Written by Mohammed Shafeeq,
Hyderabad : Prime Minister Narendra Modi's close
Muslim aide Zafar Sareshwala, who took over as the chancellor of the Moulana
Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), is keen to link the institution to
industry.
The priorities of the 52-year-old Gujarati
industrialist include linking the Hyderabad-based MANUU with the corporate
sector, ensuring regular campus recruitment, more research work and tie-ups
with universities around the world.
"I want to make sure that this university imparts
education which is employable. We don't want 'factories' which create
unemployable graduates," Sareshwala told IANS in an interview.
He said the Modi government sent him here to do
something for Muslims in the education sector.
Unfazed by criticism from various quarters over his
appointment, the CEO and managing director of Parsoli Corporation Ltd. silently
began his work after assuming charge.
Impressed by the positive atmosphere at the campus and
the determination of the faculty to deliver, the businessman shared his ideas
with the university officials and a group of intellectuals, making it clear
that he means serious business.
Looking for an active role as the chancellor,
Sareshwala is of the view that MANUU should strike a balance between promotion
of Urdu, which is its aim, and employability of its students by making them
proficient in English.
"My first priority is to see if the university's
big platform is working to its full potential and if not, why not. What are the
solutions? Are these solutions possible at the level of the university or it
needs some more attention?" he said.
"My feeling is that this university needs
collaboration with universities around the world. This is the way things are
happening around the world," he said while underlining the need for
faculty and students' exchange programmes.
"I will try and connect the university with
industry and the corporate. Any university is known by the research it does and
how many research papers you publish. The research connects you with the
corporates," he said.
As many students with a madrassa background come to
the university , Sareshwala feels they should become proficient in English for
better prospects.
"Proficiency of English is fundamental for
growth. There is no way out. You may like it or not. English is lingua franca.
Now we are living in a globalised world where horizons are much broader.
"I have no problem if you learn engineering in
Urdu but you should be proficient in your field. Engineering is first and
foremost but you also need to be proficient in English and local
languages," said Sareshwala, who is himself a mechanical engineering
graduate.
An expert in Islamic finance and banking, he believes
this sector also needs scholars proficient in English and also in financial
world, financial terminology and financial instruments.
Sareshwala's appointment as chancellor has grabbed the
attention of all. It is being seen as an attempt by Modi to reach out to the
Muslim community through his trusted aide.
His visit to MANUU to assume charge came a few days
after Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi visited the campus.
Speaking at the 17th foundation day of the university,
Naqvi said it has a key role to play in the educational and economic
empowerment mission of the Modi government.
He said that with 10 centres in various parts of the
country, MANUU can help in setting up Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and
polytechnics in minority-dominated areas.
A central university established in 1998 by an act of
parliament to promote and develop the Urdu language and impart vocational and
technical education in Urdu through conventional and distance modes, MANUU is
already running three ITIs and three polytechnic colleges.
The main campus of the university is located on a
sprawling campus of over 200 acres in Gachibowli. Its students and teaching and
non-teaching staff come from various parts of the country.
(Mohammed Shafeeq can be contacted at m.shafeeq@ians.in )
Hyderabad : Prime Minister Narendra Modi's close
Muslim aide Zafar Sareshwala, who took over as the chancellor of the Moulana
Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), is keen to link the institution to
industry.
The priorities of the 52-year-old Gujarati
industrialist include linking the Hyderabad-based MANUU with the corporate
sector, ensuring regular campus recruitment, more research work and tie-ups
with universities around the world.
"I want to make sure that this university imparts
education which is employable. We don't want 'factories' which create
unemployable graduates," Sareshwala told IANS in an interview.
He said the Modi government sent him here to do
something for Muslims in the education sector.
Unfazed by criticism from various quarters over his
appointment, the CEO and managing director of Parsoli Corporation Ltd. silently
began his work after assuming charge.
Impressed by the positive atmosphere at the campus and
the determination of the faculty to deliver, the businessman shared his ideas
with the university officials and a group of intellectuals, making it clear
that he means serious business.
Looking for an active role as the chancellor,
Sareshwala is of the view that MANUU should strike a balance between promotion
of Urdu, which is its aim, and employability of its students by making them
proficient in English.
"My first priority is to see if the university's
big platform is working to its full potential and if not, why not. What are the
solutions? Are these solutions possible at the level of the university or it
needs some more attention?" he said.
"My feeling is that this university needs
collaboration with universities around the world. This is the way things are
happening around the world," he said while underlining the need for
faculty and students' exchange programmes.
"I will try and connect the university with
industry and the corporate. Any university is known by the research it does and
how many research papers you publish. The research connects you with the
corporates," he said.
As many students with a madrassa background come to
the university , Sareshwala feels they should become proficient in English for
better prospects.
"Proficiency of English is fundamental for
growth. There is no way out. You may like it or not. English is lingua franca.
Now we are living in a globalised world where horizons are much broader.
"I have no problem if you learn engineering in
Urdu but you should be proficient in your field. Engineering is first and
foremost but you also need to be proficient in English and local
languages," said Sareshwala, who is himself a mechanical engineering
graduate.
An expert in Islamic finance and banking, he believes
this sector also needs scholars proficient in English and also in financial
world, financial terminology and financial instruments.
Sareshwala's appointment as chancellor has grabbed the
attention of all. It is being seen as an attempt by Modi to reach out to the
Muslim community through his trusted aide.
His visit to MANUU to assume charge came a few days
after Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi visited the campus.
Speaking at the 17th foundation day of the university,
Naqvi said it has a key role to play in the educational and economic
empowerment mission of the Modi government.
He said that with 10 centres in various parts of the
country, MANUU can help in setting up Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and
polytechnics in minority-dominated areas.
A central university established in 1998 by an act of
parliament to promote and develop the Urdu language and impart vocational and
technical education in Urdu through conventional and distance modes, MANUU is
already running three ITIs and three polytechnic colleges.
The main campus of the university is located on a
sprawling campus of over 200 acres in Gachibowli. Its students and teaching and
non-teaching staff come from various parts of the country.
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