Sangeeta Jhanwar is working as a Principal of P.R. Pote (Patil) College of Architecture, Amravati. She has done M. Tech Urban Planning from Vishveshrayya Regional College of Engineering (Today VNIT), Nagpur. She has 27 years of professional experience and 7 years of teaching experience. She has published more than 5 research papers in water resources, interior designing, green technology, and more journals. She is also responsible for the architecture of the Reserve Bank of India, Nagpur region, and Bank of India, Nagpur zone. Her area of expertise lies in architecture. 

PRPCOA

You have held key positions at education institutes throughout your professional career. What are the factors that keep you connected with the education sector?

Youths or students are the future of tomorrow. Sharing knowledge gained after many years of experience with them gives me a lot of pleasure. This is what has kept me connected with the education sector for so long.

Being the Principal at P. R. Pote Patil College of Architecture (PRPCOA), Amravati, what is your philosophy of leadership? Give a brief about your leadership style.

Giving liberty to the staff to achieve the goal, for example teaching in the classroom, site visit, workshop, or any innovative way they feel, they can adopt.

Another philosophy is the overall development of students as well as staff, through the institute.

Given that you have expertise working in several facets of architecture, what are the disparities between theoretical understanding and practical application, and how are you attempting to close this gap at PRPCOA, Amravati?

For success in any field, good administrative and managerial characteristics are a must, along with theoretical knowledge. So we are trying to train our students accordingly.

Before entering into practice, theoretical knowledge is required. At the same time without watching certain things practically, theories can't be understood properly. So as we all know 'for quick and perfect knowledge both are required. Therefore along with the traditional way of teaching, we are making our students aware of the latest technologies, modern instruments, software available, etc. 

In this way, giving a focus on the current requirements of society, skills are developed in students to face modern challenges and bridge the gap.

In your opinion are there any skills that students should work on before joining B.Arch. Program at PRPCOA, Amravati?

Certainly not. B. Arch. is a five-year degree course. We must develop all the essential skills in the students.

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You've instructed students in architecture at various institutions; in your view, does the location of the college affect students' ability to apply their knowledge?

Not much. Medium size cities like Amravati are the best suited. Here we can easily approach High-rise, industrial sheds; at the same time load bearing and vernacular rural structures. In today's world of fast communication, the factor of location can be overcome with proper planning.

What is your vision for the Institute and how far have you come in achieving those?

The vision of 'P.R.Pote Patil Group of Educational Institutes, Amravati' is "To flourish as a center of excellence for producing skilled and committed human beings". We are progressing with the same.

What are some of the biggest challenges you see, both for higher education in general and PRPCOA, Amravati specifically?

Maximum students prefer to go to metro cities like Pune, Mumbai, etc for studies; irrespective of the institute. This is the biggest challenge for us. We are observing that in metros, anti-social activists are easily targeting these youth living away from their families.

Do you have any extracurricular activities or programs to enhance the skills of the students or expose them to real-world challenges?

Our group mission is "To develop professionals with strong ethics and human values for the betterment of society". So throughout the year, such activities are being conducted at the campus.

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What do you think your roles and responsibilities to the University and the students are?

Increasing the number of students competing globally is our role at the university. And hence 'nurturing talent with a Global vision' is our responsibility toward students.

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

Accept the modern world; but don't forget our culture, traditions, and social responsibilities. Already we are ruled by others, such a situation should never come in the future. So, be strong.