"Institutes should be given more flexibility while designing the Curriculum"

Dr. Swati Mujumdar, Pro-Chancellor, Symbiosis Skills and Open University, speaks on how the cost of education can be brought down by using technology and giving impetus to ODL education...

Q. The government is going to soon come up with the New Education Policy. What are your expectations?
A. The New Education Policy by the Government should give more impetus to skill development. Skills and knowledge are the motivating forces of the financial growth and community development of any country. Given the increasing pace of globalization and technological changes that are taking place in the world, it has become even more important to pursue skills in every sector and industry.
Institutes should be given more flexibility while designing the curriculum. While doing so, the market requirements should also be kept in focus. Students can be trained and made industry-ready as per the market demands. Students should be given vertical mobility, that is, all the way from certificate to degree programs in skill education and social acceptability. More importantly, policies regarding teachers should be framed in such a way that they are beneficial to teachers and the students.

Q. The cost of education is on the rise, while India has a large population which is entering into the education system every year. How can this problem be addressed according to you?
A. Open and Distance Learning (ODL) is the answer to this burgeoning issue. The Government should give priority to ODL and give the boost to technology. Technology and ODL are the routes to reach the unreached. With help of technology, students across the globe can access education without encountering the barriers of time, place, space (and cost). It can also help to improve the quality of education, conceptualizing the execution and evaluation of the educational process. This will also include instructional materials, methods and organization of work and relationships, that is, the behaviour of all participants in the educational process. The Government should give more impetus on setting up more ODL centres and make the regulatory environment a facilitator to the growth of ODL institutions.

Q. Symbiosis has established two  universities recently. How are they different from other universities?
A. The main idea of setting up Symbiosis Skills and Open University (SSOU) is to create ‘industry ready’ youth who can be gainfully employed upon completion of their courses.
The focus is on providing hands-on training to the students with 70 percent practical and only 30 percent theory component. Students will be exposed to latest technologies through specialized skill training labs & Centres of Excellence which have been set up by us.
Students will also be sent for industry internships, to ensure that the skills obtained are practiced in real life industry scenarios and make them more proficient. Industry relevant projects, case studies and simulation-based exercises will form an integral part of the SSOU’s course curriculum.
The assessments are completely skill oriented and outcome based and we also make sure that the industry is  involved to conduct assessments.