Sustainable and inclusive education is essential for enhancing the future well-being of both communities and nations. For the same, judging our parameters should be of utmost importance, where the government, society, education institutions and industry must work in absolute tandem. Industry must come forward to give better linkage for better academia to the students, said Dr Mamta Rani Agarwal, additional secretary, AIU, former Adviser, AICTE and former Joint Secretary, UGC, at the 3rd Education East Summit, organised by CII Eastern Region, in Kolkata, today.

She further stated that the future of education, characterized by skill set training, is vital for aligning with upcoming job requirements, effectively integrating both logical and creative thinking to enhance skills. A recent survey by McKinsey revealed a shift in industry hiring trends, with 85 per cent of managers focusing on candidates’ skill sets rather than their educational degrees when recruiting for freelance roles.

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Furthermore, Dr Agarwal pointed out that the World Economic Forum Report indicates that by 2027, 75 million repetitive and manual jobs are expected to disappear, while 122 million new positions requiring different skill sets will emerge. She emphasised that the Indian education system has implemented policies aimed at incorporating the Indian Knowledge System, fostering a generation of highly competitive professionals, and offering multilingual education to overcome regional limitations.

Mr Andrew Alexander Fleming, Deputy High Commissioner, British Deputy High Commission highlighted that during the academic year 2021-22, a total of 126,535 Indian students enrolled in the UK, making it the second most popular destination after the US. Furthermore, in the previous year, the UK issued 142,848 student visas to Indian nationals, indicating a substantial increase in these figures. India

has surpassed China in sending students to the UK. Currently, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has proven to be transformative for India’s education landscape. This policy aims to internationalise the education system in India, thereby attracting more international students.

Prof Saibal Chattopadhyay, director-in-charge, IIM Calcutta, underscored the importance of the future of education, stating that technology offers significant advantages. Although artificial intelligence and machine learning are currently in use, they are updated every two years, necessitating their integration into the education system. To ensure students acquire the most current skills, it is essential for experienced individuals from the industry to engage in their training.