Hyderabad – In a rare move, Hyderabad-based Nelson Business School organized its first-ever Convocation Ceremony for its online business management graduates of 2024. The event was held at Hotel Taj Deccan on Saturday. Jayesh Ranjan, Special Chief Secretary of the Industries & Commerce (I&C) and Information Technology (IT) Departments of the Telangana government was the Chief Guest. He presented graduation certificates to 75 students.
The graduates included both local students and those from countries such as Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and Djibouti. A highlight of the ceremony was K. Pranathi and K. Saideep, a couple who are students of the PG Diploma in Management received their graduation certificate. Both work as Operations Managers in a major IT company. The attended the ceremony with their three-year-old daughter, Aathira.
“Convocation ceremonies are common for traditional courses, but such ceremonies for online courses are rare,” remarked Divya Jayaraman, Regional Head of Nelson Business School. She emphasized that online courses are ideally suited for working professionals.
“We used to have online classes on weekends for two days, three hours each day,” shared Pranathi and Saideep which are very convenient for working professionals
Speaking on the occasion, Jayesh Ranjan expressed his delight at seeing working professionals pursuing further education to improve their qualifications, enhance job prospects, change designations, or even shift careers to pursue entrepreneurial journeys. He noted that management education provides the essential tools for handling various business and management-related challenges. “India, under PM Modi, is poised to become a $5 trillion economy soon. Similarly, Telangana’s Chief Minister, Revanth Reddy, envisions making Telangana a $1 trillion economy in the next 10 years. To realize these dreams, we all need to contribute, especially the private sector, and your newly acquired management skills will be instrumental in finding strategies for the economic progress of our nation.”
“Today, Telangana is a hub not only for Indian companies but also for many global companies,” he added. “The strengths that make this possible include a highly professional workforce, a talent pool, and a large population of English-speaking individuals.”
Before the convocation, a panel discussion was organized on the topic “Will Online Education Be the Future of Education?”. The panellists included Dr Usha Yanamandra, Founder and CEO of Katalyst and Social Intelligence Expert; Anuradha A, Executive Partner & HYD Location Leader at IBM; Shishir Bansal, Additional Director General at Central Public Works Dept, Govt of India; Thrimurthy Oduri, Faculty Member of Nelson Business School (an alumnus of IIT-Kharagpur); and Aditya Deendayal, Executive Director of Alankrita Resorts and VP-TCEI. The discussion was moderated by Saumik Pal, AVP of Cyber Security at an MNC.
The panellists largely favoured online education, with the majority agreeing that it would play a significant role in the future of education. However, Shishir Bansal expressed concerns, suggesting that online education may not be sustained long-term and that it might not be beneficial for society in all contexts. He posed a rhetorical question, asking the audience to consider whether they would prefer online doctors over offline doctors.
Addressing concerns about the social development of students and strategies to mitigate such issues, Aditya Deendayal highlighted the importance of interaction with instructors and peers. He suggested that active participation in online forums, group projects, and virtual study groups could help combat isolation. Additionally, utilizing social features of learning platforms and joining course-related online communities can foster a sense of belonging.
Other panellists observed that online education is cost-effective and allows for learning at one’s convenience. “Whether you like it or not, online education is going to be the mainline education in the future,” they remarked.
Moderator Saumik Pal added that the Government of India offers several online education programs, including SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds), which provides affordable, quality online courses across various disciplines.
“Today, you can earn a degree from the comfort of your home, at your own pace, and often at a fraction of the cost of traditional education. However, this shift does raise questions about employment prospects. Many students wonder if their online degrees will be accepted in the job market, particularly by multinational companies. The answer is yes – degrees completed online are recognized and valid for jobs in multinational companies and higher education opportunities,” Pal reassured the audience.
