The course was under the scheme of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching to re-energize and revitalize academic leadership in the Indian Academia.
In the inaugural program, Dr. Syed Aqeel Ahmad, Director HRDC, Integral
University welcomed the participants and also wished them success in their course pursuit.
He said that leadership can and does occur in the domains of teaching, research and
administration. Leaders in teaching are imbued with an extraordinary ability to know what
knowledge is more critical to teach, excite students and peer about learning, know what
teaching practices are most effective, and invest their considerable energies in the promotion
of student learning. Dr. Syed Aqeel Ahmad requested the participants to utilize the
knowledge and training acquired during the session in their academic environment. The
Coordinator of the course, Prof. Parvaiz Talib from the Department of Business
Administration, AMU, Aligarh briefly introduced the STC. He said that academic leadership
depends on communication, research and excellence in learning and teaching skills.
The Chief Guest, Prof. Aqil Ahmad, COE, Integral University said that one of the
well-known American critics Terry Eagleton is pronouncing in USA that American
Universities and Colleges are dying because they have just remained training centers and
nothing else. The similar case is with us in India! Universities and colleges are going to die
natural death— what we need is the Academic Leadership qualities for meeting Higher
Education challenges today.
During the program, country’s top level academicians i. e. Prof. Talib, Dr. Ahmad
Faraz, Prof. Asim Siddiqui and Dr. Jabir talked on the importance of “Interpersonal
Relationship,” “Personality Assessment,” “Self-awareness or Self-knowledge,” “Professional
Effectiveness” and “Communication Skills”. Prof. Talib engaged the participants in different
activities i. e. group discussion and self-evaluation or reflection. He said that self-knowledge
is the understanding of oneself or one's own motives or character. Self-knowledge is essential
not only to writing, but to doing almost anything really well. It allows you to work through
from a deep place - from the deep, dark corners of your subconscious mind. He emphasized
on interpersonal aspects of human behavior and also discussed major barriers to
communication. He explained 7 Cs of communication in details by elaborating each of them
with proper examples.
Dr. Jabir in his lecture reflected upon the problematics of methodology in academics
especially in teaching and learning. He stressed on research ethics in Indian Academia and
also suggested best possible ways for academic growth. Dr. Ahmad Faraz Khan talked on
personality assessment. The 'self-image' is the key to human personality and human behavior.
When you change the self-image, you change the personality and the behavior.
He mentioned that assessing personality belongs to a very special knowledge. It has
to do something with the proficiency of professional psychology to be objectively more
efficient in research and professional fields. Dr. Khan engaged the participant in their
personality assessment and then discussed everyone individually with their worksheet. Dr.
Asim Siddiqui focused on communication skills in academics especially on the strategies of
academic writing. He stated that writing is a technology which can only be learnt by practice.
While writing in academics one must avoid editing during the writing process. He said the
editing part must be left to be done at the end. The editor must not disturb the writer as the
person can play both the roles.
Being a good listener is one of the best ways to be a good communicator. Language,
eye contact, hand gestures, and tone all color the message you are trying to convey play very
crucial part. One needs clarity, concision, friendliness, confidence, empathy, openmindedness
and respect.
Before the Valedictory Function (session), Hon’ble Pro-Vice-Chancellor, AMU
Aligarh, Brigadier Ahmad Ali, also spoke on “Effective Academic Leadership.” In his
lecture, he said that leaders must be tenacious— they must be self-aware, self-regulative,
motivated, empathetic and socially skilled. He also mentioned the Indian “GUNAS”
(characters of leadership) i. e. “tamas,” lazy, dual, and innert quality, “rajas,” active, assertive
and passionate, “satwic,” engaged in action, knowing that result will follow. He said that
leadership is either democratic or autocratic and told that the leaders’ presence is felt and
workers’ absence is felt. He said that motivation, delegation, positivity, trustworthiness,
creativity, feedback and responsibility are the pillars of leadership. The AMU PVC shed light
on different leadership styles and said that you are a successful teacher if your students come
back after many years and remember your name. He said that technology is an anathema and
the future of education lies in technology.
In her speech, Dr. Faiza Abbasi, Assistant Director UGC HRDC AMU Aligarh
congratulated the participants. She said that it may be sixth course at IU, but for AMU it is
49th in the entire country. She mentioned that usually there are three prerequisites,
infrastructure, experienced people and noble mission— Integral University has all these
three. She added that teachers must lead students, teachings and non-teaching to high quality
ladders, teaching and training needs highly experienced academicians. Dr. Jamal Mohd Arif
PVC Integral University said that the professional ethics must be nurtured properly and the
academic leader must be proactive— he should have mission and the target.
Integral University founder Prof. Syed Waseem Akhtar, the father and founding
figure congratulated the participants and thanked UGC HRDC AMU Aligarh. He said that
we wish to be listed in top ten world education organizations and must drop Lord Macaulay’s
vicious education policies. He said that knowledge is the only treasure which gets increased
whenever distributed.