A Call to Students: Transforming the Classroom Experience

 A Call to Students: Transforming the Classroom Experience

Dear Students,

Classrooms are not just four walls with desks and a blackboard. They are living spaces where ideas grow, where curiosity sparks, and where futures are shaped. Yet, too often, classrooms fall silent, reduced to routine lectures, passive listening, and hurried notes. The truth is: you hold the power to turn this silence into energy and life.

 

Prerequisites for Sincere Learning

•       Come prepared: Read the basics before class. A ready mind learns more.

•       Be attentive: Listen with focus, not casually. Every word can be important.

•       Ask questions without fear: Curiosity drives learning. Do not hold back.

•       Respect time: Arrive on time, stay engaged, and treat the classroom as a special place.

 

Turning a “Boring” Class into a Vibrant One

•       Engage the teacher: Respond, nod, ask, and discuss. Teachers feel more motivated when students show interest.

•       Work with classmates: Group discussions and peer help can make the class lively.

•       Challenge politely: If something feels old or unclear, raise it with respect and courage.

 

Should You Let the Teacher Switch Topics Before Questions Are Answered?

No. Learning is incomplete if doubts remain. Insist, politely but firmly, that your questions be answered. A classroom is not a race to finish the syllabus; it is a journey to understanding.

 

When Teachers Fall Short

Sometimes teachers may not be updated or may struggle to solve academic problems. In such cases:

•       Look for clarity elsewhere: Use the library, online resources, or ask other teachers.

•       Write down your doubts: Share them together with the department so they are noticed.

•       Escalate carefully: If problems continue, students can formally ask the administration to assign a different teacher.

•       Boycott only as the last step: If the situation is serious and learning is blocked, a united and respectful message to the Dean is stronger than silent withdrawal.

 

The Hidden Cost of Insincerity

Remember, being insincere in class does not only harm your learning but it also puts financial and emotional pressure on your parents. They believe their daughter or son is working hard to build a career, but wasted classroom hours mean wasted fees, wasted sacrifices, and wasted trust. Every careless moment in class is a silent burden on the family that supports you.

 

The Larger Message

Good teaching is a two‑way street. Teachers bring knowledge, but students bring energy. When students demand clarity, liveliness, and relevance, teachers are pushed to rise higher. By being sincere, curious, and fearless, you not only improve your own learning—you also honour your parents’ sacrifices and inspire your teachers to teach better.

 

Let classrooms be places where questions are louder than answers, where curiosity shines brighter than routine, and where learning becomes a shared adventure.

 

Escalation Checklist for Students

1.     Engage actively: Ask questions, challenge respectfully, and keep the classroom lively.

2.     Record issues: Collect doubts and teaching gaps together for visibility.

3.     Request change: Submit a formal request to administration for a different teacher if problems continue.

4.     Boycott carefully: As a united last step, communicate respectfully with the Dean of Academic Affairs, explaining the reasons clearly.

 

Words of Comfort

Dear Students, remember that education is not a burden but a gift. Every classroom moment is a chance to discover yourself, to honour your parents’ sacrifices, and to prepare for a future full of possibilities.

 

Even when challenges come, know that you are not alone, your teachers, your classmates, and your institution stand with you. Your sincerity today will become your strength tomorrow.

 

Carry this thought with you: “The classroom is not just where lessons are taught, it is where dreams begin to take shape.”

 

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Choose the Subject, Not the Grade or the Teacher: Build a Career That Matters

 Choose the Subject, Not the Grade or the Teacher: Build a Career That Matters

Why these matters

Many students pick courses because they promise easy marks. That choice may feel safe now but often reduces long‑term employability, wastes family resources, and narrows future options. Choose subjects for career value, not short‑term comfort. This expanded guide gives you practical tools, templates, and a clear action plan so you can act with confidence.

 

How to evaluate and score a subject before you register

Use a simple scoring system out of 20 to compare options quickly. Score each item 0 to 4 and add up the total.

• Job relevance 0-4
• Skill transferability 0-4
• Current syllabus quality 0-4
• Industry demand and placements 0-4
• Personal interest and motivation 0-4

 

Interpretation

• 17-20: Choose it, high priority.
• 13-16: Consider it if you can balance workload.
• 0-12: Avoid unless required.

 

Quick tip Talk to at least two alumni and one recruiter before finalizing a subject. Their real‑world view often reveals what the syllabus hides.

 

How to ask for subjects that are not listed and get them approved

Follow a clear, respectful process so your request is taken seriously.

1. Gather evidence
• Show job ads that list the skill or subject.
• Collect alumni profiles who used that subject in their careers.
2. Build student demand
• Get signatures or an online petition from classmates.
3. Draft a formal request
• Address it to the Head of Department with a short rationale and proposed syllabus or reference courses from other colleges.
4. Offer solutions
• Suggest a faculty member who can teach it, propose a guest lecture series, or request an elective batch if enough students sign up.
5. Follow up
• If no response in a week, politely remind the department and copy the Dean of Academic Affairs.

 

What to do when teaching quality is poor and how to escalate responsibly

Act with evidence and unity rather than emotion.

• Document specifics
• Dates of missed topics, unclear lectures, unanswered questions, and examples of outdated material.
• Use alternatives immediately
• Supplement with online courses, textbooks, recorded lectures, and peer study groups.
• Collective departmental step
• Submit a formal note to the course coordinator with documented gaps and a request for remedial sessions or a faculty change.
• Formal escalation
• If unresolved, send a respectful letter to the Dean with the department’s response attached. Boycott is a last resort and must be collective, documented, and explained in writing.
• Keep learning visible
• Maintain a learning log showing how you used time and fees productively; this strengthens your case and reassures parents.

 

Sample escalation timeline

• Week 1 Document and seek alternatives.
• Week 2 Submit departmental note with signatures.
• Week 3 Request meeting with HOD.
• Week 4 If unresolved, escalate to Dean with documentation.

 

Practical resources and habits that multiply learning value

• Form focused study groups with clear roles and weekly goals.
• Use micro‑learning platforms for skill gaps: short courses on tools employers use.
• Keep a learning log with topics covered, questions asked, and resources used. Share it with parents to show progress.
• Network early: talk to alumni, attend industry talks, and ask recruiters what they value.
• Showcase learning: build a small portfolio or project that proves you learned the subject, even if teaching was weak.

 

Action plan you can start today

• Day 1 List three career roles you want.
• Day 2 Score your current subject options using the 20‑point rubric.
• Day 3 Talk to at least two alumni and one recruiter about top subjects.
• Week 1 If a needed subject is missing, start the petition and draft the request email.
• Month 1 If teaching is poor, document and follow the escalation timeline.
• Ongoing Build a portfolio and keep parents informed with your learning log.

 

 

Final encouragement

Be brave enough to choose hard but useful subjects. Demand the courses that build your future, even if they are not listed. If teaching fails, seek change respectfully and persistently. A logical, well‑informed choice today will lead to a career that satisfies your mind and your heart.

 

Carry this thought with you: “The classroom is not just where lessons are taught; it is where your future begins to take shape.”

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Practical Sovereignty Through Need Driven Research

 Practical Sovereignty Through Need Driven Research

(From Prestige to Purpose in Indian Technical Education)

 

Introduction Technical universities should give a nation the knowledge, skills, and tools to stand on its own feet. Education and research must be instruments of national strength, not symbols of status. When institutions chase approval from outside, they risk turning research into a drain on the country instead of a source of power.

 

The problem

Many developing institutions follow research agendas set by global prestige and Western literature. This trains researchers to ask the questions the literature asks, use the methods the literature favours, and value the outputs the literature cites. Over time, this produces solutions that look good on paper but fail in local conditions.

 

A practical alternative

Need driven research puts community problems, local industry, and ease of maintenance at the center. Fund projects that improve livelihoods, health, infrastructure, and local industry. Insist on designs that are easy to repair, can be made locally, and pass skills to local people. Existing policy tools such as national research funds and state R & D programs already support applied work and can be used to change incentives.

 

Changing research culture

Supervisors and teachers must train students to read critically and to ask whether a method or idea will work here. Research should be driven first by clearly defined problems that reflect societal, industrial, and national priorities; literature reviews should be consulted subsequently to refine approach and methodology. Successful original research of this kind will enhance the nation’s reputation, reduce the outflow of foreign exchange, and contribute to improve per capita income. Include government reports, NGO studies, local journals, and the knowledge of practitioners along with international scholarship to widen the sources of knowledge.

 

Supervision and Accountability

Research supervisors should be asked to justify the topics they approve within a clear framework of local, industrial, and national needs. This requirement is not meant to punish independent thinking but to ensure that limited resources and student effort serve a meaningful public purpose. A simple, transparent review process can ask supervisors to explain how a proposed thesis addresses social or industrial priorities, builds transferable skills, or strengthens local capacity. If a supervisor cannot show such relevance, an institution may reasonably limit their role in guiding projects that lack clear connection to these priorities while offering mentoring and support to help them realign future proposals. Safeguards must protect academic freedom: criteria should be fair, applied consistently, and include an appeal process. Framed this way, the requirement becomes constructive: it raises the quality and impact of research, strengthens accountability, and affirms that universities exist first to serve the nation and its people.

 

Partnerships and procurement

Make sure foreign collaborations include clear commitments to transfer technology, provide training, and develop local intellectual property. When buying equipment or software, judge choices by their effect on jobs, the country’s foreign exchange, and technological independence, not by brand names.

 

Refined risks, trade‑offs, and mitigation

 

Risk: Short term dip in productivity while local capacity is built

How to reduce it: run phased procurement alongside training and pilots; keep some proven imported systems in operation during transition; pair local teams with experienced mentors; set clear short‑term targets so progress is visible.

 

Risk: Perceived loss of prestige

How to reduce it: adopt new measures of success such as resilience, repairability, and lives improved; celebrate local successes through awards and case studies; link promotions and funding to impact rather than brand names.

 

Policy fit and practical steps

Use national programs that support applied research and industry links. Offer seed grants for need‑driven projects, create industry fellowships for faculty and students, support incubators that turn prototypes into local products, and include local content and training requirements in public procurement.

 

Short summary of productivity gains

• Lower downtime because equipment is easier to repair locally.
• Lower lifetime cost as maintenance and spare parts are cheaper and available.
• Faster adaptation of technology to local needs, improving effectiveness.
• Skill growth that raises labour productivity and spurs local innovation.
• Employment multiplier as local manufacturing and services expand.

 

These benefits outweigh the short transition costs and lead to sustained productivity growth for institutions, industry, and the nation.

 

Practical steps for universities

• Align research with social needs: Fund work that helps livelihoods, health, roads, water, and local factories.
• Build local manufacturing and repair skills: Design for repair, make parts locally, and teach maintenance.
• Resist buying prestige: Evaluate purchases for job creation, cost over time, and how they help local technology.
• Use many knowledge sources: Add government reports, NGO studies, local journals, and practitioner experience to the reading list.
• Teach critical reading: Train students to test assumptions, check if methods transfer and adapt ideas to local conditions.
• Make partnerships accountable: Require training, technology transfer, and local ownership of ideas.

 

A closing challenge

If institutions keep chasing outside approval at the cost of national strength, they will stay trapped in dependency. True academic rigor is more than clever arguments and famous names. It asks whether our choices actually help the people we say we serve.

 

Measure success by resilience, repairability, and the lives improved, not by logos, citation counts, or borrowed prestige. Reorienting research toward practical sovereignty is not against global engagement. It is a mature way to work with the world while protecting dignity, building skills, and securing the nation’s future.

 

Sunil Pandey

Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering,

Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering,

LNM Institute of Information Technology, Jaipur 302031, Rajasthan.

Mobile: 9868113636, Email: sunil.pandey@lnmiit.ac.in, spandey@mech.iitd.ac.in

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