15 Feb 2013|Noida | Russian Centre of Science and Culture, Delhi
Dr. Ashok K Chauhan, Founder President - Amity Group conferred “Life Time Contribution in Edupreneurship Award” by Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Hon’ble Minister of State for Human Resource Development
Dr. Ashok K Chauhan- Founder President, Amity Group has been conferred “Life Time Contribution in Edupreneurship Award” by Engineering Watch Magazine (India most prestigious magazine dedicated to Engineering Community) during a glittering “Edupreneurs Awards ceremony” organized on February 15, 2013 at Russian Centre of Science and Culture, Delhi.
While sharing his views on “Catapulting Indian education to global standards”, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Hon’ble Minister of State for Human Resource Development said, “Indian education sector has gone through an amazing journey during the last 65 years. When Britishers left, India had just 17% literacy, 36 Universities and 4 lakh students and today, India has 74% literacy, 670 Universities and 20 million students. Though, there has been a stupendous transformation but we cannot be complacent about it.”, Sharing his concern further, the Hon’ble Minister remarked, “ No Indian University is ranked amongst top 100 Universities across the globe, which is due to the lack of promotion of Research and Innovation in Indian Colleges and Universities. The ranking agencies globally give great importance to R&D in Educational Institutions”. Talking about the technical education and skill gap witnessed by industry, Dr. Tharoor said that as per FICCI survey, 65% of employers in India are not satisfied with the kind of workforce prepared by educational institutions. The technical students when hired in companies are given 1 more year of education by Companies in order to assimilate them. He called upon the edupreneurs to work closely with the companies and understand their requirements in order to nurture globally employable workforce.
Suggesting 4 E’s to make Indian education system globally competent, Dr. Shashi Tharoor opined that Indian Education system needs to work on four factors-“Expansion, Equity (inclusion of children from all castes, religion, region and sex), Excellence (Indian Education Institutes lack quality as per National and International yardsticks) and Employability of students. He stated that India is a young country with over 225 million people between the age group of 10-19 years of age and 20 years ahead, China’s workforce would be 5% smaller whereas India’s workforce would be 32% larger and if India has to contribute to world’s workforce, then Indian education has to be good, suitable, latest and relevant.
Sharing his views during the occasion and accepting the prestigious honor, Dr. Ashok K Chauhan- Founder President, Amity Group expressed his delight for being chosen for the Award and shared his grand vision to make India a “Education Super Power “ by 2030 through the chain of Amity Educational Institutions which are reckoned worldwide for their blend of modernity with traditions. He applauded the immense work Engineering Watch is doing in the field of education and specifically in the field of engineering education.
The other award recipients included Shri Rajendra Panwar - Edupreneur Par Excellence Award, Shri Azim Premzi - The Trendsetter in Corporate Edupreneurship Award and Shri Shiv Nadar - The Pathmaker in Edupreneurship Award. The Edupreneurs Awards 2013 aimed at recognizing 100 educational entrepreneurs across the country who have played a leading role in transforming Engineering education in the country