Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Sabita Acharya before joining as the Vice-Chancellor, Utkal University in November 2020, has spent most of her life in teaching, research, and administration in different positions at different times. She has been connected with this university for over four decades. She has held various positions in her service career as Chairman, PG Council, Director, College Development Council, Director, School of Women’s Studies, Coordinator of International Office, Head of the Department of Anthropology, and Coordinator of UGC Centre for Advanced Study (CAS).
She says I have joined Oxford University, the UK as Commonwealth Post- Doctoral Fellow in 2002. My contributions cover all the areas of teaching, research, guidance, consultation, and scholastic activities. I have over 33 years of teaching and research guidance including academic administration experiences. On academic and research work I have travelled to different countries like the UK, China, Germany, Brazil, and Poland. 13 students have been awarded PhD under my guidance so far and 7 researchers to submit their thesis. I have completed many Research Projects including the UGC Major Research Project, Government of Odisha funded Projects, and international collaborative projects. Besides that, I have penned over 60 research articles, edited three books, and written one book.
What interested you in the educational area?
Anthropology as a Human Science is not only a conglomeration of different streams of subjects, it has been growing and evolving day by day. It is like a crystal whose many facets touch other academic disciplines, from geology to music, economics, biology, linguistics, psychology, animal behaviour, art, and religion. Anthropologists have studied child-raising methods, symbolism, tool-making, food, kinship systems, rituals, evolutionary theory, primates, the role of women in society, ageing, folk medicine, plant lore, mythology, life expectancy, language use, and architecture. All these have fascinated me to take up the subject. I have/had a strong liking for studying and knowing about the indigenous people, their culture, socio-economic life, religion, health, and medicine, and interactions with modern society. I have done many field studies individually as well as with the students and stayed in the deep forests and interacted with the tribal people. These are great learning for me and have given me a great sense of satisfaction. I have taken up their issues, particularly the tribal women in my stint at Oxford University and in Tubingen University and Goethe University both in Germany through International Research engagements.
What are the initial challenges you faced when you took up the post for the VC of this university?
I joined at a time when the whole world was under the grip of the Corona pandemic. The Corona pandemic has brought a defining change in our lives and livelihoods. While on one side it has shrouded our lives with desperation, unpredictability, and anxiety but on the other side, it creates an environment of doing things differently and opening a vista of opportunities.
My first challenge was to see that the academic sessions were completed in all respect and the examinations were conducted and the results were declared on time. That could bring a major part of academic discipline in the university.
As the world started moving fast, we had decided to work in tandem with the pace of the time. So, we started expanding the domain of digital technology to all spheres of campus life, building the necessary infrastructure, creating more trained human resources through capacity building for developing the contents, for handling online classes, developing digital libraries and e-resources for the students, scholars and faculty members.
If we ask you about the post covid scenario of your university, what would be your opinion?
With a massive vaccination drive, the impact of Covid may have come down drastically but it is not over as yet. So, we should not term it as Post Covid scenario. The approach adopted now progresses with caution and care.
We have initiated a “blended model of teaching and learning” as per UGC guidelines and the state government’s directives. This is doing well under the circumstances.
As I mentioned before major focus is on covering the course curriculum, conducting examinations on time, and declaring the results so that the students should not suffer and be deprived of any opportunities. We have requested the Government to quickly appoint the teaching faculty at the earliest so that academic activities can run smoothly.
For most of the Covid period students have been asked to stay at home and the hostels remain vacant. They have started coming recently and the campus is getting lively with their presence.
How has been your journey with the university so far? With all the challenges how will you describe it?
I would like to separate the journey into three parts. The first part of the journey was heavily tilted towards teaching, training, research, and academic administration. In my second part, I was involved with administration and academic development not only of the university but also all the colleges under it. My journey as Vice Chancellor for nearly one year is full of challenges. First and foremost, the impact of Corona. Secondly, the continuity of academic activities involving the teaching-learning process, examination on time, and declaration of results at the earliest possible. Thirdly, the university is not only a place for teaching only. It is a citadel for a lot of research works that are done here. I have cleared hundreds of research proposals pending over years. Fourthly, many teaching posts are vacant. To maintain continuity of teaching, we have gone ahead in engaging part-time teachers. Also, I have requested the government advise OPSC to select teaching staff to fill the vacancies as soon as possible. Fifthly, with the joining of several non-teaching staff recently, we expect faster execution of decisions taken.
According to you what are your biggest achievements as being the VC?
It is for others to see and evaluate. I have been trying to bring all aspects of university administration into a more coordinated manner. I have advised all my officers to clear the files as soon as possible and reduce the pendency of matters to the minimum.
We have started emphasizing a rigorous internal quality assurance system and started energizing the Internal Quality Assurance Cell. I trust this will enhance the brand image of our university as a respected institution of higher learning in India by promoting our core values of equality, gender sensitivity, and human dignity.
We have strengthened our bonding with the Alumni Association of Utkal University. While holding on to the legacy left by our previous generations, we are very much aware of the inherent strength of its alumni, who are seen as the critical component of this great institution. They are not only the ambassadors of our university but also help in adding quality infrastructure to the campus, giving the students and faculty members a more pragmatic worldview, increasing placement opportunities, and harnessing the talents to produce entrepreneurs amongst present and future generations. They can help in making the students globally competent in this ever-changing knowledge economy as well as instil professionalism amongst them.
We have started a Centre for Innovation and Incubation with a mission mode to catalyze the entrepreneurship ecosystem in India through its various interventions and initiatives by continuously striving to foster innovation, research, and entrepreneurial activities. It is poised to develop the paradigm of an entrepreneurial mindset and to provide a platform for start-ups by a rare breed of purpose-driven entrepreneurs, who will convert their innovative ideas into commercially viable and sustainable businesses by aligning with the core theme of incubation centre.
We have initiated projects like Rain Water Harvesting and Water Treatment in two water bodies inside the campus.
How do you see the educational sector shaping up in the future in developing states like Odisha?
Odisha has all along been considered an education hub in the eastern part of India. The state has been performing decently in terms of education. The literacy rate of this state is around 73.4% as per the 2011 census. The literacy rate of rural areas is recorded to be approximately 70.0% and the literacy rate for the urban population is 85%. The total literate male population is 82% and the literacy rate among females is 64%. These figures are bound to change and move upward in the 2021 census. The government is constantly encouraging women’s education in the state. We are fortunate to have Shri Dharmendra Pradhan as the union minister for Education and Dr. Arun Kumar Sahoo as the State Cabinet Minister for Education. Both of them are alumni of Utkal University. I am sure with their help, cooperation, and direction the Higher Education, Technical Education, and Skilled Training and Development are poised for a quantum jump in Odisha.
Being the VC of such a leading university, what are your different plans regarding the care of students?
- Students being the souls of the university, I will take a student-driven approach.
- Focus on blended teaching and emphasize a multi-disciplinary approach
- Digitize teaching and learning process, design and develop digital components
- Optimally utilize the human resources for managing academic and administrative work until new recruitments are done so that academic activities are not affected
- Focus on gender-balanced education and initiate gender sensitization programs
- Facilitate strong students-alumni connect
- Emphasize skill development, entrepreneurship, innovations, incubation centres, and career hubs
- Initiate more job-oriented professional courses
- Ensure students discipline and removal of non-students from the campus
- Ensure proper hostel accommodation for students
According to your plan of action, what are we going to see in the future, both following Students and Faculty as well?
As per our plan of action, students shall be exposed to various job-oriented training programs which shall make them more employable in the job market. Besides that, an eco-system of entrepreneurship shall be instilled amongst the students so that some of them may opt to become entrepreneurs and become job givers instead of job seekers. With changing time, the requirements and aspirations of the stakeholders also change and value addition to the existing knowledge and skillsets of the faculty members is a must. So, more faculty development programs and capacity-building training workshops shall bring qualitative changes in teaching and research activities for sure.
We shall continue to pursue the internationalization of higher education in the university through International Cell to create opportunities for the students and faculty members through academic exchange programs.
We shall also promote industry-university-government interface in teaching, research, and outreach activities for institutional development. Internships and project funding are mutually beneficial to the institution and the industry. The industry, for instance, will have a lot to benefit from having a close engagement with Utkal University because of our student diversity, access to high-class facilities, research laboratory, and more importantly the use of our innovation potential. Our Centre for Innovation and Incubation is a welcome to step forward in this direction.
Lastly, what are your basic opinion on the online method? What do you like the most online or offline?
There are both advantages and disadvantages to online methods. We live in an ever-changing world, that is full of new possibilities and opportunities. The ability to learn new information or a new skill whenever or wherever one wants, offers far greater opportunities for education than ever before. The scope and reach of education broaden to far greater horizons than perhaps ever imagined. Through online methods teaching and learning process has become more convenient, there is flexibility in the courses offered to the students and it can bring education your home. Besides that, students shall be exposed to a variety of skill sets that will empower them in making them highly employable. If one is sitting in a classroom, it may so happen that the student may miss some portion of what the instructor says, no matter how focused s/he is. It is human nature to space out for brief periods. But when students are reading, there is a higher possibility that they will go back over the notes if they miss out on something and although it takes more time. The point is that the students are likely to learn more in an online environment, but one has to make a greater effort to accomplish that learning.
The advantages of offline classes shall be that the students are likely to be fully attentive towards class only and there may be less distraction. Online classes have more possibilities of distractions where students may surf on other online platforms or pay less attention to the screen. Secondly, teachers can provide individual attention to the students, address their issues and solve it quickly.
One of the major disadvantages faced by students learning online is managing screen time. They feel exhausted staying logged in on the screen for a long period. It may be harmful to their health. Secondly, poor internet connectivity issue disrupts online sessions, particularly in small towns and cities. Thirdly, there may be a feeling of isolation by individuals, minimal peer help, and group works not as efficient as it would be if done offline. That is why we have adopted the blended method, which is going to stay for long.
We are quite keen on building a long-term growth strategy for Utkal University involving all the stakeholders including students, teachers, researchers, parents, government, and most importantly the society at large.
Article Written – Prisita Das
