Details of the Panel Discussion on National Education Policy – Global Alumni Day 2020!

GAABESU (Global Alumni Association of Bengal Engineering and Science University, Shibpur) organized the Global Alumni Day 2020 on 27th December 2020 at 7:30 PM IST through a virtual platform. After the inaugural session there was a panel discussion held on National Education Policy ( NEP 2020 ) featuring eminent panelists, and moderated by our distinguished Alumni, Professor Indranil Manna. 

Panel Discussion topic:
Challenges in Implementation of NEP 2020 in Engineering Education

Panelists:

Dr. B. N. Suresh

Chancellor, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology

and Honorary Distinguished Professor at ISRO;

Former President, Indian National Academy of Engineering

Dr. Srikumar Banerjee

Homi Bhabha Chair Professor, Department of Atomic Energy;

Former Chancellor, Central University, Kashmir;

Former Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission of India

Smt. Amita Sharma

Former Additional Secretary, Technical Education, MHRD, GOI; Visiting Professor, IDC, IIT Bombay

Professor Soumitro Banerjee

Professor, IISER, Kolkata

Dr. Debashish Bhattacharjee

Vice President, Technology and New Materials, Tata Steel Ltd.

Dr. Manish Gupta

Director, Google Research India and

Infosys Foundation Chair Professor at IIT Bangalore

Professor Indranil Manna, Moderator

Vice Chancellor, BIT Mesra and Professor,  IIT Kharagpur

Former Director, CSIR-CGCRI and IIT Kanpur

President Elect, Indian National Academy of Engineering

Dr. B. N. Suresh,

Chancellor, IIST, Trivananthapuram (ISRO), Honorable Distinguished Professor at ISRO, Former President, INAE

Questions and points of emphasis:  

Challenges in Implementation of NEP 2020 in Engineering Education

(a) What is truly new and novel about NEP?

(b) How will NEP impact crucial technology development in India?

Dr. Suresh touched upon what is new in the NEP and also how this affects technology development in India. The technology students should have a broad-based, multi-disciplinary backgroundin order to be flexible, adaptable and suitable for the emerging job-market.With rapid technological advancements, newer disciplines are evolvingthatwill require students to be ready by educating themselves and mastering the new technologies to cope with the hybrid job requirements. This calls for the engineering institutions to gradually move toward autonomy so that they can adjust the curriculum quickly. However, they need to be  governed by an accreditation system to ensure  proper standard. Multiple such bodies are to be brought under one cover in order to enforce uniform education across the country.

Simultaneously while revamping the regulatory body structure, the issue of Research in Engineering Education should be in focus. Establishment of National Research Forum (NRF) as well as a forum for Educational Technology is essential for identifying the critical research areas and determining the aptitudes to improve the quality of engineering education. Funding the engineering institutions based on their academic & research prowess is another tool toward the same goal.

This should also include initiatives toward training in entrepreneurship. There are three types of impact of critical technologies, viz. immediate (ST), medium-term (MT) and long-term (LT), referred to in NEP. In the ST one, the NRF will prioritize the research areas to be taken up, while in MT, the students need to be trained in the domain of Disruptive Technology in order to derive the maximum possible benefit for technology in totality. For LT impact, school education is to be modified in order to train the students in development of innovative technology, but in synchronization with the natural development of the students so that their creativity is also fostered. Such a 3-pronged approach will create the maximum possible impact on technology development in India.

Dr. Srikumar Banerjee,
HomiBhaba Chair Professor (DAE), Chancellor, CU Kashmir, Former Chairman, AEC, Chancellor, HBNI, DAE

Questions and points of emphasis:

(a) How can NEP help India be truly Atmanirbhar or Self-Reliant?

(b) Can NEP promote the culture of translation of knowledge to technology?

Talking on Self Reliance, or ANB (AtmaNirbhar Bharat), Dr. Banerjee gave the examples pertaining to the fields of Atomic energy and Space technology in India. In both these fields, India has proved her capability beyond doubt. Though this partly applies to Steel &Fertilizers too, in case of household gadgets like fridge, washing machine, or television sets, India unfortunately completely depends on imported technology. Indigenous manufacturers of fridge or TV sets have wound up business. Worse has been the case of solar energy, as since the ‘60s, there has been neither any concrete thought, nor any substantial investment in the bourgeoning field of solar energy, e.g., for production of silicon, which till today is completely imported. Though narrow pockets of technological excellence may exist in academic or research institutes, the concept of total technology is missing in our country. This is one of the major places where NEP can help by stressing the implementation of the policy and helping the total technology to cover the trajectory from academic institutes to real life.
 

Collaborative projects leveraging multi-institute capabilities is the need of the day, which NEP will be able to fulfil thereby, benefitting the country in achieving the target of ANB through synergy. Carrying on the earlier example of the indigenous fridge, or TV set, he suggested going in for disruptive technology, for example in the field of developing a new refrigerant, instead of trying to develop a whole new refrigerator. For any particular technology, he stressed the concept of TRL (Technology Readiness Level), along with IRL (Investment Readiness Level); assessment of these two factors will ensure proper transfer of technology to build ANB. This alone can guarantee the success of total technology as well as the product’s sustenance in the face of international competition. This is where NEP’s role becomes most important.

Education, in this context, has to be holistic, encompassing multi-dimensions and ensuring lifelong learning. An academic degree amounts to nothing unless it contributes to the wellbeing of the society, or unless the degree-holder learns how to apply his knowledge for the betterment of his environment and life. Dr.Banerjee referred to the classic example of Rabindranath’s Vishwabharati (University), where, more than a century ago, Tagore had introduced the concept of holistic learning, embodying the entire world and training the minds of the students accordingly. NEP today opens up the possibility of that kind of education, and this only will lead to successful transfer of technology making the concept of ANB a reality. The Tagore-quote he referred towas a call to all who would love to build their country, stressing that let not the craze for attaining glory overshadow the attitude to serving the country.

Smt. Amita Sharma,
Former Additional Secretary, Technical Education, MHRD, GOI, Visiting Professor, IDC, IIT Bombay

Questions and points of emphasis:

(a) How will the pyramidal structure be realized through NEP for 100% school education and >50% GER country wide in tertiary level?

b) How can the functional autonomy be safeguarded in higher education institutions through NEP? Who will implement NEP and how?

As a retired bureaucrat Ms. Sharma highlightedfew important issues. The fundamental point which she began with is that of the significance of a policy: which ideally provokes questions rather than solving problems. NEP addresses school education as a pyramidal system.Reorganizing the year-wise division of school education may not bring any radical change unless the syllabus is revamped. Major emphasis given in the NEP for 100% school-education is on early childhood care, emphasizingearly cognitive development. This would strengthen the basic competencies in students and should reduce the dropout rate after secondary levels, which occurs after class VIII and then post school (X).

The best strategy to arrest this trend is that of teacher-management, which includes proper recruitment of teachers and their transfer too. Implemented correctly, it would develop a sense of belonging in the teacher with the school where (s)he teaches and ensure the career growth of the teacher in the area ofspecialization. Teachers as SME (Subject Matter Experts) are the backbone of a strong but flexible education system from which students too can derive benefits.

Functional autonomy in higher education is one of the other major deliverables of the NEP, which will be ensured by having one high-powered regulatory body like HECI (Higher Education Commission of India). This in turn will give rise to four verticals, namely, Regulation, Accreditation, Funding and Standardization. Linked laterally, they are expected to lead the entire education system to one monolithic autonomic structure.  However, the chemistry of relation between the individual institutes and the HECI along with the strategy for implementation needs to be worked out for NEP. That both the private and the public institution will be brought under the same umbrella is a big advantage the NEP is likely to usher in.

Dr. Debashish Bhattacharjee,
Vice President, Technology and New Materials,  TATA Steel Ltd

Questions and points of emphasis:

(a) What reforms did the industries expect in NEP?

(b) How can NEP make India globally more competitive?

Dr. Bhattacharjee spoke on behalf of manufacturing industry bringing together the concept of the NEP with that of the industry’s needs in India. Taking cue from the previous speakers, he touched upon the IRL and the TRL, stressing the greater need of implementation of the policy for sustainable products to serve the nation, while abiding by the environmental norms.

Addressing issues like water conservation, rare earth element utilization, CO2control, or steel making, he stressed the importance of taking new ideas from R&D level to industrial production. It has to happen through collaboration, not only between industry and university, but across universities and the CSIR laboratories if required, for ultimate commercialization. However, for this, it is important to choose the right project as the investment substantially increases from the university level to the industrial level. India has missed the boat in cases of silicon production, photovoltaics and electronics; unless we act promptly, we might lose out in the case of the emerging field of battery production too.

The issue of handling CO2 in steel production is a domain where immediate focus is required. The NEP is expected to help us identify such issues of national priority. Once that is done, India may be able to export her technologies to the world in 10 to 15 years. What is needed fundamentally for this to happen is holistic education for the engineers. A broad-based technical education system will deliver engineering graduates capable of taking up jobs with multi-skill requirements; specialization in higher education can come at a later stage. 

Simultaneously with this, the engineering teachers must get involved in hard core industry through collaborative projects. This is how the educators of the future will be able to educate students to cope with the mission of ANB. It is here where the role of NEP becomes of utmost importance to bring the two domains closer and more effective. Dr. Bhattacharjee ended up by suggesting working out the ways and means of the academia coming closer to industry, a basic need that till today remains largely unfulfilled.

Dr. Manish Gupta,
Director, Google Research India and Infosys Foundation Chair Professor at IIIT Bangalore

Questions and points of emphasis:

(a) Can education through digital platform replace classroom teaching and laboratory training?

(b) How can mathematical skill and scientific training be improved through NEP?

There has been a radical change in the method of teaching between Pre-Covid and Covid times, as classroom teaching has been almost completely replaced by digital teaching. Though this was an inevitable alternative to resort to, teachers had to change themselves to adapt to this new platform, though not always with the best results. Many did not live up to expectation, as a result of which the transition has neither been smooth nor efficient. However, with the NEP laying a lot more emphasis on digital platforms, learning will be much more in focus than mere classroom teaching. On-line video lectures already available on the internet (uploaded by some great teachers) can very well serve as the starting point for our teachers. These lectures could free up enough time for the teachers in our country to lay higher stress on critical thinking, creativity and problem solving for the students. Classroom time can be better utilized for discussions and deliberations rather than in formal structured end-of-the-term tests.

Over and above all these advantages, personalization of the education one receives through this digital platform will be unique as has been seen in case of retail banking & other applications. With the involvement of able teachers, digital platform can cater to individual students’ needs in the form of graded materials and assignments, newer references, ultimately leading to the learning to learn process. Creating lifelong learners should be easier through this platform.

Regarding training in mathematical skills and scientific ability, Dr. Gupta chose an indirect route to address the issue. Like a couple of previous panelists in this session, he stressed the factor of multi-disciplinary approach for institutes of higher education, rather than creating straight-jacket silos of education. Cases of collaboration between IIT Delhi & AIIMS and IIT Kharagpur coming up with a medical college are examples of such multi-disciplinary fields, which NEP would encourage. Newer courses in fields like Artificial Intelligence should be offered in tandem with conventional ones in order to meet the emerging needs of the country. However, the role of Humanities in technical education through digital platform too cannot be ignored as without this touch, the learning process is never complete.

Professor Soumitra Banerjee,
Professor, IISER, Kolkata
 

Question and point of emphasis:

(a) How to reorient a teaching intensive institute (like IIEST, NIT etc.) to a research-intensive institute?

Two types of academic institution exist today, viz. Teaching-based and Research-based, While the trend is a migration from the former to the latter, the transition process needs to be a well-planned one. Professor Banerjee presented the view of an academic insider and suggested the changes that are required for this change. A long stint of teaching normally makes a faculty concentrate on that alone and shun research.  While the faculty’s ability to teach effectively is an asset for any institute, the importance of research in engineering education cannot be ignored. Publication backed up by research is a must for career sustenance in universities abroad, but copying this model may be counter-productive by discouraging those who excel in teaching.

The administrative process for the transformation process should ensure improving the research atmosphere in terms of space, facilities, support and references. A teacher’s career growth will depend on the compliance shown against his/her benchmark of performance in his chosen domain, be it research or teaching. While research can be evaluated in terms of publication, patents, funding fetched and institutional responsibilities, a system for workload equalizationis to be in place in order tonormalize the load between the two groups of faculties (Teaching vis a vis Research). The administration has to ensure that incentives exist in the form of objective & transparent evaluation and career promotion.

For this, trust is a must between the faculty and the administration. Faculty recruitment has also to be modified in order to attract research-oriented young professionals, as formal newspaper advertisements do not serve the purpose of finding the right talent. The current method needs to be replaced by dedicated faculty search committees and recommendations. Special grants for attending conferences in country and abroad, publication of monographs, launching summer internship programs for prospective scholars are some means of encouraging the research-oriented faculty.  Collaboration with other universities and industry should also be a major deliverable of the faculty. All these measures, taken through NEP, should facilitate the transition of teaching-based institutes into research-oriented ones.

The entire Panel Discussion can be watched below:

Published by Amitabha Das - EE, 1997