Dear Tariq Mansoor Sb,At the outset I would extend my heartiest congratulations to you for being appointed as the new Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University. This post not only brings great responsibility but also great expectations from all those who are related to this seat of learning by one way of other.
I have been visiting AMU quite often during the last 2-3 years and witnessed many key areas which need immediate attention from the top administration and since you are going to take the charge as the head of the institution, I thought of sharing these observations with you. I hope that under your aegis the situation will improve, and we will see AMU as a leading educational Institute by all real means.
My key observations are as follows:
- All the departments & faculties of AMU need cutting edge technologies and infrastructure to offer competitive edge to students specially Engineering college, Medical College, Geology Department and other key departments providing technical education. On the specific side these departments need modern day gadgets to measure the data, and there should be a regular Infrastructure need analysis need to be done in all departments which provide administration with a TO-DO-LIST, which should be acted upon at the earliest so that students should compete with their counterparts from IITs and other institutions in terms of technology knowhow.
- Nepotism should not be encouraged at any point of time and at any level. Only competent, qualified and skilled employees need to be given employment so that they can contribute constructively in the growth of institution.
- Faculties and teachers of all the departments should be exposed to cutting edge technologies in their domain and they should be encouraged to participate in national and international seminars and conferences to gain updated information. They should also enhance their learning by acquiring new inflow of information in their respective domain through certification courses and workshops.
- Alumni should be involved constructively towards the growth of institution by gaining from their experience in relative fields and also taking their advices and suggestions on a regular basis on both infrastructural and academical matters.
- A central training and placement centre should be established in order to attract leading multinationals to the campus for RECRUFEST and also all the auditoriums, lounges, guest rooms and specially the infrastructure provided to guests should be of highest quality so that they can take a good and professional experience back from AMU. In a recent visit to RECRUFEST, I have witnessed the company representatives sweating profusely while sitting in the lounge in Kennedy Auditorium due to lack of proper air conditioning which has certainly dent their enthusiasm. Also the rooms provided to them for interviews were not having any air conditioning and it was certainly not a good experience for many of them. I believe if any such activity is planned in future then proper arrangements should be made well in advance so that AMU’s reputation should not be dented and more and more companies come forward to participate in RECRUFEST.
- AMU, as we all know came into existence due to the vision which Sir Syed Ahmad Khan had some 150 years ago and that vision was to provide a platform to the community where they can compete with the rest of the world by acquiring excellent skills both in various fields, specially in English language, but I am really sad to write that hardly I see students communicating with each other in English and even if they do then they lack the confidence and perfection. I believe it is incumbent on all the people who are attached to this seat of learning, to ascertain that vision of Sir Syed is fulfilled in right earnest and for that it is important that students of AMU should excel in communication skills. Please take special interest across departments to work on this shortcoming and I hope meticulous planning will help students in a big way as far as communication skills are concerned.
- Alumni meet is a great platform where alumni visit their alma mater and get reconnected, I believe if more and more alumni-student interaction will happen then it will help the students in taking right steps towards their future and also enlighten them with emerging trends in their respective fields.
- AMU Need a big overhaul in terms of its strategy to attain excellence in academics and for that corrective measures need to be taken and faculties need to be provided with all the tools they need to empower students with best educational standards.
These are some key observation which I’m sharing with you and hope that you will look into these. I wish you all the best for you appointment again.
Best Regards,
Zartab Jafri
—Zartab Haider Jafri works as a business head for Mimer Energy Limited, India.