The spotlight is on Dr. Zainab Mirza, Head of Information Technology Department, M.H.Saboo Siddik College of Engineering, India.

The M.H.Saboo Siddik College of Engineering, abbreviated to MHSSCE, is a private engineering college based in Mumbai, India, and managed by Anjuman-I-Islam Minority Trust, which was founded in 1983 and comprises more than 80 institutions, from pre-primary schools to graduate and postgraduate level.

MHSSCE follows the University of Mumbai’s curriculum, examination system, and awards degrees issued by the university. All disciplines of engineering are taught at the college, whose mission is to provide value-oriented quality technical education to fulfil the increasing demand of human resources for the ever-growing engineering industry.

The Department of Information Technology, established in 2001, delivers database, programming, data science, artificial intelligence, devops, and cloud courses. Many of them are shared across the three specialized Computer Engineering departments. In addition, the IT department prepares undergraduates for broader social responsibilities by equipping them not only with technical expertise but also with leadership and managerial skills.

Dr. Zainab Mirza is the Head of the IT Department. She is also responsible for software vendor alliances, including Oracle Academy. Dr. Mirza holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, a master’s degree in Information Technology; and a PhD in Cloud Computing. She joined MHSSCE in 2002 and is a specialist in Automata theory, a topic she has taught for more than 15 years, as well as C++, Java, Python, databases, and cloud computing.

In 2023 she led the college into becoming an Oracle Academy member. Today, she is the Oracle Academy Institutional Lead/Faculty Champion at MHSSCE, or the Oracle Academy single point of contact.

Oracle Academy: You are the primary contact for Oracle Academy. What does that entail?

Zainab Mirza: In essence, my role is to ensure that Oracle Academy curriculum is taught from second year to final year students enrolled in the Information Technology department. I also oversee other computing-related branches of the college. It also entails continuously spreading awareness of Oracle Academy resources throughout the campus.

Oracle Academy: Terrific. Could tell us why you chose to use the Oracle Academy program?

Zainab Mirza: I am passionate about teaching, with a strong focus on object-oriented programming languages, databases, and cloud. Yet, as an academician, I believe there is still a gap between industry needs and what is taught in the classroom. Oracle Academy is a key component in helping us bridge that gap. Frankly, there is no better path than getting students skilled in Oracle technologies. In 2022, we went through the Oracle Academy courses and mapped them seamlessly into our curriculum, which conforms to that set by the University of Mumbai. We are currently using Database Design, Database Programming with SQL, Programming with PL/SQL and Java Fundamentals curriculum to strengthen students’ database and programming skills. We also integrate Oracle APEX for low-code application development and explore the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure foundation to build cloud computing knowledge and industry readiness.

Oracle Academy: And in what ways do you spread awareness of these resources?

Zainab Mirza: My faculty acts as an embassy and has appointed eight passionate students as Oracle Academy Student Ambassadors. Their role is to actively promote the available courses and benefits across the campus and throughout the year. The eight envoys were picked through a rigorous selection process and officially designated by the dean of studies.

They lead by example. Each has excelled in their classes and gained Oracle certification. Last year most of them obtained Oracle APEX Cloud Developer Certified Professional certification. Each one is allotted time to visit classrooms, interact with their peers, encourage student participation, coordinate events, and generally spread the word about Oracle Academy courses. They place posters and banners across the whole campus highlighting the database, Java, APEX, and cloud courses, and also use our Campus TV to advertise the resources.

Along with the title Student Ambassador, we have created a mini organization, with a MHSSCOE-Oracle Academy president, vice-president, portal manager, public relations officer, and other roles.

Oracle Academy: That’s impressive!

Zainab Mirza: The ambassadors keep up the momentum throughout their activities, but additionally we promote Oracle Academy in a number of ceremonies. At the beginning of each new academic year, we treat freshmen to an onboarding function called the Oracle Academy Orientation Program. This ceremony is conducted by myself, the college principal, and the director of academic studies. We outline the resources and how to use them, the learning pathways, and the value of Oracle skills in their future careers. In addition, we stage events during the year that serve to increase visibility, a recent example being Deep Dive into Java with Oracle Academy. Another event is Oracle Academy Interaction, a two-day workshop in which we invite speakers from Oracle itself, with presentations in the morning and hands-on sessions in the afternoon. Hundreds attended.

And at the end of each semester comes the Oracle Academy Inauguration & Felicitation Ceremony, a milestone celebration in which we congratulate students who have earned Oracle certifications and highlight achievements such as winners of internal hackathons and competitions. Last year we recognized 33 students who became Oracle certified students as part of the Oracle Race to Free Certification initiative. We also welcomed 100+ new course registrations, resulting from the Student Ambassador efforts.

Also, in connection with certification, I recently ran a session focused on the value of global certifications in boosting employability, aimed at helping students align their learning with industry expectations. Oracle Academy was naturally highlighted in the event, which was hosted by the Student Ambassador team. Feedback was highly positive. Wherever possible, we expect the ambassadors themselves to organize and run such events.

Oracle Academy: What competitions were celebrated at the inauguration ceremony?

Zainab Mirza: One that stands out was the Xcelerate 2025 Oracle APEX Hackathon organized by the India Oracle APEX Users Group, in which we won first prize at national level. Our team, calling themselves the Oracleonauts, deployed Oracle APEX to create a portal through which students or employees can obtain a Skills Passport, an innovative project that was featured in all the leading national newspapers, a great achievement. Once again, this was a result of having access to Oracle APEX through the Oracle Academy Cloud Program.

Oracle Academy: Oracle APEX seems to resonate well inside the college.

Zainab Mirza: Absolutely, and events such as the hackathon serve to leverage APEX’s strengths as a low-code web applications development tool, as well as a platform for reinforcing database concepts and use of SQL. Many students gained an APEX backbone by participating in the Oracle Core Tech University Outreach, an introductory workshop organized by Oracle Academy. Others, including myself, attended Oracle APEX Utsav 2025, a vibrant event held in seven Indian cities that brought together Oracle APEX enthusiasts, developers, educators, and learners—‘Utsav’ being a Sanskrit word meaning celebration.

Oracle Academy: A great way to mix in-class teaching with hands-on practice. And do you promote other Oracle certifications?

Zainab Mirza: Yes indeed. As mentioned above in our Felicitation ceremony, 33 students gained Oracle certification, many of them now Oracle Cloud Infrastructure 2025 Certified AI Foundations Associate certified. To assist them in the exam, I organized dedicated lessons where they became competent in AI and ML fundamentals, deep learning, generative AI, and large language models, along with OCI AI services such as language, vision, speech, document understanding, anomaly detection, automated machine learning, and pre-trained models.

Apart from professional certification, the college presents students with Oracle Academy course certificates in the final semester. These are highly prized and a strong learning incentive. In fact, possibly because of this, all computer branches have a 100% course completion rate!

Oracle Academy: Are you considering any other Oracle Academy courses?

Zainab Mirza: We have started exploring Oracle AI/ML, which could become a fully-fledged class next semester. Part of my task is to explore recent technologies, and so I keep watch on everything Oracle innovation. I’m in contact with Oracle India product development and attend conferences and events, live or online, in order to stay abreast. I am just back from the Mumbai leg of the Oracle AI World Tour 2026, where I got to know Oracle AI Agent Studio, which looks like something we could embrace.

To my mind, Oracle Academy is helping us better adapt to industry needs. But there is still something to be fixed in the way we teach. In Mumbai, during exams, students still have to sit in the examination hall for three hours filling in answer sheets. To do so, they have had to memorize a lot of information. But I’m convinced that those old teaching-learning methodologies are not adapted to this day and age of AI and cloud. My teaching philosophy revolves around a practical-oriented approach, providing learners with hands-on exercises that increase their knowledge by doing. That is precisely what Oracle Academy courses bring to the table, and I hope to leverage them more and more across the university.

Oracle Academy: All in all, with ambassadors, events, certifications, and keeping a finger on the technological pulse, it looks like you are indeed closing that academia-industry gap.

Zainab Mirza: Indeed, and our graduates generally find good positions in companies here in Mumbai and elsewhere. I appreciate the tremendous job Oracle is doing in providing curriculum and resources free of cost, helping out the academicians and institutes like us. Faculty benefit from rich teaching materials and students have benefited immensely from free courses, lab resources, and hands-on experience with Oracle Cloud. These opportunities have sharpened their skills, boosted career prospects, and fostered innovation. With Oracle Academy’s continued support, and its contribution to social responsibility, we look forward to further empowering our students and driving future success.

And let me add that Oracle is a big name in India. Whenever we are visited by National Board of Accreditation representatives or other auditing organizations, the words Oracle Academy and Oracle have significant impact. Once you are associated with Oracle you get more plus points.

For the students, the credibility and global reputation of Oracle Academy inspire them to work hard, complete their courses, get certified, and get good jobs. The program is highly popular among the students, because they get to learn from the very maker of the world’s leading technology. In my department we ensure the best career opportunities, along with an exciting college life and, naturally, high quality technical education. Thanks once more to philanthropic organizations like Oracle Academy.

Oracle Academy: And outside of teaching, what are your passions?

Zainab Mirza: Not completely outside of teaching but different: I am deeply committed to continuous learning and regularly update my skills by pursuing industry certifications, especially in areas like cloud computing, blockchain, big data, and other emerging fields of computer science.

But at home, you will find me in the kitchen! I adore cooking and so does my family, so the pleasure is manyfold. My favorite dish? Chicken biryani, rich in rice, vegetables, and spices.

Thank you, Dr. Zainab Mirza, for your passion for Oracle Academy and for preparing your students to make a positive impact.