« IOC invites Athletes to show Commitment to Building a Peaceful World through Sport at Tokyo 2020 by signing the Olympic Truce Mural. | Main | Olympic Pictograms — TOKYO 1964 to TOKYO 2020 »

July 21, 2021

Universities should become thought leaders in finding solutions to global challenges, says Vice President of India

• Vice President of India addresses the World Universities’ Summit organized by OP Jindal University.

• Urges philanthropists and industrialists to help in the cause of education.

• Says virtual education is no substitute for classroom learning; we need to develop a hybrid teaching model for the future.

• Says teaching is not simply content delivery; it should prepare students to think independently and creatively.

• Calls for using technology to build a more equitable system of teaching and learning.

• Asks for using artificial intelligence and big data for personalized education of every child.

• Wants universities to become flag bearers of sustainability in every field.

• Praises the role of universities in research on Covid-19 vaccination and related subjects.

New Delhi, July 21, 2021 — The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu, today asked universities to become thought leaders in finding solutions to global challenges such as climate change, poverty, and pollution. He also wanted the universities to discuss various socio-economic and political issues facing the world and develop ideas that the governments can implement as per their needs and suitability.

Addressing the inaugural session of the World Universities Summit organized by O.P. Jindal University virtually, the Vice President said that universities should produce good academicians, economists, and politicians who have good conduct, capacity, character, and caliber.

Referring to the theme of the Summit, “Universities of the Future: Building Institutional Resilience, Social Responsibility, and Community Impact,” Mr. Naidu called for promoting multi-disciplinary approaches and emphasized the need for collaborative academic effort to create sustainable and scalable solutions to the challenges around us. He opined that sustainable development was the answer to many challenges today, and universities can play a significant role towards this end. “Universities need to embed sustainability as an underlying mission across all activities they pursue in various fields,” he said.

Stating that virtual education cannot substitute traditional classroom learning, the Vice President emphasized the need to develop a hybrid teaching model for the future by combining the best offline and online education elements. He said that such a model should be both interactive and exciting for the learner and the teacher to ensure optimum learning outcomes. Furthermore, Mr. Naidu stressed that teaching is not simply content delivery; instead, it should prepare students to learn independently and creatively. “Through pro-active critical thinking, learners should be molded into leaders in their chosen fields so that eventually they evolve into drivers of social change,” he added.

Mr. Naidu recognized that the COVID-19 pandemic had forced faster innovation in the discipline of education, which can help us build a more equitable system of teaching and learning. However, he also expressed the need to improve and upgrade the online academic ecosystem constantly.

Referring to the saying “no one is safe until everyone is safe,” he stated that crisis management on a global scale requires a many-pronged, multicultural, collective approach warranting the cooperation of all.

Mr. Naidu appreciated the role of universities in research on Covid-19 vaccination and related fields. He said that humanity owes much to thousands of faculty members, research scholars, and students who have spent countless days and nights working silently to bring out helpful research for the world’s benefit.

Calling for the internationalization of the curriculum, he wanted increased collaboration on research, joint classes, and student projects with the active involvement of the industry. He also wanted Indian varsities to sensitize the world to the richness of ancient Indian knowledge systems that seek to promote sustainable ways of production and consumption.

Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education, and Prof. (Dr.) D. P. Singh, Chairman, University Grants Commission (UGC), were among the dignitaries who attended the virtual event.

This Summit will witness 150+ Thought leaders from 6 continents and 25+ Countries. Institutional heads from over 100 universities will participate in the Summit. That includes 31 Vice-Chancellors, 28 Presidents & Rectors, 21 Provosts, Deputy/Associate/Executive Vice Chancellors & Vice/Associate Provosts, and 25 Deputy/Vice/Executive/ Presidents & Rectors.

Leading Universities and Colleges across Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong SAR, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America are participating in the Summit.

• The Summit will see senior leadership from multiple National, Regional, and International organizations. That includes:

• Professor (Dr.) Uttam Gaulee, President, Society for Transnational Academic Research (STAR) Network
• Mr. Phil Baty, Chief Knowledge Officer, Times Higher Education (THE)
• Mr. Ben Sowter, Senior Vice President, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS)
• Dr. Lynn Pasquerella, President, Association of American Universities and Colleges
• Dr. George R. Boggs, President and CEO Emeritus, American Association of Community Colleges
• Dr. Nina Arnhold, Global Lead for Tertiary Education, World Bank.

• One will get an opportunity to hear from and even interact with renowned academics from leading universities, which include:

• Harvard University
• University College London
• The University of Oxford
• The University of Queensland
• The University of Southampton
• The University of Wollongong
• Macquarie University
• Universidade Estadual de Campinas
• The University of Sussex
• IE University
• Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
• Durham University
• Deakin University
• Universiti Tenaga Nasional
• The University of New South Wales
• The University of Manchester
• Victoria University of Wellington
• Chulalongkorn University
• The University of Delhi
• Zhejiang University
• Tata Institute of Social Sciences
• King’s College London
• The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
• Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
• Yonsei University
• National Taiwan University
• Singapore Management University
• Monash University
• Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
• The University of Pretoria
• University of The Witwatersrand
• Ashoka University.

• The participants will discuss over 30 themes across the sessions to cover a wide range of topics that include:

• “Virtualizing Mobility: Innovations for Internationalisation of Higher Education”
• “Minding the Gap: Rethinking Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Assessment amid the Covid-19 Disruption”
• “On a Road to Equity: University Support System to Promote Diversity & Inclusion in Higher Education”
• “Being Glocal: University as a Site of Local Innovation and Meaningful Community Engagement”
• “The Power of Youth: Harnessing the Strength of Students for Institution Building and Community Impact”
• “Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Universities Promoting Equality and Nurturing Future Women Leaders”

Sources: Vice President’s Secretariat, O.P. Jindal Global University.

|GlobalGiants.Com|

Edited & Posted by the Editor | 12:14 PM | Link to this Post

---

---