Assessment Report on
Institutional Accreditation of
St. Dominic's College
Kanjirapally, Kerala
Kanjirappally is a small
town in the district of Kottayam in Kerala. The aspiration of Kanjirappally for
its own institution of higher learning materialized when St. Dominic’s Forane
Church of Kanjirappally established the St. Dominic’s College in 1965 on the
Kottayam-Kumily road with a campus area of 25 acres. It functioned as a Pre-Degree Junior college till 1976, when it
was upgraded into a degree college affiliated to Kerala University. Later, St. Dominic’s College was affiliated
to Mahatma Gandhi University when it was established at Kottayam in 1983. The college is recognized as a religious
minority college. It has also been recognized
under section 2(f) and 12B of the UGC Act from February 4, 1994. Mahatma Gandhi University Act does not have
any provision for autonomy of its affiliated colleges and therefore St.
Dominic’s College cannot seek autonomous status.
The college formed a team
headed by the Principal to prepare the Self-Study report along the guidelines
provided by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council. NAAC formed a Peer Team consisting of
Dr.P.K.Chaudhuri, Member-Secretary, West Bengal State Council of Higher
Education, as Chairman, Dr.Jagadeesha, Professor and Chairman, Department of
Studies in Commerce & Management, Karnataka State Open University and
Dr.T.S.Jani Bai, Principal, Seethalakshmi Ramaswami College, as members. Dr.Latha Pillai, Deputy Adviser, and
Sri.B.S.Madhukar, Assistant Adviser, NAAC, accompanied the team and rendered
all necessary assistance. The Peer Team
visited St. Dominic’s College, on three days from 30th November to 2nd December
1999.
Over the last two decades,
the college has expanded and diversified its courses. At present it offers several certificate and diploma courses
besides under-graduate degree courses in humanities, science and commerce
streams and post-graduate courses in economics, mathematics and commerce. The commerce
department also conducts doctoral research.
The college continues to run the Pre-Degree course which puts a heavy
demand on its infrastructure. However,
in line with the policy adopted by the State Government of Kerala, the
Pre-Degree course is being phased out and will in course of a few years be
totally discontinued, making it easier for the college to introduce new
courses.
St. Dominic’s College has a
strength of 927 students on its roll in UG and PG programmes and about sixty
percent of the students are girls. The students are entirely from within the
state of Kerala. The medium of
instruction is English. There is a
large demand for admissions, in the subjects offered at both under-graduate and
post-graduate levels. The college has on its roll 89 teachers, both permanent
and temporary, with a balanced gender representation.
The college encourages
teachers to undertake part-time research or grants study leave without
allowances for doing research work. The
commerce department has been specially recognized by Mahatma Gandhi University
as a research centre. Five minor
research projects of teachers are in progress at present with the assistance of
the UGC and the Centre for Development Studies of Kerala. For post-graduate students in Commerce, a
dissertation or project is an essential part of curriculum. Both teachers and students of the college
are very active in the sphere of extension work. The fees paid by the students are moderate. Tuition fees account for nearly one percent
of the total income of the college.
About fifty percent of the students including those belonging to
Scheduled Castes and Tribes enjoy fee concession. Some students get national
and state government merit scholarships as well.
The college is managed by
the Vicar, St. Dominic’s Cathedral, Kanjirappally, who is the Chairman of the
Governing Board. The Principal acts as
the Secretary of the board. While the
Governing Board monitors the overall functioning of the college, the Staff
Council guides the academic activities and a small committee headed by the
Principal oversees the performance of non-teaching staff.
The Management collects
feedback from students on the performance of teachers and non-teaching staff as
well as on other aspects of the functioning of the college. There is a Parent Teacher Association to
facilitate interaction between the two groups and a regular Grievance Redressal
Mechanism. These indicate some degree
of responsiveness of the college authority to the problems of all concerned.
The criterion-wise
assessment of the team is as follows:
Criterion I: Curricular Aspects
As a college affiliated to
Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, St. Dominic’s college follows the
university syllabus for humanities, science and commerce at both the
undergraduate and the post graduate levels.
The college offers one certificate course, three diploma courses, seven
undergraduate courses, one PG diploma and three PG courses. One department is
recognized for doctoral research. All
the courses except B.Com (vocational) and B.Sc. - Botany (vocational) are
conventional. Students do not have a wide range of options because of the
constraints of the affiliating system. However
the B.Com. vocational course in English was introduced by the college in
January 2000.
The efforts of the
Management and the faculty in identifying the need to launch a course in Rubber
Technology and in Plantation Management are an indicator of the college's
society-centered approach. Offering of PG courses leading to M.Sc. in Chemistry
and Physics are also on the cards.
The active participation of
many senior faculty members of the college on the core committee constituted by
the university to restructure the curriculum has generated a positive academic
culture. The members offer constructive suggestions to the Board of Studies
while formulating the syllabus.
The college obtains feedback
on the various academic programmes from the old students, existing students,
management and academic peers. The process helps the college to improve the
quality of its programmes.
The college conducts
seminars at both national and international levels. Besides, it conducts
workshops with academic peers to share knowledge. A college - industry - neighbourhood networking has
been established. The linkage provides an opportunity for field visits,
demonstration, experiments and on-the-job training for students. The programmes
are generally in conformity with the missions, goals and objectives of the
institution.
The rapport that exists
between different sections of the college community seems to have contributed
to the healthy academic atmosphere that prevails on the campus. The
appointments, both permanent and temporary, are made according to merit
strictly following the norms of the university and the state government. The
efforts of teachers to train students in both curricular and co-curricular
activities are appreciable. Slow learners are offered remedial courses. At the
same time some enrichment courses may be offered for advanced learners. These
efforts would help students to get better job opportunities.
The method of chalk and talk
appears to be the most common method of teaching though some seminars and brain
storming sessions are occasionally conducted.
Preparation and use of teaching aids and appropriate use of new
technology wherever possible, are recommended for more effective teaching.
There is continuous internal
assessment for undergraduate courses as specified by the university. The
administrative support is user friendly. The non-teaching staff are found to be
very helpful to students regarding office matters. Though the university does
not insist on an internal assessment component for the P.G students, it is
better to have continuous assessment for them as well. This will facilitate the
learning process and make it more effective.
A college, 45 years old,
could have done better in teaching, learner strategies and evaluation of
student performances. Education technology could have been exploited.
Criterion III: Research, Consultancy and Extension
The college promotes active
research and many staff members were given the opportunity of doing M.Phil. and
Ph.D. under FIP in the IX Plan period. There is a Research Committee in the
college which is planning to bring out a research journal. Though many staff
members are engaged in research, the number of publications is small. Hence it
is suggested that the Research Committee may motivate staff members to publish their
research articles in standard journals.
Consultancy work has been
found to be carried out by many staff members in an informal way without any
remuneration. If the work is streamlined and organizations who can afford to
pay are charged nominally, the college will be very much benefited.
The college undertakes a lot
of extension work through NSS, NCC and especially through its Centre for Human
Rights Development, which conducts surveys and awareness programs on human
rights, consumerism and legal literacy.
Many teachers participate individually in programs of social work. The college has NCC units and extensive
activities under the NSS. Apart from
these, students have a whole range of activities, conducted by different clubs
and forums, to choose from. Students seem to participate in them without much
involvement. If students are motivated a little bit, their extension activities
will become more meaningful.
Research, consultancy and
extension – all three - need augmentation. Without these the quality of
teaching and the social relevances of programmes cannot be affirmed. As such
the college has little performance and less achievements in this area.
Criterion IV: Infrastructure
and Learning Resources
Right from the inception of
St. Dominic’s College, its Management has been generous in building the
infrastructure of the institution. The
college has a very impressive building standing on a green campus twenty-five
acres in extent. The building has a
little more than 5000 sq.metres of carpet area over three floors and provides
sufficient accommodation for class rooms, library and laboratories, staff
rooms, the college office and the Principal’s chamber. There is provision for extending of the
building by constructing the remaining wing on the second floor. The college
however may not need this additional space in immediate future, since its
Pre-Degree course may be discontinued and the space now used for this course
will be released for higher courses.
The campus itself is
beautifully green and shaded from the southern sun by large trees. The Botany Association, the Nature Club and
NSS volunteers maintain the trees and garden under supervision of the botany
department.
The college has a central
library with nearly 18,000 books with reading room facility. A student can
borrow upto seven books at a time.
Besides, there are departmental libraries maintaining stocks of books on
respective subjects in frequent use.
Libraries of Post-Graduate departments have books for use at the
appropriate level. New books are
purchased regularly and forty-three journals are subscribed for. The Central Library lends books to
departmental libraries. The library,
however, needs to be computerized and plans are afoot in this direction.
The auditorium of the college
has a covered area of about 1300 sq.metres.
It can accommodate an audience of more than 1500 and has a good audio
system and its use has been optimised. There is also a seminar hall in the main
building, equipped with an overhead projector and it is used for academic
seminars.
The college has a computer
centre equipped with 16 PCs and a server.
It also has another facility
equipped with a computer and five terminals connected in a local area net work
(LAN). It has a colour inkjet printer,
a modem, and standard software for scientific, commercial and office
applications. It is used by staff of
all departments. The College office
has three computers and three printers.
Besides these, the departments of commerce and mathematics have their
own computers.
The college has remarkably
good sports and physical education facilities.
It has eight lane four hundred metre race track, football and cricket
grounds, courts for volleyball, basketball, tennis, handball and indoor
facilities for shuttle badminton and table- tennis. The facilities for athletics were good enough for the Mahatma
Gandhi University to hold their athletic meet at St. Dominic’s College in
1996-97. The college is proud of its
sports facilities. The college has a
workshop attached to the physics department equipped with oscilloscopes, analog
and digital multimeters, signal generators and an assortment of power
supplies. It also has a range of tools
including a power-drilling machine. The
workshop is used to maintain electric and electronic equipment as well as to
train students in similar maintenance work.
The college has tried to
build for itself an urban island in rural surroundings. To meet its power requirements, it has two
power generators, one of which is fairly large, with a capacity of 10 KVA. It can supply power to both the college
building and the auditorium. The
college has three pump-sets to lift water.
A new water supply system has been installed recently to tide over the
water scarcity during the dry season.
The college has even installed a dish antenna to receive satellite
television signals. It is a modern 26”
TV and VCR so that satellite TV Programmes, the UGC educational programmes for
example, can be received, recorded and shown to students.
The college has a girls’
hostel outside its campus, with accommodation for 140 inmates. There is no boys’ hostel, but some of the
male students reside in rented houses near the college under the supervision of
the college authority. Sports persons
among the students are provided accommodation and boarding within the college
campus. The college does not have any
health centre as such, but it has appointed a medical doctor to look after the
health of its staff and students.
Criterion V: Student Support and Progression
The admission policy of the
management is very transparent and an academic calendar is maintained.
There is an alumni
association which gives scholarships and prizes to students and there is a
students feedback mechanism. However,
there is scope for greater contribution of the former students to the growth of
the college. It is suggested that there may be more meaningful interactions
among the alumni, staff and the Management. The students may be encouraged and
educated to give a critical feedback which can be utilized for initiating
follow up action.
Many scholarships and fee
concessions are available for the students and at least 40 % of the students
receive some kind of financial aid or the other. Students have many
opportunities to participate in co-curricular activities and there are more
than 20 clubs which promote these activities. Though counselling is done by
staff members in an informal way, it can be done with the help of trained
counselors for the benefit of students. The college has already taken some step
in this direction. There is a placement cell which has arranged a few campus
interviews. There is enough room for further improvement in this aspect.
St. Dominic's College is
governed by a Board of Trustees. The Trust has constituted a Governing Board to
govern the day-to-day working of the college and provide direction for the long
term and short-term activities of the institution. An elected member of teaching staff is also on the Governing Board. The Governing Board recruits staff keeping
academic merit in mind. The Management
of the college uses a three-member committee to evaluate the performance of
both teaching and the non-teaching staff.
The College has a Manager who is in-charge of the Management.
Internal co-ordinating and
monitoring is done by the Principal, the staff council comprising all the Heads
of the departments, and two elected faculty members. This council meets regularly to review the progress of all
academic programmes. Staff members are
divided into small committees and put in charge of various responsibilities
relating to the day to day functioning of the college.
The college has a
centralized budget to mobilize revenues and provide for various
expenditures. The institution gets aid
from the state government and the UGC.
It also mobilizes funds through self-financing courses. An Internal
audit is made of the accounts. Audited
accounts are placed before the meeting of the Board of Trustees and they are
finally approved by the Manager, acting as the settler. Thus the financial Management in the college
is sound.
The college has made
conscious efforts to diversify into need-based courses. Students of degree courses can
simultaneously go for self-financing enrichment courses in computer
applications. Courses are offered on spoken English and leadership by the
English Department, which also trains students in facing interviews.
In a modest way, the college
attempts career counselling for its students through its Career Club. The Club provides guidance to students in
choosing the right career and courses for higher study. Information on job opportunities and avenues
of higher learning is available at the club library. The college arranged a campus interview for its students. Two professional counsellors also hold
weekly counselling programmes for the benefit of students.
As the college is located in
an area thriving on rubber and tea plantations, it has appropriately
established linkages with some important organizations working in this
field. It is going to launch a
post-graduate diploma on plantation management through St. Dominic’s Institute
of Management’ which is its autonomous segment. The Institute has linkages with ICAR, Indian Agricultural
Research Institute, United Planters Association of South India and several
other organizations both in India and abroad.
The College has close links with the Peermade Development Society doing
pioneering work in spice cultivation.
The college is unique in
having a “Farmer’s Forum” which disseminates information on techniques of
farming, processing and marketing of agricultural products among farmers. The commerce department provides its M.Com.
students with facilities of project work and hands-on training by maintaining
linkages with several industries, banks and other organizations. Undergraduate
students also visit industries to gain first hand knowledge about their
operations.
Through the diverse linkages
with industrial, commercial and agricultural sectors in the areas surrounding
Kanjirappally, the college has succeeded in integrating itself with the local
community.
The college has to work
under the regulations of the Mahatma Gandhi University and under state control.
It does not have the liberty to introduce educational innovations. However, as members of Boards of Studies,
and through wide participation in workshops, the faculty members have
contributed towards curriculum design, examination reform and restructuring of
courses.
The college or the
affiliating university does not have formal mechanisms of conferring awards on
teachers. However, there was a clear
evidence of deep appreciation of the competence as well as sincerity of the Principal
and the teachers in the responses from present and former students of the
college as well as many of their parents, which perhaps is no less satisfying
than formal awards.
The College has been working
with a definite goal - that of bringing up intellectually competent, morally
upright and socially committed citizens of India. There are definite indications of the fact that the college is
successful in pursuing its objective.
It is somewhat surprising to find an institution of higher
education of the magnitude and status of St. Dominic’s College in the rural and
agrarian setting of Kanjirappally. One cannot but appreciate the way in which
this college has owned and has been owned by the local community dependent
almost entirely on plantation. Yet the
college is still in its formative years. It has to grow through diversification
of courses, providing more of infrastructural facilities and reaching out into
geographical areas beyond the districts of Kottayam and Idukki, perhaps the whole state of Kerala,
if not beyond.
The college has immense
potentials. Its greatest strength is no doubt the patronage of the parish
church of Kanjirappally and the strong support of the local community including
elected members of the Panchayat ,Legislative Assembly and the Parliament. The
college is fortunate to have a responsive Management and a dedicated Principal
with a hand –picked group of sincere faculty members lending support in
day-to-day and other activities. Former students are always prepared to help
the institution that has benefited them in the past. Guardians of the present
students as also the teachers are ready to help the college financially.
Lastly, one cannot underestimate the cultural background of the enlightened
state of Kerala where education in general has always been a priority.
The Peer Team felt that the
college has to set its directions now for growth in the future years and likes
to suggest some areas that should receive attention.
The college could allow more
flexibility in the undergraduate courses in choosing subsidiaries. Statistics could be offered with physics
(Main) in place of chemistry. Students
with chemistry (main) may be allowed to study botany or zoology as one of the
subsidiaries to facilitate future studies in bio-chemistry. The college may
also try to introduce more vocational courses which should of course be
selected with local needs and facilities in mind. The college should also try to introduce more post-graduate
courses in English, History, Physics and Chemistry, for example. It would also lead to a fruitful utilization
of space and infrastructure when the pre-degree course is discontinued.
The infrastructure, although
quite remarkable as it is, could have some reinforcement. Since the college
will be in a position to admit a larger number of students in the U.G. and P.G.
courses it will probably have students coming from more distant parts of the
state .It will need a men’s hostel of moderate size, say for 50 boarders with a
section of the accommodation reserved for P.G. students. More space should be
made available in the canteen for the benefit of women students. The
authorities may also examine if a rest room for boys could be provided. The
college will eventually need a permanent health centre. A small facility with a bed, a stock of
essential medicines and a nurse would be of great help to resident students,
sportspersons as well as staff residing in or near the campus.
The library in particular,
needs strengthening with more books including those on literature and of
general interest .It should be computerized to facilitate better management and
to create links with departmental libraries. Placement services should receive
more attention. Since a large part of the students are from a rural background,
they should be given compulsory training in spoken English through group
discussions, debates etc. The consultancy services provided by the faculty
members should be formalized. They should also be charged for, whenever it is
possible even if the charges are nominal and deposited to college development
fund. This would ensure an appreciation of the value of the services and also
an added satisfaction to the faculty member who provides them. Staff
development efforts of the college should cover the non-teaching staff to a
greater extent. The office staff should
be trained in using computers so that they can function effectively in the
automated college office of tomorrow. The academic and pedagogic concerns of
the college may be given special attention in order to promote quality.
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