Need for an Asian Model of Education

Exchange of Ideas at the IndiaChinaManagement Education Conference 2012

This September marked a moment of history in the field of Education between the world's two most populous nations,IndiaandChina. The India China Economic and Cultural Council in cooperation with the Education Forum for Asia organized the first India China Management Education Conference in Chengdu, China on 23^rd September 2012, bringing together prominent academicians, professors dean and experts from leading management schools in both countries to engage in dialogue, thus sparking further dialogue in the field of Management Education between India and China.

Dr. Yao Wang, Director General of the Boao Forum for Asia and Dr. Narendra Jadhav, Member of the Planning Commission of India opened the session by outlining the emerging powers of India and China and the need to cooperate in terms of Educational exchange. “BothIndia&Chinanow form the backbone of the new global economy, and this brings a unique differentiation in terms of management practice and expertise required, that is quite different from the West”, Dr. Yao commented. Dr. Jadhav noted that “Though the West already has a well established and mature model of education, asian educational models have existed for a long time in history, and now there is a need to integrate these asian models for the benefit of the region.”

The conference was attended by eminent academics from India and China which included Prof. Huang Haifeng (Associate Dean, Peking University HSBC Business School, Dr. Wang Yuesheng (Director, Department of International Economics, School of Economics, Peking University), Dr. Wei Sen (Professor, School of Economics, Fudan University), Prof. Li Weiguang (Chief Professor of Finance,TianjinUniversityof Finance & Economics), Prof. Raj S. Dhankar (Dean, Faculty of Management Studies,DelhiUniversity),  Dr. Sanjiv Marwah (Director,EraBusinessSchool), Dr. R C Natarajan (Director,T.A.PaiManagementSchool, Manipal).

The Open discussion session chaired by Dr. Narendra Jadhav and Prof. Huang Haifeng saw rich dialogue and exchange of ideas in terms of areas of cooperation betweenIndiaandChinain the field of Education. Education continues to be the crucial pillar for both these emerging economies, as they march forward on their development paths. And it is important that bothIndiaandChinaas leading nations inAsia, learn from each other's national models of education.

The need for trueAsiabusiness case studies to be used as teaching material to management students was also identified, and speakers at the conference have expressed willingness to collaborate with their counterparts to work on joint India China case studies.

In conclusion to the conference, it was mutually decided to create an Asian Education Society, in order to take forward the notion of the prominence & importance of the Asian Model of Education, through collaboration and exchange between Educational institutes in Asia, beginning withIndiaandChinathe two asian giants.

The ICEC Council will work on the formation of this society and will be responsible for finalizing the role and activities of this Forum.

 2012 © IndiaChinaEconomic and Cultural Council