The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : College teachers get lectured on work culture

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 22, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

College teachers get lectured on work culture

Staff Reporter

Symposium stresses knowledge update, collaboration

CHENNAI: Faculty members from various city colleges gathered at the Ethiraj College here on Saturday not to teach but to learn and improve their work culture.

About 350 lecturers of 10 city colleges attended the symposium on "Work Culture and Healthy Practices" that emphasised updating of knowledge and collaborative effort among the faculty as essential factors for progress in work culture.

Elaborating on the work culture in the educational institutions, S. Jagadeesan, chairman of the Intellectual Property Appellate Board and chairman, Ethiraj College Trust, said the teachers need to cater to students' complex needs by continuous learning through experimentation and benefits of exchanging ideas.

Lecturers must look out for developments in their discipline and teaching methods. Dissemination of the acquired knowledge among the students was their primary responsibility. Besides teaching, they must also mould the students' personality, Mr. Jagadeesan added.

He later released the proceedings of an International conference on "Developing Competitive Strength in Institutions of Higher Learning in the Changing Scenario" hosted by Ethiraj College last year.

The conference aimed at identifying segments that needs improvement and reforms them for excellence in higher education. It addressed issues such as industry-institute partnership, teaching and learning methodologies and redefining core competencies of the faculty.

Of the 110 papers presented by participants, 43 have been added in the publication.

M. Anandakrishnan, chairperson of the Madras Institute of Development Studies, who received the first copy, spoke on ethics in educational institutions, which were microcosms of the country's culture. Institutions must act as training ground for students to determine their personal ethics. Citing examples of various universities, he said educational institutions must survive and stand up to the pressure exerted by political and religious leaders.

He also underlined several dimensions of ethics such as personal, professional, national and international ethics.

Participants learnt about codes of ethics for educators prescribed by New York State, including creating a challenging learning environment for students.

An instrumentation centre with equipment worth Rs. 21 lakhs was inaugurated. The centre, which has visual and analytical instruments, would provide research assistance for science students.

The college used the grant provided by University Grant Commission identifying it as college with potential for excellence.

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