The visionary leader spoke to THE WEEK about how Indian universities can improve. Excerpts:
Q/ Indian universities do not feature in global top-100 lists. What more needs to be done to improve the standards?
A/ Indian universities must create a plan to improve their own institution in [relevant] criteria—whether it is patents, papers in reputed journals, the kind of jobs that the students get, and the quality and the number of PhD students passing out each year. I have always believed that competition is the best management guru. Therefore, Indian universities must study their competitor universities which are in the top 20 in the world, find out what is it that they do to be in the top 20, and start doing it.
Q/ It is said that AI could replace certain jobs. What kind of courses should students choose to get jobs that will stay relevant? What changes should universities effect to enable this?
A/ We should use these technologies in a human-assistive mode rather than in a human replacement mode. Therefore, our universities, particularly the technical ones, will have to frame the curriculum for their courses on new technologies like ChatGPT, AI and other new technologies to teach the students how these technologies can be used in a human-assistive mode. They should teach how these technologies, used in such a way, have improved the productivity and progress, how they have reduced the cost, and how they have improved entertainment and comfort. Once the universities do these things, the students will become more useful to the industry, and they will automatically get jobs.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Trump And The Crisis Of Liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
