Roychowdhury, a leading pioneer of education in India, says that the bookish modality of studying in India is being added by more practical-oriented courses which will help students when they land jobs.
by Ayanjit Sen
Education has been given a high priority in India by central and state governments. Despite a few hiccups in the recent past, concrete steps taken by the government have shown the path to the stabilization process in this field in the country.
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| Founder and Managing Director of the Techno India Group and the Chancellor of Sister Nivedita University in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, Mr Satyam Roychowdhury |
With a growing emphasis on digital transformation, artificial intelligence is getting increasingly integrated into the Indian education system not only to enhance learning experiences but also to personalize them and help the administrative processes.
Speaking to the Sri Lanka Guardian, the Founder and Managing Director of the Techno India Group and the Chancellor of Sister Nivedita University in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, Mr Satyam Roychowdhury, said, “It has gradually and steadily grown in India, and now the impact is visible. AI has grown as a good supporting tool in education.”
The Indian government has made giant strides in this field, and policy makers are also taking into consideration the digital divide, which is crucial to ensure that all students, regardless of their socio-economic background, can benefit from AI-driven tools.
Mr Roychowdhury, who is also the Chairman of the National Expert Committee on Higher Education and Training in the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, says,” Apart from improvement of quality of education at all levels and promoting equity and inclusion, teachers will also be taught. It is the learning and re-learning of teachers which will contribute in a stupendous way to the upliftment of education in India.”
As the country aspires to become a global knowledge hub, innovations in university education are central to this transformation.
“Covid hampered the regular learning habit. It will take time to switch to off-line mode from online mode,” said Mr Roychowdhury, co-founder of the largest educational conglomerate in eastern India.
If an educational diagnosis of the country is carried out, one part of India stands out. “The Indian government has given high priority to the northeastern part of India in its educational plans. This is also going to generate good job prospects in the region,” said Mr Roychowdhury.
“We have started our university in Tripura,” he added. The university has also been opened in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand and the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
The north-eastern region of India comprises the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. Despite the natural beauty and cultural diversity in the region, the status of education in this part of the country has remained a concern earlier, with the literacy rate lower than the national average.
But the journey of education in these states has traversed a long way. Even two decades ago, meritorious students from these states, used to go to other states to take admissions, now no longer need to do it. Quality educational centers have come up in these states and more are to follow.
The steps taken by the state governments with active support from the central government, have improved the situation now, with the entry of good private and government educational institutions in recent years.
Mr Roychowdhury, a leading pioneer of education in India, says that the bookish modality of studying in India is being added by more practical-oriented courses which will help students when they land jobs.
From setting up the first computer education training center in West Bengal in 1984 and expanding it to more than 120 centers within half a decade and the first private university in the state, Techno India University, he has come a long way. Millions of students have benefitted. “We plan to open a sports university next. Our motto remains the same – From KG to PhD,” Mr Roychowdhury added.
Experts say there are very few educational pioneers like Mr Roychowdhury in India now, who are contributing to equipping students for a complex world, cultivating critical thinkers, and nurturing future leaders in India, who will be the engines of changes in progress, innovation, and positive approaches in society.
Ayanjit Sen is our Special correspondent in New Delhi. He is an International Affairs expert, international-award winning senior journalist, consultant on Media Diplomacy and author. He has worked for over 24 years as a digital and television journalist with CNN (Delhi and Hongkong), BBC News (London and Delhi), ESPN, ABP, The Statesman, India Today Group & Times Now. Nearly half of his career, he has worked with international media organizations. He is currently working as a professor of media management in Bennett University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India (part of the Times of India Group). He has worked in several parts of the globe including Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, France, Pakistan, Bangladesh, UK and Afghanistan.
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