Student Mentoring and Counseling is accepted widely as a part of the teaching-learning process especially in Higher Educational Institutions and it is more so in technical and engineering institutions. The core idea is that the students who come from rural, agricultural, and uneducated family backgrounds to pursue their higher studies or technical education need parent-like support, advice and, counseling not only in the curricular aspects but also to make them confident and to be tuned to the new environment and make them not-to- feel nervous or inferior in any aspect.
At Vaagdevi College of Engineering, there is a Committee to review and oversee the Mentoring activity which holds meetings with the Heads of the Departments and, Section In charges to discuss the general and specific problems being faced by the students vis-a-vis mentors. The IQAC has also got due representation in the Committee. The records maintained by the mentors in different departments of our autonomous college in Telangana are taken into account and general comments from teacher-mentors are sought to discuss in its meetings. The resolutions made in the meeting are submitted to the Principal for his consideration and further action on the recommendations.
Broadly, the problems that are faced by the VCE student community are of two types viz., Personal and, Curricular. At times these two aspects are also intertwined and complicate and confuse the student and affect his behavior and perspective indifferently.
To help and support on such occasions, Mentoring & Counseling is found to be very useful and set the students of our best engineering college to tread the right path and mend them in the right direction. In our College, for every 15 students – as per the guidelines of National and State academic bodies – one Teacher is nominated as Mentor. The teachers and the students of our autonomous college are informed clearly about the nominations made so that both the Mentor and the students know each other. The teachers are informed of their role and responsibility as a Mentor. And, the students are informed to contact their mentor in case of either personal or curricular problems.
The teacher-mentors are required to maintain a register and record the day to day mentor-activity therein. A mobile phone is kept separately to be used by the teacher-mentors so as to enable them to keep rapport with the parents and/or guardian, as the case may be. Generally, if the student is absent to classes, not submitting assignments, not attending the examinations, their personal and other difficulties affecting their education or the mentor’s observations of indifferent behavior or ill health, etc are informed to their parents forthwith and discuss with them. At times, the information shared and problems resolved are found to be subjective though yielding good results.
