St Agnes College Holds Int’l Conference on ‘Empowering Minds’

Mangaluru: The Valedictory programme of the three-day international conference on “Empowering Minds: Collaborative Learning Platform for Teachers, Librarians and Researchers” organised by the Library and Information Centre, St Agnes College (Autonomous) in collaboration with LIS Academy, Bengaluru, took place on 13 Jan 2024 at noon.

It was the culmination of two and a half days of fruitful deliberations, knowledge sharing and research presentations by educators, librarians and researchers from all over India and abroad. Two Hundred and Forty delegates participated.

The Chief Guest was Professor MS Moodithaya, Vice Chancellor, Nitte (Deemed to be) University, and Sr Dr Venissa A.C., Principal, St Agnes College (Autonomous) Mangaluru presided. The Guests of Honour were Sr M Carmel Rita A.C., Administrator, St Agnes College, Dr Gopakumar V., Head, Knowledge Centre, Digital University Kerala and Ganesh Pai N., President, AMUCT.

The dignitaries, participants and audience were welcomed by Dr P.V. Konnur, President, LIS Academy – who had co-organised the conference. He described it as a convergence of brilliant minds and a wonderful platform for collaborative learning and growth.

In her presentation as Rapporteur General, Dr Supreetha Shetty, Chief Librarian, Nitte (Deemed to be) University, gave an incisive and clear account of the proceedings She provided a brief report of the inaugural programme of the conference and provided information on the publications released on the occasion.

The edited volume of the research articles included 83 curated articles out of the 123 articles submitted after a thorough and stringent review process. Her comprehensive report encapsulated the essence of the various guest lectures by eminent academicians, the insightful discussions, and the innovative ideas in the paper presentations by educators, librarians and researchers who had come from various institutions in India and outside India. She commended the organisers on a very well-conducted conference and expressed pleasure at the evening cultural programmes which were a source of entertainment as well as informal networking.

Feedback from the participants followed and those who expressed their appreciation included Vasanth Raju, Principal and College librarian, GFGC, Talakadu; Mustafa Ismail Adakana, Senior Librarian, Bayer University Karo, Nigeria; Prakash Gowda SU, Librarian, GFGC, Koppala and Dr Jayalakshmi Kithur, GFGC, Bagalkot. They praised the organisation, the hospitality and the quality of the conference among other aspects.

In his address, Professor MS Moodithaya reminded the audience that we live in a knowledge economy where the acquisition of knowledge gives a competitive advantage. With India’s average age being much below that of other countries, we must make use of the talented youth we have if we have to meet the goal of global dominance, which is the struggle we face in the present day, he said. He stressed the need for collaborative learning platforms such as this conference, for the illiterates of the twenty-first century will be, like in Toefler’s Future Shock, those who can’t unlearn, relearn, and uplearn, to become relevant.

Sustainable growth, and sustainable development call for empowering minds and this conference would have met the purpose, he noted.

Ganesh Pai congratulated the college and the organising convenor on a very fruitful conference.

Sr Carmel Rita A.C. prayed that the organisers, educators, librarians, and researchers would have gained much and suggested that everyone reflect for a moment to decide on one activity that they would undertake as a follow-up to the conference.

Presiding, Sr Dr Venissa A.C. spoke about how fortunate it was to have speakers who were excellent in their domains. It has been successful, she said, in providing a platform where the interaction of diverse viewpoints created a reservoir of knowledge capable of shaping the future of education. She pointed out that a true sense of collaboration was visible during the working and conduct of the conference.

The hosts presented beautifully carved mementoes to all who contributed to the conference.

The Organising Convenor, Dr Vishala BK whose efforts had received immense appreciation from the attendees of the conference, gave her vote of thanks at the end of the programme. She especially mentioned the unstinted support offered by Gopakumar, Head of Knowledge Centre, who had donned the role of the director of the conference for all the sessions.

She acknowledged the contribution of the management, the honourable guests, the sponsors, the resource persons, the participants, the organising committee, the co-convenor and all committee members towards this international conference.

The Valedictory programme ended with the National Anthem.

Malavika Adyanthaya, Assistant Professor, ensured the smooth conduct of the programme through her efficient compering.