E-Paper
G20 education meet in Amritsar : Panelists underscore need to focus on research, innovation & collaboration
The second round of meetings of the G20 Education Working Group (EdWG), which is being organised by the Union ministry of education, kicked off in Amritsar with a seminar on ‘Strengthening Research and Promoting Innovation through Richer Collaboration.’
The second round of meetings of the G20 Education Working Group (EdWG), which is being organised by the Union ministry of education, kicked off in Amritsar with a seminar on ‘Strengthening Research and Promoting Innovation through Richer Collaboration.’
Being hosted at Khalsa College, Amritsar, by IIT-Ropar, the event brought together delegates from the G20 Education Working Group to discuss the future of work and innovation, with a focus on building bridges across nations for equitable development. Prof Rajeev Ahuja, director of IIT Ropar, highlighted India’s opportunity to establish itself as a leader in research and innovation globally. As many as 28 G20 member countries, guest countries and invited organisations (OECD, UNESCO and UNICEF) will be participating in the 3-day event.
Union secretary for higher education K Sanjay Murthy was also present. Prof Govind Rangarajan, director, IISC, shared his thoughts on the interdependency of domains and interdisciplinary action for solving problems. Prof BS Murty, director, IIT-Hyderabad, stressed the need of having a synergy between government- academia-industry to find solutions to pressing world problems. He highlighted that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has brought in path-breaking reforms in education in India.
The first panel titled ‘Research in Emerging and Disruptive Technologies, Industry–4.0’ moderated by Prof Anil Gupta and chaired by Prof Rajeev Ahuja brought together panellists from Australia, France, India and the UK, who shared insights on the role of various stakeholders to promote research on the emerging innovations, their impact on education systems and society in general.
The second panel on ‘Research in Sustainable Development Goals’ was chaired by Prof Shalini Bharat with panellists representing China, Oman, South Africa, UAE and UNICEF laying importance on enhancing the capacities of universities being the core of research
Alison Dell, assistant secretary, department of education, Australia, discussed the national collaborative infrastructure scheme in her country and what her government has been doing in moving towards applied research.
The seminar concluded with an address from chief minister Bhagwant Mann. He welcomed the delegates and emphasised that meet on education here will prove to be an important platform for seeking vital inputs from expert nations to boost the sector of the country and the state in particular. He invited the participants to try Punjabi food and experience the rich culture of the state.
A multimedia exhibition has also been organised on the sidelines, featuring participation from industry, academia, and start-up initiatives. It will be open to local institutions, students, academicians, and researchers on March 16 and 17.
Y20 Summit
‘Rising population is not a problem, rather an asset’
AMRITSAR: The panellists and scholars from various national and international institutions addressed the youth of India and other countries in the main event of the Y20 Consultation Summit in Amritsar being hosted by Guru Nanak Dev University. The event was organised by the Union ministry of youth affairs. More than 50 international and a large number of national delegates from G20 and other countries deliberated in the four sessions. The event was inaugurated by Harjot Singh Bains, Punjab education minister. In reply to questions raised by a student regarding the impact of the rising population on the job opportunity, Dr Shab Hundal, one of the panellists, stressed that the rising population was not a problem rather it was the rising pool of talent, creating opportunities. In the last session, the panellists recommended that the governments of G20 countries should devise a policy of inviting visionary ideas from their young population.
