Pandemic taught us that human interaction cannot be fully substituted by technology, says academic Ananya Mukherjee – Times of India

In her new role as the vice-chancellor of Shiv Nadar University, Delhi-NCR,
Ananya Mukerjee takes on the mantle from Rupamanjari Ghosh, the university’s second vice-chancellor. Prior to joining, Mukherjee served as provost and vice-president academic at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Okanagan Canada and professor in the Department of Economics, Philosophy and Political Science. Speaking to
Education Times, Mukherjee, who holds a doctoral degree in Political Economy & Public Policy from the University of Southern California, USA, focuses on her mission for the future, and why Indian HEIs need to think of global standards in a more holistic way.

What are your visions for the university in the light of its recent IoE status?

In the last 10 years, the university has evolved as a multi-disciplinary, research-focused University. Its next decade begins with its recognition as an Institution of Eminence (IoE) that will enable us to achieve new heights but also bestows on us some serious responsibilities. It is an opportunity to expose our students to multidisciplinary learning, bring international students to India, foster research and develop autonomous governance structures. IOEs are also required to benchmark themselves to leading institutions which will ensure that we remain humble and at the same time forge ahead with academic aspirations. All of these are already ingrained in the University – I will have to enable them even further.

The pandemic has underlined the importance of online and hybrid learning but it has also led to huge learning losses. How should Indian HEIs address the challenges?

The pandemic has taught us two things. First, human interaction is essential to learning as it cannot be fully substituted by technology. While technology is an indispensable tool that enables us to defy boundaries, yet it is constrained by social inequalities, in particular the digital divide. HEIs therefore, need to address both these aspects – develop the best methods for technology-enabled learning and research; and at the same time find solutions to the digital divide. This is not the work of one or two institutions but will require everyone to come together and develop a national strategy that can be implemented at the local level.

With research gaining impetus at the undergraduate and master’s levels under NEP 2020, do you think that Indian HEIs are increasingly aligning with global standards?

Efforts are certainly afoot in India to achieve global standards. One example of this is the increasing interest in participating in the global ranking frameworks. While this is one avenue, the ranking frameworks are often more quantitative in nature. More thought needs to go into the qualitative and innovative aspects of the research that occurs in leading global institutions and think about global standards in a more holistic way. For example, offering students an opportunity for independent research as part of their undergraduate degree has far-reaching consequences for society. In India, and in developing countries more generally, we need to think about how to make research opportunities available to every undergraduate student. Research universities need to catalyse those possibilities – and set a standard for transformative research with lasting human impact.

With the massive reforms in the Indian education sector, do you think that ‘stay in India’ will increasingly gain currency among the bright students?

That might take some time. But we should try to make the choice more difficult for our students opting to study abroad. As higher education institutions in India forge ahead on their path of excellence, students will have more choice of quality higher education institutions at home. Then it will become a question of combining different experiences at home and abroad, but no longer feeling compelled to leave because of the lack of options.

What is your opinion on the implementation of the common entrance test to bring students across all boards on an equal footing? Should private universities follow suit?

There is a rich global debate on entrance examinations. Some of the world’s top institutions have moved away from using examinations such as the SAT, in particular for concerns about how they impact students from the disadvantaged community. I hope in India we can take stock of the global debates and design the best assessments for university aspirants.