Amritsar May 25 : A “Four-Week Orientation Programme-99” was inaugurated here today at the UGC-Human Resource Development Centre of the Guru Nanak Dev University. As many as 46 University and College teachers pertaining to diverse disciplines from across the length and breadth of the country are participating in this Programme.
Prof. S.P. Gautam, Former Vice-Chancellor, Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University, Bareilly and currently Professor Centre for Philosophy, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and Prof. S.S. Dhillon, Registrar graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and Guest of Honour respectively.
Prof. Gautam in his inaugural address traced the history of imparting teachers of higher education competence, expertise etc. through these Programmes, which were envisaged by the University Grants Commission way back in 1986. These Programmes were intended to motivate the young teachers to rise to the occasion and to grapple the challenges being faced by the society from time to time, he continued. The common practice of confining to one’s own subject by majority of teachers has to be dispensed with, he emphasized. He said on the contrary, interdisciplinary approach i.e. the relationship with other subjects has to be broadened in order to do full justice not only to one’s classroom but also to the society at large. He concluded his address by exhorting the teachers not to deviate from the actual intended aim of such Programmes and not to link these Programmes with the Career Advancement Scheme only.
Prof. S. S. Dhillon advised the teaching fraternity not to take teaching merely as a source of livelihood, but to make persistent efforts to meet the aspirations of the society at large. Prof. Amarjit Singh Sidhu, Director, UGC-Human Resource Development Centre, in his welcome address asked the participants to make optimum use of this rare opportunity not only to broaden their knowledge but also to interact with the teachers of various disciplines from different socio-linguistic backgrounds. Earlier Prof. Gautam and Prof. S.S. Dhillon were accorded a floral welcome by Prof. Amarjit Singh Sidhu and Dr. Mohan Kumar.