Panel Discussion on impact of covid-19 on education system and way ahead

Chandigarh: UGC- HRDC, Panjab University, Chandigarh organized a Panel discussion of Vice-Chancellors, Academic Administrators of the prominent Higher Education Institutes of North Indian Region of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh on the theme -Impact of Covid-19 on education system and the way ahead.
 The inaugural address was made by Professor Raj Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, PU who highlighted the necessity to look at the pandemic as an opportunity and adapt and modify accordingly.  He predicted that revolutionary changes will be seen in the domain of Science Research which will shift from isolated to collaborative mode of research.  Due to the reverse migration to the rural areas, new equations will emerge and even village will become new centres of growth. 
Professor B.K. Kuthiala, Chairman of the Haryana State Higher Education Council chaired the panel discussion and set the agenda on the themes of Local to Global, Digital Gap, Back to Farm Land, Diversity Challenges and training of teachers.  He said that the international narrative is moving around setting a new normal which can be catagerized into the immediate normal and the distant normal.  The main question is whether we can surmount the challenge or we will compromise and dilute the quality. 
Professor Sushma Yadav, Vice-Chancellor, B.P.S. Women’s University, Sonepat gave her inputs about the intangible aspects of caring for the students, philosophical questions in education and development of resilence, creativitiy and emotional cohesion through education.
Professor Rajbeer, Vice-Chancellor, MDU, University, Rohtak focused on the digital divide and the challenge of providing safety and hygine to the students in the class rooms, hostels and all areas of the campus.
Professor B.S. Ghuman, Vice-Chancellor reported the initiatives that 
 Punjabi University, Patiala has taken by teaching and administration through digital mode, dedicated webpage and resource pooling.
 Professor B.S. Punia, former Vice-Chancellor, MDU, Rohtak reminded that the University should do well to remember their mentoring role and that embracing change should be the new mantra. 
Profesor S.K. Tomar, Director, UGC- Human Resource Development Centre, Panjab Univesity, Chandigarh and Dr Jayanti Dutta, Deputy Director hosted the discussion and shared about the UGC HRDC initiative of creating a platform for debate and discussion with different stakeholders of higher education about their role in navigating the crisis.