Panel Discussion – Redefining the 21st-Century Degree

The Academic Insights Education Excellence Awards and Summit 2025 culminated in a riveting panel discussion titled “Attendance, Internships, Online Learning & Real Skills: What Should a 21st-Century Degree Look Like?”. This session tackled the evolving demands of higher education amid digital shifts and employability pressures. Moderated with flair, it spotlighted the need for curricula balancing traditional benchmarks with practical competencies.

The moderator kicked off with flair: “Ladies and gentlemen, we now move to our culminating panel discussion… Please welcome our stellar panelists!” The event featured four distinguished voices from K-12, management, and business analytics, representing business schools prominently.

Distinguished Panelists

Mrs. Vandana Arora, Principal of Nahar International School, brought K-12 insights. With over 20 years in leadership, she has pioneered IB and Cambridge frameworks stressing inquiry-based learning and global citizenship. Her focus: Bridging school-to-university gaps through experiential, digitally fluent education.
Dr. Purushottam Bung, Professor and Director at R.V. Institute of Management, Bangalore, championed industry-aligned management programs. His expertise in analytics, entrepreneurship, and employability emphasizes internships and live projects over rote attendance.
Mr. Sagar Shah, Director of Le Mark Institute, offered a skills-centric view. Leading India’s top leadership training hub (50,000+ professionals trained), he advocates embedding communication, resilience, and collaboration via internships and certifications.
Dr. Jones Mathew, Principal and Head at Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon, highlighted analytics-driven degrees. He drives PG programs blending data science, enterprise internships, and Fortune 500 placements for Industry 4.0.

Key Debate Highlights

The opener posed: “In today’s hybrid landscape, should universities prioritize attendance, internships, online certifications, or real-world skills? Mrs. Arora, your view from school transitions?”

Mrs. Arora argued for foundational habits like attendance to build discipline, evolving into skill-focused university experiences. She stressed seamless transitions where school inquiry prepares students for internships.

Dr. Bung countered with ROI-driven metrics: Prioritize internships and projects proving employability. “Attendance alone doesn’t guarantee leadership,” he might say, citing RVIM’s success in South India’s management scene.

Mr. Shah pushed “real skills” over credits. Le Mark’s model proves certifications and behavioral training outpace volume-based online learning for resilience.

Dr. Mathew rounded with data where Analytics degrees thrive on internships with measurable outcomes. Great Lakes’ placements show hybrid skills trump attendance in Industry 4.0.

The lively debate unpacked tensions around attendance for equity vs. internships for relevance; online volume vs. demonstrable impact. Consensus emerged: Blend metrics, with skills certified via portfolios and employer feedback.

This discussion inspired educators to rethink degrees as skill passports, fueling the summit’s innovation spirit.