‘Conduct research that will help the society and contribute to nation’s development’

Sharing the difference between the role of an “Adhyapak” and “Guru”, Dr. Vijay Vir Singh, an accomplished academician, and researcher, emphasised on the importance of nurturing life skills and promotion of experiential learning that will lead to holistic development of students. Dr. Singh, who possesses an extensive academic experience of over 37 years, has recently joined the Apeejay family as the Vice Chancellor of Apeejay Stya University, Gurugram.
 

Before assuming his current role, Dr. Singh served as the President (Vice Chancellor) of Vivekananda Global University, Jaipur. His academic journey includes roles as a Professor, Head of the Department of Economics, Dean of the Faculty of Social Science, Director of Examination, and Director of the PG School of Social Sciences, member of the Syndicate and the Senate of the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur wherein his contribution was significant. With a rich portfolio, he held pivotal positions such as Director of NITI Aayog Chair and Director-UGC-Human Resource Development Centre.

Dr. Singh’s has also played an important role in public sector as Economic Advisor to the Rajasthan State Finance Commission. His expertise has led him to serve on influential committees, contributing to the Twelfth Five Year Plan of India, the Rajasthan State Commission for Urbanisation, and research juries at Sciences Po, Paris. Currently, he holds a position on the Board of CUTS International and serves on academic committees for various Central and State Universities. Further, his research, funded by esteemed institutions like OECD Paris, the World Bank, DFID UK, and others have also focused on Public Policy and Higher Education. Dr. Singh’s extensive scholarly contributions include articles, monographs, and policy briefs published nationally and internationally.

In a face-to-face interview with Dr. Singh, he extensively explains the need for nurturing new ideas of students for innovation and how scholars must focus on doing research that will contribute to society. Read edited excerpts:

You have so many years of experience in the field of education and academics. How do you see the changes which have taken place in the higher education sector & Indian education system over the years?

If I see the overall changes in higher education, I will say that it is still in a stage of transformation. One change I clearly see is that we have shifted from strict conservative pattern of education that required a student to follow strict boundaries between the disciplines to a pattern which allows a student to express his or her choice of learning from a larger multidisciplinary pool of courses. This change is giving students a chance to pursue their dreams without hitch and ensuring an overall development of a student’s personality including a social connect which is the requirement of times.

Students today are seeking education that is not just theory based but involves knowledge of actual life situations. As a result, the focus has shifted from rote learning to experiential learning making education more enjoyable. All this is making students ready to face challenges of fast changing and dynamic world.  

Now it is the time to understand that education should not be limited to ensure employability of students but it should also connect them to human values and society which is equally important. The students should be taught in such a way so that they are an asset to the society and contribute to the nation building. These changes are taking place but at very slow pace. However, I am happy to say that Apeejay Stya University (ASU) being a forward looking university has pioneered this thought in India.

What inspired you to pursue a career in the academic field?

When I was pursuing my master’s degree in Economics, my teachers influenced me with their quality teaching and involving students in their research projects giving us an experience of real life economic issues. This led to my dream of becoming an educator in the university. God was kind enough in fulfilling my dream and I joined the same University as Assistant Professor where I was a student. My experience is that good teachers can be a big motivating factor for the students in their life’s aim and decision making.

So, I will give full credit to my teachers for motivating me to pursue a career in academics and I never wanted to deviate from it. I am happy to share that I have cherished this profession throughout my life and I am still enjoying it as I find that it constantly challenges me to learn more and avoid stagnation.

The Apeejay Stya University is a seat of global learning that offers rich opportunities for innovative teaching-learning, creativity, and research across disciplines. How do you envision building on this legacy?

As I have mentioned earlier, today, the objectives behind education are undergoing changes. We are now in times where the student is the decision-maker of his life and would like to be educated accordingly. We can say that it is the time of student-centric approach. To ensure that the students of ASU receive the kind of education that they desire to fulfil their dreams, my focus will be on ensuring better pedagogy approaches which will also include the use of technology as per the need of today’s world. I will constantly press this need on the faculty and motivate them to focus on hands-on activities and discussion-based teaching so that the students when they complete their education in ASU are well-equipped with knowledge and understanding to face challenges on local, national, and global level.

The work culture today world over is driven by creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. We need to further strengthen the environment for this.  We need to realise that each individual has a thinking process which is not the same as the other. Individual thinking needs to be nurtured and stimulated so that new ideas and thoughts emerge in students. This will benefit society as all may not have similar solution for an issue and different ideas will lead to the best solution emerging. I would like to emphasise that the ideas and thoughts of students will be nurtured and encouraged in ASU, and I am sure that their ideas will be convert into innovation, startups and entrepreneurship according to their aims leading them to become satisfied happy citizens, which in turn will benefit society at all levels. A happy satisfied mind always looks at things positively and that is what society needs. Students will not be restricted to the classrooms only. I propose to organise activities that involve their discipline and general topics of interest on a more interactive level. For example: Talks by eminent personalities, discussions, debates, seminars etc., as these will help in getting a better grasp and appreciation of what is being taught in classrooms and make one more curious to learn and think. To ensure this, continuous capacity building of teachers will be ensured.

This type of quality teaching cannot be ensured without involvement of faculty members in applied research. The faculty members will be motivated to participate in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research and keep themselves updated with latest changes taking place in their respective domains.

I believe that strong body and mind are essential for performing any task efficiently. To take the legacy of ASU forward, extra-curricular and co-curricular activities including the community connect will be given equal importance. ASU aims at providing education focusing on character building, strengthening mind, self-confidence, and expanding intellect with a focus on human values in students. We will strive to dare all our students to dream big and believe in fulfilling their dreams

What opportunities do you see for ASU to further play on the national or international stage?

With the profound vision that led to the establishment of ASU, the university has lots of potential in the area of liberal arts, public policy and research & innovation. We have many opportunities in terms of developing collaboration with Indian as well as foreign universities having strong research and innovation base. We also have opportunities in collaborating with industry and think tanks which we intend to take. I intend to promote exchange programme of students and dual degree programme with quality Universities so as to ensure that our students get maximum exposure to national and world affairs. ASU has the potential of establishing centre of excellence in the field of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Design, and Public Policy. These centres can work as centre of eminence for collaborative research and innovation.  Education and research need to evolve and diversify continuously to match the requirements of professional and social evolution for developing India further so that the nation becomes a major player on the world stage. ASU will aim to do so by providing quality education and opportunities to it’s members.

You hold a strong interest in research and have published scholarly work in both national and international journals. Your advice for new-age scholars involved in research activity.

My advice to new-age researchers is to conduct research sincerely and with an aim that their findings help the society as well as contribute to development of the country. Traditionally, research work at university level was undertaken as a measure for career growth with a thinking of publish or perish. Now we are moving away from this culture towards
patent- publish – prosper culture. Researchers need to be motivated and think out-of-the-box and constantly challenge themselves for individual unique findings if they have to stay relevant. For this my advice is simple: hard work, ethics and sincerity.

What according to you are the qualities of a good university? Goals in mind for Apeejay Stya University? 

Two strong pillars of a university are faculty and students. We need to visualise what students and society are expecting from the university and how we are going to fulfil their expectations in terms curricular and extra-curricular. What value addition can be done to the student’s skills and thinking by the university. A far-sighted vision is necessary which will encompass the global stage.

The capacity of faculty members to provide value addition needs to be nurtured. A teacher should not only be transferring information to the student but contribute in his/her holistic development. Personal development is important and this will be emphasised upon. Lessons taught by a Guru is forever learning.

In ASU, a strong base of liberal arts education already exists. My goal is to strengthen idea generation and innovation in its members through introduction of new courses and innovative activities I have mentioned earlier. I would like to see ASU gain a reputation as one of the best education centres with students and alumni contributing to making the world a better place.

Your words of wisdom for the faculty & students

There is no substitute for hard work, whether you are a student or a faculty. It is the key for success and happiness. It’s equally important to remain connected with society and people.  I would also like to mention words of our Founder Chancellor, respected Dr. Stya Paul which are our motto and guiding force “We believe that academic excellence should go parallel with human excellence, where it is not a disgrace if dreams are unfulfilled, but it is, if we “have no dreams to dream.”

 So, I would like to end by saying that your life does not have to fit in neat lines – be confident of yourself, have dreams – fly beyond the sky and colour your life -make your dreams come true and make it a success story.