Page 60 - EducationWorld October 2020

People

over 140 Indian entrepreneurs and
industry leaders worldwide to co-
promote AU. Now the top priority of
this serial edupreneur is to develop
Plaksha U on the Ashoka University
“collective philanthropy” model.
Direct talk. “India produces 1.3
million engineering graduates
every year. But over half of them
are unemployable because their
foundational education is not
sufficiently strong or because they
are too narrowly specialised in
mechanical, civil, electronics and
computer sciences engineering,
when the need is for engineers
with multi-disciplinary skill-sets.
Therefore, Plaksha University will
Gupta: “STEM professionals with cross-functional problem-solving skills” offer reimagined curriculums that
diffuse the conventional boundaries
Serial edupreneur’s new initiative of STEM education to develop
multi-disciplinary engineers and
scientists well-versed in new digital
INEET GUPTA is the pro- on target to admit its first batch of technologies. The requirement
moter-managing director of students next August. of contemporary corporates and
Vthe Delhi-based Jamboree History. A mechanical engineering businesses is multi-skilled STEM
Education Pvt. Ltd (estb.1995), a grad of IIT-Delhi, Gupta took to professionals with cross-functional
pioneer test prep company for stu- the entrepreneurial path ab initio. problem-solving skills,” says Gupta.
dents aspiring to study abroad, and a Immediately after graduation, he Future plans. The ambitious PU
founder-trustee of the highly-reput- promoted two companies which project has already attracted 80
ed, privately-promoted liberal arts he sold for a “tidy profit” and donors including Neeraj Aggarwal
Ashoka University (AU, estb.2014). in 1993, together with his wife (Boston Consulting), Hitesh Oberoi
Within a short span of time AU has Akrita Kalra, an alumna of Delhi (InfoEdge), Manas Fuloria (Nagarro)
risen high in public esteem and is University, promoted Jamboree among others, who have collectively
ranked India’s #3 private university Education. Since then, they have raised an impressive endowment
in the latest EW India Higher Educa- nurtured and developed it into the corpus of Rs.325 crore — above the
tion Rankings 2020-21. country’s largest test prep company phase I target of Rs.250 crore — for
Evidently, inspired by the for school and college-leavers Project Plaksha. Gupta is optimistic
runaway success of AU, Gupta has preparing for admission tests (SAT, about the future of this high-poten-
ventured once more unto the breach, GRE, ACT, IELTS, TOEFL) of tial, path-breaking venture.
this time to establish a state-of-the- universities and higher education “It is pertinent to note that the
art, globally-benchmarked STEM institutions abroad. Currently, the National Education Policy 2020 has
(science, technology, engineering company which has a headcount given high importance to multi-
and math) private varsity. Plaksha of 450 employees, including 150 disciplinary higher education. I am
University (PU) is fast assuming faculty, prepares 20,000 students confident our new syllabuses and
shape and form in the Chandigarh annually in 39 centres across India, curriculums that collapse conven-
Region Innovation and Knowledge the Middle East, Singapore and tional STEM boundaries will produce
Cluster (CRIKC), Punjab, which also Nepal for admission into colleges the inter-disciplinary scientists,
hosts 14 reputable higher education and universities in the US, UK and engineers and leaders that India Inc
institutions including the Indian Commonwealth countries. urgently needs. I believe the highly
School of Business, IISER and PEC. In 2014, Gupta teamed up with successful Ashoka University model
Newspeg. Named after a famous tree several highly-educated, success- can be replicated in STEM educa-
in Indian mythology (also the origin ful entrepreneurs including Ashish tion,” says Gupta.
of the mythical River Saraswati), PU Dhawan (Chrys Capital), Sanjeev Godspeed!
has recruited its first faculty and is Bhikchandani (Naukri.com) among Dilip Thakore (Bangalore)

60 EDUCATIONWORLD OCTOBER 2020