IIM Bodh Gaya to host leadership programme aimed at empowering women academic leaders

Bodh Gaya: IIM Bodh Gaya is set to organise a five-day residential Nurturing Future Leadership Programme (NFLP) for women academic leaders, from 11 to 15 November 2024, under the Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme. Funded by the Ministry of Education, the initiative aims to address the stark underrepresentation of women in higher education leadership, with a focus on empowering female academics across India.

A 2021 UNESCO report on women in higher education highlighted the persistent gender inequalities in academic leadership, despite the increased number of women at entry-level positions. It revealed that although women are overrepresented among teaching staff at the entry level, their presence significantly diminishes at senior levels. A national survey by the Ministry of Education and the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) reinforced these findings, showing a 15% disparity between female representation at the Assistant Professor level (44.4%) and the Professor level (29.1%).

The AISHE report called for the creation of gender-neutral environments and better career progression opportunities to improve women’s representation at the top of academic institutions. In 2021, research showed that out of 1,151 higher education institutions, only 110 (9.5%) were led by women. While leading institutions such as Jawaharlal Nehru University, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, IIT Kharagpur, and IIM Bodh Gaya have female leaders, gender parity remains a distant goal.

Prof Vinita Sahay, Director of IIM Bodh Gaya, emphasized the institute’s commitment to empowering women leaders, who can inspire future generations. “The NFLP is designed ‘for women, by women,’ creating a supportive environment that promotes equity and drives meaningful change in higher education,” she said.

The programme will offer participants essential leadership skills, mindfulness practices, and networking strategies to equip them as future catalysts for change. IIM Bodh Gaya has led the way in organising such initiatives, and the NFLP seeks to contribute significantly to closing gender gaps in academic leadership.

The next NFLP session will be held from 6 to 11 January 2025. Interested women academics can register through the Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme (MMTTP) portal to take part in the initiative.