Dr. Rinku Agarwal is working as an Assistant Professor and Head of the Management Department at NEF College. Her educational qualifications include PGDBM, MBA (HR and Marketing), M.Phil., NET and Ph.D. She holds a total of 15 years of teaching experience. She has published various research papers in multiple National and International Journals. She has also published a book on Human Resource Management. 

NEF College Guwahati

What are your roles and responsibilities?

“To ensure synchronization between faculties, students and staff”

My basic accountabilities towards the institute are to ensure that day-to-day operations are running smoothly. And being the department head, I have to lead, manage and develop the department to ensure it achieves the highest possible standards of excellence in all its activities. For this, I make sure to allocate the subjects to the faculty members well in advance before the commencement of the semester. Coming to students, I Interact with them on regular basis to identify their problems and provide guidance and solutions to them on time. I look after the overall development of students of our department and if required I arrange special classes for the benefit of the students.

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

“Satisfaction, happiness and challenges which this field offers every day”

There is no doubt in the fact that education enriches our understanding of the world around us. It also gives exposure to a wide variety of perspectives and opinions. It makes me very happy and proud when I teach the future generation of our country. The mental satisfaction of sharing knowledge and educating others makes this profession fulfilling in every way possible. 

What is your leadership philosophy? 

“I believe in the concept of working and growing together”

In my viewpoint, Leadership is not only about authority. But it includes various aspects like encouraging the team to achieve the desired goals. A true leader knows how to have patience in tough situations and how to handle a team with people having different sets of opinions. Lastly, whenever a team member commits any mistake, a leader should be capable enough to make him understand how to learn from failures.

What are the changes you would suggest in the course curriculum to ensure the best practice of the industry?

“We should include new activities and events as per industry and students' needs”

I would suggest that the course curriculum should be made innovative and flexible to accommodate the ever-changing demands of the industry. And to begin with, apart from local collaborations, we should collaborate with other foreign universities for the exchange of knowledge and experience to help our faculties and students for higher studies and research. Also for physically challenged students, unique centers should be there. We should focus on enhancing our relationship with NGOs, industries and professional organizations. Village tours should be included in the curriculum along with industry tours which we generally organize. 

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What do you think should be the institute’s top priorities over the next 10 years?

“We should establish a better classroom culture for students”

In upcoming years, the institute should focus on developing a rich and diverse classroom and culture that can fuel a passion for lifetime learning for our students. We should also ensure an excellent academic curriculum based on sound analysis of the needs of students and future employers. 

What are some of the basic issues in front of management institutes in the country?

“Less admissions and degraded education quality are two biggest challenge”

Today MBA has become a basic prerequisite for employment in various fields. And if I talk about the difficulties which many institutes are facing currently in our country, then there are many but the biggest one is that downfall in admissions to management institutes has been observed due to compromise in quality of students, inexperienced faculties, gaps between management graduates and industry requirements, management development programs, placements, faculty development programs and lastly poor regulatory mechanism.

What initiatives are taken by the placement cell of your institute to provide good career opportunities to students?

“We arrange direct industry interaction and pre-placement training for them”

Our placement cell organizes various kinds of seminars, webinars and workshops in collaboration with known training organizations and eminent industry experts. Our placement team also gives various pre-placement training like resume writing, GDs and mock interview sessions to inculcate required skills and confidence, awareness about industry demands and to get an idea of tips and tricks to crack the recruitment process. 

How do you establish a healthy relation and environment in your institute?

“Through equal participation of students in different activities”

I strongly believe that for a congenial atmosphere to prevail in the institute, students need to see themselves as part of the classroom. And to enforce this, I try my best to include all students in different kinds of learning activities regardless of their gender, race, ethnicity, religious background and socioeconomic status. Because providing equal opportunities to them will give them a direct message that they are the most important pillar for us.

Which steps are taken by your institute to promote practical learning among the students?

“Hands-on projects, apprenticeship and case studies are given to them”

With regards to this, we regularly organize corporate events, internships and field visits. Hands-on projects are given on topics as understanding customer buying behavior, analyzing the financial performance of a company, finding out the best human resource practice, to apply their knowledge and skills which they learn through earlier mentioned events. Apart from all these, other activities like case studies, role play, business quizzes, etc. are also given to the students.

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

“Take responsibility for your actions and be emotionally strong”

I would like to advise my dear students that learn how to manage your emotions in critical times because it will help you to keep patience in an uneven environment which you might face in society and the corporate world as well. Secondly, a certificate or degree is not the only thing they should run after, rather they should hone their knowledge and skills to secure good job in a reputed company.