New Delhi:
The Indian School of Public Policy (ISPP) organised a workshop on National Education Policy (NEP). The session encouraged students to discuss and debate various nuances pertaining to public policy and the NEP, with the experts; some of the topics included: the components of a ‘good’ policy, and the role of policy vis-à-vis implementation in large scale change. During the debate, the focus was on the challenges faced in the school education space in India today, and the NEP.
Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Seema Bansal, Head - Partner and Director, Social Impact, who has been engaged at the BCG for nearly twenty years, said: “The session was interactive and interesting. There were debates and discussions around the topics of public policy making and implementation, as well as on the National Education Policy, with diverse inputs being injected by the students. The lively session was proof of the fact that the students were knowledgeable and motivated – two important qualities that public policy scholars should demonstrate.”
Nilay Wankhade, an ISPP scholar, who attended the session, felt that the session was not only an eye opener in more ways than one, but also provided necessary food-for-thought. He said: “The idea of merging public schools, for example, is an entirely different way of looking at education enhancement. I always thought more schools would be beneficial, as it eases access to education, but the speakers introduced a different viewpoint: they presented the idea of mergers being beneficial due to shared resources like infrastructure and teachers. It was a different way of looking at a challenge.”
What is the Indian School of Public Policy (ISPP)?
The Indian School of Public Policy was formally launched on October 23rd 2018 at the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi by dignitaries including Shri N.K. Singh, Shri Rajiv Mehrishi and Shri Gurcharan Das. Notable experts from Tata Institute of Social Science, Twitter Inc India, Brookings Institution, Uber India and GMR established the urgent need for a new generation of policy professionals through a panel discussion. The School has commenced its year-long Certificate Programme in Policy, Design & Management, intended to prepare students for challenging careers in policy action across government, industry and civil society, in August 2019, with a cohort of students from diverse backgrounds.
All you need to know about the organisers
Seema Bansal
Seema Bansal leads the BCG’s social impact practice in the Asia Pacific region. She has been with BCG for nearly twenty years and has dedicated the last ten years working deep inside the Government’s education, skilling and health systems. She has worked across multiple states including Haryana, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan, in collaboration with the Government. She also works with many foundations, NGOs and other development organizations.
Bansal has earned an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta and a degree in Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh.
Shoikat Roy
Shoikat Roy has several years of experience in the school education space and has worked with both the Governments of Jharkhand and Rajasthan on large scale, long-term school education transformation projects. He also has extensive public speaking experience, having represented India at the UN Security Council Working Groups and the UN General Assembly Committees and having participated in multiple conferences on matters ranging from foreign affairs to education policy.
Roy has received a Masters in Global Affairs from the University of Toronto and a Bachelors in Engineering (Information Technology & Communication) from Manipal University.
