EDITORIAL ANALYSIS : A doorway to an entrepreneurial university

Source: The Hindu

• Prelims: Current events of national importance(Different social service Schemes, NEP, Qs ranking, THE ranking etc)
• Mains GS Paper I & II: Social empowerment, development and management of social sectors/services related to Education etc.

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS

• The modern university system is a result of large efforts to institutionalize and scale up research and study in many disciplines, and keeps evolving.
• Over the years, multidisciplinary studies have seen new disciplines such as biochemistry and computing science.
  • They are spawning dozens of new sub-disciplines including the current rage, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context

University Grants Commission (UGC)

• It is a Statutory body, Set up in 1956
• It is charged with coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education.
• It provides recognition to universities in India, and disburses funds to such recognized universities and colleges.

Entrepreneurial universities:

• This joint enterprise of academia and industry, for creating innovations has led to new products, services, platforms and patents.
• This is a provocative idea.
• One school of academia Universities should be the foundation of new knowledge and research, and any attempt at a commercialisation of this vision should not be allowed.
• Global thinking among new-age universities, and ‘educational entrepreneurs’ is to ensure a fine balance between education and enterprise, where learners pay an optimal price of attaining knowledge, gaining employable skills, or pursuing serious research.

The UGC’s push:

• University Grants Commission (UGC)’s initiative to institutionalize the concept of ‘Professor of Practice’ is a right pointer towards an entrepreneurial university.
• It shows how universities are best positioned to foster innovation, simply because of the flow of new sets of bright minds, seeking to push the frontiers of knowledge further.

Professor of Practice (PoP):

• It is to enhance the quality of higher education by bringing practitioners, policymakers, skilled professionals, etc. into the higher education system.”
• The initiative wants to bring industry and other professional expertise into academic institutions through a new category of positions viz. PoP.
• This will help take real world practices and experiences into classrooms and also augment faculty resources in higher education institutions.
• Industry and society will benefit from trained graduates who are equipped with the relevant skills.
• PoP is an individual with significant experience in their industry, appointed to a faculty position at a university to share his/her practical knowledge and skills with students.
• Unlike traditional academic professors: PoPs are often hired from outside academia, and may not be required to have a PhD or other advanced research degree.
• Based on their expertise and experience in a specific profession or industry, they are expected to bring real-world insights and perspectives to the classroom.
• PoPs can be found in fields that include business, engineering, law, journalism, and the arts.
• Example: In the field of engineering,a PoP can teach courses that focus on practical, real-world applications and share their insights in applied learning.
• They can serve as mentors for student projects
• Develop new courses that are more aligned to industry trends
• Collaborate with other faculty on research projects and point to ways of converting patents into commercial products (which they do regularly in the industry).
• PoPs can serve as ambassadors for their universities, building relationships with industry partners and helping to connect students with internship and job opportunities.
• They can participate in professional organizations and conferences to stay up-to-date on industry trends and best practices.
• PoPs can reshape a university’s commercial thinking and energize the actions that add vividity to a university’s culture.

Recent Initiatives taken by the Government:

Way Forward

• The modern university system has accelerated the growth and the rise of new disciplines across the globe.
  • Innovations that bring together academic and industrial research work are creating economic and intellectual value for universities.
• There is a definite need to create instruments and pathways that foster research and lead to a commercialisation of research output, so that the university system can capitalize the intellectual value of a new product or processes.
• Teaching and research were the foundational pillars of a university in the industrial era.
  • In today’s post-knowledge societies, innovation is the third pillar in universities. This should also be a continuous activity.
• When this innovative culture sets in strongly, every academic will be able to synthesize ideas and spin out start-up enterprises.
• These university-based start-ups would not only incubate ideas but also convert ideas into patents and transform patents into commercial products.
• PoPs will lead to a new generation of ‘entrepreneurs in residence’, showing the way for bright students to create the next Google on campus.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

National Education Policy 2020 is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals-4 (2030). It intended to restructure and re-orient the education system in India. Critically examine the statement(UPSC 2020) (200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)