FOCUS: PUNE INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

To move with the times

Dr. A.A. Ghatol, Principal.

Dr. A.A. Ghatol, Principal, PIET:

I want to make the institution a deemed university and a centre of excellence.

In the post-Independence era, the institute became a State government-owned college and in the last 50 years, it was a regional leader. It consolidated its nine undergraduate programmes and has extended its postgraduate education with 18 specialisations. This quantitative expansion has not been adequately supported in terms of strengthening of resources in the past few decades, which has hampered the progress of research and developmental activities on the campus. The institute, in the last 50 years, became a conventional engineering college with a low profile on research, consultancy and professional output. Now the college has taken up many programmes through the various facilities provided by the All India Council of Technical Education and recently it was adjudged a "lead institution" by the National Project Implementation Unit. It has received the Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme from the Central government and the World Bank, through which new activities will be starting.

We are heading for a paradigm shift from a state-owned to a fully autonomous institute. Global competition is at our doorstep and Information Technology-enabled domain-free education is the need of the hour. We are aiming to provide a value-based, learner-centric, life-long-learning system of education.

F.C. Kohli, ex-chairman of Tata Consultancy Services, founder of the Alumni Association, and chairman of the Board of Governors of the institute:

PIET was one of three oldest engineering colleges in the country. It produced India's first engineers. Its alumni have gone places and have excelled in their careers.

The institute is now autonomous. We want to make the undergraduate programme equivalent to that of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in the next two or three years. After that, we would like to build a world-class graduate school. Students who are selected for PIET are of the same calibre as those who enter an IIT. We owe it to our students to give them the same quality of education. We need to restore PIET to its old glory.

Arvind M. Uplenchwar, Director (Pipelines), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., alumnus:

When we were in college, the College of Engineering, Pune, was rated the best. All top students went to the institute.

The building and facilities were top rate, even better then than today's private colleges. The staff were dedicated and the Professors were authorities in their respective subjects and even wrote reference books.

We were technologically ahead and had the best labs and equipment. Although many colleges have sprung up today and have more funds, PIET is still considered the best.

Even in sports, PIET excelled. It was the only college to have a boat club and we used to take part in national regattas. We won cricket championships.

We were all proud that Sir M. Visvesvaraya studied here. I started the concept of having an alumni association 25 years ago. Many alumni have reached high positions, both in India and abroad. Its students are rated at the top of the job market even today.

The college trained us rigorously in the fundamentals, which is lacking in many students today. This education stands me in good stead even today. PIET has done a great service in the last 150 years. Now that it is an autonomous body, it will have more flexibility to progress. I am proud of being a student of this college.

Naushad Forbes, director, Forbes Marshall:

We have been recruiting students from PIET for many years and I have also given talks there. Our company instituted an award for the best project in the college and we are also involved in curriculum development.

PIET was the best engineering college in Pune for many years. It was far ahead of every other engineering college, there was no alternative. It is still extremely good, but now new institutions have also come up.

The institution needs to rejuvenate itself - right from maintenance of the beautiful, old buildings to updating training methods.

It has to outdo the competition and refocus, to get itself back to its premier position.

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