Ranked among the top ten of Tamil Nadu’s 225 engineering colleges and third in Chennai based on Anna University exam results, SEC is distinguished by its value-added engineering education

Sprawled over 200 acres of landscaped gardens with a scenic lotus pond as its epicentre, the Sai Ram Group of 12 education institutions in the West Tambaram suburb of Chennai, offer a unique — by Indian standards — campus. Promoted by Melvin Jones Fellow, Lion (MJF. Ln) Leo Muthu, a successful Chennai-based real estate tycoon and industry leader, the Sai Ram Group (SRG) comprises a dozen educational institutions including the Sai Ram Matriculation School; Sri Sai Ram Engineering College (which also houses the Sai Ram Polytechnic, Sai Ram Institute of Computer Applications and Institute of Management Studies); three siddha, ayurveda and homoeopathy medical colleges in Chennai; the Shirdi Sai Engineering College, Bangalore; an ITI in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu; four teacher training institutes (two in Chennai, one each in Pondicherry and Madurai) and the Sai Ram College of Education, Pondicherry.

Though Muthu expresses satisfaction with the evolution and development of all SRG institutions which are administered by the Sapthagiri Educational Trust (estb. 1995), he acknowledges that the Sri Sai Ram Engineering College (SEC) — the flagship institution of the group — promoted in 1995, has earned the best reputation for delivering high quality technical education to rural and urban students in the state. Within a short time span of 11 years, the college, affiliated to the Chennai-based umbrella Anna University, has received the ISO 9001:2000 certification from Bureau Veritas International and all its engineering programmes have been accredited by the National Board of Accreditation of the Delhi-based All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

Ranked among the top ten of Tamil Nadu’s 225 engineering colleges and third in Chennai, based on Anna University examination results, SEC is well-known for developing outstanding young achievers who have won national and international awards for socially relevant projects and inventions.

SEC inducts 600 students annually and offers six undergraduate and two postgraduate programmes. Currently it has 2,012 students instructed by a team of 175 well-qualified faculty on its muster rolls. Student counsellors are appointed for every group of 12 students, to aid and advise undergrad students in particular. “Our focus is on promoting learning beyond textbooks. Therefore classroom instruction is supplemented with guest lectures, seminars, frequent visits to industry establishments for in-plant training, industry-oriented project work and active participation in student chapters of ISTE and the Computer Society of India (CSI). This comprehensive curriculum ensures that students are abreast with latest developments in technology and are well-equipped to meet industry requirements when they enter their workplaces,” says Dr. S. Seetharaman, principal of SEC who has over 35 years experience in teaching, research and consultancy in academia in India and abroad.

A tour of the spacious SEC campus indicates that the management has pulled out all stops in providing state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities for students. The college’s air-conditioned, fully computerised and wi-fi enabled library with separate reference and reading sections sprawls across 5,000 sq. ft and is stocked with 25,000 volumes and 175 specialised journal subscriptions. Video cassettes and CDs supplement classroom teaching and SEC boasts 45 fully wired classrooms with overhead projection systems, a contemporary computer lab with 500 computers, an internet lab, 45 laboratories for engineering depart-ments, five drawing halls for students, a 500-seater air-conditioned indoor auditorium and a 2,000 seater open-air auditorium. Other facilities include separate well-furnished hostels for men and women with computer facilities, a canteen, and an infirmary for residential students. A fleet of 44 buses transports day scholars.

SEC is distinguished by a management which makes a spirited effort to deliver value-added engineering education. Special classes are conducted at the end of every year to equip students with communication, presentation, analytical and problem-solving skills. From the second year during vacations, students are trained to write aptitude tests and final year engineering students are given placement interview training every week.

This extra-curricular regimen has paid rich dividends. During the past three years SEC has consistently maintained a placement record of 90 percent. Among the major campus recruiters are Accenture, Areva, Caliber Point, Tata Consultancy Services, Cognizant and L&T Infotech. This year the Dutch-based software company Perfetti Van Millon offered the highest start-up pay package of Rs.4.5 lakh per annum to an SEC graduate.

A wide range of extra-curricular activities and services complement SEC’s academic curriculum. The sports infrastructure includes separate throwball, basketball and volleyball courts, two cricket fields, a football ground and indoor tennis and table tennis facilities.

The SEC management has drawn up ambitious plans for the future. Augmentation of postgraduate programmes in engineering apart, SEC has signed a twinning agreement with the Lawrence Technological University, Detroit (USA) under which SEC students alternate their study in India and the US. “We also plan to strengthen industry-institute partnerships, improve our Centre for Developmental Activities housed within the college, and build relationships with nearby schools so that school students can acquire hands-on experience in our laboratories,” says Seetharaman. 

Eleven years down the road the SEC management has attained more than what most education institutions take decades to achieve. Clearly its best is yet to come.

Admission and fees 

Under the Tamil Nadu state government’s admission rules for colleges of professional education, 65 percent of the annual student intake (600 students) is on the basis of performance in the CET (Common Entrance Test) conducted by Anna University. The remaining 35 percent of the annual intake is filled by the management after conducting a separate entrance test.Study programmes. SEC offers undergraduate courses (B.Tech/ BE) in six subjects: information technology; computer science and engineering; electronics and communications engineering; electrical and electronics engineering; mechanical engineering; instrumentation and control engineering.

The college also offers two postgraduate programmes — MBA and MCA.

Tuition fees (annual): Rs.32,500

For further information contact Sri Sai Ram Engineering College, Sai Leo Nagar, Poonthandalam, West Tambaram, Chennai 600 044. Tel: 044 22380031

Hemalatha Raghupathi (Chennai)