 Every year, the university invites renowned scholars to deliver the foundation day lecture. And this year, we feel privileged to invite the Honorable Vice Chancellor of Assam Rajiv Gandhi University of Cooperative Management, Prof. Debra Bhattatas, to deliver the keynote address. Prior to joining as the Vice Chancellor of Assam Rajiv Gandhi University of Cooperative Management, Prof. Das worked as a member of Arunachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission in Danaka. He is on deputation from the position of professor in the Department of Business Administration at Tejpur University and head position of head of the department. He was also the director of Center for Open and Distance Learning in Tejpur University. Earlier in his career, Prof. Das also served in Guwahati University and Rajiv Gandhi University. He has served as chair and is member of various national level committees and holds of UGC, AICTE, NEG and government. Prof. Das is also member of statutory parties of several universities, management institutions and colleges. Prof. Das has completed senior academic leadership program from State School of Business, University of Oxford under leave of MHRT. He is also a qualified associate of Insurance Institute of India, Mumbai. He has over 25 years of postgraduate and doctoral level teaching and research experience in various universities in the discipline of commerce and management. May I now take the opportunity to invite Prof. Devavattu Das sir to kindly deliver the keynote address. Prof. Devavattu Das is the founder of Kutarabhushwari Aptalapur Foundation. He is the chair of Honourable Vice Chancellor of Chirgat. Honourable Vice Chancellor of KK Handik State Open University. Prof. R. P. Das, chief guest of today's function Honourable Vice Chancellor of Igno New Delhi. Prof. Nageshwar Rao, registrar of this University, Dr. R. K. Choudhury. Senior Professor of this University, Prof. R. Nageshwar Rao. Sitting in front, founder Vice Chancellor of KK Handik State Open University, Prof. Srinan Purvasar. Another former Vice Chancellor, Dr. Dekasar. And I could see a galaxy of former officers sitting out here, with whom I walked in different capacities in Guwahati University. Current professors, faculty members, officers, staff members, students, centre coordinators, gays, invited ladies and gentlemen. It is a real delight to stand before you and take the podium for some time on this auspicious occasion to deliver a key note address on Foundation Day of the University with whom I have been associated for different occasions. And the University, which is established in the name of a great scholar, Kishnopanta Phantikuri. Today we not only remember about our establishment of the University, but also remember about the personality on whose name this institution has set up. A great scholar, a great organiser who established the first institution of, higher learning institution of Assam, not only Assam of Northeast, that is Guwahati University. And to me, as per my little learning, could not see so far such a great scholar in Assam born. So we must remember his works, and also we must remember and follow his philosophy for scholars and also for organising the institutions. There are a couple of institutions after his name. But I would like to specially mention here that the KKK Phantikuri University should take certain concrete steps so that his work and philosophy, his life should be researched and taken forward for further learning and for further analysis for the society. With this, I would like to share some of the experience of mine, some of the thoughts of mine in the way of the keynote address, but then this is not a structured address. I would like to just give a formal, informal kind of talk, which may be not very technical. First of all, I would like to share before you certain data, not very technical, very simple data on achievements of the higher education in India. If you would like to look back on 70, completion of the 75 years of independence of India and where does the higher education space stand? Then we see that the last couple of decades, specially last decade has been very fruitful for Indian higher education space. If we see the decadent growth from 2060 onwards till the current decade, I am taking 2060-61 because prior to 6061 government actually had put the policies into place and took some preparation time, so data are available from 2060-61. Total number of universities in 6061 was 56 and colleges was 1500 or so, 1500, to be precise 1542. During the next decade, 7071, that number has doubled. In one year it has doubled from 56, it became 102 for the universities and in colleges it has become 3604. Likewise, in 2010-11 we find that the number of universities is 256 and the colleges to 12806. But in 2010-11 these 256 universities have become 343, very stiff growth and the colleges 12800 colleges have become 17600 colleges. There are good number of colleges and universities on the rise. But if you see the last 10 years, 2020-21 data, it speaks that from 343 there are more than 3 times growth in 10 years and it has become now 1045 number of universities and the colleges 42142. So during last decade we see that there are more than 300 percent growth in number of higher education colleges and universities putting together. Today if we put the colleges, universities and all other higher learning institutions, then we find that there are almost 50,000 educational institutions which is a huge number of the institutions in the sphere of higher education. If you see the IIM and IIT and such centrally funded institution of national importance, then we find that there in last 20 years, last 2 decades there are huge number of colleges and universities, institutions established under IIM and IIT tag. If you see the central universities, state universities, deemed universities and private universities comparison, then we find that during last 2 decades the number of private universities have emerged as a very important part of higher education and total number of today the private university is equal, almost equal to the state universities. So today the state university, the number of state universities 425 and number of private universities 375, almost same and there are half a century of central universities. So the higher education space is controlled by state universities and private universities only. If we talk about a sum, similar trend is shown. In 2010 we had 9 state universities and 2 private universities and even in 2022 if we see the data has gone to such point like from 9 state universities it has become 19 state universities and from 2 private universities there are now 6 private universities. So this shows us the picture that the last 2 decades, specially last 1 decade had been a great exponential growth for the Indian higher education system. However, if we see the growth of open universities we do not see such kind of growth that probably because of the fact that there is a principle that there should be only 1 state universities in a state, state open universities and even then there is no more than 14 state universities in the world, only one central university that is called in the national open university. So it shows that the growth of higher education has been tilted towards the regular mode of education or traditional mode of education as you say. It is not towards the open and distance learning mode because of maybe another myth that the open universities should not have any number of any limit of intent so they can give any number of intent that is why there is no setup of 2 universities in a state or more than that. If you see the gross environment ratio then we find that in 1961 the gross environment ratio was 1.5. The gross environment ratio means the number of qualified students and interested students to take up higher education available divided by the environment. Sorry, the number of higher education divided by the number of interested and qualified eligible students. So this ratio is called GDR. So in 1961 it was 1.5, 70-71 it was 4.2 and it has gone to 19.4 in 2010 and 11 and it has become abruptly 27.1 in 2021. So there is also a stiff kind of growth in higher education in GDR gross environment ratio because the higher education institutions number has gone up. Here there are three categories of gross environment ratio. One is called elite system, higher education as elite system. So when GDR is below 15%, below 15% 1.5 then this is called higher education elite system. And we have crossed that because it is more than 15%, we have crossed that and that system is called massification of education. So thereby India has entered the massification of education in the year 2010-11 and now we are made of massification because we have achieved 17.1. And the next stage is called universalization of higher education and universalization of higher education is that when the GDR is more than 50%. So the target of India is to achieve the universalization that is 50% of GDR by the year 2030. So with this target we are moving forward. China has already achieved, they have touched 50% and the advanced countries like Germany, US, those are about 80% of that. And of course in South Asian countries the India is one who has achieved that and most of the South Asian countries are below 15% which are struggling for massification of higher education. These are very rosy data that I have shared with you but one disturbing data that I am going to share with you very small is GDP share in higher education. GDP share in education in totality was 1.4% in 2016-61 which has gone to after 20 years 2.98 after another 20 years 4.14. It means it reached 4.14 in 2001, year 2000-2001 and during last 20 years what happened is it has gone from 4.14 to 4.14.39. So there is basically, practically there is no rise in the share of GDP towards the higher education. Number of higher education has increased manifold, universities have increased, colleges have increased, everywhere the number has increased but GDP share on the pie has not been increased. So this is a cause of concern and probably whatever we could see now as per the government's initiatives recently taken we are hopeful that the 6% of GDP recommendation given by the then education policy education commission in 1986 probably this time is going to be fulfilled. And specifically for Assam the number of initiatives that have been taken by current government and the investment that they are promising I hope that there could be even more than 6% in statewide GDP. These are some of the achievements that I have shared with you. Now what are the actions that in 75th celebration of our independence year what actions have been taken so far higher education is concerned. We all know that NEP 2020 is going to be placed next year in Assam and for that matter in entire country and some universities have already started like Delhi University, Lagnaw University and Mangalore University they have already started the new NEP we are also going to start so we are not going to repeat anything on NEP 2020. But the gist I am going to share with you is there are certain areas where there is going to be a transformation in entire higher education space be it regular or traditional education or distance education. The number one is institutional transformation we are going to see we are going to witness a huge transformation in the entire higher education institutions. Maybe probably the colleges we see now would not be a college like this very soon that is going to be changed. It is also possible that we will not see the distance education universities as it is today. I don't know Professor Rao is a learned person in distance education. He is in the helm of the affairs and he is in almost all bodies related to higher education and specially in the ODI mode. But I from my little knowledge I foresee that years to come there will not be bifurcation of the open and distance learning and traditional mode. Because all the policies whatever policies we study now talks about transformation and there is no bifurcation of ODI. Because they talks about all the time you know superimposing the ODI system, superimposing online education, flexibility, student centric education here in regular mode also. In NEP also it is categorically mentioned that there should be 40% of MOOCs, there should be 40% of you know flexibility in credit transfer. There should be 40% of you know online courses also and so forth. So if it is so then probably there is time to think about again about the future of the education specially you know this open and distance learning education. And also possibility of expanding its horizon to overlap the regular mode of education with the distance mode of education. Then the quality transformation, it talks about the quality transformation, what kind of quality is going to be there next. There are a lot of things there they want to show, they want to see that their education should be holistic, it should be multidisciplinary, it should be analytical, it should give the inquisitiveness to the students with critical learning, critical thinking. Here probably the distance and open learning institutions have to rework and they have to redesign and redevelop their programs. So that they specifically the analytical and critical thinking part to be incorporated. I understand closely from the ODL system because I have been working since my earlier career, earlier you know time in Guwahati University. I was the first coordinator of the entire you know largest center of the North East when I was working in Guwahati University. I was the founder director of ODL Center in Tejpur University. I have also been having the opportunity to work with Professor Rao while you know creating the manual for the ODL NAC evaluation. What I understood from my reading is that giving study material, delivering a study material and ensuring that it reaches the students in time is not enough now to go you know on giving the open and distance learning. Probably somewhere we have to ensure that they have achieved the objective of learning that we are going to deliver. Probably not only the study material but probably could be something else on continued monitoring and proctored way so that we ensure that they are not even happening. That is more important. I would like to share a very small story here to just comment on monotony. Is that one person, it's a life story do not take it very seriously. One person from UK research college comes to India to do some research in village life of India. Then he roams around in the villages of West Bengal and somewhere he witnessed that a cow is being worshipped by a lady. A cow is being worshipped by a lady and then he thought, how come? Is it possible a cow is worshipped by a human? Then he thought that maybe it is a special kind of cow so she is worshipping. Then he went by past and he had seen after some time that in a wall of a villager is Madhval and there are some of the cow that what is called pitha cow-dung pitha. So that is being there very decoratively in the whole wall from top to bottom is in very lined way. There are too many you know entire wall is covered with the cow-dung that kind of cake. So he thought how come he went near to close to it and he just saw like this and smelled and found it is a cow-dung. Then he saw and he found he was thinking how is it possible that a cow grown doing you know pathing like this is so stylish way and then from top to bottom you know how is it possible. Then he finally concluded asking himself and getting the answer from himself he is there because they are very powerful cows because they can do all these things that is why they are worshipped. So he went back and wrote in thesis that in Indian system so cow is very powerful they can do you know pass their stool in very decorative manner wherever they want very well sized and designed and that is why they are worshipped. Now he said care what I mean to say here is that the inclusiveness and analytical there are two different things and if you analyze if you do not analyze if you get the information from your knowledge that's fine but if you analyze without having proper inquisitive mind and critical thinking that is more dangerous better not to analyze you just get the information. So probably we have to rethink you know about making our learners so that they get the information as well as they also inculcate critical thinking in their mind. So that is what probably need to you know redesign and rethink our open and distance learning here. Then another point of action which is being designed by the NEP is inclusiveness and equity which is already there from earlier but in that case specifically the open and distance learning education has been from beginning people established with the objective of inclusivity and equality. So it is a in that case equally there is a there is a ranking separate ranking parameter for inclusive and equity probably the open universities will be number one in the world probably who knows the ignore will be world's first ranked inclusive and equality education. This is the largest educational institutions in the world which is named as people's universities. So we have that kind of university here and with the footprint of that university all the state universities are now doing similar way. So for inclusivity and equality probably the open and distance learning education take the advantage of it. But for inclusiveness sometimes we limit by thinking that inclusive means those who cannot take education otherwise we have included those who are disadvantage position we have included that is why we have ended up with inclusiveness. Probably this is the wrong form of primary form of inclusiveness irrespective of caste, creed you are including or other giving disadvantage socially disadvantage physically disadvantage gender wise disadvantage we will include that is a primary. But the wholesome inclusiveness is including inclusiveness in the syllabus in the course. Say for example now we see that traditional knowledges culture yoga wellness all these things are included now there are there are talk of these things including in the syllabus this is probably more one step ahead towards inclusiveness includes including the chapters on unsung heroes including the chapters are not his in national curriculum it does mean that irrespective of your geographical, spatial, cultural, historical, religious biasness you should include everything in your design in syllabus. So then thereby probably we may walk or rethink how we can make more inclusive in our design of curriculum and syllabus. There are talk about internationalization here also we need to talk thing about how internationalization can be done but internationalization simply doesn't mean that we go to foreign university we go to foreign and then give education or some foreign universities come to India to provide foreign education. It means creating international environment in your university. Your university should be an international university in terms of number one student diversity, number two faculty diversity. If you have student diversity if you have students from 29 different countries if you have faculty and researcher from 18 different countries that probably is real sense of internationalization. Apart from that to achieve that you have different modes that modes may be dual degree that mode may be joint degree there may be collaboration there may be student access program there may be faculty access program these are mode but we should not talk about the modes but we should talk about the principle of it. Then there are a lot of modes and we can take one or two which is suitable for us. So there probably we have to think about for this is for traditional university as well it is not only for open and distance education. Another very important thing is that when you talk about globalization or transformation there is a global column. This apart from this local NEP thing the similar way we find that globally the transformation column is going on. It is not that only India is thinking about that transformation. In May in Barcelona there is one UNESCO World Higher Education Conference and they say they have prepared roadmap to 2030 and in 2030 they said that there are suggested six principles to be followed by higher education institutions worldwide and they are number one greater inclusion and promoting diversity the same that we have already discussed. This is a meeting held in May 2022 UNESCO meeting. Second is academic freedom balanced by public accountability. Third is enquiring critical thinking and creativity. Unlocking the potential of every kind of science literacy for integrity and ethics. Generating new kind of citizenship in future which is in the making of India. Fifth is a commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. And going forward one step they have also urged all the higher education institutions over the globe is to contribute to the 17 sustainable development goals with 169 targets. They categorically mentioned though goal 4 is specifically for inclusiveness and equality in higher education but all the 17 other goals also have to be addressed by the higher education institutions and I am very happy to see that there is a separate ranking for the world universities separate ranking for the world universities which are ranked as party goal. Just to say a few is that in 1922 times impact ranking goal, impact ranking on goals and number one goal no poverty the award goes to western university Kanata and as this is to zero hunger it goes to Hokkaido University in Japan. Number three good health and well being it goes to Iran University of Medical Sciences Iran. Number four quality education it goes to Alberg University Denmark. Gender equity it goes to Chiang Mai University. Clean representation it goes to Western Sydney. Affordable clean energy it goes to Fudan University so and so forth. There are a whole list that all universities are contributing towards the sustainable development goals and they are getting awards. Here I would like to make a comment or tip on it is that we also in India should not go haphazardly for all 17 goals and 169 targets whenever there is a later council will do something upload photos and bomb and then next activity comes and we do it wholeheartedly and then after that event is over we are also fine. So instead of doing that I think all universities should you know holistically think as part of our expertise and capacity and capability take one or two as dizzy and should warm on that so that we can achieve we can show something some results on that particular goal. For example honourable vice chancellor has explained that this university has adopted five villages for some activities. So what kind of activities now which goal they are going to achieve that is to be determined that these five villages we have taken we are putting intervention on a particular or two particular goals we are not going to do anything else than that so that we can show something to the world that yes we have made some change of the lives of these five villages. Then another is co-operation for excellence and rather than competition that is also another kind of appeal that they are making that universities should not compete with each other but they should co-operate worldwide so that entire entirety of the education is enjoyed by all the student community and they are asking to make it more student centric. So they presume that eventually there are four situations that can happen in higher education and that higher education is documented in a report called the reimagining of future of higher education report. It is published by UNESCO and they say these four scenarios are number one please mind it number one is open education they could foresee that future of education is having four scenarios number one is open education number two is technology enables network learning hubs number three ecologically sustainable higher education and number four development driven higher education these are the four scenario that is forcing by the UNESCO in coming decades and I'm sure that here open and distance learning has to play a very important and greater role these points these scenarios reminds me the University of London there is a part of the University of London is called Big Back you can Google it and you can find that that is called London's evening university it's a part of London University of London I had the opportunity to visit that and I could see I was wondering by seeing how the education is being done it's not exactly open and distance education but then probably that is the future of open and distance education what they do is it's a part it's a kind of evening university but it is class is done from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. people walk whole day and they come in the evening to take classes but there is not necessary that every day you attend the classes what is necessary is you have to attend the classes wherever you are in there are recorded classes there are a lot of kiosks outside there are a lot of kiosks suppose you miss the class you come to the next class you are not allowed to sit in the live class unless and until you do the recorded class in the kiosk or somewhere from somewhere else with your own equipment so I have seen the students coming and sitting in kiosks and they are attending the classes after the class is over there are small kind of set of questions they have to fill it up there so that it is ensured that they have already done that there are some question answers so they give the answers and then they are allowed to sit in the classroom next so probably this is a kind of alternative model of education that can be initiated by open and distance learning universities ecologically sustainable higher education that I am not going to talk much because it is already the higher education system and the open and distance learning education who is more having you know there is a research also the other day I was reading the lecture of professor Asha Kanwar who is the chairperson of president of COL component of learning in her recent lecture in component of learning I had seen that there are research which tells that the carbon footprint is much much lesser by the open and distance learning education compared to the regular model of education so that way also the open and distance learning is much much much ahead it is also been found in research as shared by you know professor Asha Kanwar president of COL is that the blended learning mode of education has better learning experience than the regular mode of education that is also got by the research so I am going to get here that while congratulating the KK Hindi Open Universities for achieving the landmark of 34,000 students enrollment which is very good to ponder how now the university will justify giving the proper learning just learning holistic learning critical thinking analytical skill to those 34,000 students and that is the change in open and distance learning I know the number of students that you require sorry number of teachers you require part students is not there and probably now we have to rethink on that what is the exact ratio of the student teacher we have to maintain because in a classroom in traditional mode we do not go beyond 1 is to 20 we do not go beyond 1 is to 20 but in that way if you have to cater 34,000 students you must have some teachers so how do you come to that here I would like to also say please give me indication if I have crossed that time so here another things comes to my mind there is a ranking in universal ranking and the main two ranking rather three rankings are number one is QS ranking number two is times higher education ranking and number three is Shanghai ranking the Shanghai ranking we will not compare because we cannot go even you know close to them because they are only based on the Nobel laureates and field awards of their faculty members in alumni these two are the most important criteria of Shanghai although we say that Shanghai is an Asian ranking but who is not that is the toughest ranking if I have to say because the highest number of weight is given on the number of Nobel laureates and field awards your teachers have got and your alumni have gotten where India will be close to no now talking about the QS ranking and times education, higher education ranking if you are talking about those ranking believe me there is no any criteria on ODL mode there is no separate ranking for ODL you have to compete with the traditional mode of learning and as I tell you I foresee that tomorrow there will be an overlapping of open and distance learning education you have to target the QS ranking or times higher education ranking and days are coming that government will also link up the institutional fund and other things facilities with the ranking now 40% of the QS ranking 40 weight 40 weight comes from academic reputation 20 comes from faculty student position and 20 comes from politicians 80 out of 180 comes from your research that academic reputation means the research why it is research because that reputation is done by reputation survey of world over the QS ranking authority will send questionnaire to renowned professors and academicians around the world to tell about 10 of the institutions of their country and 50 of the academic institutions around the world so on the basis of what research research is only the passport where you will be you know introduced in the entire world be it in open or distance education or in higher education the times higher education also is like the teacher students ratio number of faculty members publication impact factor and all that H index and all that and the academic survey so what I mean here is it is time to think about research alongside the teaching one I am saying the quality of your education number of enrollment achievement is one success another success more important more crucial is how to maintain the quality because we claim that it is equivalent equivalent of a regular degree MBA from the school university and MBA from KK Hendrik Open University will be same MBA from Delhi University FMS which also be having the same claim but can we claim same quality from our students there are two different notions I would like to tell you here one is notion of the faculty members and the outsiders and notion of the students now very dangerous thing is that there is a notion of the students that this mode of education is a software option for us to get a degree so when these kind of students come it is even more dangerous that is why we must be very careful offering the degrees and offering the education unless and until it is a good education really equivalent education in terms of quality I tell you this high number of enrollment will be boomerang talking about the research if you are not doing research as a faculty members then you are perishing and you are vanishing yourself from the picture of the higher education and then tomorrow when suddenly it will come that open education now can offer you know regular education also and days to come you have to start the blended mode of education I had go get the blended mode of education even before Kovid also I was I go getting in my university test for university to start the blended mode of education but there was nobody to listen to me but suddenly when Kovid outbreak happened then my son-son calls me and tell me what he was saying to me I told him to be corona so suddenly we had to do that but it was not exactly blended mode because there is a technicalities in blended mode it is not now all the universities are in the name of blended mode what they are doing is they are clubbing some online classes and then at the ease of difficulty members and ease of these students some classes are given online and they say we are giving blended mode it is not there is a technical course in technical training is given by the COL common land of learning all the faculty members of ODL mode should go for that training I am sure that in a modern half of you have already completed if you have not then please go through one program offered by Athabasca University and common land of learning about blended mode I have done that in online mode and you will know how you design your one course on blended mode you can do experimentation you can do experimentation by one program through blended mode it is not online mode it is not offline there are lot of activities designed synchronized and as synchronized activities which you can offer now also taking one paper of yours one course of yours at least initially and then when you get the test you will automatically go to the blended mode of learning and it has been already established by the research that the blended mode of education has better efficiency than even the regular mode of education not to talk about the traditional ODL mode of education with this I will not go much into it with this I would like to congratulate all the faculty members all the staff, all the students, all the officers of this university along with the members of all the statutory bodies present here and founder vice-chancellors who have started this institution which is so much difficulty I know starting an institution an university how much difficult it is because currently I am also facing similar kind of thing though I am not the first vice-chancellor but for all practical purposes I have become the first vice-chancellor kind of thing so I now realize what is the pain of being a vice-chancellor so I honestly from my core of the heart I congratulate founder vice-chancellor, former vice-chancellor professor Dekha and other officers retired officers Mr. Dr. Swamasa is there who was registered when I was in Guwahati University later on he joined here I see a lot of known faces Finance and Accounts Research, earlier Finance and Accounts Research and current leadership without his vision I know whatever I have said will go into futile and I would like to see that more researchers, more research paper in terms of good journals impact factor will come out of here may it be ODL mode, may it be your own discipline or area and I am sure that this university has been the leader of the North East so far ODL is concerned and it will be the leader in future coming days also and for giving this opportunity is sometimes somewhere I have studied that when you keep a patience on God it is called faith, when you keep patience on your elders it is respect, when you keep patience on your family members it is love, so you have put patience here on me so I can assume that it is your love for me with that I would like to end from here, thank you