India is working towards a convergence of the country’s top five institutes with the idea that fashion trends, product design, innovative packaging, high quality of goods and services, and high exports will determine India’s success story.
- This was indicated at a National Workshop on Convergence of Five Institutes in New Delhy by Piyush Goyal, who holds responsibilities as the Minister for Textiles, Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food and Public Distribution.
The Convergence: The initiative to bring about convergence of the five institutes under the Ministries of Textiles and Commerce and Industry was initiated in 2022.
- The collaboration between the five institutes—Indian Institute of Packaging (IPP), National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), National Institute of Design (NID), Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) and Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT)—has the ability to build a more dynamic and integrated national design and business education ecosystem that benefits students, industries, and society as a whole.
- The benefits due to convergence are global competency, knowledge-sharing, enhancing self-efficiency, workforce development and optimum usage of resources.
- The convergence will lead to integration of knowledge, techniques and expertise from multiple fields and facilitate transdisciplinary integration among different unique institutions in tune with the objectives of the National Education Policy 2020.
- Commerce and industry will not only strengthen the institutes but also the industry-academia partnership. The minister said this will result in the institutes’ success stories being determined by minimal strict government interference as self-sufficiency is the best module for success.
- Higher intake must be explored in these institutions as there is a huge demand for designers and fashion specialists, and the institutes must work towards developing skills related to finance, entrepreneurship, personality development, ability to face challenges in life, etc. amongst their students.
- Credit systems should be developed among these institutions to provide more flexibility for students to move from one institution to another, and they should offer dual degree courses.
- The minister also urged the ministries concerned to work towards implementation of the ideas within allocated timelines. The ideas deliberated upon in the workshop must be given proper shape and implemented for effective utilisation of such workshops.
- The need to focus on better placements from these institutes was emphasised, as also enhanced engagement with the industry for better overall development of the institutes and also offering curriculum which can help the students in the workplaces.
The Why: This convergence workshop was meant to discuss and ponder upon common issues of these educational institutes such as placements, admissions, policies for students’ welfare or ways to incentivise faculty and administration.
- The idea was to brainstorm and learn from one another’s best practices and finding innovative ways to share infrastructure, faculty and international linkages.
- Alumni and industry representatives were part of the exercise.
- The initiative of convergence can also be looked upon as the first step towards building synergies, asserting India’s tremendous brain power and project its identity.
- These five institutes are specialised institutions and hold a unique place in professional education in the country. Some are known for design and some for their state-of-the-art technology. However, each institute has a specific product/object orientation.
