In its purest form, technology education is a voyage of self-discovery that allows one to enter worlds beyond imagination. “Education’s goal is to replace a closed mind with an open one.” – Malcolm S Forbes is a businessman and philanthropist.
India is a country infatuated with engineers; 8 out of 10 kids after completing their 12th choose to pursue engineering degrees in a variety of fields. Given the large number of students that pass out of school every year and the limited number of seats available for engineering admission, entrance to India’s top-ranked colleges is extremely difficult. Many students work tirelessly for two years in the hopes of being accepted into one of the IITs or NITs (the most famous engineering institutes).
Due to extremely high cut-offs, even the sharpest students may lose hope of gaining admission to the course and college of their choice, leaving them with the alternative of enrolling either in a tier 2 engineering college or studying abroad.
Prior to the implementation of NEP (National Education Policy) 2020, the Indian education system was inclined and driven by curriculum and not by the students’ experiences. There was a rigid old structure that institutions all across India blindly followed when it came to curating their undergraduate and graduate programmes. There was a lack of emphasis on multidisciplinary education, which would allow students to see things through new eyes and be more creative.

“As someone who has worked with students wishing to study abroad for over 20 years, I must state that academic flexibility has been a key distinction in Indian vs. international education,” says Md. Irfan Khan, Chancellor, Himgiri Zee University.
The new National Education Policy aspires to provide undergraduate programmes that are flexible and have many entry-exit options. It enables colleges to create multidisciplinary bachelor’s degree programmes that provide students with a well-rounded education.
Changing the focus from the curriculum to the students -Beyond Textbooks
Education isn’t about knowing all answers; it’s about knowing how to ask the correct ones.
Education can happen outside the four walls of your classroom. You will not gain much by cramming who ruled when and what is ‘x’. Real education is unscripted, unwritten, unrecorded and unmemorised and happens in the yards, halls and in the intangible conversations. It occurs as a result of doing activities, many of which take place outside of the classroom.
By providing students with the buffer of flexibility and confidence, the ideal form of education will enable them to overcome their anxieties and explore many options in order to achieve what they are truly enthusiastic about. “A ship is always safe in its harbour,” Sir John Augustus Shedd once stated.
Private Engineering Colleges In Dehradun are shifting their perspectives on technology education, realising that training world-class engineers in silos would not produce world-class engineers. To create and evaluate future technologies, interdisciplinary education with a sprinkle of humanitarian aspects is required.
The Pandemic’s Push
Pandemic has given us the new normal and the purpose of education in this new normal should be to develop intellect as well as character. And this new normal requirement has forced many technical universities to reassess their existing course design and structure for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. It has included several innovative aspects into the traditional engineering curriculum, such as the freedom of choosing courses online, completing lab tasks from a cloud setup, and taking online assessments by third-party assessment agencies.
All of this led to a drive for a multidisciplinary educational approach, one that teaches technical skills as well as an understanding of the larger socioeconomic environment. Indian colleges are shifting from a single depth T-model to a multidisciplinary Pi-Shaped model, in which students gain depth in multiple disciplines in order to create a holistic perspective on life.
Many heritage institutes, such as IITs and NITs, as well as forward-thinking Private Engineering Colleges In Dehradun, such as Himgiri Zee University are adopting the model that allows students to take up many minors while keeping major for their degree programs.
“India can assist in leapfrogging by leveraging technology as a catalyst. I see many prospects for growth and innovation for young entrepreneurs and professionals. Our technology institutions will be at the forefront of developing innovative programmes and curriculum, thus now is an excellent moment to look into coursework in modern technology education in India” Md. Irfan Khan, Chancellor, Himgiri Zee University.
Dreaming Big – India’s answer to Ivy Leagues
“The goal of education in the future will not only be to fill the pail; it will be to instil a love of learning.” Due to technological advancements, India’s start-up ecosystem has seen enormous growth in recent years. Quality engineers, tinkers and creative thinkers are needed now more than ever to participate in the technology revolution.
Interdisciplinary education, or interconnected degrees, are the order of the day, and are aimed to impact organisations and society by combining technology and social sciences. Future degrees will enable students to solve the most difficult problems.
Many universities are attempting to rethink technological education in the twenty-first century, with universities like Himgiri Zee University at the forefront.
Himgiri Zee University is based on the concept of collaboration amongst intelligent peers, world-class instructors, and industry experts in order to create a common pool of knowledge and experience from which everyone may benefit. It has formed a number of strategic alliances with international universities that will help it achieve its goals.
Engineering education in India will soon open realms beyond imagination by offering a world-class multidisciplinary curriculum focused on research and innovation, experience-driven student-centric programmes, and imparting the foundational skills to think, solve, and collaborate, thanks to a nationwide effort to establish future universities as well as the revamping of old legacy technological institutes.