UGC secretary calls for incorporating sensitivity, innovation, personal engagement in education

Indore(Team Newsbuddy): A national workshop on “Innovation, Empathy, and Institutional Excellence in the New Education Policy” was organized at the Prestige Institute of Management and Research (PIMR), focusing on innovation, uniqueness, and students’ welfare. Addressing the workshop, the UGC Secretary, Prof. Manish R. Joshi, urged educators to address rising student stress, anxiety, and depression through sensitivity, innovation, and personal engagement.
Prof. Joshi emphasized that educators must go beyond teaching, fostering deep connections with students by understanding their behavior and addressing them by name to boost confidence. He stated, “Acceptance unlocks a student’s true potential.” He encouraged recognizing institutional strengths, solving student challenges, and building emotional bonds. A unique workshop activity, where faculty answered four questions in one word, promoted innovative thinking, with Prof. Joshi noting a decline in such creativity in academic programs.
Faculty shared inspiring stories of PIMR’s human-centric approach, with Dr. Vanshika Gangwani recalling how she helped a student overcome stress through personalized guidance. Deepti Sharma highlighted the ‘Prestige Literacy Mission,’ which transforms the lives of slum children through free education. Sadhna Tiwari recounted how she enabled a Hindi-medium student to succeed in Dubai through technical support and internships, and PIMR supported a 2023 batch student who lost her father with financial aid and a job. A Prestige Law Institute faculty member’s journey from a shy student to an inspiring educator exemplified a ‘caterpillar to butterfly’ transformation.
Prof. Joshi outlined UGC’s initiatives, like accelerated degrees and biannual admissions, stressing social and emotional intelligence. Faculty suggested emotional intelligence workshops, mandatory 90-day social internships, and counseling to curb student stress and depression.
Notable attendees included PIMR Group director Dr. S.S. Bhakar, PIMR UG director Col. S. Raman Iyer, Prestige-AIC CEO Dr. Sanjeev Patni, Dr. Deepak Jaroliya, and Prof. Nitin Tated, with Dr. Nidhi Sharma moderating.