Pune: A Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) course should be integrated into engineering curricula to equip students with the necessary digital-age skills, experts from academia and industry recommended at a recent Pune International Centre (PIC) roundtable.
The discussion, centered on a recommendation paper advocating for a DPI course, highlighted the growing importance of digital platforms and networks in governance, healthcare, education, and finance. Experts emphasized that a structured DPI curriculum could bridge existing knowledge gaps and prepare students for emerging job roles in the digital economy.
Bridging the Digital Skills Gap
DPI encompasses foundational digital systems that facilitate seamless access to public services. However, Dinanath Kholkar, Research Track Lead at PIC, pointed out that many students remain unaware of India’s progress in this field, underscoring the need for a formalized educational framework.
Dr. Pradeep Mane, Dr. Rajesh Ingle, and Dr. Vivek Bhartiya, who have been instrumental in drafting a model syllabus, are advocating for its recommendation to regulatory bodies like AICTE.
The primary focus of the discussion was integrating DPI education within the National Education Policy (NEP) while addressing curricular constraints and skill development challenges.
Key Challenges and Expert Recommendations
Workforce Readiness: Experts stressed the importance of continuous learning, upskilling, and strategic industry partnerships to help students meet industry expectations.
Course Implementation: Dr. Madhura Vipra called for a data security framework within the DPI syllabus, while Dr. Deepak Shikarpur recommended job-linked learning models to boost student engagement.
Curriculum Design: Dr. Rekha Sugandhi proposed making DPI a minor specialization rather than an elective, simplifying its incorporation into academic programs.
Course Focus: Navin Kabra suggested refining the syllabus to cover foundational DPI concepts rather than exhaustive use cases, while Parth Lawate raised the debate on whether the course should focus on creating DPI systems or utilizing existing ones.