During our conversation with Dr K Manivannan, Professor and Director-UG Admissions of Vellore Institute of Technology, at TNIE’s Indian Education Fair 2018 in Dubai, he made it clear several times that VIT is not in the rat race to become number one. In fact, they are not interested in the numbers game either. “We have to offer quality education to the students, that is the vision of the management.” And during the course of the conversation, he went on to explain why this is the truth. Apart from this, he talks about the facilities that VIT offer, how the faculty remains constantly motivated and why VIT is the place to be. Excerpts from a long and detailed conversation:
Addressing all the concerns of parents
Parents and children are visiting us to clear their basic doubts about admission procedures. The other set of queries they have is about placement opportunities, they are asking details like which companies visit the campus, how are they conducting the recruitments and so on. Another concern is safety. Children are ready to go anywhere, but parents are worried about adaptivity and adjusting to a new environment. When it comes to boys, parents are concerned about the number of students put up in one room at the hostel, about mess food and if non-vegetarian food will be served. Then comes the fee factor. I have been interacting with parents for the past six years now, they don’t care too much about the fees, what they expect is quality education, placement, higher education opportunities, and good living environment — like a ragging-free and disciplined campus. We offer a biometric system which is linked to the parent’s phone number. The hostel has strict rules and regulations which the students might not like but the parents do!
What's happening on campus?
Vellore is not a major city like Chennai or Bengaluru. So, inside the campus, we have all the facilities. In the girls’ hostel, we have a gym, swimming pool, medical store, beauty parlours and so on. In the campus, there is also a Pizza Hut, various food courts and more. So students need not go out unnecessarily as various sports and entertainment facilities are present inside the campus. In the Vellore campus, we have over a 100 plus clubs.
When it comes to placements
Last year, around 400 companies visited Vellore Institute of Technology, and this time we are expecting more. When the students start their seventh semester, companies start visiting the campus. Last time, Google, Microsoft, Flipkart, and others visited the campus. Packages of more than `40 lakh were offered. Irrespective of the branch, they hire all students. Around 30-35% migrate to the US or UK for higher studies. So wherever you go, you will see our alumni.
It's not just about textbooks
Talking about sports and cultural activities, in Vellore Institute of Technology, we have all kinds of facilities. Clubs and chapter activities could also earn students credits. So they have to join any one club. We have mega sports and a cultural event in February for four days. We also have technical festivals.
The choice lies with students
In the first semester, like in plus two, a prescribed timetable will be given to the students. From the second semester onwards, students have the freedom to select the course and select the teacher as well. So, the teachers who are not up to the mark have to go undergo academic staff college training and improve their skills. This gives the faculty the need to update themselves and it proves to be a challenging environment for the faculty as well.
Their teaching methodology
On December 7, there was a meet-up of the Dubai alumni chapter where we celebrated the 88th birthday of our Founder Chancellor. Recently, the Ministry of Human Resource Development bestowed VIT with the status of Institute of Eminence. We are truly giving other institutes tough competition in terms of research and research output. A majority of our faculty members have individual projects. We always encourage project-based learning for students.
VIT's timeline
- In 1984, the Vellore campus was opened in
- They opened their Chennai campus almost ten years ago
- In 2001, they received the Deemed University status
- Two years ago, Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh and Bhopal in MP campuses were opened. In Bhopal and Amravati, they offer employability and industry-ready courses
