DAITM offers affordable fees with the provision of scholarship for needy and meritorious students, says Principal

In a conversation with Shiksha.com, Dr. Sanjukta Nandy, Principal of Dinabandhu Andrews Institute of Technology and Management talks at length about the various initiatives taken by the institute to help students become industry-ready. This fairly includes industry visits, workshops, live projects, seminars, guest lectures delivered by industry stalwarts and internship opportunities. The idea is to faciliiate the right skills and knowledge to the students for a quality learning experience.

Dr Nandy is a PhD degree holder in Applied Mathematics from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. She has over 30 years of rich academic experience.

Read the complete interview below

Q: What are the three things that your institute is doing that will enable it to differentiate itself from the competition?

A: These are unprecedented times due to Covid 19 when lockdown has become the order of the day and lives around us are being turned upside down.

DAITM is however keeping its promise to come to the help of students through an online Learning System and is always striving hard for their betterment and successful placements even in this adverse situation.

Despite the distance learning methodology because of the global pandemic, we are trying to maintain a  conducive learning environment where students are given personal attention by dedicated and quality faculty members

We strongly believe that the financial condition of the family must not be a reason for not being able to pursue studies. Hence, we have affordable fees with the provision of scholarship for needy and meritorious students

Q: What are the initiatives undertaken by you that are helping your students become more industry ready

A: Industry readiness is a crucial factor that defines the quality of the curriculum of any institute. And by the curriculum, we not only mean the classroom lectures but the application of the concepts learned in the class. DAITM believes in the holistic development of the students and also understands the importance of corporate exposure for the students. Hence, to facilitate the same, we regularly conduct –

• Interactive sessions for the students delivered by industry experts,
• Frequent industry visits, and
• Live projects under the mentorship of industry stalwarts.

Language and soft skills also play an equally important role in enhancing student’s overall personality and thus we work hard to teach students the art of communication. We have a well-equipped communications lab for the same

Q: What are the key attributes that a student should have in order to qualify for the institution and perform well throughout the curriculum?

A: Besides fulfilling the basic eligibility criteria, we expect our students to be sincere and dedicated. And, these are two important parameters on which we test students’ competencies during the complete admission process.

To perform well in the curriculum, one has to be passionate about the subjects and must have the desire to excel.

Q: Which programme/s would you say is/are your best? What is it that helps your institution differentiate itself from this programme?

A: It is difficult to say which of the programmes are the best as all the programes that we offer are abreast with the latest industry trends and regularly updated to help students match the pace of the changing trends and technologies. But to give an example, the BCA programme that we offer includes Industrial Trainings offered by the Government organisations. 

Also, for the students of Hospital Management and BSc MLT programme, training is imparted in reputed Private Nursing Homes/ Hospitals as well as in Government Hospitals. 

Q: What are you doing to improve/drive better campus placements for your current students and alumni? What kind of jobs routinely come to campus? What would you say are the key recruitment trends for your university/college (observed over the past five years at your institute)?

A: To drive better campus placements, we have got a corporate resource centre at the campus whose main job is to nurture our corporate relationships. These industry partners visit the campus for guest lectures, various workshops, live projects, mentorship sessions and various other tasks. Besides, enhancing the corporate relationships, the department also aims at making students industry-ready. To make this happen, we:

• Hold aptitude & grooming classes right from the beginning
• Arrange seminar sessions for students to improve their general knowledge and increase their awareness of current affairs
• Share different motivating videos and articles to develop their confidence and skills
• Hold mock interviews and GD sessions on a regular basis