The knowledge systems must be freed from the Western world’s hegemony. On the other hand, Bhushan Patwardhan believes that we should not be dogmatic in our approach and should not fall victim to the past glory syndrome. Universities around the world must free themselves from the shackles of a single intellectual and cultural tradition. Dr. Vinod Bhat, MAHE’s Executive Vice President, emphasized the importance of learning from Europe’s Bologna Process, one of the first efforts to harmonize higher education policy. According to Manipal Academy of Higher Education Vice-Chancellor Lieutenant General (Dr) MD Venkatesh, international education is no longer a luxury for HEI.
Key Highlight:
- International Conference on India-EU Higher Education Meet: Reimagining border in cross-border education.
- Former Vice Chairman of the University Grants Commission, Dr. Bhushan Patwardhan, cautioned against being dogmatic and avoiding “past glory syndrome”
- Manipal Centre for European Studies (MCES) and Association of European Studies in Asia (AESI) jointly organized the conference in Manipal, Karnataka.
- Dr. Vinod Bhat, Executive Vice President of MAHE and an expert on the Bologna Process, said regionalization is critical in advancing higher education.
“Evolving traditions must inspire modernity. The knowledge systems must be freed from the Western world’s hegemony. The former Vice Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC), Dr. Bhushan Patwardhan, cautioned against being dogmatic and avoiding “past glory syndrome” on Thursday. A single cultural and intellectual tradition that has controlled knowledge institutions since the 19th century must be broken for universities worldwide to become multicultural. Critical review and discovery of contemporary indigenous roots in a variety of fields are urgently required. They must use transdisciplinary approaches that respect indigenous and Western scholarship to bring about innovation, academic excellence, flexibility, professionalism, and self-sufficiency in the classroom.
Manipal Centre for European Studies (MCES) and Association of European Studies in Asia (AESI) jointly organized a ‘International Conference on India-EU Higher Education Meet: Reimagining border in cross-border education’ from 7-8 October 2021 at Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), in Manipal, Karnataka. A TVET and higher education specialist from UNESCO’s New Delhi Cluster office, Mr Manish Joshi, spoke at the same conference about the two major disruptions in education in the last two years around the world: the COVID-19 pandemic and immigration. He emphasized the importance of putting teachers at the center of any recovery strategy. Along with this, he went into detail about the normative instruments like the UNESCO Qualification Passport created.
According to Dr. Vinod Bhat, Executive Vice President of MAHE and an expert on the Bologna Process, a pioneering initiative to harmonize higher education policy, regionalization is critical in advancing higher education. As a result, the Bologna process has grown to include 49 countries, and Dr. Bhat believes that these countries’ education systems need to adopt strategies to improve student mobility, employability, and competitiveness. He also emphasized the need to reform India’s higher education system, which he described as “over-regulated and under-governed,” was also emphasized.
When it comes to higher education, “cross-border education is no longer a luxury,” MAHE Vice-Chancellor Lt. Gen. (Dr.) MD Venkatesh says it’s essential. It’s a requirement for educational institutions of higher learning (HEI). While it may not be the most important part of their sustainability strategy, it can add significant value to HEI India’s soft power. It should be strengthened by establishing Gandhian and Tagore study centers in foreign universities. When it comes to paying foreign faculty, Dr Venkatesh says universities should have more freedom to decide how much they want to pay them. He also says the higher education system should be harmonized across the country.
