New Delhi, Feb 3 (Mayank Nigam) The amount of acceleration in technology in the education system is evolutionary and the key to India becoming the leading nation is to make more youths educated, said Dr BVR Mohan Reddy, Chairman CII National Education Council & Founder Chairman & Director of Cyient Ltd said while setting the context for the second edition of Education East Summit organized by CII here on Friday. The demography of the entire education is changing with technology and government policy, Dr Reddy opined and also said that the Union Government has increased investment by 8.26% of the GDP towards education, emphasizing upskilling opportunities for the youth.
Expansion, inclusion & quality are the three major pillars of growth on which we can be able to witness a projected growth in Gross Enrolment Ratio from 27% to 50% by 2025, he added. “Schools should have a comprehensive plan to train the educators on the continuously evolving technical blending of learning to make it smarter,” Gautam Maiti, Chief Operating Officer Schoolnet India Ltd said. He also said that the focus should ideally be on the modern ecosystem of education which in turn should be hybrid, collaborative and flexible. Delivering an address as the Guest of Honour, the Consul General of France in Kolkata, Consulate General of France in Kolkata, Didier Talpain deliberated about the various opportunities for cooperation between India and France that steadily influence the field of education.
French is the 2nd most taught foreign language in India, with an estimated 600000 students learning French, the Consul General said. He spoke about the benefits of studying in France which included World-class education, Research & Innovation, expense of less than 4000 Euro for a Masters degree, 1600 academic offering programs in English. Talpain also said that to make rapid and remarkable developments in the field of innovation, economic upliftment, research, academia and industry collaboration coupled with a high level of confidence and cooperation through strategic partnership is what India France cross border learning is looking after. Melinda Pavek, Consulate General of USA in Kolkata, initiated her address with the statement, “We must focus on creating systems that emphasize inclusion & accessibility so that the new child is not behind.” She emphasized that this is what exactly the NEP 2020 is trying to achieve through sustainable educational reforms. The Consul General of USA in Kolkata spoke about the education ecosystem in the USA where, she added, the country has some of the world’s leading economists, scientists & educationalists.
Of the major leaders of the US Tech Industry, 25% of the US startups are either from India or people of Indian origin who studied in other countries, Pavek said. She gave the example of Vishwa Bharati, that is considered a model of holistic education. She also spoke about the few bilateral relationships where India and USA cooperate on defense, cyber security, trade, investment, energy, and environment and among them, cross-border education and learning plays a major role. “The shift of the classroom from physical to virtual is evident and will help students to go out of their way to gain more knowledge and save time,” Bratati Bhattacharyya, Chairperson, CII Eastern Region Education Subcommittee & Secretary General, Shikshayatan Foundation, in her inaugural speech for the 2nd Education meet emphasized the enormous potential of technology proliferating the face of modern classroom education. Deliberating on the shifting and continuously evolving education system that undergoes reforms, transforms and performs, she added that the “National Education Policy 2020 is a God send for the education geography.” Simarpreet Singh, Co-Chairman, CII Eastern Education Subcommittee & Director, JIS Group concluded the inaugural plenary. The two-day Education East Summit will have sessions on NEP 2020 focusing on how reforms, transformation and performance can be built in tech-centric ed -systems with a focus on better learning outcomes, strengthening relationships between students, teachers & parents, perennial learning & innovations.