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Introduction

In the current scenario of globalization and the mushrooming of educational enterprises, the need of the hour is to provide quality education through proper leadership and system. It is absolutely essential to have enlightened, far-sighted and highly qualified persons and systems to handle matters related to education at all levels. The country with its huge population has a very high percentage of young people and this is expected to reach around 65% within the next 10 to 12 years. At the same time, the number of young people is going down steadily in practically all the western developed countries, thus creating a big vacuum for young and capable persons to take up different professional responsibilities. India, along with China, has the biggest opportunity to reap the benefit of this huge human vacuum, provided our youth are properly and professionally trained and made employable globally. Today, both India and China are in an advantageous position wherein these two countries can convert their “over-population liability” into “highly capable human assets”.

 The Government of India is very much aware of this fact and is taking concrete steps to increase the volume of professionally trained young people in the years to come. It is dreaming of offering professional and skills training to as many as 500 million people within a period of 12 years and the Central Government has drawn some ambitious plans to achieve this target.  In pursuit of this goal, All India Council for Technical Education, under the inspiration of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, organized a two-day National Conference, where about 500 prominent personalities from all over India participated. The importance of, and the urgent need for, globally competitive professional education was the highlight of that entire National Conference.  

 Xavier Institute (XIDAS), Jabalpur, which participated in that National Conference, has decided to take some follow-up steps of that National Conference, by organizing a National Seminar on: “Globally Competitive Education: The Need for Enlightened Leadership and System”. This National Seminar is meant to explore the various aspects of the challenges to quality and globally competitive education, which is definitely one of the most important challenges before the nation. The proposed National Seminar will make an assessment of the present status of education in the country and how the different sectors which are responsible for educating the young citizens of this country are functioning and catering to this vital area of nation-building. It will also identify the areas of strength as well as the shortcomings. But the primary purpose of this National Seminar is to look to the future and explore the various possibilities that will enable India to produce an educational system that will be globally competitive, a system that will be in a position to offer basic as well as professional education to the mushrooming millions of young people of this country.

 Educational leadership is becoming increasingly complex and it is facing unprecedented challenges. Managing changes in the field of education and improving it further is one of the most complex tasks of leadership. We are in need of leadership that is enlightened, forward looking, daring and highly capable of helping educators, students, parents and other stakeholders to play their respective roles creatively, meaningfully and effectively in the area of education. Along with leadership we also need a system that will promote such an enlightened and far-sighted education and remove all the wasteful and even harmful structures that are in operation today. The leadership needs to develop new organizational structures and systems that will promote and encourage quality learning. Such inspired and informed leadership and system are critical for the success of the nation in enabling the mushrooming millions of Indian youth employable, both within the country and at the global level. 

 In this gigantic task, apart from the political and bureaucratic leadership, there are also other levels of leadership, which need to collaborate with the political and bureaucratic leadership, to make the above dream a reality. These include the parents, the teachers and academicians, the youth themselves and the leaders of industries and business, who will be the potential employers.  The proposed National Seminar will examine the type of role each of these stakeholders will have to play in this task of building effective human capital and globally competitive human assets in the next decade or so.  

 Today, the education system must meet new standards of quality that is being demanded by an increasingly technological and diverse society, domestically and globally. Like business and industry, the education field is discovering that the old ways don't work and that innovation is absolutely essential. Further, today there is definitely a leadership crisis and structural or systemic lacuna at all levels for the promotion of quality and competitive education by attracting, preparing, and supporting the next generation in our schools and higher education institutions. The education system calls for better, stronger, creative, innovative, more visionary and bolder leadership along with the required structural and even systemic changes. Besides, there is an urgent need for these systems to build robust linkages with the industrial houses/development organizations to enhance the quality of the programs being offered, to promote skills development and to make the graduating students employable in a competitive world.  

 In the light of these reflections, this National Seminar proposes to make an in-depth study of the different issues and aspects related to quality education and the required leadership and structural and systemic changes that can bring about such growth. The following are some (but not exclusive) sub-themes of this National Seminar on which scholars are invited to present research papers:

1. The Role of the State in Promoting Quality Education (policy-making, legislating, decision-making, executing)

2. The Role of Educational Administrators (Vice Chancellors, Principals, Members of the Governing Boards, etc.)

3. The Role of Private Parties and Organizations

4. The Role of Public-Private Partnership

5. The Role of different Stakeholders

6. The Role of the Management Institutes

7. The Role of the Technical Institutes

8. The Role of other Professional Institutes

9. Quality University Level Education

10. Quality School Level Education

11. Developing Quality and Competitive Educational Structures and Systems

12. Success Stories of Quality Education

13. New Avenues and Vistas for Professional Education

14. Education for Sustainable Development

15. Education for Self-Development

16. Education for Conflict Resolution at different levels

17. Responding to the Demands of the Market – National and Global

18. The Impact of Employment-centred Education

19. Promoting Creativity and Innovativeness in Education

20. Effective Teaching Methods and Aids to Promote Quality Education  

21. The Perception of the Youth about Education and its Future

22. Privatization of Education and its Impact on Competitive Education

23. Internationalization of Education and its Impact on Competitive Education

24. The Use of latest Learning Technologies to Promote Competitive Education

25. Distant Education System and its Impact on Quality Education

Research Papers

A few well-known specialists in this field will serve as resource persons and key-note speakers. In addition, scholars, researchers, policy-makers, educational administrators, opinion leaders, company chairpersons, heads of civic organizations, government officials, CEOs, CFOs, HRD heads and HRD managers, senior managers, consultants, academicians and trainers, environmental specialists, students of management studies, budding entrepreneurs, etc., are invited to submit empirical and/or theoretical papers, case studies, concept papers on different aspects of globally competitive education and the type of leadership and structures and systems that are required to make this dream a reality. 

Guidelines for Abstract Submission

The selection of papers for presentation will be based on Abstracts of 300 to 500 words. The Abstracts must include a clear indication of the purpose of the proposed research. The author(s) should also clearly mention under what area of the Seminar the Abstract is to be included. While preparing the abstract, they should adhere to the following: 

 A soft copy of the Abstract should be submitted for approval. The last date to submit the Abstract is February 28, 2009. The authors will be notified about the acceptance of the Abstract as soon as possible, latest by March 10, 2009. The final paper (of about 3000 to 3500 words) should be submitted by March 20, 2009.  Only the papers that are complete in all aspects and submitted within the stipulated date will be accepted for presentation. The author of the research paper is expected to participate fully in the entire Seminar and make his/her contributions. Moreover, in absentia papers are strongly discouraged and if any paper is approved for in absentia presentation it will be only for exceptional reasons.

 Important Dates 

  Guidelines for Submission of Papers

One soft copy of the selected paper will have to be submitted to the Seminar coordination committee on or before March 20, 2009. The Paper must include a clear indication of the purpose of the research, the methodology, the major results and their implications, case studies (where possible), a critical analysis of the data and key references. They should adhere to the following: 

 It is absolutely necessary to provide references and footnotes, so that the readers are informed about the sources of the data, information, views or opinions. Further, the author is solely responsible for the accuracy of all the figures, quotations and references.

 Copyright and Ownership 

All papers accepted for presentation at this National Seminar will be the property of Xavier Institute (XIDAS) and it will have full copyright over these papers. Out of these, some selected papers will be published in the form of a book or in Vikas Vani Journal of the Institute. 

 Venue and Participation in the Seminar 

The National Seminar will be held in the premises of Xavier Institute – XIDAS, Jabalpur (MP). All the participants are expected to participate fully in the entire Seminar – from the inaugural function to the valedictory function. The scholars or researchers who present papers are also expected to be present for the entire Seminar, except the special resource persons and special invitees.

 Registration

Interested persons may register themselves to participate in this National Seminar. No registration fee will be charged from the scholars whose papers are selected for presentation. In case of more than one author, free registration will be offered to only one of them. The registration fee include board and lodge (for those who need), seminar materials, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, coffee/tea, sight-seeing trip. The Institute will provide free Board and Lodge to the scholars (one person only, in case of multiple authors) whose research papers are selected for presentation. The registration fees are as follows:    

 All Payments are to be made by DD in favour of “XIDAS” payable at Jabalpur. 

    For details, contact the Convener of the Seminar:

E-mail: xidasnatsem@gmail.com

Institute’s Contact Numbers:

Tel: +91-761-260-2483/1091; Fax: +91-761-260-6341

Website: www.xidas.in; Email: xidasjbp@sancharnet.in