Kolkata Knowledge Campus:

Rationale
A decade long of learning, growth and development of quality education has created a pedestal for NSHM from where it purports to consolidate as a knowledge partner to the world in the domains of Management and Media Education. NSHM Knowledge campus in Kolkata is meant to be one solid instrument for cutting-edge knowledge wealth generation in the said domains. This cannot be achieved in a day. Rather, it has to get built in continuum with active Knowledge Society participants comprising most importantly its students, where student aspirations and employer needs are supremely met.

Background
India’s performance on the economic front is somewhat dwarfed by that of its Asian neighbors and other countries. India has to become globally competitive for it to take its rightful place in the comity of nations. We have the numbers, but not the quality. Imagine the potential for growth and development if over a billion people, one sixth of humanity, are educated, creative and enterprising. Global public spending on education at present is estimated to exceed one trillion US dollars, that is about Rs 48,00,000 Crores, representing the cost of over 50 million teachers, one billion students and hundreds of thousands of educational institutions throughout the world.

Of the eight major drivers of competitive advantage as identified by the World Economic Forum – Knowledge is perhaps the driver which in the coming years is going to prove decisive in the race for sustained leadership. The knowledge era has arrived and we as Indians are uniquely placed, as knowledge happens to be the core competence of India.

Yes, we are not quite there but given the right inputs and the knowledge environment there can be no doubt that India has a distinct competitive advantage in Knowledge development, acquisition and deployment. NSHM in its own limited way has the will to create an environment that fosters knowledge workers. Such people must be at the cutting edge of knowledge, be competitive and innovative. India shall be having the largest pool of young minds. This is our time to bounce back as a developed nation.

Introduction
NSHM is today well poised to charter its own road to knowledge-based development, whilst maintaining its leadership in high quality education and all-round excellence in its products and services.
 

Purpose

1. Knowledge is not imparted for knowledge's sake alone, but given as a tool in the hands of thinking, active, sensitive, responsible individual.

2. Potential Intellectual hub by year 2010

3. India Developed

Strategic Objectives

1. One-stop destination for affordable, high quality education extending equal opportunity for all.

2. Public-Private and Global Partnership in building world-class education facilities

3. Virtual Learning Universe (VALUE) – An NSHM design on future learning.

4. Continuous development of human resources and multi-media knowledge content development.

5. Knowledge Interventions in multi-sectoral social development

6.  Knowledge Incubation and support for harvesting innovations from young minds

The Campus
NSHM knowledge campus shall draw on vastly more powerful educational technology -- For example, learning through a two-way voice activated computer assisted self-paced learning. Learners will be able to go beyond the classroom. Multimedia materials will reflect local values and culture, provide visual images of desired behavior and collaborate across borders and access information not previously available.

Key Attributes

1. Education centric -- in content, network, delivery and outcome

2.  Intellectual capital value generation

3. Creativity and innovation.

4. Designed for change.

5. Knowledge exchange and Transfer

6. Development beyond classrooms

7. Emphasis on Information Technology based solutions

WTO, GATS and FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
 

The World Trade Organization (WTO), established by replacing the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs at the Uruguay Round in 1994, is a forum, which many feel is solely for corporate interests to push their agenda in developing countries. The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) covered in the WTO, also a product of the Uruguay Round, is a legally enforceable agreement aimed at deregulating international markets in services, including education.

According to the European Commission, the GATS is "first and foremost an instrument for the benefit of business." The WTO has explicitly stated that one of the advantages of the GATS is that it will help "overcome domestic resistance to change".
 

NSHM Academy: GATS scenario
NSHM has entered into a higher education system which faces the contemporary changes and challenges arising out of exponential growth of knowledge and know-how, to keep pace with the rapid developments in Management and Technology.

These challenges can be met with a firm resolve to realize the potential of knowledge to create wealth and happiness through exploitation of all our stakeholders’ intellectual prowess, traditional knowledge base and entrepreneurial spirit. NSHM is a young institution with a decade of history behind it. Yet, it has succeeded in providing equal opportunities for aspirants from all over the country.

Today, its alumni are spread all across the globe. In its pursuit of national excellence by way of culminating as Knowledge Campus, NSHM today is establishing academic links with various Universities in and around the globe and exchange not only knowledge & Information but also students and scholars from this year 2006-2007 onwards.

 NSHM Academy envisages being much better and stronger in the post GATS scenario by way of its metamorphosis into a ‘Knowledge Campus’ with unique participatory, competitive and collaborative approaches towards integrated student development for the knowledge society.

The Expectations

1. A campus that has instruments to make knowledge accessible to all its students and scholars.

2. A network of relevant Information and knowledge resources for its users and access to and control over new communication technologies.

3. All forms of cultural empowerment, promotion of Indian arts and Indian culture and services with a central educational strategy.

4. Marketing of Knowledge services and Products

5. Entrepreneurship Development through overall facilitation involving technology, finance, training, market, investment, repayment etc.

6. Empowerment of School Children by igniting their minds in new vistas of knowledge beyond their school curriculums – NSHM Vision India Initiative.

7. Wider deployment and dissemination on the usage of Information appliances and Knowledge tools.

8. Mind to Market.