Distinctiveness of the Institution
The college, established in 2007 has been able to establish itself as the institution of first choice for female students willing to pursue undergraduate courses, owing to the constant efforts of the faculty members and the administrative staff members, who take immense pride in being part of the only college dedicated for women in the district. The institution constantly endeavours to provide an enabling platform to its students to ensure their holistic development. The college has as its motto, ‘swa Vidyaya, ya bimuktaya’ and believes that education alone can empower erstwhile disempowered individuals and communities which can lead to a more equitable society. As an institution that caters to female students many of whom are first-generation learners from economically and socially challenged sections of society, the college is aware of the challenges the students face daily to continue with their academic pursuits, and therefore constant efforts are being made on the college’s part to be more proactive and humane in its dealing with the students. For this purpose, at the beginning of every academic year, the faculty members and non-teaching staff are required to attend a lecture session on gender sensitization to which resource persons from the locality are invited. Also, the college maintains a WhatsApp group and a dedicated phone number is given to all students which they are entitled to contact for any academic queries at any time of their choice. The college has also deputed a dedicated staff to ensure that the students can get all information regarding scholarships on offer that they can avail of. At the same time, if they desire, the college liaisons with the local administration to clear bottlenecks that the students might face in the process. Under the aegis of the Career Counselling Cell that is functional in the college, seminars and interactive sessions are held regularly where several organizations are invited to inform the students about the various opportunities that are available for students. At the same time, the students are also encouraged to attend the tests that these organizations hold within the college premises and on successful completion offer scholarships and fee waivers to candidates. The college firmly believes that education in its truest sense can be imparted only when the students can be made to feel encouraged to implement the knowledge they gather within the precincts of the classrooms, in their daily lives. Therefore, the college encourages them to participate in various community outreach programmes that are organized by the Electoral Literacy Club, NSS wing and Eco Club throughout the year. The students are also taken for field visits regularly so that they can realize the intricate relationship between theoretical knowledge and its practical manifestations in the world of everyday reality. The college believes that its willingness to go the extra mile for its students is its distinctive identity and it takes immense pride in its efforts towards creating an amiable and humane platform, premised on the twin ideas of inclusivity and democratic attitude. Suggestion boxes are placed at prominent locations within the college premises for the students. This is done to ensure that the students feel themselves as integral parts of the institutional ecosystem and feel valued as members whose suggestions are given due importance. This is of particular importance for female students, mostly from marginalized communities, who often feel neglected in their daily lives. When these students feel valued, it also bolsters their confidence and makes them realize their worth. It might seem inconsequential initially, but in the longer run, it does improve their social awareness and analytical faculties, whereby they get into the habit of observing their immediate surrounding and acquire the ability to find solutions to problems.
These sustained efforts on the college’s part to provide an enabling atmosphere to its students have started to bear fruits. Positive word-of-mouth publicity has resulted in creating goodwill about the institution and with every passing year the college has noticed a steady increase in the number of admission of students from the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes groups that bears testimony to the fact that efforts on the college’s part has instilled enough confidence in the parents to send their girls to study here. Data collected over five years shows that the enrolment for students from the scheduled caste groups has increased from 188 in 2019-20, to 247 in 2020-21 and then to 382 in the 2022-23 session. During the corresponding years, the enrolment of students from scheduled tribe groups increased from 45 in 2019-20 to 58 in 2020-21 to 170 in 2022-23. Moreover, with a pass percentage of over 85%, the college also promises to take larger strides in the academic arena shortly. Even though the institution is located in a region where job opportunities have been ever elusive, in the recent past several students have been placed in prestigious positions in the country and abroad. Students of the college have also been taking part actively in sporting events and for the past two years under the dedicated guidance of the physical education teacher of the college, have been able to be the champions in the Kho-Kho event organized by the University of North Bengal. One of the students has recently attended the National Integration Camp held in Arunachal Pradesh, and another has participated in the National Youth Festival held recently. Students have also won the Youth Parliament competition at the district level and have participated in the same event held in the state capital. These achievements might seem unsubstantial, but taking into account the immense challenges faced owing to their socio-economic position, they can be considered nothing but stellar performances and truly path-breaking that will encourage other female students from these areas to follow suit. This, the college believes is credible empowerment, where the students can go out in society as examples worth emulating, and the institution takes immense pride in being a part of this journey and doing the needful to make their path free of obstacles.