The Higher Education Review

Sree Sastha Institute of Engineering and Technology established in the year 1999 under the aegis of A.M.Kanniappa Mudaliar and A.M.K. Jambulinga Mudaliar Educational Trust with the objective of imparting quality education to students with all facilities and infrastructure, is located on the Chennai-Bangalore Highway (3 km from Poonamalle) at Chembarambakkam, and later started various Institution like Architecture, Polytechnic, Nursing, Education and Art and Science colleges.

Pharmaceutical industry is one of the fastest growing industries in India. A diverse market place, the Indian pharmaceutical space is an amalgamation of both local and international players. The sector offers a multitude of job opportunities for aspiring individuals who have got the interest, qualification, and practical knowledge to work for the common betterment of the society. Fast forward 20 years later the institute has developed into one of the flagship institutes in the domain carrying the same passion to serve the country.

A premier pharmaceutical institute under the same group is Sree Sastha Pharmacy College that adopts the same philosophy of serving the community and this has helped them to emerge as one of the elite pharmacy colleges in the country. The institute was started with a vision to achieve excellence in pharmacy education, conduct innovative research, provide services to the society, and to do justice to the profession. The management of Sree Sastha Pharmacy College has taken on a mission to impart futuristic learning in pharmacy to develop a pool of professionally competent, ethically sound and skilled pharmacists at par with global standards.

Bringing on a New Change
The present higher education system in India is not at par with

the skills required to thrive in the industry which makes it hard for students to start their career in the best possible way. "At SSPC our primary focus is the integration of patient care, ethics, and knowledge. We are committed to deliver quality pharmacy education in order to develop students who will be professionally capable, intellectually adept and socially responsible. We have decided to equip the students in all the aspects of the current requirement in the Industry as well as other fields like medical transcription, clinical pharmacy, community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, and nuclear pharmacy", avers J.Kartheekeyan, Chairman, Sree Sastha Pharmacy College.

SSPC has developed their curriculum in such a way that equal importance is given to both the practical and theoretical aspects of pharmaceutical education so that all the students passing out from the institute are employable. The institute offers two specialized courses which are Bachelor of Pharmacy (B. Pharm)-a four years course and Diploma in Pharmacy (D. Pharm) which is a two years course. SSPC believes that the scope of job opportunities in the pharmacy space is not just limited to working in a drugstore and those who study pharmacy can also choose research and development of medicine as a career option.

Curriculum that Makes a Difference
In terms of infrastructure, SSPC is one of the best colleges in the country matching international standards. It is one of the few colleges in the DR. M.G.R. Medical University which has upgraded its classrooms to facilitate teaching through modern tools and techniques. "The College has centrally air-conditioned classrooms with Wi-Fi enabled LCD projectors, tutorial rooms, library, a state-of-the-art seminar room and a fully equipped auditorium with seating a capacity of over 500 persons. We take great pride in being a differently-abled friendly campus with new ramps, lifts and special washrooms added to the building. SSPC library is an empowering unit with a Resource Centre for Visually Challenged possessing an array of audio-visual aids to assist in the process of self-actualization", says Dr. Dhanapal Venkatachalam, Principal and Professor, Sree Sastha Pharmacy

College.

Adding about the further infrastructural amenities offered by the institute Dr. Dhanapal says, "The College is endowed with renovated hostels, medical support systems (along with physiotherapy center), modern gymnasium, a huge parking facility, air-conditioned sports complex and playground of international standards. The College provides an eco-friendly environment to its students with the latest initiatives of solar heating, rainwater harvesting, paper recycling and other green initiatives in the pipeline."SSPC believes that quality of instruction is the central component to raise an institution's standards. Chalk and board, and LCD presentations are the methodologies adopted by the faculties at SSPC and quality of their faculty members is the core strength of SSPC. The quality of the faculties is ensured by conducting various workshops for the development and updating of faculty members. SSPC encourages members of the faculty to attend various conferences and seminars in order to make the faculties aware of the current trends in pharmaceutical industry.

SSPC also offers various scholarship opportunities for its students as per the government norms. In future, the institute plans to have a dynamic placement cell that will conduct campus interviews to help their students to get placed in top organizations as soon as they complete their graduation.

Dr.Dhanapal Venkatachalam, Principal & Professor
An expert in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr.Dhanapal Venkatachalam has conducted various researches and published his studies on various journals. He is a specialist when it comes to Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological activities.

Prof. J. Kartheekeyan, Chairman
He has been the cornerstone behind the establishment and growth of Sree Sastha Pharmacy College. With his expert guidance and experience, the institute is setting high objectives for their future.