Two-day International Conference on

TRANSFORMATIVE REFORMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

BEST PRACTICES IN IMPLEMENTATION OF NEP 2020

Research. Reform. Transform.

April 29 & 30 2025

About The ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education (IFHE) & ICFAI Business School (IBS-Hyderabad)

The ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education (IFHE) is a deemed-to-be-University established under section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, Government of India. Prof. C. Rangarajan, the former Governor of Reserve Bank of India, is the Chancellor of IFHE. The IFHE has a 91-acre lush green campus at Hyderabad with a built-up area of over 16 lakh sq. ft. The campus is fully residential, Wi-Fi enabled and equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. Hostels along with a wide range of indoor and outdoor games facilities are available. The IFHE has a large and well qualified faculty pool comprising of mostly doctorates with rich industry experience. The faculty members are involved into research, case development and industry consultancy.

IBS, Hyderabad is a constituent of the IFHE, Hyderabad, Telangana, a deemed-to-be University under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956. Since inception in 1995, IBS has grown impressively and achieved widespread recognition from industry, academic circles, and professional bodies. It is a premier business school that has been consistently ranked by independent rating agencies as one of the top B-Schools of India. It was one of the first three business schools from South Asia to get SAQS accreditation by AMDISA (Association of Management Development Institutions of South Asia) in the year 2006. IBS is the first business school in India to be accredited by the prestigious Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) for all the three programs it offers – BBA, MBA and PhD. Ranked 39th among the top management institutes as per the latest NIRF ranking, IFHE has also been accredited by the premier national accreditation agency, NAAC with ‘A++’ grade with a CGPA score of 3.59/4.00. It has also received a rating of A** from CRISIL and ICRA. IBS Hyderabad is one of the very few B-Schools which incorporate 100% case methodology in its pedagogy. It offers high quality programs such as BBA, MBA, Executive PhD and PhD to a wide cross section of students, executives and professionals. All the above programs are campus based residential programs. IBS Hyderabad also conducts MDPs for industry executives and FDPs for faculty members of business schools

About ICFAI Business School

ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad (IBS Hyderabad), is a constituent unit of IFHE. Established in 1995, IBS Hyderabad has been accredited by AACSB, making it one of the premier business schools in India. The programs offered at IBS Hyderabad include PhD, MBA, and BBA. IBS is one of the few business schools in India to have the AACSB accreditation for its BBA and Ph.D. programs along with its flagship MBA program. It has consistently been ranked among the top business schools in India. The school has been re-accredited by South Asian Quality Standards (SAQS) and rated A*** by CRISIL at the national level. IBS Hyderabad’s MBA program is one of the largest in Asia with a student intake of around 1,200+ per annum. In addition, over 70 scholars are pursuing the PhD program. The BBA program of IBS Hyderabad has an annual intake of around 960 students. The faculty members of IBS Hyderabad have published around 800+ research papers in reputed international and national journals. IBS Hyderabad has a dedicated Case Research Center (CRC), which is managed by a team of knowledge workers having years of academic and corporate experience. The case studies developed by IBS Hyderabad are used by elite B-Schools and premier consulting firms around the world.

About IBS Case Research Centre

CRC has established itself as one of the top case development centres in the world both in terms of number of cases developed and usage by business schools and organizations. As of 2025, CRC has more than 7000 cases, all of which are in digital flipbook format. More than 900 B-schools in over 80 countries use these cases. Three hundred of the cases have been published in leading international textbooks.

CRC has won more than 180 national and international awards and prizes from institutions and organizations such as the Academy of Management (AOM), Association of MBAs (AMBA), The Central and Eastern European Management Development Association (CEEMAN), European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD), North American Case Research Association (NACRA), John Molson School of Business (University of Concordia, Canada), AESE Business School (Portugal), Project Management Institute (USA), Syracuse University (USA), China Europe International Business School (China), All India Management Association (India), K J Somaiya Institute of Management (India), and Steel Authority of India (SAIL).

CRC has eight of its authors featuring in the UK-based The Case Centre’s (the world’s largest repository of case studies) Top 50-Bestselling Case Authors List for 2023-24. Among the Top 10 bestselling authors in the world, six are from CRC. Other authors in the Top 50 list include professors from Harvard, INSEAD, IMD, Stanford, etc. CRC ranks second in the world, next only to Harvard Business School, in The Case Centre Impact Index 2024 which ranks organizations based on the global reach and impact of their case writing.

Conceptual Papers/ Empirical Papers/ Theoretical Papers
Case Studies/White Papers/Practice Papers

About the Conference

Higher education is undergoing a churn all over the world. Many countries, including developed countries, are evaluating and reforming their higher education eco-system. Hence this conference is not only relevant but also timely. The overarching theme of the conference remains to be the National Education Policy 2020 in India as it is in its fourth year of implementation. Four years is too short a time period for a transformative policy to be implemented. But in this period of time, several higher education institutions have evolved their own practices that have worked very well for them. The number of such institutions is small, yet their practices are important for their scalability and their impact. The conference is aimed at reflecting on the practices adapted by such institutions implementing reforms in higher education and providing a platform to share, deliberate and refine the practices that will accelerate the implementation with desired outcomes. The conference encourages Conceptual Papers/Empirical Papers/Theoretical Papers/Case Studies/White Papers/ Practice Papers in the higher education space for promoting reforms, driving scholarship and transferring best practices to other institutions.

Conference Theme

Transformative Reforms in Higher Education

Best Practices in Implementation of NEP 2020

Research. Reform. Transform.

1. Curriculum Revamp and Interdisciplinary Learning
a. Integrating flexibility and multidisciplinary approaches
b. Designing outcome-based and experiential curricula
c. Emphazising liberal arts and vocational skills
d. Incorporating technology in curriculum delivery

2. Multidisciplinary Education
a. Utility of Academic Bank of Credits (ABC)
b. Introduction and impact of Multiple entry and exit in academic programs
c. Transforming HEIs into multidisciplinary institutions
d. Pursuing two academic programs simultaneously

3. Student-Centric and Holistic Education
a. Implementing student-centric pedagogies
b. Promoting mental health and well-being on campuses
c. Offering flexibility and choice in academic pathways
d. Developing soft skills, life skills, and ethical values

4. Inclusivity and Diversity in Education
a. Promoting equitable access to higher education for all
b. Supporting economically disadvantaged, marginalized, and rural students
c. Implementing gender-sensitive policies in educational institutions
d. Creating an inclusive campus environment for diverse student groups
e. Creating and nurturing safe and secure environment for women
f. Implementing and improving accessibility standards
g. Promoting social responsibility and community engagement
h. Making physical fitness, sports, students' health, welfare, psychological and emotional well-being a way of campus life
i. Promoting and innovating pedagogies for teaching Divyangjan and specific learning disabilities (SLDs)
j. Inculcating universal human values and professional ethics
k. Integrating socio-economically disadvantaged groups (SEDGs) in the HEIs

5. Digital and Online Learning: Future of Education
a. Effectiveness and innovations in blended learning models and digital pedagogy
b. Expanding digital infrastructure in rural areas
c. Adopting adaptive learning technologies
d. Addressing challenges of online assessments and evaluations

6. Skill Development and Employability
a. Enhancing employability through skill-based education
b. Promoting industry-academia collaborations for curriculum design
c. Promoting vocational education alongside academic education
d. Integrating internships, apprenticeships, and real-world experiences in academic Programs
e. Implementation of Professor of Practice
f. Nurturing sustainable and vibrant university-industry linkages

7. Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education
a. Building research ecosystems and research-focused institutions
b. Strategies for fostering a culture of innovation
c. Facilitating funding for research initiatives
d. Enhancing international collaborations for research
e. Establishing Research and Development Centres in HEIs
f. Quality and Standards of PhD programs
g. Integrating internship/research internship in undergraduate programs

8. Assessment and Evaluation Reforms
a. Moving beyond traditional exams: continuous and comprehensive evaluation
b. Emphasizing conceptual understanding and critical thinking in assessments
c. Leveraging AI for adaptive and personalized assessments
d. Assessing the impact of assessment reforms on student outcomes

9. Teacher Training and Professional Development for Quality Education
a. Faculty training for updated pedagogy and curriculum
b. Developing teacher education centres
c. Creating sustainable faculty development programs
d. Recognizing and rewarding teaching excellence
e. Capacity building of faculty members
f. Teacher Competencies Framework
g. Impact of Malaviya Mission Teachers Training Programs

10. Governance, Leadership, Autonomy and Regulation
a. Creating autonomous institutions for academic and administrative flexibility
b. Strengthening institutional governance models
c. Promoting transparency and accountability in higher education
d. Role of leadership in implementing NEP initiatives
e. Maintenance of standards by autonomous/affiliated Colleges
f. Academic Freedom
g. Institutional Development Plans and their Effectiveness
h. Impact of regulatory framework on HEI’s performance

11. Accreditation and Excellence
a. Excellence in Higher Education
b. Impact of Accreditation on quality and performance of HEIs
c. Relevance and impact of International Accreditation

12. Integrating Indian Knowledge Systems and Promotion of Indian Languages in Higher Education
a. Integrating traditional knowledge systems and cultural heritage in curricula
b. Integrating local knowledge, languages, and arts in education
c. Documenting and promoting indigenous knowledge in research
d. Best practices for teaching Indian Knowledge Systems
e. Teaching in mother tongue/local languages

13. Internationalization and Global Outreach
a. Enhancing partnerships with foreign universities
b. Creating pathways for student and faculty exchange programs
c. Promoting India as a global education hub
d. Organizing for International Affairs
e. Fostering cross-border research collaborations
f. Academic collaboration with foreign HEIs for Joint and Dual Degree Programs
g. Role and contribution of Alumni in promoting HEIs
h. Setting up Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India
i. Framework for Global Citizenship in Higher Education

14. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
a. Integrating SDGs into the curriculum
b. Implementing SDG based projects

15. Implementation Challenges and Policy Implications
a. Addressing financial and logistical constraints in implementation of educational reforms
b. Coordinating with state governments and regulatory bodies
c. Developing metrics for evaluating educational policy reforms and their impact
d. Sharing best practices and overcoming challenges at institutional levels

Who Should Attend?

This conference is designed for professionals and partners committed to implementing transformational reforms in higher education. Whether you are focused on policy-making, policy implementation, curriculum development, student engagement, technology development and integration, contributing to SDGs, this is the ideal platform to collaborate, learn, and lead innovation.

Target Audience:

• University and College Administrators – Leaders and decision-makers involved in planning, implementing, and managing educational policies and reforms.
• Faculty Members and Educators – Professors, lecturers, and instructors eager to integrate new practices, develop interdisciplinary courses, and adopt student-centric teaching methods.
• Policymakers and Government Officials – Representatives from educational ministries and departments looking to share insights, gather feedback, and discuss collaborative efforts in implementation of educational reforms.
• Researchers and Scholars – Individuals engaged in research related to education policy, pedagogy, skill development, and interdisciplinary studies.
• Industry Experts and Practitioners – Professionals from industries linked to education and skills development who are interested in building stronger industry-academia partnerships.
• Educational Technology Providers – Innovators and service providers in edtech organizations who are exploring how their tools can support reforms in higher education.
• Non-Profit Organizations – NGOs and institutions focused on promoting inclusivity, diversity, and equal access in higher education.
• Students and Education Enthusiasts – Individuals passionate about understanding and influencing the future of higher education.

Join us to connect with leaders in higher education, share best practices, and contribute to shaping the future of higher education in India.

Submission Guidelines

We welcome submission of Conceptual Papers/Empirical Papers/Theoretical Papers/Case Studies/White Papers/ Practice Papers. impact of their case writing.

Submit abstracts/case study

Submission Dates

January 20, 2025 to April 10, 2025

Submission Specifications

Cover page: Title, Author(s), Affiliation(s), Phone No. and email, Corresponding author name and email, Conference Sub-theme
Word Limit for Abstract: 250
Word Limit for Full Paper or Case Study: 6000 maximum
No. of Keywords: 6
Font Type and Size: Times New Roman, 12 points
Document Type: Word
Line Spacing: 1.5
Margins: 2.54 cm on all sides
Presentation Time: 20 to 30 minutes (including Q&A, Feedback)

Please make your submission @ https://forms.gle/dqG86QEmJL4XhkRy5

Make sure you have registered as a participant prior to submission. Payment details are to be mentioned in the Google Form at the time of submission.

Conference Dates

April 29-30, 2025 (Monday & Tuesday)

Registration

Registration can be done by making payment online at Click Here to Register fee is mentioned below:

Academicians/ Researchers/ Students	Practitioners	Foreign Delegates
Rs.4,500/-	Rs.7,500/-	USD 200

Registration charges cover conference kit, tea/coffee and snacks, and lunch. Participants have to make their own arrangements for accommodation and travel. IFHE has limited accommodation facilities on the campus. Interested participants may book the accommodation on first come, first served basis. Charges for the accommodation are payable by the participants.

Registration Dates

January 20, 2025 to April 20, 2025

Issue of Certificate

At least one of the authors has to register for the conference and make a presentation. A certiﬁcate of paper presentation will be issued to only those who are present in the conference.

Interested participants may register for the conference without a paper or a case study. Such participants will receive a certificate of participation.

Publication Opportunities

Selected full length case studies will be considered for publication in the Case Folio, a UGC Care Case Journal published by the ICFAI University Press (IUP). No additional charges are payable for publication. The decision of the journal editor is final and binding on the author(s).

Other quality submissions may be considered for publication as part of an edited book or in a suitable journal of the ICFAI University Press.