Ahead of the upcoming Bengal Global Business Summit, the West Bengal Higher Education department, in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), organized an Education Symposium in Kolkata. The conclave, a precursor to the upcoming Bengal Global Business Summit, was attended by several industry stalwarts and top academicians of the country.
Four MoUs were signed between the Government of West Bengal, private universities, and foreign agencies at the symposium. Speaking at the inaugural session of the conclave, West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu said that West Bengal is emerging as a hub of private-public partnership in education, especially in the post-pandemic scenario which has internationally shifted business models to be more tech-based.
“11 new universities have come up in the state, 369 MoUs have been signed with foreign universities along with several multi-national companies like IBM and Microsoft. The government recognizes the necessity of building an ecosystem conducive to education and developing ever-evolving policies in tune with the changing times. It has initiated the ‘State Education Policy’ in 2023 to bring about expansion, excellence, equity, and employability”, said Basu.
Harsh Neotia, Chairman of Ambuja Neotia said that considerable growth has been witnessed in the education sector in the state due to the initiatives undertaken by the state leading to new universities and new education systems, including both the private and the government sectors. Two major aspects relating to education in the BGBS 2023 are the investment of capital and the creation of job opportunities, Neotia added.
US Consul-General to Kolkata, Melinda Pavek highlighted the need to innovate with education, focusing majorly on economic viability, integration of past and future generations, and respect for cultural diversity as part of the successful implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. “Accessibility of higher education and subsidizing education for larger sections, focus on research, teaching, community engagement, professional and vocational education. The aim is to identify three good practices for a prosperous, inclusive, and forward-looking India, to inspire one another and collaborate”, said Madan Mohanka, Chairman, CII Eastern Region Education Subcommittee & Executive Chairman, Tega Industries Ltd.
The four MoUs signed at the conclave included one between the Government of West Bengal and Arizona State University for inclusiveness in the education sector in line with the university's focus on developing entrepreneurs that are 100 percent digital, costless learning which is translated into 133 languages for access. The second MoU between NASSCOM and the Dept of Higher Education Govt. of West Bengal was signed with the objective of enhancing skills through training programs in emerging technologies for the higher education institutions in West Bengal. Among the remaining two, one MoU was signed between Daffodil International University, Bangladesh, and Sister Nivedita University while the other was signed between Kathmandu University, Nepal, and ADAMAS University, West Bengal.
