A one day symposium on “Road to Excellency & Autonomy” was organized by Al-Ameen Educational Society in collaboration with NASIM Foundation, Texas, USA on 3rd Aug 2024 at Al-Ameen Educational Campus. The symposium was co-chaired by Mr.Umar Ismail Khan, Chairman, Al-Ameen Educational Society & Mr. Akram Syed, Founder, NASIM Foundation.
In the tapestry of India's educational landscape, Higher Education Institutions play a pivotal role, extending beyond academia to shape the country's future through knowledge, research, and innovation. These institutions are instrumental in building the nation, fostering socioeconomic empowerment, and ensuring global competitiveness.
The symposium started with the recitation of Holy Quran and a welcome address by Mrs. Sumaiya Fathima, Principal, BET College, Bangalore while Mr. Bilal Ahmed Khan compered the event.
Mr. Akram Syed, Founder, NASIM Foundation paid his tribute & gratitude to Late Dr. Mumtaz Ahmed Khan, Founder, Al-Ameen Educational Society & Al-Ameen Movement for inspiring everyone around him especially the student community of Al-Ameen and for leaving a footprint for others to follow. He spoke about NASIM Foundation, a philanthropic organization which helps the Muslim Community across India with infrastructure, scholarships, awareness programmes, development of technology & helps institutions attain autonomy. This he said will address huge skill gap, provide manpower and ensure that the community is globally ready in terms of skills & talent. He discussed various issues, problems & challenges and how they can be addressed & overcome. This was part of NASIM Foundations Vision 2050 for Indian Education. He also apprised the delegates about the Social Stock Exchange in Maharashtra which is a NPO ( Not for Profit Organization) & an NGO which brings together social enterprises and donors to facilitate funding and growth of social enterprises as part of their CSR.
The Chief Guest of the programme was Dr.Syed Akheel Ahmed, Former Vice-Chancellor of Yenepoya University & Glocal University; Former Dean & Professor at University of Mysore; and was the Chairman of NAAC for 12 years. He defined in detail the steps to excellence while referring to the Quranic verses & the manifestations in Islamic perspective, which is a twofold process – acquiring intellectual knowledge through the application of reason and logic, and spiritual knowledge which is derived from divine revelation and spiritual experience. He paid his tribute to Late Dr. Mumtaz Ahmed Khan with Allama Iqbal’s couplet - “Hazaro'n saal Nargis apni be-noori pe roti hai; Badi Mushkil se hota hai chaman mein Didawar paida” - Translation: For a thousand years the narcissus/daffodil has been lamenting its blindness; for with great difficulty a true visionary is born.
Dr. S Raissudin, Dean of School of Chemical & Life Sciences presented the key note address. With his vast experience as Director of AQAR, Ranking Co-ordinator of NIRF & Director of R&D, Jamia Hamdard spoke about education as the most important tool for a vibrant economy and referred to the regulations of UGC; how to meet challenges; priorities & road forward; initiatives; alignment with constitutional provision & other regulations; breaking barriers & historical falsehood; research ecosystem; visionary leadership; collaborations; inclusiveness; transparency; collective decision making; social responsibility; environment conservation; green & energy audits; best faculty; sustainable finances; A-Z of accreditation process; NAAC disclosures to be posted on the website; importance of rankings & ratings and involvement of all stakeholders as a means of achieving excellence.
And in today’s digital age, technology has become an integral part of our daily lives, and its impact on education is undeniable. From classrooms to administrative tasks, educational institutions have embraced Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to enhance teaching and learning experiences. The integration of technology has revolutionized the education system, making it more efficient, interactive, and engaging for students and educators alike. One area of impact is NAAC accreditation which advocates for a holistic approach to institutional growth.
The Key Note Address was followed by the first Panel Discussion on “Fostering Quality Culture through Accreditation” with Dr. Mohammad Salahuddin, Principal, Al-Ameen College of Pharmacy as the moderator who spoke about institutional accreditation which is the first step in establishing credibility and dedication to quality thus the need to implement a quality management system & adoption of continuous improvement methodology. The panelist comprised of Dr. T. Mohammad Ilyas, Principal, Islamiah College Autonomous, Vaniyambadi; Dr. Anwar Sudhath, IQAC Co-ordinator, New College, Chennai and Dr. K Abdul Samad, Assistant Secretary, Jamal Mohammad College, Trichy. The panelist shared their experiences, challenges and the formula for fostering quality in their institutions through unique propositions & best practices. The panel discussion was followed by a question & answer session.
The Institutional Development Plan for Higher Educational Institutions serves as a guiding light for institutions striving to evolve and excel within this dynamic educational framework. This comprehensive framework is a culmination of insights, best practices, and collective wisdom gleaned from esteemed leaders, policymakers, and educational visionaries across India.
Post Lunch, the Second Panel Discussion was on “Accreditation Standards, Assessment & Leveraging Technology for Autonomy” with Dr. B. A. Anuradha, Principal, Al-Ameen Institute of Management Studies as the moderator. She explained in detail the new Binary Accreditation System introduced by NAAC & the key success factors; STEM dominance; emphasis on One Nation One Data; AI & Technology; upgrading standards & benchmarking; survival of the fastest; & creating a dynamic ecosystem. She said that love for work along with skills will definitely create masterpiece. The panelist comprised of Dr. S A Sajid, Principal, C Abdul Hakeem Autonomous College, Melvisharam; Dr. Syed Ali Padusha, Convenor, IQAC, Jamal Mohammed Autonomous College & Mr.Maqbool Ahmed from News Trail, Bengaluru. While Dr. S A Sajid & Dr. Syed Ali Padusha gave a brief introduction of their institutions and spoke about their college’s proven and effective procedures, techniques & practices Mr.Maqbool Ahmed Siraj spoke on the role & importance of Social Sciences, Economics & Humanities since he believes that training the people in humanities plays a significant impact on (1) policy & decision making; (2) achieving equality, equity & justice and (3) in the power it imparts to the community & society. Training in humanities will definitely transform India he said. He gave several examples of how countries who had earlier removed Humanities from their education system had later realized that it was a blunder and had reintroduced the subject. The panel discussion was followed by a question & answer sessions.
The other speaker were - Mr. Syed Mohammed Beary an Entrepreneur, Educationist & Environmentalist who spoke about challenging oneself & raising the bar every time. He said that the most important factor for success is to work on the design (plan), documentation, teachers & stakeholders, create unique features, create bondage & build Brand Equity. He opined that purpose should be important and one should work for it; and ensure that there is no saturation point. He said for all this to materialize a Vision is a must. He said that the most essential thing is that a teacher must work as a mentor. The other speaker, Mr.Naveed Sayed, Co-founder of NASIM Foundation in his talk suggested that we should all work on improving programmes in order to bring about change, bring out the best, compete, educate & help each other for a better India and a better tomorrow. He spoke about NASIM Foundations initiative in Rajasthan, a state which is known for a low girl child enrolment and retention at all levels, and about the contribution made by NASIM Foundations to the tune of Rs.3 crores for facilitating a Degree College for girls in Rajasthan. This has made a huge difference in filling the lacuna of educating the girl child.
Mr. Umar Ismail Khan, Chairman, Al-Ameen Educational Society in his presidential address said that he felt proud & happy to be part of this great day, appreciated the knowledge gained and the achievements made by other colleges some of which were never heard of before. The symposium had definitely taken everyone to a new direction. He said that quality is change; people resist change not realizing that unless we change there is no quality. He apprised the gathering of the modest start made by Al-Ameen Educational Society & Ghousia College by his father, late Dr. Mumtaz Ahmed Khan with the vision to eradicate illiteracy & educated the masses. Till date the fee structure at Al-Ameen is very modest and he said that we keep an eye on poor students, ensuring relaxation of fees, and we provide scholarship of around 2 crores every year. He acknowledged the importance of inclusiveness, transparency & outreach programmes. He stressed on Alumni linkages & collaborations. He was greatly impressed that Ulemas were involved in education. He said that participation is most important and said that motivation & guidance are the key driving forces. He accepted the proposal to create a Committee to handhold colleges/institutions in India going in for accreditation for advice & collaborations.
Mr. Umar Ismail Khan, Chairman, Al-Ameen Educational Society & Mr. Akram Syed, Founder, NASIM Foundation felicitated all the speakers & panelists. Around 95 delegates attended the symposium.
Dr. P Sartaj Khan, Principal, Al-Ameen Arts, Science & Commerce college proposed vote of thanks for a very informative & productive eye opening session.
An institution of higher education is a community dedicated to students, to the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge, values, and to the advancement of the society it serves. Our imperative of nation building, an equitable and just society, and doing justice to the current and future generations of Indians is predicated on achieving our aspiration to be the leading knowledge-based economy in the world. Indian higher education will need to demonstrate that it takes quality to a significantly more advanced level and puts into place the means of attaining, demonstrating and assuring sustainable quality.
