JNTUA Vice-Chancellor interview: Revamped curriculum to make students employable, highly skilled

In a candid conversation with Shiksha, Prof G Ranga Janardhana, Vice-Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Anantapur (JNTUA), talks about how they are implementing blended mode of learning to avoid mass gathering of students, curriculum revamp and more. Read the full interview below.

Q. Are you planning to align your programmes with the new National Education Policy-2020 (NEP-2020)?

A. Yes, the nation needs the change in our education policy. I welcome the National Education Policy 2020.

Q. There are reports that JNTUA is planning to offer multidisciplinary options under which students from one stream of engineering will be allowed to study subjects from the other stream, to earn a minor BTech degree in the later stream. Is it true?

A. Yes. But not separate BTech minor degree. The students who secure 8 CGPA and above in the first two years can choose to pursue minor degree (20 credits extra) in an area specified by the other engineering branches. For example, BTech mechanical engineering students can register for minor degree in Smart Cities offered by Civil Engineering Department or software engineering offered by Computer Science Engineering Department, etc. After completion of regular branch credits (for instance, mechanical engineering) and extra 20 credits in minor (say in software engineering offered by Computer Science Engineering Department), the student will receive the BTech degree in mechanical engineering and a minor degree in software engineering. In the similar lines of minor degree, JNTUA also introduced BTech Honors. A student who secure 8 CGPA and above in the first two years can register for honors degree and needs to pursue 20 credits extra in the advanced subjects of the same branch. A student can register either for minor or honors degree but not both. The students who do not wish to register for minor or honors will get BTech degree after completion of regular courses.

Q. What new engineering courses are you planning to offer?

A. JNTUA has given permission to a good number of affiliated colleges to start BTech CSE in data Science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT) and combinations approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi.

Q. The AICTE had recently announced that students who already have a BTech/BE degree may apply for another BTech/BE degree in another discipline or branch of engineering under lateral entry system. Do you think the move will benefit students?

A. Students will have two BTech degrees, but whether all organisations will accept the lateral degree is a question mark? The student with two such BTech degrees will definitely have an edge over others who have a single degree. But of course, the individual talent plays a key role in their success.

Q. Are you taking any steps to train your faculty in emerging technologies?

A. Yes. We have already conducted a few Faculty Development Programmes (FDPs). Some more programmes in emerging areas are being scheduled. For this, we are inviting eminent professors and industrialists from the reputed organisations. 

Q. What initiatives have you taken to improve the quality of education at JNTUA colleges?

A. We have recently revised the course curriculum (called R20 regulations) and introduced professional electives, humanities and social science electives, open electives, skill-oriented courses. Instead of earlier practice of predetermined course curriculum with specified subjects (students were forced to choose only from these subjects), now the students can choose up to 40 per cent of these elective subjects in R20 regulations to pursue through MOOCS (massive open online courses). One of the reasons for extending the facility to the students to choose any courses in the emerging areas through MOOCS is that the students will now have the wide choice according to his/her interest to learn the new emerging courses, industry ready courses offered by various reputed institutions, industries and organisations. As and when such new emerging areas are coming up, the new curriculum provides an opportunity to the students to pursue courses in the new emerging areas. Though it is unfortunate and not right on my part to say ‘Thanks to Pandemic’, but the pandemic has brought the new method of learning management system into our education sector. The students and staff are now closely connected with the global education and eminent professors and experts across the globe. 

Q. At the time when companies were announcing layoffs and freeze on fresh hiring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, JNTU’s College of Engineering, Hyderabad, students bagged plum job offers. How did you manage in such a scenario?

A. I personally feel that layoffs and freeze are only for those who are not ready for change and do not accept the change at all. New emerging areas are coming up and companies need to concentrate on these new areas. The existing companies must be ready to accept and welcome the emerging areas and plan new strategies to resolve the issues and difficulties in implementation. This year, JNTU Anantapur has already seen a good number of placements (for academic year 2021-22) with higher pay compared to the previous years and this may be due to the company requirements to cope up the new emerging areas. I would like to inform all stakeholders about the year 2000 that Y2K was a boon for computer professions and now COVID-19 is also playing the same role and attracting newer emerging area specialists. Definitely, there will be more demand for new comers in the emerging areas and thereby more employment.

Q. Are you planning to revise fee structure in the new academic session?

A. Ours is a government organisation and revision of fee structure will be decided in consultation with the officials concerned and approval by the executive committee. At present, the annual tuition fee is Rs 10,000 in the constituent units. 

Q. Have JNTUA and affiliated colleges reopened for physical classes? If yes, then what guidelines with respect to Covid are in place for students and faculty?

A. Yes. Being a technological university, we need to conduct physical classesespeciallyto get hands-on experience in the laboratories. All Covid-19 SOPs are being followed in all the colleges under JNTUA. Blended mode of learning is being implemented in order to avoid mass gathering of students. We are conducting classes for 50 per cent course students in online mode and other 50 per cent course students in offline mode. Examinations are also conducted in the similar manner. 

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