Campus Blog Category

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Never too late for an International Degree…IILM offers Lateral Entry to Undergraduates

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I seem to have made a wrong choice! I cannot adjust to my college/culture/country! I am feeling homesick! I am not studying anything useful!

If you identify with any one of the above statements, it is time to take a corrective action. A lot of such thoughts come to young students’ minds when they take admission in a program at a particular college in a different country, different state or even their own home state. So much goes into the college admission that many a times these young students feel stuck with what choices they or their parents have made. When these choices have been made for an international college, it becomes even more obligatory to continue given the time, money and efforts spent on it. But even a well thought out plan of an “international degree abroad” or that “Engineering college” or that “close to home college” decision may not work out the way it was expected to be. Should you then just carry on despite feeling disconnected from within? An undergraduate degree is perhaps the most life changing degree that one undergoes. These are the years that help you discover yourself and gain maturity and a direction in life. What use is that degree that does not educate you, does not help you become a better you, does not make you feel excited and motivated for a bright future? Should you continue in that place and college despite no longer being sure of the choice that you made?

But what happens to the time that I have spent at this college, what about the effort that I have made in studying and clearing my exams, what happens to the credits I earned? Does it all go waste and I have to start afresh? If these are the questions in your mind, the answer is a big NO! What you should look out for, is a college that will recognize your efforts and help you continue your studies without a break in your education. At IILM Undergraduate Business School, every year we get several such students who want to revise their initial decision of having chosen a college and an Undergraduate program but are not satisfied with it. You can transfer those credits and take entry into the second or third year and be part of a 25 year old legacy of the IILM Undergraduate Business School (UBS) that has trained thousands of young students like you and made them successful business leaders and entrepreneurs. IILM UBS helps you develop an unparalleled network, learn subjects that are internationally benchmarked, in a hands-on practical manner that prepares you for life.

So if your current course and college does not excite you anymore and you are looking for a reputed college in Delhi that will give you an opportunity to correct that decision, write to us at info.ubs@iilm.edu or call us at 9873949490. Our admission counselor will help you identify the best fit for you.

Prof.(Dr.) Kakoli Sen

Marketing 4.0

Social Networking In Education

Blog Catgeory, IILM Graduate School of Management, , ,

Written by:- Ms Manika Mahajan (PGDM 2019-21, IILM Greater Noida Campus)

Social networking has become one of the most popular communication tools to have evolved over the past decade, making it a powerful new information-sharing resource in society. In every aspect of our lives, social networking becomes a part of nowadays. Some of the widely used social networking sites(SNS) are Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Youtube, etc.

We cannot deny ever since social media came into our lives, it has changed the pattern of living- the way we socialize, interact, plan, or execute. Social networking has widely become a part of our education system now. Starting from elementary school up until university graduation, social media has the role to empower parents, students, and teachers on how to use new ways of sharing information and build a community. From finding a summer internship to promoting a success story about how to win the student-loan battle or collaborate on international projects, everything is made possible with these community-building sites. Collective intelligence has become a hashtag trending episode for today’s student-teacher relationship promoting collaboration and sharing of knowledge. Today’s youth is already well equipped with these sites and use this space for building a conducive learning environment and this gives educators a platform to create an online framework for education system #Education 4.0. Users are not just passive observers now, rather they became collaborators and contributors to new sites and fresh content across all platforms. The internet is a research network now which creates knowledge through shared experiences and collaboration of its users.

Chalk and Blackboard form the two most important elements of a classroom in our education system for decades. A teacher seems to be incomplete without these. Education 4.0 says “My lord, this statement is not true”. A teacher may ask its students “Discuss the Impact of covid19 on the Indian economy” on twitter by using two hashtags. Won’t it be a more innovative, up to date and interesting way for students to learn? There is always a complaint by parents “My son spends a lot of time on Facebook”, pondering on it Education 4.0 says “why not take Facebook as a source for learning?”. Facebook has many pages related to courses or areas of interest of students. Teachers and students can both join that page and debate on the posts in the comment section. Is it not helpful for collective intelligence? The answer is yes, it will help the student to be in touch with teachers and the latest updates in the mode they are comfortable at. In this way, they will learn and retain more.

The use of social media in education provides students with the ability to get more useful information, to connect with learning groups of their interest and other educational systems that make education convenient. Online classes on YouTube to web-based courses are helpful to create an anywhere- anytime learning environment for students. All it requires is the student’s own efforts to use these tools to learn beyond the classroom too. Social networking helps to reduce stress and increase satisfaction among students. It allows each student (slow or quick) to study at their own pace and speed (self-pacing). It helps in building strong teacher-student relationships as the student becomes more comfortable with interacting with teachers in both online and offline platforms. Allowing the use of technology and social networking sites in the classroom to read content and participate more is still not applicable in every school/college’s education system because of the fear that it would distract the student. And it is true in some cases but to focus on the purpose of using it in the desired way depends upon student’s willingness to learn and improve.

To hear some scholars speak we have-The use of social networking tools has impacted positively through creating diversification between different categories of people and has supported them in both their personal and academic lives . There are four fundamental social software tools: 1) Connectivity and social rapport, 2) Collaborate information discovery, 3) Content reaction, and 4) Knowledge and information aggregation and content modification . These affordances have helped learners access their knowledge easily and share them anytime and anywhere. Social networks, such as e-learning technologies, provide an opportunity for educators to revise their content quickly and maintain control over it, learn the sequence pace of learning, time – and often media, which allows them to gain experience to meet their learning objectives . Klamma illustrated that one of the most important advantages of social networking is the ability to manage knowledge and learning by connecting with different experts and knowledgeable people to share common processes, activities, tools, concepts, etc.

In today’s society, we face differences between Generation Y(the students who grew up using upgraded technology) and Generation X(the teachers who were forced to use this technology). Being a generation gap between the two brings forward different mindsets and perspectives. The famous author Blankenship,believes that technology in education should be focused on what students use instead of what the school or teachers want. He also believes that when the students become the stakeholder, it will be geared towards their needs, avoiding the need for collaboration between different generations of educators and students. Social networking becomes a medium for such integration. There may be certain training and time required for teachers and students to get well equipped with this new education system, but once applied the efforts are worth it.

Social networking in education also proves to be a good medium in times of emergency. The best example is the current scenario of the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the world. The situation has forced us to stay home but it didn’t force us to stop learning. Social networking sites became the medium to study far from institutions too. It helped teachers and students to stay connected and complete their studies and even learn more than the school/college curriculum. Live online lectures, recorded online video classes, new online courses, online assignments and projects have helped students and educators to not let the studies and careers of students get harmed in these tough times.

Some may highlight the cons of social networking by saying it can be a reason for the distraction of students, privacy, and security issues are there, internet connectivity may be a challenge at remote locations, etc. To some extent their concerns are right. But with the improvement in technology day by day strict privacy and security are being taken in making the applications more safe and secure. And as far as the distraction of students is concerned, educators should channelize student’s skills and energy in a more productive way that they tend not to be distracted. They can be given challenging tasks from their area of interest and the online/offline platform they are comfortable at to prove their worth and can be equally appreciated and awarded for their performance. This will build up their morale and boost enthusiasm.

Student interaction is at the core of a constructive environment and Social  Networking Sites provide a platform for building collaborative learning communities.  By their very nature, they are relationship-centred and promote shared experiences. A range of activities should be inculcated in the education system where students get to interact more and gain experiences. Knowledge and shared experiences become a base for students to develop and social networking is the channel for building that base. Both students and educators have to understand that social networking is not merely a leisure facility but it is much more than that. They should find out the deep potential which this facility holds so that it can be used in the best and most productive way possible. And this has to be done now because we are rapidly moving to a fully digital era and this potential is to be used now to be a helpful tool for the future years. At IILM campus, we have such networking amongst students, alumni and professors through various virtual networking applications. Thus, Education 4.0 is the superman for the youth of today. If its powers are well researched and presented to students and teachers, they are going to be the biggest fan of it.

What is Toxic Empathy and How to Emotionally Protect Yourself?

Center for Emotional Intelligence, General Blog, IILM University, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What is Toxic Empathy?

Toxic empathy is when a person over-identifies with someone emotions, feelings and takes them on as their own personal. Although, if the other individual’s anxiety and stress keep you from your current tasks and responsibilities, it is called toxic empathy.

Toxic empathy is when you do not just replicate and reflect another person’s emotions or feelings, you also experience and consume them. Consuming someone else’s problems can cause you to become equally overwhelmed or even more so. When you replicate another person’s emotions as your own, you make them your emotions too even though you are only empathizing or putting yourself in that person’s shoes.

People who are overly-empathetic or hyper-empathetic may gradually lose their own wants, needs as the feeling when overshadowed by another person’s emotions. These people experience others’ emotions to an extent where they lose themselves and feel the pain or negativity and in some cases positivity of another person. This diverts them from their own path and their life and onto someone else’s.

Regular over empathizing can lead to a reduced capacity of making one’s own decisions as per their best interest. They may also experience draining feelings physically and mentally since they draw away from their own feelings. People who give greater importance to others’ lives and needs above their own experience general anxiety and even mild depression at times. They don’t think of themselves often and are fully consumed by others’ sentiments they report feelings of emptiness and meaninglessness. They mostly look at situations from another person’s perspective rather than their own.

Some signs you may be experiencing toxic empathy are:

  1. Pitying others’ situations often and use it as a justification if they are mean and unpleasant towards you.
  2. Giving in to others’ demands easily and find it hard to say no or refuse.
  3. Unintentionally physically replicate another person’s stress i.e, feeling like you have a knot in your stomach, clammy hands, etc.
  4. Emotionally mirroring another individual’s pain and feeling persistent emotions of sadness and suffering for a prolonged period of time.
  5. Feeling exhausted physically and psychologically after interacting with people.
  6. Being unable to complete or fulfil your own responsibilities because you feel overwhelmed by your feelings.

Managing toxic empathy

Emotional Hijacking

Emotional hijacking is when another person’s thoughts and feelings have control over your emotions and feelings. People who have a high empathic quotient and are prone to toxic empathy may experience emotional hijacking during a process like venting. They can absorb the other’s frustrations and replicate them. To prevent this, you must observe what emotions you feel when someone is expressing their feeling to you and remain calm, relax. Composing yourself later on and relaxing gradually will allow you to release the other individual’s emotions and empathise in a healthy way.

Healthy relationships

In mutually healthy relations both parties’ emotional needs are given proportionate importance. It uses the give and take method where both parties act as listeners and speakers as well. Every healthy relationship has a well defined boundary where everyone’s needs are met and an equal amount of support is given to both individuals. Communication is key and is necessary in order to fully express and let go or relive yourself from some of the negative emotions you are feeling. Communication in a healthy relationship would make you feel heard, lighten your mood and deepen your connection with the other individual.

In a healthy relationship, boundaries are extremely important since they help you distinguish between your own needs and the other person’s needs which allows you to shield yourself from toxic empathy.

Psychologists near me

If you feel that you are always overwhelmed with your emotions, listening to others’ problems causes you to stress, seek the help of distinguished Psychologists at IILM would be happy to guide and counsel you. Our faculties can help you understand the causes and help you balance empathizing with others, managing your own emotions and forming healthy relationships.

Please feel free to write to us at megha.pushkarna@iilm.edu The distinguished Psychologists at IILM would be happy to guide and counsel you.

 

 

 

ANANYA PANDEY FROM BA YR II Batch 2019

IILMGSM

INDIA – AN OPPORUNITY IN CHALLENGE

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Blogpost By:- Prof Sonika Sharma (OB & HR), sonika.sharma@iilm.edu

Ongoing pandemic has changed our world in many terms. The community of nations has come to realize, how vulnerable it is to a crisis like COVID 19. Despite having all the economic muscle, robust industrial ecosystem and military might, the powerful and mighty countries are found helpless and they are forced to have a rethink about their capabilities. This crisis has blurred the stereotype distinction between developed, developing and non-performing economies. Needless to say here, India is not left untouched by the impact of COVID 19. A country which was on its way to address the core problems like basic education, health for all, raising farming income, rural infrastructure and employment generation has been distracted from its path.

As the old adage says, there is an opportunity in every crisis. India is given a chance to remodel its policies and strategy about developing its huge human resources. A population of 1.35 billion with over 65% under the age of 35 is wealth in real tangible terms. If we take our lessons well from history, we find that Europe rose from the ashes after the Second World War. Japan became an economic powerhouse after nuclear destruction and South Korea joined the club of the developed world.

This pandemic has provided a window to us for raising the quality of our educational institutions who are preparing our students in the fields of scientific research, engineering, medicine, agriculture and management as these are the core areas where a lot of qualitative changes has come and still yet to come. If India desires to be counted amongst the nations having a world-class workforce, this is the time for a serious re-look at our education sector. Best of our students get admission in the premier colleges and universities across the globe and this is a testament to their mettle.

The demand for domain experts will give birth to a whole new class for employment. Students from engineering, medicine, manufacturing and management sectors will have immense opportunities as both government and private sector employers will be willing to pay better remuneration to the aptly skilled manpower.

India can only go upwards from this level of economic health in every sphere. It will be logically correct to say that a whole generation of working professional shall be rendered useless when faced with the new, demanding technological advancement in every field. Revolutionary up gradation in skillset will be the key to success for growth and survival. A very promising future awaits the management students, equipped with the right kind of knowledge and specialization. Next three decades and going to be the growth period for service and manufacturing sectors in India and resultantly the country will become a big employer.

Since 1993, IILM is contributing to India’s growth story by providing responsible education across its 6 campuses with a global alumni network of over 12,000+ members. Today, after 25 years of its inception, IILM has been delivering superior quality education consistently and incessantly. The IILM ethos is focused on identifying and nurturing the next generation of thought leaders through intuitive education and experimental learning.

Written By:-

Prof Sonika Sharma (OB & HR)

sonika.sharma@iilm.edu

Design Thinking

Solving complicated problems with Design Thinking

Faculty, IILM University, , , ,

For the world’s most beloved brands like Apple and Ikea, Design thinking has been the reason behind their intentional and human-centric products. Design thinking encourages the business to be more empathetic in their approach in rendering a solution/product by putting themselves in the customer’s shoes to understand the needs, desires, and potential problems. It is about providing a solution by visualising the product, telling a story rather than selling a feature.

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To explain, I will share two real stories.

The first one is about the company GE Healthcare*
Those of you who have undergone an MRI Scan or got it done for a family member would know that the scan machines, however sophisticated they look, have the ability to scare. Having an MRI Scan is generally not a pleasant experience for adults, let alone children. Children often struggle to stay still during the process (often crying) given the frightening experience. The Chief Designer at GE Imaging Machines was shocked by this and felt as though something had to change. By applying Design Thinking, he decided to observe children going through the scanner while also having conversations with not just children but doctors and educators. Through the conversations and observations, he found that rather than being seen as an elegant piece of technology, the MRI Scanner was considered to be a scary machine by young children. As a result, CT Pirate Island Adventure was created. The MRI scanner was made to look like a pirate ship and it transformed the traumatic experience into a kid’s adventure story where the patient had the starring role. This transformation brought about a dip in sedation of children prior to the scan by 70% Another story is about Starbucks*. The food and the beverage industry were experiencing a drop in sales and poor margins. Starbucks decided to interview hundreds of customers to better understand what they expected from their coffee shops. Through the insights gained from these interactions, it was evident that the customers were expecting an atmosphere and ambience that gave them a sense of belonging and relaxation. As a result, Starbucks positioned round tables strategically to make solo coffee drinkers more comfortable and less self-conscious.

Design thinking is a process that helps us to solve complicated business problems. The concept of Design Thinking questions the prescribed process and steers the designer to be conscious and mindful of the methods that help to get him/her unstuck. It requires a drastic change in mindset to ensure successful application and that itself is a difficult task. The mindset that needs change are about answers that are not clear from the start, the failures that are powerful tools for learning, the focus on human centricity and making the iterative process a way of life for unexpected solutions.

Some of the strategies or mindsets that can help to apply design thinking are :

Human Focus: Your customers are not sheer numbers and therefore it is an imperative to understand their feelings, hopes, fears, and unique stories. Once you get to know and empathize with them, you may think of your product/solution and how you market it, in a completely different light. Ethnographic research and quantitative market research will set your intuition for informed decisions.

Flare-And-Focus: In design thinking, using divergent thinking, or “flaring,” helps to discover opportunities and explore ideas. This helps to broaden the base of thinking and consider different stories before arriving at a solution. Once you have a variety of themes or concepts, using convergent thinking or “focusing,” helps to narrow down choices and make informed decisions. Using flare and focus catalyses your creativity with a focus to deliver the project within time and resource constraints.

Iterative Process Focus: Imagine investing in a big campaign, only to discover that it did not resonate with your customers after having spent so much time and resources on it. For instance in product design, the cost of failure significantly increases further along the process. One of the ways to lower these risks is by constantly testing our hypotheses, by making our concepts tangible and testable with users from the initial stages until the very end. Knowing how to give and receive feedback leads to a culture of openness and constant improvement.

To summarise, I would state that your intention for business changes when you view it through the lens of the customer. In Design Thinking, you solve problems that meet the customer’s need and that for any business is the sole objective of being in business.

*Source:https://medium.com/@shaynam85/6-companies-that-have-successfully-applied-design-thinking-2d8bddf4e9e2

Learning Rebooted

Learning Rebooted in Higher Management Education

Blog Catgeory, Campus Life, General Blog, IILM Institute for Higher Education, , , , , , ,

By Winnie Ranjan who is a Second Year PGDM Student at IILM Lodhi Road

Higher management education has witnessed a radical transformation in a matter of months due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Technology in the education sector has become an integral part of the new normal. This paradigm shift in the education sector has boosted the overall learning process. As a management student, online learning has made me wonder about the different trends and opportunities evolving in the field of education in the coming years.

As a response to the COVID 19 challenge, colleges and universities have revised the courses and subjects offered to students in order to facilitate learning that aligns with the skills required in the upcoming job market. The digital market space has taken another sharp upward turn and has evolved faster than ever before with new powerful sectors leading the pack. Different fields like data analytics, remote management, digital business, technology advancements among others have created even more demand for jobs. IILM has started offering subjects which foster alignment with the required skill sets in the job market.

In the current business world where everything is heavily dependent on data, analytics has become one of the powerful tools for the success of any organization. Considering this scenario, IILM has started offering different analytics-based courses to its students like Marketing Analytics, HR Analytics, Business Analytics, etc. which are in high demand in today’s job market. We also have a course on Python as technology is rapidly changing and learning programming has become crucial for future managers, so that they can provide innovative solutions for problems in the business world.

The lockdown has highlighted the importance of  E-commerce due to the changing behaviour of the consumers. It is very important for management students to learn about E-Commerce for both job opportunities as well as self-employment. Industry experts are delivering guest lectures so that students can gain insights into the practical application and challenges of e-commerce in various sectors.

IILM revamped its courses based on the current scenario and future forecast. It is also offering a course in Logistics Management. Apart from the digitalization in this industry, there has been a lot of changes in the global logistics management and supply chains due to the disruptions brought by the pandemic. Understanding these interactions is very important for managers to manage inventories and plan ahead.

There has always been a concern with remote learning with respect to imbibing social skills. Management students as “future managers” need to work in teams and manage people effectively. To help students incorporate these skill sets, IILM has offered a course on “Managing Virtual Teams” where international faculty have collaborated with IILM faculty members. This has enabled the mutual benefits of global learning for both students and faculty.

It is very important in these high times to interact and engage with students so that they don’t feel isolated and miss out on the personal touch. Business schools are planning sessions where they engage the students through different fun activities, games and other medium. At IILM, we have an interesting career course on “Management Through Movies” where students participate enthusiastically and discuss different movies keeping in mind the management approach.

The past few months have led to the digitization of education which has given rise to many online education platforms like Coursera, Udemy, Byju, etc., which in turn has widened the scope of learning for both students and professionals. In fact, many business schools have made it compulsory for students to take some courses on these platforms so that they can upscale their existing skills. IILM also took a similar kind of initiative and has tied-up with Coursera for providing free certificate courses to its students. Each student has her own strengths, weaknesses, interest area and pace of learning so based on choosing their own courses from a wide variety offered on this platform has been very helpful in providing personalized learning to students.

Looking into the future:

Looking ahead to a time when colleges and universities would re-open, there are higher chances of integration of analytics and technology into the course curriculum. As management students, it is important that we think through and analyze what is happening around us and how we can create opportunities for ourselves and harness these changes to the best for our learnings for a better future.

To learn more about how the new courses at IILM, please visit us at www.iilm.edu

political obligation

Covid-19 –Political Obligation and Government Compulsion

Events, Faculty, General Blog, IILM University, , , , , ,

The current state of epidemic not only urges the government to take harsh measures but also the people to cooperate with it for their own survival. Letting go of their right of self-preservation the people need to understand that the measures are for their own good.

Hobbes had once stated “Out of it, any man may rightly spoil or kill each other, in it none but one. Out of it we are protected by our own forces, in it by the power of all. Out of it no man is sure of the fruits of his labour, in it all men are. Lastly out of it, there is a domination of passions, war, fear, poverty, slovenliness, solitude, barbarism, ignorance, and cruelty, in it, the domination of reason, peace, security, riches, decency, society, elegance, sciences and benevolence”. This is a situation which seems to persist in India and around the world currently. When the people are anxious and cautious at the same time. When the citizens are looking towards the sovereign for the answers to their questions and support for their well being. There is peace and havoc; there is ignorance and awareness that simultaneously persists.

Here the measures of a complete lockdown by the Indian Government at the early stages has been up lauded across the world. Yet the Indian populace even in this state seems to be defying the government orders as a part of their leisure routine not understanding the severity of the situation. The recent incident of the conglomeration of crowds at bus stations is sheer ignorance on their part against the world wide pandemic.

The government of India needs to be praised that they have been working on meeting up with all the flaws in the scenario and bringing in satisfactory measures in the social, economic and health scenario. It is now up to the people of India to understand the severity of the situation and heed to their obligation towards the state which is abiding by the dictates of the state.

IILMUN

IILM’s Virtual Model UN Youth Conference 2020

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The Department of International studies along with the Schools of Humanities and Social Sciences, Law, and Management organized the IILM Model United Nations Youth Conference from 25th – 30th Aug 2020. Students were required to conduct research and analysis representing the government of a country on matters of Foreign Policy, Sustainability, and Climate Change. Attending a simulation of this magnitude, made our students gain valuable insight into the proceedings of the United Nations and understand global perspectives to solve exigent global issues, thus nurture future change-makers and leaders.

 The MUN was divided into two projects(UNEP & UNDP) respectively.

In the times when the concept of sustainable development has gained so much weight-age with the depletion of resources the MUN was an en-devour by the young voices to understand the importance of a future that they so strongly behold.

The entire event was covered by the International Press which comprised of students from the course of Bachelors in Media and Journalism:  Mahek Amlani and Anoushka Chopra,Amrita kaur,Kamakhshi Narain
Kaushal Nassa,Siddhant Sharma,Sidhak Kalra. (The Link to the Newsletter Compilation IILMUN’20)

Global Production

Will India Emerge as the Global Production Hub?

Faculty, General Blog, IILM Graduate School of Management, IILM Institute for Higher Education, IILM University

Will India Emerge as the Global Production Hub?

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that originated in Wuhan, China, the world is facing a major existential crisis. This virus has led to massive destruction and deterioration of resources across the world. It poses the biggest threat to humanity as the number of deaths is increasing at a rapid pace each day. The Governments of all countries are trying to cope with this crisis in the best possible way.

Shifting of Manufacturing Base

Amid all this, there has been a shift in the mindset where big companies or Multinational Corporations (MNCs) are planning to de-risk their supply chain and shift their manufacturing bases from China. The major reason for this is the massive disruption caused to businesses due to actions taken in the wake of the outbreak. Globally, business houses are considering India as an ideal place for shifting their manufacturing setups. They are exploring the option of relocating their supply chains to diversify their business operations. This could be seen in the case of the tech giant Apple which is planning to shift one-fifth of its production capacity from China to India.

Moving out of China

Even though, India ranks at number 63 on the global index on the ease of doing business and China stands at 31 which is way ahead of India. But still, the Governments of various countries are expressly promoting the idea and encouraging a production shift by including it in their economic packages. They are actively assisting firms that are taking action to move their manufacturing units to other countries. For instance, Japan is ready to spend a hefty amount of around USD 2 Billion to support its firms for changing their locations from China to other countries or Japan itself. Also, as the President of the US has explicitly blamed China for this pandemic and global suffering, so the other countries are also unanimously supporting this view.

India a Favorable Alternative

India is being considered as a favorable alternative to China, and the Indian Government is planning on measures that could be taken to attract foreign investment. For the purpose, a committee of bureaucrats and joint secretaries of various ministries and departments has been set up. The Government had announced various schemes in March 2020 which are inclined to give incentives for boosting manufacturing setup in India. The propaganda is to reap the greatest benefits during this time due to this shift in mindset where India is becoming an upcoming choice for most multinational organizations. Because of its market size and being a potential hub for exports, along with quality personnel and talent India has a golden opportunity to take advantage of such manufacturing migration.

Diversify

There has been a huge dependence by developed countries like Japan, the US, South Korea, etc. in China because of the availability of cheap labor. There is a popular saying that “Never put all your eggs in one basket.” So, these countries are rethinking and reapplying this strategy and are now expected to help India in the forthcoming years. There are almost 1000 foreign firms that are considering India as a potential destination for their manufacturing setups. Most of these firms deal with mobiles, medical devices, electronics, and textiles.

Relaxing the Norms

If India is going to substitute China as a manufacturing hub in the coming years, then major reforms in the structure need to be implemented and relaxing the norms and regulations for carrying out businesses with ease. The problem that India faces is the lengthy rules and red tape that deters potential investors from grabbing opportunities and taking actions for establishing production hubs. It is a time-consuming process for getting licenses and approvals for starting a business in India. Therefore, there is a need for certain relaxations in these proceedings so that there is a fair chance of attracting business opportunities to the entrants and has the scope to expand and diversify existing businesses. This would boost companies in making their businesses flourish.

India, having foreseen this golden opportunity needs to move faster in this direction and must improve the infrastructure that is a pre-requisite for any upcoming development. The authorities can take pro-active and prompt decisions so that India does not lose this fair chance as it is not alone in this race to attract investment. Many other countries are eagerly looking to grab this opportunity. It is the right time for India to sustain and populate its “Make in India” scheme and become self-reliant or “Atmanirbhar” as proposed by our Honorable Prime Minister. This is the time to join hands and fighting this pandemic to come out of it stronger and prosperous. This crisis has pushed the economy by many years but this single chance of reviving it by becoming the global manufacturing hub ought to be grabbed with both hands.

What are your suggestions for India to capitalize on this golden opportunity to attract investment from global MNCs? Do comment.

Deeksha Garg

PGDM Student

 Dr. Kumar Saurabh

IILM-GSM

Reforming our Education System- Student Blog (Kirti Manektala B.A(Hons)Psychology Year II)

General Blog, IILM University, , ,

“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learnt in school” -Einstein

Introduction

The Indian education system is largely based on rote learning. Students focus more on memorizing the facts rather than understanding. This creates a bridge between education and knowledge. UGC even during the pandemic amidst the lockdown announced exams stating that exams are linked directly to academic credibility, career opportunities and future progress.

The question remains why are exams so important that even during the course of a pandemic which is causing a physical and a mental toll on people; UGC considers exams as an essential? Exams are built to test the rote learning capacity of a student rather than their actual conceptual understanding. In the real world, understanding the practical application is what comes in handy rather than mugged-up concepts.

Are marks so crucial for our future?

Marks still continue to be the most important factor in deciding the future of children. College cut offs, choice of streams, career choices, etc are all dependent on the marks a student score. 90% plus students choose the science stream, an 80% plus gets math, etc. The streams aren’t governed by choice but rather by 10th marks.

A 3-hour paper evaluates the individual’s potential, future and career choices. Evaluations should be based on real life skills as well as practical skills such as leadership, extra curricular, etc but rather they are based on a person’s ability to memorize provided content.

Subjects are also given different priorities for example: science students are given a priority over students with commerce or arts. Languages, communication, arts etc in the subject hierarchy are not considered as important as sciences.

Maths and science marks always determine a student’s overall capability. Students good in social sciences but lacking in math and science often find themselves condemned for their science and math marks despite their capabilities in other fields.

Similarly, students good at extracurricular such as sports, drama or dance but not above average in marks often face academic judgement.

Practical Knowledge over Rote Learning

A student’s potential to excel in subjects, academics and extracurricular often depends on their aptitude which is largely genetic. For example: a student with logical mathematical aptitude would excel in math, a student with linguistic aptitude would excel in languages and one with bodily kinaesthetic aptitude would excel in sports or dance. Education needs to be personalized according to the student’s aptitude. Similarly, our education system needs to focus on practical learning rather than rote memorization of textbook content. Students need to be taught practical applications of the knowledge provided in their books.

Media overemphasizes on excellence

Oftentimes news reporters are seen interviewing board toppers where they ask them the most basic general knowledge questions and the toppers are unable to answer the same. Similarly, reporters also interview school teachers who are unable to answer the basic general knowledge questions.

This showcases a large loophole of our education system where students are aware of what’s written in the book due to their memorization capacity but they are unaware of basic general knowledge required in real world settings.

An 18-year-old student coming out of school is incapable to engage in basic banking, healthcare, investment, etc. Students are unaware of basic necessities such as how to wire money, how to write checks, how to file FIRs, how to file a PIL, how to write actual formal letters and emails, create CVS and resumes, how to check taxes, etc which makes them incapable of dealing with real life tasks which are rather important.

Different learning styles

Every human being has varying learning styles- visual, oral, verbal, physical, logical, social and solitary i.e. everyone has different ways of acquiring information. Our education system doesn’t take into consideration the difference in learning styles.

Education system needs to be moulded according to the learning needs of each and every individual. This would increase the effectiveness of the learning provided to each and every student. Rather than focusing on group learning where every student is supposed to acquire the information in the same way, education should focus on the strengths and weaknesses of every individual.

Similarly, the assessment types are again generalized rather than subjective for example: personality types- students who are introverted often find it uncomfortable to participate in group projects or present yet every student regardless of their individual differences are boxed up into the same type of learning as well as the same types of assessment. Every learner, every individual, etc is unique and that is something which education system needs to seriously consider.

Education is a journey to development

Education is an important part of an individuals’ growth and development. To create human resources, which would actually contribute to the resource pool of the economy we need to reconsider our methods of teaching. Adding technology to the equation doesn’t resolve the outdatedness of our education system. It is important that as we evolve our education system also evolves. It is important that education considers neuroscience, cognitive psychology and education psychology and creates a framework which is effective.

Conclusion

Education should focus on growth but shouldn’t create pressure. We need to consider where we are going wrong. Change is the only constant and our education system needs some serious change.  What are your views on the Indian Education System and how do you think National Education Policy 2020 would help in bridging the gap between education and employability?

Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. – Einstein

https://blog.iilm.edu/kya-result-aaya-boards-2020/