‘We are trying to reimagine technical education in India’: Plaksha University Trustee

New Delhi: Aakash Chaudhry is founder and trustee of Plaksha University and chief mentor and co-promoter of Aakash Educational Services Limited. He spoke to Careers360 about what makes Plaksha University different, placements and tech jobs and also regulating the coaching sector.

Q. What was the motivation behind starting Plaksha?

A. Plaksha is a university where we are trying to reimagine technical education in India. Many have attempted to reimagine models in management and liberal arts. However, in the field of tech education, there hasn’t been much rethinking.

The problems faced by India, considering the scale of our population and the size of our country, cannot be solved by simply adopting solutions designed for western problems. It is important for us to educate our children about our unique problems and how technology can be utilised in an interdisciplinary curriculum. This means that while studying AI, students should also be introduced to robotics, bioinformation systems, and data science. All these elements should work in harmony.

We aim to integrate liberal arts, design thinking, and real-world problem-solving alongside technology education. This approach is unconventional because Plaksha doesn’t begin with the traditional four-year B.Tech programmes.

Our focus is on offering programmes that are relevant to today’s needs. Our first major is computer science and AI, followed by robotics and cyber-physical systems as the second major. The third major is biological systems engineering, and the last major is a unique one. It allows non-science students who have studied maths till Class 12 to pursue data science, economics, and business. These four majors are unlike anything currently offered by tech education colleges.

Q. How is Plaksha different from others?

A. Plaksha believes that students should not have to pursue additional courses or internships after completing their education to become job-ready. This focus on relevance aligns with the approach of most global universities. They not only offer highly industry-relevant programmes but also engage in extensive research and industry interaction.

Plaksha aims to foster technological innovation, nurture an entrepreneurial mindset, and address the challenges faced by India today. Plaksha’s approach is holistic, ensuring industry relevance, and incorporating contributions from industry leaders.

Additionally, Plaksha benefits from its founders and trustees who have significant experience in leading technology companies and other engineering fields. They recognised a shortage of good talent in the market when running their businesses.

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Q. How many founders does this university have and what inspired you to invest, considering that you already run a large coaching institute?

A. We have over 75 founders. Actually, for us, it was something very close to our hearts because we witnessed students coming to prepare at Aakash who aspired to pursue various paths. We understood the tremendous effort put in by these students, teachers, families, and parents to secure admissions in top institutions. However, upon interacting with students who made it to these top institutions, we realised that the environment, education curriculum, job readiness, and job relevance offered by the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) were lacking.

Over time, we noticed that these institutions faced increasing challenges in adapting their curriculum and staying relevant. Being large and prestigious institutions, they encountered difficulties in making frequent changes due to their established processes, systems, and government involvement. Their size and historical framework made them less agile in responding to the changing needs. This presented an opportunity for us.

We saw the potential to establish an institution that could match the thinking of the IITs but be based in India, offering high-quality technology education. We viewed it as a service to the nation.

Q. How do you ensure that students are able to secure good opportunities and placements, especially in the context of tech layoffs?

A. By 2025, our first batch will graduate, and that will give us a clearer picture of how placements are turning out. However, we already gained insights into placements through our one-year Tech Leadership programme, which is designed for undergraduate students. Participants in this program have secured placements at top companies such as BCG, Amazon, Jeffrey, and Cisco.

The individuals who face layoffs are usually those who are engaged in jobs that are either becoming redundant or lack innovation and an interdisciplinary approach. These jobs being eliminated are typically routine positions that people pursued without considering whether their personal strengths and passions align with that particular line of work. Many individuals ventured into these so-called “tech jobs”, which may not even be actual tech jobs but are mistakenly labeled as such, especially in tech companies.

Our curriculum focuses not only on teaching computer science and AI but also on keeping robotics and other disciplines relevant, even in the face of job cuts or changes in the market.

Q. Will the founders absorb Plaksha’s first batch?

A. We are eagerly awaiting the graduation of our first batch so that we, as recruiters and founders of companies, can actively participate in campus placements and hire as many students as possible. We have a strong desire to bring talented individuals from Plaksha into our own companies. Our founders are excited about the prospect of hiring Plaksha students.

Q. What is the admission process?

A. Plaksha considers the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE Main) score and also the SAT score. The admission process at Plaksha is similar to global standards. It involves academic assessment, overall profile assessment, and a discussion or interview.

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Q. Do you believe the coaching industry should be regulated? Will that help parents choose?

A. Yes, I believe regulations are necessary and beneficial for the coaching industry. There are currently many issues and uncertainties surrounding coaching institutes, such as inadequate infrastructure, unqualified teachers, and operating in premises without proper licenses. These factors can lead parents to select subpar coaching institutes, resulting in negative outcomes for their children’s careers. Implementing regulations would provide parents with more transparency and the ability to assess the track record, authenticity, and quality of coaching institutes, ensuring a better selection process.

Currently, there is no specific licensing requirement for coaching institutions. As a result, anyone can start a coaching institute without meeting certain criteria or obtaining a license.

Q. What types of financial aid does Plaksha University offer?

A. Plaksha University provides generous scholarship and financial aid opportunities for students coming from humble backgrounds. We offer scholarships ranging from 20% to 100% of the fees, depending on the student’s profile and their hunger to pursue the programme. We also offer language support programmes to help students who lack confidence in communication skills and approximately 60% to 70% of the students receive some form of scholarship.