A view of Higher Education vis-a-vis Overseas Education

2017 should be an interesting year for the education sector related to overseas education

Personally I believe that if the impact of Brexit and change in US Immigration Rules for International Students follow currently predictable routes the year will see

a)      Change in patterns of student migration with the curve biased in favour of destinations like Canada, Singapore, Europe, and (don’t be surprised) China.

b)      More Foreign Universities could be looking to deliver their teaching in India through suitable alliances

This represents a wide range of opportunities in this sector
 The basis of my thinking is as follows :
·         These are some facts commonly available

http://www.ibef.org/industry/education-sector-india.aspx

The education sector in India is poised to witness major growth in the years to come as India will have world’s largest tertiary-age population and second largest graduate talent pipeline globally by the end of 2020. In FY 2015-16, the education market was worth about US$ 100 billion and is expected to reach US$ 116.4 billion in FY 2016-17. Currently, higher education contributes 59.7 per cent of the market size, school education 38.1 per cent, pre-school segment 1.6 per cent, and technology and multi-media the remaining 0.6 per cent.

Wonderful prospects to make the mouth of any global investor water
·          So where are the pitfalls?

If we do not get the act right, these mind boggling figures, can become a nightmare instead of a pleasant dream.
We would have a monster on our hands instead of a gentle giant.
·          To ensure optimisation of the situation and using its potential

a)     Job creation must happen at a brisk pace to keep up with the eligible job seekers being created

b)     All sectors of the economy must grow proportionately and not just one or two sectors

c)     Skill sets must be imparted emphatically before entry into the work space

d)     We cannot depend only on IT, Insurance and Banking , Transport  and other such sectors

e)     Entrepreneurship must not only be encouraged but also positively supported by sympathetic investments

It is not enough to create job ready citizens, there must be jobs for them which seems a tough ask given the current economic situation.
 

Also, very importantly , demand for products and services must go up because if that does not happen then all our calculations would be turned on their head !

In the current scenario,
 

• Private and public investment is flowing in and the Government is supporting with subsidies. The danger is that the private sector investor may not pass on the benefit of theses sops to the fee paying student.
• Banks and other finance companies are ready to provide loans
• There is an intensive effort on the part of industry and services to integrate their systems with the learning process thus ensuring themselves a work force suited to their needs. Today almost every department of an organisation has a corresponding Post Graduate specialization.
• An interesting fact is that with the mammoth size of the student group it will be some time before there will be enough seats available locally and many a student would look for going abroad to gain the knowledge and expertise. Foreign Universities can expect the demand for their seats to continue for some years to come.
• We are watching with bated breath the real time impact of Brexit and US policy on student visas and employment of foreigners both of which will have an impact on the migration and movement of students. I believe the lobby of education providers in the UK and the USA would be hard put if the numbers of foreign students dwindle

So given the demand and supply situation the premises made in the opening para should be right

 The Debate is open !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trees Can Talk

 

 

The other day in the park
It was starting to get dark
Under the shade of the tree
When suddenly he spoke to me

“What a lucky boy you are

Can come and go near and far
Not always standing in one place
Rooted to a little space

I have now been here for years

Looking down at smiles and tears
Of the people who come and stay
Keeping the heat and sun away

A pensive maid the other day
Snapped a branch and went away
Lost in thoughts of her swain
Not concerned with my pain

The wind it whistles in my ear

Sometimes its still like one in fear
The leaves are busy changing hue
Fashioning colours to please you

Anyway, here I am and will be

Whenever you want to visit me
To give you shade and some fruit
Come take it  when it doth you suit

Importance of Ideas

An Idea and a Thought arrived simultaneously at the gates of the City of Mind only to be barred by the Gatekeepers from entering, as it was the Hour of Meditation.

The Gatekeepers said they could not register their presence and would be allowed in only when the gong was struck to signal the end of inactivity. The President of the City, Mr Prefrontal Cortex was very strict in this matter.

So, having come with their respective purpose the two decided to stay on and await the moment of entry though Thought was not averse to move on and visit some other city. Being an avid traveller he had been to many places and flitted around not unlike the bee that visits many flowers and he expressed his opinion to Idea.

“Why hang around – I will wait around, since I am here, but if it’s too long I will just go away. We Thoughts don’t wait around for others, you know “he said, which in the opinion of Idea was quite arrogant.

According to Idea –“after all Thoughts are only visions and dreams and serve no real purpose “

Idea on the other hand had come on a specific mission to live in the City of Mind and contribute to its growth and external relations. He belonged to the Clan of Ideas who went to particular places to guide specific actions according to the schemes of the Grand Architect who had planned the progress of each city and Ideas were the facilitators

 He even said as much to Thought and explained

 “We are the family of Ideas who are designated to go to specific cities – like I am here at the City of Mind. We are very valuable and useful. Somebody has said ‘Ideas are like pawns in a chess game who may fall early but could have started a winning game ‘ and  ‘Ideas should be protected by prompt action else they will be hijacked ‘ – just goes to show our value" .

For instance this City of Mind is so advanced. It has a Library where knowledge is stored , A photography department where every moment is stored in images and coloured pictures , A Chemical producing department and so on . I am here to help give a purpose to all the various departments to innovatively help create a structure which will enable great public relations , the creation of Wealth and Happiness in the World

Then Thought just went away and the bell being heard Idea entered to make his home and carry out his task .

 

 

Space and Gap understood

Space and Gap – the difference explained as per my understanding 

Someone I consider a good friend said to me : There should be space in a relationship.
 I agree and agreed 

Kahlil Gibran says, in The Prophet, as counsel and advice on marriage (which was then considered to be the closest relationship)
“Be apart just as the pillars of the temple have to stay apart to keep the roof (relationship) from collapsing “
I agree 100 %

In my own world of words I realize that SPACE between characters and alphabets is essential for the structure of the sentence and its meaning .If space is removed the structure collapses!

So what my friend said is universally true and an essential teaching for any friendship to survive.

 empty space or opening in the middle of something or between two things
So I contemplated and came to understand that insecurity and lack of confidence make the SPACE  to be perceived as a GAP which we try to fill continuously

A GAP is defined in the dictionary as “an empty space between two things “ but if a friendship or any other relationship is worth anything this cannot be the definition

 If we are sure of ourselves and confident of the position of the other just as the pillars and words are we will see the difference as a space and will respect it and honour it !

 

That is my aim going forward

Connecting with Target

" Come into my parlour said the spider to the fly ! "
This statement is very ominous considering the fate waiting for the fly 😊
It's also very apt that we call our catchment area the world wide WEB !! 😊
However it's no different from using honey to catch a bear or bait to catch a fish .
Sometimes I wonder at the similarity of these natural operations to what marketing campaigns do to attract target audiences . In product sales it's I suppose a bit easier to hit bulls eye often but where marketing of education is concerned we are yet to find a magic formula ( though some of us may claim to have defined it down to a narrow band )
OK so we have multiple tactics with ATL and BTL activities and several templates ranging from physical seminars to digital social media . What these do at best is flood the intended aspirant with information and I am using the word " flood " very judiciously .
Institutions offering the same end game are falling over each other to enamour themselves to students with strength of faculty , ROI , Placements , industry and job orientation et al.
They are constantly looking at means of shoring up their revenue base by economical recruitment which brings us fully back to the " magic formula "
which is eluding us .
Let's think of it for a moment from the aspirants viewpoint as therein lies , I believe the answer, as that is the constituency to be finally convinced.
What is their decision matrix ?
How much are they looking for GUIDANCE as opposed to information?
What form of interaction/ information makes more sense to them ?
If we study trends in this direction it would help in formulating a tactic for more efficient recruitment as it's all about finding the right candidate the first time ,as many times as possible , and this can only happen  when the right proposition reaches the right person at the right time.
I intend to create a survey to get the above questions answered to research the data and trends and find a solution which may help Universities and Recruiters.
Contribution of thoughts and ideas are welcome

Your smile

In your eyes the sunshine
In your hair the sun
On your lips the laughter
From which my life was spun

Yes the fabric of life
Is woven from others smiles
For it is made fulfilling
To see happiness for a while

In the heavily clouded life
Others smiles are rays of light
Parting the gloominess
Giving darkness a fight !

Career Choice

How to Chose a Career

By definition, a career is an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life and with opportunities for progress.
 

This means we can have many jobs but ideally only one career though people call it by different names profession, occupation, vocation, calling, employment, job, day job, line, line of work, walk of life, position, post, sphere

For us to be successful, of course we must have dreams and aspire , all the while being realistic.

If we aspire to be like heroes and heroines of  reel and real life there is nothing wrong with that but  we must be sure we have what it takes .

Not everyone can be a Sachin Tendulkar or a Aishwarya Rai! Or do what our parents do or did and its not even compulsory to be so.

Remember we are all individuals with our own characteristics and unique personality

So , to choose a career we must find out from our Inner Self what we want to be and if the answer is not coming seek the opinion of an independent counselor who can guide us scientifically.

Shakespeare said in Julius Ceaser “ Let me be your mirror to show you what lies within …….”

Choosing a suitable career means working at getting the right education and developing our innate strengths which can be determined by the use of simple tests.

 You see we are all made up of a combination of traits and when we fit these correctly to a career option we succeed at what we do and life is more of a pleasure!

For example
To be a good Venture Capitalist you must have an introspective nature  and strong logic while being entrepreneurial and with a flair for taking calculated risk all the while being protetective of others interests
 or
To be a successful Radio Jockey you must be people friendly have a strong command on language which is tool for being creative and entertaining

So ultimately your choice of career will depend on what you have studied and what are your qualities available to put it to good use.
The choices are many and you should chose the career best suited to you.

Christmas Greetings

As Christmas time draws nigh
I wish to be with you
For I can always try to be
Under the mistletoe

I can see the tinsel and glitter
In the warmth of your home
And you in all your splendour
Brightening up each room

May the spirit of the season
Warm hearts of all around
And let there be no reason
For your feet to touch the ground

I wish you never shed a tear
I wish you always smile
Christmas comes but once a year
So - HAVE A SPLENDID TIME

Merry Christmas !!

Mantra for Happiness

Think not of yesterday's mistakes
To weep and spread only sorrow
But learn to correct and avoid them
To live a better tomorrow

Your yesterday has gone, forget it
Remember only the good things
Your tomorrow is still in the making
So think of only today !

Hope to make this my credo and practise this till it becomes second nature .
@ Vikaas Nafde