Sandip University, Nashik (SUN) is trying to be a creator of world-class educational service provider thereby to transform the potential human resource of the nation, says Col Prof N Ramachandran, Vice-Chancellor, Sandip University, Nashik, in a conversation with Dipen Pradhan of Elets News Network (ENN).
Sandip University, Nashik (SUN) has recently signed a MoU with AICTE-ECI to facilitate Internship programme for the students. Tell us how the university plans to take it forward?
AICTE-ECI approach of signing a MoU with the universities across India to facilitate advancement of engineering, management and pharmacy profession in various programmes and for enhancing the style and image of building engineers, managers and pharmacist etc, is a boon to the nation-building exercise on Human Resource
Development. The move is historical in nature which will bring a rich dividend in near future.
Sandip University, Nashik, a non-affiliating private university functioning in the State of Maharashtra, which is continuously improving its infrastructure – will be used to hone the knowledge and skills of our students. We follow
outcome-based education in teaching-learning process. We emphasise on knowledge, skills and attitude for all the courses taught. For every course, teacher sets her/his objectives in an achievable form. Hence, preaching and practicing are carried out together to achieve the objectives in the form of measurable outcomes.
This MoU will facilitate every student in their respective domain to acquire necessary skills in various industries/R&D organisations on a real-time basis. Minds-on and Hands-on will make them ready for Do-on by taking up their real-time challenges.
SUN and its regulations have made compulsory internship in 15, 21, and 45 days during the summer vacation after completing I, II and III year programmes assigned with 1, 2 and 3 credits respectively. Besides summer internship, regular industrial/field/project visits are also happening during the academic sessions. All our programmes are aimed to develop industry/society ready graduates.
What are the initiatives Sandip University has undertaken to foster Student Startup ecosystem in the affiliated colleges and university to enhance students’ innovation?
Sandip University, Nashik has a vision to mould our youngsters into Millennium leaders not only in technological and scientific fields, but also to nurture and strengthen the innate goodness and human nature in them and to equip them to face the future challenges in technological breakthroughs, information explosions and deliver the bounties of
frontier knowledge for the benefit of humanity in general, the downtrodden and the underprivileged in particular.
We are committed to practice the vision of the University. SUN is trying to be a creator of world class educational service provider thereby to transform the potential human resource of the nation. Curricula have been designed to imbibe research – bent in every course. The system is developed in such a way that every student could think and work independently, resulting ideas leading to a product/process etc. Co-curricular activities are focused towards social, economical, political orientation – thus encouraging students either by individual/groups to take up such life-oriented problems.
“NEETI will reduce lots of redoing exercise of many, but before implementation, MHRD should ensure every one’s interest is well addressed and protected.”
Nashik has a rich treasure of having Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) in seven locations of Nashik District, covering Automobile, Energy, Electrical, Infrastructure and Infotech industries. This facilitates students/staff to work along with their minor/major problems, which really make the individual to realise their life goals. Another facility in Nashik, established by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, is Nashik Engineering Cluster (NEC), which works for preparing Nashik Industries to face the global market by achieving global quality assurance standards. This facility is also open to youths to take up their startups in their premises at an affordable cost.
SUN has been collaborating with many MIDCs and NEC and Central Government’s R&D organisations to give exposure to its students/staff. These practices make students/staff to involve jointly on developments of practical/live issues, which leads to develop an ecosystem which I strongly believe that leads to many new and innovative ways to create incubation centres, new startups.
SUN, its campus has Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Cell (IEDC) supported by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. This cell promotes and facilitates our students to become an
entrepreneur and also helping them in registering their intellectual property rights.
What strategies or methodologies have been adopted by the University to enhance students’ teaching-learning experience?
SUN is creating various infrastructures to serve students of different backgrounds, abilities and other personal attributes through its effective Teaching-Learning Experiences (TLE). We follow the following strategies to enhance TLEs:
- We have signed a MoU with Spoken Tutorial project carried out by IITB, Mumbai, to have many ICT interventions
- All classrooms/seminar halls/theatres are made ICT enabled
- Our teaching-learning system is more of student centric which enables everyone to practice participative learning, experimental learning and collaborative learning
- Curriculum also encourages Activity Based Learning (ABL), Project Based Learning (PBL) and Research Based Learning (RBL)
- Our Outcome Based Education (OBE) system encourages every student and staff to use ICT gadgets at every possible level to improvise the learning curve better
We are practicing Action plan 17-by-17, a digital initiative guided Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar.
SUN and its regulations have made compulsory internship in 15 days, 21 days and 45 days during the summer vacation after completing I, II and III year programmes assigned with 1, 2 and 3 credits respectively. All our programmes are aimed to develop Industry-ready graduates.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) is planning a major reshuffle in India’s technical education through the implementation of the single National Entrance Examination for Technical Institutions (NEETI) from January 2018, which includes teacher training and annual revision of curriculum, among others. How prepared is the University?
Change is inevitable, growth is optional; but we in SUN adopt changes as our policy – by adapting it in a way one can enjoy it. Following this dictum of change, we have initiated many changes in our curriculum-design, teaching-learning process, recruitment and retaining the talented teachers in our midst, evaluation process and reforms,
promotions and research facilities, resource mobilisation for research, publications and awards and innovation ecosystem, etc., thereby we are aligning with MHRD and implementation of such things that are happening in the Campus through our dedicated trained faculty and with the cooperation of diligent student community – thus
again guided and supported by our Trust namely “Sandip Foundation”.
In the 21st century, knowledge is the primary production resource instead of capital or labour. Efficient utilisation of this existing knowledge may create comprehensive wealth for the nation in the form of better education.
Proposing NEETI is a welcome move. At the same time, sufficient time and preparations to the aspiring students of Higher Secondary Education, parents and allied stakeholders are very important. NEETI will reduce lots of re-doing exercise of many, but before implementation, MHRD should ensure every one’s interest is well addressed and protected.
What message do you have for the technical graduates, who would soon embark on their career paths?
My message to the technical graduates and other students who are likely to exit from various Higher Educational Institutions are:
- To exercise self-discipline and self-denial
- To work on character and competence
- To dedicate their talents and resources to noble purposes and to provide services to others and nation
