“… that they have no energy left for anything untoward,” Dr. Marie Fernandes, Principal – St. Andrew’s College, Bandra, tells Shraddha Kamdar
Troubleshooting comes as part of the job description, but the morning that I went to visit, her door didn’t remain shut for longer than a few minutes at a time. It was constantly moving with the students and staff approaching her for advice, or for an approval or even for showing off their achievements. It is always like this, since she is extremely approachable, and has a friendly ear ready whenever her students need it. In fact, just that morning on her rounds she was stopped by a few students to inform her of something. Dr. Marie Fernandes, Principal – St. Andrew’s College, Bandra, was able to meet me that morning since she was not busy with lectures. Excerpts from an interview:
Within the limitations of the syllabus, how do you ensure that students get practical exposure to what they are learning?
n In almost all our self-financing courses, our faculty come from the industry, and most of them have had hands on experience in whatever they are teaching. The self-financing courses allow for that. In fact, just this morning a few students told me how happy they were with a professor in the journalism class. He is a senior journalist, and offers them real-life experiences to learn from.
I must mention that the mass media students (BMM) are very creative and the course allows them to express themselves. They have creative ways to address issues, and so the vice principal in charge of these courses also finds different ways to engage and help them grow.
Apart from that, how do you face the challenge of attracting the students to the classroom, that is, actually motivating them to attend?
In ten years of being the principal, I have seen that if the faculty conducts the classes in an interactive and friendly manner, the students will come. The students do not always begin the day with the intention to skip classes. It is only when they know nothing interesting will be going on, do they decide to skip. If the faculty keeps the class engaged, allows them some freedom of thought and expression, students will show up. And with technology savvy classrooms, engagement can be taken to a new level.
In addition to that, we have regular meetings with the student council to discuss issues that students face. These could relate to any problems – including the teaching and learning method, infrastructure, or even the canteen! These issues are discussed and addressed at the earliest.
Where does technology stand when we talk of student interaction and development?
Technology is here to stay and we should use it positively. You see, we already have projectors and white boards in classrooms. Plus, with notes as well, the college is very prompt and all the notes are uploaded on the Moodle server where students of respective classes can access them. We are now in the process of introducing smart ID cards for students for access to the campus including the library and the canteen. This will prevent outsiders from loitering in our campus. Apart from that, a mobile app for the college is also in the pipeline, where students can track their attendance.
We are planning on having WiFi zones in certain areas on campus including the classroom, but we will have to look into matters like accessibility to social media sites. It will prove advantageous to the teachers who will be able to access information quickly in real time to engage the students.
How can we develop discipline among students besides administering the strict rules provided by the university?
Basically, the goal of the college is to cultivate discipline of the mind, body and spirit. For that, the necessary measures are taken. If you take a stroll around the campus, you will know of the dress code that the students need to adhere to. We also tell the students that they need to be polished and refined in their speech as well, apart from their attire. Once the students know the purpose, they accept the spirit behind the rules. Say for instance, once I told the students that they could treat the library like the canteen and would be allowed to talk. They realised that those who seriously wanted to work will get disturbed and students understood that the library is considered a sacred space. They also appreciated the fact that the librarian constantly asked them to maintain silence.
How can students be helped in enhancing their personalities while they are in college?
We have value addition programmes. We need to impart values which will stand them in good strength. They also learn through unique programmes. In their second year, students have to put in 20 to 25 hours in an outreach programme addressing the needs of the marginalised or the disadvantaged. Initially, many of them are hesitant, but they later come back with rewarding experiences. In fact, our NSS Unit has also won an award for the blood donation drive it conducted.
In degree college, we are strong on research. I am a PhD guide myself and I push faculty and teachers to work towards it. We have several journals published annually and we host national and international seminars every year. The idea is to keep the kids so busy that they have no energy left for anything untoward.
There are many students who are not as privileged in terms of living in a metropolis like Mumbai, or even going to colleges that have infrastructure such as ours. What can such proactive students do to enhance their own knowledge?
First, I feel that they should make full use of the internet, since that has penetrated everywhere. There are courses available online which students can sign up for on sites like Coursera. There are also other MOOCs available. Khan Academy is another resource that students can learn from, and I strongly advise students to take a look at it.
Other than that, I feel that these students have to be self-driven, and with potential they could look at finding ways of migrating to other institutes. They should draw inspiration from the late APJ Abdul Kalam.
