Under the leadership of Ravneet Pawha, the Deputy Vice President (Global) and the CEO-South Asia, Deakin University, Australia became the first international university to establish operations in India in 1994. The continued contribution of Pawha towards establishing the university as a premier choice among Indian students was recently recognised at the India Australia Business Community Award (IABCA) where she was honoured with the ‘Business Leader of the Year 2018’ award. In an interview with Ankita Saxena, she shares the University’s journey in India and its commitment to strengthen the India-Australia ties in the domain of education. Edited excerpts from the interview:
What does the IABCA award mean to you and the university at large?
This award celebrates the Australia-India relationship and the contribution made by people towards strengthening the bond between the two countries. For me, this award is important because it celebrates Deakin’s 25 years in India, which has been amazing from both personal and professional perspective. It is also important to celebrate the people behind the success. Be it the team at the India office or the leadership of the university, it is the passion in people that has dictated our fruitful journey.
What made Deakin University choose India for its first international office?
The second Prime Minister of Australia, Alfred Deakin, on whom the university is named, had a vision that the Australia-India relationship is going to be very important for the two countries. Concurring with the same, Deakin, being a young and innovative university decided to embark on the journey and establish its presence in India not just to look at student recruitment but to also work with India, in India, for India. The whole idea was to engage, contribute and to exchange excellence in knowledge between the two countries.
With you at the helm of the operations, how has the 25-year long journey been so far?
To think of the journey so far, we have to first think of India 25 years ago. The globalisation of the Indian economy and the education sector in particular was a big change. Deakin University was the first of its kind to set up an office abroad and I remember, at that time there was no understanding of the how and why. Thus, we had to first create that understating in the market and then look at partnerships with the Indian universities. This whole process has been very interesting. We hardly understood globalisation ourselves; leave alone know its implementation in terms of curriculum, degree, decisions on infrastructure requirements and more importantly the impact on the student community. However, we have come a long way, where today, Deakin’s South Asia office and its activities are often showcased as a ‘case study’ of successful model of engagement. We are indeed proud to be featured as a successful case study in the ‘India Economic Strategy to 2035’ by the Australian government. A document that charts out Australia’s vision for economic partnerships in India for next 20 years.
Please elaborate on some of the partnerships in India
Over the past two decades, Deakin has established strong strategic partnerships with premier institutions in India, both with industry and academia. The university provides strategic inputs in teaching and learning programs besides offering various options for studies through semester abroad programs, research, internships, mobility and in-country capacity building programs. We have partnered with institutions in India such as All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), IIT Madras, National Skills Development Council (NSDC), CII, ISB, Centurion University, CEPT University, NID, VIT University, IITs, IISC, Symbiosis International University, University of Mumbai, Hyderabad University and Amity University. Our strategic collaborations to engage in areas of health science, biotechnology and sports include those with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Indian Premier League team—Rajasthan Royals, Max Healthcare, NIMHANS and Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF). We also run various Student Mobility Programs in collaboration with some of these partners under which, each year, about 200 Deakin students travel to engage in several activities.
What are some of Deakin’s initiatives to encourage research in India and Australia?
We work closely with premier academic institutions, government bodies, key industry bodies to engage in cutting-edge research in community based topics in the areas of science, material, manufacturing, management, social sciences and CSR. The Deakin India Research Initiative (DIRI) is at the helm of our commitment to build a robust knowledge cohort. Currently, DIRI involves over 80 projects over 20 organisations across India. The establishment of research centres of excellences like the TERI Deakin Nanobiotechnology Centre, the TOBY Playpad Laboratory and the Centre of Excellence in Advanced Materials with IIT Madras, have been some of the key milestones.
Does the university offer scholarships to Indian students to study at Deakin? Are there any specific student engagement activities?
In a first of its kind initiative, Deakin has established a scholarship program—‘Changing Lives’, with NDTV, which offers 100 per cent scholarship on tuition fee. For research programs, the Indian government offers ‘Endeavour Scholarships’ where the government would spend on students to spend time at Deakin. For the undergraduate and postgraduate students, Deakin offers meritorious scholarships ranging from 10-25 per cent and four 100 per cent scholarships for the best in various fields. We heavily subsidise the education for Indian and South Asian students to encourage them to experience world-class facilities at Deakin University.