CXO of the week: Ravi Panchanadan, MD and CEO, Manipal Global Education Services

Manipal Global Education Services is a premier international provider of quality business and marketing solutions in higher education. Our services help educators and institutions keep pace with the learners’ evolving demands and set up business best practices focused on the future needs of higher education. Manipal Global, a part of the Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG), currently has a presence worldwide, holding, operating, and championing campus enterprises across India, Dubai, Malaysia, Nepal, and Antigua in the Caribbean.

Ravi Panchanadan is Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Manipal Global Education Services. He is currently Co-Chair of the Higher Education Committee - The Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and a member of the Higher Education & Training Committee of the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Before Manipal Global, Ravi was with Infosys. He has also worked with Intel and Hindustan Unilever (HUL). A Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, Ravi also holds a PG Diploma in Management from XLRI, Jamshedpur.

Introduction

Manipal Global Education Services is a premier international provider of quality business and marketing solutions in higher education. Our services help educators and institutions keep pace with the learners’ evolving demands and set up business best practices focused on the future needs of higher education. Manipal Global, a part of the Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG), currently has a presence worldwide, holding, operating, and championing campus enterprises across India, Dubai, Malaysia, Nepal, and Antigua in the Caribbean.

How has Covid-19 accelerated the transition to digital for the education industry? What will be the new normal in the education industry?

 Covid-19 gave impetus to collaborative efforts across governments, academia, and industry, digitally upgrading content and adopting technology to ensure continued learning. Today, students have the flexibility of hybrid modules and e-designed digital content for studying. Gamified tests and revisions help students practice and prepare. Global network and mentorship opportunities are now possible through training and upskilling programs.

Technology integrations will bring the world closer with global faculty exposure and subject matter expert lectures through MOOCs, VEP/COIL. It will also allow for personalised and niche industry learning. We will witness the campus of the future, act as a hub for quality content, real-time knowledge sharing, mentorships, academic-industry connection, innovation, and more, driving scalable learner outcomes.

What, as per you, are the three important things that Manipal Global looks at today?

 We are open to experimenting and innovating in the modules of teaching that best address learner needs. Making tech the foundation, we have endeavored for new learning solutions. This has resulted in new-age courses under Manipal Global Skills Academy and supplementary learning tools like Manipal MedAce for medical students.

 Our work with international and regional academia ensures a global knowledge share across academic programs allowing our learners to benefit and grow. This is further leveraged through industry partnerships and leadership connections.

We have invested and continue our efforts to upskill and train faculty to ensure effective online and hybrid knowledge transference. This coupled with innovation, drives change and pedagogy success.

What changes is Manipal Global bringing to the education industry?

Manipal Global brings innovation in teaching and learning. We are focused on finding solutions that cater to the learner today and in the future. Pioneers in the field of education, we offered distance learning programs in 2010 and built transformative industry-academia that provides a first-day, first-hour productive workforce across industries, especially the BFSI domain.

Today, we work with partners across the globe under the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) framework to bring contextualized learning from different parts of the world to our learners. We offer world-class learning and certifications surpassing geographic limitations and unique job-assured programs in partnership with leading Indian and international companies. These innovations in pedagogy are set on a pathway to scale in the future.

Will work-from-home have any bearing on the education industry?

Remote teaching and learning have enabled synergism of pedagogy, making world-class content and faculty available for any time learning. However, physical interactions play an important role in shaping a learner - especially in the formative years, and are key for mentorship programs. Education will apply the best of both – online & offline, creating an effective hybrid brand of pedagogy.