Higher Education Digest – December 2020 – India Edition – Universities Special

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INDIA EDITION

MUST-WATCH UNIVERSITIES OF THE YEAR 2020

www.highereducationdigest.com

What Makes NEP 2020 a Progressive Policy Dr Yajulu Medury, Vice-Chancellor, Mahindra University

Pros & Cons of Education Reforms in Higher Education: Fact or a Mere Perception

E-learning: The New Education Norm for a New Normal

Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani, Provost, HSNC (Hyderabad Sind National Collegiate) University

DECEMBER 2020

UPES

EXPERIENCE QUALITY LEARNING IN A CONDUCIVE ENVIRONMENT

Jay Rathod, Founder, Goal2Learn

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Higher Education Digest December 2020

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Higher Education Digest December 2020

December 2020

Vol - 2 Issue - 18

Universities of the Year 2020 (India Edition) Editor in Chief

Dr. Manoj Varghese

Managing Editor Sarath Shyam

Consultant Editors

Dr. Johny Andrews Anjana K Anna Elza

Navya Venkatesh Stanly Lui Emma James

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Art and Design Ajay K Das Manjunath R

Sales & Marketing

Jyoti Kumari Reshma Ashokan

Arati Waghmare Hanna George

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MANAGING EDITOR’S NOTE

A Year of Revelations and Reforms

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s we move towards the end of 2020, many would say that the worst year of this century is finally getting over. In fact, there are several reasons to believe that 2020 has been a cursed one.

Starting with terrible bushfire in Australia that killed or displaced 300 crore animals, COVID-19 pandemic that infected almost 80 million people and killed over a 1.75 million worldwide, and multiple natural disasters like floods, cyclones, earthquakes – we have had enough to forget!

For the word of education, however, 2020 has been a year of revelations and reforms. Though the pandemic disrupted the normal campus operations, it presented an opportunity to rethink the deeprooted classroom mode of education. We saw the emergence of futuristic trends, including online teaching and learning and the need for up-skilling.

Remote working, adoption of 3-D printing, artificial intelligence and robotics have also been accelerated by the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic may be just the ‘tipping point’ for reform of the Indian education system.

Talking about reforms in 2020, we had a New Education Policy (NEP) that introduced many improvements in the Indian education system. Starting with the Ministry of Human Resource and Development renaming as Th Ministry of Education, the new policy envisions to offer a new structure to the country’s education system. From school education to higher education, NEP proposes revamping all aspects of the education structure, including its regulation and governance, to create a new system aligned with the aspirational goals of 21st-century education while remaining consistent with India’s traditions and value systems.

To celebrate the positives of 2020, we have come up with “10 Must-Watch Universities of the Year 2020” that have been proactive and efficient in offering quality education despite the hiccups caused by the pandemic and lockdowns. On the cover, we feature University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES) that has always been a visionary and well equipped with technology, which enabled the university to absorb the shock better and stay ahead of the competition.

Enjoy Reading.

Sarath Shyam Higher Education Digest December 2020

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ADVISORY BOARD Dr. Kuldeep Nagi, Ph.D, MBA, BSc. Program Director of Ph.D, Recipient of Fulbright Fellowship Award & Dan Evans Award for Excellence and Writer columnist.

Dr. Varughese K.John, PhD, MBA, MPhil, MCom, LLB. Program Director, MS in Management Program, GSATM - AU

Dr. Venus M. Alboruto, PhD, Master Teacher, Researcher, Innovator, Trainer.

6 Major General (Rtd.) Dr. Sunil Chandra, VSM (Vishishta Seva Medal), Ph.D, M. Phil, MA, M.Ed, PGBDA Ex-M D Army Welfare Education Society, ExCOO GEMS Education - India, Ex- Addl Dir Gen - Army Education, Mentor - Adventure-Pulse

Dr. Ajay Shukla, Ph.D, MBA, BE.

Mr. Sreedhar Bevara, MBA, B.Com

Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Higher Education UAE

Senior General Manager: Panasonic Middle East & Africa, Thought Leader, Speaker & Author of ‘Moment of Signal’ (Amazon’s International Bestseller)

Mr. Amulya Sah, PGD PM & IR, PG Diploma in PM&IR (XISS Ranchi)

Shanthi Rajan (MSHRM, FHEA, AMCILT) Director, Institution Development, University of Stirling, RAK Campus, UAE.

Higher Education Digest December 2020 November 2020

Senior Director HR. Head HR group Samsung R&D Institute India,Transformative HR Leader, Change agent, Digitization facilitator, Engagement architect, Trainer and Diversity champion.

Mamta Thakur Former CEO (ASEAN), Arc Skills

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Higher Higher Education Education Digest Digest December October 2020 2020

CONTENTS 8

MUST WATCH UNIVERSITIES OF THE YEAR 2020

38 ADICHUNCHANAGIRI UNIVERSITY Educating Students for the Changing Industry Trends

Higher Education Digest December 2020

COVER STORY

UPES

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EXPERIENCE QUALITY LEARNING IN A CONDUCIVE ENVIRONMENT

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APEX PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY

BLDE (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY)

The Pioneers of Indian Metaphysics Education

Embracing the Global Concepts of Education in the Healthcare Sector

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80 GNA UNIVERSITY Offering A Smooth Transition from Pupil to Professional

Higher Education Digest December 2020

ACADEMIC VIEW

CONTENTS

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WHAT MAKES NEP 2020 A PROGRESSIVE POLICY Dr Yajulu Medury, Vice-Chancellor, Mahindra University

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IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION Rajesh Singh, Chairman, Kunwar Educational Foundation

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

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DREAMING TO PROCEED AS AN ENGINEER: HERE’S EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT JEE

By Brij Mohan, Co-Founder, Vidyamandir Classes

Higher Education Digest December 2020

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COVID-19 HAS GIVEN ELEARNING SPACE A GREAT MOMENTUM Divya Lal, Founder and MD, Fliplearn

STUDENT STORY

MENTOR’S MANTRA

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PROS & CONS OF EDUCATION REFORMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION: FACT OR A MERE PERCEPTION Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani, Provost of HSNC (Hyderabad Sind National Collegiate) University

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WHAT IT TAKES TO BECOME A STUDENT ENTREPRENEUR? Mahira Jain, Founder of FunWagon and Student of Delhi Public School

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NEW ENTREPRENEURS NEED TO THINK FROM THE POINT OF ‘NEW NORMAL’ AND MOVE AHEAD Dr Satya Ranjan Acharya, Director, CrAdLE Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad

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EMPOWERING PARENTS TO GUIDE THEIR CHILDREN IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

E-LEARNING: THE NEW EDUCATION NORM FOR A NEW NORMAL

Praveen Parameswar, Co-founder and CEO, Lifology

Jay Rathod, Founder, Goal2Learn

Higher Education Digest December 2020

MENTOR’S MANTRA

Pros & Cons of Education Reforms in Higher Education: Fact or a Mere Perception Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani, Provost of HSNC (Hyderabad Sind National Collegiate) University

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“T

he value of a college education is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think” said Albert Einstein.

While we progress in terms of imparting knowledge, it is important to keep these golden words of Einstein before executing the best ideas and introducing reforms.

India’s newly introduced National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is one such major reform that sculpts ways of excelling for beneficiaries of the education industry ranging from early age education to higher and technical education. The restructuring is mainly in terms of pattern and curriculum to make the source, intake and implication of knowledge in real life more valuable. Having been introduced as a policy after 34 years, it indicates the dire need to upgrade systems to meet the needs of today’s generation and the developments they envisage.

Just like the year 1991 when economic policy reformed and a window for liberalization, privatization and globalization opened, the present gen looks to expand their foot globally and India is ready for it.

To incorporate the international stand point, reforms that make India as a global hub are crucial. And just like our education minister rightly points out, India is on the journey of regaining its title of ‘Vishwa Guru’. With appropriate attention towards effective implementation of NEP 2020, the purposes and impact of higher education on the economy and the broader society have been transformed through time in conceptual framework.

In spite of the unprecedented times the pandemic brought for the world, technological disruption turned education into an easy to access mode across the globe. It is a fact that these reforms in the midst of a

Higher Education Digest December 2020

To incorporate the international stand point, reforms that make India as a global hub are crucial

13 Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani

The importance of academic excellence in the making of a highly successful first-generation business entrepreneur is perhaps best personified by Dr Niranjan Hiranandani. As a student, he had the distinction of standing second during his graduation from Mumbai University in his Bachelor of Commerce Degree Hons. This was followed by completing F C A from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Adding a new dimension to his versatile personality, it truly befits the new role of academician for one who started his career as a teacher to the students learning Chartered Accountancy. Over the years, he has set up the Hiranandani Foundation School, successfully run the academic institutions of the HSNC Board - it is only in the fitness of things that his wish to go further and become an educationist comes true as Provost of the newly set up HSNC University in Mumbai. Excellence was not confined just to his studies as the ‘Developer extraordinaire’ as also ‘the one who redefined the skyline of Mumbai’, he has evolved into not only an industry leader but also an Industry Knowledge Guru.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

As an evolving world of education, it is the duty of the regulating authorities to not let the reforms create a negative stir in the industry and among the stakeholders

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Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani

Higher Education Digest December 2020

pandemic have their set of pros and cons but pros outweigh the cons. Education has now become an instrument for economic progress along with playing its original role to provide context for human development. With increased inclination towards the economic development, the education industry needs timely reskilling and up skilling to not be obsolete. Thus a progressive shift towards a hybrid model where the fundamental motive of higher education remains equally acknowledged along with its instrumental purpose, making it an embracing approach for an overall development of human capital as well as the economy. �Investment in education pays the best interest.� As I recollect these words of Benjamin Franklin, it reflects in mind how the growth fluctuates proportionally to the education a country provides, especially higher education. A step of India towards liberal education is an opportunity to shape the future.

To make which happen, the linear process like assembly line of production in factory needs to transform to a much customized approach in every institution. The paradigm shift from standardized pedagogy to personalization as per the needs and talents of students makes a mark on the global map for more and more students to pursue higher education and from the respective country and organization which acknowledges their requirements.

The modern techniques uplift the demand for skills such as technological competence and complex problem-solving by critical thinking and multitasking, which increases competition

About

Dr Niranjan Hiranandani

Even as a top real estate developer of a global repute to being the true ‘Real Estate Moghul’ of Indian Real Estate industry, Dr Niranjan Hiranandani always had an affinity towards providing quality education to society at large.

The journey towards becoming an educationist started right with setting up the Hiranandani Foundation

International

Schools

and

Hiranandani Institute of Learning in his mixeduse integrated townships. He has the privilege of being on the boards of multiple educational institutions then chaired the HSNC Board where he looked after 17 colleges and 8 schools. Adding a new feather in the cap as an educationist, he also runs vocational skill training centres and institutions for interdisciplinary learning.

His ‘dream objective’ to enable an academic curriculum which would shape the young minds and transform them into an Industry Ready Profile has crystallized in the form of the HSNC University, Maharashtra’s newly set up Cluster University. As Provost of HSNC University, the journey is just a beginning.

and in turn, accelerates the pace of the working populace.

The modus operandi for which should be blended, that equally highlights the essence of recreational values in the community alongside the basics one has been learning over the years. This in turn will also need a renovated attitude of teachers, which will now measure their competency on new scales; especially with the format of multilingual curriculum where students find difficult to adapt English or a currently used language in the early stages.

As an evolving world of education, it is the duty of the regulating authorities to not let the reforms create a negative stir in the industry and among the stakeholders.

A process to synthesize is the key to align the prospective developments with the plan of action in every possible arena. It is furthermore crucial to be backed with research in fields that identify India with a distinct and eminent status for higher and technical education. This is possible when an integrated approach of including emotional competencies, life and info-savvy skills along with the core area of study is adapted by universities and education institutions. Often these institutes lack accentuating on even speaking about delicate topics. It is high time for autonomies and authorities to pronounce a code for students and teachers to be comfortable bringing up fragile and intricate topics at the place of study.

All these points stated in course of action which are a fact yet considered perception by people who contemplate the new ball game promise development provided improvised steps are taken to succeed as a nation and in the race of humanity while booming the economy.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

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COVER STORY

UPES

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EXPERIENCE QUALITY LEARNING IN A CONDUCIVE ENVIRONMENT

Higher Education Digest December 2020

MUST WATCH UNIVERSITIES OF THE YEAR 2020

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Higher Education Digest December 2020

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wing to Covid 19, the chances of campus placements were limited for students of the 2019 – 20 academic year. But this did not hold true for UPES located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. UPES concluded its annual placements for the academic year 2019-20 with an overall placement of 93 per cent. 2,297 undergraduate and postgraduate students from the School of Engineering, School of Computer Science, School of Business, School of Design and School of Law received 2,818 offers from 580+ companies. “Our students have been placed across various Indian and global corporations, start-ups,

Higher Education Digest December 2020

and unicorns from different industries,” shares Dr Sunil Rai Vice-Chancellor, UPES. The list of top recruiters who hired from UPES includes Accenture, Adani Power, Aditya Birla, Amazon, American Express, Bosch, Byju’s, Capgemini Technology Services, Delhivery, Ziegler Aerospace, Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motor India, Royal Enfield, Indigo Airlines, HSBC, HDFC Ltd, Deloitte, KPMG, PwC, Wildcraft, PhonePe, Tata Projects Ltd, Nestle, ITC Ltd, Dell Technologies, Hitachi Consulting, IBM, Reliance Jio Infocomm, and more.

Dr Rai adds, “Every student was able to appear for classes and their exams.

The only challenge was in terms of the mindset of students and recruiters both, shifting to online recruitment platforms was the easiest part, but the acceptance was a challenge.” The faculty and management team at UPES organised expert workshops to help students remain emotionally strong and be ready to take the challenges head-on, resulting in students confidently appearing for interviews and eventually getting placed.

Always Ahead of the Curve The COVID19 conundrum revealed the tech-readiness of colleges and

universities. However, UPES has always been a visionary and well equipped with technology, which enabled the university to absorb the shock better and stay ahead of the competition.

“Continuing education through online instruction models was a top priority for us when the COVID19 pandemic struck.

We leveraged robust digital teaching technologies such as ‘Blackboard’ and fortified competencies of our 550+ faculty members for quality online learning practices,” says Dr Rai. UPES has invested in online teaching programs, digitalisation of curriculum, and faculty members’ training in delivering online classes. “We implemented the world’s most advanced Learning Management System (LMS) and trained all our faculty in online teaching through LMS. Before COVID-19, 20 per cent of the overall curriculum was digitised and taught online, which was scaled to 100 per cent during the pandemic,” claims Dr Rai. UPES keeps organising training programs for the faculty to keep them updated with the latest trends.

Recently, a five-day Faculty Development Program was organised at UPES under the AICTE Training and Learning (ATAL) academy. “The

The university develops and hones future leaders for diverse highgrowth sectors in India and globally.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

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Dr Sunil Rai, Vice-Chancellor Dr Sunil Rai is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES). A veteran academician, he has a vast experience of 42 years with 20 years in academics, 21 years with the Indian Navy and 2 years in the corporate world. Before joining UPES, he was the Vice-Chancellor of MIT Arts Design & Technology University, Pune and Director on Board of Maharashtra IT Corporation, Govt. of Maharashtra.

In his illustrious career in academia, Dr Rai has come to be known for designing and implementing plans that transform organisations. He has led them in various capacities - as pro-vice-chancellor, director, dean, and chairperson; additionally, he has been instrumental in building some of these universities into huge brands – through implementing processes, developing and nurturing their staff and obtaining accreditations for them.

He is also a defence veteran and managed ships and technical establishments of Indian Navy in various capacities. He was a commissioned officer in the Indian Navy for 21 years and served on ships INS Vikrant, Nilgiri, Himgiri and Oil tanker Shakti.

Dr Rai holds a PhD in Business Continuity Management from BITS Pilani, M. Tech. in Computer Science & Engineering from IIT Mumbai and MBA with HR Specialisation from IGNOU. He also holds a Masters in Marine Engineering from Naval College of Engineering.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

Given its industryoriented programs and emphasis on holistic development, UPES graduates are a preferred choice for recruiters, ensuring a track record of 90% + placements over the last few years.

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program’s objective was to highlight the importance of ‘Life Skills’ and how to cope with changing lifestyle and stress, especially in the present era. From self-awareness to emotional intelligence, from universal values to work-life balance, attendees imbibed many invaluable lessons in the five-day program,” explains Dr Rai. UPES has also received a Blackboard Catalyst Award for the professional development of faculty in 2019.

UPES has kept pace with the industry advancements to mould the modules and practices, giving UPES an edge and keeping it relevant with times. This has placed the

Higher Education Digest December 2020

22 Sports, Cultural Activities, Films, Theatres, all these at UPES are becoming proper credit items integrated with the normal curriculum

Higher Education Digest December 2020

university at par with the world’s leading academic institutions.

“At UPES, we believe that every student and staff should have an opportunity to gain international exposure. We intend to achieve this through international student mobility, hosting international faculty and thought leaders at the UPES campus, promoting online collaboration between students at various institutes and universities, promoting joint research between faculties, increasing institutional collaboration through MoU’s and by participating in international academic events,” says Dr Rai. UPES has collaboration with top-ranking universities across the globe to provide the best education experience to the students. With more than 60 partner universities across the world and 7 active associations with international bodies, UPES provides excellent exchange opportunities. UPES also has a Department of International Affairs (DIA) that supports student mobility. In fact, international exposure helps enhance students’ personal growth as they become competent in tackling various challenges during the journey. Dr Rai adds, “Learning by living in a new culture comes with its own set of challenges; overcoming them increases one’s confidence and belief in one’s abilities. This helps students acquire knowledge in worldly matters, which is extremely important in today’s dynamic world.”

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Higher Education Digest December 2020

Creating Professional with and an Extra Edge As India Inc is trying to bounce back on its feet, there is an increase in demand for professionals with cross-domain knowledge, negligible to no warm-up or training period. “There is a high need to bridge the demand-supply gap, which can only happen when relevant education is imparted. We have adopted a multi-pronged strategy based on the thorough assessment of the situation and analysis of the recruiters’ sentiments helped students in navigating the unforeseen circumstances,” opines Dr Rai. Though many companies had shifted to remote working, UPES managed to arrange over 2400 internships, mostly virtual, for the students to get real-time experience and put

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Higher Education Digest December 2020

their knowledge and skills to use. “We planned specific training interventions targeting crossfunctional expertise to enhance our students’ employability quotient. We also provided them access to online learning platforms like Coursera and encouraged them to pursue certification courses to gain additional expertise in their core and allied fields,” pinpoints Dr Rai. UPES has started an initiative named EDGE (Enhanced Development for Growth and Enrichment) that supports students in their chosen fields, focusing on key action areas- entrepreneurship, exam pathways (such as Services Selection Board for Indian Armed Forces), and employability. Through EDGE, the career services wing of UPES customises

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In 2020, UPES received 5-Stars for employability (placements), academic development, program strength and facilities by globally acclaimed QS Rating.

training and mentorship programs to address individual requirements of each student, depending on whether they want to run a start-up, sit for entrance exams, explore social work or start a corporate career. “We work in tandem with students to design customised educational plans that meet their individual goals. Among other things, we offer our students a personalised learning environment with a great deal of flexibility and continuous mentoring.

Moreover, we integrate technical knowledge

with strong ethics and leadership skills to churn out the best,� shares Dr Rai. Advocating Total People Development UPES was established in the year 2003 with a vision to help students fulfil their aspirations and dreams. UPES has since emerged as an innovative institution offering industry-focused specialised undergraduate and postgraduate courses, some of which cater to high-growth areas like cloud computing, mechanical engineering, civil engineering,

Higher Education Digest December 2020

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aerospace engineering, mechatronics engineering, fine arts, big data analytics, public administration, machine design engineering, computer science, petroleum, graphic and gaming and so on. The university currently has 5 international, 6 national and 6 regional university network memberships, besides a learning development centre.

“Nearly 75 per cent of our faculty members at UPES are covered under various training and development initiatives. We have emerged as a strong gender diverse organisation that brings about Total People Development,” pinpoints Dr Rai. The faculty internship program conducted by UPES called Project Abhigyat helps equip faculty with current industry knowledge and experiences.

Another initiative, PGCAP that stands for Post Graduate Certificate in Academic Practices, provides academic, personal, and professional development opportunities to the faculty/academic staff that effectively drive higher education.

“Besides the above, we have multiple initiatives not only to inspire high-potential and highperforming leaders but also to help staff acquire new technical and soft skills, sharpen existing ones, increase productivity and become better professionals,” adds Dr Rai. To augment students’ employability, UPES has a well-laid-out team of

Higher Education Digest December 2020

career advisors, guiding students and 580 companies present on campus. With an impressive placement record of 94 per cent, UPES conducts career fairs, career advising sessions, interview training and CV support for the students. Additionally, the university has an online career portal to aid the employability process.

UPES boasts of a state-of-the-art infrastructure, including 43 student clubs and societies, library, student accommodation, fitness gym, indoor court and expansive sports fields. The campus houses a bookstore, cafeteria, prayer zones and a social room.

Health support services and medical facilities are also available on the campus round-the-clock. In fact, UPES believes in the all-round development of students. Sports, Cultural Activities, Films, Theatres at UPES have been integrated with the curriculum to provide a holistic learning to students. “This is the only way to make wholesome personalities, where students are made ready for the future and are ready to comprehend the context better and therefore be able to take decisions which will be working for the benefit of humanity, shares Dr Rai. Ever since its inception in 2003, UPES has been working tirelessly in pursuit of excellence for delivering high-quality education and its campus looks like a grand harmony of Learning.

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Higher Education Digest December 2020

ACADEMIC VIEW

What Makes NEP 2020 a Progressive Policy Dr Yajulu Medury, Vice-Chancellor, Mahindra University

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The New Education Policy 2020 has been a topic of discussion since its announcement. As an educator, what are your key takeaways?

New Education Policy focuses on equitable and inclusive education and rationalizes institutional architecture. We hope the policy is implemented at the earliest, and transparency becomes the norm in education, helping both the educator and the students.

Systemic reforms, which include smoothening of regulatory issues, scrapping of multiple affiliating agencies as well as greater autonomy to educational institutions, will ensure that the focus shifts from administrative work to education. These will lead to the development of quality institutes of eminence, which will be able to decide on the curriculum and ensure topicality.

Focus on research, transparency in the working of organizations and learning outcomes-based education model, have been some of the key demands of the sector, and I am happy that the NEP addresses these.

With the effective implementation and quick roll-out, the sector has the right ingredients to gain global recognition, and attract the best students, faculty and research projects at an international level shortly.

In your opinion, what are the critical aspects of NEP 2020 will augment student-centric reforms?

NEP focuses on a multi-disciplinary approach and focuses on preparing students for jobs for not just today, but also tomorrow. The focus on specializations across disciplines is new to India but been in practice globally for a long time now.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

An educational organization is only as good as its educationists

29 Dr Yajulu Medury

Dr Yajulu Medury is an acclaimed academician and a seasoned professional with more than three decades of Academic and Administrative experience. His contributions to the field of academics have been widely acknowledged. He has more than 40 publications to his credit which have been extensively circulated in national and international journals and conferences. In an interaction with Higher Education Digest, Dr Yajulu Medury discusses critical aspects of NEP 2020, the possible changes NEP would bring in the functioning of higher education institutions, his plans for the Mahindra University, and much more.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

About

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Dr Yajulu Medury Before joining Mahindra University, Dr Medury was the Vice-Chancellor of Bennett University at Greater Noida, UP While in Bennett University, Dr Medury developed academic partnerships with Georgia Tech for Engineering, Johnson Business Cornell University for Management, Cornell Law School for Law, Babson College USA for Entrepreneurship and others.

In addition, between 2001 and 2003, Dr Medury successfully established 3 Universities (2 State and 1 Deemed). Before that, Dr Medury was the Vice-Chancellor of Jaypee University of IT, Himachal Pradesh and Founding Vice-Chancellor of VIT University, Vellore. Immediately before that, he was the Chairman & Managing Director of Educational Consultants of India Limited, a Public Sector Undertaking of the Government of India. He has proficiently held many senior positions in varied Companies/Institutes besides being Member of several Academic Committees/ Governing Councils throughout his distinguished career.

Dr Medury has a B.Tech Honours degree from IIT, Kharagpur and did his MS as well as PhD in Engineering Mechanics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

NEP 2020 talks about the importance of applied learning and offering multiple pathways to learning as well as resource sharing. Again, it focuses on technologyenabled pedagogy and flexible subject-combinations. The student will thus be prepared for the future.

We at MU have already been committed to this philosophy, and all our offerings are not just multidisciplinary and research-focused but also places equal importance on soft skills, communication, managerial skills and innovation.

The NEP 2020 puts the spotlight on multidisciplinary education. How is Mahindra University uniquely poised to take that vision forward?

Mahindra University has been propounding the concept of multi-disciplinary education for creating wellrounded professionals and individuals who meaningfully contribute to nation-building. We’re happy to note that the Government of India has also focused on this aspect of education in the NEP. We want Mahindra University students to be well informed in their respective fields as well as be good communicators, managers and leaders.

From our inception 6 years ago, we have strived to make a qualitative difference in the way technical education was delivered to students in India. We have been leading from the front through our journey in education: Our unique pedagogy ensured that Mahindra Ecole Centrale became one of the best and most sought after engineering education options for the students. Our tie-up with Ecole Centrale Group of France focused on ensuring that our students became global practitioners in Engineering. We introduced Flip Education, way ahead of others, wherein the emphasis was to engage the students through discussions and collaborative thinking and move them away from bookish knowledge and rote methodology.

We aim to provide an education that imparts skills, encourages thinking and helps build character so that each student can positively contribute to society and to the world. Mahindra University will endeavour to achieve this through critical thinking, focus on innovation and broadening our students’ horizons.

In the backdrop of the NEP 2020, what are the plans for the Mahindra University? How do you intend to be different and make a mark in the education sector?

Our vision for Mahindra University is to ‘Educate Future Citizens for and of a Better World’. We will endeavour to energize, challenge and shape young minds so that they become ‘Global Thinkers & Engaged Leaders’.

École Centrale School of Engineering has commenced operations this year and will be followed by School of Management, School of Law, School of Design, School of Media & Liberal Arts, and the Indira Mahindra School of Education, over the next 2 years.

An educational organization is only as good as its educationists. To help us grow, we have enlisted the help of a talented faculty Pool, all of who have PhD from IITs/IISc and leading overseas institutes in the ratio 60:40. Besides, we have internationally acclaimed visiting faculty. We have already established partnerships with top Indian and global research entities, corporate and academic leaders.

Our focus will be on subject matter research and providing globally relevant education.

How has the NEP-2020 balanced the technological shift in the education sector? What are the efforts of Mahindra University in this regard?

NEP focuses on embracing technology in professional education, and this is a welcome step. NEP also highlights the importance of technology in addressing various societal challenges and seeks to promote interdisciplinary research and innovation. To this end, the NEP invites Higher Education Institutions to set up start-up incubation and tech development centres. The policy also envisions the setting up of the National Research Foundation to create a culture of research.

The policy has also opened the way for the introduction of artificial intelligence and machine learning in education and focuses on the increased usage of online learning to facilitate both learning and teaching.

In this backdrop, Mahindra University is uniquely poised. Our multi-disciplinary, tech-focused, researchoriented, global education delivery will ensure that our students become global professionals in the true sense of the word. We have a holistic approach to education and will use technology to revolutionize the way millennials are studying by combining AI and EI to optimize learning in each of our Schools.

One of our founding principles is a strong focus on quality research in interdisciplinary fields. We will promote research at an institutional level so that we can focus on actual problem solving and contribute to the rise of a New India. Our unwavering commitment to quality research has made us allocate sizable resources to the activity as well as create well-equipped research infrastructure and modern laboratories.

NEP focuses on tech, and at Mahindra University, we have already setup23 well-equipped labs to enable the students to get the first-hand experience in various technologies relevant to their segment of expertise.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

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Some of the labs include a Super Computer Lab, VLSI Lab, Automotive Systems and Internal Combustion Engines Laboratory, Centre for Robotics, Environmental Engineering Lab, and more.

We have already set up 3 centres of excellence: Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Centre for Innovation &Entrepreneurship and Centre for Sustainable Infrastructure and Systems.

3 more centres of excellence will be set up this year, and these include the Centre for Computational and Experimental Mechanics, Centre for Research in Optics and Photonics and Centre for Executive Education

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NEP focuses on embracing technology in professional education, and this is a welcome step

According to you, what are the possible changes NEP would bring in the functioning of higher education institutions?

The Government of India has introduced the concept of “Academic Bank of Credit” to facilitate the digital storage of academic credits earned.

This is a progressive idea, but the devil is in the implementation. We look forward to the clarity from the Government on this and specific guidelines on its workability.

NEP has also recommended doing away with multiple regulatory bodies that used to be the norm and provide more autonomy to Higher Educational Institutions. This is a welcome step, and we look forward to focusing on academics more and more, rather than get stuck in the administrative quagmire.

Another important aspect is self-governance and usage of technology to better transparency in dealings with the regulatory bodies such as the Higher Education Commission of India and its constituents.

What are your primary concerns going forward?

NEP 2020 is a progressive policy, and we believe that if implemented properly and in a timely fashion, it has the wherewithal to really open up the Indian education sector. The only issue will be timely acceptance, quick implementations and ironing out any cranks in a well-defined timeframe.

The ability of the policy to effectively be integrated within the existing setups will be a challenge and is something that needs to be looked at closely.

The Government needs to engage with all stakeholders to ensure that this policy makes a real difference.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

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Higher Education Digest December 2020

H TC OF A T W ITIES S MU ERS 20 IV 20 UN EAR EY H T

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Higher Education Digest December 2020

U

niversity education in India has a long history of its own and has a long tradition of learning. The Indian higher education system is facing an unprecedented transformation in the coming decade and is poised to witness major growth in the years to come as India will have world’s largest tertiary-age population and second largest graduate talent pipeline globally. The digital-age education system calls for personalized and dynamic methods of learning, a betterequipped faculty, new parameters to gauge student and faculty performance, and innovative models of funding. A broader and a more collaborative coalition among educational institutes, employers, students, professionals, regulators, and government entities can help plug the existing gaps and drive reforms in the Indian higher education sector.

Higher education has drastically evolved in India pertaining to number of universities, colleges, and centres for open learning. There are over 700 universities and 34000 colleges that have sprawled up in India over the past few years, which include duly recognized and well-performing private universities. Immense growth in the overall structure and method of teaching can be found in globally-acclaimed Indian institutions like IIMs, IITs and B-Schools, imparting competitive higher education to millions of college pass-outs each year.

The higher education system in India has grown in a remarkable way to become one of the largest system of its kind in the world. Coupled by spreading urbanization and rising income levels, the demand for higher education is likely to touch new pinnacles of growth. With that in mind, the Higher Education Digest presents the “10 MustWatch Universities of the Year 2020� to recognize and appreciate the efforts put by the educational institutes to keep up with the trends in the everchanging industry and shape their students to be ready to face them.

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Higher Education Digest December 2020

MUST WATCH UNIVERSITIES OF THE YEAR 2020

University Name

36

City

State

Adichunchanagiri University

Mandya

Karnataka

Apex Professional University

Pasighat

Arunachal Pradesh

BLDE (Deemed to be University)

Vijayapura

Karnataka

Christ University

Bengaluru

Karnataka

GNA University

Khati

Punjab

Manipal

Karnataka

Ahmedabad

Gujrat

Greater Noida

Uttar Pradesh

SRM Institute of Science and Technology

Chennai

Tamil Nadu

University of Petroleum and Energy Studies

Dehradun

Uttarakhand

Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Nirma University

Shiv Nadar University

Higher Education Digest December 2020

37 47

Higher Education Digest December 2020 November

ADICHUNCHANAGIRI UNIVERSITY

38

EDUCATING STUDENTS FOR THE CHANGING INDUSTRY TRENDS

C

olleges in India, at large, adopt an academic-centric model of education. This process is more about gaining facts and less about learning. The very best way to address this problem is to introduce life-changing skill training. Providing the right kind of skills that are needed to face the challenges of the dynamic world, Adichunchanagiri University (ACU) is training its students in Communication, Technical, Analytical, Logical, and Soft Skills, apart from imparting good knowledge in emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Data Analytics and Data Science, Internet of Things and programming

Higher Education Digest December 2020

MUST WATCH UNIVERSITIES OF THE YEAR 2020

39

languages. “These skills help the students stand out in the industry, making them ready to be employed, as they fulfil the industry requirements,� says Dr C K Subbaraya, Registrar, ACU. Signing MOUs with many reputed organizations for Academic and Industry Collaborations, ACU had been encouraging staff and students to pursue research in their respective subjects.

Promoting research, ACU has established the Adichunchanagiri University Center for Research & Innovation (ACU-CRI), Center for Research Management & Industrial Linkage (CORMIL), Center for Molecular Pharmaceutics & Advance Therapeutics

Higher Education Digest December 2020

About Dr C K Subbaraya Dr C K Subbaraya has served 42 years as a Teacher, Administrator, Principal (20 years), and elevated to the position of the “Registrar” of prestigious Adichunchanagiri UniversityHead office at BG Nagara which includes Six Constituent Colleges in the field of Medical, Pharmacy, Nursing, Allied Health Sciences, Engineering, Management, Commerce, Education and Natural Science & Ph.D program in all fields. He has published 20 research papers in National and International Journal/ Proceedings. Also, he has presented several papers at National & International Conferences & Seminars. He has conducted many National & International Conferences & Seminars. He is in the editorial board of National & International journals. For his outstanding achievements in the field of education, he has been honoured with National Award as Best Engineering College Principal of the year 2005, instituted by Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan.

Awarded “Best Engineering College Principal – 2016 Karnataka

40

Region” by IEAE- Institute for Exploring Advances in Engineering also Awarded “Excellent Principal in Karnataka” by Dept. of MNRE, Dept. of MSME, AICTE, AIU, CMAI, VTU during IInd National Karnataka Education Summit & Awards 2016.

(CMPAT), and Center of Innovation at BGS Institute of Technology. “We involve industry experts in designing the curriculum to meet the needs of the recent requirements and keep our students updated,” adds Dr Subbaraya.

Imparting All-Round Education A multi-disciplinary university comprising of Medical, Engineering, Management, Pharmacy, Nursing, Commerce, Education, and Natural Science, ACU employs a broad range of strategies to expand the horizon of World Knowledge, Provide instruction, TeachingLearning, Training, Research and Development at the

Higher Education Digest December 2020

level of Higher Education in its faculties. Envisioning to educate its students with the Value Systems of Empathy, Enrichment, Equity, Excellence, Empowerment, Entrepreneurship & Enlightenment to Serve the Society, ACU aspires to achieve excellence for Quality Assurance, Enhancement & Sustenance in Academics & Research to produce Graduates of Global Standards.

Causing a massive disruption, ACU sent its students home due to the Pandemic Outbreak. The hospital attached to the university’s Medical College has seen an influx of large numbers of patients who were investigated, admitted, and treated for Covid-19 infection. The

lockdown and subsequent unlock phase created a severe financial crunch, which has affected all activities of the university. But it helped create an avenue for the future to adapt to the Digital Education System. ACU realized the gravity of the situation and without wasting any time immediately adapted to the changed scenario and implemented Online Teaching from 24th March (From the first day of the nation-wide lockdown).

They overcame this difficult situation by planning and implementing e-learning /e-classes for the students on Google Meet and Zoom platform, along with online assessment.

The Faculty of ACU has now adapted to the current situation and strictly following preventive measures like wearing a mask, social distancing, and hand sanitization. The university also established its capabilities to plan and conduct an online teaching program. ACU utilized the difficult period to upgrade the infrastructure snd adapt ICT facilities in effective ways to communicate even in times of suspension of regular classes.

The students at ACU are continuously monitored through periodical internal-assessments and encouraged to focus on their careers by working hard in their studies and also by undergoing various Add-on certificate courses. The university encourages its students to strive for more by mentoring them, Organising Seminars, Symposium, personality enrichment workshops, and seminars. Offering and facilitating scholarships for the economically weaker sections and meritorious students, they get a hands-on learning experience at the university through Industrial visits, projects, and In-Plant training to gain exposure for practical knowledge. “All our institutions provide IT services to the students, such as Internet access through Campuswide Wi-Fi, LAN, University Website, Computer, and Email service. We also take care of various Videoconferencing and Webcast events of UGC, State, and Central Governments,” states Dr Subbaraya.

Regularly conduction workshops, seminars, conferences, invited talks, webinars at the state level as well as national & international levels, ACU helps its faculty members practically update their knowledge in the emerging areas. Faculty members that are well-qualified and experienced, Dr Subbaraya says, “Many of our faculty members have published their research papers in reputed journals and filed for patents recognition”.

Helping Students Step into the Industry With approximately 50% of the graduates receiving campus placements, the students at ACU are given training from the first year itself on aptitude and developing Soft-skills essential to perform better during the campus recruitment drive. “We have had major MNCs and companies like ICICIBank, Codilar, Pathfront, ToppersTechnologies, M/S CS, Quest Informatics, NTT Data, Q spiders, Tayana Software, Quinnox, Cognizant, Pin click Pvt Ltd, Equitas, SYS-CON, Wipro, CMS, Pin click Equitas, SYS-CON, Wipro, CMS, IT Capgemini, ABC, Just Dial, Mphasis, ICICI Bank, Codilar, Agrima Roof & Façade, Infosys and Mind tree recruit our students,” remarks Dr Subbaraya.

Facilitating students and staff to procure funding from various funding agencies through the ACUInnovation Cell, the university encourages the StartUp Acceleration Program, which enables the students to become competent and successful entrepreneurs.

ACU also has a separate Innovation-Incubation Cell to cater to the needs of new ideas to obtain IP (Intellectual Property)and convert into a patent, followed by a product. “We also provide seed funds for developing new ideas from young minds and encourages students to take research studies through PhD programs,” adds Dr Subbaraya. Encouraging students and faculty to embrace their spirit of entrepreneurship, ACU started the EDP Cell that conducts periodic entrepreneurship awareness programs and helps promote startups by collaborating with industry experts to cater to the thrust areas of niche skills of cutting edge technologies.

Preparing the campus for the safe return of students, ACU is ensuring their safety majorly in the teaching-learning areas, hostels, and mess areas.

The university has started teaching programs in small groups to prevent crowding and follow social distancing by adding the e-teaching competent.

Aiming to embrace other important institutions into its ambit from the umbrella SAST® trusts such as AIT, Chikamagalur, SJCIT, Chikkaballapur, and an Ayurvedic Medical College and few other institutions, Dr Subbaraya concludes, “We aspire to get recognized by the University Grants Commission, NAAC, and other Accrediting bodies and aims to excel in setting the benchmark in providing the best multi-disciplinary courses”.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Dreaming to Proceed as an Engineer:Here’sEverything you Need to Know about JEE

By Brij Mohan, Co-Founder, Vidyamandir Classes

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M

ost of the students who take science with maths have a dream of becoming an engineer and pursue engineering from one of the best colleges in the world – IIT! Let’s have a look at what it takes to get there and the process involved therein:A student who is willing to go to IIT has to go through a two-stage process: the first stage is JEE Main which is conducted by NTA two times a year first in January and second in April (this year due to pandemic it was conducted in September). Approx 12 lakh candidates appeared for JEE main this year. The paper contains 75 questions comprising of 25 questions each of physics Chemistry & Maths out of which 20 questions are single choice correct and 5 are integer type. The results of JEE Main is declared in the form of percentile and after normalisation of the process between the two attempts, a rank is declared.

Out of 12 lakh candidates who appeared for JEE main examination, only the top 2.24 lakh candidates are eligible to write the stage 2 exam known as JEE Advanced which gives admission into prestigious IITs. JEE advanced exam comprises of two papers conducted in a single day in two shifts morning & evening and both the papers comprise of Physics chemistry & maths. The paper comprises of single choice correct, more than one choice corrects, comprehension based, matrix match based & numerical based questions. However, the pattern of the paper is unpredictable as it is the most prestigious exam in the country.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

Approx 12 lakh candidates appeared for JEE main this year

43 Brij Mohan

Brij Mohan Gupta an alumnus of IIT-Delhi, took up teaching as a full time profession, immediately after graduating from IIT he founded Vidyamandir Classes in 1989. Recognized in the test preparation industry as an exemplary teacher and an authority in Chemistry teaching, his vision and dedication of over 22 years has resulted in Vidyamandir Classes today being recognized as the leader in the IITJEE preparation.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

Out of 12 lakh candidates who appeared for JEE main examination, only the top 2.24 lakh candidates are eligible to write the stage 2 exam known as JEE Advanced which gives admission into prestigious IITs

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Higher Education Digest December 2020

After qualifying the JEE advanced exam, a student has the choice of his form filling through online format provided by JoSAA. The Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) 2020 has been set up by the Ministry of Education [erstwhile Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD)] to manage and regulate the joint seat allocation for admissions to 110 institutes for the academic year 2020-21. This includes 23 IITs, 31 NITs, IIEST Shibpur, 26 IIITs and 29 OtherGovernment Funded Technical Institutes (OtherGFTIs). Admission to all the academic programs offered by these Institutes will be made through a single platform.

Qualifying Examination

Admitting Institutes

JEE (Advanced) 2020

IITs

JEE (Main) 2020 B.E./B.Tech.

NITs, IIEST, IIITs (Triple-I-Ts) and

JEE (Main) 2020 B.Arch.

Other-GFTIs

JEE (Main) 2020 B.Planning

For filling the choices in JoSAA, one has to see previous year’s opening and closing ranks which give a fair idea of choosing branch and college. However, the choice of the student may or may not fit in the slot as his rank in JEE Advanced. Some people feel that older IITs for eg, Delhi, Mumbai, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Guwahati, Roorkee IIT BHU & ISM Dhanbad are good and to get admission in these IITs, you should have a rank under 5000 in JEE advanced. However, to get computer science in Delhi & Bombay which are the most wanted, you need a rank in top hundreds.

On the other hand, new IITs are also doing well specifically IIT Bhubaneswar & IIT Gandhinagar. At the end of the day, if you take admission in any of the IIT, you will be labelled as an IITian which will help you to flourish in your career and in getting a good job offer or doing MBA from top B School or raising funds for your own start-up or even for GATE and pursuing your dreams higher!

IIT Delhi has released JEE Advanced 2020 qualifying cut off along with the declaration of JEE Advanced Result on October 5, 2020. Candidates

45 Rank List

Minimum marks in each subject

Minimum marks in each subject

Common rank list (CRL)

6

69

GEN-EWS rank list

5

62

OBC-NCL rank list

5

62

SC rank list

3

34

ST rank list

3

34

3

34

GEN-EWS-PwD rank list

3

34

OBC-NCL-PwD rank list

3

34

SC-PwD rank list

3

34

ST-PwD rank list

3

34

0

10

Common-PwD rank list (CRL-PwD)

Preparatory course rank list

Higher Education Digest December 2020

Students have to note that the preparation is the same for all these exams so they should ideally prepare for JEE which is a superset of all exams

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The cut off for JEE Main is as follows JEE Main Cut-off Score: 2019 And 2020 Compared

Category

JEE Cut-off 2019

JEE Cut-off 2020

Other Backward Class (OBC-NCL)

74.3166557

72.8887969

Scheduled Castes (SC)

54.0128155

50.1760245

Scheduled Tribes (ST)

44.3345172

39.0696101

People with Disability (PwD)

0.1137173

0.0618524

clearing the qualifying cut off will be included in the common rank list.

Candidates have to qualify JEE Advanced cutoff 2020 individually for all three subjects and also aggregate for all three subjects to qualify the exam. There are a total of 16,053 seats in 23 IITs for JEE Advanced 2020 candidates. JEE Advanced Admission Cut off will be released in the form of Opening and Closing Ranks for every participating institute.

Apart from these students can look at the following exams as well BITSAT VIT

Higher Education Digest December 2020

SRM Thapar KCET EAMCET WBJEE UPSEEE In addition to these, students can look at various exams whose advertisements are being published from time to time. Students have to note that the preparation is the same for all these exams so they should ideally prepare for JEE which is a superset of all exams.

VMC Family wishes you all the best for becoming an engineer.

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Higher Education Digest December 2020

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

COVID-19 has Given eLearning Space a Great Momentum Divya Lal, Founder and MD, Fliplearn

48

The closure of education institutions due to COVID-19 has given a momentum that the Indian eLearning sector was looking for. As an award-winning e-learning app, how is Fliplearn helping learners during this pandemic?

In March, when the central government announced the closure of all educational institutions indefinitely, all schooling systems in India were disrupted overnight. Since then, Ed-tech space has seen frenetic activity with many digital learning platforms stepping forward with innovative solutions to ensure that the impact of school closure was considerably minimised on children’s academics and their future.

Fliplearn is a platform that offers everything needed for a virtual learning experience and continued uninterrupted learning, which is a need of the hour. It allows schools to conduct Live classes, create their own content, assign homework, create tests, and check the performance of class across tests. Parent connect includes parents as essential stakeholders in the students’ learning process and keeping them aware of their child’s learning. It is offered to bridge communication between teachers and parents.

Designed by top educationists of the country, Fliplearn is a device-agnostic platform and can be accessed from any android mobile phone or IOS. The content provided is completely mapped to the school curriculum and is available for all subjects, classes, and boards. Over one hundred thousand animation videos and hundreds of practice questions of each chapter, all available at a click of a button.

The courses are strategically crafted to ensure an understanding of fundamental concepts. It provides mind maps for improving a child’s IQ and comprehensive topic synopsis for quick revision at a moment’s notice.

What are the unique learning programs Fliplearn offering to the students? How does the company intend to stand out from the crowd?

Due to COVID-19, there is no doubt that e-learning space has got great momentum. The key to making yourself visible and stand out

Higher Education Digest December 2020

Due to COVID-19, there is no doubt that e-learning space has got great momentum

49 Divya Lal

Divya Lal is a visionary and charismatic leader and Ted X Speaker with over two decades of experience. Divya has created a special niche for herself in the Indian education industry. Passionate about providing access of quality education to all, she strives towards creating innovative solutions which drastically improve the teaching and learning outcomes. At Fliplearn, her role as Managing Director provides her the unique opportunity to bring all her skills on board to create a platform which can address the need for quality education in India. In a conversation with Higher Education Digest, Divya talks about unique learning programs Fliplearn offering to the students, the reason to launch Fliplearn Edge in 2020, her long-term plans and many more.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

Divya Lal

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from the crowd demands meeting user demands in the most intuitive way. This marketplace is overcrowded with multiple brands/services on offer for school students, and at Fliplearn we have focused on offering unique and customisable features to our customers that meet their teaching-learning need in the most efficacious ways.

Fliplearn is a customisable, engaging and offers simplified content which it delivers with great ease of access to a plethora of features. Fliplearn is the only platform that offers free content for two grades at the cost of one. When a student subscribes for any class, they get access to a class below and a class above along with it. Our unprecedented teacher platform lets the educator control as well as upload their material, create tests, automate corrections, prepare report card read, and re-grade it accordingly. The in-built tools help teachers and can be personalised easily.

What inspired you to launch Fliplearn Edge in 2020?

How has been the response from students and teachers during the lockdown period?

Fliplearn Edge was developed by our research team with the vision to provide a complete academic solution, a highquality virtual learning experience ensuring better learning environment for students with the primary focus being learning concepts and collaborative learning environments.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

Edtech companies should aim to use technologies towards making teachinglearning more interactive and fun

It was fortuitous that we were ahead of the curve with regard to Fliplearn Edge since it was ready for launch when the pandemic struck and all institutions/businesses including schools, had to shut down overnight.

It is quite overwhelming to see the response received from schools, teachers, and students across India with over 2 lakh students, 10 thousand teachers, and 200 schools onboard using our application. It is particularly heartening to see that Fliplearn Edge platform is being used so effectively by a large number of teachers, many of who did not much experience with virtual learning platforms before lockdown. It is a testament to the architecture of our platform that teachers have been able to adapt and leverage it successfully in a short time period.

In words of one of our users, Preeti Gugnani, Principal, Scholars Rosary School, Rohtak said, “While the pandemic is steadily spreading, our internal discussions, assessments, and concerns that required years of time to consider before we shift to a fully interactive and internet model were all addressed in a matter of hours. We were forced to re-estimate our delivery methods across all aspects of teaching and extracurricular activities, and so much more. We simply had no time to delay or experiment.

In our assessment of different EdTech solutions, we zeroed in on Fliplearn Edge during lockdown as no online platform seemed to be offering such tailor-made features that could exactly suit the requirement of our teachers as well as students. Fliplearn Edge’s modular architecture is positively impacting all the stakeholders in the entire school ecosystem, including the school management, teachers, students, and parents.”

Fliplearn Edge has over 2 lakh students, 10 thousand teachers, and 200 schools on- board now. How did you manage to become a successful online learning provider in India?

As mentioned earlier, we were fortunately ready with our product just ahead of the lockdown. We always foresaw the need for blended learning, and since inception, have been focused on developing the most effective digital tools to help teachers and students and supplement classroom teaching-learning. What the Covid pandemic did was that all the discussions, assessments, and concerns that required years to consider before schools transitioned to so-called ‘smart schools’ were addressed in a matter of hours!

Fliplearn Edge platform offers tailor-made features that can be made to exactly suit the requirement of teachers as well as students – this is what tilted the scales in favour of Fliplearn and its modular architecture in lockdown times.

What are the marketing strategies Fliplearn using now and would recommend to other online learning startups?

Due to COVID-19, there is no doubt that e-learning space has got great momentum. This marketplace is overcrowded with multiple brands/services on offer for school students and making yourself visible and stand out from the crowd demands meeting user demands in the most efficacious ways - unique and customisable features etc. Every startup in the e-learning space must study and understand the need of customers. The effort should be to provide personalised and unique services at an affordable price.

What are some of the most innovative technologies in EdTech right now? What are the key trends of e-learning to follow in 2021?

Few of the trending technologies in the EdTech today include the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence, chatbots among others. Recently, Fliplearn has incorporated automated checker in the platform to reduce the manual workload of the teachers along with customised dashboards to give a bird’s eyes view to every stakeholder. Fliplearn bringing more focus on personalised learning for every child.

Edtech companies should aim to use technologies towards making teaching-learning more interactive and fun.

Key trends of e-learning to follow in 2021 are: • The market for online education in India is expected to witness a magnificent growth.

• Video-based learning will remain a hot trend in the upcoming year.

• In the coming years, immersive technologies (augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality) will change the e-learning landscape completely.

What are your long-term plans?

Fliplearn has become one of the largest used learning platform in education in India and currently have over 2 lakh students, 10 thousand teachers, and 200 schools on- board using our application. We aim to expand our user base to 10 Lakh students, and 1000 schools by March 2021. We are committed to providing affordable and personalised online learning solutions to schools and students across the country We would like to reach out to every student across the country regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds and would like to make e-learning more affordable. We would like to work closely with policymakers.

We are working hard towards strengthening our technology even further and adding more features which can help students and teachers even more in future.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

51

APEX PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY

THE PIONEERS OF INDIAN METAPHYSICS EDUCATION 52

F

amous for its spectacular view of valleys covered in clouds, hanging bridges and greenery surrounding, Pasighat - one of the oldest towns of Arunachal Pradesh – is a place for explorers and travelers.

Located in Pasighat, Apex Professional University is an innovative fusion of the cultural heritage of the ancient Gurukul system with modern methods of teaching and learning. “We intend to assemble scattered pieces of ancient Indian knowledge from the ancient Indian literature and connect with the society,” says Acharya Dhanwant Singh, Founder Chancellor, Apex Professional University.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

MUST WATCH UNIVERSITIES OF THE YEAR 2020

53

The University follows The Gurukul Academic Framework, is based on the premise that every student is unique. “Each student has his/her own characteristics in terms of Prakriti and Tatav, life experiences, learning styles and approaches to future careerrelated actions. Gurukul Academic System works towards a more holistic experience for the students, while focusing not just on knowledge delivery in higher education but also on the application of knowledge through field and lab work and emphasises on application of knowledge to real life experiences,� explains Acharya Dhanwant Singh, who has been nurtured in a Gurukul tradition

Higher Education Digest December 2020

54 Acharya Dhanwant Singh, Founder Chancellor

Acharya Dhanwant Singh, Alumni of IIM Ahmedabad, can be summarized in three simple words: Technologist by Education, Social Entrepreneur by Profession and MetaPhysician by Passion. He was born in 1974 to teacher parents in Amritsar, a holy city in Punjab, India. He has spent most of his career in the education and training sectors. He is educated from IIM Ahmedabad on Leadership and Management and Leaders of Learning from Harvard.

In 2019, Acharya Dhanwant Singh was listed as one of the 40 Educational Evangelists of India by Forbes. He has been a member of and made significant contributions to many boards and committees over several decades, particularly in the education and IT sectors.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

55

and learned Sankhya Darshan, SwaraYoga, Patanjali Yoga Sutra, Vedic Architecture and Vedic Cosmology.

The quality, depth and breadth of the learning experiences made available to the students while at Apex Professional University help develop their skills and attributes. “The Gurukul Academic System reflects our graduate attributes including capabilities that help strengthen one’s abilities for widening current knowledge base and skills, gaining new knowledge and skills, undertaking future studies, performing well in a chosen career and playing a constructive role as a responsible citizen in the society,� states Dr. Rajesh Arora, Vice Chancellor, Apex Professional University.

Additionally, the University is committed to generating highly employable professionals along with an army of future global entrepreneurs.

Research at APU focuses on devising instruments, techniques and methods to utilise and apply ancient yogic sciences in present day to day life.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

Dr. Rajesh Arora, Vice Chancellor Professor Rajesh Arora has a mixed blend of Industry and Academic for the past 30 years. His journey with University of Mumbai on a Professorial role and as an Approved Director by Pune University, External Examiner with AMA (Bahrain) IUM (Namibia), Visiting Professor at DHBW & GSO, Germany, AUSN (USA), Heriot Watt University, in Dubai & Kuwait, IMT Dubai, Kings University College, Ghana has made him a part of global teaching community.

His noteworthy contributory work with TACK Training International, (UK) and SHL (UK) on Training in Adult Education, Facilitation Skills and Competency

Many indoor and outdoor facilities are available to students for sports, cultural and technical activities, outside the classroom, through various Student Clubs

Assessments & Development work excels him in the field of Human Capital

56

Assessments. He has contributed to Research and consultancy work for large Multinational corporates and Global organisations in FMCG, Consumer Durables, BFSI, IT & ITES, Automotive, Manufacturing and Hospitality Sector.

A Blend of Indian and Contemporary Knowledge System India, home to ancient universities such as Nalanda and Taxila, is known for pioneering effective education strategies such as the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) and Gurukul System. However, with the advent of time the needs of the education system have compelled institutions to adopt a more contemporary approach.

“Sensing the need to blend the rich heritage of ancient Indian education system along with the Contemporary Knowledge System (CKS) Acharya Dhanwant Singh, an accomplished edupreneur founded Apex Professional University, India’s first Metaphysics University,” says Dr. Rajesh Arora.

A Statutory Private University established by the Government of Arunachal Pradesh; Apex Professional

Higher Education Digest December 2020

University perfectly blends the IKS with CKS. Indian Knowledge Systems at APU, are actively engaged in spreading the rich heritage of Cosmology, Neuroarchitecture, Neuro-Marketing, Yoga & Indian Medicines & medicinal Plantation, Health, Ayurveda, NadiPariksha, Astronomy, Jyotish Vigyan, Civil Engineering based on Vastu Shastra Teaching values based on Philosophies of Sapt Rishis, Psychology, Geo Archaeology, Social Sciences, Management, Sanskrit, with a blend of the Gurukul Academic system.

While the Apex Professional University propagates ancient Indian knowledge, yet it leverages the latest technology enabled learning techniques along with an altogether new pedagogy and customized taxonomy.

“We support flipped learning as a pedagogical approach to support the conventional classroom-based learning.

Students have sessions through the Learning Management System to deepen understanding through discussion with peers and problem-solving activities. Students are also encouraged to attend industrial visits, internships and student-centric workshops to keep them a step ahead of other professionals,” pinpoints Dr. Rajesh Arora.

Apex Professional University employs highly qualified and experienced teaching, non-teaching and other support staff that is adept at handling any situation.

“Faculty members bring to the table a blend of industry

The spacious and state-ofthe-art digital Library at APU is adequately stocked, with the requisite number of reference and text-books, a large number of national and international journals of repute, e-books and e-journals.

and academic experience which empowers students with wellrounded learning through the Block Teaching Methodology, which uses the multiple intelligence of the learners through multimodal methods of teaching, learning and assessment in an intensive way for a continuous period of 2 weeks or more.

A student studies only one course at a time,” shares Acharya Dhanwant Singh. At Apex Professional University, faculty members are encouraged to attend continuous education development program in their respective field, participate in research and joint research, constant book reviews, build up the teaching aids and material with a mix blend of Online and offline and classroom teaching, research activities.

The Road Ahead A research centric institution, APU’s goal is to combine the Indian Knowledge Systems and Contemporary Knowledge Systems to produce applicable research with immediate relevance to modern life. APU has set up three Research Centers to study the quantitative Physiological, Radiological, Psychological, Sportive, Biochemical and Neurological contexts of Indian Metaphysics. “The students in North east prefers the government job and or be an entrepreneur. Since our courses are more oriented towards teaching and research, they explore opportunities in Legal and Judicial Areas, Teaching in School, Colleges or Universities,” says Dr. Rajesh Arora. The University is now placing efforts to work on industrial visits

and organise counselling with industry experts.

Apex Professional University has also partnered with national partners to facilitate Intellectual exchange between students and teachers at National Law University, Assam, S Vyasya YogaUniversity, ICSI New Delhi, National Institute of Unani Medicine, Srinivasa University, Mangalore, NSDC Beauty & Wellness.

In a span of over two decades, Apex Professional University has transformed the lives of more than 100,000 students. Currently nestled in a scenic and green campus in Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh, APU is endeavoring to project the “North East” as the most sought-after destination in India for academics and medical tourism. “Our intention is to provide education in a practical way to the younger generation that had till now believed that higher education meant moving to neighboring States and distant places,” opines Acharya Dhanwant Singh.

Recognized by the UGC as a State Private University, APU ensures that 90 percent of its students hail from Tribal Communities of Arunachal Pradesh and other states. Today, the University has Law, Teacher Education, Pharmacy and other courses, resulting in having more self-employed professionals rather than mere Job seekers and will venture into Nursing, Yoga, Vastu, Ayurveda and contribute to Medical Tourism initiatives for the state of Arunachal Pradesh. The university has planned to start an integrated medicine hospital combining the richness of Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Allopathy. The Metaphysics specialist university is working towards emerging as the world’s foremost Gurukul Centre of Excellence with a special base of Indian Knowledge Sciences by 2030.

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

New Entrepreneurs Need to Think from the Point of ‘New Normal’ and Move Ahead Dr Satya Ranjan Acharya, Director, CrAdLE - Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad

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India has the 2nd largest start-up ecosystem in the world, and it is expected to witness the YoY growth of 10-12%.

What is your take on the Indian start-up ecosystem and its potential?

We see a bevvy of highly charged start-up enthusiasts whose ambitions have been particularly triggered after the government’s rising emphasis on start-ups and entrepreneurship. Some start-ups reflect a high growth potential, whereas some perish on account of their inability to compete. However, the point here is that both the sets of entrepreneurs begin with the same mojo, but down the line, one fails to find scalable ways to capture the market while the other manoeuvers with a solid knowledge base, thus benefitting from various start-up schemes that help tide over the difficulties. The good news here is that some start-ups that nosedive in their first attempt draw learning lessons and bounce back with a stronger pledge to make it big.

To begin with, most of them have a blurred idea about the difference between a start-up and a venture. An entity is considered a start-up “if it is working towards innovation, development or improvement of products or processes or services, or if it has a scalable business model with a high potential of employment generation or wealth creation. An entity ceases to be a start-up upon completion of ten years from the date of its incorporation/registration or if its turnover for any previous year exceeds one hundred crore rupees.

Some of the successful Indian start-ups include Paytm, Flipkart, Zomato, etc. These and several others grew on the premise of technology and held great potential for employment generation and growth. The government has tried to facilitate administrative ease, networking and incubation support, thus enabling start-ups to reflect

Higher Education Digest December 2020

Today’s youth is in a hurry to make it big fast, but simultaneously the fear of failure and loss also looms large in their mind.

59 Dr Satya Ranjan Acharya

An academician in the areas of entrepreneurship education, Dr Satya Ranjan Acharya holds expertise in training budding entrepreneurs as well as grooming developed entrepreneurs.

Teaching courses in New Enterprise Creation, Entrepreneurial Finance and Security Analysis, he is engaged with Start-up focused initiatives of Government of Gujarat, MHRD Innovation cell at All India Council of Technical Education and various universities/Institutions. In an interaction with Higher Education Digest, Dr Satya Ranjan Acharya talks about the Indian start-up ecosystem, how is EDII helping entrepreneurs to overcome the challenges, the future of entrepreneurship in India, and much more.

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Many entrepreneurial businesses have pivoted to meet new needs for goods or services borne out of the crisis

Higher Education Digest December 2020

their progress by multiplying job opportunities and investments. The country has over 190 active incubators and accelerators. As per the NASSCOM Report 2019, India is home to around 8900-9300 tech start-ups which depict an appreciable 12 to 15 per cent growth rate; the key domains being Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things. B2B start-ups form 40 per cent of the overall start-ups and continue to gain eminence. A phenomenal 325 start-ups are focussed on probing and solving some of the core problems gripping the country.

India aims to become one of the most sought-after start-up destinations through the amalgamation of proactive policies, strong institutional setup and dynamic participation of the private sector.

The nation has instituted measures to create a conducive ecosystem by facilitating the creation of start-up unicorns through collaboration between state governments, industry and institutions, creating intrastate regional centres for start-ups and addressing start-up concerns through innovative and sustainable solutions. To enhance the start-ups’ propensity among students, it is also important to have supportive state-wise policies, experiential mentorship and a strong network of mentors, angel investors and venture capitalists.

For instance, the start-up and the scale-up manifesto of the state involve the Student Start-up and Innovation Policy (SSIP) of the Education Department and the Start-up Scheme as part of the Industry Policy of the state. The focal point of SSIP is the students, and it stands on the cornerstones of awareness, attitude, technology and innovation.

In your opinion, what are the significant challenges young entrepreneurs in India face? How is Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) helping them in overcoming those challenges?

Today’s youth is in a hurry to make it big fast, but simultaneously the fear of failure and loss also looms large in their mind. Some take a hasty recourse to entrepreneurship and even work hard, thinking that things would shape up naturally, only to that they are not on the right track. Some linger on the idea and because of lack of awareness, never take the path itself. In any case, when failure strikes, the blame is shifted to the whims and imperfections of the market. But it isn’t really so. The fact remains that the youth had not focused on acquiring entrepreneurship specific skill sets before venturing out. Well an entrepreneurial bent of mind with knowledge, skills, updated information and oodles of passion for making it big, is mandatory. And such a mindset can be cultivated, knowledge and skills can be imparted, and passion can be infused if one is inclined.

In other words, successful entrepreneurs can be created by training and counselling interventions.

At the end of two years, students are ready with a bankable project report. EDI extends necessary follow up support to ensure that as per their identified business opportunity, they have a sound and bankable business plan. Students of Family Business Management are ready with a Five-Year Perspective Growth Plan.

About

Dr Satya Ranjan Acharya Dr Satya Ranjan Acharya has attended ‘Startup In India, do we have an adequate number of institutions committed to imparting fullfledged courses in entrepreneurship? How is EDII filling this gap?

Entrepreneurship is now a global phenomenon.

Considering the advantages that accrue out of it, international universities and management institutes are today offering full-fledged courses on entrepreneurship. Harvard Business School, Sloan School of Management and the Babson College, USA, among several others, are some reputed institutions that offer entrepreneurship programmes. Even in India, several prestigious institutions such as the IIMs, Indian School of Business have incorporated entrepreneurship inputs as a part of their curricula.

EDII offers a two-year course devoted to imparting knowledge, skills and attitude to budding entrepreneurs.

They receive both classroom inputs as well as field-level experiences.

Global incubators and accelerators in India see frenzied growth. How will it help the Indian start-up ecosystem?

In this age of exponential technology development and relentless globalisation, innovation and entrepreneurship have become the prime drivers of economic growth. Incubators and accelerators have been seen as an effective and innovative economic development tool. Incubators can usher technological innovation that can lead India to take advantage of performance opportunities in global markets.

Incubators and accelerators can aid by introducing the latest technology and business models for start-up

Accelerators in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem’ at MASHAV - Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation, Israel, and ‘Application of Business Simulation for Entrepreneurship Teaching’ at the University of Tennessee, USA and that added to his proficiency in the areas of entrepreneurship. He has conducted various management development programs in areas such

as

Agri

Entrepreneurship,

Technology

Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation. He has organised a faculty development program on entrepreneurship teaching and start-up incubation for Department of Education, Govt of Gujarat.

Dr Satya Ranjan Acharya is engaged with Start-up focused initiatives of Government of Gujarat, MHRD Innovation cell at All India Council of Technical Education and various universities/ Institutions.

He

consistently

contributes

to

strengthening the concept of entrepreneurship as a member of the organising team of the Vibrant Gujarat Startup Summit organised by Industry Industries Commissionerate, Govt of Gujarat and Annual conference on Student Startup Innovation Policy organised by Gujarat Knowledge Society.

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support. Further, rapidly evolving digital infrastructure demands for a munificent resource environment for entrepreneurial activity. These intermediaries can build supportive infrastructure by providing much-needed help through the latest technology and evolving business models.

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At present, what are the sectors in which you see an increase in activity by start-ups? How will it evolve in the future?

No industry is escaping the disruption of COVID-19.

Manufacturers are increasingly turning their focus on aftermarket services, not only as a means to enhance customer satisfaction but also as a revenue-generating opportunity. In the wake of COVID-19-driven disruption, there is additional business sense in scaling aftermarket services at a time when new equipment orders are disrupted, and capital spending comes into question.

For example, in the case of the automotive sector, the pandemic has shut millions of people in their homes and disrupted every part of the transportation domain. This has been powered by quickly evolving technologies, new business models and shifting societal expectations, a future of mobility that is more sustainable, equitable, efficient, and convenient than today seems inevitable.

Grocery and food retailers are responding to an unprecedented demand that strains the entire ecosystem.

Customers from all demographics, but especially those over 50, have shifted to digital and delivery, ushering in a new normal for food retail that may become permanent. This has created an environment poised for innovation, with a need to realign supply chains, redefine what parts of the food workforce are essential, and gain a deeper understanding of how to connect with loyal customers.

Healthcare sector, however, sees a number of innovations aiding the present healthcare functioning. One of the alumni of EDII, Harsh Shah has founded a start-up named ShiUV India (OPC) Pvt. Ltd., which is focused on the development of advanced disinfection technologies for various standard and customised applications. Their flagship product GermiWand is germicidal – i.e. it deactivates the DNA of bacteria, viruses and other pathogens and thus destroys their ability to multiply and cause disease.

GW sterilises any surface with powerful UVC light & kills up to 99% of surface germs and bacteria, including the Coronavirus strain (COVID-19).

What will be the impact of this ongoing COVID-19 on start-ups? How will it affect the Indian economy in the coming months?

Many entrepreneurial businesses have pivoted to meet new needs for goods or services borne out of the crisis. The way entrepreneurial business models and approaches are affected by

Higher Education Digest December 2020

the pandemic will have an impact on how entrepreneurship is perceived as a job choice in the future. Yet, while a large number of start-ups have suffered during the pandemic, COVID-19 has also led to an increase in entrepreneurial activity. Companies and individuals across the world have rallied to respond to, and wherever possible, tackle this crisis. From organisers of music festivals overseeing pop-up morgues to automotive companies pivoting manufacturing to much-needed ventilators, there has been a surge in creativity. People and companies have devised new ideas to respond to existing, or emerging needs insufficiently addressed so far.

Seeing the plight of farmers during the nationwide lockdown, the team of Phycolinc Technologies ( a startup incubated at EDII’s Technology Business Incubator) turned towards increasing productivity of crops using bio-fertiliser. The start-up has focused on raising farm income per hectare through quality and productivity improvement of the crop. The start-up is aiming at community level enterprise creation by supporting manufacturing of bio fertiliser by entrepreneurs within the local community. For the same, the startup has planned to take up this initiative with support from NRLM. Some new-born entrepreneurs and start-ups have been more opportunistic during the pandemic, pivoting their businesses through some kind of “repurposing” and redirecting existing knowledge, skills, people and networks to new needs that have emerged. From startups and individuals producing and selling face masks and shields to their local communities to local taxi startups turning into grocery delivery companies, the nature of innovation is often incremental but, at the same time, essential for survival and adapting to the ‘new normal’.

What advice would you give to entrepreneurs who are starting?

COVID-19 has unleashed a wave of innovation as well as new innovation challenges. The evidence base and experimentation of science, coupled with the agility and risk-taking of entrepreneurs, are major elements of this wave and essential to ending the crisis and building a post-COVID-19 world.

The agility of such science-based entrepreneurial companies to leverage their networks and repurpose their expertise and equipment shows how ingenuity and resources can be combined to help create a safer and more certain future. So to all the new entrepreneurs, I would urge to think from the point of NEW NORMAL and move ahead. Opportunities always show up.

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Higher Education Digest December 2020

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Empowering Parents to Guide their Children in the Right Direction Praveen Parameswar, Co-founder and CEO, Lifology

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Why Lifology is called a parent platform? How does this platform work for parents, and how will it benefit the students?

Lifology is the first and only platform in India that exclusively supports parents in education and career planning of their children.

We are the most comprehensive solution a parent can subscribe to for ensuring a happy, secure and stable future for their kids.

Research proves that 76% of children turn to their parents while taking crucial decisions about their education and career. Only if the parents are booted well with the right information, tools, methods and systems can they influence children to make the right decisions.

Lifology is passionate about enabling and empowering parents to guide their children in the right direction.

Parents can subscribe to Lifology on an annual basis. This makes them eligible to explore the most carefully curated career information, world-class Lifometric assessments, close interaction with international mentors, network with education as well as career experts and numerous other unique facilities.

This upgrades an ordinary parent to a Super Parent who thinks, plans and acts in the most learned manner.

What do you think is a parent’s role in a child’s career?

The parent is the most important factor in the success of any child and his/her career. We live in a very volatile and uncertain world. Courses, colleges, syllabus, teaching methods, the notion of employability, the expectation of employers, the nature of jobs every such aspect has been undergoing a massive change. It has been predicted that more than 48% of jobs as of now would not even exist in the coming decade. This makes it imperative to prepare our children for jobs and

Higher Education Digest December 2020

Research proves that 76% of children turn to their parents while taking crucial decisions about their education and career

65 Praveen Parameswar

Praveen Parameswar is an Organisation Development Expert turned Entrepreneur. He is a thought leader and policy advocate in career planning along with being an author and a well-known TEDx Speaker. Co-founded by Praveen, Lifology is the Guinness World Record Winning, India’s 1st Career Ecosystem for Parents. The mission of the brand is to empower parents to become a “Super Parent”, who will not only be informed about broader career options for their child basis his/her interest but would also be capable of guiding their children towards the right career path. Lifology attempts to solve this problem through its phenomenal Super Parent Eco-system that comprises of Lifology Magazine, Lifology TV, Lifology Hub, Lifology Connect and one of the most-engaging platforms, i.e. their Super Parent platform. In a conversation with Higher Education Digest, Praveen talks about a parent’s role in a child’s career, tools that Lifology use to empower and educate parents and much more.

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Praveen Parameswar

Higher Education Digest December 2020

career streams which are yet to come into being in the coming years. One must not attribute all this to COVID 19, but its role as a catalyst cannot be denied. In these days of turbulence, even the top-notch corporates or business leaders are taking the help of consultants and mentors to help them make the right decisions.

We cannot expect that a child of 13 or 17 years would survive this without external support. It is the responsibility of the parents to help the child navigate through this challenging path and reach the desired destination.

We have been going forward with the conventional western models of career counselling until date, where parents aren’t as involved in the career choices of their children.

However, it is time that we understand that guardians are children’s role model and influence their decisions significantly.

Therefore, it is only wise and justified for them to step up and help their wards choose the right career path for themselves and aid them to embrace what suits them and their personality the most.

Helping young minds to make a decision about their future professions and streams is a part of mentoring them, and it is about time guardians come to the rescue and re-incarnate as new-age gurus for their children.

What tools does Lifology use to empower and educate parents?

Lifology, through its carefully curated modules, expose parents to the most modern trends, choices and options in higher education and career. The intelligent algorithm of Lifology gets you the most suitable module at the right time. Our Lifometric assessments powered by Artificial Intelligence help parents understand children’s learning styles, passion, 360-degree view of personality, aptitude and intelligence orientation. The system will also help parents know ‘which courses and career is the most appropriate for their child. Lifology also facilitates close interaction between parents and master mentors across the world. On top of this, we line up a team of Royal Marine Commandos, Everest Explorers, Mindfulness Gurus and Life Skill Legends to support parents in developing life skills of children.

What according to you are the limitations in the India Career Counseling space Indian career counselling space has three major limitations.

A. Career counselling in India is following the westerncentric model that does not give much importance to parents, the key decision-makers in the system. The conversation that happens at schools would normally be between the child and the counsellor that does not influence the thoughts of parents in any manner. Thus the process does not address the critical player in the scenario.

B. Career counselling is designed as a very short process, consisting of a couple of short sessions. Generally 1 to 4 sessions of less than an hour each. This does not help in taking any long-lasting or sustainable decision. This is a major reason why career counselling is not making any impact on the way India chooses a career.

C. Use of technology in the career counselling space in Indian is extremely less. Cutting edge technologies that process multiple variables can help people make the right decisions with less effort.

Lifology is in-fact on an attempt to overcome these issues and influence career decision making in the most ideal manner.

When did you come up with the idea of Lifology and which Ed-tech brands do you think could give you a competition?

The idea of Lifology has been in our minds since 2003.

We coined the word and registered an organisation in its name in 2004 itself. After which we worked in training, Human Resource Development Consulting, Leadership Coaching, Teaching, Research and Publishing studies.

Had Ed-tech not grown at the least to the current level (still it is in infancy), the impact of COVID-19 on the life of people would be much more disastrous than in the present scenario

Associated closely with firms in various industries ranging from tourism to manufacturing to media to education.

Powered by all these experiences, Lifology in the current form was launched in 16th January 2018 with a Guinness World Record.

Being the first mover to the parent support arena, we do not face any direct competition from any companies.

However, our biggest competitor is the mindset of parents which does not open-up for new possibilities or unlearn the current pattern of thinking related to education and career planning.

How do you think the outbreak of COVID has changed the ed-tech Industry?

COVID - 19 has changed the Ed Tech industry forever. If Ed Tech was a ‘nice to have’ attachment to the education process in India, the last 6 months have witnessed that the entire system of education is placed around Ed-tech.

Had Ed-tech not grown at the least to the current level (still it is in infancy), the impact of COVID-19 on the life of people would be much more disastrous than in the present scenario. Governments, schools, parents and children are forced to use technology solutions in education. I think the shift we could embrace in the last 6 months would have easily taken a decade or more if COVID - 19 did not happen.

This change is for good.

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BLDE (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY)

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EMBRACING THE GLOBAL CONCEPTS OF EDUCATION IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR

T

he story of Bijapur Lingayat Development Education Association (BLDEA) that established BLDE (Deemed to be University) is a century-old one. It all started with Dr P.G. Halakatti, known as the ‘Vachana Pitamaha’, a native of Dharwad and a visionary, who migrated to Bijapur - present Vijayapura in Karnataka.

Dr P.G. Halakatti with other philanthropists of Bijapur founded a co-operative bank and BLDEA, with a primary objective of propagating education. Thus, the Bijapur Lingayat Development Education Association (BLDEA) came into existence on 23rd October 1910. The Association made a humble beginning by accepting to run a High School,

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MUST WATCH UNIVERSITIES OF THE YEAR 2020

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handed over by a German missionary, returning to Germany because of World War-I. Thus, the journey of imparting education commenced.

The BLDEA is propagating education in Bijapur and Bagalkot districts, which are recognized as socially, economically and educationally backward areas by then British Government and by present UGC, State Government and Central Government. “Bijapur, the city of magnanimous history and historical monuments, has since long been a high seat of learning. If Salotagi a small hamlet of the district was the most renowned centre of knowledge a few centuries ago, the BLDE Association,

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founded in 1910 is the hope of the new generation of academic aspirants,” writes Dr M.B. Patil, Chancellor of BLDE (Deemed to be University), in his message.

Over the years, BLDEA grew under the leadership of visionaries like Shri Shri Sanganabasaveshwar Maha Shivayogigalu of Banthanal and B.M. Patil.

A new era began in the 1990’s when the son of B.M. Patil, M. B. Patil, a young and dynamic leader, took over the reins of BLDEA. His primary objective was providing quality education with modern concepts of liberalization, globalization and tremendous expansion in various new courses. He conceived the need for establishing a University and strived to establish the BLDE (Deemed to be University), which came into existence on 29th February 2008. “The very fact that the Shri B.M. Patil Medical College Hospital and Research Center, which is one of the very few institutions in India having a 1000 bed hospital, since its inception is just a little more than two decades old and has attained the status of deemed to be University, echoes the melodies of quality medical education it is providing,” shares Dr. M.B. Patil.

Today, the BLDEA sponsors and runs 68 Institutions in both rural and urban areas of Bijapur (now Vijayapura) and Bagalkot Districts. It includes Primary schools, High Schools, Pre-University Colleges, Degree colleges of Arts, Science, Commerce, Law, Management, Education Science, Fine arts, Pharmacy, Nursing, Nursery, Sericulture, Engineering & Polytechnic, Medical Sciences with Postgraduate courses; and sponsors the BLDE (Deemed to be University) in detail. “The BLDE (Deemed to be University) has been established by the BLDE Association, a highly respectable charitable association of Karnataka. At BLDE (Deemed to be University) we are committed to providing quality medical education, keeping in view how challenging and the noble medical profession is,” states Dr M.S. Biradar, Vice-Chancellor, BLDE (Deemed to be University).

A Medical Institution Par Excellence BLDE (Deemed to be University) was established as a deemed university under section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956. The Shri B. M. Patil Medical College Hospital & Research Centre, Bijapur, a single constituent college of the University was established in 1986 by

Dr. M.B.Patil, Chancellor

BLDE Association. It has a unitary campus of 45 acres with 24 departments and a teaching hospital with 1125

beds. Shri B. M. Patil Medical College has been offering UG Programme-MBBS (with an intake of

150 students), PG Programmes in 21 disciplines, PG Super Specialty Programme in Urology (M.Ch.), PhD Programme in 12 disciplines and Innovative courses like Fellowship, Diploma and Certificate Courses in Medical and Allied Sciences.

“At BLDE (Deemed to be University), we have developed the necessary infrastructure to impart medical education. We have all the major departments, a central library and residential quarters spread across a sprawling campus,” says Dr M.B. Patil. BLDE (Deemed to be University) has separate hostels for boys, girls, NRI students and PG students. The library has a wide collection of covering books, reference works, journal back volumes, etc., which are available for students and faculty for reference, along with a huge collection of e-books and e-journals. “The library provides document delivery service, book bank for students, open access to faculty and students, broadband internet, bibliography and

Dr. Arvind Patil, Principal Higher Education Digest December 2020

reprographic facilities. Besides, the BLDE Association has spared no expense in building stateof-the-art laboratories for teaching and research facilities that are vital to the University,” pinpoints Dr M.S. Biradar.

Shri B. M. Patil Medical College’s research has received major thrust after being conferred with the Deemed to be University status. This has resulted in enhanced MoUs and Collaborations with reputed Universities and research institutes.

Dr M.S. Biradar adds, “We endeavour to become a reputed Research University, where teaching is

Dr. M.S.Biradar, Vice Chancellor

always at the cutting edge of research and scholarship.

We have eminent teachers and researchers. Also, the administrators and staff are friendly and supportive.”

A good number of research projects addressing social healthcare problems have been taken up by the institute and are yielding information that will directly benefit the people of the region. The University Journal with international academics on Editorial Board is being published by Wolters-Kluwer.

With the generous support from the sponsoring society, the University’s Shri B. M. Patil Medical College has expanded infrastructural facilities, adding to the existing hospital building, newer facilities created like Modular operation theatres, ICCU, CCU, NICU, DSA, and many more. Besides that, departmental buildings of Biochemistry, Anatomy and Microbiology have been expanded, and facilities upgraded. Dr Aravind V Patil, Principal, Shri B. M. Patil Medical College explains, “The university has been concentrating on enhancing ICT facilities, strengthening and upgrading training through Skills Lab, and research facilities with Central Research Lab, Vascular Lab and Genetics Lab.” BLDE (Deemed to be University) has a deep concern for healthcare facilities provided to socially disadvantaged sections of the society both in rural and urban areas. It is worth mentioning that the University has established a very well-equipped Rural Health Centre in the nearby village, Ukkali. “We promise you that your experience at BLDE (Deemed to be University) will be rewarding. What you will experience is University’s emphasis on quality education, one of the best in the country, rigorous and demanding intellectual experience and development and advancement of mind. We believe in offering education with a human face,” concludes Dr M.S. Biradar. Undoubtedly, BLDE (Deemed to be University) is marching ahead to achieve excellence in all aspects.

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

E-learning:

The New Education Norm for a New Normal Jay Rathod, Founder, Goal2Learn

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W

ith over 1.36 billion students, India has one of the highest school-going population and the largest education systems worldwide. The nationwide lockdown posed as an emergency for all the schools, colleges, universities and coaching institutes compelling them to switch to the E-learning to ensure the completion of the academic year and continued learning and In 2020, e-learning further gained popularity and has now become a primary mode for educating and connecting students with institutes in a safe yet convenient manner. E-learning is much more than just live classes; it offers a robust and interactive learning experience and has evolved from the format of a virtual lecture. Online learning is broadly extended to attending webinars and online conferences where industry leaders of different verticals discuss relevant topics imparting a deeper understanding of the subject rather than confined to a lecture. With a growing acceptance of online learning, we all have come to terms with the digital world taking over reality, and if used in the correct manner, there are benefits of online education that know no bounds.

When catering to primary or secondary grade students, the e-learning platforms must lookout for a student’s attention span and ensure in engaging content presented in a simplified manner; it not only motivates students to open up but also encourages them to participate with the use of fun visuals, diagrams, themes, quizzes aiding conceptual learning as opposed to content study. On the other hand, for professional courses, it is crucial to understand the industry functionality in the real world rather than just sticking to the theoretical

Higher Education Digest December 2020

Without a uniform digital infrastructure, both students and teachers are facing unprecedented challenges

73 Jay Rathod

Jay Rathod is the Founder of Goal2Learn Institute, an agency styled institute where students are given optimal level of training to match up to the fast-paced agency life set up with practical live projects, industry experts and faculties with industry experience. Jay is a digital marketeer with a decade long experience in corporate business management and entrepreneurship.

An engineer by education turned marketing entrepreneur with his digital agency Koffeetech communication turned marketing expert, Jay understood the void in the learning process with practical knowledge of this budding industry of Digital marketing which has now benefitted 1000+ students with its programs.

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About

Jay Rathod

Innovation and result-driven approach are the two mantras Jay believes in and has acquired since the company and institute’s inception. Driven by dedication and hard work, Jay has won many prestigious awards such as Top 10 android developers in India by TCS in 2013, Top 10 Startups of the Year in 2019 by Silicon India Magazine, MSME 5000 Awards 2020, Career Guide Speaker in educational institutes for Digital Marketing. A keen reader and a travel junkie, Jay keeps up with the dynamic nature of the digital world striving to be an early adopter to new trends.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

concepts. For, e.g. working on case studies and practical projects, presenting videocontent are ways that online platforms should adopt for teaching.

Today, due to new-age technology and e-learning tools, has enabled experts and professionals to take guest lectures sitting in any part of the world, allowing a global perspective and a robust learning curve.

The cost reduction element is also a strong incentive for the e-learning set up. Apart from the enrollment fee, the expenditure stays to a bare minimal, eliminating the commute and books cost. In comparison to traditional learning, this method allows self-paced with students running their own learning trajectory with study material available at a click of a button.

The new normal has posed a challenge for teachers who had to shift their approach overnight from in-person teaching to virtual teaching having to adapt to the complex digital world and imbibing the technical expertise.

Technological prowess is still a challenge that can be solved, but, in my opinion, the biggest barrier that e-learning faces in India is access to e-learning.

Without a uniform digital infrastructure, both students and teachers are facing unprecedented challenges. Electricity is crucial for virtual classrooms both for powering devices and internet connectivity.

With 65% of our country’s population residing in rural areas, limited or absent access to the internet and power supply plays a major concern for remote learning.

This is the challenge that the ed-tech sector, in collaboration with service providers, should address to reach the length and breadth of the country.

Covid-19 has created a long-lasting impact on the world and its outlook to almost everything. We used to consider e-learning to be a supplementary tool for school or college education which has now shifted to as a primary source of learning. If approached in the right manner, e-learning can redefine the education system of the country.

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Higher Education Digest December 2020

ACADEMIC VIEW

Importance of Education Rajesh Singh, Chairman, Kunwar Educational Foundation

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I

n accordance with the definition of Education-it is the systematic medium through which students are instructed, and imparted knowledge in a school, college or any other institutional organisation.

This is the theoretical definition of what the term education literally implies. However, in practice, education embraces a holistic and wholesome training and development of an individual. Education blankets the whole perspective of an individual. It acknowledges the diverse aspects of life, becoming empowered and acquiring the ability to think freely and uniquely. Education does not only mean getting a degree, but education teaches you to stand on your feet. It is the only tool that can help you overcome the vast problems of corruption, unemployment and the environment.

To state that education is crucial is an understatement. Education can be considered as an instrument to amend one’s life. In fact, it is credibly the most essential tool to direct one’s life towards improvement. Education is an integral part of human life. It commences at home when you are just a baby begins at home, but the learning process itself is lifelong that ends with the death of an individual. Education, sure enough, has the potential to determine the quality of an individual’s life as it nurtures an individual’s thinking and supplies them with the ability to think, act and grow in life. Education provides and enhances knowledge, skills and further evolves the personality and attitude of a person. Education and learning are not only necessary for personal improvement, but it is also a requisite for the evolution of the economy. Education enables people and aids them to become efficient and experienced in varied aspects of living or field of work.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

Education during the younger years, and in the Higher Secondary term plays a critical role in the constructive years of a child’s life

77 Rajesh Singh

A true visionary and philanthropist Mr Rajesh Kumar Singh is constantly worked towards the growth of the community and has dedicated all his earnings in uplifting the educational system of India where education is imparted not only to rich but poor. Rajesh Kumar Singh is the Chairman of Kunwar’s Global School and is a passionate believer and a very hard-working entrepreneur. He has converted his 100 crore land initially allocated for a 5-star club into an educational institute. Crores of investment in its promotion, 50 crores of loan in its construction, Mr Rajesh Kumar Singh donated & sacrificed all for this school. His Intent and strong will of social service did not go unnoticed as he was recognised by many foundations, one of which has awarded him with the Honorary Doctorate for his work in the field of social service.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

An educated population knows how to co-exist and cooperate with their peers and colleagues Rajesh Singh

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Education during the younger years, and in the Higher Secondary term plays a critical role in the constructive years of a child’s life. It shapes their personality, ability to work and assists them in detecting their true potential. Education is significant as it opens up people’s minds and makes them understand, develop and grow. Hence education, in all forms and at any point in life, plays an indispensable role throughout life. Our thoughts are formed according to our life, our conduct.

The basic foundation of our life and conduct is our education. Education is a part of our life, and education is very important for success in life. At the same time education is also important for the personal, social and economic development of the nation. Through education, those brains are empowered to be able to understand good thoughts. Education is equally important for both men and women, as both together create a healthy and educated society.

Apart from imparting knowledge, education also keeps people vested in civic and social responsibilities.

It explains their duties and what is ethical and unethical in life. These aspects also aid the practice of emotional integration. In the modern and literate community, there is no space for petty issues such as meaningless and irrational conflicts and contradictions. An educated population knows how to co-exist and cooperate with their peers and colleagues. Hence, to attain world peace, justice, freedom and equality, education is essential.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

Everyone should have the right to educate themselves and grow in life.

A nation like ours where there are a lot of young minds it can definitely do with education being as the top agenda. The real importance of education is to make human beings good and honest citizens so that they can participate in the progress of the nation.

Why education is necessary?

• Learning is an indispensable prospect of life, development and evolution.

• Education is equally important for the development and drives towards the excellence of a nation.

• Education renders great power to learn and implement it practically.

• Education comes in quite handy to build the right character and structure the personality of individuals.

• All the people in society should be entitled to the Right to Education.

• Any nation investing in educating the youth of their society, assure its future development and progression.

• Education vests individuals with the cognition to think and put out opinions on matters that hold due importance.

• Education aids us in acquiring our history, roots, and culture

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Higher EducationKDigest 12 Digest December 2020 Sept-Oct 2020

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GNA UNIVERSITY

OFFERING A SMOOTH TRANSITION FROM

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PUPIL TO PROFESSIONAL

T

he research scenario in India portrays a chequered picture. While some leading world-class institutions like the IITs and the IIMs are achieving what was well planned in their objectives, others portray a dismal picture in terms of quality and quantity of research. The sustainability of any educational institution depends on research productivity and innovation.

The success of a University in attaining its objectives is greatly contingent upon the faculty’s alignment with all the aspects of research initiatives, being undertaken at the university. “We provide Financial support to the faculty members for publication in the Scopus / WoS indexed journal with SJR or Impact factor.

All faculty members and students are encouraged to do research in

Higher Education Digest December 2020

MUST WATCH UNIVERSITIES OF THE YEAR 2020

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their respective fields and present the same to the world through conferences at the national and international levels. They are provided with conference grants.

Every year research awards are organized. Our students are working on live projects. We also have the GNA University Institution Innovation Council (GU-IIC) which specially work to bring out the innovativeness amongst the students�, point out Gurdeep Singh Sihra, President and ProChancellor, GNA University.

Delivering Academic Excellence Established through an act of the state government and approved by the UGC,

Higher Education Digest December 2020

82 About Mr Gurdeep Singh Sihra

Mr Gurdeep Singh Sihra is President of GNA University and Director & CEO of GNA Gears Ltd. - a US $ 31 million – Gear Manufacturing Company. Mr Sihra has joined his family held business in 1987 and was elevated to the position Of Director in 1995 and then CEO in 2006. Since 1986 he has held a series of leadership positions in the company. Most recently, as CEO and Director of GNA Gears Division, he led the company’s brilliant foray into global markets through its pioneering vision and with a strong focus on technology, innovation, process reengineering, and expansion of distribution and scale. He has travelled to various countries to enhance the vision and to implement the latest technologies and management systems in the Group companies. His dedication, positive attitude, vision gave him the strength to face challenging opportunities to explore.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

the GNA University has become the chosen educational hub for a diverse community of students. With over 50 degree and certificate courses across offer, it has established itself as a leading university in India for business, engineering, hospitality, and computer programs. With trained faculty, best teaching practices, and well-equipped classrooms, GNA University has become a brand name for India’s world-class education.

It has turned itself into a leading hub of optimized life skills coaching that enables students to improve their quality of life through an eclectic blend of science, technology, and humanities and approach real-life problems through innovation. “The unique feature of our programs is the focus on experiential learning, industrial internships, learning to learn principles, flexible, credit-based study programs, and holistic development of personality which in turn will ensure employability of the students. We benchmark ourselves with leading institutions across the world in terms of intellectual capital, academic quality, delivery practices, and industry linkages�, adds Gurdeep.

The faculty members at GNA University are well conscious about delivering the updated content to the students. The student who imbibes the mental transformation is facilitated if there is a well-defined curriculum design and that curriculum is well

The curriculums of GNA University has been designed in the way that can bridge the gap between theory and practice and classroom activities are synced with the workplace environment.

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84 implemented. Both aspects of the curriculum are welltaken care of by our teachers. Teachers are more aware of the aim pursued by teaching, they understand their role as individuals and as components of a collective mission.

They can better relate their expectations to the program or institution’s expectations in terms of learning outcomes. In particular, quality teaching initiatives enhance information technology in pedagogy improvement and analyze studentteacher interactions.

GNA University is based on sound design principles following the blue ocean strategy. Innovative thinking is the hallmark of our approach to design and deliver programs that are tightly aligned to the market needs.

Around the core discipline, the university has designed programs like Mechatronics, Big Date, Culinary Arts, Film Making, etc., which are aligned to society’s contemporary needs. “Our curriculum design is based on the principles of promoting a sense of inquiry, multi-disciplinary problemsolving approach, focus on practical education, nurturing transformational leadership and sensitivity to the societal needs such as human values and ecological balance”, opines Gurdeep.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

The university has taken novel initiatives to remain in the vanguard of scientific and social research and has been setting up state-ofthe-art laboratories, library and to create infrastructure for conducting research of international standard.

Bringing Innovation in the Industry Being an industry-led university; GNA University has set out a very clear agenda to have a robust industry-academic interface.

Few of the steps under this are to invite visiting faculty from industry on board, encouraging students to do live industry projects, the participation of industry experts in various activities of the university like discussions on course curriculum as a part of Board of Studies, attending conferences and conclaves organized by the university, etc. Gurdeep states, “Majority of the university’s collaborations with international bodies to give international exposure to the students. To make the students readily

Mr Gurdeep Singh Sihra

employable, GNA University has collaborated with big industry giants like Bosch, Siemens, Autodesk, Festo, Stratasys, Dassaults Systems, etc. GNA University has also signed MOUs with Fort Hays State University US, University of La Vern – US, Wichita State University, and many more like this. Under his leadership, we are exclusive members of AIMA for Business Simulation Labs, EC Council University – the US for Cyber Security, AWS Academy, Tableau, Mafoi, Times of India, and BSE Institute”.

Recently, GNA University collaborated with Pearson to deliver Higher National Diplomas in Business, Hospitality, Computing, Engineering, and International Travel and Tourism Management. All these programs are skill-based, and students undergoing these programs are readily employable.

The Corporate Relations Division team plays an important role in locating job/career opportunities for students in the final year of their studies passing from GNA University.

With a live and shared industry network, GNA University holds a special stature for getting their students’ jobs/careers related to the latest skills. With its mission to create Industry 4.o professional, Corporate Relations Division ensures a very rigorous and practical fun-based placement prep program for students from all backgrounds. Gurdeep adds, “Our engineering students got placements in John Deere, ITL Ltd., Swaraj Mazda, TVS, Maruti Suzuki, TCS, Mahindra, Bosch, etc. For Hospitality students, recruitments are done by The Lalit, Hilton, Taj Hotels, resorts and palaces, JW Marriot, etc.

Business students got an opportunity in Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, Decathalon, etc. Similarly, IT students got placed in Infosys, Wipro, etc.”

The vision behind the establishment of GNA University is to allow Punjab students to get trained on present technology and the technology that will be prevailing in the market when they will join the industry. The university offers attractive scholarships to all deserving students based on their merit in qualifying examinations. There is a special scholarship scheme for girl students by the university. In more broad terms, GNA University offers a world of opportunities to its students, helping them achieve success in their lives.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

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STUDENT STORY

What It Takes to Become a Student Entrepreneur?

Mahira Jain, Founder of FunWagon and Student of Delhi Public School

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What was the motive behind taking up entrepreneurship during the school days?

In grade 9, I attended a program called Young Entrepreneurs Academy, where we had to conceptualize a startup idea. I started identifying many problems such as limited options for academic and enriching recreational activities especially for children from different strata of the society, lack of focus to organize events curated for children that provide experiential learning and the lack of possibilities of secure excursions for parents to send kids for immersive learning. This inspired me to create a platform which provides well researched and age-appropriate events for students to learn outside the confines of the classroom that channelize mutual sharing and community learning and evoke interest in Indian culture, art and history from rote learning to an interactive, and customized program that engages young minds.

This led me to start FunWagon.

What is entrepreneurship means to you?

Entrepreneurship, to me, means a way to express myself, my passion and provide the world with something that is not already there. It is an innovative space which helps a small idea, comparable to a seed that may have just generated from a cluster of thoughts, turn out into a tree containing ripped fruits.

Do you think, FunWagon would have been possible if the schools were not closed due to the pandemic? What is the reason behind starting FunWagon?

Due to the pandemic, we were not able to conduct in-person excursions, but the COVID-19 has actually proved to be a blessing in disguise for FunWagon. During the lockdown, I started exploring

Higher Education Digest December 2020

Entrepreneurship, to me, means a way to express myself, my passion and provide the world with something that is not already there

87 Mahira Jain

Mahira Jain is a 12th-grade student at Delhi Public School, RK Puram, Delhi. Mahira is also the founder of FunWagon, a social enterprise that caters to children between the ages of 6 to 16. Besides being passionate about History, Sociology, Arts, Piano, and Indian Classical singing, she is on a mission to spread consciousness about the importance of extracurricular activities.

Mahira is an active student and is a member of the Entrepreneurship Club, Sociology society, Art club, and the History Society of her school. An avid artist, Mahira, is also a spirited wildlife photographer. In a conversation with Higher Education Digest, Mahira talks about her life as a student entrepreneur, managing her studies and operations of FunWagon, her goals and many more.

Higher Education Digest December 2020

the virtual world and started virtual tours of historical sites. The virtual walkthroughs proved to be extremely beneficial for FunWagon since our reach increased and we were able to break the geographical boundaries and got the participation of children from all over India and the world including Dubai, Australia and Germany. During the lockdown, I also started a YouTube channel where I post virtual walkthroughs of historical sites of Delhi for all children to binge-watch at home and enjoy while learning about the rich culture and history at the same time.

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Please tell us more about FunWagon and how it helps learners across the globe?

FunWagon is a social enterprise that caters to children between the ages of 6 to 16. Our mission is to organize exciting, interactive cultural activities, promoting experiential learning through excursions and experiences. FunWagon also communicates the importance of non-STEM subjects, by giving students a platform to emphasize and engage with different forms of the Arts, Culture, History, and more, both in-person and virtually. Up until now,

Higher Education Digest December 2020

we have conducted 4 excursions, including tours to the National Museum, India Gate, Gandhi Smriti and Lodhi Art District, 8 educational workshops with our NGO partners, 3 virtual tours where we got participation from students across the globe, and 5 Virtual walkthroughs on YouTube. We have partnered with 5 NGOs including Simple Education Foundation, Spread a Smile India, Sathya Sai Seva Organisation, My Perch and AAROHAN NGO, and a playschool called The Banyan. FunWagon also created an original curriculum and content (available in both English and Hindi) that helps the workshops we organize to be productive, collaborative and that bring inquisitiveness. This curriculum has now been adopted by 13 NGOs, including Ladli Foundation and Suniye NGO. How do you manage studies and operations of FunWagon simultaneously?

Managing studies and FunWagon together is hard, but over the years, I have realized that when one is determined and hardworking, then nothing is impossible. I try to manage my time efficiently and productively, which in turn helps me manage both.

Managing studies and FunWagon together is hard, but over the years, I have realized that when one is determined and hardworking, then nothing is impossible

As an entrepreneur, what is it that motivates and drives you? How do you handle failures?

It is essential to choose a field or base your company on something that you enjoy doing. For me, history has always been my favourite subject and incorporating that into my startup keeps me motivated to share the same love amongst others. I do not consider my lows failures; I see them as opportunities to learn from and try a different plan to come out stronger.

In a word, describe your life as an entrepreneur.

Ecstatic

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What do you put your success down to?

My first milestone was when I founded CulturALL under FunWagon. CulturALL an initiative that aims to increase access to cultural education, exposure, and opportunity for children from all backgrounds. We organized the inaugural CulturALL Cultural Education conference in December 2019 that took place in PhD chambers, New Delhi. The whole process to conduct the conference was a challenging one- meeting 20 cultural educators, convincing them to come on board for the conference and reaching out to various schools across Delhi to attend the conference and. But finally, my efforts paid off, and this was a huge success.

We had participation from 5 cultural educators, including theatre practitioners, motivational speakers, dancers and the Director of CHETNA NGO and 80 audience members.

What would you say are the key elements for starting and running a successful business?

Firstly, it is super important to know your target audience. Secondly, your idea should bring something new and useful to the market and finally, your USP should be precise, distinctive and effective.

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How do you generate new ideas?

I generate new ideas by understanding the gaps in the market and brainstorming about something that would genuinely be useful to my target audience.

What advice would you give to other student entrepreneurs who are starting out?

One must believe in themselves and their startup. Dedication and hard work are the most crucial for any startup to grow.

It is extremely important to be driven and motivated, especially if one’s startup isn’t doing well or isn’t going according to how one expected it to.

What do you want to do in your college and future?

I am looking to go abroad and pursue liberal arts.

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