About The Event
The AICTE ATAL Online Faculty Development Program on Capacity Building of Women in Higher Education was organized for the second consecutive term from 12 to 16 July 2021 by the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) and Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), with a special focus on strategies for women to attain leadership positions.
The Chief Guest for the inaugural session on 12 July 2021 was Ms. Santha Sheela Nair, IAS (Retd), Former Vice Chairperson of the Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission. In her inspiring speech, she emphasized the need for a more inclusive society and highlighted the importance of digital literacy for rural women. She spoke about how Artificial Intelligence remains an underexplored field for women and encouraged women educators to motivate students to pursue AI, as well as develop women-friendly applications. She shared her experiences as the first woman sub-collector, detailing the challenges she faced and how she achieved success, leaving a lasting impression on the audience.
Welcoming the participants, the Vice Chancellor delivered the presidential address, highlighting the increasing participation of women in higher education and the workforce. While many women achieve mid-ranking positions, he pointed out the underrepresentation of women in top leadership roles and encouraged them to develop the skills necessary to assume such positions. He emphasized the significant contribution of women faculty members, noting that they lead key directorates and academic departments. He described the program not merely as an initiative, but as a movement for the qualitative development of higher education by involving women capable of spearheading leadership roles.
Dr. T.V. Gopal, Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology, felicitated the gathering. He stressed the importance of eliminating gender disparity and stereotypes, and encouraged women to be proactive in driving systematic change. He also highlighted the role of higher education and research in creating societal impact and improving employability.
The program covered both general and gender-specific topics for the holistic development of women academicians. General topics included Leadership, Networking, Emotional Intelligence, Internationalization, Mentoring, Work-Life Balance, and SDGs, while gender-specific topics included Gender Mainstreaming, Gender Atlas, Gender Equity, Women Entrepreneurship, and POSH Law, all in the context of academic administration. Fifteen resource persons with extensive experience in academia, administration, research, and industry conducted the sessions.
Participants came from over 130 institutions across 21 states, representing 88 specializations, including primary and postgraduate teachers, faculty from engineering, medical, science, commerce, arts, and physical education departments, as well as vice principals of higher education institutions. The program was attended by 10 male participants.
| Resource Person | Youtube Links | |
| Inaugural | https://youtu.be/K7FSZYTI5lA | |
| Session 1 | Ms. Shantha Sheela Nair | https://youtu.be/Rikpguz3lO4 |
| Session 2 | Dr.Tulsee Goswami | https://youtu.be/X_cyekMAqLc |
| Session 3 | Ms. Uma Meiappan | https://youtu.be/gEF1slRD-Fg |
The five day FDP came to a close on 16 July 2021, where Dr. Bharathi Harishankar, Head, Department of Women studies, University of Madras consented to be the Chief guest for the valedictory function. She asserted that women empowerment does not lie in being ‘given’, rather it lies in how it is ‘taken’. She explained that women can call themselves as empowered only when they take up the responsibility from what the rights are to expose. She urged that woman should articulate their thoughts and expression by breaking the glass ceiling which is within them.
| Resource Person | Youtube Links | |
| Session 1 | Prof. Kantha Devi Arunachalam | https://youtu.be/fgRCk-OsgCw |
| Session 2 | Dr.Vijayalakshmi Venkatesan | https://youtu.be/dBW84hZBYt0 |
| Session 3 | Dr. Nappinnai Seran | https://youtu.be/KPq_iftU3FI |
Dr. K. Ramasamy, Director Faculty & Research delivered the Presidential address. He cited examples of women who excelled during our struggle for freedom. He inspired the participants by stating that each one of us should empower ourselves and excel in our own way. He also insisted that women should be good mothers at the workplace too, by taking care of the students as their children, as this will create a healthy environment.
| Resource Person | Youtube Links | |
| Session 1 | Dr. C. Sheela Sasikumar | https://youtu.be/cJq7pp-9WWU |
| Session 2 | Ms. Kavitha GR | https://youtu.be/6nTl_02-7vw |
| Session 3 | Ms Lakshmi R | https://youtu.be/p9n8eRbHgEk |
The valedictory function was felicitated by our Dean IQAC, Prof. Augustine Maniraj Pandian, who appreciated all the women out there who were active participants. He stated that women should excel in their own way by utilizing the god given potentials rather than feeling liberated in the path laid by men. He claimed that women should have the freedom of choice for this will make them empowered.
| Resource Person | Youtube Links | |
| Session 1 | Dr. Seema Mehra Parihar | https://tinyurl.com/SRMATAL4 |
| Session 2 | Dr. karunesh saxena | https://tinyurl.com/SRMATAL4 |
| Session 3 | Activity Session by Participants | https://youtu.be/Px68wVuDqa0 |
The programme had lively interactions with the participants through case studies, projects and surveys. Active participants of these lively interactions received special certificates of appreciation.
The programme was well-organized by a four-member team convened by Prof. E. Poovammal, Presiding Officer, ICC & Associate Director Campus Life. The members of organizing team include Prof. H. Srimathi, Dr. S.Ramya, and Dr. Thanga Revathi.
| Resource Person | Youtube Links | |
| Session 1 | Dr.Priyamvadha MohanSingh | https://youtu.be/DDtDoo-L7zw |
| Session 2 | Dr.Ranjani K Murthy | https://youtu.be/5wTfHuas5so |
| Valedictory | Dr. Bharathi Harishankar | https://youtu.be/2UizV4ZFLTw |
The FDP focused on the demands of the new education system, helped to identify the hidden treasures of decision making and empowerment of women faculty and set the path to take up leadership position.
