Indian academics awarded in Singapore for skill development

Singapore: A group of educational institutions from India were given awards in Singapore for providing opportunities to their students to learn from global programmes and prepare themselves for future jobs.

Dr Sandeep Pachpande, chairman of ASM Group of Institutes in Pune, said: "We have collaborated with Harvard Business School for our students to learn from global programmes and be prepared for future jobs in India and worldwide".

He received an 'Icons of Learning' award from Singapore's Business Excellence and Research Group. While academics are working out collaborations for courses to prepare their students for direct employability, there is also demand from working-class and professionals to attend Sunday schools for enhancing their skills, Pachpande said.

Dr Nripen Dutta, founder and principal of Guwahati's Miles Bronson Residential School which won the 'Icon of Learning' award for its unique way of teaching students, said: "Our students are taken on field trips, excursions and given hands-on training". A live skill development centre has been set up at the boarding school, which is one of its kind in the northeast region. Dutta stressed on getting students to live on campus and focus on courses that are no longer "confine to the precinct of classrooms and text books".

Dutta and Sandeep acknowledged the challenge of changing education streams and courses for preparing a future workforce. They acknowledged global industries' concern about India's large but proportionately unskilled workforce. The awards were also given to Kolkata-based My Private Tutor, Hyderabad's Meridian School and Chirec International School, Indore's SAGE University, Guwahati's Maria's Public School, Bengaluru's ISBR Business School and Klay Schools and Chennai's Auuro Education Services.

Gurdip Singh