Gyan Jyoti College

Dr. Malay Kanti Karanjai is the Principal of Gyan Jyoti College. He has authored many books under different publication houses. He was awarded “Vidya Ratan Award” in New Delhi for his contribution to the field of Education from Dr. Bhishm Narain Singh, Hon’ble former Governor of Tamil Nadu and Assam, Dr. G.V.G. Krishna Murti, former Chief Election Commissioner of India, H.E Mr. V.B Soni, Prof. S.S Bhakri and Mr. Anees Durrani. In 2002, Mr. Malay organised “Introductory School on Astronomy and Astrophysics” in the Dept. of Physics of Siliguri College in collaboration with IUCAA, Pune.

In conversation with Noor, Dr. Malay answered about his college and their future goals. Along with this, he has some suggestions for the youth which you will not want to skip. Edited excerpts:

Education can change your view of the world

“Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.” So, when you call it an industry, I do not feel right. It is a sector which constantly works on creating a better future and hence, can be considered as the noblest job. Here, we educate students to become what they aspire to become. We enable them to lead the world in different sectors. And we train them to conquer the world with their knowledge. Therefore, this is what makes the education sector the best to work in. 

Leadership means involving each in decision making

I believe, “Good leadership means leading the way, not hectoring other people to do the work according to them.” Therefore, my leadership style is Democratic. I believe in interaction with all the staff, students and whoever is a part of the college. I interact personally with students, take feedbacks from everyone in the college so that we can understand their requirements and problems. This helps us to decide and implement new and effective methods.

Students disinterest in attending lectures is the biggest challenge

Challenges are a part of life and I accept them wholeheartedly. Right now, the challenges we are facing is with students as they are no more interested in attending classes. And for that, we are working on establishing interactive and interesting classes. UGC has also asked the colleges to provide extra marks to the students on the basis of their attendance. 

I truly believe in “Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.” Therefore, I feel this challenge that we are facing right now is just temporary and we will find our beautiful destination very soon.

We are affiliated to the University of North Bengal

We are affiliated to the University of North Bengal so our curriculum is designed by the University. Other than the regular curriculum we hold various activities, events and workshops to enhance and improve soft skills and other technical skills of the students. All of this makes our students industry-ready, as they are well in advanced preparation for the real-world challenges.

Read about Gyan Jyoti College Courses & Fee

A perfect school environment is where the difference in opinion is accepted

When you say ideal, you make it sound like something which is very difficult to obtain. But, instead of searching for an ideal school environment, we should search for a perfect school environment. According to me, the perfect school environment is where people come with an open mind to learn. It is a place where healthy debate takes place, where different thought processes are accepted. 

Communication is not important, it is necessary

Communication is what solves 99% of the problem in an institution. Thus, making interaction with the team is a necessary part of leadership. Students are our major stakeholders and hence, we try to become their guardians and friends. This helps us in gaining their trust. Also, they feel at home and can share their problem with us without any hesitation. 

Placement is essential but is rare in this area!

The Placements scenario here is not like many metropolitan cities. But, we realize how important it has become in a student’s life. So now we are getting in touch with lots of organization and believe me when I say that we are getting positive responses from them. We also try to send our students to a nearby college if there is any placement drive going on. 

We have opened the Netaji Subhas Open University study centre

We are going to start distance education centre for students who are unable to do the regular degree. We have opened the Netaji Subhas Open University study centre from this session on our campus. We are also going to introduce some courses in sports and soon we will start some post-graduation courses too.

Try till the time you achieve your goal

My suggestions to the students are that they should always pursue their dreams, be serious about the goals in their life, be disciplined. They should dream bigger and work harder to achieve it. But, if they fail then they should try until and unless they achieve their goal.