MATS University, Raipur, Assistant Professor: Ms. Darshika Choudhary Interview

Darshika Choudhary is the Assistant Professor of English at MATS University. Currently, she has registered for Ph.D. in English at Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur under Dr. Rashmi Dubey. She has completed her M.Phil. in English from Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University. She has qualified for SET in 2019 after which she joined MATS as an Assistant Professor in July 2019.

What keeps you connected with the education sector?

“Teaching is my passion”

I always wanted to become a teacher because I wanted to effect a change in society, and I chose MATS University to start my career because I am an Alumna and wanted to give back to the institute that has played such an important role in my life. Here at MATS, we get a free hand to get creative with our techniques and bring out the best in our students, teaching here feels as much fun as studying here was.

What are your roles and responsibilities?

“Provide students with the concept of Literature for developing their thoughts in the English Language”

As a faculty of English, my responsibilities are to enhance the knowledge of students about literature and make them aware of the intricacies of it. I would also like to point out the MATS was the first institute to start the “Mentor-Mentee” system in which a teacher is given the responsibility of a few students and all the problems related to those particular batch of students is handled by the concerned faculty. I am a mentor to some students but apart from helping them out there are various activities which are held at MATS for the overall growth and personality development of the students, and as of now I am the in-charge of the Literary Club and Cultural Society of the department, in that I plan various activities to keep the students motivated in this COVID scenario.

Do you have any extracurricular programs to expose students to real-world challenges?

“Provide students with extracurricular activities to enhance the skills of the students”

Yes, we do. As a department, we continuously organize various literary activities like recitation, poem-writing, speech, content writing, debate, etc. We organize various Guest Lectures and Seminars, now Webinars, and also Alumni Meets wherein our pass-out students share their experiences with the current ones to let them know about different fields they have opted for after their graduation/post-graduation.

How does the curriculum of MATS University prepare students for the future?

“The curriculum of MATS University provides students with updated information”

The syllabus of MATS is one of the most worked upon, we have ensured that we include everything which is latest in every field so that the students can get the best out of their studies. Apart from that, we organize compulsory internships for the students at undergraduate levels and dissertations at the post-graduate level so that the students are prepared for what is to come in the future. And also the training and placement cell organizes regular job interviews for the students where they also gain experience.

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How do you try to bring in a practical approach to the curriculum?

“Providing students with Mass Communication-oriented meets, webinars, and workshops”

The department of English, of which I am a faculty, provides B.A. English Hons. with Mass Communication, which is a unique course in itself. The subject, Mass Communication, is field-based and so we take our students on-site visits wherein we go to the Radio houses, newsrooms and also take them to the printing press to make them aware of the onsite things that happen. For English, we organize guest lectures and try to use different techniques for presenting the subject to make it interesting as it is a theory subject.

What are the interventions you bring in apart from the curriculum to train the students?

“Teach students with the presentations and use the ICT-enabled classrooms”

Right now, because everything is online, we try to teach through presentation and use ICT-enabled classrooms to make the class more interesting, we also keep on organizing guest lectures and consortiums. When the classes were running offline, we did some creative activity every Saturday wherein students, because they are the students of arts, embraced their creative side.

What would you like people to know about your institute they may not know?

“MATS helps students in exploring their creative side”

The motto of our University is “Ready for life…” and surely it stands up to it. I am biased towards MATS University because I am an alumna of this place. MATS lets you explore your creative side, it lets you develop your personality; there are so many activities continuously organized in this place that one thing is for sure, a student won’t graduate from this place empty-handed. The teachers are supportive, I like to believe that we are a close-knit community that is always working for the betterment of each other both academically and non-academically.

What do you see as the greatest strengths of MATS University?

“Teachers are the greatest strength of the MATS University”

MATS’ greatest strength lies in its teachers who are always up-to-date with the information regarding their field and are continuously working for the betterment of the students.

What are the biggest challenges for higher education in general and MATS University specifically?

“COVID-19 Pandemic is the biggest challenge both for higher education and MATS University”

As of now, I feel COVID has been a bane for education because it has made people unsure about studies or even careers but this too shall pass. Other than this I think the most important thing for an institute of higher education is the quality of its research and even though we are focusing on it, I feel there must be a stricter eye because the quality of research and research scholar can be defining for the university.

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Any suggestions you would like to give to the current youth and the aspiring students?

“Believe in yourself and hope for the best”

We know how everyone has been feeling demotivated because of the time, so I would ask the young adults of the country, especially those struggling to get a job or those who are studying or deciding whether to continue their studies or not, never lose hope. Hope is the only thing that keeps us going. Yes, the times are difficult but we should take a moment, take a deep breath and think about the future. Because when this all ends, we would again need energy and hope to continue. So, students must keep studying, the graduates/post-graduates must keep looking for a job and all of us must keep hoping for a better world. Try to make the world a better place.