Abhyuthanam: Second Day Discusses Sustainable Campus Development and Global Outlook in Indian Education

On the second day of Abhyuthanam, a five-day Academic Leadership Engagement by IIT Jammu, discussions commenced in alignment with the principles outlined in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. GC Modgil, a senior fellow at ASHRAE (the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers), led the opening discussion on ‘How Master Planning Shapes Campus Design for a Greener Built Environment.’

Mr Modgil emphasised the importance of master planning in achieving sustainable goals, particularly highlighting the Indian government’s targets to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2070. Drawing from examples like IIT Jodhpur, he stressed the significance of understanding local community needs and the climate when designing campuses.

Following this, Prof K N Satyanarayana, Director of IIT Tirupati, addressed the audience on ‘Creating an Institution – Setting Goals, Involving Stakeholders, and Developing a Sustainable Campus.’ The session emphasised collaborative goal-setting and sustainable development.

The event also featured a panel discussion moderated by Prof Usha Natesan, along with panellists Professors Santanu Bhattacharya, Pinakeshwar Mahanta, S K Patra, and M Kailasa Rao, who explored strategies to balance global outlooks with Indian traditions in education. Among other points, the panel explores strategies to reintroduce teaching methods from Nalanda and Takshshila to excel globally, emphasising the importance of imparting Indian heritage to students.

Later in the day, Prof Manoj Singh Gaur, Director of IIT Jammu, delivered a talk on “E-Governance: Institutional Workflow and Data-based Decision making,” emphasising individual ownership and showcasing the progress of e-governance initiatives at the institute. “The institute is slowly progressing towards a paperless office with transparency, efficiency, and auto-escalation features,” remarked Prof Gaur while concluding his talk.

The engagement aims to facilitate strategic planning and implementation for participating institutes through interactive sessions, case studies, and workshops.