By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, July 11: In a first-of-its-kind interface with community leaders, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Shillong led by its Director, Prof DP Goyal and his team of faculty and officers met with members of Synjuk Ki Nongsynshar Shnong Ka Bri U Hynniewtrep (SNSBH) led by its Secretary RL Blah. Community leaders from Ri-Bhoi District and Jaintia Hills apart from Khasi Hills were present. Also present were Fr Richard Majaw, Secretary of the Education Commission of Shillong Archdiocese, Dr Reuben Lyngdoh of Synod College and Principal, Shillong College, Dr E Kharkongor.
Welcoming the guests, Dr Goyal laid out the reasons for this engagement. He said that the students of IIM Shillong who represent the best minds of the country wish to engage more extensively through community outreach programmes throughout Meghalaya and called upon the community leaders to be the catalysts through which that interface can happen with mutual benefit.
Stating the purpose of the interaction, Prof Goyal said, “IIM Shillong has a Community Immersion Course where students actually immerse themselves in the villages working with communities to generate research that would be beneficial for all and to connect, work and learn from the host communities. IIM Shillong has a record for 100% placements and the alumni who have graduated continue to engage with certain educational institutions in Shillong to help them scale up their learnings.”
Prof Goyal also offered to provide faculty development programmes for college teachers and to train train the local youth in the incubation centres set up at IIM Shillong. “The purpose is to train unemployed youth on start-ups and to enable young entrepreneurs to scale up their businesses. IIM Shillong is also teaching Japanese language since there is a huge demand for nurses and care-givers in Japan and Meghalaya being a state with several young people with a natural flair for nursing it would be a win-win situation. Besides there is a stipend of Rs 10,000 per month for the trainees in Japanese language,” Prof Goyal added.
He also appealed to the SNSBH to help organise awareness programmes on what an IIM is all about and how to go about preparing for the Common Entrance Tests (CAT) for entry into IIMs.
Prof Goyal said tourism has a huge potential in Meghalaya but the value chain has to be created and managed so that booking online for hotels and homestays as well as destinations is easy; transportation is also managed well ahead of time via online bookings and this assistance can be given by the IIM students. He also said that the crafts of Meghalaya should be sold at the tourist destinations where the craftsmen would also be available to explain their craft.
Appreciating the initiative taken by IIM Shillong to interact with the Synjuk, RL Blah said such an interface is unheard of in the past and expressed appreciation to the Director and all the staff of IIM Shillong for the engaging with the Synjuk – an exercise that resulted in insightful deliberations on matters that are of great importance for the future of the youth of Meghalaya, especially the tribal youth who feel that getting into an IIM is beyond their capacity.
“In today’s interaction the Synjuk had also taken on board individuals from the academia such as Dr E Kharkongor, Dr Reuben Lyngdoh, Synod College and Fr. Richard Majaw so that they can carry the day’s message to their respective institutions and would also be able to give their suggestions to the IIM Shillong in this collaborative venture,” Blah said, adding, “the deliberations had opened up our eyes and we could now see the vast opportunities that IIM is capable of offering to our youngsters. In simple terms we can say, “the sky is the limit” for those who strive.”
Dr E Kharkongor, lauded IIM Shillong for this outreach and said the collaboration with colleges would help build up a culture of academic exchange and shared learning.
Dr Reuben Lyngdoh suggested that IIM Shillong should maintain its green campus model as it is gifted with space and the trees planted recently on IIM Shillong’s 15th year by different individuals should be carefully nurtured by each batch of students. Finally, when the tree reaches a proud height the person who first planted it and the students who nurtured the tree would become its joint custodians.
Fr Richard Majaw, expressing his gratitude at this interaction, said, “Our youth think getting into an IIM is impossible because of the fees and also they have no idea of the mode of entrance. Also most students and parents think only of medicine and engineering as professional courses. Now we can take the message forward that there are other avenues as well and that getting admission into an IIM is not an unattainable goal.”
Prof Goyal and his team of officers and faculty — Profs Dwivedi and Sanjeev — explained that once tribal youth manage to clear CAT, the fees should not be a problem as banks are keen to finance them and that repayment would start only when they have started working. They also urged the community leaders to help them connect with anyone from Meghalaya who have completed their studies from any of the IIMs in the country so that they become champions of IIM Shillong.
It may be mentioned that quite a number of IIM Shillong alumni are supporting some educational institutions in Meghalaya and continue to sincerely engage with them.