Dr. Dhanraj Verma has been working as the Principal of Astral Institute Of Technology and Research, Indore, Madhya Pradesh. He has done his PhD from Bundelkhand University and Masters from Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya. Previously, he has also worked as Principal at a reputed college of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam University for 8 years.

Astral Institute of Technology and Research

What keeps you connected with the education sector and how has your experience been so far with the institute?

"My experience is wonderful so far and learning opportunities of this field keeps me intacted"

I have been in the education sector for the past 21 years. And throughout these years, I have worked as a Principal, Professor, Head of department and in Placement Cell as well in numerous reputed institutes. So overall, the overall experience was very diverse as I have worked in almost all domains. And coming to Astral Institute, so here also it’s been a great journey so far. Lastly, the thing which keeps me associated with this sector is the learning opportunities and challenges it offers on a day to day basis and it gives me immense pleasure while I interact with young minds.

Being the Principal of Astral Institute, what is your philosophy of leadership?

"I prepare a thorough plan before approaching my team to fulfill our shared goals"

I believe that in order to lead others, you should have a proper plan with you, hence before commencement of classes in every semester, I ensure to develop a roadmap for my team and my students because everything something new is coming in teaching area, so adjusting curriculum with that is very crucial to prepare students for the corporate world. 

How does the curriculum of your college ensure the best practices of industry?

"It comprises of best personality development trainings, apprenticeships and projects"

We keep updating our curriculum after a fixed interval of time in order to accommodate new programs as per industry expectations and demands from our students. We provide soft skill training, internship and major projects to our students every year to ensure they get abundant practical knowledge of their respective subjects. Lastly, minimum 6 months of industrial training is also provided to students to make them acquainted with the corporate culture, environment and other things. 

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How is your college more welcoming to students of different races or economic backgrounds?

"We treat each student equally and offer scholarships and education loans to students"

We here at Astral Institute treats everyone equally and any kind of discrimination with anyone is strictly prohibited in our college campus. And for the students with hard economic backgrounds, we provide financial assistance in the form of scholarships and through education loans based on certain criteria.

What are your responsibilities for the University and students?

"To manage and administer college activities, staff, faculties and students"

Being the Principal, the ambiance of my responsibilities is very vast and my roles include general administration, supervising the teachers as and when required with respect to teaching methodologies and I also need to maintain records of our students. Beside all this, I am responsible for conducting examinations, institute budget preparation and for planning of curriculum etc.

What do you think should be the University’s top priority over the next 10 years?

"Autonomy of Astral Institute is our top priority"

For us, the autonomy of the Astral institute as per UGC and AICTE norms will be our topmost priority for the upcoming years.

What do you see as the greatest strengths of your college?

"Our infrastructure and education quality makes us strong"

Our infrastructure which includes well resourced labs and eco-friendly and ragging free campus along with the education we offer to our students through a diverse range of courses makes us strong and resilient at the same time.

What are some of the biggest challenges you see for the Astral Institute specifically?

"Public transport unavailability and implementing education policy are two major challenges for us"

The Transportation issue is one of the challenges we are facing currently, but we have provided bus facilities to our students to solve this issue to some extent. The next major challenge for us is implementing the new education policy, but I believe soon our students will get more accustomed to it and it will not be a hurdle anymore. 

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Any suggestions which you would like to give to the current youth and aspiring students?

"Keep upgrading your skills and utilise your time effectively"

I would like to suggest to my students to work rigorously on their technical and soft skills before they sit for placements in their final year. Also don’t waste your precious time on small things and design big goals for yourself, and give your full dedication to achieve those goals.