EDGE 2008: Conference on Higher Education throws light on opportunities and challenges

with national and international experts in the higher education field highlighting the opportunities and challenges of globalisation of education in India. Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Smt. D.Purandeswari, was the chief guest for the valedictory function. Dr. K. Kasturirangan, MP and Chairman of the EDGE vision Group, narrated the deliberations that took place during the three-day conference.
The conference received strong response and it was resolved to continue the movement by forming a virtual think tank and running a regular e-journal to make India a global hub for higher education.

In her address, Smt. Purandeswari, said that with the incorporation of technology in higher education, we can ensure higher accessibility. It is with technology the education can be taken to those who cannot reach to the education to have more accessibility.

Smt. Purandareswari said while the higher education sector has made lot of progress, the priority and the real challenge for the sector is to enhance access. We have set the target of increasing general enrolment ratio from 10 to 20 percent and that is going to be a Herculean task. She said accessibility should be emphasised even while private institutions are being set up.

Dealing with the aspect of autonomy, the minister said autonomy comes with responsibility and that should be kept in mind by private institutions which are demanding autonomy. Prof. V.N.Rajshekharan Pillai, vice chancellor of IGNOU, also spoke on the occasion. Mr. Anand Sudarshan, MD and CEO of Manipal Education, proposed vote of thanks.

Prior to the valedictory function, a round table on Making India the Global Education Destination was held. Mr. Suresh Prabhu, MP, chaired the session and Mr.R.P.Agrawal, Secretary of Higher Education Department, Government of India, Ms. Peggy Blumenthal, Executive Vice President, Institute of International Education, Dr.S.B.Mujumdar, President and Founder Director, Symbiosis, Dr. Usha redid, Director of Center for Human Development, Administrative Staff College and Mr. James Montoya, Vice President for Higher Education Assessments, The College Board, USA, participated in the round table.

Dr. Mujumdar said we should treat the foreign students coming to India as unofficial ambassadors of goodwill of their countries. He suggested that good universities and colleges should be identified to give admissions to foreign students coming to India and Education attaches should be appointed in Indian missions in Afro Asian countries. We have education attaches in our embassies in US and UK from where the students are not coming to India and from where they are coming like Afro Asian countries, there was on one in embassies to give them correct information. Dr. Reddi. Said paucity of funds was not a problem but we should be able to transform challenges into opportunities.

The third and the last day of the conference also witnessed very lively presentations and debates on technology enabled learning, innovative approaches in evaluation and assessment and HRD: challenges for industry and opportunities for institutes.