Supriya Pattanayak
Vice Chancellor, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Odisha
Supriya Pattanayak (centre right)
An alumna of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, NIMHANS, Bangalore and RMIT University, Australia, Supriya Pattanayak is the highly qualified and experienced Vice Chancellor of Centurion University of Technology and Management (CUTM), Odisha, which bills itself as ‘India’s largest skills university’ with 20,000 students.
CUTM objectives for 2047. We have set twin objectives for 2047. Firstly, to create a workforce of the future. For that we provide students with the right skills. These skills are aligned with of future requirements of industry to ensure our graduates are job-ready. For this to truly be a success, we need to make education accessible and affordable for all. The second objective is to work toward attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainability literacy is incorporated into all our curriculums.
Progress report. We are aware that achieving our objectives isn’t going to be easy. The biggest challenge in delivering skills-integrated education is to keep abreast of technology which is constantly changing. We are trying very hard and moving in the right direction.
Initiatives to contemporise your syllabus/curriculum. We have incorporated latest technologies including AI, ML, IoT, quantum computing, AR/VR and blockchain technology into our curricula. Not just in the field of engineering, but also in other disciplines like agriculture, veterinary science, healthcare and management. Moreover, we have also incorporated indigenous knowledge.
Academia-industry engagement. We have over 70 partnerships with industry. But with new technologies constantly emerging, we have to keep pace and catch up with industry requirements. We recognise that we cannot rest on past laurels; we have to keep moving ahead and innovate.
R&D and innovation initiatives. Quality research is our focus. For that, case studies and problems should come from industry. Research has to be commissioned by industry to universities. Many corporates have their own R&D divisions, but most of them lack academic rigour and depth. Universities can provide quality research based on industry requirements.
Prescription for transforming India into a $30 trillion GDP economy by 2047. Can there be a prescription? I don’t think so. As a social scientist, I am concerned about the huge digital divide that can’t be bridged soon. There are still habitats where there is no internet connectivity and people can’t even afford a mobile phone. We need to steer our workforce in the right direction by upskilling them.
India’s future growth and development. We hear this is an exciting time for India, but we need to understand the connotation of the word ‘exciting’. While AI and all tech jargon is very exciting, what exactly does it mean for somebody who does not have access to the basic necessities of life? I have just returned from visiting one of the remotest parts of Odisha. People there are still living a subsistence lifestyle where they grow their food and eat it. They have no money to send their children to school. I am aware this is a counter-narrative. But in Centurion University we have always examined the local context. Inclusive high-quality education is what will determine India’s future growth and development, because much of India still lives in its villages. National prosperity is dependent upon educating and skilling rural India.
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