Mr. A.J. Paul has been working as the Head of Architecture Engineering Department at Aalim Muhammed Salegh Academy of Architecture, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He has done M. Arch as part of his academics. He is specialized in areas like Landscape and Project Management and has experience in working with designing retail brand stores in India and the Middle East. He is also a member of the Council of Architecture. Currently he is pursuing interests in IGBC and sharing knowledge with the next generation of Architects.

Aalim Muhammed Salegh Academy Of Architecture

What are the key factors that keep you connected with the education sector?

"I believe I can directly contribute to nation growth by educating youths and students"

As truly said by the great Nelson Mandela, Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. And the same factor I believe is the reason behind my association with the education sector. Our world is in need of drastic changes to make up for the ignorant actions of the past, which are affecting our current generation, the major being exploiting the earth's resources, so the only way to overcome these shortcomings is through education and technological advancements which have taken place recently. Social and moral education plays a major role in understanding the behavior and responsibility as a global citizen.

Being the Head of Department at AMSAA College, what is your philosophy of leadership? 

"A true leader is a perfect listener and handle people of different mindset in best possible way"

I would define my style as more of Servant Leadership style, a theory which was started by Robert K. Greenleaf. And I believe that a true leader knows how to achieve goals even in the worst of times by empowering and mentoring the team members to do their best. In addition to this, a leader listens to his/her team patiently, never leaves anyone's quarries unaddressed and maintains synchronisation between everyone while working with people of different mindset and thinking-learning capacity. It’s also important to establish trust and confidence in your workforce by establishing quality standards, accepting and delegating responsibility and fostering a culture that allows for accountability.

How do you design the key programs for the marketing and administration of your institute?

"By organizing a wide variety of events like seminars, guest sessions and publishing college events in monthly magazine"

Being in the field of Architecture, I need to integrate many activities together to maximize the learning opportunities for students. We motivate our students to actively participate in intercollegiate events which are conducted on regional and national levels. In addition to this, we organize industrial visits for them to strengthen their subject concepts and make them aware about how the corporate sector operates. IGBC training is also organized for them to teach them the latest software and design technologies which are being used and in demand in today's market. Guest sessions are conducted too where elite speakers are invited to share their knowledge and experiences with us. And to expand our reach among students and youths, we release a monthly publication called “The Hunch '' which is operated by students, guided by professors and highlights monthly events of our institute. And we strongly believe that our students are our brand ambassadors and their academic achievements are our best marketing tool, since no one knows us better than them.

In your knowledge, what facilities students can gain from studying here in your institute?

"They will get best ambiance and education here to grow and pursue their dreams"

We impart finest quality education to students through a wide variety of approaches to ensure their overall growth and also to help them be more creative and curious at the same time. Apart from this, we keep encouraging our students to participate in both academic and non-academic competitions across the country to amplify their hidden talents.

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

"It is backed by students centric activities and events and designed after close consultation with experts"

The curriculum of our college is designed after stringent analysis of industrial demands and discussion with experts and academicians, hence it consists of premium quality education and co-curricular activities which ensures holistic development of students. Various student centric and student welfare tasks including workshops, cultural and sports events are also organized by the college council. Many of our Graduates have started their independent ventures or consultancies while others are well placed in reputed industries of Architecture domain. In addition to this, we train our faculties through Faculty Development Programmes to inculcate latest technologies and teaching techniques in them. And the combined effect of institutional autonomy and academic freedom gives perfect ambiance to faculty to experiment with various teaching-learning pedagogies. 

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

"Any kind of inequality is strictly prohibited in our college and we offer same learning windows to each student"

We do have students from different communities, religions, races and economic backgrounds and this diversity in fact adds beauty to our college campus because students get to learn so many new things about other cultures from their friends. And we treat every single student equally in terms of learning opportunities we offer to them as we strongly believe that every student is unique and so are their skills and knowledge. 

What are your roles and responsibilities for the University and students?

"It is to design course curriculum for subjects along with guiding them whenever required"

Being the HOD, my accountability area is very vast and I am responsible for preparing the timetable, action plan, experiments for the programs we offer, and delivering the course content to students in a simpler way so that they can understand the complex subjects easily. Beside this, I act as a mentor for our students and keep guiding them from time to time for their career and to help them fix their academic and personal issues.

Check Aalim Muhammed Salegh Academy of Architecture Courses & Fees

When you first came to AMSAA, what was your vision for the college? 

"To make this institute best place for students by providing them finest education and amenities"

When I joined this college and visited it for the first time, my aim was to make the institute a center of excellence by offering technical education and research opportunities of global standards to students, developing their overall personality and instilling the qualities like discipline and perseverance in them. Apart from this, my objective was to make students technologically superior and ethically strong who can in turn contribute to the advancement of society and humankind.

What would you like people to know about AMSAA?

"We offer rigorous training programs to students to clear IGBC certifications as they have a global level"

The faculties of our college are IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) certified, who also have the responsibility to train our students to make them competent and encourage them to attend the IGBC certification exam as it has a lot of global value in their line of work.

What are the greatest strengths of your AMSAA institute?

"Our values, vision, programs and faculty are main pillars of our strength"

The main objective of our college and education we offer is to build strong critical thinking skills, analytical reasoning skills and problem-solving skills in students. In addition to this, we also aim to make our students capable enough so that they can apply theoretical knowledge to discover solutions to some real time issues. And it is well known that the quality and extent of learner achievement are determined primarily by teacher competence, sensitivity to learner needs and teacher motivation. Hence along with students, we keep enhancing our faculty skills too. And in my opinion, our students, teachers and teaching techniques are the main pillars of our strength. 

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

"Be honest with yourself and people who are important to you"

I would advise my students and youths of our society to keep faith in themselves and their capabilities. Don't compare yourself with others every time you do something and keep hustling as hard work, perseverance and discipline are the only ways to fulfill your dreams. Also, be loyal with people who are good for your mental health and think more of others' benefits rather than you.