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Report by India Education bureau, New Delhi: The Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) today felicitated Sushma Berlia, a leading woman entrepreneur, President of the Apeejay Stya & Svrán Group and Chancellor of Apeejay Stya University for her outstanding contribution to academia and industry at the AICTE-CII University-Industry Congress 2012 & 4th Global Higher Education Summit.
Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal, Past President, CII & Chairman, CII National Committee on Economic Policy and, Hero Corporate Service Ltd, presented the honor to Mrs. Sushma Berlia and appreciated her contribution towards development of education sector in the country.
Acknowledging the honor presented to her by CII and emphasizing on the need of structural reforms in the higher education system of the country, Mrs. Berlia said, “Despite the tremendous growth in the number of universities and colleges, the gross enrolment ratio, or GER, still remains at an abysmal 16%, which is much below the world average of 27%. The higher education sector in India is still not producing enough skilled, educated, trained and employable graduates. Being in industry gave me insights into the acute disconnect between the graduates being produced by our universities and the challenges of employability in terms of their industry-readiness, ability to think and analyze critically, to learn for life, and to work collaboratively in teams. As Nobel Laureate playwright and one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century, William Butler Yeats, said – Education is not the filling of the bucket, but the lighting of a fire. I would like to congratulate CII for taking this initiative of reforms on a sustainable basis, and keeping that flame of education alive.”
She attributed her achievements to her father and mentor Dr. Stya Paul, eminent industrialist, educationist and philanthropist, who established Apeejay Education Society over four and half decades back as a way of giving back to society. Contributing to society, particularly through education, is something that has now become an engrained passion in her life.
Speaking about need to reform the regulations in education, Mrs. Berlia said, “Admissions, courses, programs or geographical jurisdictions should not be the criteria for regulation. Instead, the need of the day is to regulate the adequacy of infrastructure, faculty, quality of teaching facilities, and governance. Instead of one monolithic body, there should be three separate groups to manage regulation, accreditation and financing respectively. Independent testing agencies that do not require a coaching format should also be encouraged to create a level-playing field for the students.”
It is for the first time that CII has felicitated and recognized the contribution of an industrialist to the development of education services in India. A well known Educationist and Industrialist, Mrs. Sushma Berlia has been working towards the cause of education, skill development and women empowerment and has played a leading role in helping formulate policies for educational reforms and industry. Many of her recommendations on issues of access, equity & inclusive education, industry-academia linkages, skill development and implementable solutions for funding of higher education have been well-appreciated and accepted by the government and regulatory bodies. She was the first-ever woman to head a multi-state apex chamber in India. Mrs. Berlia is a Governing Body Member of the National Board of Accreditation. She has also served as the Chairperson, Board of Governors of the NIT, Jalandhar, and as Member of the Board of Governors of IIT-Roorkee.
Sushma Berlia was awarded the PHD Chamber Outstanding Businesswomen Award 2008 at the PHD Chamber Annual Awards for Excellence for her achievements as a leading woman entrepreneur and industrialist. She has also been conferred the ‘International Lifetime Achievement Award’ by International Congress of Women 2009 in Collaboration with the Govt. of India and the UN Information Centre for India and Bhutan.
http://indiaeducationdiary.in/Shownews.asp?newsid=16775
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