‘Blended learning can help institutes continue education’

INDUSTRY & LOCKDOWN

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RUNNING a private university and 24 educational institutes, Apeejay Education Society (AES) has faced numerous challenges during the Covid-19-induced lockdown. The chairman of the society and president of Apeejay Stya and Svran Groups, Sushma Paul Berlia, discusses with Deepkamal Kaur various innovative changes brought in by the group in its business to tide over the tough times. Excerpts:

We used the present crisis as an opportunity to bring industry experts on board, organised virtual alumni meets and encouraged our students to engage in a gamut of creative pursuits, including dance, music and painting. One of our achievements was that in a few weeks or so, we successfully conducted most of our examinations online of over 10,000 students. —Sushma Paul Berlia, Chairman, Apeejay Education Society

How did your educational institutions face challenges posed by Covid-19 pandemic?

The Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns are unprecedented events in the modern history. We are a diversified conglomerate with interests in various sectors. For AES that runs 24 institutions, including schools and higher education institutions, across the country and for Apeejay Stya University, the focus from Day 1 of the lockdown was on providing students with a safe and enriching virtual experience of learning that matched or exceeded classroom learning. It required a complete change of mindset. In a few days, we readied a timetable to complete the pending syllabus and shared it with students. There were mistakes made and several roadblocks faced, but we persisted in experimenting with new education techniques. Our long-term investments in technology and innovation helped us a lot. However, regular online learning was not something that everyone was comfortable with. In some cases, parents had to be counselled to let their wards study on a cell phone or computer. Activities like yoga, physical education, art and craft, music and dance had to be woven into a balanced time table. We also ensured that teachers and staff who worked relentlessly are paid on time. We also had to exercise control over spiralling costs due to technological upgrades.

Did any of your institutions do differently in this period?

At AES institutions, the focus is on adding value to everything we did. We used the present crisis as an opportunity to bring industry experts on board, organised virtual alumni meets and encouraged our students to engage in a gamut of creative pursuits, including dance, music, painting and photography. One of our achievements was that in a few weeks or so, we successfully conducted most of our examinations online with over 10,000 students logging on simultaneously. We are seeking to publish the best practices from all our institutions during the lockdown in the form of a monograph to help other institutions.

How have your institutions helped the community in general?

The Apeejay College of Fine Arts conducted a series of significant national and international webinars inviting experts, well-placed alumni and distinguished scholars from India and abroad to interact with the students and faculty. We have also been reaching out to villages to spread awareness about Covid-19. The institution has also garnered a lot of appreciation by offering free of cost skill development courses during the lockdown period. At Apeejay Institute of Management and Engineering, many of the students have got lucrative summer internship offers even in these trying times.

What is the group doing to ensure that there are good admissions in colleges this year?

We are providing online counselling to our aspirants. The entire admission process has been made online and the online user experience has been enhanced. We have also circulated important information about various institutions through various communication channels and social media platforms.

What lessons have you learnt from the current situation?

The pandemic taught us a number of lessons. First, it reinforced the importance of human capital over any other resource. We retrained and nurtured our people to enhance their productivity. The second key learning was about the criticality of innovation and flexibility to change. Everyone adapted to the change organically. Third, the importance of virtual education is here to stay, perhaps even after Covid-19. Blended learning using both online and offline modes of learning appears to be gaining momentum. However, the role of the teacher cannot be replaced even in the online mode of learning. Also it is important to ‘mine the knowledge’ and relevant enrichment from a plausible information overload. In technology, the need for a mass device at an affordable price has become the need of the hour.

Have you done any philanthropic work during the pandemic?

We extended monetary and non-monetary help to people in the battle against Covid-19. As an organisation, we contributed to government agencies and also made donations through chambers of commerce and other platforms. Besides, our employees contributed voluntarily. We extended help to the migrant labourers, gave masks, safety kits and food to our frontline healthcare warriors, including doctors and other medical staff. Taking the concept of ‘Vidya daan’ to the next level, we extended the gift of knowledge to even those who were not our students through networks and associations, social media platforms and channels, including YouTube.

Would you like to share as to how you got stuck abroad when the lockdown happened?

When the Covid-19 outbreak occured, I was abroad. All flights were being cancelled. But one has to deal with the situation as it emerges. With the grace of God, everything went fine.