In the past, we would assume that once a market oriented curriculum is designed, the rest would automatically follow. But due to our outdated assessments, this has not happened. Our assessments are today more of a test of memory and encourage rote learning. They should focus more on problem solving, application and critical thinking. The Telangana government has engaged ISB to do a comprehensive study in this regard.

Mr Mittal referred to how NEP has described assessments as of learning, for learning and as learning. Traditionally, assessments have been used as a test of learning. But by providing feedback and enabling corrective action, assessments can be used for learning. Finally, innovative assessments built around field work and projects can be learning exercises in themselves.

Of course, while designing assessments, teachers should take into account the disruptive impact of technology. A good example is ChatGPT. If students use ChatGPT to write essays, the very purpose of the assignment would be defeated. That is why some universities are insisting that students should do the assignments in front of the teachers.

While responding to another question, Mr Mittal added that ChatGPT is the second Google moment in the history of the internet. Just like Google transformed search after its arrival in late 1996, ChatGPT will transform education. Instead of going into denial, we must accept its arrival. We should find ways to integrate ChatGPT into our learning while ensuring that it does not interfere with the assessment process and the desired outcomes for the students.

In India, the most important outcome measure for higher education is jobs. But this is not so in many western countries. Recently Mr Mittal met a delegation from the Netherlands. In their country, students are encouraged to learn what they like and then they easily find jobs.

But in a developing country like India, the anxiety about getting a good job will not go away and more so due to parental aspirations. So educational institutions cannot afford to overlook the placement angle.

There is no one size fits all solution. Each campus will have to develop its approach based on the opportunities it has identified. Unfortunately, most campuses in the country do not have a strategic understanding of the opportunities in front of them.

The NEP on its part is pushing institutions to be both responsible and responsive to the needs of students. By 2035, we will only have three types of institutions: research universities, teaching universities, autonomous degree granting colleges. The system of affiliated colleges will go. This means that colleges will no longer be able to piggyback on universities. They will be able to attract students only if they maintain quality and achieve the desired outcomes.

Mr Mittal gave the example of polytechnic education in Telangana. It has an independent state board which is quite agile and dynamic. The board has embraced an outcome-based model with emphasis on applications and critical thinking. The polytechnics have also moved to open book exams. This kind of approach is needed in our engineering and general degree colleges.

The biggest challenge Mr Mittal has faced in driving change in the higher education system is the mindset. Teachers for example have been somewhat insecure about their own role in view of the growing importance of technology. But Mr Mittal feels that as the use of technology increases, the role of teachers will increase rather than decrease in importance.

Another challenge is lack of enough resources for education and research. We are only spending 2 % of our GDP against a global benchmark of 6%. Our research spending is only 0.7% of GDP. (NEP wants this to go up to 2%.)

Responding to a question on technology, Mr Mittal listed the following challenges.

Learning Management System: The need of the hour is a robust, agile, and scalable LMS. We do not have a global leader in LMS so that we can procure it off the shelf. We have many good to have LMS but not must have ones.

Multimedia content: Just like institutions curate material from textbooks and prepare notes and reference books, they should also curate multi media content. If each campus tries to develop content on its own, it will lead to costly duplication of effort. What we need is collaboration and sharing of content.

Lack of standard ERP platform: Unlike banks, educational institutions do not have a standard ERP.

Prasad added that we need a combination of LMS and LCMS (Learning Content Management System). We must define the learning outcomes carefully and leverage learning analytics. Based on the assessments we must find ways to improve student engagement.

In Telangana, when it comes to engineering and degree colleges there is excess capacity. Degree colleges have about 400,000 seats but only 240,00 are getting filled. There are 110,00 seats in engineering colleges but only 70,000 students are getting admitted. However, there is a shortage of medical college and pharmacy seats.

While enrolments in schools are close to 100%, the big opportunity lies in student progression, i.e. ensuring that students move from schools to colleges. The government would like to take GER (gross enrolment ratio) in higher education institutions to 70%.

This has mostly been done so far in physics, chemistry, biology and maths and performance in these subjects has been used to guide admissions to different professional streams. But we need a more detailed exercise covering a whole range of competencies. Such an exercise should also go beyond the entry level and handhold students as they progress in life. The aim of any competency mapping exercise should be to provide the students the necessary support to improve and develop themselves.

The government is working closely with industry bodies and sector skill councils wherever possible. It has collaborated with industry bodies for engineering curriculum. For example, working with the CA institute and the Institute of Cost Accountants, the BCom courses have been upgraded. Cutting edge undergrad programs have been designed in partnership with the different sector skill councils: Logistics, Retail, Media and Entertainment, Health and Performing Arts. The government is also collaborating with CII and FAPCCI. Recently, the government tied up with an Austrian MNC and CII to design an apprenticeship program on the lines of what is offered in Austria and Germany. (Both these countries are global benchmarks in the area of apprenticeships.)

In short, a lot is being done to ensure that education is aligned with the needs of the industry. But much more needs to be done.

When we redesign the curriculum, we should be focused on both the present and the future. The industry wants students with ready skills. But education should also be to some extent futuristic.

While responding to another question, Mr Mittal’s practical suggestion was that companies should try to prepone campus placements from the final year to the penultimate year. The selected students should then be provided internship opportunities and also some work to be done in the final year both in the college and company premises.

The only domain which provides truly practical and experiential education today is medicine. Students learn theory and practice as colleges are attached to hospitals. No wonder, Indian doctors are among the best in the world. This kind of a combination of knowledge and practical work must be replicated in other disciplines.

To improve employability, the government of Telangana has also taken initiatives to make soft skills credit courses.

Telangana is a leader in the implementation of NEP. It has imbibed the spirit of NEP. It has worked with industry bodies as pointed out in the earlier section. Much work needs to be done in the area of personalization.

The idea is good. The failure of edtechs must not lead to the wrong conclusion that online education has no future. Edtechs have failed mainly because they tried to piggyback on established institutions and offer their program through their learning platform. But this is not a sustainable idea. These institutions can set up their own platform. The scope to offer certificates of foreign universities is also shrinking. That is because some foreign universities are entering India and others are offering their certification online at discounted prices for a global audience online.

Digital universities are here to stay. What we are seeing is a market shake out in which the stronger players survive. Online education will democratize education and improve access.

In a liberalized environment, we cannot wish away foreign universities. India today is not a major global education destination for students. The country attracts only about 60-70,000 students every year. A small country like Malaysia attracts twice this number. India has a big opportunity to offer quality education at a reasonable cost ( $5000-$10,000 per annum ).

With the entry of foreign universities, Indian universities will also benefit. They can learn and absorb best practices. Faculty will have more opportunities to strengthen their own capabilities and increase their exposure. Just like MNCs have transformed Indian industry, the entry of foreign universities can transform Indian higher education.

As far as Telangana is concerned, the entry of foreign universities augurs well for liberal arts courses where the foreign universities are far ahead and there are few Indian universities in this space. Even in engineering and management where we have good colleges, the entry of foreign universities can help us to improve standards.