First ITEC programme at IIM Kozhikode for international delegates concludes
Kozhikoded by the Ministry of External Affairs (Government of India).
Addressing the participants during the Valedictory Function of the Programme, the Chief Guest, Dr Devyani Khobragade, Joint Secretary (Development Partnership Administration II), Ministry of External Affairs thanked Director, faculty members of IIM-Kozhikode, participants from member countries for taking the Ministry’s Flagship ITEC programme forward. She expressed hope that the learnings will not only help the participants enrich their knowledge in the field of leadership and management but also help propagate the uniqueness and diversity of Indian culture experienced by the participants, during the course of their visit. Dr Khobragade also added that the ITEC programme will soon transcend boundaries through E-ITEC (live online tutorials) and through onsite programmes in member countries as India looked forward to provide all possible technical assistance to member countries through country-specific programmes delivered through Institutes of Eminence like IIM-Kozhikode.
Speaking on the occasion Dr Debashis Chatterjee, Director IIM Kozhikode, thanked the Ministry of External Affairs for their support in conducting the Institute’s first-ever ITEC programme and also the participants for their active contribution and shared that “India’s biggest contribution to the world has been knowledge and that the country has lot to offer when it comes to innovations & community driven initiatives. This ITEC programme with an intensive take on leadership and management will equip the participant with unparalleled skills”. Invoking Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion, he also added that “Every participant present should endeavour to be the change that they wish to see in this world.”
Leadership 4.0 was attended by 20 foreign diplomats, civil servants from 15 partner countries – Malaysia, Ethiopia, Zambia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Bhutan, Mauritius, Kenya, Egypt, Oman, Nigeria, Botswana, Gambia, Maldives and Indonesia. The interactive programme scientifically designed by the distinguished faculty members of IIM Kozhikode was about surviving and thriving in a volatile, uncertain and non-linear world. Prof. Rudra Sensarma, Dean (Research, Innovations & Internationalisation), IIM Kozhikode, shared that the participants learned about vital elements in leadership, participatory governance, managing risks, communicating in a world of disruptions, public policy etc during the course of the programme. A field visit to the neighbouring Wayanad district was also organised for the foreign delegates to help them gain insights in to hugely successful community driven initiatives like the women’s self-help group – ‘Kudumbashree’ and the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project – ‘Jalanidhi’.
Expressing their gratitude to Ministry of External Affairs, IIM Kozhikode and India as country in particular, the delegate participants of the ITEC programmes recounted their rich learning from the Leadership 4.O programme and the community driven initiatives demonstrated during the field visit and pledged to share and propagate this Indian experience in their respective countries as true ambassadors of thought.