Professors of Practice

 Professor of Practice scheme of UGC will lead to an overall improvement in the quality, employability and outcomes of higher education in India and is therefore a welcome step of the government

University Grants Commission, New Delhi has notified guidelines for engaging “Professors of Practice” in higher education institutions, in the month of October, 2022 in consonance with the recommendations of National Education Policy, 2020. Main objectives of this scheme are to boost industry-academia interaction and address burgeoning skill-gap and supply-demand gap in our higher education sector by developing courses and curricula that meet industry demands as well as societal needs and enabling academicians to work in communion with industry experts on joint research projects, outreach, extension and consultancy services that will be mutually beneficial to both of them. It seeks to invite distinguished experts and persons of eminence from diverse fields and give them an opportunity to contribute towards experiential learning, applied research, practical training, upskilling, entrepreneurship and mentoring of students. Through this initiative it is desired to bring professional expertise from the industry into the academic institutions through a new category of positions called “Professor of Practice”. This will help in bringing real world practices and experiences into the class rooms through lab-based practicals, computer-based simulations, field-based practices and industry-based internships, besides augmenting the faculty resources in higher education institutions. In turn, both industry and society will benefit from trained graduates equipped with relevant skills, competencies and knowledge. 

Through this scheme eminent experts from the industry working at senior administrative and managerial levels for more than fifteen years at a stretch and those with significant contributions and skills in production, marketing, research and development, finance, communication, human resource management, journalism, performing and fine arts, literature, judiciary, defence, bureaucracy, hotel management, engineering, science, technology, entrepreneurship, commerce, social sciences, community and rural development etc can be designated as Professors of Practice in higher education institutions for a period ranging anywhere between one to four years and subsequently engaged to teach the students and transfer their skills and practical knowledge to them against consolidated emoluments to be fixed through mutual consensus and on the basis of teaching workload. Up to ten percent of the sanctioned strength of teaching faculty of an institution can comprise the professors of practice and their number will be over and above the total sanctioned staff strength of the institution. This way teaching pedagogy would be largely based on experiential, problem-solving, practice and case-based learning. Students would learn a lot from the lifetime experiences of these professors and will get to understand the real-life situations, problems and challenges experienced by them as well as the means and methods to deal with them. Classroom theories and research would translate into practice and students would be in a better position to meet the contemporary demands of the industry and dynamic job markets of the world. 

It is said that practice makes a man perfect and an ounce of practice is more worthy than tons of preaching. Knowledge actually has no meaning unless it is practiced and practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles and adversities. Times have gone by when teachers would endlessly teach and preach without bringing their theories into practice and without demonstrating the real-life problems and challenges in executing the lessons learnt in a classroom. Professor of practice scheme essentially aims at transforming higher education by focusing on skill-based learning with a view to meet needs of the industry, modern society and economy. As per India Skills Report of 2022, the widening skill gap in Indian higher education is the major reason for rising unemployment. It has revealed that among eight million graduates passing out every year only 50,000 are equipped with much required ‘future skills’. According to a 2019 NASSCOM survey, India produces 15 lakh engineering graduates every year, however, only 2.5 lakh of them succeed in getting jobs in the core engineering industry. Similarly, another survey by “Aspiring Minds” reported that 80 per cent of Indian engineers were unemployed in 2019. A mismatch has also emerged between the skills that the industry needs, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics, and what is actually being taught in the classrooms, leading to a supply-demand gap in talent acquisition. As a result of the Govt. of India’s added emphasis upon skill development over the past few years, overall employability of Indian graduates has increased from 40.44% in 2017 to 50.3% in 2023 as per India Skills Report. 

Skill development has been identified within the Sustainable Development Goals framework as SDG Goal 8 entitled, “Decent work and Economic Growth”, that reflects the need to increase economic productivity, reduce unemployment and devise development-oriented policies with a special focus on women and youth in rural areas. Census 2011 was indicative of the imminent ‘demographic dividend’ in India by the year 2020 with 65% Indians under the age of 35, thus making India the youngest country in the world. This was seen as an advantage to meet the demand for 109.73 million skilled workers across India by the year 2022 (NSDC, 2014). However, National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data reflects that out of the 470 million working age population, only 10% receive some kind of training or access to skilled employment opportunities in India. This clearly indicates a largescale demand-supply gap in the skill development avenues. Moreover, demographic dividend could even lead to demographic disadvantage as the large number of unskilled and semi-skilled youth population forming base of the labour force within the country could end up in low productivity and lower wages as a fall out of this skill gap. In order to bridge these gaps, skill development has been made one of the national priorities by the government in the last decade and positive changes have been witnessed in India’s skill development framework. Professor of Practice scheme of the University Grants Commission is meant to address this skill-gap and supply-demand gap by inculcating right kind of skillsets among our youth and harnessing their potential to be industry-ready by the time they graduate from their colleges and universities. 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA started appointing Professors and Associate Professors of Practice way back in the year 1997. Other top academic institutions like Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Columbia University also have rosters of leading practitioners, many of whom teach on part-time basis. Early this year Columbia University engaged Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former U.S. Secretary of State, as professor of practice at its School of International and Public Affairs. However, this scheme has been introduced for the first time in India as a follow-up of the implementation of NEP-2020 with a view to promote internships, industry visits, apprenticeship, mentorship, innovation, entrepreneurship and start-up culture in our higher education institutions. Though foreign institutions allow serving and retired teaching faculty too to serve as professors of practice, in India it has been for the time being restricted to experienced and senior level experts from the field and industry with a view to give them an opportunity to transfer their knowledge, skills, competencies and expertise to the students even if they do not possess regular academic qualifications like PG or Ph.D. and do not have any scientific publications to their credit as a result of which they might feel constrained to enter an academic institution and interact with the students. Therefore, to begin with this scheme has been restricted only for industry personnel in India and with the passage of time it might get extended to serving and retired teaching faculty as well. However, at present focus is only on actual practitioners in the field. 

Higher education institutions intending to implement this scheme have to constitute a committee of two senior professors from within and one from outside the institution that will invite or accept nominations from the field and industry experts and scrutinize them on the basis of their requirements and will subsequently engage them as PoPs with due approval of their statutory bodies like academic and executive councils. Before setting out on this path colleges and universities shall have to identify the programmes where there is need to engage PoPs and prioritize them on their need-basis. Suitable emoluments have to be fixed through mutual consultation for such appointees and their services have to be availed for the required period of time. Engagement of PoPs could be funded either by the industry or by the higher education institutions or as the case may be, they might even choose to work on honorary basis. Importance of this scheme can be gauged from the fact that there could be no better person to teach journalism than a chief editor who has been successfully publishing a reputed newspaper or a chef who has been working in a five-star hotel or a judge who has been serving in a high court or sessions court or an agriculturist who has been growing and supplying food or a musician who has been performing successfully for more than fifteen years. They will be well-versed with all the pros and cons, real-life problems, issues and challenges confronted in that particular field on day-to-day basis and therefore the best resource persons to learn that subject from. This will not snatch anything away from the regular teaching faculty working on substantive basis in our academic institutions because the presence of professors of practice at the campuses will not affect their career or promotion prospects and on the contrary, they will get an opportunity to network with the industry. In nutshell, Professor of Practice scheme will lead to an overall improvement in the quality, employability and outcomes of higher education in India and is therefore a highly welcome step of the government. 

(Author is Director, Centre for Career Planning and Counselling, University of Kashmir. This article is based on the views expressed by the author during a panel discussion organized by ClinMed Research Solutions, Bengaluru on this topic on May 31,2023. Views expressed are authors own and not necessarily of the institution that he works for.)

Preparing youth for the corporate world

Imparting industry-oriented soft skills among graduates and training them to face online tests and corporate interviews for placements has become a need of the hour

While the youth of Jammu and Kashmir have been doing exceptionally well in every sphere of life and have been proving their mettle by scoring well in their examinations, appearing successfully in national level competitive examinations, securing admissions for higher studies in higher educational institutions of national and international repute, bringing back laurels by excelling in their studies and offering their valuable services in national and multi-national corporations all across the world, yet it has been observed during campus recruitment drives and corporate interviews that a vast majority of our graduates and post-graduates lack some essential soft skills like the skills of problem-solving, critical thinking, effective communication, decision-making, creative thinking, interpersonal relationship, self-awareness, empathy, coping with stressful situations and emotions. Therefore, apart from imparting training to our students in their own streams of knowledge and teaching them curricular contents, we also need to lay equal emphasis upon honing and inculcating soft skills related to confidence-building, time management, self-management, mannerism, ambition, focus, common sense, situational awareness, enthusiasm, optimism and empathy. Not only our higher education institutions but our high schools too need to work on building these soft skills among their students. 

Nowadays corporates are looking for professional, qualified and trained human resource who possess these twenty first century life and work skills including the ability to work with a team in a collaborative, coherent and congenial manner, ability to communicate effectively with colleagues and customers, ability to solve problems and take decisions at the spur of the moment, ability to interact with business partners and other stakeholders professionally, ability to face all hurdles and challenges and complete given assignments well in time. Thus, in addition to the technical, managerial or non-technical tasks assigned to them they need to possess these soft skills in order to be productive, goal-oriented and successful in a sustainable manner. Subject-specific knowledge alone does not suffice in contemporary job markets. Job aspirants need to possesses necessary emotional intelligence and cognitive abilities to work in a multi-member, cross-disciplinary ecosystem that might be ethnically, technically, geographically and culturally distinct and diverse in nature. 

With a view to prepare our students to face the challenges of clearing online tests and appearing in corporate interviews for securing their placements, Centre for Career Planning and Counselling of the University of Kashmir is contemplating to launch a massive upskilling programme for our students in collaboration with Tata Strive (initiative under Tata Trust) - Google Scholarship Certification Programme, Tata Consultancy Services - Youth Employment Programme, Bitwise IT Orientation Programme and Finishing School Skill Development Programme of Mission Youth, J&K. These training programmes will be absolutely free for the students and will be primarily aimed at providing training to our graduates in communication skills, foundational life and work skills, logic, reasoning and cognitive abilities, quantitative aptitude besides other soft skills. Tata Strive in partnership with Google has launched a free skilling program on high demand digital skills for youth that will provide a golden opportunity to them to upskill themselves for gaining more livelihood opportunities in IT industry. This will be in addition to an ongoing Youth Employment Programme run in collaboration with Tata Consultancy Services, Mumbai during which online weekend classes were started last year for engineering students of IoT, Zakura and North Campus, Baramulla. This year this programme will be extended to non-engineering and MCA students of the main and satellite campuses of the University of Kashmir too. Main focus of this programme has been on building communication skills of the students free of any costs. Well qualified, trained and experienced experts are engaged for imparting training to our students under these programmes through virtual platforms. 

Finishing School Skill Upgradation Programme in collaboration with Mission Youth, J&K is also being contemplated for both engineering and non-engineering students of the University of Kashmir and its satellite campuses. Major thrust during this programme will be on building essential language and IT proficiency skills among our graduates. During this programme, sessions will be held on CV writing, profile and capacity building, English speaking, appearing in corporate interviews, opportunities for higher studies and scholarships within and outside India, interpersonal and leadership skills. Ultimate aim is that our graduating youth should be well-equipped to face the challenges of the highly competitive and demanding job markets and should be second to none in securing high-package placements in top-ranking industries. However, this mission cannot be accomplished alone by the Centre for Career Planning and Counselling. Each and every department of the University shall have to participate in these programmes with missionary zeal and enthusiasm. Departments need to rope in experts from their own relevant industries for training their graduates in their related fields of knowledge and expertise. They need to create more opportunities for their students for internships, apprenticeships, industrial visits, exposure tours and hands-on training in their relevant industrial units. 

Under corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives many renowned corporate houses are ready to fund such skill enhancement activities at schools, colleges and universities. Only thing needed is the will to approach them with novel and innovative ideas and concrete action plans in these areas for liberal funding. Pertinently, community-based transformational initiatives have been mandated by the Government of India under Corporate Social Responsibility under Section 135 of The Companies Act 2013 for socio-economic development of the society, that makes qualifying Indian companies answerable to the government about their CSR expenditures. All such companies that have a net worth of Rs. 500 crores or more, or an annual turnover of Rs. 1000 crores or more, or generate an annual profit of Rs. 5 crores or more come under the ambit of CSR initiatives that include a wide range of activities for eradicating hunger, poverty and malnutrition, promoting education, gender equality, protection of ecology and environment, protection of national heritage, art and culture etc. In the financial year 2021 as many as 1619 companies listed as CSR contributors in the country spent an amount of Rs. 8828 crores which was much less as compared to a total of 22531 companies spending an amount of Rs. 24688 crores in the year 2019-2020 as a result of COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. Some of the big CSR contributors in India include ITC, Tata Group, Godrej, Infosys, Wipro, Ambuja Cement, Ultratech Cement, Mahindra & Mahindra, Hindustan Lever, Tata Chemicals, Jubilant Life Sciences, Vedanta and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. 

From the ramparts of Red Fort, Prime Minister of India Sh. Narendra Modi said on August 15, 2014 that “skilling is building a better India. If we have to move India towards development, then skill development should be our mission”, following which a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) was launched on July 15, 2015 namely “Skill India (Kaushal Bharat, Kushal Bharat) campaign” under the National Skill Development Mission of India that is managed by the National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC) of India with a target of training more than 50 crore people in various skills by the end of this year. Under this banner, a “Soft Skills & Personality Development Online Course” has been designed for improving the soft skills and personality of an individual which is a necessity in today's competitive world. In this program learners are taught various presentation skills, communication skills, team skills, interview skills, leadership skills, time management skills and customer service skills. This course is being conducted by CSC (Common Service Centre), Govt. of India and the certificates are awarded by CSC, Digital India in association with NSDC. Students need to take up these courses as per their own convenience against a nominal fee. Main objective of this skill certification course is to enable a large number of youth to take up industry-relevant skill training that will help them in securing a better livelihood for themselves. Other landmark initiatives of the Govt. of India for skill development include National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) scheme, Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), SANKALP, Aspirational Skilling Abhiyan, Rozgar Mela, Indian Institute of Skills (IISs), Skill Loan Scheme etc. 

Last but not the least soft skill training has to be made a part and parcel of the curriculum of each and every programme offered by our colleges and universities. Then only students, teachers and other stakeholders will take it seriously. Since National Education Policy-2020 also aims at preparing all-round, holistically trained and fully empowered multi-disciplinary individuals at our higher educational institutions, it becomes our prime responsibility to offer everything that is needed in the contemporary times by our students. Merely teaching subject-specific content will not suffice to empower them and instil necessary confidence among them for facing the emerging challenges of the global job markets. Therefore, our policy makers need to pool their wisdom in this direction and reframe our curricula paving way for comprehensive skill enhancement and capacity-building of our graduates and post-graduates. NEP-2020 could prove to be an effective guiding framework in that direction. Pertinent to mention that the Skill Development Department of the Govt.  of J&K has already taken a host of initiatives under centrally sponsored schemes (CSS), polytechnic schemes, PPP schemes and Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE) scheme for skill enhancement of our youth. University of Kashmir has also taken several initiatives for skill development of students that includes establishment of the Centre for Capacity Building and Skill Development, Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship at IoT, Zakura and the Centre for Career Planning and Counselling and has devised robust policies and plans for sustainable skill enhancement of its students. 

(Author is Director, Centre for Career Planning and Counselling, University of Kashmir)

Building an egalitarian society through education based on universal human values

National Education Policy 2020 envisages to impart value-based education with a view to actualize full human potential required for building an equitable and just society and promoting national development

Happiness essentially implies to be in a state of complete harmony with one’s own self, one’s family, friends, colleagues and society at large and with one’s nature and surroundings as well. Real happiness is achieved only through natural acceptance and continuity of happiness is possible only with synergy and complete harmony at all levels. That alone will yield permanence in happiness rather than temporary excitement that is short-lived and unsustainable. Similarly, pleasure can also be obtained temporarily through favourable sensation, attention and appreciation but cannot be sustained for long. Prosperity is not same as possession of wealth and material goods. Though physical assets are very much required in life, they alone do not suffice for the lasting happiness and prosperity of human beings therefore dependence on physical assets can’t be reliable. Whereas physical needs alone are sufficient for animals they are not sufficient for human beings. Fundamental difference between animals and human beings is that for human beings relationships are as important as physical needs. Happiness and prosperity are the basic human aspirations that need to be sustainable and unless they are long-lasting and sustainable, they cannot be called as happiness or prosperity in real sense. Material gains can bring temporary excitement and joy but not lasting happiness and prosperity which is only possible through complete harmony at all levels. 

In consonance with one of the primary objectives of the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP-2020) that seeks to instil deep-rooted pride in being Indian, not only in thought but also in spirit, intellect and deeds as well as to develop knowledge, skills and values that support responsible commitment towards human rights, sustainable development and  global well-being, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) embarked on its journey to develop a comprehensive model curriculum for Universal Human Values (UHVs) that is based on the principles of holistic education aimed at enhancing integrity, dedication, inclusiveness, commitment and harmony among the learners. In its 49th meeting held on 14th March 2017, AICTE approved a mandatory three-week long Student Induction Program (SIP) based on Universal Human Values (UHVs) in order to to prepare newly admitted undergraduate students for the new stage in their life by facilitating a smooth transition from their home and school environment into the college and university environment through various discussions and activities. An appropriate Faculty Development Programme (FDP) was also designed and proposed with a view to prepare the faculty members of colleges and universities for offering this SIP. For this very purpose, AICTE has formed a National Coordination Committee for Student Induction (NCC-IP) and has impressed upon every technical institution of higher education to prepare UHV Faculty in the ratio of 1:20 (1 faculty for every 20 newly admitted students). 

Universal Human Values (UHVs) impart pre-tested and validated foundational skills that are universal, rational, verifiable, all-encompassing and leading to harmony i.e., wellbeing of all. This model has been successfully applied in more than 40 universities in 10 states over the last 17 years and since 2017 all across the nation by AICTE. Holistic, value-based education is required to prepare graduates with desirable attributes that include moral education on values, leading to the development of a holistic and humane world vision; universal human values of truth, love and compassion: Indian constitutional values of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity; human rights, sustainable development and sustainable living as well as global well-being. It is believed that Universal Human Values can lead to a holistic and humane world vision and values in tune with the aspirations articulated in NEP-2020. Earlier the general belief used to be that “values cannot be taught, they are caught”, however, experts in the field are now fully convinced that values can be self-discovered through a continuous process of self-exploration and also that they should not only be taught at home or at the school level but need to be incorporated in the higher education curriculum too. Universal Human Values are based on the premise that overall purpose of education is to enable a human being to live a fulfilling and rewarding life, in complete harmony with oneself and with his family, society and nature. UHV-based education enforces a humane world view, vision and perspective that in turn reinforces human values and culture leading to the development of necessary skills for living with acceptable human conduct and ultimately leading to the emergence of a humane society and civilization. 

As per NEP-2020, main purpose of the education system is to develop good human beings capable of rational thought and action, possessing compassion and empathy, courage and resilience, scientific temper and creative imagination, with sound ethical moorings and values. It aims at producing engaged, productive, and contributing citizens for building an equitable, inclusive, and pluralistic society as envisaged by our Constitution. The UHV effort is a continuation of the age-old tradition of self-inquiry, self-exploration, self-discovery and self-evolution. The full potential of every human being is achieved by reaching the level of human consciousness and ethical human conduct that would result into lasting happiness and prosperity at the individual level. Such individuals will, very naturally, contribute towards the development of a humane society (ensuring well-being of all), which is equitable and just. Attributes of such individuals would include holistic vision of life, socially responsible behaviour, environmentally responsible work, ethical human conduct, having competence and capabilities for maintaining health and hygiene besides appreciation and aspiration for excellence and gratitude for all. UHV seeks to build an equitable and just society in which the well-being of all is assured. The role of education is to facilitate the development of the competence to live with desirable human conduct by ensuring right understanding, right feeling and right set of skills. Unfortunately, our current education system is focussing only on the skills and not really paying attention to values. Instead of the right feeling, unhealthy competition (feeling of opposition) is getting promoted and instead of skills for prosperity, skills for exploitation are getting promoted. 

Three-week long student induction programme (SIP) is intended to prepare newly admitted undergraduate students for the new stage in their life. During this programme students are taught about the fundamental concepts of trust, respect, mutual understanding, competence and team-work. They are taught that trust is the foundation of any relationship that can only be gained with the feeling that the other person wants to make me happy & prosperous. Only when we trust the intentions of other people, we can establish a relationship with them and prepare a joint program with them based on right evaluation of our mutual competence. In case the other person is lacking in competence, I will make a sincere effort to improve his competence level once he is engaged in a professional relationship with me. Further if I lack competence, I will be ready to take help from the other person to improve my competence. I will evaluate the other person on the basis of his competence. I will not assume the lack of competence in the other person to be the lack of trust in him and thus feel opposed to him. Right evaluation with a feeling of trust yields respect whereas under-evaluation, over-evaluation or wrong evaluation brings disrespect. Discrimination and differentiation also bring disrespect whereas the recognition that the other is like me and we are complementary to each other brings mutual respect. The only difference is in our level of understanding. If the other has more understanding, he is more responsible than me and I must be committed to understand from the other. If I have more understanding, I am more responsible than the other and I must be fully committed to facilitate understanding in the other once the other is engaged in a professional relationship with me. 

United National Sustainable Development Goal No. 16 envisages to promote  peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. In consonance with this SDG, UHVs envisage that for living with a feeling of continuous fulfilment three essential requirements are trust, love and compassion that can only be achieved with the understanding and feeling of relatedness, undividedness, connectedness, coexistence. The right understanding forms the basis of universal human values and facilitates transformation towards a holistic worldview or the ‘human consciousness’. In that sense, this three-week long course is an opportunity to reflect on the need and scope of living in harmony. The target is not just personal transformation, but also the transformation at the societal level. Right understanding provides the basis for a just and humane society. Therefore, it is suggested that all higher education institutions must expose their students, staff and teachers to this Universal Human Values course developed by the AICTE and incorporate it in each and every curriculum too as a three-credit foundation course for all second year (third and fourth semester) students. Only after understanding universal human values (role of human being in existence) can they be in harmony within, and participate meaningfully with other human beings (in family and society) as well as with the rest of nature (the environment, of which s/he is an integral part). So that emphasizes the need for universal human values. Furthermore, moral education in the context of one’s own religion and belief system will also supplement and complement the teaching of UHVs since all religions essentially teach the same values of kindness, compassion, peace, harmony, benevolence, mercy and universal love. 

(This article is based on the learning gained from a five-day online UHV course attended by the author with significant inputs taken from Universal Human Values document prepared by NC-UHV (AICTE) and NCC-IP (AICTE))

India's G20 Presidency: Few suggestions for scheduled deliberations

 Promotion of twenty first century technologies, universal health coverage besides countering possible existential threats to humankind, developing strategies to tackle climate change and protection of environment and ecology could comprise some of the potential themes for scheduled discussions and deliberations

As a matter of immense pride India is holding Presidency of the G20 nations from 1st December, 2022 to 30th November, 2023 and thereby shouldering the responsibility of steering the G20 agenda for this year besides hosting the annual summit that is slated to take place from 9^th to 10^th September, 2023 at New Delhi. The Summit will mark the culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials and civil societies. The theme of India’s G20 Presidency - “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth, One Family, One Future” affirms the value of all life including human, animal, plant, and microorganisms and their interconnectedness on the planet earth as well as in the wider universe. To make this Presidency remarkable, Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi has invited citizens to share ideas and suggestions for themes that should receive prominence during India's G20 Presidency. Accordingly, some of the suggestions are put forth hereunder in the areas of science and technology, health and education, environment and ecology that should understandably receive the priority: 

We are cruising through the third decade of twenty first century that is witnessing an unprecedented resonance in the advent of science and use of technology. World stands on the brink of a fourth industrial revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work and relate to one another. In its scale, scope, and complexity, the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has ever witnessed or experienced before. Under these fast-changing circumstances countries that will keep pace and quickly adopt to the changing trends and technologies will emerge victorious in a goal-based sustainable development framework. Therefore, there is need for mutual cooperation, sharing of resources, signing of MoUs for collaborative education, student and teacher education programmes, training and internships among G20 countries in emerging areas of science and technology including artificial intelligence,  cloud computing, big data analytics, robotics, Internet-of-Things, block chain revolution, autonomous vehicles, 3-D printing, nanotechnology, biotechnology, materials science, energy storage, quantum computing, space technology, nanotechnology, biotechnology and molecular medicine, stem cell technology, gene therapy, biodiversity and ecology, point-of-care testing, nuclear and bio-physics, micro-electrical mechanical systems, cancer vaccines, genetically modified foods, cell culture and in-vitro fertilization etc. There is a need to enhance the knowledge-base, training, skills, competencies, expertise, interest and familiarization in these areas among our youth. G20 scientific community can work in tandem across cultures and nations, bridging political divides to encourage innovations and engineer inventions in these areas. 

Corona virus pandemic has emphasized upon the hard lessons of cooperation and collaboration among nations of the world since such outbreaks are not only fraught with disastrous implications upon health and well-being of the human population but also have serious repercussions on the economic, political, social, cultural, ethnic, humanistic and geographical aspects of the human life. Consequently, crisis unfolded by such pandemics needs collaborative, multi-pronged, multi-disciplinary approaches worldwide since scientists or doctors alone cannot be of much help in overcoming the multi-dimensional deleterious consequences of such pandemics. In order to enhance our preparedness to combat a COVID-19 like crisis and manage its consequences well in future, higher education and health institutions as well as research centres in G20 countries need to join hands, collaborate and share their experiences in handling this crisis in the past as well as the lessons learnt by them during this pandemic. They must come out with sufficient and substantial new knowledge, guidance, resources, policy papers and blueprints required to counter the economic, sociological, psychological, medical, commercial, humanitarian and health-related challenges posed by such pandemics. 

Several other existential threats seem to be looming large on the human race and gaining momentum with each passing year in the twenty first century, some of whom include catastrophic climate change and collapse of ecosystems, artificial super-intelligence and the rise of robots, alarming threat of a nuclear warfare, threat of super-volcanic eruptions and devastating earthquakes, impacts of huge asteroids hitting hard upon planet earth, biological and chemical warfare, pandemics, anti-microbial resistance and the emergence of incurable diseases. This is doubly aggravated by the threat of man-made disasters like manufactured, bio-engineered, bio-hazardous super-viruses and bacteria, nuclear terrorism, cybercrime, forest fires, satellite junk and outer-space warfare, water wars clubbed with alarming environmental break-down caused by a spike in carbon emissions, rapid melting of arctic ice, steady rise of global temperatures, erratic and extreme storms assailing coastlines etc. Under these evolving and challenging circumstances sufficient knowledge about these potential threats among educators and researchers could help explore sustainable solutions and armour to tackle them in their right earnest. Furthermore, only a strong, collective, pooled and united effort at the global and G20 level could help us find solutions to these emerging threats to the existence of mankind on the face of earth. 

Health is not just about diagnosing ailments, making hospital admissions and providing treatments, it is an issue of social justice, social solidarity and social security too. Getting good health care is not a privilege, it is considered to be a fundamental human right. A just, humane and civilized society must be able to provide basic health access to all its citizens irrespective of their social status or paying capacity. Universal health coverage (UHC) is the aspiration that all people obtain the health services they need without having to pay all costs out-of-pocket and without suffering any financial hardships paying for them. It implies that all people have access, without any discrimination, to the needed promotive, preventive, curative, palliative and rehabilitative basic health services and essential, safe, affordable, effective and quality medicines, while ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the users to financial hardships, with a special emphasis on the poor, vulnerable and marginalized segments of the population. UHC ensures that the out-of-pocket expenditures by patients on their healthcare are minimized and they are covered by adequate health insurance covers by the government for which citizens have to pay a very little amount on annual basis. 

Globally, about 150 million people suffer financial catastrophe annually while 100 million are pushed below the poverty line. Only one in five people in the world has broad-based social security protection that also includes cover for lost wages in the event of illness, and more than half the world’s population lacks any type of formal social protection, according to the International Labour Organization. Due to out-of-pocket spending of their income on medicines and healthcare services, about 3.2 to 5 percent of India’s population is pushed below the poverty line every year, as per published reports. This is in spite of the fact that India is known as “Pharmacy of the World” with its pharmaceutical industry having an annual turnover of more than 42 billion dollars half of which is earned through exports. India did a commendable job of delivering more than 200 doses of coronavirus vaccine till July 2022 and issued more than 22 crore 20 lakh Ayushman cards to the beneficiaries under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. G20 countries like Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States and many countries of the European Union have made considerable progress in terms of Universal Health Coverage that needs to be replicated in India. We need to emulate their successful models and policy frameworks for making medicines and healthcare available, affordable and accessible to all sections of the society and thereby make UHC a reality by enhancing financial risk protection, reducing out-of-pocket expenditure on healthcare and medicines and by making use of quality generic drugs besides increasing per capita expenditure on healthcare by the government. ABPMJAY has already been appreciated worldwide for its utilization, coverage and impact in making healthcare accessible in India. However, in order to make it sustainable and successful for all times to come we need to adopt UHC policy and procedures as done by G20 nations mentioned above. 

On the higher education front, University Grants Commission (UGC) notified draft regulations on the ‘Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions (FHEIs) in India’ on January 5, 2023 in pursuit of its agenda of internationalisation of higher education, in consonance with National Education Policy-2020, that seeks to grant permission to foreign universities to set up campuses within India. Foreign universities figuring among top 500 universities of the world would be allowed to set up their campuses in India first that shall be followed by those universities who command a high ranking in specific subjects or specialisations and are highly valued in their respective fields within their own countries. Initially, permission would be granted for ten years, with renewal being subject to the fulfilment of prescribed conditions. These foreign universities would have the freedom to devise their own curricula and admission process. G20 nations should come forward and establish their campuses first within India under this programme and provide affordable quality education of global standards to the Indian youth. 

Sustainable development in G20 nations would not be possible without addressing the issues like global warming, climate change and the protection of environment and ecology. India and China being the most populated nations of G20 group need to take concrete action towards climate change and preservation of environment and ecology. They need to take cues from the policies adopted by other member countries like Australia, Canada, Japan etc in this regard. As G20 member nations represent around 85% of the global GDP, more than 75% of the global trade and about two-thirds of the world population, it is an ideal forum to discuss these challenges and evolve sustainable solutions for the same. In sync with the themes of this year’s presidency viz., One Earth, One Family, One Future G20 nations need to find the common ground in these areas and work in tandem towards evolving sustainable solutions for them. Besides these areas, themes in other areas like commerce, trade, poverty alleviation, sustainable development, agriculture and energy could also be suggested.

NEP-2020: What does it mean for the students?

In simple terms this is what National Education Policy of 2020 has to offer to the students aspiring to pursue higher studies in colleges and universities 

For a pretty long time there has been a persistent demand and relentless discussion on absolute transformation of the ways and means in which education is imparted and students are taught in our classrooms. Experts in the field have been perpetually voicing their concerns on the need for bringing a paradigm shift in our pedagogy, technology, psychology and philosophy of teaching and making the teaching-learning process more learner-centric that can lead to a holistic professional, personal and career development of our students. National Education Policy of 2020 not only envisages to change the ways in which students are taught but also the methods in which they are evaluated and assessed, trained and prepared for the global job markets, mentored to face the challenges in their career and life, encouraged to take calculated risks and contribute towards innovation, motivated to harness skill acquisition and venture into entrepreneurship development. This policy aims to foster creative, analytical and critical thinking among students in order to achieve the goals of higher education in their real sense. Flexibility will be the key of higher education under NEP-2020 wherein students will have the freedom to move from one discipline of study to another as well as from one institution to another enabling them to experience multi- and interdisciplinary learning as well as the flexibility to switch from conventional to alternative modes of learning including e-learning, online and hybrid modes. Three pillars on which higher education stands are the teachers who teach, students who are taught and the curriculum that is taught. All three of them are going to witness a revolutionary transformation under the auspices of New National Education Policy of 2020. 

In the post-NEP era, no longer will the students be forced to sit silent throughout an hour long, one-way lecture delivered by their teacher with little scope to raise any questions or doubts and express themselves freely in a more creative, critical and analytical manner, since NEP-2020 promotes adoption of innovative teaching pedagogies like problem-based, inquiry-based, design-based, context-based, outcome-based, competency-based, activity-based, team-based, project-based, evidence-based, collaborative and experiential learning. Henceforth conventional one-way, didactic, monologic, passive mode of teaching shall be replaced by interactive, participative, dialogic mode of learning in which learners shall have full freedom to express their views, opinions and doubts and present new ideas and solutions, no matter how vague they might sound at the very outset. NEP-2020 seeks to impart multi-disciplinary and holistic education to students with a view to produce multi-dimensional, well-rounded individuals equipped with all types of knowledge, skills, competencies and understanding about life, people, places, arts, sciences, languages and technologies. Apart from building capacities, enhancing abilities, shaping attitudes, promoting aptitude and proficiency, improving motivation and efficiency, multi-disciplinary education shall be offered to build their character, persona, intellect, physique, positive insights and outlooks and transform them into ethical, rational, compassionate and caring citizens, while at the same time preparing them to face the challenges of the global job markets and motivating them to pay back to the society in one positive form or the other. 

By virtue of multidisciplinary education, silos and compartments in which we have been working, creating and transmitting knowledge at our educational institutions will be dismantled and students will get an opportunity to learn about arts and humanities too while pursuing sciences, technology, commerce, law or social studies and vice-versa since multi-disciplinary courses, in addition to ability-enhancement, skill-enhancement and value added courses will be offered during an under-graduate degree programme. This will allow students to take a sneak peek and venture into other streams across their discipline and acquire some fundamental knowledge about them while pursuing a major and two minors in their own chosen stream. Ultimate goal of such multidisciplinary learning is to provide greater flexibility and promote “undisciplining’ of knowledge besides developing holistic and all-round individuals who know something about everything, few things about many things and everything about something and thus traverse their journey from being a novice to an advanced learner, from being competent to proficient and finally gaining sufficient expertise in any one chosen field of study. A course shall now be a combination of lecture credits, tutorial credits and practicum credits. For instance, a 4–credit course with three credits assigned for lectures and one credit for practicum shall have three 1-hour lectures per week and one 2-hour duration field-based learning/project or lab work, or workshop activities per week. In a semester of 15 weeks duration, a 4-credit course will be equivalent to 45 hours of lectures and 30 hours of practicum. Furthermore, students will now be able to opt for a UG programme with either a single major discipline wherein they will have to secure a minimum of 50% credits from the major discipline or they can opt for a UG programme with double Major courses wherein they will have to secure a minimum of 40% credits from the second major discipline for the 3-year/4-year UG degree. All discipline-specific courses (major or minor) may be of 4 credits each whereas an additional one to two credits may be allotted for tutorials or practicals. All courses under the multi-disciplinary, ability-enhancement and skill-enhancement categories may be of 3-credits each.

As per NEP-2020, undergraduate degree will be of either 3 or 4-year duration with appropriate certifications at different levels. Students who opt to exit after completion of the first year and have secured 40 credits will be awarded a UG certificate if, in addition, they complete one vocational course of 4 credits during the summer vacation of the first year. These students will be allowed to re-enter the degree programme within three years and complete the degree programme within the stipulated maximum period of seven years. Similarly, students who opt to exit after completion of the second or third year and have secured 80 or 120 credits respectively will be awarded the UG diploma or degree respectively if, in addition, they complete one vocational course of 4 credits during the summer vacation of the second year. A four-year UG Honours degree in the major discipline will be awarded to those who complete a four-year degree programme with 160 credits. Students who secure 75% marks and above in the first six semesters and wish to undertake research at the undergraduate level can choose a research stream in the fourth year. They will work on a research project or dissertation of 12 credits in their major discipline under the guidance of a faculty member of the college or university. Such students will be awarded a UG Degree (Honours with Research). An integrated 5-year Bachelor’s/Master’s programme will also be up for the grabs. Undertaking a Ph.D. shall now require either a Master’s degree or a 4-year Bachelor’s degree with research whereas the M.Phil. programme shall be discontinued. Universities will either be converted into teaching intensive or research-intensive universities whereas all affiliated colleges will be transformed either into autonomous degree awarding colleges/universities or made part of a cluster of universities within their respective regions. Second part of this article will dwell upon academic bank of credits, choice-based-credit-system, assessment and evaluation methods and measures related to skill enhancement and entrepreneurship development in accordance with National Education Policy 2020.

New National Education Policy allows both horizontal and vertical mobility of students as well as mid-term course correction wherein students can swap their chosen majors with minors and vice-versa after their third semester of a UG degree, thus providing them the flexibility to move from one discipline of study to another. During the process of gaining knowledge and completing their degree programmes students can take multiple entries and multiple exits depending upon their personal needs, interests and family commitments. They can stay away from their colleges for a maximum period of three years, re-enter and complete the whole UG degree within a total duration of seven years. This will be particularly useful for the students hailing from rural areas who might occasionally need to lend a helping hand to their families back in their farms during the harvest season or have some other important assignments to attend. Similarly, the students opting for some kind of start-ups, entrepreneurial and industrial ventures can take a break from their college routines and complete their assignments without affecting their career prospects adversely. An Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) shall be established which would digitally store the academic credits earned from various recognized institutions of higher learning. This will allow students to gain the required number of credits from different educational institutions within the country and move around in an unhindered manner from one institution to another. This will also help them gain diverse experiences and insights in different cultures and learning environments of different academic institutions while at the same time giving them freedom to move from one station to another, with or without their family members while pursuing their UG or PG degrees.

NEP-2020 promotes semester-wise, choice-based-credit-system that presents a cafeteria model wherein students can choose open and generic elective courses and teachers of their own choice and do not have to necessarily get taught by only a specific teacher or group of teachers working in a particular educational institution or teaching department of that institute. This will lure greater number of students towards more enterprising, proficient and effective teachers and will generate a healthy competition among teachers motivating others to perform better and create demand for themselves in their respective institutions and teaching departments. Teachers who make use of innovative teaching pedagogies and make learning fun and enjoyable will obviously be in greater demand rather than teachers who believe in chalk and talk method of teaching and rote-learning by students. This will foster creativity, innovation and modernization of teaching pedagogies among teachers and make them more effective knowledge workers. Students who have already enrolled and are pursuing UG programme as per Choice-Based-Credit-System will also be eligible to pursue 4-year undergraduate programme and the university concerned may offer bridge courses (including online courses) to enable them for transition to curriculum and credit framework for undergraduate programme (CCFUGP) notified by UGC. Therefore, NEP-2020 envisages to invest liberally towards creating, fostering, implementing, sustaining and regularizing innovations among our young generation of students that will encourage our students and teachers to be industrious, productive, resourceful and open, share new ideas freely, explore novel initiatives without any fear of ridicule or retribution.

National Education Policy-2020 does not make any distinction between academic and vocational, curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular courses and activities. It gives equitable weightage to all thus allowing students inclined more towards sports, arts, music, dancing, social work etc to pursue their careers with full vigour without losing on their academic scores and grades. New policy encourages formative assessment over summative assessment, continuous over terminal assessment, conceptual understanding over rote-learning and flexibility over rigidity. Thus the students need not cram their curricular contents for their terminal examinations and need not get sleepless nights while preparing for the same. They can just relax and get themselves evaluated on continuous basis soon after they acquire the requisite knowledge, skill or competence in any specific portion of their curriculum because as per NEP-2020 education will be learning outcomes based wherein students will be evaluated on regular (weekly, monthly or quarterly) basis for the accomplishment of their learning objectives. Progress towards achievement of learning outcomes will be assessed using time-constrained examinations including closed-book and open-book tests, problem-based assignments, practical assignment laboratory reports, observation of practical skills, individual project reports (case-study reports), team-based project reports, oral presentations including seminars, viva voce interviews, computerized adaptive assessment, examination on demand, modular certifications, etc. Learning objectives and outcomes will be divided into programme learning outcomes for the whole UG or PG programme and course learning outcomes for various courses within a specific UG or PG programme.

New education policy allows special attention for slow learners through special mentorship guidance and extra-hours of grooming through one-to-one sessions. It also seeks to promote local language, culture and heritage while at the same time inculcating a sense of deep rootedness and pride in India through an understanding and appreciation of its rich ethos, traditions, diversity and contributions to the world of science, mathematics, literature and knowledge. It envisages to make education and research more socially and locally relevant by promoting community outreach and extension activities. Skill enhancement and entrepreneurship development will be promoted through promotion of innovation-incubation and start-up culture. Industrial visits, internships and on-the-job training of students will be fostered with a view to help them meet the emerging challenges of highly dynamic global job markets and make them more employable as per contemporary industry needs. New policy seeks to give impetus to online and e-learning with a view to make education more accessible, affordable and accountable and for this endeavour it aims to bridge the digital divide by providing free gadgets to students hailing from far-flung areas and belonging to lower strata of the society. Collaboration between colleges and universities across the nation will be promoted under the post-NEP era wherein student and teacher exchange programmes will receive a flip and more and more MOUs would be signed in future between inter and intra-national universities in diverse areas of mutual interest. In nutshell students will enjoy greater autonomy, freedom and flexibility under the new policy and relish their studies rather than view them as some kind of unwanted burden. Role of teachers will also be transformed from that of passive transmitters of knowledge to active facilitators and reliable mentors and the educational institutions too will enjoy a higher degree of academic and administrative autonomy besides mutual collaboration and cooperation to achieve the desired goals of higher education. Ultimate aim is to make our students effective contributors of the knowledge society who can contribute significantly towards nation building and augment our knowledge capital.

(Author teaches at the Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kashmir. This article is based on the excerpts from a talk delivered by the author during first Techfest of IoT, Zakura on December 13, 2022)

Career guidance is emerging as a full-fledged science

 

Progress and Programmes of the Centre for Career Planning and Counselling (CCPC), University of Kashmir