Communiqué November 2009 | 1 - CII

qualitysoftware technicians to meet the growing demandthe infrastructure sector will throw up. It is the righttime to include vocational skills in the curriculum postmatriculation.’Ms Preeti Pradhan, Senior Manager, HR, Arvind EyeHospital, wanted every institution to put a processstandardisation in place to extend operations to a largermass base.The educationists opined that Higher Education is a hugechallenge for the nation, as over 170 million studentshave no excess to higher education today due toinadequate and uneven infrastructure across the country.Rural India, with 65 percent of the total population,has just 20 percent of the total professional colleges.One viable option to reach this mass base is throughtechnology. Mr. Shiva Prasath. P, Managing Director,Virtuosity Skill Development said that e-learning is animportant mass tool to reach out to a larger canvas.Virtuosity uses various teaching methodologies likeblended learning resources from Skill-off USA, DigitalLibrary from books 24/7 USA, Skills Assessments fromIKM Teck Chek, USA to provide quality training to theirstudents.In similar vein, Mr. Puneet Jhingan, Senior Vice PresidentInteractive Distance Learning Division, EducompVocational Education P Ltd felt that the huge gapbetween access and quality can be done only withtechnology. He said, on an average, students in onlinelearning conditions performed better than those receivingface-to-face instruction as the content can be madeup-to-date and easily distributed without compromisingon quality.In his valedictory address, Mr N Kumar. Past President,CII, and Vice Chairman, Sanmar Group suggestedthat courses on carpentry, masonry, plumbing, watchrepairing, shoe making, automobile repair, ceramics,pottery, horticulture and a host of other subjects couldbe offered to benefit millions of unemployed youth inthe country. He called upon industrial houses to adoptschools, especially in the rural regions.The participants got hands-on-experience on varioustechnological innovations and teaching aids of 30exhibition at an exclusive exhibition.Next SummitThe CII Institute of Quality has already announcedits 13th edition of the National Summit on Quality inEducation, to be held in the Western region, on 25–26September 2010.Observations & TakeawaysAlliances based on comparative advantages, finding amatch and a need for research and new data betweenIndia and Europe are essential, as only this will trigger trueinnovation.Krista Knopper,Maastricht University India StrategyQuality education should focus on human values, literacy andvocational skills. It is more than merely fulfilling a curriculum.It should nurture hidden capacities in every child and groomthem into responsible citizens.Dr. (Flt Lt) M.A.Balasubramanya,CEO, Swami Vivekananda Youth MovementBy developing a quality culture, teaching or delivery ofeducation becomes not a burden but a highly satisfyingexperience.Cherian C.George,Principal, Kendriya Vidyalaya IIT PowaiAccreditation to schools should be given only on the basisof quality. We need to continuously evaluate and assess theimpact of education initiatives and programmes.Agnes Nathan, Vice President, Learning Links,representing Education Quality Foundation of IndiaLeveraging technology is a major way out to reach out to themasses, but connectivity and penetration of technology is amajor hitch. If this aspect is taken care of more holistically,inclusiveness in Education can be achieved much faster.”Y S Rajan,Principal Adviser, CIIThrough this interaction I got to know of a wide array ofeducation models and tools on a single platform. I will chooseone of the models and recommend it to my governmentstate to promote quality education.Dr. Suman Karndikar, Educationist, and Chairman,Core Group –School Education Reforms, MaharashtraDuring the last four Summits, I have been taking homesome learnings which I apply in my institution. This yeartoo I have picked a couple of tools that will further enrichmy institution’s goal of quality education.Dr. Sheela Ramachandra,Principal, PSG College of Arts & ScienceThe supporting staff of any institution plays a pivotal role inenhancing and integrating various processes so that facultyand students have a seamless learning experience. Like thefaculty, the staff should also be recognized and rewarded.Senthil Ganesh,Managing Trustee, RVS TrustInclusiveness means getting everybody on board. It alsomeans accountability, appropriateness in whatever we doin the educational institution.V M Velmurugan,CEO, Velammal Educational TrustCommuniqué November 2009 | 49