CHANDIGARH: 27 August 2009: The 83rd Orientation Course on New Challenges in Pedagogy for lecturers from various universities in India began at the Academic Staff College, Panjab University on 28 August 2009. In his opening remarks, Professor Shelley Walia, Director of the College welcomed the Chief Guest Professor S.K. Sharma, former Director at the College and now the Secretary to the Vice-Chancellor at Panjab University.
Prof. Sharma highlighted the significance of Academic Staff College in higher education institutions and encouraged the participants to take active part in the academic activities of the programme.
Prof. Walia focused on the relationship between pedagogy and liberation. The aim of education, he said, is ‘to enable a teacher/student to interrogate one’s social and historical situation. This is possible only if classroom teaching becomes an exercise in the development of critical consciousness. This is the credo of the Academic Staff College which occupies the central most important place in the university catering to teachers across universities through its Orientation Programmes and Refresher Courses that are underpinned by a completely interdisciplinary approach. The College endeavours to motivate teachers towards inculcating new methods in teaching and learning skills as well as research methodology in the relevant discipline so as to keep abreast of the ever-changing scenario of knowledge acquisition and critical theory’.
The Academic Staff College at the Panjab University is the oldest in the region. Over the years it has carried out extremely valuable work in its fulfillment of the university’s objective of disseminating education, scholarship, and research. Redefining and invigorating the academic community is its main goal.
Participants from Punjab, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Assam are attending the programme according to Dr. Jayanti Dutta, Deputy Director.