Dr. G. T. Thampi – Principal, Thadomal Shahani Engineering College (TSEC), Bandra tells Shraddha Kamdar that it is essential to engage young and restless students through any form of education
He is one of the most approachable educationists I have met in a long time. Open to meeting me to conduct this interview at a minute’s notice, he immediately called me up to his office when I had just gone in to drop my card and request for an interview appointment at a later date. He was spontaneous enough, ready for any question that I might have had for him, and awarded the interview a generous amount of time for this interview. Loved by the staff and students alike, his enthusiasm rubs off on every one present. Knowledge presents Dr. G. T. Thampi – Principal, Thadomal Shahani Engineering College (TSEC), Bandra.
Many students feel that the syllabus is outdated…
Our syllabus is contemporary and world class. There is nothing backward or outdated about it. Higher education is meant for creating theoretical rigour; a student has his entire life for practical applications. In that light, we need such a vast syllabus. You see, the maximum complexities of an individual’s life occur during the college years. After that, most students are in non-academic jobs, so they hardly refer to any books.
Do what is important about the college years?
You see, we, as in all education institutions are engaging the students. That is the essential part. Whichever the course, the students have challenging tasks that lay ahead of them, which will prove to be productive in some sense or the other. This is an impressionable period of a student’s life, and it is imperative that he be connected with the academic world in this manner. Otherwise, most of them will suffer later.
If I talk specifically in terms of engineering, we are creating a temperament for work culture in the engineering industry through the four-year programme that we conduct. Looking at the spectrum of students today in the higher education sector, it is necessary for an education to provide some purpose.
What then, motivates students?
Today, it is being observed that affluence is an antidote to studies. As affluence increases, the impetus to study decreases. Students from well-to-do families are seldom interested in education in the fields of science and engineering. In this sense, a majority of the middle class students are extrinsically motivated for a simple reason – securing a well-paying job and earning a livelihood. In modern times, few students are intrinsically motivated.
How can the teacher help motivate the students on a regular basis?
No teacher can perpetually motivate – no teacher is God! Moreover, in many subjects, self-learning works, so the teachers don’t get much appreciation for their effort. As I mentioned before, students need to be productively engaged, and the job of the teacher is to do that. There is a lot of scope for teachers to become enablers.
Apart from the classroom, teachers can motivate students through tests, extra and co-curricular quizzes, sports.
What are some of the everyday challenges for engineering students?
You see, in every semester, the students have to learn six subjects. The actual average duration of every semester is about three months. This is not very easy. There are so many things the students want to achieve, but they are only able to scrape the surface in every subject.
Apart from that, the industry does not want only extraordinary students. It wants average students with a level of emotional quotient.
In a world driven by technology, emotional learning is also important. Today, there is a software or an app for everything, even making decisions! The role of the human being is reduced. In such a scenario, students need discipline to work within organisations.
What needs to change in this scenario?
Well, as a country, we are in the number game, and working at the bottom of the pyramid – that’s the basic difference between Indian and say American industries. But, gradually, we will develop. Indian students have shown potential at every step of the way for this to change – for us to produce quality as well as quantity.
During placements, how can teachers/ mentors counsel students to start small – since basically most of them are attracted to jobs with high designations in popular companies?
Eventually, it is up to the student to realise over a period of time. Sometimes, it is too late, by then the wrong step has already been taken. But it is not their fault. Counselling and preaching may not bring about an immediate change, because of the ingrained social mindset. The thought process of attaching a lot of importance to glamour and popularity is age-old and a function of social standard. Society wants the name with the brand equity.
Naturally, these young minds are also drawn in on it. With the passage of time, they will realise otherwise on their own, there are no other short-cuts or tricks.
What can proactive but disadvantaged students do to improve their knowledge and position in life?
If you are talking about employability, then ‘employable’ does not mean enhancing only soft skills. In fact, the productivity needs to be improved. Other than that, students need to follow their passions in a way that they can provide for a living. Research shows that those who do not have to worry about making a living pursue their hobbies. I would suggest to all students that live your life to the fullest in the natural course. Time will make everything right, if you have taken the right steps.
Only a handful of people are born with a very high IQ – and it is a random act of nature. A few average people can go to a higher level with conditioning, but the key lies in learning to optimize your inborn ability rather than lamenting on what you don’t have. At every step, there is a need to look at the facts, rather than being driven by stereotypes.
What is the one major factor that can enhance the way we look at higher education today?
The use of media and technology is the one thing that can change the landscape, or even level the playing field for some. ICTs can provide solutions for almost every problem. It provides facilities for everyday interactions between people to large scale use for combining classrooms. There is a lot that can be done with ICTs. By just have easy and robust connectivity in rural areas, students there could learn almost as much as an urban student. It will provide exposure to the best of the learning materials, satisfying the impossible dream of knowing everything.
