SHUBHANGI SHIFA
Ranchi, June 22: Prof Dr Tapan Kumar Shandilya took over the office of Vice-Chancellor at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University on Wednesday.
While interacting with the media, Prof Shandilya talked of his plans for the future of the university and said, “I was made a VC earlier in 2010 in Arah, however, I was new then and didn’t have the proper training for it all. However, now, I believe students are the main stakeholders in a university. They face several problems that are mostly related to examinations.”
“My objective here is to take care of the issues faced by students. I understand that examinations should be conducted on time for the benefit of the students. As a head of a university, my goal will be to conduct the sessions on time so that they are never delayed. We will be working to maintain the sessions and also to improve the quality of education,” the new VC added.
He further talked about the university and said that even before the division of Bihar, Ranchi College was famous for its education and standards. “Now that it has been upgraded into a University, I will work to improve the conditions here. Along with this, I will also work to introduce more vocational and job-oriented courses. Once I discuss the conditions of the university at present with my colleagues, I will work on a plan for this.”
“Being a student of economics will also help me, as I want to work towards generating income through the University for its betterment. This is because we need to be self-sustained instead of depending on the government only and to provide a new face to the university.
Answering a question about his plans for the university in a state with such a high tribal populace, he added, “I have had an experience of working in tribal regions. I learnt of their socio-economic conditions and did a few projects on it. I also believe the change required can be done only through education, and I will work to bring that change with my whole team at the university.”
When questioned about his post-pandemic leadership and the need for quality education amid the fear of the oncoming wave of Covid, he said, “Covid-19 taught us the need for the internet and online classes. Although developed countries did not face issues in this regard, Indians mostly in Bihar and Jharkhand were unable to initially cope with the idea of using video calls for online classes. However, we have now become accustomed to the online mode, and if a similar situation arises, we will be ready for it.”
The VC was welcomed by Registrar Namita Singh, other heads of departments, teaching and non-teaching staff, along with student representatives.
