Sakal Educon, Sakal Media Group’s flagship higher-education platform, launched its 19th edition with an immersive delegation to the United Kingdom (2-8 November 2025) – reinforcing the program’s purpose of enabling Indian education leaders to engage with global systems, ideas, and institutional best practices, and translate those learnings into future-ready outcomes back home.
This year’s UK edition was guided by Professor Yogesh Bhalerao, who joined as the program mentor and helped frame Educon’s larger intent: building openness, adaptability, and a stronger bridge between academia, research, and industry.
“UK education is very open, flexible, accommodative; therefore futuristic. It is ever changing and dynamic-more industry oriented and research informed. My hope is that our esteemed delegation will learn to be more open in thoughts and embrace out of the box thinking through this experience.”
– Professor Yogesh Bhalerao
A practical, partnership-led learning journey across leading UK institutions
The UK edition began in London with a visit to Brunel University London, known for integrating practical industry exposure into academics through its widely recognized “sandwich degree” model – embedding a year-long paid work placement within many undergraduate programs. Delegates engaged with faculty teams on curriculum frameworks, research focus areas, and institutional models that connect classroom learning with applied outcomes.
As part of Sakal Educon’s commitment to knowledge dissemination, podcast interviews were also filmed with select Brunel leaders and faculty – including department heads and senior academic voices – and shared through The Bridge Chronicle’s digital platforms, extending the learnings to wider audiences.
The delegation then moved to City, St George’s, University of London, where sessions highlighted interdisciplinary innovation across areas such as engineering, optometry, and cybersecurity – reflecting how universities are increasingly designing programs around real-world needs, emerging technologies, and cross-domain collaboration. Delegates also visited research labs and interacted with academic teams to understand how institutions structure applied learning and future-facing course development.
Cambridge: leadership, reflection, and the future of engineering
A key milestone of the itinerary was Cambridge, where delegates visited Jesus College and participated in a leadership and change-development session led by Dr Ivan Mitchell, designed as an interactive learning experience rather than a lecture-mirroring Educon’s philosophy of practical, implementable insight.
The Cambridge experience also included an interaction with Professor N. Swaminathan, a globally recognized scientist and professor of mechanical engineering, offering the delegation a perspective on emerging domains shaping research and education agendas internationally.
Delegate voices: what stood out-and what comes next
Across the first phase of the UK program, participants highlighted the depth of exposure-from healthcare to engineering, from research partnerships to pedagogy-and the value of seeing how institutions operationalize excellence.
“Educon 2025 began on an inspiring note with visits to Brunel University, St. George’s University, and the University of Cambridge… gaining valuable insights into institutional building and academic excellence.”
– Dr Dhanisha Pangvhane
“City, St. George’s University offered valuable learnings in healthcare and AI driven curriculum development aligned with industry needs… The Cambridge visit was a highlight-combining a powerful leadership workshop with an engaging discussion…”
-Dr Asir Tamboli (DPU Pune)
“Brunel welcomed collaborations in research and faculty development, while City St George’s impressed with its programs in engineering and cybersecurity… an inspiring interaction…”
– Dr Neha Kamble (DPU Pune)
Why Sakal Educon matters
Sakal Educon continues to evolve into more than an exposure visit. It is a structured platform for international collaboration – connecting Indian academic leadership with universities, research ecosystems, and institutional models abroad, while opening pathways for long-term partnerships in curriculum innovation, research collaboration, faculty development, and industry-aligned education design.
About Sakal Media Group
Sakal Media Group is one of India’s most trusted regional media institutions, with a legacy of credible journalism and a growing portfolio of platforms spanning news, digital publishing, events, and knowledge-led ecosystems. Through initiatives such as Sakal Educon, the Group convenes leaders and institutions to enable dialogue, collaboration, and progress across education and society.
About Sakal Educon
Sakal Educon is Sakal Media Group’s flagship platform focused on higher education leadership and institutional excellence. Through curated delegations, dialogues, and partnerships, Educon enables Indian academic decision-makers to engage with global best practices and build frameworks for future-ready education.
For more information, visit: www.sakalmediagroup.com
Media enquiries: editor.pune@esakal.com