Professor Abdul Safeer A is the director-in-charge of Allama Iqbal Institute of Management, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He has served time as an assistant professor of management studies and has over ten years of teaching experience. Mr Safeer’s qualifications include an MBA degree from MES College Marampally. Since 2013, he has been working as a UPSC Civil Service Trainer and has worked with various educational institutions. Moreover, he also works as the Chief Coordinator of Sri Sathya Sai IAS Academy, Saigram.

Allama Iqbal Institue of Management

You have held key positions at education institutes throughout your professional career. What are the key factors that keep you connected with the education sector?

I have been able to remain connected with academia because of my strong motivation to shape the lives of our students. Being in a rural area, my college and colleagues are trying our best to uplift the local population. Seeing my students get placements, and lead major corporations is a big reward for me. I am able to stay connected with my field and industry by continuing to serve the children who come in every year.

Being the Director in charge of Allama Iqbal Institute of Management, what is your philosophy of leadership? How would you describe your leadership style?

My philosophy of leadership involves engaging with the students. I believe that by giving them assignments, and project work enhances their learning experience. I also motivate them to attend and conduct extracurricular programmes in colleges and many activities which will help the students become leaders themselves. I prioritize my student’s placements through internships in companies and ensure they get permanent job placements as well. In the past, we have conducted programmes like ‘Best Manager’ where students work with real-life scenarios. The best solution is awarded the first prize.

Being the Director in charge of Allama Iqbal Institute of Management, how do you strategize about the key programs and plans for the marketing and administration of your school?

We conduct group discussions and have interview training as a part of our classes. We are also conducting a survey to figure out if our students need personality development classes. AIIM is constantly helped by the top directors and professionals in the industry in designing our courses. We want to give our students the best training so that they get to practice their theoretical knowledge.

The education systems in India and other foreign countries are structured very differently. In your experience, what can an inbound student gain from studying here in Allama Iqbal Institute of Management?

Here at Allama Iqbal Institute of Management, we have recognition from UGC and are an AICTE approved government university. The college has been accredited with NAAC A++ award that further benefits our students by making our fees affordable. Moreover, we have high-value certifications, which can be utilised when enrolling for higher education courses. The college even provides Logistics and Operations Management courses for interested students.

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How does the curriculum of Allama Iqbal Institute of Management ensure the best practice of industry?

The syllabus designed by our affiliating university with our experienced faculties has helped in providing the finest training to students. Additionlly, some of our faculties are experts who have years of experience in their fields which boasts the learning process more. We conduct seminars and workshops in regular intervals for students to interact with professionals. Recently, we also tied up with Kerala Startup Missions to teach the students what work is being done in the industry. We send our students for industrial visits monthly to manufacturing companies and public sector companies which help students to gain practical knowledge. Our curriculum also gives training to the students through personality development classes.

Any insights into how your university could be more welcoming to students of different races or economic backgrounds?

The university does not discriminate against students based on their caste and economic status. As such, the management does not collect any fees from our SC and ST students. We have our government paying for their education. We only collect less fees from those who can afford to do so. We are a public charitable trust which means our courses are more affordable than other colleges. This approach has helped our economically backward students in getting placements and get a quality education.

What do you think your roles and responsibilities to the University and the students are?

My primary responsibility towards the university and my students is to create a disciplined and supportive environment in the campus. This involves creating a structure for students to learn new skills and gain practical knowledge in their fields. I am trying to help all of my students get internships and suitable job placements. It is important for me that my students get the right CTC and are satisfied with their jobs. This will even out the playing field. I want to teach my students to be flexible enough to fit into any industry and job profile. Towards this end, the college is providing all sorts of training and remote part-time jobs for the students.

What do you think should be the University’s top priority over the next 10 years?

Our goal for the upcoming years is to give international exposure to our students. We are in the process of arranging study abroad programs where students complete one year or semester abroad. We are also planning to introduce professional courses for our students to upskill and become job ready. The management is also changing and shaping the curriculum to give updated information and to fit students from all possible backgrounds. 

When you first came to Allama Iqbal Institute of Management , what was your vision for the university? Has it evolved over time, and how far along in implementing that vision are you?

At the time I joined, I was introduced to a friendly mentor and professor, R Gangadharan. He gave me guidance and advice me to improve my knowledge so that I can give my best to my students. Even though remuneration was less at that time, I was highly motivated and thankful for my seniors for helping me. I wanted to return the favour by becoming an asset to the university and giving it my all. Even now, the same friendly and supportive environment. It has helped us reach our goals faster and achieve more.

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

I want people to know that our students are high performers and have gone on to secure jobs at top corporations. The college also provides good academic excellence and support due to which our average percentage is quite high. Also, the students can get a return on investment, on their fees, within 7-8 months when they get placed in companies. Here the management has built strong bonds and relationships with the stakeholders. We also have a large team of friendly management which is truly an asset.

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What do you see as Allama Iqbal Institute of Management greatest strengths?

AIIM has several factors that make it a good institute. For instance, we have a good faculty team. We have excellent Infrastructure facilities, classrooms and a wide collection of books in our library. We provide accommodations to our female students. There is also the facility to pay fees in instalments for economically backward students.

What are some of the biggest challenges you see, both for higher education in general and for Allama Iqbal Institute of Management specifically?

Probably our biggest challenge would be to fill up our classes. In some of our batches, the student population is very less. Another major challenge is for students to get admission to our college because of their poor marks. For instance, in our MBA program, the minimum marks required is 50% and an entrance test score which most applicants are not able to meet.