The Engineering program has become more flexible with the announcement of AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) that states studying Mathematics and Physics in class XII is no longer mandatory to pursue BTech or BE. The announcement has been made to align with the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) policy which is more focused on the interdisciplinary approach, skill development, and holistic education that offers the pliability to choose subjects. The idea is to bring innovation in the field of engineering education to make students job-ready and to sync with real-world problems.

As per the recent research, pass-out engineers are good at the technical aspects but poor in terms of job-ready and lacking demanded 21st-century skills like critical and creative thinking, and communication. There is a strong need to bridge the gap by the amalgamation of technical education with 21st-century skills. The integration to provide knowledge beyond the academic curriculum so learners can relate actual users' (outside world) problems and act accordingly.

Providing only technical knowledge is now never an advantage for students, it needs to fuse with a liberalized approach, other programs, project-based pedagogy, and an advanced curriculum synchronized with the demand of the industry. The universities are strengthening different subjects like Design, Humanities, Psychology, Leadership, Social Science, Business disciplines as well Economics to help budding engineers grooming as Entrepreneurs or Designeers. The focus is more on collaboration, flexibility, support, and an approach to creating a holistic approach of education for Engineers.

The World Economic Forum reports that pedagogy should include a multidisciplinary approach. Project-based learning is one of the key elements to increase the students’ engagement including physical and mental integration. Project-based learning provides a hands-on learning experience to students. The concept laid educational institutes to adopt such pedagogy that combines technical knowledge with the innovative approach.

Today India is richly connected and contributing and ushering in the growth of an intelligent ecosystem. The country could get immensely benefited from such an impactful dyadic by building as well as being part of such an ecosystem. Designeering that the world follows can bind people to technology would benefit the Indian populace and an emerging Engineer with an approach to Holistic education.

Written By -
Kapila Gangele