Assessment Report on
Institutional Accreditation of
Sacred Heart College
Thevara, Kerala
The
Sacred Heart College is one of the premier institutions in the state of Kerala,
affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam. The college was established
in 1944 by the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate originally as a college affiliated
to University of Madras for a limited number of students (less than 300). The
college over the years has evolved into a multi-faculty institution offering 10
undergraduate and 8 postgraduate programmes from pre degree, undergraduate to
postgraduate levels. In addition to the teaching programmes the college is also
recognised as a research centre in 5 important disciplines for conducting and
guiding Ph.D. research scholars.
The
college is ideally situated in an area of 12 acres of land on a small island
known as Thevara in the city of Kochi. The Vembanad lake view adds to the
beauty of its landscape. Although the college is situated on the outskirts of
the city faculty and students have easy access to it, thanks to good transport
facilities from various parts of Kochi city to Thevara. The college is governed
by Christian missionaries with a sense of ownership and concern. The Management
is therefore extremely committed for the development of the institution and its
reputation in the region.
There are
109 teachers in the institution who are working with a sense of dedication. The
college has many accomplishments to its credit and is held in high esteem by one
and all. The college volunteered to be assessed and accredited by NAAC. In
response to the request the NAAC constituted the Peer Team comprising of Prof.
M. Malla Reddy, former Vice-Chancellor of Osmania University, as Chairperson,
Prof. B. G. Mulimani, Chairman & Head of the department of physics,
Karnataka University, Dharwad and Prof. V. R. Shirgurkar, Principal of Smt.
Parvatibai Chowgule Cultural Foundation’s college of Arts and Science, Margao,
Goa. The Peer Team visited the college between January 17 and 19, 2000 and the
following report is the culmination of the 3 day exercise for the evaluation of
the institution.
Section 2:
Criterion-wise Analysis
The Sacred Heart College is
a multi-faculty college which offers a wide range of courses, 8 of them at the
postgraduate level, 10 at the undergraduate, two postgraduate diplomas, and one
certificate course. Five departments have been recognised as research centres
of the college by the Mahatma Gandhi University. Four courses - English at
B.A.(copy editing), Industrial Chemistry at B.Sc., Diploma in Computer Science
and Diploma in Aquaculture are career oriented courses introduced recently.
Despite the fact that the college is a premier institution, there is little flexibility
in course structure. Being an affiliated institution it has to adopt the
university courses both at the undergraduate and the post graduate levels.
However, the Peer Team is happy to note that the college has been successful in
designing new courses for the benefit of its students in spite of the delays in
processing the proposal by the university while granting approval. With an
earnest desire to introduce need-based courses, B.Sc. in industrial chemistry a
vocational course was introduced by the college in 1997 and the same was
approved by the university later. A postgraduate diploma certificate course - a
one year programme in aquaculture was introduced by the college in 1994. It is
noteworthy that the course contents of the diploma in aquaculture and computer
applications are reviewed and modified every year by the college faculty to
suit the requirements of the job market. The college’s contribution to the
university’s effort to bring new modular curricula in the subject of botany is
laudable. The Self-Study Report mentions that the Department of Botany
conducted a workshop on course restructuring and its recommendations were
accepted by the university. Similarly, large number of teachers from other
departments participated in several workshops/seminars for curriculum
designing.
The college holds two
orientation programmes on value education for its students every year. Numerous
co-curricular activities are conducted successfully through more than 40 active
clubs to help the overall development of students and thereby to bring into
practice the mission of the college which “is the integral formation of the
human person for fulfilling his/her individual and social responsibilities with
maturity.”
The college had enrolled 1216 students at the undergraduate and 210 at the postgraduate level in the year 1998-99. An impressive number of scholars are enrolled for doctoral research during this period. Almost all students come from Kerala except for a small per cent of them who belong to other states. Fifty per cent of admissions are made according to the admission policy of Mahatma Gandhi University on the basis of merit, 20% seats are reserved for SC and ST students, and 10% for the “community”. Being a minority institution it enjoys the freedom to admit 20% of students under the discretion of the Management.
The college has adopted a
suitable mechanism to cater for specific needs of its students having different
levels of intellectual maturity.
Diagnostic tests are administered to students immediately after
admissions and remedial coaching is provided by teachers to the educationally disadvantaged.
For advanced learners the following enrichment courses are prescribed as stated
in the self-study report.
1.
Training
in computer
2.
Coaching
for competitive examinations
3.
Training
in public speaking
4.
Field
study programmes
5.
Field
surveys
6.
Pre-test
in Hindi language
Similarly, the college has
implemented the system of tutorials which is an integral part of the
curriculum. The college however, involves parents twice a year which is a
healthy trend. Here it takes the shape of interactive sessions attended by
parents, teachers and students. The Peer Team is impressed with these
innovative practices which make the teaching-learning process in the college
very effective and learner-centred.
As stated in the Self-Study
Report the Peer Team found that department-wise meetings are held to distribute
the teaching work to teachers in the department which helps the teachers plan
and prepare their teaching schedules. Students are also given projects and
assignments at the beginning of the year along with a time-table and their
progress is monitored through periodic institutional assessments.
Another noteworthy feature
of this college is that teachers use new methods of teaching along with the
lecture method. Seminars, discussions, video shows, workshops, quiz
competitions, field studies and visits to factories and research institutes are
organised by the faculty to improve the process of learning in the college. The
Peer Team appreciates the efforts made by the college to follow the UGC norm
regarding the total number of working days in a year by stepping up the
teaching days to 194.
The college conducts 3 tests
in addition to the university examinations. The Peer Team found from its
interaction with the faculty, non-teaching staff, parents and students that the
examinations are conducted smoothly as per the time-table prepared by the
university. Since this is an affiliated college there is not much scope for the
college to introduce any innovative practices in the same.
The college makes ad-hoc
appointments in the vacancies arising from time-to-time with the prior
permission from the government on a fixed salary of Rs.5,000/-. The faculty is
encouraged to attend seminars/ conferences/workshops as participants as well as
resource persons. It is heartening to note that 55 teachers took advantage of
such opportunities in the last two years.
Self-appraisal of teachers
is made as required under the university rules. Feedback from students is
obtained and proper record is maintained by the Heads of the Departments. A
salient practice followed in this college is that there is a committee to
evaluate the publications of teachers and the best publication is given an
award.
One of the distinguishing
features of the college is its linkage with other educational institutions in
the country and abroad. The Peer Team is very happy to note the academic
tie-ups of the institution with the Notre Dame University Indiana, Hohenheim
University, Stuttgart, Germany, Plymouth Marine University, U.K., etc.
Parents, alumni and students
expressed in categorical terms that the college is an outstanding and reputed
institution in the region. The Peer Team suggests that students should be
oriented about the evaluation system in advance. It is also suggested that
subject-wise diagnostic tests may be given to students to identify their levels
of proficiency for the purpose of
organising remedial and enrichment courses.
The
college promotes research, consultancy and extension activities. Teachers are given leave and provided with basic
facilities and seed money to pursue research.
The departments of zoology, botany, chemistry, economics and commerce
have been recognised by the university as research centres to pursue Ph.D.
programmes. A research committee has
been constituted at the college level to supervise and guide research
activities. Teachers in many of the
departments are engaged in active research and publishing papers
regularly. Some teachers are members of
scientific bodies and have served on various academic committees. Botany and
zoology departments stand out in this regard.
Some of the teachers in physics, chemistry, botany and zoology
departments have established linkages at National and International levels and
have ongoing projects funded by external agencies such as UGC, DST, STEC
(Kerala) and Spices Board, Kochi. Further, these departments are active in
organising seminars and workshops. Out of
the total of 109 teachers in the college there are 22 Ph.Ds. and 35
M.Phils. In view of the postgraduate
courses being offered in the college and 28 students working for their Ph.D.
programmes in different departments, it would strengthen the college
academically if the teachers without the Ph.D. degree are motivated to obtain
the same. Further, all the teachers may be encouraged to submit research
proposals to the UGC for financial support.
Proposals
for consultancy have been mooted. The department of chemistry is launching a
consultancy service for coconut oil extraction plant and sea-food
industries. The department of botany
has proposed research consultancy in areas such as plant tissue culture, spice
quality research and river Management. The research committee has brought out a
consultancy register which will enable the public to know the expertise
available in the college. The
consultancy aspect needs to be strengthened and pursued in order to generate
revenue for the department/college.
Students
and teachers are encouraged to participate in extension activities. A faculty member co-ordinates extension activities. Activities are undertaken in many relevant
areas such as AIDS awareness, environment awareness, adult education and
literacy in addition to collaborative programmes with NGOs. The zoology
department participates in awareness programmes such as trauma care and Peoples
Bio-diversity register(Peoples Planning Programme, Govt. of Kerala).
`Mitradham’ – a project on renewable energy undertaken by the physics
department deserves special mention.
However, some of these activities can be integrated with the
curriculum.
With
little more co-ordination and focus all the three activates–research,
consultancy and extension, can contribute much more significantly to the
fulfilment of the needs of the region and enrich the learning experience of the
students of the college.
The infrastructure available
on the premises of the college is presently shared by both undergraduate and
postgraduate students along with the pre-degree students. The process of
delinking the pre-degree classes from the college has started. However, it will
take 2 more years to delink them completely.
The college building with a
floor area of 12,267.77 sq.mts botanical and other gardens occupy approximately
12 acres of land. The master plan prepared by the college was made available to
the Peer Team members. The college had adopted in 1993 - Golden Jubilee year of
the college - a document showing its future infrastructure requirements in the
then proposed Jubilee Memorial Block. A small part of this block has been
constructed and rest of the construction is deferred in view of its recent
policy to shift the pre degree classes from the present building. The campus is
clean, well-maintained and is being used optimally. Because of its ideal location,
the campus is eco-friendly with a clean environment.
A spacious library having
64,218 books and more than 100 journals, a computer centre with 37 computers, a
well-developed Zoological Museum, adequately equipped laboratories constitute
the learning resources of the college. A well-equipped health centre has been
set up in the college very recently with the help of a local fitness club. The
facilities in this club are made available to the college students along with
outside users on payment of nominal fees.
The college proposes to
utilise these learning resources better by keeping the library and the computer
centre open for 12 hours, giving access to teachers and students on internet,
offering courses on Management, Communicative English and Secretarial Practice.
The infrastructure is also used for conducting academic programmes of IGNOU,
the School of Distance Education, Mahatma Gandhi University, Pondicherry
University, etc.
The college can boast of its
magnificent library facilities managed by an advisory committee. The college
has not yet computerised the library operations and only postgraduate students
have free access to stacks. Undergraduate students can borrow 2 books at a
time. Adequate funds are available for purchasing new volumes every year.
The Department of Computer
Science offers courses at different levels. It aims at making all students
computer literate. However, the department has not been able to develop any
Computer Aided Learning (CAL) packages. Thirty-seven computers have been
provided to various departments. The Department of Computer Science has 22
computers.
The
college has five separate buildings in which run the hostels. However, in view
of decline in numbers seeking admission to hostel accommodation the Management
has resolved to close down the hostel facility for all practical purposes. At
present only 24 students reside in the hostel for exceptional reasons.
Students, while interacting with the Peer Team expressed the need for reviving
of the hostel facilities particularly for the benefit of women students. It is
therefore, necessary that the college Management to examine this demand of the
students carefully for extending this benefit. Some students also pointed out
the difficulties in getting adequate transport while reaching the college. The
Management may consider these suggestions.
Adequate
Sports and games are given special importance in the curriculum of the
institution. The adequate facilities have been created for promoting this
talent among students. The college has 3 badminton courts, 2 volleyball courts,
1 basketball court and 1 handball court. A well-maintained football and cricket
ground and a multi-gym form part of these facilities. Students participating in
sports are awarded 7 to 15 marks in each paper based on the performance of
students at the university, state and national level competitions. Some seats
have been reserved for good sports persons under the sports quota for admission
to various courses run by the college.
A well-equipped workshop with facilities of welding, lathe machine, drilling machine, compressor sprayer, grinder, fabricator, thread-cutter and a blowing machine is also available in the college.
The college has introduced
various forms of financial assistance for deserving needy students which
include merit-cum-means scholarships. Other welfare facilities for students and
teachers include a college co-operative society, a canteen, a student centre, a
counselling and career guidance centre. Though there is a formal grievance redressal
cell for the benefit of teachers it was noted during the interaction that
teachers never felt the need for lodging any complaint, giving expression to
the nature of harmonious relationship that exists between the faculty and
Management.
Student
support and progression has been viewed, by the college, as an important aspect
in holistic development of students.
The college monitors the student progression to further study and
employment. Alumni of the college hold
prominent positions in different walks of society. The college obtains feedback from students with respect to
teaching, infrastructure facilities, tutorials, counselling and extracurricular
activities. The feedback is being used
for improvement. Measures are taken to
rectify shortcomings. Creation of a
student’s grievance cell in the college will be helpful.
The college publishes its
prospectus, annually outlining the courses offered, fee structure and
facilities provided. A number of scholarships
from the government and those instituted by the college are available to
deserving students. Ph.D. programmes
can be strengthened if the college institutes research fellowships for students
working for their degrees. An
employment cell exists and the placement officer offers career counselling to
students. Last year 141 students were
employed through placement service and 6 students were motivated to seek
self-employment. Special coaching sessions are arranged for SC and ST
students. The performance of the
students of the college in examinations such as UGC, CSIR (NET), GATE and IIT
is satisfactory.
The Alumni Association of
the college is very active. A database of alumni is going to be set up
soon. Alumni are proud of their college
and are willing to support its development.
This support can be utilised for the all round growth of the college.
There are very good
facilities to enrich the talents of students.
The 40 – odd talent clubs characterising co-curricular and
extracurricular activities at various
levels are functioning well and they help students to channelise their energy
into creative endeavors.
The Sacred Heart college,
affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam and established by the
fathers of the CMI(Carmelites of Mary Immaculate) Congregation, is managed by
the Sacred Heart Monastery, Thevara.
The Management Board of the college consists of the Manager, the
Principal, the Bursar and 2 elected members from the Sacred Heart Monastery.
The Management Board is the
policy making body and its office bearers execute the decisions of the board
and are in charge of the day-to-day administration of the college. The
Principal of the college follows all the ordinances and statutes of the Mahatma
Gandhi University and the rules of the state government in all matters
pertaining to appointment of the teaching and the non-teaching staff,
admissions and academic issues. The college, being a minority institution,
enjoys certain privileges under the provisions of the Constitution of India.
The Sacred Heart Monastery,
Thevara takes the entire responsibility of running and maintaining the college
by making adequate funds available for the day-to-day requirements as well as
development of the college. Salary of
the approved staff is paid by the state govt. directly to the bank accounts of
the respective employees of the college. Grants from the state govt. by way of
salary grants constitute 69.4% of the total receipts of the college. It is heartening to note that the college
raises substantial resources (30%) through self-financing courses and
donations.
The college council is
another functionary in the college. It
is constituted as per the provisions made by the university and mainly consists
of all the Heads of the Departments functioning in the college. Periodic
meetings of the college council are held regularly and all routine matters such
as organisation of college functions, examinations, sports events, are placed
before this body. It works as an
advisory body and helps the Principal to carry out his administrative
functions.
Resources for maintenance
and development of the college are raised mainly through PTA. It was mentioned by the Secretary of the PTA
that an amount of Rs.15 to 20 lakhs is raised annually by the PTA. The college earns around five lakhs annually
by letting out its premises to outside agencies. Funds are also raised through various research projects
sanctioned by various agencies in India and abroad. Mobilisation of resources seems to be adequate. College accounts are audited by chartered
accountants regularly every year. The college, at present is not allowed to
appoint teachers to fill vacancies in the regular scale, however, as already
mentioned the college can make ad-hoc appointments on a fixed salary with prior
sanction of the state government.
Performance
appraisal of the teaching staff is done through (i) self-appraisal forms and
(ii) feedback obtained from students.
The Peer Team, after going through the relevant documents is happy to
note that the performance appraisal is made scientifically and the feedback
inputs from students are received in the right spirit by every teacher to
improve his performance.
Although the CMI Management
has taken care of the growing needs of the college over the last 56 years and
successfully catered for the educational needs of the community, the Peer Team
feels that scientific participatory Management techniques involving more
teaching and non-teaching employees in policy making should be adopted. It would help the Management to motivate
employees and also get inputs from them in terms of new ideas in tune with the
changing higher education scenario.
Reflecting its philosophy
and vision, the Sacred Heart College has adopted several healthy practices
which are helping in all-round personality development of its students. Some of
the significant healthy practices noted by the Peer Team members are as
follows:
·
For
every student, transition from pre degree experiences to life in degree college
is a major change. The orientation programme organised at the beginning of the
academic year for the benefit of the freshers joining the institution helps in
their academic, social and emotional adjustment in the institution: a healthy
tradition.
·
The
college has adopted an innovative method of Tutorial System involving parents
twice in a year. The issues related to the performance of students, their
future plans and other behavioral problems are discussed. Therefore the
Tutorial System in the institution with its new approach of involving parents
is a very positive and progressive step.
·
The
college has started a consultancy cell and published a registry to strengthen
its linkages with the industry in particular and community in general. The need
for developing industry-institution-relationships has been emphasised time and
again, but such a relationship exists only in a few institutions. The Peer Team
is happy to note that Sacred Heart college is striving to provide consultancy
services to several institutions outside the campus befitting its reputation.
·
The
active PTA is another important feature of the college and it has helped in
many areas. Enlightened parents are not merely providing financial assistance
for the development of the institution but also pledging support to the college
in its future plans for development.
·
The
Peer Team has noted with great appreciation that the college does not collect
any capitation fee. In the 20% of the admissions which are processed with the
discretion of the Management, importance is given to meritorious students. The
college does not compromise merit in the matter of admissions for any other
consideration whatsoever.
·
The
college pays special attention to the needs and aspirations of local and
regional students by offering some innovative job-oriented programmes like
Aquaculture outside the conventional curriculum. This is a very constructive
approach.
·
The
college has constituted a research committee to disseminate information with
regard to research projects, funding
agencies in the country and also to motivate the postgraduate students and
faculty members to undertake research and doctoral work.
·
In
some departments the use of VCRs, OHPs, Cassettes in the teaching-learning
process has contributed to the enrichment of classroom climate, arousing a high
degree of interest among students.
·
The
college annually organises a science exhibition to create scientific awareness
in the members of the community.
·
The
college organises programmes on information quest and other enriching
extra-curricular activities in the form of extension work, study tour etc., a
very healthy practice.
·
The
college has instituted special awards for the best paper published by staff
members on the recommendation of specially constituted committees.
·
The
in-house publications of various departments reflect the sense of
accountability on the part of the institution. This has received wide
recognition in the media and the community.
The
Sacred Heart college started in 1944 is a vibrant institution offering several
programmes, curricular and co-curricular, for all round development of its
students. The college is held in high esteem in the region for its past
achievements, present academic performance and future promises. The college is
built on the philosophy of the pursuit of excellence, for promoting creative
abilities and freedom of thought and expression among the learners.
Relatively
the college is one of the oldest institutions in the region started in 1944 by
the philanthropic concern of Christian Missionaries for imparting higher
education to both have’s and have-nots with a vision to promote an egalitarian
social order. The college offers as many as 24 courses in 4 faculties; i.e.,
the sciences, social sciences, commerce and humanities. In addition to teaching
at the undergraduate and the postgraduate levels, the college is also
recognised as a research centre for guiding research scholars in 5 important
disciplines such as zoology, botany, chemistry, commerce and economics.
The
college has demonstrated its commitment and excellence on the basis of its
performance in cognitive, connative and affective areas. In the cognitive
sphere it is noteworthy to mention that in many departments the results are
maintained with 98% to 100% success and many students secure distinction and
ranks in the university examinations. Performance of students in this college
appears to be much superior in comparison to that of many other colleges
affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University which speaks volumes about the quality
of teaching, the motivation of students and the general institutional climate.
In the
area of extension activities the college has undertaken many outreach
programmes which have great social relevance. During the year 1998-1999 and
1999-2000 the college organised various community development, health and
hygiene awareness and AIDS awareness programmes which deserve appreciation.
The Peer
Team was particularly impressed with the general ambience of the institution
with special reference to its physical location, academic climate and the rich
infrastructure created over the years. The college is endowed with a good
library, computer laboratory and extensive research opportunities for
postgraduate students. The college has also created a wide range of facilities
like the health centre, sports, press, workshop, guest house and canteen. The
college has also instituted some important welfare schemes and a grievance
redressal cell. It can boast of its multi-gym, zoological museum, small
botanical garden, which form an integral part of the institutional complex and
curricular resource. An important feature of the college lies in the fact that
the whole institution is a compact multi-dimensional building built in an area
of 12 acres surrounded by good landscape overlooking the Vembanad lake.
In some
disciplines the college appears to have undertaken collaborative programmes in
conjunction with other institutions which are still in their formative stage.
The college in its Self-Study Report has stated that it has linkages with
national and international institutions. However, the mechanism adopted for
these linkages is not specifically indicated except in the case of the solar
energy project by the department of physics. The Peer Team suggests that such
linkages be reviewed and restructured by the college to provide specific
advantages to its students.
Based on
our visit to various departments, examination of facilities, interaction with
various group of people associated with the institution like parents, alumni,
non-teaching and teaching staff, the Peer Team was convinced that the Sacred
Heart college has attained the status of a leading institution and carved a
niche in higher education in the state of Kerala. The college has exceptional
potentialities to grow further. The following recommendations are therefore
made keeping in view the emerging challenges in the area of higher education in
the present century.
·
The college has a department of mathematics offering the
programme both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and its activities are
limited to the department only. Keeping in view the emerging trends in science
and technology and the importance of mathematics in each modern intellectual
discipline it is necessary that this department plays a crucial and wider role
in imparting essential mathematical skills to all the students of the college
irrespective of their specialisations. The significance of such a measure needs
no over emphasis.
·
Another important requirement for the pursuit of excellence
in contemporary times viewed from a global perspective is strong communicative
skills in the English language. The department of English has highly competent
faculty who can undertake the crucial task of promoting strong language skills
in the students of the college. Therefore, it is recommended that the faculty
of this department may be concerned about this important need and organises
programme in this direction. A language laboratory and other fourth generation
media can play a vital role in enhancing skills of students. The Peer Team
strongly recommends that the department needs to be strengthened with necessary
modern infrastructure which helps in “self-learning” processes.
·
The Sacred Heart province, Kalamasserry of the CMI society
has many institutions under its jurisdiction. A centralised information
dissemination centre and instrumentation centre can help in promoting research
in science and technology (computers). The Peer Team is of the opinion that
necessary funds may be generated to create these facilities.
·
The college can start several programmes under non-formal
and distance education. In view of the fact that the college is located
centrally it can organise many community programmes under non-formal education
and transform itself slowly into a “Community college” in the city of Kochi.