Dr Jayalekshmi Madhu Nair, Principal, Vivekanand Education Society's Institute of Technology.

What motivated you to enter the education field and how has your vision shaped your approach as Principal?

During my childhood, I used to teach my younger sister, who was four years younger than me, since my working mother could not devote time to helping her in studies. I used to love to teach her and felt proud, since I felt I was able to do what my teachers were doing in my school. Perhaps with that childhood experience, I developed a liking for teaching. During my PG student days, the appreciation I got from my teachers and classmates during my seminar presentations boosted my confidence and cemented my liking. This led me to search for only teaching jobs when I relocated to Mumbai after my PG studies.

Till today I believe that to be a good principal, first and foremost you have to be a good teacher, who has the ability to understand the needs of students. A good teacher will be able to cater to students of all calibre.

How do you encourage a culture of continuous improvement and innovations among your faculty and staff?

Teachers need to stay abreast with the latest developments considering the voluminous information available at mouse’s click for everyone including the students and the fast decline in the shelf life of technology, especially in the IT field. Therefore teachers are encouraged to participate in refresher courses both online and offline with the institute’s support. They are also encouraged to work in development projects and research projects in collaboration with research organisations and industries. Teachers also have to adopt innovative teaching practices to capture the attention of the students and retain the engagement of students throughout the complete lecture duration of one hour, especially after Covid. Hence best innovative teaching practices are shared among the faculty members.

What is your teaching philosophy and how do you incorporate it into the educational programs under your leadership?

A teacher should retain her passion for teaching throughout her career. He/She should be agile, adaptable and ready to learn new topics in emerging areas and should ensure that he/she is not getting stagnated in one domain. Multidisciplinary education is given more importance in NEP 2020, so accordingly teachers need to equip themselves in the upcoming technologies in all domains. Since the demarcation between domains is decreasing, many fields have become everybody’s domain because of their widespread applicability. Therefore skilling and reskilling opportunities are provided to the teachers. Motivational lectures for teachers are also conducted regularly by the experts. Teachers are also encouraged to participate in Faculty Development Programs conducted in the institute and other reputed institutions.

Can you share a memorable teaching experience that has a significant impact on your students?

When our institution started the PG course, the first few batches had students who were resuming their education after a gap of almost 10-15 years. Having been a teacher of undergraduate subjects in one area, a subject which needs mathematical background which I was handling was very difficult for them. A full course on required prerequisites, taking extra lectures for them, made them prepare for the advanced course of ME. Subsequently many of them developed a liking for the course and went on to do research in the same field. The additional qualification also gave a career boost to all of them.

What inspired you to pursue a career in research?

The satisfaction a teacher gets after taking a good lecture is what inspires a very good teacher. No material benefit can replace this satisfaction and the subsequent morale boost. No doubt, every lecture needs thorough preparation demanding exhaustive study. This study generates research interest in any passionate teacher. Getting admission to a premier educational institute like the IIT-Bombay added flavour to my interest. This also helped me to fulfil my parent’s dream of seeing their daughters as doctors.

What innovation or changes would you like to see in the education sector and how do you plan to contribute to changes?

The Indian education sector is already in the transformation phase thanks to the implementation of the new NEP. As an autonomous institute, we were privileged to implement NEP in the first year of autonomy itself. New NEP envisages a multidisciplinary approach and provides more flexibility to students. However, most state universities, unlike IITs, require specific discipline qualification for eligibility, to become faculty in a department, i.e., a teacher competent to teach a subject of multidisciplinary nature in a department may not fit in the qualifications prescribed for faculty in the department by the university. However, the practicing engineers working in the upcoming areas of AI, ML and IoT come from diverse fields such as statistics, economics, and computer science and other engineering disciplines such as electronics, mechanical, etc. Therefore eligible qualification requirements of teachers also should be modified to attract good talent. So a liberal, need based flexible approach should be exercised in this area. This will also help in turn in the effective implementation of NEP in higher education institutes. This has been brought into the notice of the concerned committee members and initiatives have been taken to make the changes at our university level.

What values do you believe are essential in driving a positive and inclusive learning environment as an academic institution?

Empathy is essential in driving an inclusive environment in an academic institution, since empathy involves putting oneself in other’s shoes and experiencing their emotions and perspectives. Integrity and humility also play a key role in driving a positive learning environment.

How do you believe education can be a transformative force in the lives of students?

Education can be a transformative force because it changes the outlook the way one thinks. The demography of students and teachers one is interacting with, also brings in the change in the behaviour of the students.

What advice would you give younger women aspiring for an academic career and journey in education research?

If one’s goal is to always remain young, then teaching will be the best profession. The age group teachers are interacting with shall always be the same, even if one reaches retirement age. Monotony will not be a term in a teacher’s life, because students, syllabus and subjects one is dealing with are always changing. Every lecture should be delivered with the same zeal as one has done for the first time, even if we are teaching for the nth time, since students change every year and are learning it for the first time. The opportunity to remain ever young and ever dynamic should inspire students to become teachers. My advice to young teachers is to make adaptability and agility their habits. These two traits along with a passion for teaching will make a teacher to be remembered by students forever.

How would you describe your life in 3 words?

Simple. Ordinary. Blessed.

What would you write on your own fortune cookie?

‘Your future looks very bright, provided you remain grateful every second of your life’.

Dr Jayalekshmi Madhu Nair is the Principal of Vivekanand Education Society's Institute of Technology (VESIT). Backed by her 19 years as Principal of VESIT, Dr Nair has significant contributions in areas including Instrumentation and Control Systems. She holds a Ph.D from IIT Bombay.

Dr Nair has dedicated over three decades to the noble field of education, starting as a Lecturer, and now serving as Principal. Her responsibilities include administrative roles working closely with various government authorities, including Mumbai University and DTE. She also serves as a member of the Board of Studies in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering and is recognised as a Post Graduate and Ph.D Teacher for Instrumentation, Controls, and Electronics at Mumbai University.

Dr Nair has also been involved in research projects and her research endeavours have secured substantial grants and led to patents in high-resolution spectroscopy, common mode voltage removal, and integrated high-resolution timing spectroscopy systems. She has secured research grants from BRNS for the research project ‘Development of Methodology for an Evaluated Nuclear Data Library’. She has also played crucial roles as the Chairperson of the ISTE Chapter and the Faculty Mentor of the ISA Chapter.

Dr Nair has more than 30 published works in national and international journals and conferences. She has supervised 21 projects in the field of Instrumentation & Control Engineering at the undergraduate level and 17 projects in the same field at the postgraduate level. She has also guided 7 Ph.D candidates, with four already completing their research successfully, and three currently in progress.

The recognition and accomplishments of Dr Nair, combined with her personal and professional growth, reinforce the significance of the institute in the world of education and research.

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