(ICFAI conducts 10th N J Yasaswy Memorial Lecture on the topic ‘Role of Higher Education Institutions in the modern context)
“There is high problem of unemployment among youth in the country and at the same time there is severe shortage of skilled youth” said Mr Jayesh Ranjan,IAS, the Principal Secretary of the Industries & Commerce (I&C) and Information Technology (IT) Departments of the Telangana Government, addressing staff and students at ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education, Hyderabad. He was delivering the Tenth N J Yasaswy Memorial Lecture on ‘Role of Higher Education Institutions in the modern context’. The event was presided over by Dr C Rangarajan, Chancellor of The ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education, former Governor of Reserve Bank of India and former Chairman, Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council.
Talking about the role of Higher Educational Institutions in the country, Mr. Ranjan said that the Universities should play the role of centers of excellence by unleashing the talent in the youth and equipping them with the right skills and competencies. Mr. Ranjan, while talking about the employment, asserted that there is no dearth of employment in the economy, however, what is in need is the skills of employability that higher educational institutes must inculcate among the youth. He emphasized the role of faculty as guides to motivate the youth. He stressed on the importance of influencing the students to evolve as thinkers rather than passing out as mere utility resources. Mr. Ranjan emphasized the need to accelerate the entrepreneurial movement rather than depending on the state or private sector in anticipation of employment.
In his presidential remarks, Dr. C Rangarajan, recalled the contributions of Sri NJ Yasaswy to the higher education sector and the pan-India impact he made in the education space. He reminded that it is the best occasion to recall the Sri Yasaswy’s work and pay tribute to him by continuing to deliver the excellence in alignment with his vision.
Dr. Rangarajan highlighted three components that he said were essential for any higher educational institution viz. the Content, the Pedagogy and the Assessment system. He stressed on the designing the syllabi that complement the demands of the contemporary work world and spoke about the critical role of faculty in delivering the content in a stimulating manner to the students. Finally he expressed his concern by pointing out at the conventional rote-memorizing techniques which still prevail as the assessment methods across various education institutions. Dr. Rangarajan urged the institutions to design the assessments that stimulate the students and transform them into thinking citizens of the country.
Earlier, welcoming the audience, Dr. J Mahender Reddy, Vice Chancellor, ICFAI University spoke about the contribution of Late Mr. N J Yasaswy, the founder of ICFAI Group of educational institutions in promoting higher education in sector in India.
Mrs Sobha Rani Yasaswy, Chair Person, ICFAI Society, Prof Vijaya Lakshmi, Registrar, other dignitaries, students and faculty attended the lecture in large numbers.
About ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education: The ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education is Deemed-to-be University under section 3 of the UGC Act 1956. ICFAI Business School (IBS) is a constituent of IFHE. About 6000+ students are pursuing various programs in the Faculty of Management (ICFAI Business School), Faculty of Science & Technology (IcfaiTech), Faculty of Law (ICFAI Law School) and ICFAI School of Architecture, NAAC, an autonomous institute of University Grants Commission has also accredited The University with ‘A+’ Grade with an impressive score (institutional CGPA) of 3.43 out of 4. Recently IBS Hyderabad has also received prestigious AACSB Accreditation. To suit the present day competitive environment, IFHE has a mission to create entrepreneurs capable of contributing to different fields of business and management.
