OXFORD CALLING: Head of Somerville College on why Indian varsities lag, hopes for cooperation
Accompanying her varsity choir for their first visit to India, Jan Royall, head of Somerville College, University of Oxford, is all about cultural exchanges and doing her best for the future generations.
"I am proud to support the choir, but I am also here to have discussions with people and raise awareness about the Oxford India Centre for sustainable development. I hope that more people will know about the work we do and we will be able to raise scholarships for Indian students who might otherwise not be able to afford to come to Oxford," said Royall.
Royall's distinguished career — she previously served as the Leader of the House of Lords in 2008 — focused on youth and women empowerment, before she joined Somerville in 2017. For its part, Somerville was created for women when universities refused them entry. It boasts of Cornelia Sorabji, the first female advocate from India, Indira Gandhi and Margaret Thatcher as its alumnus.
But being an educationist, said Royall, is what she likes most. "The work that I am doing with people now is the best thing I have ever done. I think that young people are our future and it is a huge privilege to work with the brightest young people, not just from UK, but also Indian kids," said Royall.
Giving her view on why Indian universities still don't rank among the world's best, Royall said, "You have some great universities, but the research that they undertake needs to be better established. They can work with universities that have better ranking. Best researchers need to be attracted. But that is like the chicken-and-egg situation because they will come when the university is good."
She also hopes to increase scholarship count from 14 to 20 alongside doing some joint research. "Brain gain is what we are looking to bring to the table. Something that will not be about ivory tower, but brings actual changes on the ground," said Royall.
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