AICTE will introduce a three-week induction programme for each student with the aim to build a strong connect between them and the faculty, said Anil Dattatraya Sahasrabudhe, chairman of All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE). He was speaking at IFIM Business School’s corporate summit, Confluence, where he was the chief guest.
The theme of the event was ‘Engaging millennials’ where Smita Nair Jain, Senior Divisional Vice President, Sears Holdings India, was the keynote speaker.
Student-faculty connect
“The three-week induction is to bring back the student-faculty connect. To start with, there are no classes in the first three weeks of college. A set of 15-25 students will be assigned to a faculty member. The faculty will engage with each student, starting from choosing the subjects to exercising, yoga, breakfasts and more. The faculty member associated with the students will naturally become the trusted companion for them. This way, students become the problem solvers for tomorrow. Mentorship is, thus, an important aspect of new-age training. Management institutions such as IFIM are spearheading these initiatives, which is a growth indicator for the sector,” said Sahastrabuddhe. He stressed that the idea behind the various programmes by AICTE is to channelise the ecstatic energy of millennials into productive activities.
Sharing his views on the role of educational institutions in engaging with millennials, Atish Chattopadhyay, Director, IFIM Business School, said, “Educational institutions have the responsibility to train the young, enthusiastic generation to become future leaders. Hence, each of us, the faculty and management, have to go beyond our roles as teachers to create a support system that students can count on. At IFIM, our aim is to develop a holistically trained continuously employable student. The pedagogy, therefore, should involve personality enhancement, instilling social awareness and building life skills, alongside the academic upgrades.”
Sahastrabuddhe added, “Another objective of the three-week induction is to engage in different art forms. Education is not just academics but improving other life skills and finer learning. So, we will have classes on painting, singing or pottery and students can attend whichever class they want in the evenings. Inspirational lectures by eminent personalities and film screenings will also be the parts of this programme. Other initiatives that we are working towards are the teachers training for one month, exam reforms including open book format and solving real life industry problems.”
Panel discussion
Industry experts engaged in a panel discussion on how can this unique generation be understood and served better on the theme of ‘Engaging millennials’. Panelists included Rajesh Sahay, Sr VP & HR Head, WIPRO Consumer Care; Ashish Jose Director People Operations, Flipkart; Austin Karkada, People Function Mindtree Ltd; Prakrithi Shetty AVP - HR, ABB; Anjana KR, General Manager - HR, TCS; and Githa Hegde, Dean, Research and International Affairs, IFIM Business School.