Interview by Yash Panchal

Jyoti

 

Dr. Jyoti Nair is the Program Head – PGDM at N.L. Dalmia Institute of Management Studies and Research. She is a Chartered Accountant with a PhD in Finance from SNDT University, Mumbai. She has done her Masters in Commerce from Mumbai University. She has a total experience of 22 years in academics and industry. As an academician, she has taught courses for PGDM / MMS and Executive MBA programs. Her area of expertise is Taxation, Financial Accounting and Analysis, Corporate Finance and Valuation. A keen researcher, she has published research papers and book reviews in national and international journals of repute. She was conferred Best Faculty Award for her teaching. She has actively contributed to Institute Development activities in her stint as a faculty.

Experience in the Education industry

After almost a decade of industry stint as an auditor, my foray into academics was not a planned decision. My experience with small teaching assignments gave me the confidence to take up teaching as a full-time profession. Transferring knowledge and skills to youth to help them build a career gives one a great sense of satisfaction. There is a lot of scope for innovation and reinvention in teaching be its contents, teaching methods or technical skills. Also, one has to be abreast with the latest developments in the industry. It makes the job challenging as well as interesting. Today the world of education is evolving. There are more academia-industry collaborations which open up a world of opportunities for educationists. Hence, I feel for those with a passion for teaching, it is one of the best industries to work in.

Major challenges in technical education

Accessibility, affordability, appropriateness, and accountability are important issues. N.L. Dalmia Institute of Management Studies and Research is one of the first Business School of very high academic standards to be set up in the distant suburb of Mira Road, thereby offering education opportunity to scores of aspiring management students. Our Institute offers PGDM approved by AICTE, MMS and Part-time MBA program approved by Mumbai University. Keeping in mind the importance of global exposure to management students, our Institute has also launched the Global MBA program in collaboration with University of Wisconsin-Parkside, USA. The appropriateness of curriculum, course contents and teaching pedagogy is ensured with regular review of course structure by our highly qualified and experienced team of faculty along with industry experts to make it relevant. We adopt best practices in course delivery which is vouched by national and international accreditation bodies like NAAC , ISO , ASIC, SGS to name a few. We ensure that each one of our students is given a platform to acquire knowledge and skills to help them build a career.

Challenges faced in the education industry

The biggest challenge to any institution in the education industry is to remain relevant.

Every institution has to ensure that it offers programs which are contemporary and meet industry expectations. It is a constantly evolving sector. With changing industry profiles, the expectation w.r.t knowledge and skill sets from students is also changing. The education sector has thus to review, reinvent and brace themselves to adapt to the changing requirements.

Views on an ideal B-School environment

An ideal B-School environment would be one that provides a learning environment, encourages critical thinking, develops analytical, problem-solving and decision making abilities in students. Emphasis should be on learning through application. Our Institute takes pride in creating an enabling environment for students to gain knowledge and skills. Classroom lectures are supported by application focused assignments and projects. We provide robust databases like Bloomberg, Capitaline, Proquest and various other e-resources to our students. There is regular interaction with industry experts through workshops and guest lectures on various topics to expose the students to latest industry practices. The institute also conducts various Inter-Institute and Intra Institute paper presentation and case study competitions to help the students develop teamwork, leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills. At the same time, we encourage our students to be socially responsible citizens through our Social Responsibility cell activities.

The uniqueness of the institute

N.L. Dalmia has positioned itself as one of the best B-Schools in Mumbai with one of the kind Physical, IT and Academic infrastructure. The Placement record of our Institute has been phenomenal with leading companies recruiting our students. All the talks of our Institute’s commitment to quality education.

Placement opportunities for the students

Our aim is to provide quality education developing with managerial skills like critical thinking and decision making abilities in our students. All efforts are streamed to meet the industry expectations through continuous updating of program contents and delivery. Our accomplished faculty team, strong industry linkages, and robust alumni network supports in our endeavor to offer the best in management education to our students leading to excellent placement records.

Curriculum updation

Our PGDM program contents are regularly reviewed by the highly qualified and experienced team of faculty along with industry experts. There is regular interaction with industry experts in the form of workshops, seminars and guest lectures on contemporary topics and best practices in the industry.

Goals for the institute

As the Program Head, my mantra is to keep the program relevant though continuous updation, offering the best in management education to students, help them grow not only as skilled managers but also as responsible citizens.

Suggestions to aspiring students

Youth today are confident, expressive and more informed than ever. Use knowledge to empower yourself to help achieve your dreams. Education should become your strength to help you choose the way you want to lead your life.