Assessment Report on
Institutional Accreditation
of
Government Arts College
Udhagamandalam, Tamil Nadu
The Government Arts College,
Udhagamandalam which was established in 1955 as an Intermediate College was
later upgraded to a First Grade college by introducing basic degree programmes
in history, economics, physics and mathematics. It is affiliated to the
Bharathiyar University. When it was established, it was the only college in
Udhagamandalam. Now it benefits the first generation learners who belong to
socio-economically and educationally backward sections of the society in
Nilgiri District.
The motto of the college is
“Do and Dare” which represents duty and valour. Accordingly, those who graduate
from this institution are moulded to perform their duties properly and face
realities of life courageously.
The college is located in a sylvan and idyllic surrounding with a
campus of 10 acres. The historical Connamara cottage / stone house (one of the buildings of the college) was once a centre of literary activity under
G.U.Pope who translated Thirukural to
English. It is from this cottage Lord Macaulay drafted the Indian Penal Code.
The main building itself is a historical monument as it was a
Collector’s office during the British period. Other buildings like Botany and
Zoology Block, Physics and Chemistry
Block, Computer Science and Auditorium Block were built later. Over the years,
the need for diversification of courses was met by introducing subjects like
botany and zoology, chemistry, Tamil and English. The unique feature of the institution is the Introduction of a
degree course in Defence Studies in 1977. A beginning towards career
oriented specialized courses was also made by starting B.Com. and B.Sc. Computer Science courses.
The college which had a
modest beginning as an Intermediate College has grown into a composite
institution of higher learning, with Master’s degree and research programmes in Tamil, botany, chemistry and physics.
Today, the College has 12 academic departments with 90 faculty members, 15 of
whom have research degrees in their respective disciplines. There are 1686
students of whom 121 have enrolled for Master’s and Research degrees. It is
gratifying to note that a majority of students come from remote areas and nearly a third of them are women.
The college accommodates all tribal
applicants.
Besides regular curricular
activities, there are several co-curricular activities like NSS, NCC, Youth Red
Cross and sports in the college.
In response to an
application in 1999 for evaluation and accreditation of the college, NAAC
constituted the Peer Team to visit the
college and validate the study report submitted by it. The Peer Team consisted
of Prof. K. M. Kaveriappa, Chairman, Department of Applied Botany, Mangalore
University as its Chairman and Dr. P.J. Poulose, Principal of S.N.D.P. Yogam
Training College, Adimali, and Sr.Dr.
Christine Rebello, Principal of St.Francis College for Women (Autonomous)
Secunderabad, as its members. The Peer Team facilitated by Dr. Antony Stella,
Deputy Advisor of NAAC visited the college between 19 and 21 January, 2000 and
interacted with the faculty, non-teaching and administrative staff, students,
alumni, parents and others and visited various facilities and units of the college. Based on the different criteria laid down by NAAC the
Peer Team has made an objective assessment of the institution and reports as
under:
The College follows the curriculum prescribed by the Bharathiyar University as there is no autonomy regarding the course design. There are 21 programmes including 12 undergraduate, 4 postgraduate, 3 M.Phil. and 2 Ph.D. programmes. Many of the programmes are conventional. However, the college has recently introduced B.Sc. Computer Science, and the UGC vocational course In water management.
The Department of Economics has already restructured the traditional B.A. Economics by introducing accountancy, taxation, computer applications and business management in the curriculum.
The college has strong co-curricular activities like N.C.C., N.S.S., Youth Red Cross and sports. Though the college has fund of one unit of 100 students, 350 volunteers have been registered in N.S.S. The Activities such as organising a rally to raise the Kargil soldiers’ welfare fund, Orissa cyclone Relief Fund and creating awareness of wild life care deserve commendation. N.C.C. cadets have been involved in clearing the debris in Mudumalai forests to prevent pollution and forest fire. They have helped the police in security arrangements during general elections. Students have been very active at the university, national and international level sports and games under the able leadership of the officers in-charge. In the recent past, five of the active N.C.C. cadets and sportsmen of the college occurred secured jobs in defence services, banks, etc., on the basis of their outstanding performance.
The vocational course in water management is well conceived for the benefit of the hill district. Certain new and job oriented courses like Travel and Tourism, Plantation Management and Wild Life Management may be introduced as inter-disciplinary programmes. It is worthwhile starting more postgraduate programmes in microbiology, biochemistry, computer applications and management sciences which have greater job potential.
The curriculum of Commerce may be restructured to introduce taxation and botany may be enriched with biodiversity and plant conservation. Defence Studies may include maths.
The sporadic changes made in curriculum may be systematised to make reform periodical and regular. Corporate exercises, as college community, may enrich the university courses. Field training in computers may be help to students who do FORTRAN and also to students of B.Sc. Computer Science in general.
Admission to the undergraduate and postgraduate courses is made on the basis of marks in qualifying examinations. Entrance test is conducted to judge students’ knowledge and aptitude for admission to M.Phil. courses.
The college follows the semester system for all
courses. The conventional lecture is by
far the most used method of teaching in the college. In science departments OHP
and epidiascope are used. However, teaching methods may be modernised through
the use of advanced education technology like computer-assisted teaching.
Many students find English,
mathematics and chemistry difficult to cope with while tribals have difficulty
in learning Tamil. These factors are reflected in the relatively low percentage
of passes in the overall results. Remedial instructional programmes may be
strengthened in these subjects to help first generation learners.
Periodical assessment of
student progress is made through monthly and terminal examinations. However,
they are not taken seriously by students as the performance is not counted for
final assessment.
The recruitment of teachers
is made by the Government through the Teacher Recruitment Board. Members of the
faculty are adequately qualified and 15 members have research degrees. There
are some unfilled vacancies in the departments and steps have been taken to
appoint guest faculty to meet the work load.
There is good interpersonal
relationship between students and the faculty resulting in the healthy academic
atmosphere prevalent in the campus. The commitment of the faculty to their
profession is noteworthy. Some members of
the faculty have participated in
national and international level
seminars and refresher courses.
In addition to the
curricular activities like NCC, NSS, Youth Red Cross and sports which are
organised regularly, it is advisable to conduct quiz, debate, elocution
competitions, mock parliament etc. to instill self-confidence thus promoting
all round personality development of students.
Student motivation may be
enchanced by making class-room pedagogy learner-centred and more interesting.
When terminal assessments, which test memory fall into disfavor easy, formative
continuous assessment may be adopted. Teaching performance appraisal, student
involvement in more learning activities as individuals and group may be
encouraged.
The Departments of Botany,
Chemistry and Tamil offer research programmes leading to M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees. There are 15 full time and 7
part-time research scholars.
Students and faculty are
involved in extension work such as AIDS awareness, blood donation, leprosy
eradication mission, population education, adult education, environmental
education etc.,
In order to further
strengthen the research activities members of
the faculty with research degrees may identify certain areas of research
based on needs and aspirations of the local society such as tribal art,
culture, history and folklore and submit proposals to the U.G.C. and other
funding agencies. Likewise, in the
Department of Biology, biodiversity and
conservation and bio control of pests may become thrust areas of research .
Tamil and History departments may jointly establish a museum of folk culture,
art and history of the tribes of this region. Research work leading to M.Phil. and Ph.D. should be published in
technical and subject journals to make the findings available to other researchers.
It is worth noting that the teachers of Defence Studies Department are invitied
as guest faculty in the renowned Defence Service Staff College at Wellington.
Formal research may be
supplemented by projects, seminars, term papers, surveys and interviews which
are research tools: more may be several opportunities to do so in the
millennium.
The college is situated in picturesque surroundings. The campus is kept clean with the help of the workers of the college and student volunteers. Since it is a government college its maintenance needs are looked after by the civil and electrical wings of P.W.D.
The college has developed
library facilities for the past 45 years by adding 51529 volumes. Most of the
books from the central library were transferred to the neatly maintained
departmental libraries. The current working hours of the library may be
extended.
The equipment in the science
departments are sufficient for U.G. student practical work. The P.G.
programmes: particularly those of Chemistry and Physics require modernisation
of this. The college computer centre has 19 computer terminals of which five
are Pentium III system. There are fax, Internet and e-mail services.
Outdoor sports facilities of
the college include a multipurpose playground. The government indoor and
outdoor stadium are regularly made use of by the college. Sports persons are
given preference in admission to U.G. and P.G. programmes and financial
assistance is provided to those participating in sports in university, national
and international levels.
The college would do well to
provide audio/video, reprography facilities
in the library and plan for automation of library services. Separate
computers may also be provided to departments which have research facilities
and to the departments of economics,
mathematics and defence studies.
There is a separate rest
room for ladies. Hostel facilities are available for men, but the response is
poor. There is no separate hostel facility for women. Some women students are
accommodated in the government hostels. There are 36 staff quarters including a
designated bungalow for the Principal.
The infrastructure of the college is also used for conducting B.Com. degree
classes in the evening.
Some of the buildings of the
college such as the main building and Connamara cottage are of historical value
and have to be preserved for posterity, with the assistance from relevant
funding agencies. There is need for a separate hostel for women for which
U.G.C. special assistance is available. Canteen facilities and services may be
improved. The local transport service to the college is inadequate. The college
authorities may take suitable steps in this regard.
The library should be
updated with more journals and books. More copies of some important books may
be added to the library.
Most students who preferred admission to this college are from economically backward families and could not afford to go to other institutions of this place where education is costly. The college provides several types of financial assistance to poor and Backward Class students in the form of freeships and scholarships. Teachers themselves sometimes provide temporary financial assistance to students who may not be able to pay the fee on time. Approximately 40% of the students avail themselves of various types of financial assistance.
The student drop-out rate is
significantly high. The average pass percentage of students for the year
1998-99 is in the range of 30-50 %. In some subjects such as Tamil, Chemistry,
English and Physics some students have
secured ranks in the university examinations.
The college, in
collaboration with the district employment and guidance cell, provides coaching
classes for students who appear for civil services and banking examinations.
Outstanding students of the college including N.C.C. cadets and sports persons
have secured good jobs in various public and private sectors. The college will
have to identify the causes for the low success rate among students admitted to
various courses and implement measures to improve the same.
The Peer Team has been
pleased to note that the college has taken steps to start a placement cell which will interact with industries and
plantations to enable students to obtain placement.
There is provision for
vertical mobility for students in PG courses like M.Phil. and Ph.D. in some
subjects. Introduction of new P.G. programmes will meet the aspirations of many
youngsters.
The defunct alumni
association may be rejuvenated and its services could be used in restructuring
courses, development of infrastructure, and in formulating welfare schemes for
weaker sections of students. Establishing a student counselling and grievance
redressal cell would improve overall performance of students.
Remedial programmes for weaker students, chiefly in the area of
languages and such sciences as are difficult, may be made part of curriculum
requirement. They may be well designed and administrated with the help of
experts. The poor progression of students to whatever reason it may be
attributed, may be or matter of serious concern.
The Government of Tamil Nadu
manages the college and provides for its
maintenance and developmental needs. The college has received 22 lakhs
as U.G.C. grants under IX plan. Besides the PTA funds are also used to meet the
expenditure on short term guest faculty
remuneration, furniture requirement etc. The local M.L.A. has
contributed Rs 3 lakhs to purchase computers for the computer centre. The
College Council is headed by the Principal and consists of Heads of Departments
as members. The discipline and library committees assist the Principal in the respective areas.
The performance of
non-teaching staff is monitored through surprise checks and annual auditing.
Employees avail themselves of festival
advance, cloth advance, housing advance, marriage advance, vehicle advance and medical
reimbursement.
Students are covered by
group personal accident insurance. Weaker students have scholarship facilities.
During 1999-2000 alone an amount of Rs
10 lakhs was disbursed as scholarships.
The college has improved its
communication facilities by introducing e-mail and fax.
Confidential reports of
staff are written by the respective heads and countersigned by the Principal
before they are forwarded to the Government for necessary action. Self
appraisal of performance is used for
career advancement of teachers. Vacancies departments must be filled to cope
with the workload in the departments. Which has accumulated because of absence
of teachers.
Criterion VII: Healthy Practices
The Peer Team has noticed
the following healthy practices in the institution:
·
imparting
higher education in basic and applied subjects mainly to the poor, which has
been appreciated by parents and alumni
·
sense of discipline among the students of the
college and the fact that there has
been no instance of any type of agitation by them so far. Students are highly
motivated to learn.
·
good
interpersonal relationship between staff and students
·
caring
attitude of the faculty which has been appreciated by students and alumni
·
extension
and outreach programmes such as blood donation, leprosy education, AIDS
awareness, environmental education and effective participation in cultural
activities which contribute to the overall personality development of students
·
serving
meals to children of the local deaf and dumb school on the new moon day of
every month by teachers, which is a rare gesture
·
active
participation of the PTA which has been extending financial support to give
remuneration to guest lecturers, provide
fax facilities, purchase of furniture and give prizes to outstanding
students
·
student
cooperative society which supplies stationeries to students and has won a
trophy for its efficient management and
·
good
rapport between the Principal and the staff which has created a healthy
atmosphere in the college.
Section 3:
Overall Analysis
After careful analysis of the report and visits to the college on 19th
20th and 21st of January 2000 the Peer Team is pleased to observe that the
college has been fulfilling the objective of providing higher education
specially to first generation learners namely the children of backward classes and tribals of the hill
district. Over the past 45 years of its existence, the college has responded to
the higher education needs of society through its academic, research and extension programmes.
However, it would be highly desirable
if the following suggestions are considered by the college Management and the
Principal.
·
starting
of certain vocational programmes like tourism and travel and post graduate
programmes in wild life management, biochemistry, microbiology, management
studies, computer applications etc that provide job opportunities as well as
vertical mobility to students. This is essential in view of the fact that there
is no other institution in the district which has post graduate programmes.
·
introducing
programmes in folk arts, culture, medicine, language and tribal welfare
programmes, conservation and biodiversity and development of new materials
which will strengthen research activities
·
establishing
a folk art and culture museum
·
preserving
certain structures of the college such as the
main building and the Connamara cottage as historical monuments as also
provide protection to the 177 year old Oak tree
·
filling
up the vacancies of teachers in the departments to improve the quality of
teaching
·
remedial
teaching for first generation learners who are unable to cope with the subjects
like English, mathematics etc
·
using newer methods of teaching through advanced
educational technology like computer assisted teaching, audio visual aids,
field visits, study tours, student
projects and group discussions and
·
organising
orientation programmes for teachers on newer methods of teaching
Higher education has become
a highly competitive field and the college should upgrade itself academically
from time to time to provide quality education to people. The Peer Team is of
the opinion that under the dynamic leadership of the Principal, dedicated
faculty, staff and enthusiastic students the institution will evolve itself
into a centre of excellence. We wish all them good luck in their future
endeavours.
-o0o-