Here to Serve
Today, online education and tutoring are fast becoming an integral component of education, with various advancing technologies integrating with the educational sector. Various researches conducted by analysts predict that the global market for online education will reach all new-heights and educational leaders who can lead with confidence and towards change are the need of the hour, in a time where as a country we are progressing to greater heights. Thereby, laying emphasis on one such women educational leader, who is known for honing and nurturing students into holistic individuals of tomorrow, Gauri Bhattacharya, strives on her moral values igniting and kindling an inert thirst for knowledge among every student she’s been a source of inspiration to. As the current President of Datta Meghe College of Engineering, Gauri Bhattacharya as a leader has evolved over the years to motivate the engineering college to grow as a team, and adapt to various types of functioning be it – offline or online, creating a positive environment for all, promoting experiential learning, and to bring out the best in everyone present on Datta Meghe campus.
“Ensuring quality of education at its core, as a leader I initiated & implemented software tools to support our out-come based learning, mapping of the mission, vision and values set by the institute”, stated – Gauri Bhattacharya. Adding to her above statement, and continuing on the point on how as the main go-to personality at Datta Meghe, she strives to give it her best, she stated – “Secondly, I trained faculty members to use various platforms to impart knowledge, and to maintain a higher standard of education, I introduced learning through videos, lectures, slide presentations & introduced innovative online methods of assessments which enabled students and faculty to enhance the learning experience”.
Leading towards change
As we all witnessed, COVID-19 forced our education system worldwide to find alternatives to face to face instructions, and schools and colleges everywhere had to go with the flow and find an effective solution to operate without any hiccups. As Datta Meghe college was no different, it obviously needed a capable leader to guide them out of this tricky situation, and Gauri Bhattacharya was that beam of sunlight for everyone at the tech hub. As a result, under her guidance an impressive infrastructure was established at Datta Meghe, which included both – hard-ware & software tools for online teaching, and every teacher was trained to adapt and deliver via online mediums to conduct online classes effortlessly.
Teachers were also guided to be more empathetic towards students to overcome challenges of poor connectivity, lack of mobile phones/computers and using the technical gadgets during lectures. Gauri Bhattacharya also ensured that emotional support was provided to both parents & students and motivated them to stay focused during online learning sessions. Online counseling sessions with students of higher grades to overcome exam anxiety, admissions & results, were conducted too, where Datta Meghe triumphed & reached the zenith of teaching and learning process during Covid times, all thanks to the efforts put in by Mrs. Gauri, and the whole management.
The pandemic phase was a learning opportunity for Gauri Bhattacharya as well, as she feels, the most important take-away from pandemic for her was – “ Nothing is Constant, change is inevitable which made her more tech savvy and there is no going back now”. Making a statement about how the pandemic changed her as a person, she added – “We still may cling to a few IRL ( in real life) experiences, but it is increasingly apparent that easy-to- use modern virtual tools are the new default so that’s what has changed in me”. Moreover, having learnt thoroughly from COVID and its after effects, she feels the pandemic incited a more resilient and a humane personality in her, and taught her to be more welcoming and sensitive towards her colleagues.
A person with B.E in Computers and an MBA in Finance degrees credited to her name, Mrs. Gauri believes that if women are empowered in the right direction, they can have unrestricted access to change in various domains, such as education, professional development and life-style. Having her father, Shri. Subirkumar Banerjee, as her ever-lasting role model, Mrs. Gauri proceeds in the direction of guiding students towards quality educational careers, so that they become confident and understanding citizens of the country, who believe in equality and positive change. Lastly, adding a note on the importance of women in the field of education, and how they are gradually taking over as leaders, that the world needs, she summed up, saying – “I think as a Woman in the field of Education, I believe in myself, and if I can bring a change in the society and adapt to the newer world, then we as Women can definitely change the perspective of educating every individual. Also, to fight against the odds and make those evens’ eventually with an indomitable spirit and fervor welcoming each new day and future ahead, we march ahead into the never-ending road of achievements and accomplishments”.
