Harappa Institution (an online learning institution) and Ashoka University (India’s liberal arts institution) have partnered to create a virtual conference for education leaders - The Republic of Letters: Groundbreak 2020. The 3-day conference commenced on Wednesday, June 24, 2020, with an inaugural keynote by Pramath Raj Sinha, Founder & Chairman, Harappa Education.

In the 17th century, a community of scholars and scientists came together in Europe and the Americas to facilitate the dissemination of ideas. Known as the Republic of Letters, the group worked long-distance to stimulate critical thinking in all areas of learning. In 2020, Harappa and Ashoka are bringing together higher education leaders from across the world to reimagine a new world of learning in India.

India’s higher education system consists of over 1000 universities and over 20,000 colleges that impact the lives of over 35 million students. The sheer scale of this sector is massive and yet it was brought to a standstill overnight. Both institutions believe that the pandemic, however disruptive, has thrown up an opportunity for us to reimagine and redesign the future of how we teach and learn. 

The conference will hear from top global experts like:

Dr Rick Levin - Former President, Yale University; Former Ceo, Coursera;

Professor DP Singh - Chairman, University Grants Commission;

Dr Subra Suresh - President, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore;

Dr Deborah Prentice - Provost, Princeton University;

Prof Anil Sahasrabudhe - Chairman, All India Council For Technical Education;

Dr Pardis Mahdavi - Dean Of Social Sciences, Director Of School For Social Transformation, Arizona State University;

Professor Bharat Anand - Vice-provost For Advances In Learning, Harvard University;

Ben Nelson - Founder & CEO, Minerva Project;

Professor Srikant Datar - Senior Associate, Dean Of University Affairs, Harvard Business School

Each day is divided into 3 tracks:

Transitioning to Digital: This track will focus on how digital technologies can enhance learning in ways that the physical classroom cannot.

The Resilient Institution: This track will address the main administrative and governance-related questions that are plaguing all our higher education leaders.

Leading from the Front (invite-only): The pandemic has challenged leaders of institutions as never before. This track is an opportunity to share what has worked, what hasn’t, and to discuss what it will take to navigate and beat the looming uncertainty.

The virtual conference will take place from 4 pm - 7.30 pm, June 24 - June 26, 2020, on Zoom. While track 3 is by invitation-only, all tracks will be live-streamed on Harappa’s social media channels.