Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (MAKAUT), West Bengal is a state government-aided University which provides affiliation to more than 200 Colleges spread throughout the state. The University's courses have been approved by the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the University Grants Commission (UGC). The university provides a variety of modern courses for its in-house students and those studying in affiliated colleges or their overall career development. It has been conducting academic and administrative operations from its vast 40- acre site in Haringhata, Nadia, since 2018. The City Office is based in Salt Lake. On April 6, 2015, the university's name was changed from West Bengal University of Technology to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, West Bengal.

The University is maintaining its twin character since its inception. Firstly, it is an affiliating University to more than 200 Colleges. This makes it the largest affiliating University in West Bengal. MAKAUT grants such affiliation after a thorough physical or digital inspection to ensure the presence and quality of infrastructural and human resources, including faculty members. Secondly, the University conducts In-House courses, particularly in various cutting-edge areas of Engineering, Technology, Management, Applied and Social Sciences. MAKAUT emphasises the fact that many traditional courses are becoming obsolete, as the job market is changing rapidly. That is why new courses are continuously introduced and existing courses are updated.

It is worth mentioning at this point that in every semester, about 2,00,000 students take exams across the state; around 6.5 lakh answer scripts are digitally evaluated, and results are published within a short period. It should be noted that the MAKAUT, WB system, which includes the affiliated Colleges, employs around ten thousand faculties. The pandemic caused by the Corona virus took a dangerous turn in the previous two academic years, and the protracted period of lockdown hampered normal activities in every sphere of life, including academic institutions. MAKAUT and its affiliated institutions wasted no time and embarked on a massive effort to switch over to an online process of teaching and learning. The University soon began organising online classes for its students, both on campus and at affiliated colleges. Internal assessments and assignments were also sent and graded digitally. MAKAUT also hosted the most webinars in the country on a variety of subjects to keep students engaged and improve their knowledge.

MAKAUT has set up 11 different Schools of Studies and a large number of Departments under these Schools:

• School of Biological Science & Technology
• School of Computer Science & Engineering
• School of Information Science & Technology
• School of Engineering Science & Technology
• School of Energy and Environmental Engineering
• School of Management Science
• School of Applied Science & Technology
• School of Food Science &Agro Technology
• School of Pharmaceutical Science & Health Care Technology
• School of Humanities & Social Science
• School of Media Science & Entertainment

The University has started a plethora of new professional courses under these Schools, besides the traditional B.Tech. Courses in CSE and IT. The new courses are in Hotel Management, Hospitality Management, Hospital Management, Media Science, Data Science, Business Analytics, Statistics, Forensic Science, Digital Marketing, Digital Healthcare, etc. Recently, it has also opened its door for social sciences like Economics and Psychology.

Today the job market demands expertise in cutting edge technologies, like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT), Robotics, Blockchain, Drone Technology, Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality, Forensic Science, Food Science & Technology, Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Business Analytics, Travel and Tourism, Media Science, Robotics and the like. B.B.A, B.C.A and M.C.A. courses are also there. Undergraduate and postgraduate courses in a plethora of subjects are offered in order to improve the employability of the next generation.

Overall, there are 75 Undergraduate and 100 post-graduate courses. Moreover, 16 courses are offered with different collaborative institutes. 41 Ph.D. programmes are offered for researchers.

Recently a new feather has been added to the cap of MAKAUT. It has received the approval of the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) for its three courses. It is for the first time that any State University of West Bengal has achieved this credit. This acknowledgment will further enhance the quality of teaching-learning process of the University.

The accredited courses are: Under-Graduate B.Tech. programmes in Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) and Information Technology (IT). Both the programmes are accredited for three years. According to NBA, both the courses are accredited for Academic Years 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024- 25, i.e., up to 30/06/2025. At the same time, the Post-Graduate Engineering Programme (M.Tech.) in Biotechnology has been accredited for six years. According to NBA, the course is accredited for Academic Years 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25, 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28, i.e., up to 30/06/2028.

The expert team of NBA critically appraised the institute’s programmes through a rigorous assessment process to ensure that the courses meet the standards of quality education. Experts also had an interaction with various stakeholders of the University like officers, faculty members and staff members. The accreditation was conferred based on academic excellence, remarkable placement record, and advanced research facilities.

The in-house courses are offered at affordable fees in the lush green Haringhata campus, so students from all walks of life can enroll. The campus offers the following facilities:

• Infrastructure for Online/Offline/Blended Mode of Teaching
• State of the art Library and Laboratories
• WIFI Connectivity
• Mentoring of students by faculties
• Opportunity for innovative extra-curricular activities
• Incubation for Entrepreneurship

The University urges students of West Bengal to study in MAKAUT and build their careers. The authorities feel that there is no need to go to faraway places and foreign countries, especially in this pandemic situation. Students from neighbouring countries like Bangladesh are also welcome at MAKAUT. The Haringhata Campus is strategically located on National Highway 12 and is within 50 km of Petrapole. The campus is also on the Dhaka-Kolkata Bus route.

The University maintains good ties with industry in order to understand their requirements and prepare students for their future careers. In other words, it adheres to the Education 4.0 concept, which is urgently needed. To that end, it has signed a number of Memoranda of Understanding with industry agencies, organisations, and other academic institutions. The academic programmes are conducted under the aegis of the Centre for Collaborative Programs, Training and Research, MAKAUT, WB. (CCPTR, MAKAUT, WB.). The objective of the Centre is to bestow high quality teaching-learning practices and specific professional skill sets to the students. At the same time it is expanding the student base of the University. MAKAUT is using the pooled resources of the collaborating organizations in a synergistic manner to elevate its academic standards, foster quality professional education in West Bengal and enhance employment opportunities.

MAKAUT is actively working to become the enabler of an academic ecosystem in which modern teaching and learning pedagogy is practised and various digital tools are utilised. The University sincerely aspires to contribute to the overall development of the student community. West Bengal has a long history of being a hotbed of academic and intellectual prowess. In today's market-driven economy, however, it is critical to make this education application-oriented so that it can lead to wealth creation of the society as a whole. It is quite evident that MAKAUT, as West Bengal’s largest Technological University, is devoted to completing this job in both letter and spirit.

MAKAUT tries to exhort all to take part in its journey towards a glorious future.

The article has been published in association with MAKAUT by ABP Digital Brand Studio