As a part of IIM Bodh Gaya’s annual fest Elegante 8.0, a public policy case competition “Expand Your Vision, Design the Ultimate Policy!” was organised by the newly launched public policy initiative of the institute. It was led by Prof. Payal Dey, Prof. Sreelekha Mishra (Chairperson, Student Affairs), and Prof. Vittal Rangan.
Twenty students (ten each) from Delhi Public School (DPS), Gaya and Gyan Bharti Residential School participated in the event. After a campus tour, the student team gave a short, five-minute presentation on their ideas in teams of two, representing both schools. The event underscored the importance of teamwork, promoting discussions and revolutionary policy proposals on the topic of ‘Bridging the Gap between School Education and a Successful Career’. The primary objective of the event was to help students develop a solid understanding of the policy-making process.
The event was graced by the presence of Prof. Jayendran Venkateswaran, Institute Chair Professor, IIT Bombay and judged by faculty members of IIM Bodh Gaya- Prof. Soumya Patra, Prof. Gupteswar Patel and Prof. Payal Dey. The winning team, comprising Navya Jain (DPS) and Harshit Kumar (Gyan Bharti) were accompanied by their teacher mentors, Kovleen Sahni and Satish Kumar respectively. This initiative highlights IIM Bodh Gaya’s commitment to contributing to regional educational and developmental progress.
Being the most important stakeholders in the education system, the participating teams shared insightful perspectives, expectations and a shared vision for the future of higher education in India. Among the key ideas proposed were integrating personalized career counselling, fostering career pathway partnerships, involving industry for development of curriculum, and promoting skill-based training for aligning education with individual aptitudes and interests. They advocated for a flexible curriculum that encourages real-word application, i.e., modern problems needing modern solutions, providing time for self-development and ‘equitable access’ of opportunities to all students, regardless of academic excellence.
The teams emphasized effective steps to enhance global competitiveness of school education (including restructuring the 10+2 system to 5+3+3+4), while also highlighting the importance of mental health. They emphasised the importance of training both teachers and parents to offer holistic support to students and promoting quality over quantity in education. These views align with several recommendations of the NEP and steps already being taken by the education department of the state.
Authors: Israa Yoosaph AK and Dr. Payal Dey
About the authors: Israa Yoosaph is a student of MBA 10 and Dr. Payal Dey is Assistant Professor, Humanities and Liberal Arts
