Ajith Aloysius
By the time most people settle into a professional routine, Ajith Aloysius has made reinvention part of his working life. A teacher, mentor, motivational speaker, NCC officer, and lifelong student, Ajith approaches education not as a collection of certificates, but as a daily practice of staying curious.
Based in Kerala, Ajith is an assistant professor with 21 years of experience in engineering education. His academic background spans a B.Tech in Electronics and Communication, an M.Tech in Digital Electronics, and an MBA in Human Resources.
He is also a NCC officer, with the rank of Sub Lieutenant, and has served in several institutional roles, including NCC officer, placement officer, IEDC officer and NSS coordinator.
Alongside these responsibilities, he has spent more than a decade training students, teachers and professionals in soft skills and teaching methods.
His engagement with NPTEL began through a colleague who introduced him to a course on Python. What followed was a widening intellectual journey through Psychology, and Management. In four semesters, he completed nearly 23 subjects, an achievement made more striking by the demands of his schedule and his long-standing anxiety around examinations.
Ajith recalls completing his M.Tech five years after his B.Tech. Examinations, he says, once brought fear and uneasiness. Rather than avoid that discomfort, he decided to confront it. He kept applying, writing examinations and returning to the experience until the fear began to lose its hold on him. For Ajith, NPTEL became a test of endurance as much as an academic pursuit.
His method is practical and deliberate. Each day begins with a to-do list, with tasks assigned priorities. NPTEL remains a fixed entry, with at least 30-40 minutes set aside for study whenever possible. He uses weekends and the first few days of the week to complete lecture videos, sometimes increasing the playback speed to manage longer sessions. He extracts key topics from each course, creates mind maps and connects concepts to everyday situations. If a task remains unfinished, he carries it forward to the next day rather than abandoning it.
That discipline has also shaped his teaching. Courses on making learning engaging through interactive games, design thinking and personality development have strengthened his approach to the classroom. Even after two decades in education, he continues to learn from professors at leading institutions. “We need to learn till the end of our life,” he says, describing lifelong learning not as an ideal but as a responsibility.
His certificates mean more to him than recognition alone. At 43, competing with students in their twenties reassures him that he is “not written off.” His example also influences others. Students and colleagues who see his certificates on social media often ask about NPTEL and begin courses themselves.
His four children have listened in while he watches lectures, turning his private study into a family experience.
Ajith began this journey with his Ph.D. in mind, and he is now close to completing it. Yet he speaks of no final destination. For him, learning remains a continuous act of courage, structure and quiet persistence.
~written by Elsa Prasad
