Learning has no lockdown, says Vice Chancellor of IILM University

The outbreak of Coronavirus has led to testing times for both students as well as faculty. Although many educational institutions have adopted online classes to ensure students don’t miss on their curriculum, there are certain ground-level challenges that they are facing, including network issues, financial crisis in families, among others. Describing solutions to these challenges as complex yet simple at the same time, Dr Sujata Shahi, Vice Chancellor of IILM University, talks about the new initiatives taken up to help all students receive the education they want in these testing times.

Here is the edited excerpt of the conversation:

Q: What are the main challenges that students confront today because of Coronavirus pandemic? 

A: Students are facing many challenges such as uncertainty about their exams and results, admission processes, entrance exams for institutes of their choice, reopening of campuses and impact of this pandemic on their education and career. These are issues everyone is aware of and discussed in many forums but there is one issue that is not being highlighted enough which is the impact of the economic downturn due to Covid-19 on the students. There must be many students whose parents may have lost their jobs, or their businesses may have been affected resulting in a financial crunch for the family. Many parents must be wondering how to pay the education fees for their children. This is an important issue that we need to address and find a solution for, in the coming times, so that students do not suffer academically.  

 Q: So, what is the solution for students whose parents face financial difficulty because of the pandemic either because of job loss or because of business losses? 

A: The solution is complex but at the same time quite simple. While the complex part of the solution would be to create new policies and ask the government for grants and subsidies for education, the simple solution can come from the education institutes. At IILM, we are committed to providing education to all our students and we believe that no one should be left behind because of the financial difficulties their families may be facing. We are very conscious of the anxiety around the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak and the extraordinary challenges everyone is facing today. In the prevailing difficult circumstances, we are reducing the total fee payable for the programme.

We are charging only the tuition fee for academic year 2020-21 and waiving off the program fee. We have additionally waived off the hostel fee and even when students return to the IILM hostels they will not be charged for availing the facility in the current academic year. Through this initiative, we are trying to support our students by ensuring that they continue with their education and no one is left behind. 

Q: To offer a fee reduction to students is a fantastic initiative and we do hope other educational institutes take inspiration from this. So, do you see this lockdown situation continuing for a while and do you think it will affect the quality of their learning? 

A: We believe that ‘Learning has no Lockdown’. Our focus during the 2020-21 academic year is to help students continue with their education and help them to explore their full potential even during these challenging times. This growth mindset would be very important for all of us this year and we believe that with the kind of strategy and plans that we have created at IILM for our students, we will be able to do complete justice to our academic commitment and ensure that the academic quality and rigour for our students is not affected. We have a very well-structured plan that will cover, in a 360-degree manner, all aspects of academics and student life. While students may not be able to come to the campus for the moment, we will try to give them the best possible experience online.

Our faculty members are continuously being trained in the best practices of remote teaching through workshops and training by experts from across India and the world.   

Q: Could you please elaborate on the plans and strategy for your students going forward? 

A:  Firstly, we are planning to begin online academic activities and interaction with students. For our new students, we have planned pre-term and bridge courses that will help students connect with their peers and help them forge new friendships. For our MBA/PGDM Class of 2022, we have begun a student engagement programme from June 15. We will then commence our Bridge Courses from July 2, comprising of Excel, Economics, Accounting, and Mathematical Application for Business to bring students up to speed with basics. Secondly, we also plan to commence delivery of two special courses – Personal Leadership Program and Career Development Program - that will begin now and will continue for the two years the students are with us to support and encourage them in their journey through college to becoming successful professionals and empathetic human beings. We will begin Term 1 on July 27 with the orientation programme followed by regular classes from August 3. We are ready to welcome our students in their new learning experience.    

For our MBA/PGDM Class of 2022, we have begun a student engagement programme from June 15. We will then commence our Bridge Courses from July 2, comprising of Excel, Economics, Accounting, and Mathematical Application for Business to bring students up to speed with basics.

Q: Are you planning to begin face to face on-campus classes or just teach through remote learning? 

A: We have planned the initial stages to be delivered online where students will continuously interact with our faculty but we will certainly transition back to our in-person learning with face-to-face classes on campus as per directions given by the AICTE/UGC. We believe that the transition back will be in a phased and gradual manner, keeping in mind the health and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff members as that is our top priority. While IILM is making careful preparations for the start of the academic year, we will closely follow all the government and AICTE/UGC guidelines and directives in our preparations.

Q: Do you think there will be a new normal in education? And what will it be? 

A: Yes, just like in all other areas of life, education too will have a new normal. We certainly cannot replace face to face classes or campus life. These will certainly be back, but we have learnt a new skill, an extra dimension and we will continue to use it to enrich learning by combining online and face-to-face components. I believe that blended learning will be the new normal and while we embrace that, we must ensure inclusive education and leave no one behind.