Maharashtra Institute of Pharmacy, Pune hold seminar on NBA

EPP News Bureau - Mumbai

The University of Pune sponsored a day seminar recently at Maharashtra Academy of Engineering and Educational Research’s Maharashtra Institute of Pharmacy, Pune. The theme of the seminar was ‘NBA - Need of the Hour.’

Dr S. G. Deshpande, Chairman, All India Board for Pharmacy Education, AICTE, New Delhi was the guest of Honour for the Seminar Dr V D Karad, Founder/ Executive President, Maharashtra Academy of Engineering and Educational Research and UNESCO Chair Holder for Human Rights, Democracy and Peace for South East Asia presided over the function.

Dr S G Deshpande in his keynote address highlighted the need of Accreditation for an Educational Institute. He also emphasised that colleges must publish Statement - Ethical Context, Statement of its Mission, Goals and objectives.

According to him Accreditation parameters include: Evaluation of the student achievement, library and educational resources, physical facilities, training facilities and financial resources.

Dr V D Karad in his presidential address expressed the need for working together of management, faculty and staff for completion of Institute’s achievement.

Dr S R Parakh, Principal and Convener, MAEER’s Maharashtra Institute of Pharmacy welcomed the guests. In his introductory remarks he highlighted that the Purpose of Accreditation is not to find faults with institution but to assess the Status -- ante of the performance, it is not to denigrate the working style of the institution and its programmes but to provide feedback on their strengths and weaknesses - not to demarcate the boundaries of quality but to offer a sensitising process for continuous improvement.

The second session of the seminar was marked by the deliberations of eminent personalities like Dr C J Shishoo Trustee, CERC Consumer Education and Research Center Suraksha Sankool, Thaltej Ahmedabad - Gandhinagar, Dr Fr D’Souza, Director, Goa Institute of Management, Ribandar, Goa.

Fr D’Souza in his deliberation on Accreditation emphasised on various parameters of accreditation like What is the institute’s mission (Its long term and short term goal), Financial and Physical resources (Budget, Hostel, Canteen, Transport), Academic

performance indices (Faculty - qualifications, experience, faculty performance, faculty research and publications), Supporting Staff Students (Academic results, Performance in competitive exams, Placement), Supplementary processes (Extra and Co-curricular activities Personality development initiatives, Professional Society activities, alumni interaction, Ethics, Industry-institution interaction, Research and development Academic/ Sponsored Industrial research and development, Publications and patents), Service to community.

Dr C J Shishoo, in his deliberation on ‘Accreditation’ stressed the need of research. According to him research in pharma sector is very low. He said a large scientific pool needs to be mobilised to meet the challenges of the next decade, staying ahead of competition, India will need dedicated scientists proficient in chemistry, molecular biology, genetic engineering, nanotechnology who can work together, as a unified interdisciplinary research team.