Shri Shankarlal Sundarbai Shasun Jain College for women in Chennai has been established with a generous contribution made by Smt. Sundarbai Shankarlal Charitable Trust of the SHASUN Family and Group.

Dr. B. Poorna is presently the Principal of SSS Shasun Jain College.    A postgraduate in Computers, she has been in the teaching sector for three decades. She left her IT job to become a teacher, which she realised was her area of interest. She completed PhD in            2003 to ensure a good career in the         teaching domain.

In an exclusive interview, Dr. B. Poorna shares with Marie Banu the USP of SSS Shasun Jain College.

About your education and your career path?

I did my schooling in Trichy at BHEL colony. The first step I took outside my colony was only to attend College, that too by traveling in a ladies special bus.

I did my UG in Physics and joined MCA in 1985 when computer education was just coming up. It was an eye opener for me. In a class of 36, there were only       12 girls. 

My teachers fascinated me since my school days. Hence, I decided to enter the teaching profession after completing my education.

I served for 12 years in Vaishnav College in Chromepet, Chennai and then worked as a Controller of examinations in MGR Educational and Research Institute at Maduravoyal. Later, I joined SRM Easwari Engineering College as Head of MCA department and then joined SSS Shasun Jain College as Principal in 2012.

I am passionate to always do something new and exciting. I also want to give back to the society.

Your thoughts on the teaching profession today?

One should evolve as a teacher; have a feel for it. At Vaishnav College, I underwent a rigorous one-month training on how to become a teacher – from interacting with students to holding a chalk piece. I was literally guided in the process of maturing into a teacher. This is definitely missing now!

Unfortunately, we find many teachers today who have chosen this profession by chance and not out of passion. In my opinion, around 80 percent of the teachers consider teaching like any other job. This is where all the problems arise – be it for a man or a woman.

I feel that the degree of compassion and affection is certainly more for a woman. I would therefore suggest having more women professors in co-ed colleges as well as in boys’ colleges as it definitely would make a difference.

What is the USP of SSS Shasun Jain College?

SSS Shasun Jain College focuses on discovering, developing and drawing out the hidden talents lying dormant inside its students.

From academics to co-curricular activities, a 360 degree development and grooming is of supreme importance in today’s world. Our institution creates an environment for future leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals who possess skills and aptitudes. 

The USP of our college is values and technology in education. We push technology to our students’ as they will have to face a world where technology is used for almost all aspects of life.

Recently, we have launched a Shasun app where the students and faculty can subscribe and network with their peers. It is like any other social media app. We encourage staff to share posts and update on events. We have an administrator who moderates the posts. Hall bookings for functions and feedback on services are all coordinated through this app.

We document the students’ attendance on a tab, which is linked to our ERP. This saves a lot of time for our teachers. We also do profiling of students. The idea is to do a data analysis of student’s academic credentials, psychometric analysis and understand their area of interest so that we can provide the necessary intervention.

The college is consciously creating awareness on social issues amongst      our students and has copyrighted a women’s safety app ‘Shasun Raksha’ and an e-waste management app ‘Shasun Swetch’.

Can you share with our readers about the Social Connect Programme?

In todays education there is a total disconnect between society and education. Even moral science and vocational courses, which were part of school education 30 years back, is no longer there. In a fast food world we are graduating pretty fast and retiring fast too. A medium pace growth, which is holistic, will do good for the society as well as the individual. 

It is with this intention, that we launched the Social Connect Programme along with Centre for Social Initiative   and Management (CSIM) in 2015            where students are encouraged to voluntarily enroll.

As part of this certificate programme, students are oriented on social issues and taken on a field trips to charitable organisations. They are also provided one-month internship in an NGO to gain experiential learning.

This exposure has led to a change in mindset amongst our students. Many students have expressed that they are now able to appreciate what they possess. Many parents have lauded this programme and some have even mentioned that they find their children to be more responsible and humble now.

What steps have you taken to handle the present generation learners?

Children of this generation look around them to learn. I have consciously told my teachers to never raise their voice, keep a happy face, listen patiently, and talk to people with concern. I have also requested them to not restrict to academics alone, but to talk about   values and social issues happening across the world.

We also have a set of people who work with students on digital detox. Learners in the Internet age don’t need more information. They need to know how to efficiently use the massive amount of information available at their fingertips – to determine what’s credible, what’s relevant, and when it’s useful to reference. We sensitise our students on how to use cell phones wisely and not become addicted to it.

Our students are around 17 years of age and they have crossed their formative years. For them, reasoning alone works. No rules or regulation is as effective as self-realisation. We keep reiterating and reinforcing students on what is expected from them.

Your advise for parents?

Do not fear about changing society.

We will all be learning till the last breath of our life.

Realise that things are much better now than it was for us when we were young.

We should give our children a healthy environment to grow.

Joint family system will strengthen one’s mind.

Exposure is essential at every stage of the child’s growth so don’t be over protective. Of course, you will have to keep a watch so that your child does not fall back.

Don’t help your child in taking decisions; let he/she make mistakes and learn from it – as long as it does not cost heavily.

That way your child will grow stronger and will know what is best!