Uday is running for the role of VP Education.
Currently completing a masters at Lancaster University, Uday believes that changes in the education system are needed. He says: “we need proper planning for education. We need proper planning for sandwich courses”.
For the past five years Uday has worked in industry and has been leading teams of 10-12 members for the past three years. Uday says this experience has improved his skills in management and that he can be diplomatic on occasions; his “experience makes me relevant for this role”. Uday also believes that his ability to socialize sets him apart from other candidates: “I doesn’t just have my own views, I keep on asking others what they feel”.
If elected, his first priority as VP Education would be “to talk to people and ask what they want and what they expect from me”.
When asked about Lancaster University Student’s Union, Uday expressed concerns that the Union is not accessible and says that not many students know what it does: “there is gap between the Union and the students. I am planning to bridge the gap”.
When questioned about academic life at university, Uday plans to communicate with students and arrange face-to-face discussions to understand any academic issues facing the student body, to ensure students are happy with their academic life at university.
Uday argues that time-management is a major issue facing many students as well as their ability to manage the number of modules they take at a given take. He also believes that not many modules are relevant to industry and reckons that 70% of students believe feel their modules do not relate to industry.
When asked about the cost of education, the candidate also argues that the costs of tuition for international students could be a concern. Comparing tuition fees between international students and UK/EU students he says “there is a huge gap in costs of education for students from the UK or European countries”. In the role, he hopes to start conversations about changing this gap.
In his manifesto, Uday said that he is against politics but clarified with SCAN that he meant he is against politics where candidates harm each other. He says: “I am interested in politics that can be beneficial”.
In his manifesto, Uday expresses how he wants to balance modules and student timetables. Uday says that if he was given the opportunity to think about and alter every course at Lancaster University, he would use student feedback to do this, however this seems outside of the remit for VP Education.
Uday also suggests “that the feedback system [should be] open throughout the year … it should not be restricted to seven days, which is the current Lancaster policy”. Based on student feedback, Uday hopes he can change the sequence of modules so that students feel their modules are not clashing. Whether this is too optimistic for the role of VP Education remains to be seen.
