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Dr. Rominder Kaur Randhawa is the Director of Guru Tegh Bahadur Institute of Technology (GTBIT). She possesses B.E,ME and PhD from premier institutes of the country. She also has a rich experience of working in educational administration at National level. She was given a prize of INR 1 lakh for her dedicated services by the parent body.She has been awarded the title of Outstanding Academic Leader by CGER.
As the director of Guru Tegh Bahadur Institute of Technology, what is your leadership style?
I am more of a transformational leader and I prioritize innate virtues of integrity, strategic planning, accessibility to all and humility. I use a problem-solving approach and am very welcome to feedback. As the institute's director, I take every student, staff and anyone associated with the institute along with me to effectively manage and strategically plan things to lead effectively.
What is your vision and how are you trying to achieve the same?
My institute vision is “”leadership in holistic education to create a progressive, prosperous and harmonious world family,which is in line with NEP 2020.
The intellectual growth and development of our budding engineers along with their physical, social, emotional and spiritual well-being are always at the heart of all our endeavors.
It was our time when parents used to pull us inside the house as we used to play a lot in the ground. It is now that the parents force their children to play outside. This is an alarming situation for my youngsters. We encourage students to spend time with their grandparents/relatives as there are no better teachers so that our culture reaches our children.
What are the values and virtues which the institute upholds?
Our institute is named after the 9th Guru “Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji'' who sacrificed his life while upholding the highest tradition of humanism. We at GTBIT try to imbibe in our students the universal human values of truth, compassion, honesty, well-being of all, service to society and not buckle under unjustified pressures that come along. Legacy of truth, kindness and sacrifice for the cause of our gurus is carried by the students as they pass out and pursue their dreams and careers.
Throughout your career, you have held important positions in the educational institution. What is the main reason that keeps you connected to the education sector?
The reason I am connected to the education sector is the fact that I held positions in Apex Body of Technical Education where I was a part of the framing of National Level Policies for the development of technical education and out of Box thinking. I worked on quality improvement programs, faculty development initiatives, research and development, entrepreneurship, examination reforms, schemes for female students, industry institute interactions, incubation cells, Accreditation,Washington Accord etc thereby touching upon every aspect of technical education. All these aspects of technical education that I helped develop keep me connected to the education sector.
As a Director, what virtues do you demonstrate which enhances the growth of the institute?
The virtues that I demonstrate are being an accessible presence, listening patiently, being open to suggestions and feedback, being compassionate and having a humane approach. Making strategies, passionately implementing them while holding respect for my colleagues and sensitivity to the needs of all stakeholders are virtues that I try to uphold everyday .Ability to identify strengths of my staff and students through SWOT analysis helps me in bringing out the best amongst all in the interest of the institute.
What measures and programs has your institute implemented or undertaken to address the rising mental health issues and stress among students in India?
Each one of us has lost our near and dear ones, some of us even the breadwinners of our family in this corona virus pandemic. Coping with stress is a challenge being faced by all. As a part of the UK India Education and Research Initiative(UKERI) project, we have implemented a special initiative called Sports and Games for Progress and Prosperity (SGPP) project at our institute for stress handling and resilience as we all know sound mind resides in a sound body. Apart from engaging with a psychologist, student counselor, we also have yoga workshops/ training sessions for handling stress. Our gym has been renovated and world-class sports facilities created by our trust. Students are encouraged to practice Yoga for physical, mental and spiritual well-being. We also have a mentor teacher that is allocated for a group of every 20 students for heart-to-heart exchange of issues and ideas.
What do you think sets your institution apart from other colleges and universities?
Guru Tegh Bahadur Institute of Technology is an Institute under a statutory body, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, which is formed by an act of Parliament that tries to ensure that the four years spent at the institute are the best years of the students' lives. We try to make it full of learning, growth, value-added development, and amazing memories. We provide holistic development of the student at our institute so that technical knowledge is used in a positive, constructive way towards a happy and prosperous world. The skills and values of the institute create a progressive, prosperous and harmonious environment for everyone.
Students are encouraged to choose elective subjects in the latest fields of technology like Data Science, Machine Learning, Business Intelligence etc. and be future ready. The Institute is providing students with outstanding research work and extensive use of technical types of equipment. Our Institute is continuously upgrading the existing syllabus and introducing new branches of engineering. This helps our students to become future ready to accept and face all the changes and advancements.
What improvements or changes have you made under your leadership?
Keeping in mind that technology is changing fast and our students need to be abreast with the latest technology we have introduced branches of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning These interdisciplinary branches will create a paradigm shift in virtually every sector of the technical industry, academics and research by training students in the next age of Intelligence and analytics generated by machines, influencing nearly every facet of our lives to help improve efficiencies and augment human capabilities, influencing consumer products with significant breakthroughs in healthcare, manufacturing, finance and retail industries. The placement of students has reached new heights with large no of companies visiting the campus.
Industry experts are associated with the institute for technical and soft skills enhancement through online, Hybrid mode.
Most of our faculty has completed courses of Universal Human Values(UHV) to train the students so that technical knowledge is used in a positive, leading to a happy and prosperous world.
NCC has been introduced in the institute to develop leadership,discipline and ideals of selfless service amongst the youth for a stronger Nation.
