PDF Download In a unique move which is expected to give a fillip to research-oriented higher studies in Engineering Education in India, several industry leaders on Saturday, May 31, 2008, pledged to explore ways of developing healthy and mutually beneficial partnerships with engineering institutions across the country.
In a unique move which is expected to give a fillip to research-oriented higher studies in Engineering Education in India, several industry leaders on Saturday, May 31, 2008, pledged to explore ways of developing healthy and mutually beneficial partnerships with engineering institutions across the country. This momentous development in the field of higher education took place at a panel discussion on ‘India’s Leadership in Manufacturing—Role of Engineering Education’ organized here today by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), India’s leading public policy think tank.
The panel discussion was based on a study report on Engineering Education in India commissioned by ORF and conducted by Professor Rangan Banerjee, Head of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, IIT, Bombay and Mr. Vinayak Muley, researcher.
Padma Vibhushan Dr. R. Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, in his inaugural address, said, “India should not only be scientifically advanced, but should also become a global innovative leader. The challenge before India today is to attract talented young people into engineering research and technology development. Industry should play a major proactive role in this. The Government of India wants to upgrade the engineering education system and we need the support of industry in this task.”
Industry leaders and experts from the entire spectrum of industry, viz., Mr. Rajeev Katyal, Director Education, Microsoft India; Mr. Pramod Khera, CEO and MD, Aptech; Mr. Shyam Kambeyanda, MD, Eaton Corporation; Mr. J. K. Tandon, Director Projects, JSW Steel; Mr. S. K. Shirguppi, Director, Rolta India; Mr. Pradeep Chinai, MD, Ceekay-Daikin; and Mr. Chirag Doshi, MD, Walchandnagar Industries; Mr. Vivek Paranjpe, Visiting Professor in Strategic HR Planning at XLRI, Jamshedpur, and Adviser to the Chairman, ORF, made presentations. They agreed to initiate steps to forge linkages with engineering institutions as an effective way to bridge the gap between university output and industry demand.
Addressing the gathering, Prof. Rangan Banerjee said, “India has the potential to become a global technology giant and lead the world in manufacturing. Whether we are able to realize this potential will largely depend on the size and the quality of our engineering manpower. Partnerships between industry, academia and government are critical in this context. This will certainly not happen in a business-as-usual scenario. We need strategic interventions from all stakeholders.”
Explaining the genesis of the ORF Study, Prof. Arvind P. Kudchadker, Director General, PD Petroleum University, Gandhinagar, and Professor Emeritus, IIT Bombay, said, “My interactions over the years with various Indian academicians in the US centered on ways to scale up the standard of research-oriented engineering studies in India. Building strong industry-university partnerships is a step in the right direction. I am thankful to the ORF Chairman, Mr. R. K. Mishra, who decided to conduct this study as a first step towards initiating systemic changes in engineering education”.
Mr. Vivek Sengupta, CEO, ORF, said, “Higher education is an area of focus for the ORF Centre for Economy and Development. We have turned the spotlight on engineering education and Prof. Banerjee’s study provides the basis for developing policy options. This panel discussion enables us to get industry feedback. We intend to have a similar conclave in Delhi to receive feedback from policymakers.”
Prof. Rangan Banerjee’s study has made several recommendations on strategic policy interventions to upgrade engineering education in India, with emphasis on research-oriented higher education in the following areas:
The views expressed above belong to the author(s). ORF research and analyses now available on Telegram! Click here to access our curated content — blogs, longforms and interviews.
PREV
