While addressing the panel at the TimesNow.in Education Summit 2026 on Wednesday, educationists stressed that institutions must do more to ensure that women seeking higher education transform their skills into sustained careers and leadership goals.
The panel brought together Dr Archana Prasad, an educational leader heading a 34-year-old women’s college with around 4,500 students; Dr Kanthi Mathe, Principal of SDNB Vaishnav College for Women in Chennai; and Dr Devjani Dasgupta, a senior biotechnology educator and department head with four decades of experience in education and two decades of experience leading a School of Biotechnology.
The experts highlighted the need to build leadership skills, digital and financial literacy, and career goals among female students.
‘Colleges should be finishing schools for leadership’
Dr Archana Prasad said that colleges play a crucial role in preparing women not just for employment but also for leadership and decision-making. ‘Colleges should be looked at as finishing schools for leadership,’ she said.
Dr Prasad said that legislation, that is, as per the Companies Act, at least one woman director on every board, and the Women’s Reservation Bill reserves 30 per cent for women, has helped improve women’s representation but cannot be the only way to leadership. ‘Leadership needs to be groomed; it should be a logical consequence and a natural phenomenon,’ she added.
She also noted that her institution doesn’t have a traditional student union. Instead, they have a ‘Sansad’, a student parliament, where students are put into important positions such as Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers, and ten Ministries (Sport, Youth Development, Entrepreneurship, Health & Hygiene) led by student ministers.
Dr Prasad believes that this is how young women leaders are prepared for the real world.
Focus on communication, digital and financial literacy
Dr Kanthi Mathe stressed that 40% of her institution’s students are from economically weaker sections and the other 40% are first-generation learners. And therefore, the college prioritizes specific core skill sets, which include communication skills, digital literacy up to the AI level, and financial literacy, from day one.
She emphasizes that confidence and leadership automatically follow those students who gain strong communication skills. Equipped with digital and financial literacy creates entrepreneurial competence.
She further highlighted that it is not just about providing jobs to women, but also about the set of skills, knowledge, and independence required to choose their own career paths.
Women, AI and the future of biotechnology
The panel also discussed the growing opportunities for women in biotechnology and other technology-driven sectors. Dr Devjani Dasgupta encourages women to utilise the emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, in a judicious manner and only when their fundamentals are straight.
She also highlighted that ‘India’s bioeconomy is aspiring to reach $300 billion by 2030, up from around $165 billion in 2014. Government policies are supporting this growth, and the role of women across these policies is prominent.’
The panelist also noted that while parents may sometimes approach education with traditional expectations, young women at present day are increasingly researching institutions, exploring different fields and making informed decisions about what they want to pursue in their higher education. ‘We need equal opportunities across all disciplines and must place women in key policymaking positions to create visible role models,’ she said.
“The mindset change cannot just be for the female student—it must happen across the entire society, including parents,” the biotechnology educator said. She added, ‘They are tech-savvy, do their research on institutions, and know where they want to go.’
The discussion also called for a broader shift in how academic disciplines are valued. Dr Mathe said there is an artificial hierarchy that often places engineering and computer-related skills above arts and humanities and stressed the need for equal opportunities across disciplines.