With a view to address the challenges confronting the education and skill infrastructure in Northern India, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Northern Region organized the 2nd edition of 'EduSummit 2011: What will catalyse the growth of Education Sector in Northern Region?' on 29th June, 2011. The conference was attended by eminent speakers from leading educational institutions/universities, government decision & policy makers, corporates and other experts from R&D organizations who shared their expertise and deliberated on various key issues on the education sector.
Mr Kapil Sibal, Hon'ble Human Resource Development Minister, Government of India addressed the inaugural session of the conference with an overview of the education sector in India, outlining key policy challenges to boost productivity and growth through increased economic activities. "Our country is on the verge of a rapid boom in intellectual property resources. However, high percentage of dropouts is a burning issue. Out of 220 million school going children, only 12.4 per cent in the age cohort go to colleges." Commenting on the skilled workforce requirement in high growth sectors and in the unorganized sector, the minster further added, "It is critical that the demographic dividend of India is leveraged to meet the skills needs in India and other countries as well. The government cannot work in isolation. Conscious policy decisions are being taken to progressively involve the private sector in meeting the challenges and requirements of our human resource development."
Amongst various notable dignitaries present at the summit was A4e Group Board Director & Chief Executive, Mr. Roy Newey who spoke about youth unemployment and global best practices in implementing vocation education in schools. "Global Youth unemployment has reached a record high. With 85 million unemployed youths in the world today, it is imperative to build a stronger connect between schools and vocational institutions and imbibe global best practices to offer an integrated approach to literacy and work skills." He reiterated A4e's commitment towards creating a skilled India by working with the most marginalised and under-privileged offering them skills and opportunities for life.
Coinciding with the Summit, CII also organized a focused Display where in the corporate sector, educational institutions/universities, research organizations, educational consultants etc showcased their expertise to the participants representing various areas in the education sector. "We are as always delighted to host this summit. This event has been a resounding success. Meeting such a diverse group of industry experts, policy makers and organizations under one roof and deliberating on such a critical issue is extremely encouraging" said Ms. Saryu Madra, Deputy Director, CII Northern Region.
The summit received good support from associate sponsors including CISCO, Edexcel, PricewaterhouseCoopers, SPIREEDGE, A4e India, Pearson, SBI amongst others.
Notes to Editor
A4e Ltd. (formerly Action for Employment) is a global organisation that manages and delivers public services in partnership with the Government, public and private sector organisations and the not for profit sector. With presence in 11 countries, the overall goal is to improve people's lives through social change. A4e provides specialised services to its stakeholders for long term and sustainable impact on their lives.
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