He certainly had not planned it. It certainly was not a dream realised. Yet he finds himself at the helm of a young University that is increasingly being recognised and applauded not just for its pursuit of academic excellence but also the holistic education offered in its campus. Dr. P. Shyama Raju, Chancellor, REVA University is a man driven by passion to deliver the very best in whatever he pursues, be it in the construction industry he has been associated with or in the education segment that he found himself in, totally unplanned.
A hands-on person who believes in addressing every minute detail of the functioning of the university, Dr. Raju can be frequently seen intermingling with students during his innumerable walks around the campus. Having started in year 2003, REVA has the distinction of being the youngest educational institute in the country to have been accorded university status. The university, with its strength of over 10,000 students that includes a fair number of international students too, offers multiple courses that range from humanities, engineering to business management.
Dr. Raju, in a chat with The Hindu , spoke on a varied range of issues addressing education today, as well as the differential approach to education that REVA is adhering. Here are some excerpts from the interaction.
Has being part of the construction industry altered the manner in which the curriculum is addressed in the civil engineering and architecture courses in the university?
We believe in students combining practical experience with academic diligence.
Students from our civil engineering courses are made to visit construction sites where they actually experience the process of construction and understand better from their field study. In fact, our students on graduating are fully equipped with practical training to take up projects on their own. The architecture college was started this year but here too our approach will be to provide plenty of practical training. Our administrative block is a platinum rated building.
This by itself serves as a green inspiration for our architecture students to pursue environment sensible designs.
How do you ensure the education imparted goes beyond academic pursuits?
We offer a holistic approach to education. While our state of the art library induces students to spend long hours expanding their intellectual horizon, we have well thought out and integrated programme that makes it mandatory for students to be involved in sports, cultural programmes besides introducing them to yoga and meditation practices.
We also admit students who excel in sports and they are encouraged to excel further on joining. We have also allotted a sizeable number of seats to aid rural students who cannot afford to pay the customary fees.
With so many distractions that plague current students’ lives, how do you bring them to unflinchingly focus on their work and goals?
The focus on academics is equally strong with plenty of checks and balances in place to ensure not only the weaker students receive special attention but the progress of rest of the section is diligently monitored. These interventions are student friendly, inducing the students to voluntarily comply with regular work but are also stringent to arrest errant performances and shirking of work.
With technology playing a major part in education, how effectively is your university using this, turning it to your advantage?
We already have in place smart classes such as having the best teacher handle a particular subject that is relayed to all the sections. While the physically present teacher in the classroom addresses doubts that may arise, there is also provision for students to directly pose their questions to the teacher who is actually doing the teaching. Select online classes from IITs are also relayed to the students to offer them access to the best in the relevant subject.
What are your future plans?
The goal is to become one of the top ten universities in the country within the next five years. We plan to ensure that the entire faculty within this five year period has either attained a doctorate or is working towards it.
