The W20-MAHE Women Vice Chancellors’ and Leaders’ Conclave titled Women in Higher Education for Enabling Leadership (WHEEL) was inaugurated at the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) campus in Bengaluru. A Charter of Recommendations was presented to W20 calling for a shift from women’s development to women-led development.
The recommendations focused on higher education, labor force participation, skill development, care work, and leadership. W20 is the G20 engagement group focused on gender equity, with MAHE as a knowledge partner to ensure gender considerations are mainstreamed into G20 discussions and translated into the Leaders’ Declaration.
The event was attended by prominent leaders such as TISS Vice Chancellor Prof Dr. Shalini Bharat, Chair of W20, Dharitri Patnaik, Bharati Ghosh, MAHE Vice Chancellor Lt Gen Dr. M D Venkatesh, and Prof Madhu Veeraraghavan. Prof Dr. Madhu Veeraraghavan, Pro Vice-Chancellor – MAHE Bengaluru, addressed the gathering and said, “Women often face a number of challenges in all walks of professional life right from getting access to quality higher education, fewer opportunities for labour force participation, and the social burden of care work. Forums such as these are crucial to bring the underlying issues to light and smoothen the road for women.”
