Mission and vision of Sri Sri University
Following is from http://www.srisriuniversity.org/.
Taking care of the future
Sri Sri University is conceptualized on a vision of Holistic Inspired Education that aims to ready its students for the demands of the Industry and market economy, along with making them into well rounded human beings. Sri Sri University intends to do this by giving them deep roots in the supple and fertile earth of Indian Value Systems, its cultural history and philosophy while helping them look beyond the horizon towards a Global Perspective.
By doing this we hope to give them the strong foundation that they will need to grow sturdy and rise above the milling forest of humanity and be able to give shade to the teeming billions of tomorrow. In them we do not just see tomorrow’s richest but tomorrow’s leaders and pillars of society on whose shoulders the world of the future will be built.
Industry Relevant Courses
Higher education is critical to India’s aspirations of emerging as a major player in the global knowledge economy. The global competitiveness of Indian industry and also its employment generation potential is clearly dependent on availability of required skills and trained personnel. Higher education trains people to take up different economic roles in society and spurs technological innovation that drives economic growth.
After China and the USA,India has the third largest higher education system in the world. Given the sheer number of qualified professionals India produces, the possibility of finding people with the right skill sets should have been a lot stronger than it is in reality. But companies are finding it increasingly difficult to get the right talent, especially at the middle-management level. Only a small fraction of the qualified labor force can be considered suitable for employment in companies operating in the global arena.
This low employability could be attributed partly to the mismatch between the industry requirements and the academic curricula of most of the professional colleges.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s vision is to TRANSFORM THROUGH EDUCATION and this is specially kept in mind while putting together a curriculum of Global Standards in the Sri Sri University. Therefore, along with courses that will help the students to be "industry-ready" and make their mark on a Global platform, it will also provide them with all means of self-improvement – like access to yogic philosophy, Art of Living Courses in self realization and conflict resolution, etc. which will make them well rounded Global Citizens.
The
- To create, preserve and at the same time disseminate knowledge and understanding by teaching; research, training and extension activities by effective demonstration and influence; and to create centers of excellence for providing knowledge, education, training and research facilities of high order in the field of science, technical and other related professional education as per its current status and such other means as may develop in future, including continuing education.
- To develop training facilities in higher education including professional education and allied fields; provide for inter-relationships for national and global participation in the field of arts, commerce and science and technology and other fields.
- To function as learning resource centre.
- To provide for arrangement for national and global participation in the field of higher and professional education including technical education.
- To establish close associations with industry.
- To make teaching, research and training at the university relevant to the needs of the economy at a national and global level.
- To affiliate colleges with similar objects or willing to adopt similar objects in and outside the state to further the cause of higher learning with modern and global teaching techniques university may adopt time to time
- To Institute 44 courses in next 5 years across disciplines.
- To have 8 fully functional and completely equipped departments in next 10 years.
- To initially admit approximately 350 students and approximately 3000 students by its fifth year
- To Employ 35 faculty members in its first year and 145 by its 5th year.
The choice of courses in the Sri Sri University Curriculum will be guided by these factors:
- Growth in economic sectors, potential for employment within the sectors and commercially viability of the course.
- Current and anticipated demand trends for specific courses.
- These are not linked to any specific economic sector.
- Inspirations from His Holiness and foreseeable needs for further development of the state of Orissa.
- Certification Courses that are of short duration and impart quick and marketable skills.
Sixteen major sectors of the Indian economy were examined. They are:
i. Automobile
ii. Banking and Financial Services
iii. Construction
iv. Electronic Components and Assemblies
v. Health Care
vi. Insurance
vii. Textile and Apparels
viii. Retail Services
ix. Telecom Services
x. Transport Services – Shipping and Ports
xi. Transport Services – Railways
xii. Transport Services – Civil Aviation
xiii. Transport Services – Roads & Highways
xiv IT / ITES / BPO
xv. Machinery and Equipment
xvi. Media and Entertainment
For each of the above sectors the following aspects were considered:
• The size of the sector and its growth rate
• Key trends in the sector
• Projected employment
Projected sector growth rate was mapped to the projected employment growth rate. Based on this analysis, the high employment and growth sectors were chosen and courses were instituted according to what was felt would fulfill their needs.
Emphasis on soft skills and values
In the 21st Century every young individual stepping into the “Professional World”, pursues one common goal: Success And Money. From the first day these young minds get busy mapping out their roads, lanes and bye-lanes to the very top.
Lost in this rat race, busy running at their best speed to achieve the materialistic pleasures of our age, they lose out on what some consider the most important qualities of life: Peace of Mind, Ethics, Moral Values and Connection to their fellow being. Lost in the Machinations of life, they forget their place in the bigger scheme of things whether in the corporate world, in the families or even in the universe at large.
Can they really be blamed for following what they have been taught by the world around them, when the media and socio-political structure of our societies preach the creed of materialism? Where will they, our nation’s future, learn to follow the path of higher and finer values?
Corporate houses spend huge amount of money to impart soft skills in their work force which they think will help their employees to:
a) manage their own emotions
b) manage relationships
c) take responsibility of their own actions
Short term courses on soft skills do not change the attitude but just give an idea about them instead. It then depends on the person to practice and bring about the change. Building the course in curriculum will provide ample time and opportunities to bring about lasting shift.
Sri Sri University is fully conscious of its social responsibility to contribute towards the education that shape personalities in such a way that in the students, we do not just see tomorrow’s richest, but tomorrow’s leaders, and pillars of society on whose shoulders the world of the future will be built.
Sri Sri University intends to provide World-Class Holistic Education to its students which will facilitate Cognitive, Physical, Emotional, Social and Spiritual Growth. Its Philosophy on Education revolves around the overall development of a student and not merely academic excellence. The salient features of this philosophy are:
1. Be Child-centered, Culture and Tradition Rooted
2. Key trends in the sector
3. Integrate Love, Care and Compassion into the Education Process
4. Be Curiosity Driven rather than Information Based
5. Instill Self Esteem and Creativity
6. Individual Attention, based on the Uniqueness of Each Individual
7. Interactive Class-room Processes & Experiential Field Trips
8. Discipline through Self-Awareness
9. Teachers as Facilitators, not Instructors
10. Environment Develops Interest, Skill and Likings in the Student
11. Cordial and Friendly Teacher-Student Relationship Emphasis on soft skills and values
Benchmarks
The trend in Indian Education is for large sections of under-graduate and post-graduate students to leave the country for what is perceived as more integrated education in foreign shores. Even though a lot of initiative has been taken in the recent past in terms of private education, public opinion is still swayed by what they believe as the non reliability factor of unconventional private degrees.
To gain confidence of this sector, Sri Sri University intends to become a centre of Excellence matching International Standards in Education with participation of industries which are globally present and with academic experts from developed countries.
The Sri Sri University will match the best standards of the higher education sector for deeper penetration of information and individualized training and comfort for faculty and students alike. Some of them are:
Library 10 books per students
Printer 1 for every 10 students and 1 for each faculty
Computer 1 for every 3 students and 1 for each faculty
Space; 150 sq ft for each student in academic area
Students-teacher ratio 20 : 1
Journals per college 22
Workshop / seminars per academic year per discipline 54
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s vision is to TRANSFORM THROUGH EDUCATION, and this is specially kept in mind while putting together a curriculum of Global Standards in Sri Sri University.
Therefore, to facilitate its courses the following facilities are provided:
• Advanced laboratories
• Extensive libraries
• Student centers
• Technically advanced teaching aids
• Alumni association
• Hostels
• Hospital
• Housing and guest house
• Templeof knowledge
• Transportation
• Sports complex
• Meditation hall
• Residential complexes
• Married students accommodation
• Advanced communication and data management systems
• Community centre
• Art and creativity centre
October 26th, 2008
