Dr Reena Nigam
Associate Professor, HOD Amity Skill Institute
Amity University Gurugram
The year 2019 will be remembered as the year of pandemic in the realm of history. It will also be remembered for challenges it posed for the human beings and the resilient human spirit which emerged as winner, undeterred by the unimaginable menace of the disease that threatened to change the mankind forever. As we enter the year 2021, the threat remains but we are more confident of braving any challenge it may bring and are almost defiant towards the intimidating virus.
The education sector was the first to get hit as within hours the lockdown enforced closure of campuses thereby imposing a forced lockdown of classroom teaching. It was almost with military acumen and diligence the academic world rebounded and without wasting a day, classes were back on schedule with the help of highly efficient and qualified IT team.
At Amity, the staff and faculty geared up for an illuminating journey of IT enabled classrooms, webinars, conferences, orientation and even a special convocation and soon we were unstoppable. Amity has always been at the forefront of innovation and technology and that was at full display during the times of pandemic.
As we make our entry into the year 2021, which promises better days, in terms of the hope of a vaccine, we are prepared for all eventualities. The past year experiences have given us the confidence and conviction that we will not only be in full control of the situation but, we will improve, develop and flourish. To strengthen the system further we will focus towards the following:
- Faculty Development: During this challenging time, faculty has a very significant role to play, not only in area of teaching but also in mentoring, counseling and creating a strong network of students. Amity University Haryana has been extremely conscious of the quality of its faculty and their constant development. Various training programs were organized last year and this year we further plan to help the faculty achieve better results. Towards this mission, Amity has collaborated with Erasmus for Capacity Building. We also encourage the faculty to participate in international seminars, conferences and trainings.
- Enabling lab experiments and research online: To ensure that pandemic does not hamper the research activities at AUH, the online research practices will be encouraged and supported. Online labs will be the future of research which will enable researchers to continue with their lab experiments unhindered. Similarly, digital libraries will continue to support the researchers, with reading resources, to promote research in all areas.
- Students’ wellbeing: The pandemic has restricted the student-faculty interaction and is confined to the computer screens. At Amity, we always aim for the holistic wellbeing of students and ensure that none of our students is affected by the psychological implications of the pandemic. Therefore, our endeavor would be to connect with all our students at various levels and ensure that they are mentally unaffected by the negativity due to Covid-19 and do not face any anxiety related to any personal or professional issues.
- Online Students’ services: The ‘Amizone’ is the students’ portal which keeps students connected to the system, practices and activities at Amity. On campus, there is a one window system to deal with students’ complaints and issues. Now, the same system is available online to make it even more convenient for students staying at any corner of the world.
- Skill Development: At Amity, we understand the importance of skill Development and regular trainings are organized towards skill development of the students to equip them with more skills which go beyond academics and make them future ready. In the year 2020, many workshops were organized to bridge the skill gap and, in 2021, more such workshops will be organized which will help students expand their horizons in areas like soft skills, Communication, hospitality, technology, photography and fashion.
- Academic rigor: Amity is known for its innovative practices and academic rigor. Even during the times of pandemic, we were vigilant to ensure that there should be no laxity shown towards the best practices in academic curriculum and quality of education. A strict vigil is kept on the academic delivery and curriculum and the classes are constantly monitored by the top management.
- COVID-19 Precautions: We followed the strictest standards in COVID precautions and safety, therefore, as a result, our campus remained safe and secure during the pandemic. We are determined to do the same in the year 2021. We are extremely concerned and committed towards the safety of our faculty, staff and students and we will not let our guards down at any momentand at any cost.
- Sustainability: Whether it is environmental sustainability or any other form, it has become a subject of concern. Amity has sustainability ingrained in its policies and in the year 2021 will also pay special attention to practices that are sustainable, expansive and practicable to build a safe future for our youth.
We are all equipped to welcome the year 2021 and will continue to build on the solid foundation of ethos, values and best practices formulated by Amity University Haryana’s Visionary leadership. Year 2020 has given us a renewed will to outperform ourselves in every sphere and to go far and beyond in achieving excellence.