Educationists should upgrade to student-centric approach in the era of high-end technology, says tech firm chief

The 36th Foundation Day celebrations of the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) began in Vijayawada on Saturday.

Knowledge power is the biggest asset of India. “If we can harness the knowledge power of the 1.4 billion people of this country, the result will be amazing,” said founder Chairman and Board member, Cyient, B.V.R. Mohan Reddy.

Addressing the inaugural session of the 36th Foundation Day celebrations of the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) on Saturday, Mr. Reddy said the responsibility of educationists at this point had become much larger. Speaking at length about the 21st century education and the emerging trends, he said changes brought about by technology disruptions would be bigger than the 2008 financial meltdown and the COVID-19 outbreak.

Referring to the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, he said the world will change in the next few years and computers, communications, sensors and algorithms will usher in this change.

“The requirements of students today are different from what they were in the past. We need to get student-centric,” he emphasised, complimenting the State government’s vision in line with the National Education Policy-2020 which recommends several initiatives covering many facets like diversity, inclusivity and equity.

He said the NEP has put in place a construct and “we will have to see how it is executed”. “Change is constant, we need to realise that the student is changing. The Gen Z population is constantly on machines. Unlike in the past when knowledge was concentrated in one person — the guru — today knowledge is possible anytime and anywhere,” the Padma Shri awardee said.

Mr. Reddy maintained that technology will play a very important role in education and stressed on six key aspects- student-centric learning, improving pedagogy, strengthening teacher education programmes and their professional development, building entrepreneurial and innovative mindsets among students, emphasis on research and development, and innovation and creativity to build Atma Nirbhar Bharat and industry-academia connect.

Chairman of APSCHE K. Hemachandra Reddy explained about the genesis of the State Council of Higher Education and its eventful journey.