Chairman-AICTE elucidated the changing scenarios of the education sector in the Post COVID era
The Tenth edition of the University Distinguished Lecture (UDL) Series, organised by SRM University-AP, expounded on a pertinent problem of the current time, “Higher Education in India in the Post-COVID-19”. Prof Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), delivered the Distinguished Lecture, and Shri Satish Chandra, IAS, Special Chief Secretary, Higher Education, Government of Andhra Pradesh, gave a special address.
In his welcome address, Prof D Narayana Rao, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of SRM University-AP, set the context of the event, emphasising on how the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis has resulted in the temporary closure of about 1000 Universities and about 40,000 Colleges in the country, severely disrupting the teaching and learning process and research activities. The transition to “Learn From Anywhere (LFA) happened overnight and people had to get used to it. National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recognises the importance of leveraging the advantages of technology while acknowledging its potential risks and dangers. Online education calls for carefully designing and appropriately scaled studies to determine how the benefits of online/digital education can be reaped while addressing or mitigating the downsides. There is a need to establish a “Digital and online Wing” in the Departments of Education in different states of the country.
Prof Anil Sahasrabudhe in his Distinguished Lecture, delineated that the use of technology in the education environment has been initiated in the Pre-COVID days. Platforms such as Swayam, National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) came into existence to digitally bring quality education to everyone. Digital education carries a boon that no one can ignore, i.e. making physical distance irrelevant in education. Digital education has the ability to reach students anywhere and everywhere provided they are equipped with gadgets and internet connectivity. Thus, the Government of India has undertaken a nationwide project under, Bharat Net, Unnat Bharat Abhiyan to connect every corner of India through the internet. Prof Sahasrabudhe accepted that all subjects cannot be taught online, especially lab-based practical courses that will have the need to attend physical classes. Music, Drama, sports, other performing and fine arts, which are an essential part of a pedagogical system, cannot be studied online. Moreover, a digital class can never replace the bonding humans tend to develop while working in close proximity. However, it cannot be debated that the education system as we know it has changed. The future of education comes with a blended environment. Fortunately, National Education Policy-2020 envisioned the change long ago and introduced a relevant policy to ensure the educational growth of the country. Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities (MERU), Academic Bank of Credits, National Academic Depository are some of the revolutionary changes that are going to benefit the next generations in the post COVID days. The government has already established National Research Foundations to support mega research projects, which may need several crores of rupees. Prof Anil Sahasrabudhe emphasised that studying in one’s native language is an essential requirement that NEP looks into. Prof Sahasrabudhe asserted that proper administration, governance and autonomy are some of the deciding factors for the education sector in the coming days. While concluding his speech, he further elucidated AICTE’s initiatives towards the advancement of the education sector-Curriculum Revisions, Project-Based Experiential Learning, Faculty Training, Industry Internships, Students Internship Programmes are soon to be inseparable aspects of the changing education sector.
Shri Satish Chandra highlighted the challenges associated with online education in respect to the state of Andhra Pradesh. 3000 colleges and 17 universities with 12 lakhs students in Higher Education Sector have got affected because of the pandemic. However, the future of education brings a blended environment with both online and offline teaching-learning options. He opined that LMS, Online Platforms, gadgets such as desktops, laptops or tablets are going to be a part of the new normal of the education sector. The Government of Andhra Pradesh strives to help economically backward students by providing the gadgets at an affordable cost under various scholarship schemes.
- Published in Events, News, Research Events, University Distinguished Lecture
BSE- Investors awareness programme for BBA students
The School of Entrepreneurship and Management Studies (SEAMS), SRM University-AP, Andhra Pradesh collaborates with Value Ideas Investment Services Pvt Ltd, to conduct an enlightening webinar titled “Investment Awareness Programme” on June 12, 2021, from 11 am onwards. Dr J Murthy, an executive from Value Ideas Investment Services will engage the BBA students on this webinar which is exclusively designed as part of their coursework.
Value Ideas Investment Services is a Mumbai based Consulting and Investment firm that has mandated executors to conduct Awareness Programme on Money Management for students across India. They conduct these sessions on behalf of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) / Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the main objective is to educate and empower participants and create financial literacy so that they can make sound decisions with respect to their personal finances in future. The programme will also educate the audience not to invest in wrong Financial Schemes (Ponzi Schemes) and end up losing their hard-earned money. Stocks and investments are complicated financial areas and expert advice is mandatory as a beginner level investor.
The webinar aims to mentor and guide the students to develop a clear understanding of finance and investment which will help them in their further studies and future professional life. The webinar is coordinated by Dr Lalita Mohan Mohapatra, Assistant Professor, Department of Management, SRM-AP.
All the students in BBA stream are invited to join the webinar and gain first-hand insights on investments from the expert.
- Published in Events, Paari Current Happenings
Serving with an attitude of gratitude
Human life is undergoing significant challenges since the outbreak of Covid-19. Despite the chaos of this difficult time, countless unsung heroes have come forward to pull the distressed out of their sufferings. Among them are Team Abhimanyu and Team Bheeshma, a group of IT graduates from SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Chennai. Neelesh Kumar, Prasanth Koyyalagunta, Prudhvi Vishwanadhula, Ruchika Pattjoshi, Vishnu Padmaraju, Parthu M, Irfan, Manoj Bhuma, Dinesh DT, Sai Sandeep, Vudutha Akhil, Akhil Thallada, and M Nikhil Kumar Reddy are young minds aged 24 to 26 pursuing higher studies abroad or employed at reputed MNCs in India. The Department of Student Affairs, SRM University-AP, appreciates their virtuous intentions and invites the teams on “Newsmakers” on June 12, 2021, at 11.00 am to share their incredible experiences on the path of serving humanity.
Team Abhimanyu-the Hope and Team Bheeshma-the Saviour were formed in May 2020 with a noble vision, “Attitude of Gratitude”, immediately after the Covid-19 outbreak in India. The main objective of the teams is to help the disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in society. They distributed groceries to 335 families of private school teachers who had lost their jobs to Covid-19 in Tirupati, Vijayawada, Nellore, Visakhapatnam, Chandragiri, and Hyderabad. Not only did they provide groceries to government school students, but they also offered a large quantity of hand sanitizers, masks, vaporizers, and stationary items. The teams travelled across the districts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana conducting food distribution drives and raising funds for medical treatments, especially for private school/college teachers. Local newspaper “Sakshi” and ETV Network have featured stories about the teams and they were awarded mementoes for community services. The teams plan projects for educating the underprivileged and looking after the elderly in near future. Team Abhimanyu and Team Beeshma are perfect examples of old heads on young shoulders who sail on philanthropic voyages in spite of the challenges.
All are invited to the event on June 12, 2021, at 11.00 am, and are encouraged to listen to the inspiring story of these empathetic young minds.
- Published in Events, Students Affairs Events
Interview handling skills by Mr Sushant Sharma
The Department of Corporate Relations and Career Services (CRCS) at SRM University-AP, Andhra Pradesh conducts a webinar on “Interview Handling Skills by Industry Expert” on June 12, 2021, Saturday at 5:30 pm. Mr. Sushant Sharma, Senior Talent Partner, GE Healthcare will give interview training to the students during the session.
Mr Sushant Sharma is a seasoned HR professional with 9 years of experience from organizations like WNS Global Services, Siemens, and HCL Technologies. He has first-hand knowledge in managing the hiring process for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region because of his association with GE Healthcare. Mr. Sushant Sharma holds a B.E. Degree in Electronics Engineering and a PGDM in Leadership Analytics. He has worked in Malaysia, recruiting from APAC region which includes countries like Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Hongkong. Prior to joining GE Healthcare, he worked for WNS Global Services as Group HR Manager, where he was the head of the Bangalore region for the Research and Analytics vertical. His specialties include Lateral and Leadership Hiring, Stakeholder Management, Vendor Management, Strategic Hiring, and Campus Hiring. He has been granted numerous esteemed honours, like the best recruiter’s leadership award. Sushant Sharma is also a visiting faculty at prestigious business schools such as IIM Nagpur, IIT Bombay, TAPMI, NMIMS, Goa Institute of Management, and many others. He is a coach and guide to many new businesses in Bangalore, like Upgrad, edWisor Academy, to name a few.
A one-on-one session with Mr Sushant Sharma on skills related to job interviews will help students see interviews from the recruiter’s point of view. All students are invited to join the session which will prepare them to face job interviews with confidence.
- Published in CR&CS, CR&CS Events, Events
Viruses and Humans: In Conversation with Prof Durga Rao
An online panel discussion on the topic “Viruses and Humans: living together in health and disease” will be held on June 12, 2021, at 5.00 pm, under the auspices of SRM University-AP, Andhra Pradesh. Prof C Durga Rao, a leading scientist in the field of Virology in India, will chair the session and elucidate on the history of humans and viruses being cohabitants. He is also the Associate Dean-Sciences, and School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (SLASS), SRM University-AP.
Dr Rao, whose major research areas include Molecular Virology, Recombinant DNA technology, Vaccines and Diagnostics had been a professor and INSA Senior Scientist at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). Recently, he was interviewed by Eenadu newspaper on ‘Corona Virus and its Mutations’ and he encapsulated various methods to tackle the inevitable third wave of Covid-19. Dr Imran Pancha, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology Sciences, SRM- AP, and Revathi Balakrishnan, Assistant Director, Student Affairs, SRM-AP will join Dr Rao in the panel and discuss the benign viruses and the pathogenic viruses that influence the immune system of the human body.
All are cordially invited to this engrossing panel discussion.
To join the discussion:
https://srmap.zoom.us/j/97482617299?pwd=OWR1dHNZS0N6SUtTemltUTdlT1lkQT09
Passcode: 022817
- Published in Biology Events, Events