AP Aim at Shaping Students into Global Citizens with Proper Training: CM Jagan

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has called upon the high-power working group on Future Technology Skills to submit its recommendations on integrating the present school education reforms with higher education.

The reforms include introduction of Artificial Intelligence (IA) lessons/courses and related verticals in curriculum and changing the teaching methods, examination and evaluation systems at school and college levels.

Addressing the working group members here on Thursday, the CM asked them to prepare an action plan.

The Chief Minister set up the working group last month to give recommendations for shaping students into global citizens by making them competitive with proper training in emerging and future technologies.

 The group consists of senior officials and representatives of global tech companies like Google, Microsoft, NASSCOM, Dataviv Technologies and Primus Partners India.

Jagan Mohan Reddy said, “As part of the reforms in higher education, we need to work on including augmented reality, virtual reality and related subjects into the curriculum and introducing necessary verticals like AI in every course in a majority of the schools and colleges for turning our students into experts in emerging technologies.

There is a need to train the faculty also with the expertise of teaching these subjects, he said.

While taking up these reforms on a large scale, school and higher education systems also should be integrated along with the curriculum. “If these subjects are taught to one generation of students, it will continue further.”

“The main challenge before us is taking the present reforms in school education to the next level and integrating them with higher education and teaching methods. Examination and evaluation systems in schools and colleges also should be changed in tune with the emerging and future technologies.”

The CM added, “Since we are in the age of the International Baccalaureate (IB), our students can't compete globally unless we introduce the necessary changes.”

“In cooperation with IB, Oxford and Cambridge, we are going to change the curriculum and teaching methodology which would be a benchmark for the entire country. Keep the on-going digitalisation in government schools in mind while making suggestions,” he told the working group members.

“The virtual content and virtual teaching should also be introduced in all higher educational courses including engineering and medicine.”

“There is also a need to introduce robotics wherever necessary in higher education. A policy is needed to implement these changes.”

Education minister Botsa Satyanarayana, chief secretary K.S. Jawahar Reddy, Microsoft learning and skills director Vinni  Jauhari, Intel senior director  (Asia Pacific and Japan) Sweta Khurana, NASSCOM vice president Sandhya Chintala, Primus Partners India co-founder & MD Charu Malhotra and education consultant Puja  Katra, Centre for Digital Economy Policy Research founder president Jaijith Bhattacharya, Amazon web services head of skills to jobs (India and South Asia) DP Singh, Google Lead Education’s Srinivs Garimella, Microsoft skills program manager Kishore Garg, Dataviv Technologies  MD Vedant Ahluwalia and its Board Member Atul Kumar participated in the meeting.