One-week Leadership Development Programme for senior teachers inaugurated at GNDU

Teacher should be a role model – Dr. Karan Avtar Singh

Amritsar, January 7 (Punjab Post Bureau) – Leadership  development programme for senior teachers was inaugurated online in the UGC-Human Resource Development Centre of Guru Nanak Dev University. The programme was inaugurated by Vice-Chancellor Prof Jaspal Singh Sandhu. Dr. Karan Avtar Singh, Ex-Chief Secretary and currently Chairman, Punjab Water Regulation Development Authority (PWRDA) was the keynote speaker.

            Prof Sandhu welcomed Dr Karan Avtar Singh and shared his experiences as Secretary UGC, the challenges he faced and how he translated them into opportunities. He expressed his keen desire that the University would work hard for fruitful collaborations with PWRDA in future for larger societal benefit.

            In his keynote address, Dr Karan Avtar Singh shared his views on promoting Innovations in higher education and research. He said that his strategy to innovations has been to have awareness, imagination, commitment, hard work and willingness to learn. He stressed that the teachers should teach the students to accept failure and work hard to attain success. A teachers should always promote creative thinking among his students and never be in their way to creativity. A true mentor is one who gives enough space to each of his team members of the team. To be a role model for students, a teacher needs to have excellent teaching skills, be a good researcher as well as an innovator. He shared his experiences when he studied at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He discussed four hypotheses in promoting excellence in teaching and research concluding with the message that science and religion are complementary and spirituality provides peace and calmness which are pre-requisites for facing critical challenges of workplace. Dr. Singh also congratulated Prof. Sandhu for his commendable efforts to bring GNDU amongst the top education institutions of the country. He noted that, given its young age, GNDU is amongst the most progressive universities of the country.

            Prof. Adarshpal Vig, Director, HRDC introduced about role of HRDC in shaping the carrier of the faculty and Dr Rajbir Bhatti, Deputy Director, UGC-HRDC welcomed the guests. Course coordinators, Prof. Saroj Arora and Prof. Sukhpreet Singh introduced the speakers and thanked honorable Vice Chancellor and Director-HRDC for wholehearted support in conducting the online programme.