Interview by Yash Panchal

Prasad

 

Dr. Shatrughna Prasad Yadav is currently working as Professor & Dean at SUAS Indore. He has qualifications of B.Eng, M.Eng, MBA and Ph.D. He has previously worked as HOD of EEE and ECE at IITE Ahmedabad. He has also been a Senior Lecturer at Nirma University.

Dr. Yadav has a membership of many professional societies. He is the recipient of various awards for his research papers. He has presented his research papers in national/international conferences and his papers have been published in reputed journals. He has organized and participated in numerous seminars/ workshops/ conferences.

Experience in the education industry

Prior to joining the education industry, I was in the Indian Air Force for 20 years. I felt pride in serving the nation as a combatant person. Later on, I thought, why not ignite the young Indian minds and train hundreds of them together who will, in turn, serve the nation. I think teaching is a noble profession and a teacher can do more to produce good citizens and make a positive impact on students of all ages.

A democratic leadership style

I should be able to inspire, motivate, and bring out the best in the student. To maintain this objectivity, I follow the principle of purity in heart, clarity in mind and sincerity in action. I practice a democratic leadership style and take a decision by being empathetic.

Any major challenge to be tackled

Since SUAS Indore is the first skill university in India, a paradigm shift in the thought process is required by the student and the faculty members. This requires lots of understanding among all stakeholders and this is one of the biggest challenges.  

The curriculum is designed for students to be job ready

Being a skill university, its philosophy is learning by doing which is achieved through practical training in the laboratories and sending students for internships in the industry, in order to expose them to the real world work environment. Apart from that, the incubation center and entrepreneurship cell help them test and explore innovations thereby elevating the entire education to the next level. The curriculum of the university is designed in consultation with the industry experts to ensure that students are job ready and employable on completion of their course from the University.

Changes noticed in the education industry over the past few years

There is a tremendous change in the service sector as old technologies are being replaced by new technologies at a much faster rate and with more advanced features. Today, millions of graduates and professionals are coming out of universities and colleges, but the majority of them are unemployable owing to the mismatch of skill sets. At the same time, a lot of changes have taken place in the education sector and efforts are being made to reduce this gap. Skill-based universities like SUAS, Indore are coming up, which have been set up on the thoughts of National Skill Development Corporation India (NSDC) model with the primary mandate of catalyzing the skills landscape in India. These universities emphasize on integrating skill-based training along with the academic cycle, based on National Occupational Standards set by industry through sector skill councils.

Ideal school environment can be achieved through mutual trust and adequate infrastructure

Mutual trust, adequate infrastructure and environment for learning should exist in a good educational institution. Knowledge can only be transferred when at one hand, a student is having faith in the teacher’s wisdom and on the other hand, the teacher has faith in the potential and sincerity of his student.

Top qualities that an aspiring student must possess

They should be absolutely committed and focused on knowledge acquisition. Apart from acquiring conventional knowledge, they should have skill set optimized for the current technology required by the industry. It will not only help them maximize their chances of getting hired but at the same time, their pay package will also be increased.

Goals in mind for the future years

It is a skill university, which gives more emphasis on the skill set and practical knowledge which is the requirement of the present age. I think it will leave behind all the conventional universities and institutions and will become a leading institution of higher learning in India by 2025.

Suggestions for the current youth and the aspiring students

They should acquire all of the skill set required in their area of expertise. They should be a creative thinker and sometimes should also think out of the box. They should have good communication skills and should be able to present their thoughts and ideas. At the same time, their decision-making capability should also be very good.