Prof.Singh who is known for his innovative initiatives is all set to open a college of startups and a trans-disciplinary internet college.
Prof. Dinesh Singh, the former vice chancellor of Delhi University who is known for his out of the box thoughts and innovative ideas has disclosed in a public lecture about his plans to start two new colleges. Prof. Singh who is known have started several new initiatives like Gyanodaya, Antardhwani and Cluster Innovation Centre (CIC) during his time, spoke about his ideas of opening a trans-disciplinary internet college and a college of startups to combat the deteriorating standards of higher education at a public lecture on “Redefining Education: Enabling India” at India International Center on 17th October, 2016 (Monday). These new ventures are expected to be launched this January.
He cited India’s historical excellence in the fields of medicine, metallurgy, economics, trigonometry, and even calculus, but stated that over the years the Indian education system has lost its way.“A lot of students that are coming out of our current education system do not have real-world skills. Only 14% of all engineering graduates are employable. An IIT student once said that the only thing he had learned was how to give exams” he said.
He also proposed trans-disciplinary courses, skill-based learning, and entrepreneurial skills to secure the future of India. At his Internet College, which is expected to have collaborations with multiple international institutions, he hopes to harness the power of technology to allow students to widen their paradigms.
Similarly the College of start-ups will empower students with the skills needed to establish their own entrepreneurial ventures. “At universities, we talk about getting a job. We need to start talking about creating jobs. We need to tie skills and knowledge together.”
“India is in danger, unless we become a knowledge-based economy. It will work in perfect tandem with the ‘Digital India’ initiative,” he explained.
Melba Pria, the Mexican ambassador to India, and Professor Adele Martial, the French Embassy’s attaché for science and technology, also spoke about the education systems in their respective countries, and ways they could learn from each other, on the same occasion.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
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Srivedant Kar