With changing industry demands and rapid technological advancement, universities must rethink how education is delivered. The focus is now on creating adaptable, skilled, and value-driven graduates. Hasmukh P. Rama, Founder President of AURO University, shares his views in an exclusive interview with Abhineet Kumar and Anil Sharma of Elets Technomedia.
Question 1. The role of private universities evolving in complementing public institutions to strengthen India’s higher education ecosystem, and what makes AURO University unique in this context?
Private universities are evolving from capacity fillers to innovation partners, complementing public institutions in strengthening India’s higher education ecosystem. Their agility enables the rapid adoption of global pedagogies and responsive curriculum redesign aligned with emerging industry needs. Together, this contributes to a more responsive and future-ready higher education ecosystem alongside public institutions.
AURO University is rooted in a deeply personal vision inspired by Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, where education is seen as a journey of human transformation, not merely employability.
Aligned with NEP 2020, it focuses on four dimensions of development: physical, mental, emotional (vital), and spiritual. The core belief is that students should not be rushed into corporate life but nurtured by planting the right seeds early, allowing growth to unfold naturally on a firm foundation.
Value-based education is central, with courses such as Foundations of Indian Culture and Science of Living connecting modern education with deeper civilisational wisdom. Yoga, meditation, sports, and physical education are integrated into daily learning to build discipline, clarity, and inner balance.
The Sri Aurobindo Integral Life Centre (SAILC) serves as the living core of this philosophy, while La Grace Sri Aurobindo Centre in the USA extends it into corporate retreats and conscious leadership development.
At AURO University, this role is reflected through integral and transformational education, combining academic excellence with ethics, adaptability, and holistic development, ensuring graduates are future-ready and value-driven.
Question 2. Despite rising degrees, the skill gap persists. Where do you think academia is falling short, and how can universities bridge this disconnect with industry?
Despite rising degrees, a persistent skill gap continues because education is still largely treated as knowledge transfer rather than capability building. The required shift is from “education for degrees” to education for life and livelihood, where students are nurtured as entrepreneurs and economy builders, not just job seekers.
Academia must move beyond the narrow “mind and hand” model to an integral framework that develops intellectual, physical, emotional, and ethical dimensions, creating adaptable graduates for a VUCA world.
A key gap lies in weak integration between classroom learning and real-world application. This can be addressed through action learning and experiential education, where students engage with real problems as part of their academic journey. Universities must function as living laboratories, embedding internships, live projects, and capstone experiences into core learning.
At AURO University, this is strengthened through a Faculty Internship Programme, ensuring faculty remain industry-connected. Mentorship models with Professors of Practice bring real-world complexity into classrooms.
Question 3. From your perspective, how transformative has NEP 2020 been so far, and what are the key challenges in its implementation?
AURO University aligns closely with NEP 2020 by embracing its vision of a flexible, multidisciplinary, and student-centric system, introducing mobility, choice, and lifelong learning into Indian education.
Key reforms such as the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), Multiple Entry and Multiple Exit (ME&ME), and the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) have redefined learning pathways and aligned India with global standards.
However, implementation challenges remain. The most significant is the shift from rote learning to critical thinking and intellectual risk-taking. Faculty preparedness, uneven state-level execution, credit transfer complexities, and societal perceptions around vocational education continue to slow progress. Stronger industry engagement beyond formal MoUs is also required.
Question 4. With AI rapidly reshaping industries, how should universities redesign curriculum and pedagogy?
Artificial Intelligence is transforming industries and highlighting the limitations of traditional education. It is not a threat but a reflection of the need for transformation. The focus must shift to the “human edge” of creativity, ethics, intuition, and judgement.
AI should be treated as a horizontal capability, embedded across disciplines rather than confined to standalone courses. At AURO University, AI is integrated with human-centric learning, ensuring both technical fluency and ethical grounding.
Pedagogy must move towards experiential, inquiry-driven, and adaptive learning, where AI acts as a learning partner and faculty evolve into mentors, guides, and facilitators.
Assessment systems should shift towards competency-based and portfolio-based evaluation, focusing on application rather than memorisation.
The goal is to prepare graduates who can use AI responsibly to solve real social and industrial challenges, combining technological capability with human values.
Question 5. What role can stronger industry partnerships and experiential learning play in employability and entrepreneurship?
At AURO University, curricula are continuously co-designed with industry inputs in areas such as AI, sustainability, and emerging technologies. Students engage in internships, live projects, innovation labs, and community-based learning, building adaptability, problem-solving, and communication skills.
Equally important is entrepreneurship development through incubation support, mentorship, and start-up ecosystems, enabling students to experiment and understand real market dynamics. This shifts mindsets from job seekers to job creators, strengthening both employability and innovation capacity.
Question 6. As we look ahead to the VGRC Summit, what outcomes and collaborations do you expect?
The VGRC Summit is expected to serve as a catalytic platform for structural integration in higher education across the country.
A key outcome could be the creation of a Regional Higher Education Consortium or Knowledge Corridor across Surat, Vadodara, Bharuch, and Ahmedabad, enabling the sharing of faculty expertise, research infrastructure, and academic resources, with potential for expansion across the country.
The summit will deepen industry and academia collaboration beyond MoUs through structured internships, co-designed curricula, and joint certification programmes aligned with regional strengths such as AI, sustainability, and advanced manufacturing.
It will also strengthen linkages between universities, MSMEs, and start-ups, building a regional innovation and incubation ecosystem.
A key focus is integrating hard infrastructure with soft infrastructure, including management, IT, design, and hospitality capabilities that support Gujarat’s evolving economy.