U.R.P. Sudhakar, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, has been nominated by the Indian Maritime University (IMU) as a member of the varsity Planning Board.
The term would be for a period of three years with effect from April 24, 2019, which would end on April 23, 2022. The nomination was made by the President of India under the IMU Act-2008.
The Board is a high-level body headed by the Vice-Chancellor of the university. The other members include Secretaries of Departments of Shipping and Defence and Directorate-General (Shipping). The role of the Board is to review ongoing courses and to chart a roadmap for the future of the university.
Mr. Sudhakar is currently the Chairman of the Hyderabad Chapter. He has an M.Sc in maritime education and training from World Maritime University (WMU), Sweden, and MBA in maritime management from the U.K. He has been working in the field of maritime education and training for over 15 years.
Asked what should be the priorities of the IMU, Mr. Sudhakar said there was an urgent need for improving employability of the Indian seafarers graduating from our own as well as affiliated pre-sea METs.
For this, grooming the cadets in line with the industry demand was essential. Secondly, the university has to establish and nurture organic links with the shipping and ship-building industries.
The academia-industry link has to be mutually beneficial and sustained by long-term commitments. The IMU should focus on national and international collaborations to promote industry-specific research. For any institution of higher learning, research is the key to achieve excellence. It would help in attracting and retaining the best faculty, he said.
