3rd Great Place to Study India Edition initiative
Great Place to Study (GPTS) Research Institute, an international auditing firm commissioned by SkillTree Knowledge Consortium to certify and audit Indian colleges, together with the international business and communications consultancy Sterling Media, bring to UK shores the 3rd Great Place to Study India Edition initiative, India’s only international award and felicitation platform for India’s higher education institutions and colleges.
The 3rd Great Place to Study India Edition initiative comprises a two-day delegation of India and UK academics, educationists, public figures and business leaders. They will convene to not only spotlight India’s advancements in education but also the cross-border relations shared between UK and India, especially in the face of UK’s hard exit from the European Union and the 70th anniversary of the business and cultural ties between India-UK.
UK-India bilateral trade grew by 170% between 2004 and 2014, and India is currently the third largest investor in the UK, and the second largest international job creator, with Indian companies having created over 110,000 jobs in the UK. Also, considering the fact that over 75% of the Fortune 500 companies have a presence in London, the economic partnership between the two nations also creates a trickledown effect on the scope for expanding the bilateral relationship in education.
Explaining the vision behind establishing Great Place To Study Research Institute, Founder Mr. Shekhar A. Bhattacharjee, says, “Accessing the best education institutes in India, with listings based on real time data was missing. Being listed in various education portals or static advertisements do not allow 21st century students to make qualified decisions on their education. To ensure the highest quality amongst institutions, those that do not meet the requirements for our minimum score will not be listed, allowing for students to discern between good institutes and truly great ones.
In addition to launching a global web platform for searching, selecting and enrolling in our certified institutes, we are now aiming to list and certify 2000 universities and 5000 schools from UK and Asia by 2020, to support the global student community’s decision making process driven by real time data.”
The two-day delegation commences on Wednesday 22nd February 2017 at The Mayfair Hotel with GPTS Research Institute and Sterling Media hosting the 3rd Indo-UK Thought Leadership Awards. The awards will be conferred to eminent figures from India for their contribution to highest standards of ethical conduct, integrity, civic and social responsibility. Committed to nurturing the partnership between UK and India, GPTS Research Institute and Sterling Media introduced a UK segment to the awards, to award select business and education leaders from the UK, further promoting bilateral trade relations between the nations. Individuals will be awarded across sectors such as “Women in Leadership”, “Global Icon”, “Business, Innovation & Entrepreneurship”, “Youth Icon”, “Education Empowerment”, and “UK-India International Relations”.
Attendees will include esteemed political and public figures, VIPs, business stalwarts, social contributors and lynchpins of the education and business sector from the UK and India, who will experience first-hand the Indian education success story, a benchmark for international standards.
Sterling Media is a globally renowned, multi-award-winning business and communications consultancy. Established in 1995, Sterling Media has been pivotal in raising the global profile for India across several sectors – from India Inc to promoting the world’s largest film industry, Bollywood, to promoting India as a great place to study. Speaking about the company’s partnership with SkillTree Knowledge Consortium to conceptualise the 3rd Indo-UK Thought Leadership Awards, Natasha Mudhar, CEO & MD of Sterling Media, says: “We have all gathered in the front row to witness a seismic shift in India’s education sector. The country has the immense scope and potential we found necessary to rally its educational institutions forward and help them expand to international standards. This potential is one of the prime reasons we partnered with SkillTree. We are confident that we are able to create a sector-wide reform that will benefit not only the country but also its students.
With the long standing bilateral relationship between the UK and India already yielding phenomenal results across areas ranging from business and trade to research and education, the Indo-UK Thought Leadership Awards helps to build our emphasis on the exponential potential that the India and the UK hold, through forging a dialogue as the two nations celebrate 70 years of co-operation and partnership.”
Ms. Arvina Purkayastha, Co-Founder, SkillTree Knowledge Consortium and COO, Great Place To Study adds, “With a relationship that goes back centuries, the trajectories of both India and the UK have always been influenced and dependent on the other. The 21st century has seen this partnership evolve into a special relationship across cultural, technological, trade, educational and research boundaries. The 3rd Indo-UK Thought leadership awards draw on this very international relationship to recognise and honour the leaders, influencers and trailblazers in the field of education who have contributed to the betterment to both countries.”
Mr. Shekhar A. Bhattacharjee, Founder, SkillTree Knowledge Consortium says: “These thought leadership awards are not just about celebrating the leading contributors to sectors like education, business and economic development from both countries, but also building and fostering new relationships between the UK and India. Delegates from India are very keen to find opportunities for expansion and collaboration.”
The GLI Certification was established to represent an emblem of global standards and practices earned by Indian institutions and universities who maintain a strong focus on student satisfaction practices in learning experience, learning objectives, learning outcomes, life on campus and general happiness. Its objective is to showcase India’s potential as a global-leader in education, by profiling such lauded educational institutions on par with the finest higher learning establishments in the world, demonstrating India’s vast potential as a hub of learning and development.
On Thursday 23rd February 2017 at House of Commons, GLI Certificates will be presented to 18 of India’s respected educational institutions for their contribution in cementing India’s position as an educational destination of choice by the global student fraternity.
The ceremony will be conducted by Baroness Sandip Verma, Chairman of Lords European External Affairs Committee and Member of the Lords EU Select Committee. A highly influential, global facing business leader, since entering the House of Lords in 2006, Baroness Verma has held several key Ministerial appointments and has had an active and advisory role in policy formation and development. These include her role as Minister for the Department of International Development, Minister for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Lords Spokesperson for the Departments of Education, Health and Welfare and Pensions and Lords Spokesperson for the Cabinet Office, International Development and the Government Equalities Office.
“An institution needs a great deal of determination and commitment to apply for the GLI Certification,” Said Shekhar A. Bhattacharjee, Chief Executive Officer & Founder of Great Place to Study Research Institute. “It takes more than good courses, infrastructure, andragogy and faculties to define the best institutes. To create impactful learning, a 21st century institution must ensure it has in place the right measurements of learning objectives, learning outcome, life on campus and happiness quotient for the students.”
