A collaborative endeavour to connect schools and industry through University
A collaborative endeavour to connect schools and industry
through University
STEM UP – 2018 : Bridging the Gap
VIT Bhopal University initiated its first of a kind program in the state – ‘STEM UP -2018’ on 28th September, 2018 to bridge the gap between the secondary and higher education. It is a collaborative endeavour to connect schools and industry through University. Assistant Vice President VIT Bhopal University, Ms Kadhambari S Viswanathan is instrumental for this new initiative to bring the collaboration between the secondary schools and university. Keeping the educators and value framers central to the program, the participants included principals and teachers from prestigious institutions in and around Bhopal.
The Vice Chancellor of VIT Bhopal University, Dr. P. Gunasekaran welcomed the gathering. He took the opportunity to give a glimpse of the program by emphasizing the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and its lead as the gateway for future employment. He also gave the importance of benchmarking the schools to international standards. The University’s Executive Academic Director, Dr. Jayasankar Variyar provided insights on VIT Bhopal programmes. He took the audience through the entire journey of VIT University and its legacy.
The inaugural address was given by the Chief Guest, Dr. Laxminarayan, OSD to the Minister of State, Technical Education, Skill development & Employment and School Education, Madhya Pradesh. He discussed the significance of career awareness and how it can be taken further to reach the right people. He also brought into limelight of the functionalities of model schools and colleges including most of the engineering colleges. He enlightened the audience with the various support programs from the government to promote education. He appreciated the pioneering effort of the VIT Bhopal University and also extended his support for the successful implementation of this initiative.
As a part of the program, an expert lecture was given by Shri. R P Dwivedi, Director Education, CFI. His speech was an eye opener to the perceived gaps between secondary schools and higher education in different dimensions. He has identified the gaps to be academic and non-academic gaps. His solution to fill these gaps as a collaborative effort is always a welcoming aspect among the institutions. A VIT Bhopal tour was also organized for the program’s part takers. They explored the exquisite campus and witnessed the plethora of infrastructure facilities offered for the students. An interactive panel discussion was also conducted that invited suggestions and opinions for the coordinated efforts to make this initiative successfully implemented in the future. The vote of thanks was proposed by Dr. Shweta Mukherjee, Dean, School of Advanced Sciences and Languages.
