NEW DELHI:Harsha Pareek, representing Jindal School of Government & Public Policy from O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), has emerged as the regional winner of the 2020 NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation Competition that allows graduate students in public policy and related fields to test their skills on real-world data.
In the competition, participants needed to take on leadership roles in a simulated city and were challenged to implement policies that achieve the most sustainable public transit system, JGU said on Monday.
Developed by the Center for Leadership Simulation and Gaming (CLSG) at the University of Virginia Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy in the US, the simulation was built using real-world data and with the help of academic experts and practitioners in the field of transportation and sustainable policy.
A non-profit organisation, Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration or NASPAA is the "global standard in public service education."
This year, around 400 students from 114 universities in 46 countries took part in the NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation Competition.
Pareek came first at the Bengaluru competition site.
"Congratulations to Harsha Pareek for doing so well in the Regional Round of the 2020 NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation Competition, " said R. Sudarshan, Dean at Jindal School of Government & Public Policy (JGSP).
"This achievement is all the more remarkable because Jindal School of Governance and Public Policy is yet to introduce simulation based learning as part of its regular curriculum, " Sudarshan said.
Participants competed at seven global host sites including National Law School of India University in Bengaluru, Central European University in Budapest, Hungary, and George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
"Simulation-based learning is an incredibly valuable tool, offering some of the most exciting, intense, and impactful learning on the planet for public affairs education, " said NASPAA Executive Director Laurel McFarland.
"In the classroom, our graduate students have been trained to be problem solvers, team players, and analysts -- these simulations enhance students' abilities to tackle complex policy problems they may face in the real world, " McFarland said.
"They'll be ready to take the insights from their sustainable cities simulation experience into whatever kind of public service career they embark upon, " McFarland said.
A total of 64 participating teams were evaluated on simulation scores, teamwork, organisation, policy decision making, and policy presentations.
The seven winning teams are moving on to the global round in which a panel of prominent judges will identify the global winner.