Redefining Education Quality

Redefining professional education and raising the bar when it comes to teaching pedagogies, the journey of KIIT owes much to the vision of its founder

Starting from the dusty tracks of Kalarabanka, the inspirational journey of Dr. Achyuta Samanta, the Founder of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) Deemed-to-be-University, reads like a fable. From humble beginnings, he ventured towards his destiny, step by step rising over challenges. Starting at ITI’s vocational institution, Dr. Samanta dared to dream big and in the process, came to Samanta epitomize a leader of a knowledge, who was also perhaps the first one to look deeper into the metrics of Odisha’s societal realities. He dared to shine a light on the fate of the under-developed tribal community, which only constitutes over 28 per cent of the state population. In fact, what the world is waking up to today, he had realised three decades back; the need to hand-hold those from the tribal interiors and to lead them to the citadels of education and empowerment.

EXTRAORDINARY IN THE ORDINARY

It was pure hard work and tenacity, coupled with incredible vision that textured the fabric of Dr. Samanta’s dreams. Suave, soft-spoken and shying away from the limelight of publicity, Dr Samanta, attired in his usual bush shirt, vividly explains how extraordinariness can be contained in the ordinary and simple life of a man.

KIIT Deemed-to-be-University is synonymous with academic excellence. It requires no introduction today as a global knowledge destination. Countless talented individuals has passed through the gates of the university. These individuals are not only celebrated names in their respective domains, they are also contributing to their nation’s growth as successful bureaucrats, entrepreneurs and startup leaders.

KIIT has redefined professional education in the country and has set benchmarks in teaching pedagogies and research outputs. The Education Ministry’s NIRF 2022 has placed it as the 20th best university in the country, awarding high scores in parameters such as teaching, learning resources and graduation outcome.

In the ‘outreach and inclusivity parameter’, the university got a score of 77.86. The university ranks in the cohort of 801-1000 globally in the prestigious Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022. It was ranked the eighth best University in the world in the prestigious Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2022 for the impressive progress made in 'reducing inequalities'. Achieving gender equality is one of the key parameters of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) objectives.

The remarkable growth of KIIT is rooted in the principles espoused time and again by Dr. Samanta. They espouse a sustained focus on quality education and research with a specific attention to universal access to education and equity.

The academic programmes provide exposure to real field issues through a variety of academic activities at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels.

ACCOLADES

The premier institute is spread over 25 sq. km. of academic township, and offers courses on almost all engineering disciplines, besides medicine, management, rural management, law, architecture, biotechnology, fashion technology and other domains. In 2021, KIIT was ranked number one among the top self-financing institutions in the country in the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA), for the second time in a row.

It became India's first QS 5 Stars Rated University by being awarded five stars from all the categories of QS criteria. Times Higher Education, in its 'Asia University Rankings for 2022', has placed it as the 23rd best in India in the overall category.

The sprawling campus is a veritable melting pot of nationalities, cultures and ethnicities. The vastness is manifested in many ways. It has an exciting mix of pupils, coming from myriad backgrounds. It enjoys an enviable reputation of having the largest number of foreign students of any campus in eastern India. And it offers a fusion of unique architectures in every radius block, representing the distinctiveness of the 23 individual schools.

The KIIT ecosystem ensures that no student feels left out or disconnected as he/she makes the crucial transition towards university life. KIIT’s orientation programmes include workshops, social events, study groups and opportunities to get involved in campus life. Participating in these activities ensures a successful start to studying at KIIT.

Most of the schools have adopted the novel concept of ‘tutor mentorship programme’, attaching 10-15 students with an experienced faculty to help, guide and nurture them through regular interactive sessions. This initiative also helps students in resolving personal problems.

Both the central and the state governments have forged alliances with KIIT for consultancy services. Experts from KIIT are not only providing periodic investigation to NHAI project sites, but are also offering state urban sanitation strategies, and building structural designs of heritage projects.

KIIT has thus, become one of the top destinations for recruiters to hunt for promising minds. In 2021, the campus achieved record placement with 350 plus top-notch companies committing 5,000 plus job offers for a batch size of 3500 eligible B.Tech students of the 2022 graduating batch. Five students bagged the highest CTC of Rs.52 lakh per annum.

The university ecosystem is developed in a way that supports the aspirational needs of a student — be it academics or non-scholastic extracurricular activities. The student-friendly policies make KIIT one of the most high-in-demand universities in India today. It was one of the early ones to adopt the choice-based credit system to enable students to select the course of their choice that matches their interests. Student counselling and research are the other two areas that are given enhanced focus and attention.

— ali@khaleejtimes.com