MUSBA HASHMI talks to NANDITA ABRAHAM about evolution of designing, its scope and their recent collaboration
How is the collaboration with University of Derby?
We have collaborated with the University of Derby (UoD) for providing Degree provision to the students of Pearl Academy. This decision was taken in co-ordination with Kathryn Mitchell, Vice-chancellor, UoD keeping in mind the requirement of the course and industry. The UoD has also recognised our syllabus and mapped it with their curriculum.
What does this translate into?
This means that the students can study in Pearl Academy for three years and then move to Derby in their final year and get their degrees issued from an international university like Derby which lies in top-30 universities. This is something beyond just summer-exchange programmes and it will contribute to a brighter future of our students.
How important are collaborations in the design sector?
Collaborations play a key role not only in the design sector but in the whole education system. It is important for the students to learn the working of other industries and understand their work pattern. Collaborations also help in exchange of ideas and knowledge which thereby result in increased productivity. It is the kind of exposure that every student needs in order to gain work and industry experience.
What is your take on the trend of foreign exchange programmes?
These programmes are a very good pillar in moulding a student’s personality and career. They give student an opportunity to go and study in a foreign land, understand its culture and look up to things with a global perspective. The world is now shrinking to a very small place and it is very important for the students to understand things on a global context.
How do you see the design sector evolving?
The design sector has come a long way. There are multiple colleges which offer this course and also the industry demand for designers has increased. There are better work opportunities for the students, which was not the case some years back. Also, the students nowadays are more willing to take up designing as a career.
Designing was earlier limited to just fashion but now it has paved its way in every sector of work be it hotel management or anything. There is an increased need of designers who can come up with innovative ideas to enhance any business. Also the future of fashion and designing is very bright all over the world.
How does the university aim to reach its goals?
We are trying to become better each and every day. We are now focusing on multi-disciplinary education which means our students will have an opportunity to work on a live-project given by the industry. The students can partner with any other student from any department. The other thing that the university binds by is internationality and we want to make sure that each and every student of the university gains some international experience, be it through summer projects or from conducting joint classes with international universities.
What are the milestones in Indian education system?
The biggest challenge which is faced by the whole education system is a lack of practical knowledge. I would want the colleges to focus more on providing the students with more practical knowledge which will help them in their real life instead of just making them study a particular subject for the sake of clearing the exams. It should become more multi-dimensional.
Students should be aware of the hardships of the outside world and how to handle them. The universities should let students explore things on their own and not just preach them everything. Also the schools and colleges should become more student-centric though we are seeing this happening in some metros but this should be done on a larger scale.
What advise would you like to give out to the aspiring designers?
I would say just be confident of yourself, be creative, don't let the fear of failure hinder your ability of exploring new things and creating unique ideas because at the end designing is all about how creative you are and how well you can implement your ideas.