Did you know that before Gandhi Institute of Engineering and Technology (GIET) was set up in Gunupur, Odisha, a lot of people, including a senior AICTE official, asked them if they would even get good students, forget teachers? “We are thankful to people who alerted us that no one will come here if we do not exhibit exceptional quality,” Prof (Dr) Satya Prakash Panda, Chairman, GIET, tells us. And now that they have been granted the University status, there is much to rejoice. Prof Panda tells us how the journey has been so far and what we can expect from this exceptional university. Excerpts:
In retrospect, how has the journey been for GIET so far?
From day one, that is, in 1997, GIET Gunupur was a great destination because it was conceived and managed by successful academicians. During the last 22 years, there have been many ups and downs in the BTech admission scenario of the nation. But because of our quality consciousness, we have been consistently filling up our seats for which AICTE has made us one of the biggest engineering colleges of Eastern India. For high-quality education, NAAC gave us an ‘A’ Grade twice with 3.28/4 for two consecutive terms of five years each. We have got NBA five times since 2008. During 2017, UGC gave us autonomous status. Finally, we got the University status by Act of 23 of 2018 of Government of Odisha.
Looking forward, what can we expect from GIET next?
It has been a long journey of 22 years from the birth of Gandhi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Gunupur. It was an uphill task of establishing a quality engineering college away from the national highway and main railways, situated in the foothills of Eastern Ghats. But, before being a university we were the biggest engineering college of Odisha and have been able to attract the largest number of students. We have been closely watching the education technology followed in the West. The essence of the Western pattern of education is that they compel a student to be inquisitive and encourage innovation, as a result of which, those universities have always bagged patents and Noble prizes. We at GIET University vow not to increase the student strength unethically, we shall do it judiciously. Our main thrust will be quality, not quantity. We are sure there shall be a big rush for our seats, but those who do not have a good academic career will be disappointed. This will help us to attract the best students and the best teachers who will follow the footprints of the best universities in the world. However, we shall introduce those branches of studies which were not available to the students of Odisha.
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You mentioned that you will introduce new courses depending on the demand...
We are going to introduce ten new branches of BTech, which are in great demand globally, with the approval of AICTE and the government. It is premature to reveal their names. It shall be known to all only we get approval from the authorities. Subjects will be offered in the areas of Management and Humanities as well.
How are you embracing digital education at the university?
We are digitising the whole system of our education in line with the best practices followed by the leading institutions across the world.
In what ways have the students of GIET done the university proud?
Securing high positions and earning gold medals at university-level has been a common thing here since the inception. Approximately eleven thousand alumnae have been able to occupy coveted positions in the government and corporate sector throughout the world.
What GIET does right
- One of the most enviable infrastructure
- Some of the best teachers who are paid a very good salary on the last day of the month for the last 22 years
- Quarters are provided for faculty members and they have one of the best leave and various incentive plans
- 60% of their teachers have PhDs, others are actively engaged in research work. They expect 100% PhDs before the UGC timeline of December 31, 2021
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They categorise students into three groups
- The fast learners are shaped for attaining a high score in GATE, CAT examination, IES and the Indian Civil Services
- The slow learners get individual attention through proctors, class teachers and remedial classes
- The medium students burn a lot of midnight oil to improve fast through a systematic effort
For more on them, click on giet.edu
