Bhartiya Skill Development University

Cmde(Dr.) Jawahar M Jangir is the Professor, Principal School of Electrical Skills and Director Industrial Relations at BSDU, Jaipur. He has over 35 years of experience in administration; technical management; academics including training design, and many other notable flagship projects. He is also the former defence adviser in High Commission of India, Nigeria. His keen vision and a curiosity to drive the youth towards success is what keeps him connected to the education sector. He is a visionary who wants the youth to prosper in all spheres of life by making effective use of technology. Here is what he has to say in his interview

What are the key factors that keep you connected with education?

“Education helps elevate and transform the lives of individuals”

My career spans over 35 years, having both academic and industrial experience. I am a retired Naval Commodore from the Indian Navy and Executive Director from a PSU. In the Navy, skill training and education are of great importance. I have held various positions wherein training and skill education were involved. All these appointments are akin to Professor, Dean and Director in the University system. At present, being the Professor and Principal, the key factors that keep me connected with education are the strong beliefs that the citizens' education and training promote their personal growth and development. With this, the critical aspects of a happy and satisfying life also falls in place. The country will make tremendous progress in every arena, and above all, the world will look at the country with awe and admiration. 

How do you motivate and help students and faculty of your institute?

“An effective leader knows how to channelize the potential of others”

I very strongly believe that every individual has a massive amount of capabilities and potential. And as a leader, I need to enable them to identify their potential and ignite it. Some people require a little bit of guidance, but you may have to spend a bit more time with others. I often tell stories about people who were far less gifted, and due to persistence and efforts, they not only surprised themselves but became the role model for the rest of the world. So I strongly believe in the individuals' continuous motivation, and in the majority of the cases, they change for the better. 

“The students in BSDU spend a considerable amount of their time working on the equipment/machines on which they will be working in the industry. We also spend a lot of time enhancing their communication skills, personality development, soft skills, and entrepreneurial skills.”

How does the curriculum of BSDU ensure the best practices of industry?

“Our curriculum is in direct sync with the industrial requirements”

The training methodology being followed by BSDU automatically ensures that our students spend 50% of their time in the industry and are aligned with the best practices. Besides, our faculty and trainers are continuously in touch with the industry to refine and update the curriculum. Apart from academia, we have sizeable participation of senior industry leaders and representatives from sector skill councils in our Board of Studies and Academic Council Meetings, where the curriculum changes are discussed and approved. So the curriculum followed in the university is entirely in sync with the requirements of the industry.

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Any insights into how your university could be more welcoming to students of different races or economic backgrounds?

“We welcome all the students irrespective of race, caste or religion”

We have scholarships for different categories like students from BPL families, minority communities, children of parents serving/retired from armed forces, students from the nearby localities, etc. The amount of scholarships gets promulgated every semester during admission time. This year, due to the prevailing Covid 19 pandemic, the management has taken a decision to waive off the tuition fees of all previously admitted students in BSDU for the academic year 2020-21. As for the new students being admitted this semester, their tuition fees will be waived off, if their family income is less than Rs 4 Lakhs per annum. These decisions have been taken by the management to help the students so that the financial hardships due Covid 19 don’t come in their way of quality education.

What do you think should be the University’s top priorities in the next 10 years?

“There are multiple aspects that we are aiming to evolve as the center of excellence”

  • As per me, the top priorities would include spreading awareness about the University both in India and abroad, clearly highlighting how the various programs offered by the University can make a huge difference to make them true professionals in the chosen skill areas.
  • The next one would be to continuously sync with the industry by dynamically modifying the course content. 
  • The following would be to increase the focus on skill-based research and taking projects from the industry. It will enhance productivity to make the products faster, better, and cheaper(economical). 
  • The next one would be to continuously improve the quality of the students graduating to enhance their credibility in India and abroad.

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

“There is a constant requirement of changes to be addressed persisting in the education”

In my opinion, the biggest challenge is the non-availability of capable and competent faculty who can do justice to their profession. The evaluation system also needs to undergo a change that promotes understanding and application rather than mugging and passing the examination to get a degree. 

I strongly recommend a break of two/three years between undergraduate and postgraduate programs and the doctoral programs to enable enhanced application-oriented understanding. We also need to focus more on vocational programs, which hopefully is getting addressed in NEP 2020.

As far as BSDU is concerned, our biggest challenge is to spread awareness about the skill programs nationwide, including rural areas. The rural areas offer great potential to the young population by way of excellent job opportunities and increasing the manufacturing sector's contribution to GDP growth. 

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

“Trace a path for your own success that you want to walk on” 

I would suggest students focus on learning and understanding the practical aspects of their chosen field. Their growth and development in the same can help them earn a livelihood with a sense of pride and achievement. BSDU offers an excellent bouquet of skill programs, out of which students could choose the skill program of their interest and become competent professionals. The programs in BSDU help them to be ready for the industry or be on their own and make a difference in their lives.