The International Institute for Higher Education Research & Capacity Building (IIHEd), O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) in collaboration with Delhi Public School (DPS), R.K. Puram organized a conference titled Seminar on “Transitions from School to University: Study Opportunities, Career Planning and Professional Development.”
The evening also witnessed the launch of the Higher Education Summer School (HESS) Career Advancement Programme (CAP) in Delhi.
Speaking about the launch of HESS CAP during his inaugural address, Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor, O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) and Director, International Institute for Higher Education Research & Capacity Building (IIHEd), said, “There is a huge information gap at the level of school leaving students, who have often been attracted to conventional courses, saturating their careers later with little vision and no imagination. The vision of the Higher Education Summer School – Career Advancement Programme (HESS – CAP) is to provide an opportunity to high school students in India and abroad to have a globally oriented academic engagement within a university environment. The HESS-CAP seeks to address the fundamental questions that high school students, parents, teachers, counsellors and all stakeholders in the education system are asking. ”
Delivering the Presidential Address at the conference, Dr. D.R. Saini, Principal, Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram, said, “We are at a critical juncture, where the quality of education matters much more than the number of students educated in the country. The private institutions and universities of our country are successfully poised to meet this demand they now must act as torchbearers and exemplars and aspire to meet global standards of international universities across the world”
Mr. Ashok Kumar, CEO, The Indian High School Group, Dubai summarized the prevalent behavior trends amongst school children as competition, survival of the fittest, quick returns and lack of future planning. He further emphasised on a partnership between schools and universities and said, “we need to question if schools cater to 21st century requirements and emphasize on critical thinking and problem solving, schools need to play a role in developing these skills and universities need to constantly orient schools in achieving these goals.”
The first plenary session was designed around the theme “Thinking Outside the Box: Moving Beyond Conventional Study Options” and had an expansive line up of eminent school educators. The session was chaired by Professor Kathleen Modrowski, Dean of the Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities, O.P. Jindal Global University.
Speaking at the session Ms. Dayita Datta, Vice Principal, Welham Girls School, Dehradun spoke about her despair in the dumbing down of the syllabus to the lowest common denominator and the increase in number of marks being awarded, she said, “everyone is getting above 90%. The numbers cannot judge a child’s capability or preparedness for the child’s future work in college or life. We need to inculcate analytical, critical thinking and problem solving skills.”
Amongst the other panelists were: Dr. Tarulata Hirani, Head of School, Ahmedabad International School, Ms. Anisha Sharma, Principal, The Royal Academy, Raipur, Mr. Reneesh Mathew, Senior Principal, Velammal Global School, Chennai, Ms. Sonal Rawat, Vice Principal, Ecole Globale International Girls’ School and Ms. Heemal H. Bhatt, Principal, Hans Raj Model School.
The second session revolved around the theme “Imagining The Future: Empowering Schools to Diversify Learning Opportunities” which was chaired by Professor Sreeram Chaulia, Dean of the Jindal School of International Affairs.
Speaking at the session Ms. Rekha Krishnan, Principal, Vasant Valley School emphasized that we would be doing our children a great dis-service if we look at education from the narrow perspective of it leading to a career path. Focusing on the theme she said, “We cannot imagine the future we can only look at current trends and come close to predicting the future. As educators we can only prepare our children for the unknown future with a broader skill set.”
Amongst the other speakers at the session were Ms. Nandita Sahu, Principal, Tagore International School, Ms. Vasudha Neelmani, Principal, Vidya Sanskar International School, Greater Faridabad, Ms. Nisha Nair, Research Associate, Jindal Global Law School ,Mr. Dhirendra Singh, Principal, Sehwag International School, Dr. D.K. Pandey, Principal, N.C. Jindal Public School.
About HESS-CAP
HESS-CAP is committed to providing the most inspiring learning experience for students. An outstanding group of faculty members will train, guide, mentor and instruct young minds to become leaders of tomorrow. The faculty members teaching the students have exemplary qualifications from the world’s leading universities such as Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Stanford, Princeton, MIT, UCBerkeley, Cornell, Oxford, Cambridge, King’s, LSE JNU, IITs, IIMs, DU and other universities in the world.
The HESS-CAP will be a 3-week, fully residential programme at the state-of-the-art campus of O.P. Jindal Global University located in Sonipat, NCR of Delhi and will be held from 13 June, 2016 to 3 July, 2016. Students who are currently pursuing class IX-XII will be eligible to apply for the program
The teaching pedagogy of the HESS-CAP will consist of a combination of lectures, seminars, and tutorial sessions using new and innovative approaches to provide learning. Experts from relevant fields through thematic sessions will develop a problem-solving approach towards the issues that will be discussed in the classes.
Admissions to this summer school programme will be on a rolling basis and final decisions relating to admission to the HESS-CAP will be made on or before 31st March, 2016. The Students will also get opportunities to meet and interact with eminent jurists, policy makers, lawyers, social activists, judges, diplomats, CEOs, corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, poets, artists, musicians, and educationists. For young minds, this experience of being part of HESS-CAP will be transformative.
It is the mission of the International Institute for Higher Education Research & Capacity Building (IIHEd) to contribute to different aspects of research, knowledge creation and capacity building within the higher education sector.