Interview by Sakshi Aggarwal

Dr. Gopinath Chintala, Principal of BITS

An administrator, teacher, and trainer, Dr. Gopinath has 26 years of teaching, research, and administrative experience. He did his Ph.D. (Computer Aided Design) from Andhra University. He also has an additional degree in MBA (Education Management) from KSBM, Mumbai

He has published research papers in International/National Journals/Conferences. He has also published books, conducted programs, delivered lectures in various National and International forums. He had conducted two AICTE sponsored Staff Development Programs on CAD/CAM. His vast experience includes 13 years teaching in GITAM University and 10 years as Principal which includes his experience as Principal of Baba Institute of Technology and Sciences as well. He was instrumental in NBA accreditation for all the departments of JITM (Now Centurion University of Technology and Management), Paralakhemundi, Odisha and Chaitanya Engineering College, Visakhapatnam.

Dr. Gopinath Chintala’s experience in the education industry

Starting from my father, all most all are teachers in our family and I always feel proud to be a teacher first. I enjoyed every moment being an academic administrator for the past 12 years converting thousands of budding engineers, managers into responsible citizens of India.

The education field is the most responsible industry in shaping the future of the country. Academic leaders have a great role to play in shaping the careers of students.

A teacher can inspire at the maximum two or three classes/sections in a semester, whereas a Principal/Director/Dean/VC can inspire the whole institution/University with their innovative decisions.

I feel privileged being a Principal in implementing innovative ideas and thankful to the management for giving me the freedom to do so.

BITS, Vizag

Dr. C. V. Gopinath’s philosophy of leadership and his leadership style

My philosophy of leadership is to include every stakeholder into the teamwork and winning everyone by conscience. Delegate the right work to the right person and give freedom in executing the assigned work. Trust any person till they deceive.  

Significant challenges faced as the Principal of Baba Institute of Technology and Sciences

  • With increase in the number of engineering colleges, increase in intake of Govt. Engineering Colleges, Deemed Universities, State Pvt Universities, getting quality students has become a major challenge.
  • Counseling those students and motivating them to the right career is another challenge for any institution.
  • Attracting right candidates for faculty positions is also becoming a challenge now-a- days
  • Improving the quality and quantity of good placements

Curriculum at Baba Institute of Technology and Sciences

We are an affiliated college to JNTU Kakinada. We don’t have much say in curriculum design, but our curriculum is one the best industry focused on the other universities.

Growth of students through placement opportunities available at Baba Institute of Technology and Sciences

There are plenty of placement opportunities for BITS Vizag students in terms of quantity; we are looking forward to improving the quality of placements.

Read more about the placement opportunities available at BITS, Vizag here.

Dr. C. V. Gopinath’s relationship with the students

Even though we have a full-fledged TPO, as a Principal I regularly monitor the T&P activities and address the students concerns as and when required.

Ideal school environment according to Dr. C. V. Gopinath

The ideal school environment should be stress-free and give space to the student to have their own thought process and should not be driven by the market demands and peer pressure.

Top qualities according to Dr. C. V. Gopinath that an aspiring engineer must possess

The student should have self-driven interest towards engineering profession. Whatever may be the institution IIT, NIT, Govt College, Deemed University or Pvt. University, the student should acquire some additional skill set as per the industry requirement before completing the study. Apart from these skills, one should complete additional online courses relevant to the discipline through NPTEL, EDEX, Course era etc such that they can be industry-ready by the time they reach final year. They should study the social behavior to understand what the society needs to improve their lifestyle through the innovations

Goals in mind for BITS, Vizag for the next few years

  1. We are NAAC accredited institution, we would like to go for NBA accreditation and get permanent affiliation with JNTU Kakinada.
  2. We would like to improve the quantity and quality of placements
  3. We would like to consolidate our position in the state of AP by improving the rank.

Suggestions for the current youth and the aspiring students

Go by your conscience not by peer pressure, do smart study and with interest, love your work and you won’t feel tired and take care of your parents and serve the country without any expectations.