand plan and then implement it. The tricky part, however, is that the creator of the brand might want to present his product in a certain light but the audience could perceive it in a totally different way. This is especially true for subliminal services such as education. An educational brand is defined by intangible factors like the quality of the education it imparts, its faculty, culture and resources available for students. The other factors are campus size, quality of the graduating batch and their track record in getting jobs. For education institutes, the “product” to be branded is very different from regular consumer product. “The relationship between the product (education) and the consumer (student) is time bound and predetermined, and the consumer cannot enjoy two competing products simultaneously,” observes Biju Dominic, CEO, Final Mile Consulting.

Making The Right Noise Institutes in India, spend around Rs. 150 million annually on advertising and promotional activities. According to TAM Media Research, ad spends by the education sector have been growing

TARGETING TELEVISION Ad spends by the education sector have been growing over the last 3 years. Lovely Professional University International School of Media & Entertainment Studies

65%

70 60 50

2006

2007

2008

38%

35%

Rahul Foundation

Jetking Infotrain Ltd

Yo Film Academy

Frankfinn Institute Of Air Hostess

NIIT Ltd

4% 4% 4%

Sadhna Academy For Media Studies CSC Computer Education Pvt Ltd Ekal Vidyalaya

Percentage share of top education advertisers in TV Year on Year Growth of education sector advertising on TV

Source: TAM Media research

EDU TECH November 2009

Feature_1_Strategy.indd 38

10/29/2009 8:09:46 PM

Marketing

steadily over the last three years, with the education sector accounting for 15 percent of overall print advertising and 1.1 percent of TV advertising in 2008. Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM), the pioneer of “full page color ads” in national newspapers says it has an annual marketing budget of Rs. 800 million and concentrates on print. “The IIPM brand has been created through smart content-driven advertising,” says Amit Saxena, president, Corporate Communications, IIPM. The institute has been dogged by several controversies, the most recent being the nasty blogger controversy in 2005 regarding the veracity of its claims in its print ads. “There is no such thing as bad publicity. 2005 was a very good year for IIPM in terms of the quality of students we attracted,” says Saxena. Lovely Professional University (LPU), a three-year-old private university based in Punjab, has been going all out to promote its brand using TV, radio, newspapers, Internet and Out-of-Home media. LPU says its annual advertising budget is Rs. 50 to 60 million, and it tracks walkin-inquiries, telephonic queries and hits on its website to gauge the effectiveness of its ads. “TV has the highest and deepest reach as far as numbers are concerned. But when it comes to converting inquiries into admissions, newspapers are the best medium,” says Ashok Mittal, Chancellor, LPU.

PROMOTING AN INSTITUTE DOs

DONTs

MAKE your brand communications dynamic. Highlight and communicate what you have achieved in the last few months.

DON’T blindly tie up with foreign institutes, or offer twinning programs. Is it adding value or are you using it as a mere “add on” to attract students.

STICK to the basics. It really doesn’t matter if your campus has a café or a skin clinic. Talk of ways in which you can help the student - can you provide financial aid or accommodation? LEVERAGE alumni networks. Use alumni as a reference point for prospective students and for possible campus placements. TRACK and protect your credibility, especially in the online world.

as a ‘not for the cream’ students, and asks students to ‘dare to think beyond the IIMs’. Some institutes have roped in celebrities to endorse them. Cricketer Anil Kumble endorses the Manipal Education group, while IIPM roped in Shahrukh Khan to host its annual business and marketing quiz. NIIT’s brand ambassador for several years has been world chess champion Viswanathan Anand. “You can’t force-fit an actor or a

Building Reputation Some institutes are working on targeted marketing campaigns to build reputation. The upcoming OP Jindal Global University in Haryana has been talking to reputed schools in Uttarakhand as part of its publicity campaign. Earlier this year, the Jindal Global Law School, a part of the same group, ran several promotional features on CNN-IBN in its “Law Schools of the Future” series. Amity University’s journey from a backyard college to a private university is often attributed to its aggressive marketing. In many circles, it is known as the “safe” option for students who cannot get in anywhere else. Ditto for IIPM which has consciously positioned itself

STRATEGY

“TV has the highest and deepest reach...But when it comes to converting inquiries into admissions, newspapers are the best” —ASHOK MITTAL Chancellor, LPU

DON’T exaggerate and overstate. Do not talk about what is not there (tie ups with foreign universities, placements or visiting faculty). Ensure all communication is honest and transparent. DON’T waste money in frivolous add-ons. Spend resources on getting top professors who can in turn attract top students.

beauty queen as a brand ambassador for an institute. The brand ambassador has to be completely convinced of the brand he is endorsing,” says Sanjiv Kataria, a strategic communications counsel and brand custodian at NIIT until 2006. Skeptics warn that institutes often confuse spreading awareness with brand building. “Reputation is not bought by buying media space and PR. Repute is built by the quality of students, the faculty, and the research backbone of the institute,” says brand strategy specialist Harish Bijoor. According to him brands can be built two ways — “top-down” by using advertising to build brand name and appeal or “bottom-up” by building a brand through grass-root work and reputation build-up. He compares the “bottom up” approach to the way Mahatma Gandhi built his brand. “He did not take full page ads saying “Gandhi Shining”. His brand was built through subliminal experience of the brand through his work,” he says.

Putting Branding Into Action “Branding of education institutes is more than creating a brand name or a logo ,” remarks Uday Salunkhe, Director, Welingkar Institute of Management. According to him what unites the people that connect with a brand is the value of November 2009 EDU TECH

Feature_1_Strategy.indd 39

10/29/2009 8:09:48 PM

STRATEGY

Marketing

POWER OF PRINT Edupreneurs believe that print is the best medium to convert enquiries into admissions. Jetking Infotrain Ltd Chate Coaching Classes 20

NIIT Ltd

18%

2006

Indian Institute Of Job- Oriented Training

2007

2008

13%

Annamalai University

Vellore Institute Of Technology

1% 1%

1% 1% 1%

The Institute Of Comp Accountants

Forum For IITJEE Limited

Year on Year growth of education sector advertising in Print

Planman Consultant India P Ltd

1% 1% ICFAI (Institute Of Chartered Financial Analyst)

Percentage share of top education advertisers in Print Source: TAM Media research

the engagement it creates. More than implementing a new logo or a tagline, effective brand building should take a holistic view of the institute and capitalize on its strengths and unique qualities. Fine-focused positioning is very important for branding institutes. Take the case of the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). What makes it the brand it is today? Is it because it has been around for a long time or is it because there are only six of them while the whole country is clamouring for more? Branding is all about telling a story. Institutes need to develop a hook and pitch their story to prospective students. The top institutes spread the story of how difficult they are to enter, while the upcoming ones tout their infrastructure and teaching methodologies. The key is to effectively use overt advertising and

mass media in the short term, and then let the product speak for itself in the long-term. “Till the first batch of students come out, you can only speak about founders, the faculty, and processes. After that you have a product (passed out students) to showcase,” says Kataria. The Indian School of Business (ISB) seems to have got this strategy pat down. When it first launched six years ago, ISB used media to create awareness of its world-class faculty from Wharton and Kellogg. It created differentiation by introducing a one-year MBA program, the first of its kind in the country. After the first two years, it relied solely on word of mouth to get prospective students. Word of mouth is really effective since the choice of an education institute is influenced by external forces like parents and friends. Leveraging the alumni net-

ONLINE MARKETING Create a search marketing strategy which includes Google and other education search engines like Bixee. Create social communities and networks on at least three major social sites such as Facebook, Orkut and Ibibo. Invest in a CEO/Dean Blog. Regularly update this blog and make it a direct channel to connect with students and prospects. Create opportunities for prospects to connect with the institute. Use the forum to offer download of forms, give a video tour of the campus. Use web-technologies to facilitate virtual meetings.

work is one of the most effective and low cost option to keep the brand alive. Another important aspect of branding is to effectively use the Internet (see box). According to an IMRB survey, 49 percent people surveyed used the internet to search for education information. “Education institutes need to invest in social media solutions over the long term. This will help them create and entrench a positioning, engage prospects, and counter negative feedback,” says social media expert Saurabh Pandey.

Staying Relevant Even established brands might need refurbishing. Manipal University is the oldest private university in India and has over the last 50 years made the township of Manipal in Karnataka synonymous with education. It has carefully kept the brand evolving. “A bit of re-branding is required every now and then. New infrastructure, new courses and new facilities are being added every year and we need to ensure that the brand stays relevant in people’s minds ,” says Alex Chandy, spokesperson for Manipal University. While debates might rage over exactly how to assess the value of brands, everyone agrees that brands represent real and significant financial value to their owners. Managing a brand therefore definitely requires careful and strategic investment and stewardship.

EDU TECH November 2009

Feature_1_Strategy.indd 40

10/29/2009 8:09:48 PM

ADMINISTRATION

EDU TECH November 2009

Feature_3_Administration.indd 42

Feature

F 10/29/2009 8:12:10 PM

Faculty

F SOLVING

INDIA’S

ADMINISTRATION

The acute scarcity of teaching talent is attacking the very foundations of academia in the country. Solutions need to be quickly identified to keep alive India’s ambition of becoming a knowledge powerhouse BY CHITRA NARAYANAN ILLUSTRATION ANIL T

EYE STOPPERS

IN FIVE YEARS TIME, the existing IITs in the country will need 3,000 teachers.

THE STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO is about 18:1 in the university colleges, and 23:1 in the affiliated colleges.

Feature_3_Administration.indd 43

aculty amine HEAD OUT OF JAIPUR

through Tonk Road, leaving behind the noise, bustle and colour of the Pink city and you come across a sprawling educational campus. The spanking new Jagan Nath University, set up in 2008, cuts a peaceful albeit incongruous picture in this rural setting. Yet, indoors, things are not as serene at this new institute, as a frazzled management committee attempts to find teachers to fill up vacant faculty posts.

November 2009 EDU TECH

10/29/2009 8:12:13 PM

ADMINISTRATION

Faculty

“I won’t say there is just a drought in faculty. I would call it a virtual famine,” exclaims the university’s vice chancellor Professor M.S. Verma. He says that out of every 100 candidates who applied to teach at the new university, only two made the cut. “We needed to hire at least two dozen,” Verma grouses. Finally, in order to fill up posts, the new university that offers courses in architecture, law, commerce, engineering, among others, had to come up with some innovative measures. For instance, a classroom session was simulated where students were also roped in to judge the potential candidates’ teaching ability. “We felt the best way to judge inexperienced candidates would be a live test,” says Verma. But, it’s the same lament all across India, whether in Delhi, other large metros or small mofussil towns, both in universities and in academic institutions promoted by private players. Even acclaimed temples of learning like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), are griping about the acute faculty crunch. In five years time, the existing IITs in the country will need 3,000 teachers, points Shashi Gulhati, retired IIT Delhi professor, and former CEO of Educational Consultants India Ltd. (EdCIL), who authored a report “The IITs Slumping or Soaring.” In 2008, the seven IITs were facing a faculty shortfall of about 25

50% POSITIONS at central and statefinanced universities could be vacant

percent, he says. With 13 IITs, the situation is going to get worse, especially if you take into account the fact that hundreds of teachers will be retiring soon, and the new recruits barely match up. “The trend is that people appointed for teaching jobs are not those who were at the top of their class,” notes Gulhati, himself an MIT alumnus, and one of the rare breed who chose to come back to teach in India. He rues that “people who graduated yesterday are teaching today.” Indeed, the state of affairs in the house of academia is so bad today that as one professor privately admits: “The unteachable are being taught by the untaught.”

The Missing Teachers Setting aside the quality issue, a look at the numbers reveals that there are just

ENROLMENT UPSURGE 20

Growth in gross enrolment ratio (GER) in college needs to be accompanied with increase in faculty

11.1

11.9

12.9

14.1

15.5

Total GER based on SES

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

2010-11

2011-12

Source: Draft Report of Working Group on Higher education for 11th five-year plan

not enough candidates applying for teaching jobs. A 2008 report, issued by the pay-review committee of the University Grants Commission (UGC), India’s university regulator, estimated that about 50 percent of positions at central and statefinanced universities could be vacant (see chart on pg 46). Anand Sudarshan, managing director and CEO of Manipal Education, fears that this situation will become much worse with the recent capacity addition moves made by the government. In a drastic bid to correct the Gross Enrolment Ratio(GER) of the country, the government has recently announced the launch of 80 new universities, engineering schools, management schools, and research institutes, along with more than 350 undergraduate colleges. With the increase in GER (see chart), the need for teachers will increase. Currently, the GER in India is just 11 percent (when compared to 60 percent in the US and Canada and 21 percent in other BRIC countries). Despite, India having the third largest higher education system in the world there is a serious capacity deficit. A FICCI-Ernst & Young report indicates that the higher educational infrastructure in India can enroll only 7-8 percent of the college-age students in the country. In 2008, India had 413 universities and 20,667 colleges. Every year, an estimated 13 million to 15 million Indians enroll in the higher education space, and numbers are increasing. Even as the number of students entering the system widens, the pool of teachers is not growing. As per 2006 figures, the total number of teachers in the higher education system was barely 0.488 million. Of this, 84 percent were employed in affiliated colleges and only 16 percent in the universities. The student-teacher ratio is about 18:1 in the university departments and colleges, and 23:1 in the affiliated colleges. Professor G.K. Chadha, former vice chancellor of JNU, who headed the payreview committee of the UGC, warns that faculty shortage may prevent the government from meeting its goal of set-

EDU TECH November 2009

Feature_3_Administration.indd 44

10/29/2009 8:12:13 PM

Faculty

ting up new institutes. A former National Knowledge Commission member pessimistically forecasts that the new universities will be just empty buildings.

The Root of the Famine Given that India produces an estimated 3 million graduates every year, why is there such a dearth of teachers? Here are some reasons: DEARTH OF PhDs: Report after report blames the lack of PhDs, and the total absence of research mindset – both among faculty and students – for the crisis. Take an area like IT, where India produces about 300,000 computer science graduates a year. Yet it produces only about 100 computer science PhDs, a small fraction of the 1,500-2,000 that get awarded in the United States, or China, every year. It’s estimated that there are over 1,500 institutes teaching computer science in the country– and most of these have to make do with plain graduate teachers. UGC’S POLICIES: Faced with the challenge of ensuring high quality in faculty selection, the UGC made the National Eligibility Test (NET) mandatory for college teachers. But this has only exacerbated the faculty crisis, as hundreds of ad hoc teachers and guest faculty now face the axe. Only PhDs are exempt from NET. As Professor Verma says, “Somebody needs to look at the kind of qualifications we have designed as essential. I have my doubts whether emphasising a doctorate degree is as wise as everybody knows the kind of PhDs produced here.” MONETARY COMPENSATION: The disparity between salaries drawn in other professions and teaching is huge. To illustrate, an engineering graduate from an IIT, or even a Tier 2 engineering institute, going into the software sector can take home an annual starting pay of anywhere between Rs 600,000 to Rs 1 million, whereas a teaching job would get him just around Rs 250,000 a year. This year was unusual. Jalandhar’s Lovely University managed to hire 165 IITians by offering salaries ranging from Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000 per month. Well known marketing guru, Professor Nirmalya Kumar, director of Centre

for Marketing, and co-director of Aditya Birla India Centre at London Business School, has a different take. “Given the job security and low pressure lifestyle, I think professors of business school are well paid all over the world,” he says, adding, “People go into the profession because they love teaching and research. If one wants to maximise income then he should become a banker.” Agrees Professor Yash Pal, former UGC chairman and one of India’s most

ADMINISTRATION

Drain’) our export of talent translates into huge numbers. Usually, it is the brightest Indian minds that find greener pastures abroad. Meanwhile, a new problem of local brain drain has started – migration of academic superstars from state universities to Central Universities – further exacerbating the problem. SUDDEN EXPANSIONS: Shashi Gulhati just cannot get over the fact that for 30 years the government was happy with

“Reservations should not be at the expense of academic and research quality – there is a need for fine balancing here, and the regulatory umbrella has to assist such balancing in positive ways” —ANAND SUDERSHAN Managing Director and CEO, Manipal Education respected teachers. Admitting to struggles in his early teaching career, he says: “I wouldn’t change it for anything. Whenever I talk to good academicians, they think they are privileged. The only thing they want is freedom,” he says. Yash Pal and Kumar are, however, a rare minority. For most people, material rewards do count. BRAIN DRAIN: Even though India only loses about 3 to 5 percent of its graduates to other countries, (according to a report by the World Bank titled ‘International Migration, Remittances and the Brain

five IITs, and then suddenly decided to introduce eight new IITs at the same time. “In technical education, the expansion was delayed for a long time and then suddenly the system was allowed to expand without breaks. Why is that so?” he questions. Similar is the case in general education as well, with a slew of new central universities and state universities announced now. With demand outpacing supply, obviously, we are going to see poaching, attrition and lack of continuity in faculty. November 2009 EDU TECH

Feature_3_Administration.indd 45

10/29/2009 8:12:19 PM

ADMINISTRATION

Faculty

SITUATIONS VACANT Most teaching positions in colleges were vacant in academic session 2007-08 16579

20000

15000

Total Sanctioned Total Filled

Prof

Reader

RESERVATION: The government’s policy on reservation of faculty positions for SC/ST/OBC candidates in institutions funded or aided by it has led to a large number of vacant seats. Estimates suggest that over 40 percent reserved seats are not filled. As Shashi Gulhati points out, “To fill up the faculty positions with reserved category candidates, one would need a very large pool of such candidates with PhD qualifications as well as quality professional and research experience. Where are they? They don’t exist.” Noting that this challenge is non-existent for the private sector, Sudarshan of Manipal says, “Reservations should not be at the expense of academic and research quality—there is a need for fine balancing here, and the regulatory umbrella has to assist such balancing in positive ways.” The government has taken cognisance of the criticism and is now set to permit 47 of the top institutions in the country to skip faculty reservations if they cannot find suitable candidates.

5101

Source: UGC

2312

2194

4503

4506

8064

1102

1367

2469

5000

8515

9604

Total Vacant

10000

Lecturer

Total

TEACHER TRAINING INSTITUTES: Yash Pal points out that “Educators of educators” is lacking. Universities hardly spend on upgrading the skills of their teachers, or exposing them to new methodologies. In a UGC survey, it was found that average expenditure per teacher on seminar in India and abroad was just Rs 598 and Rs 829 respectively. Of course, there are Academic Staff Colleges for continuing education of teachers, but these are few and far between. NATIVE SON-NATIVE DAUGHTER: The National Knowledge Commission notes that universities do not always choose the best available talent because most tend to favour their own alumni at the cost of better talent from elsewhere. This, it says, tends to lower quality of teachers and fosters parochialism in universities. “Cross pollination is necessary for opening up of minds,” notes the Commission.

Filling the Vacuum “There is no real way that one can drum up a large number of faculty

instantaneously,” says Shashi Gulhati. Yash Pal admits that it is a difficult road ahead, but says that incentives like dual appointments, travel, sabbaticals, academic freedom and facilities for research are ways in which bright minds can be attracted to teaching. For Manipal, which has sewn partnerships with industry for research in its engineering institutes and which sends its faculty abroad, this appears to be working. As Sudarshan points out: “Our overseas academic locations in Antigua, Dubai, Malaysia and Nepal mean overseas stints for our faculty, thus enhancing their experience spectrum.” Some of the other measures tried out by players both private and public to solve the faculty issues include: DUAL CAREER OPTIONS: On paper this is a good solution, but dual career options seem to work only for B-Schools, medical colleges and engineering institutes. Humanities and several other fields have limited avenues. As Nirmalya Kumar points out, “Most teachers have very limited opportunities to supplement their income with consulting. It is only those that are at the top business schools who have any substantial income from outside work.” These schools allow anywhere from one day a week to a maximum of 40 to 50 days a year of outside paid work. THE VISITING FACULTY MODEL: Over the years, this has emerged as one of the most used measures to ensure completion of curriculum. But as Nirmalya Kumar, points out, “Visiting faculty will not build the institution as they will not engage in the extra activities that are needed. To build an institution, you need at least some people who will devote extraordinary effort to the school.” USING TECHNOLOGY: The advantages are many— it avoids building physical in frastructure, it opens up access to global faculty and curriculum sharing across universities, is very cost effective as it saves on logistics and transportation. Some institutes have begun experimenting with this approach. At NIIT Imperia, for instance, the synchronous learning centre offers working executives a chance to acquire an advanced

EDU TECH November 2009

Feature_3_Administration.indd 46

10/29/2009 8:12:19 PM

Faculty

management degree at their own convenience. But, as Shashi Gulhati says, in many disciplines you still need face-toface interaction or laboratory work, so it’s not always viable. TAPPING ALUMNI NETWORKS: Despite what the National Knowledge Commission may have said about universities tapping their alumni for teachers, it has paid off for several private campuses. For instance, the vice chancellor of Manipal University, Dr Raj Warrier is an alumnus of the university. Says Manipal’s Sudarshan: “Alumni relationships have been an area we have worked on, with obvious benefits.” LOOKING ABROAD: True, India is not producing enough PhDs, but as a senior IIT professor points out, there is no dearth overseas. In engineering and technology, there are at least 50,000 people involved in higher research in institutes abroad. However, given the resource crunch in most institutions, it is a moot point whether a foreign candidate are affordable. MENTORING PROGRAMMES: The swank new NIIT University, in picturesque Neemrana in Haryana, which

started its first session in September, has innovated with the concept of mentor professors. These mentor professors will not have administrative duties but will focus on grooming young faculty, help in best practices in pedagogy, and engage with students. Even the Chadha committee has suggested creation of a new category of professors— Professor of Eminence — at UGC supported institutes, thereby increasing the career prospects of “due to retire professors” and also solving the problem of educating the educators. ENCOURAGING RESEARCH: The new NIIT University will be setting aside 25 acres out of 100 on its campus for incubators. The premise is that the world of work will be integrated to the world of studies. Manipal’s Sudarshan also talks about this: “We have built a strong culture of research across multiple disciplines, encouraging a culture of strong interaction with the industry. For example, the work we have done on Bottom of the Pyramid research with Phillips where we have been successful in creating prototypes for addressing specific problems,

QUESTIONABLE QUALITY Only 25.6% of total teachers surveyed in a recent report had doctorate degrees Nature of Appointment

Qualification

A & Above

B++ & B+

B only

C++, C+ & C

NonAccredited

Total

Permanent

Ph.D M.Phil PG Others

35.9 20.6 43.0 0.4

33.0 19.7 45.9 1.4

26.6 18.4 54.7 0.2

28.6 17.9 52.0 1.5

28.8 20.2 50.7 0.3

31.0 19.4 48.6 0.9

Temporary

Ph.D M.Phil PG Others

10.1 7.9 81.2 0.8

11.4 8.6 77.7 2.3

6.9 6.7 85.7 0.6

8.2 8.7 81.5 1.6

8.3 7.3 83.9 0.5

9.7 7.9 81.0 1.4

Part-Time

Ph.D M.Phil PG Others

9.3 7.0 83.2 0.6

11.5 6.6 80.6 1.2

6.8 3.5 88.8 0.9

13.2 4.3 81.9 0.6

5.8 8.0 84.1 2.0

9.4 6.2 83.2 1.2

Total Teachers

Ph.D M.Phil PG Others

28.1 16.7 54.7 0.5

28.0 17.0 53.5 1.5

21.9 15.3 62.4 0.4

24.9 15.6 58.1 1.4

22.4 16.5 60.6 0.6

25.6 16.3 57.1 1.0

110

547

298

233

285

1473

No. of Sample Colleges

SOURCE: Self Assessment Reports submitted with NAAC and NAAC Grades

(Figures in Percentage)

ADMINISTRATION

“You have got to make teaching more attractive than what it is now. This includes improving emoluments, and also facilities and laboratories” —DHIRAJ MATHUR Executive Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers

which will hopefully be converted to products soon.” Ultimately, much more is needed. Indeed, a complete systemic overhaul is necessary. Both the Yash Pal committee and the Chadha committee talk about this. Introducing pay parity, encouraging research, promoting evening Masters doctoral programs to attract working people towards further studies and teaching, are all recommendations by experts. Others also call for more private investment and industry participation. Decentralised, professional and accountable management in higher educational institutions is yet another need. As PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Executive Director Dhiraj Mathur sums up, “You have got to make teaching more attractive than what it is now. This includes improving emoluments, and also facilities and laboratories. You need to create opportunities for career advancements, give more autonomy to institutes, and create nimbler universities that are more responsive to change. In the short term, this appears to be a tall ask, but in the long term, with a will and vision, nothing is impossible. The question is, are our policy makers and administrators up to the challenge? November 2009 EDU TECH

Feature_3_Administration.indd 47

10/29/2009 8:12:22 PM

CASE STUDY

Networking

Future REWIRINGFOR THE

Presidency College remodels its networking infrastructure with a Cisco wireless network for better connectivity and higher administrative efficiency

ne of the leading educational institutions in India, Presidency College boasts of a long and illustrious history. The institute was established as Hindoo College in 1817, in Calcutta, the capital of British India. It was renamed Presidency College and placed under the aegis of the University of Calcutta in 1855. The illustrious history of academic excellence of the college is intimately entwined with the intellectual history of Bengal and India. More recently it has been accredited as an A+ rated college in India by NAAC. Further, it was ranked the number one liberal arts college by India Today in their 2006 survey.

Business Challenge

residency College wanted to establish itself as an all-round point of excellence by laying a foundation for adopting new teaching and learning methods in the future while retaining the unique culture of the college. The plan was to use state-of-the-art, modular and scalable technology that

Case Study.indd 48

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INSTITUTION Presidency College, Kolkata TYPE Higher education, general degree college BUSINESS CHALLENGE Building a campus wide network foundation for inter-department collaboration and communication, and to facilitate future programmes such as e-classrooms SOLUTION Secure, cost-effective, scalable, redundant and high speed Campus Area Network BENEFITS Campus-wide wired and wireless access, Better security, e-Learning, inter-department collaboration, ability to get foreign faculty

EDU TECH November 2009

10/29/2009 8:13:13 PM

Networking

could not only meet present needs but also future ones. Specifically, it was looking at implementing a highly secure, cost-effective, and redundant Campus Area Network that would be a pioneering model amongst Indian educational institutions.There was no existing Campus Area Network or proper IT infrastructure at the College and the whole project had to be implemented within tight deadlines. The business challenges and requirements included— Establishing connectivity between various departments as well as buildings. These links needed to be redundant, expandable, and scalable using the latest technology and products Facility for fast data transfers and communication between departments and buildings WAN (Wide Area Network) connectivity for communication, knowledge and data transfers with other universities, colleges, organisations, researchers and students across the globe. Easy access to the world wide web for information and knowledge gathering. Creation of an e-library to make available library resources to students, researchers and professors from other authorised universities, colleges and organisations. Departmental mail access. WLAN access at specified locations such as the principal’s office, auditorium, conference rooms and e-classrooms. Information kiosks to provide detailed information about the College’s activities Establishing a foundation for future e-classrooms and virtual learning

with Cisco Active Components and sufficient redundancy was provided for network safety and future expansion plans SWITCHING: Forte recommended Core Switches (CISCO 3750G) for administering the entire infrastructure, two Distribution Switches (CISCO 3508) for the next level, and 14 Access Switches (CISCO 2950 SX) for departmental connectivity. WLAN: For making the entire campus a Wi-Fi zone, four Wireless Access Points (CISCO 1310g) were spread across the College campus. ROUTING: High end routers (CISCO 2811) were recommended not only for high bandwidth leased lines, but also for the future e-classroom. Security was a major concern. To make the network secure at the entry point, CISCO IDS 4215 was proposed. In addi-

CASE STUDY

unique, advanced, and secure technology to provide the best resources to members of our community. The products deployed are very advanced.” The key feature of the project was the range of technology and products deployed. Special attention was given to include advanced technology to address all security related concerns. The recommendations also laid the foundation for future deployments such as the implementation of an IPTV Broadcast Server. This will be used mainly for e-classroom or e-learning. According to Abhijit Kumar Sen, Forte India, “through the IPTV Broadcast Server of the college and EDUSAT programme of the UGC, all the important lectures of renowned academicians, important global seminars can easily be broadcast to the students and professors of the college. Simul-

FEW ORGANISATIONS WITHIN THE INDIAN ACADEMIC SECTOR HAVE IMPLEMENTED THIS LEVEL OF UNIQUE, ADVANCED, AND SECURE TECHNOLOGY TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE BEST RESOURCES TO MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. THE PRODUCTS DEPLOYED ARE VERY ADVANCED — P. DASGUPTA Professor, Presidency College

Solution

residency selected Forte India for this project. Forte partnered with Cisco to get the right solutions— CABLING: After discussions it was decided that the network be configured in a Ring Topology and use structured cabling. The backbone was designed with 12 and 6-core fiber optic cable, and the rest of the distribution was done with eCAT5 UTP cable. Gi v e n t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s , t h e 10/100Mbps network was configured

tion, PIX 5151E UR as the firewall and PIX 515E FO for ensuring fail-over protection of the existing PIX 515E UR were recommended. Cisco software was implemented to prevent internal threats.

Business Value

ommenting on the benefits of the project, Dr. P.Dasgupta, spokesperson for Presidency College said, “Few organisations within the Indian academic sector have implemented this level of

taneously, important lectures of the existing and visiting academicians of Presidency College could be sent anywhere. This is a precursor to future e-learning opportunities at the College.” Commenting on the engagement U R Acharya, vice president, Distribution and Reseller Channels, Cisco India & SAARC said, “our vision for Presidency College was to enable them to create value for their stakeholders and in particular for their students.” November 2009 EDU TECH

Case Study.indd 49

10/29/2009 8:13:13 PM

TECHNOLOGY

Security

Higher education institutes in India have to realise that IT security is no longer optional. It is essential BY NUPUR CHATURVEDI

ore than 20 years ago, the world’s first large-scale virus attack originated at the Cornell University, and ended up crippling an estimated 6000 computers in universities and military organisations around the world. The irony? The virus— Morris—was not written with a malicious intent. It was meant to gauge the size of the Internet. A little over four years ago, the Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon, faced online excommunication when the W32.Blackmal.E@mmv virus, made the institute’s mail server its victim. Thousands of infected mails originating from the institute found their way out and landed in the nets of spam filters of servers across the world. This led to them to block all mail coming from MDI It took a long while and significant effort to restore the infected system and revive the institute’s mail service.

EYE STOPPER MORRIS Robert Morris, 23- year-old graduate student at Cornell, unleashed the first internet worm. He was suspended, fined and jailed. However, he went on to get a PhD from Harvard and is currently a professor at MIT. CIH Chernobyl virus also known as CIH or Spacefiller took off on the 13th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in April 1999. It was conceived by a University graduate from Taiwan called Chen Ing Hau (CIH). One of the most harmful viruses, it overwrites critical information on infected system drives.

EDU TECH November 2009

Feature_4_Technology.indd 50

10/29/2009 8:14:04 PM

Security

These two incidents make the following points—one, that academic institutions are connected and IT-dependent entities, and two, that there are inherent IT vulnerabilities that they have to deal with. The first incident illustrates that students, the main customers of educational institutions, will test the limits of every resource they can access, legally or illegally. And the second, that the awareness of need for a comprehensive IT security plan in an educational institute is fairly low. It is, in fact, often a reactive process. Higher education institutions are hotbeds of higher thinking and innovation. They are the breeding grounds of tomorrow’s professionals and academicians. Whatever happens within the four walls of these institutions has a direct implication on the world outside. Therefore, the data inside is precious. It needs to be protected, without affecting the pace of innovation.

Identify the User Before you can protect the institute infrastructure, you need to understand IT users in the institution and identify their specific needs. After that, you can deploy appropriate IT security infrastructure. In their case study titled “Dealing With Network Security in Academic Institutions,” Ivan Dolezal , Jiri Grygarek, Ondrej Jakl and Karel Krecmer of VSB–Technical University and Institute of Geonics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ostrava, Czech Republic, have identified three types of IT users in an educational institution—standard users, research workers and students. The standard users are the people running the institute—the management and administrative staff. They use standard productivity software, like an office suite, e-mail and the Internet. These users have standard IT security requirements that can be automated. The research workers—and we are not talking just scientific researchers here—are a diversified group. They have varied needs, and could be using some of the most resource-heavy applications, involving crunching extensive data, remote access, heavy rendering, and more. The intellectual capital generated and managed by this category of users is critical and sensitive and needs to be managed in a way that does not hamper their work. The students are, the most difficult set of users. Says Sriram Bharatam, IT consultant, “You give students today laptops and a wireless network with unlimited bandwidth, the first thing they are going to do is download lots of movies, music and games.” And we have already seen how they can unleash chaos with their experiments. The fact that they are the most numerous users makes the task of managing security much more complicated.

Know Your Weakness Once you know the user and you know what to protect, you need to understand how it can be compromised. Partha Sarathy Mohanty, vice president —Technical, MGRM Net Ltd. says, “Databases comprising of student, teacher, management and alumni information is a cache of confidential information that requires authorised, role based access as well as constant monitoring through audit trails, logs and alerts. The need is to have robust solutions that ensure data security and integrity at every transaction level.” For that, you need to know where your weaknesses lie. WEBSITE: From virus to denial of service (DoS) attacks, a lot can happen if there is lack of security. Choose the best hosting services. E-MAIL: Extensively used in campuses, e-mail can be prone to virus attacks and phishing, where someone else steals your online identity and/or data, and uses it for malicious intent. Put in proper safeguards to scan mails for dangerous payloads and attachments. Monitor mails for scams, junk messages and chain mails that can overwhelm systems or compromise security.

TECHNOLOGY

WHAT’S NEW InfoScan TS Elite SCAN IMPORTANT sentences, phrases, store them for later reference, and even consult the in-built dictionary. The Elite is a handy tool to use in the library or to scan notes. It can scan up to 500 pages of text, and $ 119.95 even read it aloud. You can store and transfer the scans onto any PC or PDA using USB or infra-red. The pen can handle five languages – English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese.

Rs. 13,400

Projected Time WHEN THERE is a presentation on, keeping an eye on the clock is, well, impossible. The Netherlands-based firm Nextime has the solution—a projection wall clock. A glance during the presentation is all you need to know when to start wrapping it up. In India, it is retailed by interior store Urban Décor, in Bangalore and is also available online.

LiveScribe Pulse Smartpen FORGET MULTI-TASKING with your iPod to record lectures, while scribbling your notes with a pen. Use a LiveScribe Pulse Smartpen. It’s a pen that records lectures while you make notes with it on a special paper. The special bit is that it comes with a tiny infrared camera that records your strokes. Later, when you touch the pen to your notes, it can read that and match it to what was $ 150 said at that point. The 1GB model can hold more than 100 hours of lectures.

November 2009 EDU TECH

Feature_4_Technology.indd 51

10/29/2009 8:14:08 PM

TECHNOLOGY

Security

Institutes in India Need to Learn to Balance Their IT Security How aware are Indian institutions about IT security? There are extremes that I have seen. An institute might have state-of-the-art technology infrastructure. But if you visit their campus—as a participant of a short term program, as a person visiting someone in the management or staff, or even as a partner or vendor—you won’t be able to access the Internet because their security policy is extremely stringent. At the other extreme are institutes with no security to speak of. When you go to an international institute, security policies have usually been thought through and drafted clearly. For instance, if I go in, I get a guest ID with a limited level of access.

Is it tougher to manage security in a wireless environment? With wireless, the rules of the game have changed. Today’s reality includes terrorists who enter unsecured wireless networks, and unfortunately, the responsibility of that rests with the institute. So awareness levels have to increase.

What areas an institute must keep in view when looking at IT security? Most institutes have some form of a web server on which runs their website. This could have applications like an admissions module, a recruitment module, an alumni module, an intranet, or a knowledge management module, and so on. Larger institutes also have a learnSRIRAM BHARATAM ing resource centre, a sort of digital library. All CEO and Founder Iridum these applications need to provide controlled Interactive Ltd access. The library, for instance, will have a subscription model and only certain subscribers should be able to access it. If there is no security, a lot of data pilferage and unauthorised bandwidth usage can happen, and the institute could end up with a fat bill. People could actually compromise the network sitting inside the campus. This needs to be checked by setting up conditions for access—within the campus and from outside the campus. People from outside the campus can also take advantage of vulnerabilities and penetrate the network. Strangely, people in India still don’t value data. They don’t realise that the data centre that is offering them a steal of a deal could actually be offering them substandard and unsecure service. So while there is use of technology, most people don’t know how to tame it, and the knowledge levels to use it are not there. Given that this is academic institutions we are talking about, where academicians are usually two or three generations ahead in theory but way behind in the practice, a lot of discussions happen, but not enough decisions.

So what is the way forward? The browser is the new application interface. In my opinion, all you should bother about is the Internet access. Beyond that, all the data and applications should be managed by someone else. You should only be building on top of that. If you can, use a third party. People are only now starting to see the merits in that.

DATA: This is the veritable Achilles heel. Backups, file-sharing, and general lack of protection wreck havoc. Again, don’t use ad hoc measures. NETWORK: Who is using it, for what, for how long—these are critical questions. If you don’t have answers to them, there could be potential trouble.

Careful Planning Once the threats have been identified, the solutions become manageable. After the 2005 attack on MDI’s mail servers, the institute took immediate corrective measures. Professor Sangeeta Bhardwaj, chairperson, Computer Centre, MDI, explains, “We now have a comprehensive IT security policy and processes in place. Since that incident, there hasn’t been a single IT security breach” Institutes in India are realising the value of planning for security. Dr K. Mohan, senior director, Information Technology and Learning Resource Centre at the Indian School of Business says, “IT security in higher education is a very sensitive matter. Policies and systems must be designed and considered focusing on changing needs of academic and research community, yet not compromising the network security.” Professor Basav Roychoudhury, Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management, Shillong, observes, “Security is never a closed chapter as far as computer systems is concerned. One advantage of adopting a well established packaged solution like an ERP is that, since it is widely used it is more reliable. Deploying an integrated ERP solution vis-à-vis getting separate applications to serve distinct areas and then trying to integrate them into a single whole—eliminates exposing several unseen security loopholes. While we have made the system totally accessible based on user roles within our own network, we are still conservative about making the same accessible through the Internet. We have set up secure VPNs for certain number of users who would be able to access the system from outside of our network.” NIIT, which pioneered IT training, has taken a strong, yet balanced approach to security. Pankaj Dikshit, general man-

EDU TECH November 2009

Feature_4_Technology.indd 52

10/29/2009 8:14:08 PM

VIRUSES, WORMS, PORNOGRAPHY, CHAT, TERROR MAILS ager, NIIT Ltd. says, “NIIT has a host of student service applications and portals connected to a centralised operations management system hosted at a centralised data centre. A pan-India wide area network (WAN) connects all education centres and offices over an MPLS based VPN network. This secure network is the backbone on which the education operations management platform and all web applications reside.” And the measures don’t stop at that. At every level of access there are conditions that ensure a strong security base, and yet allow smooth access.

Are your students safe from these Internet threats? As an educational institution, you have a responsibility to protect your students from unsafe surfing that can lead to viruses, worms, spyware and more. You need to prevent unhealthy Internet activities like pornography, adult chat and illegal P2P surfing.

Take the Right Measures It always pays to be ahead of the curve as far as IT security is concerned. A wellthought, democratically evolved and security-savvy IT policy is a must. It should lay down access rules, not just for students and staff, but also the occasional visitor that may use the infrastructure. Get in the experts. The DIY approach to technology is ad hoc at best and completely inadequate at worst. Also keep internal management to a minimum, use managed infrastructure and cloud computing. Leave only the basic aspects of technology to be managed in-house. Test often. Even if there is a security infrastructure in place, it needs to be continuously checked for efficacy. In fact, employ the the in-house hackers to test the security setup from time to time. The best laid plans can succumb to the increasingly virulent attacks. Awareness has to be increased and a disaster management policy needs to be put in place. Collaborative learning, shared research, and seamless access to information resources are the realities that academic institutions are going to live with. Technology has to be the enabler for that, not a deterrent.

What’s Online To read more about IT security: Case study :www.mirlabs org,IT security & Academic Values:www. net.educase.edu, University Business magazine: www.universitybusiness.com

Cyberoam - the only Identity-based UTM Firewall - frees you from external and internal security threats.

Cyberoam Advantage -

Individual Internet access rights anywhere in the network Controls non-academic, nonproductive surfing Pinpoints user in Multiple User-Single Machine scenario Saves bandwidth abuse by blocking P2P, Chat and more Detailed user-wise on-appliance reporting Ease of Management

Testimonials : NIT Rourkela

LD Engineering College - Ahmedabad

“I was impressed at the ease of configuration of Cyberoam. A person with little or no product knowledge can configure it quite easily. It also proved to be an excellent content filtering solution reducing the load on bandwidth considerably”

“The Cyberoam security appliance has solved all our major worries regarding the misuse of Internet facilities by students. It helps us manage bandwidth at user level, block harmful sites, chatting, games and gives us complete visibility on student online activities and their web surfing patterns.”

Dr. Sarat Kumar Patra, NIT Rourkela

Prof. B V Buddhadev, HOD - Computer Dept.

Partial Clientele

SIMS SVNIT

Osmania Univ

NMIMS

Symbiosis

BIT Ranchi

Protect your students and your institution Now. Deploy Cyberoam. Cyberoam UTM Features

Stateful Inspection Firewall / VPN Gateway Anti-Virus & Anti-Spyware Gateway Anti-Spam Intrusion Prevention System

Write in your views and opinions about the stories in this magazine or on any other issues relating to higher education. Send them to the Editor, EDU at editor@edu-leaders.com

VPNC CERTIFIED SSL Portal SSL Exchange

VPNC CERTIFIED Basic

Interop AES

www.check-mark.com

Interop

SSL Firefox SSL JavaScript SSL Basic Network Extension SSL Advanced Network Extension

Web & Application Filtering Bandwidth Management Multiple Link Management Integrated Reporting

For more information contact Mr. Shalin Patel Cell - 9820574007 Email - shalin.patel@cyberoam.com India Toll Free : 1-800-301-00013

Feature_4_Technology.indd 53

AIIMS

Unified Threat Management sales@cyberoam.com

www.cyberoam.com

10/29/2009 8:14:12 PM

VIEWPOINT

Sandeep Srivastava

Technology Can Change the Education Landscape

or the overwhelming majority of us across the globe, the effective and innovative integration of technology in education is the passport to the third millennium. While the applications are rather obvious, it’s the scale of disruption and discontinuity that it can bring in the existing educational processes that makes the role of technology in education a highly sensitive and emotional issue.

Last year’s Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report on Future of higher education: How technology will shape learning’ has brought the fore the most critical question facing the academic world: What will it mean to be an educated person in the 21st century? The study indicates that technological changes will effectively change the skill-sets of the future workforce, as well as its approach to work in general. The EIU Report also mentions that universities, in the developed world, find themselves facing a new challenge— how not only to equip students with adequate education in their field of study, but also to arm them with the skills and knowledge required to leverage technology effectively in the workplace. It reports that even in the US “only about 40 percent of all survey respondents believe that current graduates are able to compete successfully in today’s global marketplace.”

The challenge is even greater for India. Only 7 percent of college-age students are enrolled in higher education, against over 50 percent in many developed countries. Access to higher education in India is limited by availability and affordability. Increase in quantity has not translated to increase in quality. The problem is aggravated by the ineffective governance models and regulatory mechanisms. The existing infrastructure is often obsolete, inflexible and insufficient. The quality of any educational infrastructure only deteriorates with time because continuous maintenance and upgradation investments needed for pre-dominantly hard-infrastructure are just too high. We need to massively increase the proportion of soft-infrastructure in educational institutions— infrastructure that is amenable to low cost and quick changes to live-up to the rapidly changing times.

Making a Change The role of technology will be to effectively address these challenges in the shortest possible time frame and investment. Following are the key applications of technology in higher education: ENHANCED QUANTITY : Dramatically multiply the access/reach of higher education across geography, specialisations, duration, age, cost range and goals.

EDU TECH November 2009

Viewpoint_3.indd 54

10/29/2009 8:15:13 PM

Sandeep Srivastava

Technology holds the key to expansion by redefining the reach and access to courseware, faculty and resources. It can enable all students to tailor courseware, faculty and resources to best suit their personal imperatives and conditions; global inter-institutional collaborations will be able to seamlessly deliver “every degree in every hamlet.” BETTER QUALITY : Technology holds the key to quality revolution. First, it facilitates a networked learning with access to world class courseware, faculty and resources for every student. Second, the network enables globally collaborative projects among students and faculty to bring relevance and requisite insights to individual learning. Third, the network will redefine the research relevance and resources for faculty. This is particularly critical for institutions in India to push research to world-class levels. Fourth, technology enables students to choose the scope and depth of their knowledge. Fifth, technology will redefine the quality of distance and part-time education. Technology enabled distance education integrated courses can sometimes prove to be better than regular education. “Law school students enrolled in hybrid programmes that integrate distance and

VIEWPOINT

phones must also be integrated with these processes given the reach and simplicity of the device such as tracking application status, fee payable, and urgent notices. All processes and resources within the community of students, faculty, administrative staff and parents of students and alumni, in the institution must be available online. Thus messaging, circulars, time-tables, syllabus, reading materials, assignments should be online. High-speed broadband connectivity and audio-visual room for each academic department should be available for live or recorded lectures from collaborating institutions or public broadcasts

A New Economics A cost-revenue design that assumes six billion students is possible with technology. For a start it eliminates the need for all supplementary education. In India, this alone may bring in over 50 percent additional income. Second, by digitally collaborating with various other institutions to share faculty, tutors, mentoring, projects, courseware and laboratories, institutes can offer the widest range of course options to students. Simi-

nly a high penetration of technology can effectively prepare students for the increasing role of technology in their life

in-class education outperform those who study exclusively in one environment,” saysTom Delaney, associate dean and CIO of the New York University School of Law. To top it all, only a high penetration of technology in education can effectively prepare students for the increasing role of technology in their life after education. IMPROVED GOVERNANCE: Creating an educational super-highway for governance that is transparent, self-servicing, efficient and low cost will improve the state of education. The big question here is the kick-off. Where should the institutions start their journey? All processes and resources open for people at large should be enabled online from start to the finish. For instance, admission application form must be open to be filled-up and tracked online till the stage of fee submission. All tenders/purchase intents must be available online. Mobile

larly it will facilitate collaboration with industry to offer online lectures, tutoring, mentoring and case-studies to students. Collaborations in humanities are also simple and effective. Revenue opportunity is also huge in supporting innovation, training, skill upgradation, and apprenticeship in industry. Life-long learning is the new reality. Today’s students will have to learn more than once in their life time to re-anchor their knowledge and skills to sustain their employability and productivity. Relearning is a big opportunity for institutions. Education cannot withstand the sweep of technology any longer. Fortunately, however, education and information technology are made for each other. An educational institution should be able to convert over two-thirds of infrastructure into “soft-infrastructure” which will have a catalysing effect on relevance of investment in many hard-infrastructure.

Sandeep Srivastava Mr Srivastava is founder chairman of IYC World, an IT services firm for the education sector. He has a BTech from Jadavpur University, MTech from IIT Delhi, and an MBA from INSEAD. He has authored books with Financial Times (UK), Prentice Hall (USA) and Sage (India)

November 2009 EDU TECH

Viewpoint_3.indd 55

10/29/2009 8:15:13 PM

PROFILE

Pritam Singh

FACT FILE NAME: Pritam Singh CURRENT ENGAGEMENT: Professor of Eminence MDI, Gurgaon AWARDS: Padma Shri (2003) Outstanding CEO National HRD Award (2001) Best Director Award of Indian Management Schools (1998) Best Motivating professor IIM Bangalore Award (1993)

PRAVEEN KUMAR

THINGS HE LIKES: BOOK: My Experiments With Truth MUSIC: Semi classical, Instrumental HOLIDAY DESTINATION: Venice PASTIME: Playing chess with his wife CUISINE: South Indian RESTAURANT: Sagar

Living for a Cause, Leading by Example He has suspended students, fired relatives and fought with ministers. He has stood by the truth no matter what, and he still lives life on his own terms BY AMAN SINGH & SMITA POLITE 56

ou see a shelf with at least three versions of the Bhagavad Gita, rows of books on various topics, and statues of the Buddha interspersed with a few other memorabilia. A tall unassuming man with a not so well trimmed white beard greets you with a carefree laugh. You wonder whether you are meeting a philosopher or a management guru. Dr Pritam Singh, a Padma Shri awardee and the man credited with the turnaround of MDI Gurgaon and IIM Lucknow is a bit of both. A fan of Gandhi he firmly believes that to become a good leader one has to be passionate about a cause or have a purpose and a philosophy that millions identify with. Known to work for more than 17 hours a day he rather humbly describes himself as an existentialist and a karma yogi. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Karma Yoga is nothing but existential-

EDU TECH November 2009

Profile-Preetham Singh.indd 56

10/29/2009 8:16:07 PM

Pritam Singh

ism,” he says. “I don’t believe in forcing other people to work. If I work well I know that most people around me will want to work well.” It was during his college years at Benares Hindu University (BHU) that Singh decided to get into the world of academics. “When I was at BHU,” he says, “I saw that professors had great influence on students. Some popular arts stream professors had students from engineering attending classes just to listen to them. I saw that one could choose either power or influence. You might have a powerful position but what good would it be if you could not influence lives?” He did not even think of appearing for any entrance exams or applying for other jobs, and he joined BHU as a lecturer.

Setting Examples An amusing incident during his tenure at BHU confirmed his belief that students keep a close watch on even the most irrelevant actions of professors. One day he went to the market and had some guavas at a rather popular spot, frequented by students. The next day he went to his class and saw that each student had a guava on his desk, and they had put two guavas on Singh’s desk. “A leader and a teacher has to lead by examples. What you do is more important than what you say. There is a sloka, Yat yat acharat shreshta tat tat e vijarnah, People follow the actions of those who are in important positions,” says Singh. He has ensured that his actions match his ideologies and beliefs through his uncertain and sometimes controversial journey in the academic and administrative world. When he was the director at IIM Lucknow a new student got drunk on the first day at college. He entered the house of a faculty member in an inebriated state and assaulted him. When the management committe decided to throw him out, a top level minister called to say that they should let the student stay on. However, Singh stood his ground and stuck by the decision. “Whenever I am faced with a dilemma I go back to Gandhi and imagine what he would have done. I have seen the movie Gandhi at least 400

times. My wife and kids think I have a problem. Actually Gandhi is my solution,” he says.

Ups and Downs He has had his fair share of dilemmas. In BHU he could not gain a permanent position. His wife advised him to leave the “cess pool of politics” and look for another job. He joined University of Rajasthan, and thereafter left for the United States on a Fulbright scholarship. He took a risk when he went to the US because he declined the position of an associate professor at University of Rajasthan, against the advice of his colleagues. His wife and six sons have been

PROFILE

believes that the western world views leadership as the power of mind, whereas it is actually the power of the heart. It is his heart that he followed during the many leadership positions that he has held. During his tenure at IIM Lucknow he became famous as the man who was not afraid to use funds to invest in faculty and expansion of the institute. Instead of toeing the cost cutting line he fought to get more funds for the institute. “I said that we are still in infancy. You should give milk to infants and not to the adults. IIMs at Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta are adults. You need to feed us,” he reminisces. With his fearless vision to take the institute forward

“WHENEVER I AM FACED WITH A DILEMMA I GO BACK TO GANDHI AND IMAGINE WHAT HE WOULD HAVE DONE” very supportive of his decisions, even when he declined lucrative offers. When he left IIM Lucknow, three companies offered him a compensation package of more than Rs 1 crore but he turned them down to pursue his love for teaching.

Teacher and Administrator His passion for teaching is obvious from the way students rave about his refreshing style of teaching. “Power corrupts and Power Point corrupts absolutely,” he says. “When you use Power Point you kill the imagination completely. I don’t need bullet points to talk about leadership.” he adds. According to him engineers, staticians and scientists see the world in black and white, but leaders understand the greys. So, leadership cannot be taught in points. He also

he managed to increase the government grant from a meagre Rs 8.5 million to Rs 85 million. His strong views earned him a reputation for using “persuasive autocracy,” but he says he would like to think of it as “director’s democracy.” He has had to take many tough decisions as an administrator, but he has always tried to be honest. “I always believe in one thing that chup chap sah kar baith rehna yeh maha adharm hai nyayat apne bandhu ko bhi dand dena dharma hai.( It is dharma to take action even against friends if they are in the wrong.)” For all his achievements, Singh still feels he has a long way to go. He goes to the seaside not just to relax, but to remind himself how insignificant he is before the grandeur of God and creation. It is not the person but the cause that is important, he reminds you. November 2009 EDU TECH

Profile-Preetham Singh.indd 57

10/29/2009 8:16:08 PM

CLASSIC THINKING Education & The Social Order

Book Review

The Marketplace of Ideas

THE UNITED States has more than 4,000 institutions of higher learning, with more than 18 million students, and over 1 million faculty members. While Louis Menand’s book, The Marketplace of Ideas proclaims that American education is uninhibited and access to it is universal, it looks at problems and asks questions that could, in fact, be relevant to Indian universities. His main thrust is the bureaucratic quagmire of education, and he says that to “people outside the faculty club, the resistance of professors to institutional reform can appear silly or petty”. What makes The Marketplace of Ideas an ideal read in the Indian context is also the fact that Menand considers the higher education situation from the experience of the liberal arts student rather than the majors in business. He does this because the latter, he feels, has the “resources to innovate and visibility to set standards”. According to him only 2 percent of college graduates major in history, compared to the 22 percent who major in business. As professor of English at Harvard and a Pulitzer Prize winner Menand is well qualified to hold up a mirror to the system.

IF YOU are looking for some classical discourse on education, man-of-many-talents Bertrand Russell is the one to read. Of course, it might be a good idea to keep in mind his saying that “men are born ignorant, not stupid; they are made stupid by education” before one ventures into the works of this mathematician and Nobel Prize Winner. What may be interesting to educationalists is Russell’s discussion on different schools of thought in educational theory. He discusses how “children should be completely free, however bad they may be”; then in complete contrast he says that “they should be completely subject to authority, however good they may be” and “those who say they should be free, but in spite of freedom they should be always good”. Russell’s argument on the pros and cons of each view is thought-provoking. Basically, he argues that each child should be treated according to his or her own virtue and vice. Interestingly, the philosopher’s book Education and The Social Order (1932) was written after his failed attempt to run the ideal school, which lasted for five years. Nevertheless, if one believes in learning from the mistakes of a great man and thinker, Russell’s works are a good place to start.

Author: Louis Menand Publisher: WW Norton (December, 2009)

Author: Bertrand Russell Publisher: Routledge (September 2009)

Price: $24.95

Price: $25.95

Even in universities in the US, sometimes there is a resistance to change. Louis Menand suggests solutions.

NEW RELEASES

Mindful Teaching and Teaching Mindfulness MINDFULNESS, HAS origins in Buddhist philosophy. It is about concentrating on the here and now. In education it can be used to help reconnect students to their five senses, with the aim of increasing attention and reducing anxiety.

AN INSIDERS view into the world of academia, the book looks at how educational quality is measured. The author tries to see through the eyes of a professor at what is “quality” and how they identify it. Considered a “masterpiece”, the book aims to help professors understand their roles better and perform as objective evaluators.

Author: Deborah Schoeberlein and Suki Sheth Publisher: Wisdom (September, 2009)

Author: Michele Lamont Publisher: Harvard University Press (March 2009)

Price: Rs 698

Timeout.indd 58

How Professors Think

Price: $27.95

EDU TECH November 2009

10/29/2009 8:17:06 PM

TIMEOUT

GIZMOS

Logitech Professional R800 Presenter With slides, presentations and formatted lessons now the norm in many class rooms, the new Logitech Presenter is a must have THE TEACHER is now free to move around, unhampered by the need to man the arrow keys. In addition, it comes with muchneeded presentation add-ons like timing your slides and a green pointer light for highlighting important points. The device is Plug-and-Play with the included USB receiver, and the Presenter vibrates to remind you that your time on the slide is up. The only hitch is that it is currently supported only on Windows.

Price: $99

GADGETS Magic on Screen YOUR PRAYERS for a laptop screen highlighter have been answered. KCI Communications has a new device to convert any laptop screen up to 17 inches, into a touch screen. The Duo device is compatible with Windows XP and Vista. But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the only blessing, because the NoteTaker software included with this pen records whatever you write on paper as well. Find out more at http://www.converttotouch.com/

Price: $199.95

Palm Sized Wonder DUMP COMPLICATED projector set ups for your lectures. Carry the light and compact SVGA BenQ Joybee GP1 Mini projector . The LED-lit 100 lumens device delivers stunning images up to 80 inches across, and has an integrated 2W speaker. At 640 grams, this pocket projector can also be plugged in to cameras, DVD players and TV boxes to enhance any media experience. Find more at http://www. benq.com/products/Projector/?product=1493

Price: $499

SMART Board 685ix

Solid and Smart

SLATED FOR October release, the 685ix, takes interactive whiteboards to the next level. It includes a wall-mounted projector UX60 ultra short, which makes the screen clearer and colours better. The UX60 projector has 2000 lumens and a contrast ratio of 2000:1. It has a lamp life of 3000 hours in standard mode. It is even theft resistant with a Kensington lock slot.

A RUGGED, manly shape with a chin to boot, HTC Hero, in your hand makes you feel safe. A great alternative to iPhone, it even lets you check your facebook updates. This Wi-Fi enabled Quad-band GSM phone comes with 3G support. It runs the Android OS and has GPS. Find out more at http://www.htc.com/www/ product/hero/overview.html

Price: Rs. 206,678

Price: Rs. 31,990 November 2009 EDU TECH

Timeout.indd 59

10/29/2009 8:17:17 PM

PERSPECTIVE RAKESH MOHAN

Distinguished Consulting Professor at Stanford Centre for International Development

Improving the Education Environment Among the most encouraging developments that are taking place in India is the renewed attention that is now being devoted to education

e need improvement in education at all levels, not just in higher education, which is in focus these days. Only if the quality of primary schooling is upgraded significantly will secondary schools get an intake of children who can then be educated further. Similarly, colleges and universities can succeed only if their intake from secondary schools is of a higher quality than at present. A new focus on overall quality in the education environment should be the order of the day.

Fixing Higher Education The success of a few elite institutions such as the IITs, IIMs, Indian Institute of Science, National Law Schools, and the Indian School of Business have masked the general lack of quality in higher education in India. Even among the elite institutions, only three were included in the top 500 higher education institutions in the world as ranked on objective criteria by a group of Chinese researchers. Facilities such as laboratory, library, residential and sports complexes are abysmal in even the best institutions. They do not even match those available in an average community college in the United States. Research in India is mostly conducted in specialised

research institutions rather than in universities, and that too is not of international quality. Improving the quality of infrastructure in higher education is the first step towards ensuring that India matches up to the international standards. Equally important is improving the quality of faculty. Bright students need to be attracted to take up teaching. Along with increase in compensation levels to match the corporate sector, we need to provide other incentives for achievement of excellence.

Public Vs Private There is, some needless debate on private versus public education. No good higher educational institutions in the world are profit oriented. Even in the US, which is famous for its “private” colleges and universities, the students in state-run institutions form the majority.

I WOULD NOT ADVOCATE THE TRANSPLANTATION OF ANY FOREIGN SYSTEM INTO INDIA, SINCE EACH SYSTEM IS ROOTED IN ITS OWN PECULIAR HISTORY

Even those institutions that are labelled as private are essentially autonomous non-profit institutions. They are private in the sense that their management is autonomous of government controls, but most receive significant government grants in different ways. What is interesting about these private institutions is their system of governance, which attempts to ensure quality, excellence and competitiveness. However, I would not advocate the transplantation of any foreign system into India, since each system is rooted in its own peculiar history. What I would argue for is the generation of a new excitement for higher education in the country and for a search for new resources and new forms of governance that ensure quality and aim at achieving excellence. There is no way that we can sustain growth of the kind that we envisage, unless the whole education system, primary, secondary, vocational and higher is revamped. The State must bear the responsibility for ensuring that this happens, but must organise it in such a way that the best entrepreneurial energies that are now manifesting in the country are also harnessed towards the cause of education. Former deputy governor of RBI and one of India’s foremost economic policymakers, Dr Rakesh Mohan is currently teaching at Stanford University. He has a BA in Economics from Yale University, MS and PhD from Princeton University, USA

EDU TECH November 2009

PERSPECTIVE.indd 60

10/29/2009 8:19:20 PM

November 2009 EDU TECH

Content_NEW+Colopone-01.indd 3

10/30/2009 5:55:55 PM