QS: What is your university's vision and how are its mission and actions unique within the region?

Dr Achyuta Samanta: KIIT's vision embodies the ancient Sanskrit wisdom "Sa vidya ya vimuktaye", education that liberates. We envision creating professionals who are enlightened global citizens and who carry the torch of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam", the world as one family.

Our mission transcends conventional academic boundaries through what I call "Siksha with Sanskar", education infused with values. What makes KIIT unique is our transformative journey from "Soil to Silver", beginning with just Rs 5,000 in two rented rooms to becoming a 36-square-kilometer academic township serving 40,000 students from 70 countries.

We are the only private university in South Asia with UN-ECOSOC Special Consultative status. Our triple helix model integrates academics, industry and society, where 24 Olympians train alongside future engineers, where tribal students from Odisha's remotest villages pursue medical degrees, and where innovation meets compassion through our sister concern KISS, providing free education to 80,000 tribal children.

As Paulo Freire noted, "Education changes people; people change the world." KIIT operationalises this through our ecosystem approach, from our 2,600-bedded hospital serving the community to our Technology Business Incubator ranked as India's top private bio-incubator. We don't just teach sustainability, we practice it as India's greenest campus.

Our actions reflect Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences theory, offering 23 schools from engineering to fashion, enabling students to combine seemingly disparate disciplines preparing them for the VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) world.

QS: What skills and values does society need to succeed and why, and how is your university addressing those skills and values?

AS: The Fourth Industrial Revolution demands what I call the "5C Framework": Critical thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, Communication and Compassion. Society needs T-shaped professionals, deep specialists with broad interdisciplinary understanding. We need ethical leaders who can navigate the moral complexities of AI, genetic engineering and climate change while remaining anchored in human values.

Modern society requires individuals who can function interdependently while maintaining their unique contributions. The NEP 2020's emphasis on holistic education aligns perfectly with our pedagogical philosophy.

We are witnessing liquid modernity where change is constant and adaptability becomes survival. Hence, emotional intelligence, cultural sensitivity and ethical reasoning are survival skills. KIIT addresses these through our "Competency-Character-Commitment" triad.

Our curriculum integrates Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) with cutting-edge technology. We have operationalised experiential learning through our "Learn-Unlearn-Relearn" cycle. Our mandatory community service programs ensure students understand grassroots realities. We are creating what Peter Senge calls a "learning organisation" - where failure is pedagogy, innovation is habit and empathy is curriculum.

QS: Where are the biggest opportunities for growth in higher education and social advancement in your region?

AS: Odisha, and Eastern India broadly, stands at an inflection point, what I term the "Demographic Dividend meets Digital Destiny" moment. With 65 percent of our population under 35, we have a historic opportunity to transform potential into productivity.

The biggest opportunities lie in three intersecting domains: First, the "Rurban Revolution" - bridging the rural-urban divide through technology-enabled education. With initiatives like Digital India and our own outreach programs, we can democratise quality education. The opportunity is creating contextual curricula that addresses local challenges while maintaining global standards. Our KISS model demonstrates how tribal knowledge systems can enrich mainstream education, turning diversity into strength.

Second, the "Blue-Green Economy" convergence. Odisha's 480-kilometer coastline and rich biodiversity offer immense potential for sustainable development education. We are developing programmes in marine biotechnology, renewable energy and climate resilience, areas where regional advantage meets global necessity. The state's mineral wealth presents opportunities for sustainable mining education, while our cultural heritage offers scope for creative economy programs.

Third, "Industry 4.0 localisation." As global supply chains reconfigure, Eastern India can become a manufacturing and services hub. This requires massive skilling and reskilling. KIIT's Technology Business Incubator exemplifies how educational institutions can catalyse economic transformation.

The opportunity lies in creating an innovation ecosystem where academic research translates into entrepreneurial ventures, generating employment while solving societal challenges. The NEP 2020's emphasis on vocational education and multidisciplinarity aligns perfectly with regional needs. We are moving from "job seekers to job creators," fostering what Schumpeter called "creative destruction”.

QS: If you could shape higher education in one key way to make it better, where would you focus and why?

AS: I would fundamentally reimagine assessment from "Evaluation to Evolution", shifting from standardised testing to personalised growth tracking. Current education suffers from Marks Myopia ,an obsession with grades that kills creativity and promotes rote learning. As Einstein observed, "Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.”

My focus would be on implementing "Holistic Progress Profiles", comprehensive assessments capturing cognitive, emotional, social, physical and ethical development. Inspired by Finland's phenomenon-based learning and informed by Bloom's revised taxonomy, this system would evaluate not just what students know but how they think, create and contribute.

Imagine portfolios showcasing real-world problem-solving, peer collaboration metrics, community impact assessments and self-reflection journals alongside academic achievements. This transformation addresses the fundamental mismatch between industrial-age assessment and information-age requirements. Current systems, designed for standardisation, cannot measure creativity, empathy, or entrepreneurial thinking, precisely the competencies the future demands.

By adopting continuous, formative assessment using AI-powered analytics, we can provide real-time feedback, personalised learning paths and predictive insights. This shift would cascade into curriculum design, teaching methodology and institutional culture. Teachers would transform from instructors to mentors, classrooms from lecture halls to collaborative spaces, and universities from degree-factories to transformation centres. The focus shifts from "testing to testifying”. This aligns with the NEP 2020's vision while addressing the mental health crisis plaguing students, creating an education system that nurtures rather than filters, that includes rather than excludes.

QS: What are you most hopeful for or excited about in the future?

AS: I'm most excited about what I envision as the "Renaissance of Conscience", where technological advancement converges with spiritual wisdom, creating enlightened global citizens.

The future I see is one where artificial intelligence amplifies human intelligence rather than replacing it, where virtual reality makes quality education accessible to every child in the remotest village and where blockchain ensures educational credentials are portable and verifiable globally.

I'm hopeful about Generation Alpha's inherent global consciousness. These digital natives don't see boundaries; geographical, disciplinary, or cultural. They are naturally collaborative, environmentally conscious and socially aware.

I'm particularly hopeful about education's democratisation through technology. Imagine AI tutors providing personalised learning, quantum computers solving complex societal challenges, and biotechnology addressing food security, all guided by ethical frameworks rooted in our philosophy of "Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah" (may all beings be happy).

The future belongs to institutions that can balance "high-tech with high-touch," maintaining human connection in digital times. What excites me most is the possibility of ending educational poverty within this generation, where every child, regardless of circumstances, can unlock their potential. This isn't utopian fantasy but an achievable reality through collective will and innovative approaches. The journey from darkness to light - "Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya" - continues and I'm privileged to be part of this transformative epoch.