From his school days in the rural pockets of Sangli to becoming an internationally published scholar, Prof Dr Suresh S Shendage from Mulund’s VG Vaze College has always had a commitment towards education, which has earned him the ‘Ideal Teacher – Urban’ recognition from the University of Mumbai. Shendage is to be felicitated today, along with other teachers at the university’s Kalina campus.
Shendage knew he wanted to be an educator since childhood, when he studied at a single-teacher primary school near Sangli. Being the smartest pupil in Std III, Shendage was tasked with teaching the younger kids all by himself. In Std IV, Shendage even began teaching his own peers for a few hours. Eventually, he finished his MSc in Chemistry and BEd from Kolhapur and moved to Mumbai for academic pursuits. Currently, he is a research mentor and the head of the Chemistry Department at VG Vaze College.
When in classrooms, Shendage swears by the method of interactive and enquiry-based learning. Speaking with mid-day, he explained, “I often start by dividing students into groups, assign each group a topic, and have them present it for their peers under my guidance. The attendees throw their doubts at the presenters, and the entire class is actively involved.”
While teaching Analytical Chemistry to his older students, Shendage believes that technical subjects cannot be “siloed” (woven in) from society’s day-to-day life. “After a noodle brand was under fire for questionable ingredients in 2015, I brought the case to my classroom. My students brainstormed how one would have to go about sampling the noodles, which instruments they would use to understand the contents, and how they would reach a conclusion. It’s important that we realise that chemistry is an active part of our lives, right from when we brush our teeth to when we fall asleep,” said Shendage.
Along with active support from the college, Shendage arranges quiz contests and research conference opportunities for his undergraduate students as well. As of date, Shendage has 32 published papers, many of which have had an Impact Factor of 9-9.5. He is also on the board of studies of several other city colleges and is the National Education Policy (NEP) Nodal Officer for his own college, helping with the design of evaluation patterns and value education curriculum under NEP.
The University of Mumbai’s Outstanding College Awards (Urban and Rural Divisions) for the academic year 2023-24 and 2024-25, along with the Ideal Principal and Ideal Teacher awards at the college and university division levels, the Savitribai Phule Ideal Teacher Award for women and meritorious non-teaching staff award will be distributed at the Kalina campus today.
