“We see tremendous response from women for joining the engineering courses that we offer in the institute,” Professor Dilip K Bandyopadhyay, Vice Chancellor, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
Please provide us with a brief overview of the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University? What are you plans for promoting the participation of women in engineering institutes?
Our University has more than 65000 students, 106 affiliated colleges, and 122 programs. We feel that now at this stage, we can rightly claim to be a leading education brand. Many students who are passing out of our University are getting good employment. The Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology (IGIT) is an institute of engineering for women. We see tremendous response from women for joining the engineering courses that we offer in the institute. We are taking 180 students in the field of mechanical and automobile engineering.
The Union Minister of HRD has proposed Common Entrance Test for all the engineering aspirants. How is it going to impact the overall engineering education process?
We have been conducting the test for our university and affiliated colleges for the last 13 years. Our university has been given the responsibility, under the act, for taking these tests forward. Now, it is the decision of the concerned state whether to go for the centralised test or for the other one. I would say that the centralised state test is going to be good for students as they will not have to give multiple examinations.
What are the basic requirements for enhancing employability skills among graduating students and how can we align education with vocational skills?
I am of the opinion that education provided at the University should not just be aimed at producing employable skills, it should also contribute towards holistic development. The University should essentially provide education that is skills oriented. In addition to skills, students should also gain wisdom. Now what is wisdom? Wisdom is the process of combining the knowledge of your cultures and customs with the curricular knowledge. Wisdom is something that allows you to become a valuable part of the society. So task of education is to inculcate the values of knowledge, skills and wisdom in all students.
Please tell us about the technological solutions being used at IP University?
Online admissions are something that we have recently started at the University. We also have a system for total examination automation. The entire student life-cycle is being recorded and automated. Students can access online information, including attendance, mark sheets, grades etc through an easy to use interface. Our institute also has an excellent connectivity. Also, all classrooms have electronic boards so that when the teacher writes something, it gets recorded on the disk. This can then be kept for future reference. In addition to that, we are now going to start video conferencing facilities in affiliated colleges so that good lectures on a particular topic are recorded. The same can then be broadcast to some of our affiliated colleges, so the students can listen to them and also have a question and answer sessions.
Tell us about your involvement with National Mission of Education through ICT.
We have become a member of the National Mission of Education through ICT. Educational content will be available online and it may just replace the typical classroom learning model.
