COVID19 pandemic has brought a new set of challenges to entire businesses, industries, institutions and individuals. One of the most affected segments include the field of education, in turn, affecting both students and teachers, putting all of them in a non-negotiable affair without any warnings or any time to prepare. But however, this new COVID19 challenge pushed institutions and universities towards the adoption of online education models and also helped them adapt to the industry demands by reviving new EdTech Models. Despite many institutions crumbling on the burden of change and uncertainty, few resourceful educational hubs such as the Manipal University, Jaipur (MUJ), continued to contribute majorly to the higher education fellowship with its heritage of excellence in higher education for over 68 years.
Having been founded and established on an invitation from the Government of Rajasthan, as a self-financed State Private University, Manipal University is redefining academic excellence in the region of Rajasthan and Northern India. The vision of the University is to be a ‘Global Leader in Higher Education and Human Development’, operating on a total land area of 122 acres, with a constructed area of 2.47 million sq ft. The University boasts of the best-in-class infrastructure, including the state-of-the-art research facilities and a modern digital library, and as a multi-disciplinary university, MUJ offers career oriented courses at all levels, i.e., UG, PG and Doctoral levels, across all major disciplines of today’s time.
Redefining academic greatness – year after year, MUJ is devoted to cultivating talent and boosting academics and research by using distinctive and innovative techniques. Moreover, under the able leadership of the most competent, experienced, and motivated faculty members, the University provides a unique atmosphere for students’ overall growth. Students gain the necessary creative, innovative, entrepreneurial, and technology abilities to prepare them for their respective careers and industries, where the curriculum is comprehensive, and students can register for a variety of program electives as well as open electives from several streams. Also, all thanks to the impressive industry-academia connection existing at MUJ and due to its strong brand value, industry experts regularly visit the campus to motivate students and provide an important industrial viewpoint in their respective courses.
Additionally, understanding the fact that entrepreneurs are assets for the growth of a nation’s economy, and the fact that they must be developed and cultivated, Manipal University Jaipur in this very pursuit has received an A+ grade from NAAC with a score of 3.28 and holds good ranks in NIRF for its academic research excellence and by promoting a complete entrepreneurial ecosystem. Being a home to 480 faculty members with high academic profiles, the majority of whom have Phds and have won national and/or international accolades, not only are the students of the university given equal emphasis, but via the university’s Faculty Development Programs, MUJ pushes its teachers to improve their teaching skills and pass on the most up-to-date information to their students.
A proactive contribution towards societal development
Providing a unique environment for the holistic growth of students, MUJ has signed a number of Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with reputable national and international academic institutions and industries in order to provide its students with worldwide exposure and job prospects. The university has established an Entrepreneurship Cell that offers considerable support to new businesses, where the on-campus Atal Incubation Centre-Manipal University Jaipur (AIC-MUJ) is a joint effort of MUJ and the NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission is focused towards accommodating and nourishing innovation, and strives to provide support and an ecosystem for start-ups to grow. MUJ has also inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to provide skill-based training to students and boost their employability.
Taking serious situations such as the current COVID-pandemic in a stride, MUJ has adopted best practices, keeping critical functions like – ongoing projects, admissions, examination, FDPs going, and by managing working capital, short-term requirements of cash and sources available are assessed and the necessary requirements are organized in an uniformed way. “Keeping in view the safety of students and teachers, and by meeting statutory requirements and obligations, the management ensures that we provide complete integrity and transparency of external reporting, performance of internal controls and safety of data”, shares – Professor Dr. Gopalakrishna Prabhu K, the President of the university, proclaiming to us how well-managed the whole ethos is at MUJ, irrespective of the scenario outside. Adding to his above statement, the president stated – “As part of its employee health campaign, MUJ organized a free Covid vaccination drive for all employees and their family members on the University campus alone, in collaboration with Manipal Hospital Jaipur, along with agreeing to provide complete fee (course fee) waivers in the form of scholarships to students who have lost their father or mother, who were the sole earners in their household, owing to COVID 19 infection”.
With top Recruiters, such as – American Express, Microsoft, Dell, Accenture, Philips, Goldman Sachs, Capgemini, Ericsson, UNO Minda, Cadence and many other top brands dropping by each year to recruit students, boosts confidence of all to work towards outperforming on a regular basis, in an environment of global opportunities. All in all, believing in the holistic development of students, and in order to achieve this, MUJ provides individual coaches for all sports, as well as the necessary international-standard equipment. In the sphere of sports, Manipal University Jaipur stands out, as in the field of athletics, their pupils have already excelled, where the university enjoys a lot of national and international recognition. The university also offers a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education to promote sports and improve the standard of sports in Rajasthan and India. Manipal University Jaipur hosts various sports tournaments, conferences, yoga workshops, fitness programmes, and faculty sports to promote sports and physical education.
Lastly, with a primary goal of supporting deserving students and academic performance, scholarships of more than Rupees Three Crores are awarded every year in a variety of areas. Rajasthan Merit Scholarship and Local Region Scholarship are also awarded every year to help state and local region students from adjacent communities. Through the Digital Management System, MUJ provides students with online academic information and support (DMS). The campus is fully Wi-Fi enabled, and a sufficient number of CCTV surveillance cameras have been installed across the campus for security and monitoring purposes. MUJ has a 1550 KWH solar power plant erected on the roofs of the buildings and parking lots on campus, and with a fully-equipped digital library with enough reference and textbooks, national and international periodicals, eBooks and e-Journals, as well as online access to a variety of eBooks/Courses from a range of learning platforms, there isn’t a single day where students feel left out, be it academically or otherwise, moving smoothly towards achieving such excellence, where they can lead with change and with confidence.
Dr. Gopalakrishna Prabhu K – President
A vital part of the Manipal Group for over two decades in various academic and leadership positions, Dr. G K Prabhu obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Electronics & Communication Engineering, his M.Tech degree in Biomedical Engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), Manipal with first rank from Mangalore University (1994) and his PhD from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (2001). He joined the MIT, Manipal as Lecturer in the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering in 1989. Since then, he has served the institute in various capacities such as Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Associate Director (Research & Development) and Director of MIT. He has also served as Deputy Registrar (Technical), Registrar and Pro Vice Chancellor of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Deemed University. As an acclaimed teacher, he has been able to carve out a niche for himself, disseminating his mastery in the field in a lucid and creative manner. With his passion for research, he was able to contribute significantly to his area of expertise with a number of quality papers.
