AICTE Chairman inaugurates India’s biggest International Faculty Exchange Program at Chandigarh University

Government has mulled a target of training more than 2 lakh faculty in emerging areas like Artificial Intelligence , Cloud Computing, Block Chain by 2022, says AICTE Chairman Prof. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe

AICTE Chairman inaugurates India’s biggest International Faculty Exchange Program at Chandigarh University

1.67 lakh faculty has been already trained by the Government of India under ATAL Academy Program

The Government has mulled a target to train more than 2 lakh faculty in 1300 emerging areas like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning , Robotics , 3D printing , Block Chain, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality by the year 2022. This was said by  Prof. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe, Chairman All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) New Delhi. He was speaking during the India’s largest International Exchange Faculty Program hosted by Chandigarh University, Gharuan.  Ms. Sapna, Vice-President, Council of Architecture, Prof. Geoff Dickson, La Trobe University Australia, Prof. V. Korenevski, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden and Prof. Pawel Andrzej Herman, KTH Royal Institute of Technology Sweden, and Prof. Dr. R.S Bawa, Pro-Chancellor Chandigarh University were among the other dignitaries who were present during the inauguration ceremony.

While delivering his inaugural address Prof. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe said,  “Update and empower the faculty about these futuristic technologies are the need of the hour. The government has already trained 1.67 lakh faculty through ATAL Academy Program under the New Education Policy in 948 programs”. Prof. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe further said, “With an aim to  garner the best international experience into our education system and to encourage the engagement of International faculty  with the institutes of Higher education in India  the Government of India has already run the Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) program”. GIAN program is helping in augmenting the country existing academic resources, accelerating the pace of quality reform and elevating India’s scientific and technological capacity to global excellence and under this program more than 3000 people from different parts of the world come together during the COVID-19 pandemic, added Prof. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe. The Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) is another initiative being run by the Government of India in order to improve the research ecosystem of India’s Higher Educational Institutions by facilitating academic and research collaborations between Indian Institutions and the best institutions in the world, added Prof. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe.

Speaking on the occasion Ms. Sapna, Vice-President, Council of Architecture said, “Collaboration with the foreign Universities for the holistic development of students is key to success for any university and experienced faculty plays an important role in reshaping the students in the academic and social fields”. She further said, “International Faculty Exchange Programs empower students and faculty  and also provide a platform for the faculty to further enhance their personality, exchange new ideas and share new teaching methods”. While speaking about the participation of women in the field of architecture Ms. Sapna said that the participation of boys and girls in the field of architecture at the entry level is almost equal, but the statistics show that only 17 per cent women further pursue their career after completing their higher studies and this is not just seen in India but also at the world level.  Education is one of the fundamental factors for development and no country can achieve sustainable economic development without substantial investment in education, added Ms. Sapna.

Prof. Geoff Dickson, La Trobe University Australia said, “India is the largest democracy, fast growing economy and technological powerhouse in the world. India is the largest source of skill migrants and 2nd largest source of students for Australia. Through Comprehensive Strategic Partnership both countries are committed to working together in the areas of education, research, and skills” . Prof. Geoff Dickson further added, “Both countries contribute to the education and research touching the new trajectory. Exchange of students and academics between both the countries generate people to people ties. Both the government wants to increase the partnership in the field of research”.  Multicultural faculty and student exchanges create new ideas and values among students, various educational institutions in Australia and India are encouraging academic and cultural exchange by setting up campuses in each other's countries. Australia’s La Trobe University offers exclusive sports courses and the alliance between Indian and Australian universities will provide students with new opportunities in the field of sports education and sports research, added Prof. Dickson.

Prof. V. Korenivski, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden said, “ Nanotechnology is helping to considerably improve technology in sectors like information technology, medicine,  energy, food safety, and environmental science. There is a need to identify key gaps in knowledge and areas where further research may be targeted in order to efficiently exploit the technology. International Faculty exchange Program is a platform for the students and the faculty to exchange their ideas more about the respective field.

Speaking on the occasion Prof. Dr. R.S Bawa, Pro-Chancellor Chandigarh University said, “International Faculty Exchange Program organized by Chandigarh University offers a global platform for students & faculty of 33 countries to know more about the futuristic technologies such as Blockchain, Cloud Computing, AI & Machine Learning”.