Assessment Report on

Institutional Accreditation of

Sri Sarada college of Education (Autonomous)

Fairlands, Salem-636 016, Tamil Nadu

Section 1: Preface

Sri Sarada college of Education (Autonomous) volunteered to be assessed by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and conducted the preliminary self-study in July 1999. The self-study report was submitted to NAAC by the institution in August 1999. A Peer Team was constituted by the Council to visit the institution and validate the self-study report. The Peer Team consisting of Dr. T. K. Jayalakshmi, Director, R. V. Educational Consortium, Bangalore(Member), and Dr. D. S. Shivananda, Principal, Sri Sarvajna college of Education, Bangalore visited the institution for a day on October 01, 1999.

 

Sri Sarada college of Education(Autonomous) till recently was affiliated to the University of Madras and at present since 1998-1999 to the Periyar University, Salem. The college situated in the heart of Salem, covering a total area of  5 acres was established in 1968 with 60 students. Today it has 176 students. The college offers 5 programmes viz. B.Ed., M.Ed., M.Phil., Ph.D. and Certificate Course in Computer Education. The institution has obtained UGC recognition under 2f in 1971.  The autonomous status was conferred on the institution in 1988.

The college has a well-qualified teaching faculty of 10 members including 8 permanent teachers and 2 temporary teachers. There are 13 members of non-teaching staff. The college has a central library, computer centre, health centre, sports facilities, a hostel, a guesthouse, a canteen, welfare schemes, a grievance redressal cell, a vehicle parking shed and a non-resident centre.

The Management runs nine other educational institutions beside the college. The Peer Team carefully perused and analyzed the self-study report submitted by the institution. During the institutional visit, the team went through all the relevant documents, visited the departments and the facilities, and interacted with the various constituents of the institution. The academic, co-curricular, extra-curricular, sports and extension facilities of the institution were visited. The Peer Team also interacted at length with the Governing Body, the Head of the institution, faculty, non-teaching staff, students, parents and alumnae. Based on the above exercise, and keeping in mind the criteria identified by NAAC, the Peer Team assessed and accredited the performance of the institution under various criteria. The outcome in outside in the following pages.

 

Section 2: Criterion-wise Analysis

Criterion I: Curricular Aspects

As  an autonomous institution of the Periyar University, the college could design courses of study which are more relevant to student needs and they are need based. The college follows the semester pattern both at the under-graduate and the post-graduate levels. The college offers 5  programmes:  1 UG programme, 1 PG programme, 1 M.Phil. programme, 1 Ph.D. and 1 Certificate programme. The significant aspect of this institution is that all the courses are value oriented. They have the motto of striving for excellence in training of 3H’s(Head, Heart & Hand) of students. Genuine attempts have been made by the college to achieve the aims and objectives formulated by the Management.

 

To introduce a new programme within the regulations of the present university system, the college takes one year. The Certificate Course in Computer Education is made compulsory for all B.Ed. students. However, the curriculum needs revision keeping in view the present trends and developments. The curriculum of Research Methodology, Mathematics and Educational Technology of Semester I & II may be redesigned on explicit principles.

 

Criterion II: Teaching-learning and Evaluation

Admission to the various programmes of study in the college is in accordance with the policy of reservation of the Govt. of Tamil Nadu and with the view to extending higher education to the underprivileged. During the year 1998-99, there were 500 applicants for 50 seats in the UG course and 30 for 6 in the PG Course.

 

An entrance examination and interview are held to judge the students’ knowledge and aptitude at the entry level for B.Ed., M. Ed., M.Phil. and Ph.D. entrants. There is a provision for assessing students’ knowledge and skills for a particular programme before admission, but not after admission. Weak students are offered remedial programmes.

                                                           

The teachers look after the academic progress of their students as well as personal needs; counselling is offered when they need it. Regular meetings with their wards are held by teachers every month in order to build a healthy interpersonal relationship. At the beginning of each term, a plan is drawn up by a senior member of the faculty of the department. The syllabi are unitized according to the semester system of teaching. Mid-semester, end-semester, seminars and assignments constitute 40% and Final Semester exams for 60%. Apart from the regular class room teaching, seminars and symposia are organized at regular intervals to motivate the students. PG Students have to submit the project report after undergoing institutional training and it is part of the internal assessment. Guest faculties are also invited from the academic or other allied educational sectors to share their expertise and to provide practical skills to students.

The use of overhead projectors and audio visual aids supplements classroom teaching. However, there is need to augment the facilities in the audio-visual centre so that faculty may develop their teaching aids. Students are also encouraged to participate in intercollegiate seminars, quiz and symposia. Character and personality development is emphasized in all activities. Leadership training programmes are also conducted. The activities of the college provide ample scope for extra curricular and co-curricular learning.

 

The college makes a periodic assessment to  evaluate students. Assignments and seminars which form an integral part of the evaluation methodology enable the teachers to assess the students.

The college has 11 faculty members : 4 Ph.Ds, 4 M.Phils and 3 post graduates. The recruitment of faculty is through the employment exchange in accordance with the communal roster. Due to the  total freeze on recruitment by the state government,  the Management  pays 2 teachers and 3 non teaching staff out of Trust funds. Hence the teaching faculty are over worked. In view of maintaining the quality of work, it is desired that the college may recruit four to five more members. 

There is no institutional mechanism for faculty appraisal. The college has its own method of self-evaluation to identify the strengths and weaknesses of individual teachers.

 

Criterion III: Research, Consultancy  and Extension

The faculty guide M.Ed., M.Phil., and Ph.D. candidates of the college and also candidates registered at other universities. Research projects are undertaken regularly involving the B.Ed. students. The students of each optional group undertake action research and group research projects under the guidance of the faculty. No financial support is provided by the college to research scholars. The college may take projects financed by external agencies like the UGC, NCERT, ICSSR, etc.

 

The college magazine ‘Sri Vidya’, gives opportunity for teachers, students to write and publish articles on topics of cultural and intellectual interest. A research journal ‘Frontiers of Knowledge’ has been published regularly from 1994 wherein individual investigations and group projects are published. Faculty members also contribute journals articles of conceptual and empirical nature to leading educational SSCE Newsletter gives up-to-date details of various activities and achievements of the college.

 

Competent teachers and their departments should be encouraged to offer consultancy.  This exposure will not only enrich the faculty but also be of immense help to students. Consultancy services may be provided to dyslexic students; psychological and academic guidance to the adolescents; preparing and field testing of self-learning modules, and by coaching students for NET examinations.

 

The  NSS has involved students and the staff in community service activities like literacy, health and environmental education, consumer awareness, health check-ups, blood donation camps, AIDS awareness, etc. They have adopted a village where they have constructed a building for an orphanage. Financial aid and free noon meal are offered to students whose economic condition is poor. There is scope for further utilization of student potential for extension activities and outreach programmes especially in the field of women empowerment. Schoolteachers are invited to attend short-term in-service courses to update curricula and to devise and practise, innovative teaching techniques and better evaluation methods. A two-phase Question Bank Workshop sponsored by the UGC has involved the college faculty and teacher educators from other institutions in developing a bank of questions in the three core papers of B.Ed. course.

 

 

 

Criterion IV: Infrastructure and Learning Resources

The Trust owns a campus of 5 acres wherein all the ten educational institutions are located. The college works from 0915 hrs to 1730 hrs. The college has classrooms, laboratories, library, educational technology cell with ceiling fans, black boards, darkening arrangements, sanitary facilities, indoor game facilities and a neatly maintained garden. The college can further enhance its infrastructure to keep pace with academic growth. The student services may be strengthened in terms of library space, library books, computers, by acquiring of more books, journals and periodicals in the library. The audio visual centre has OHPs ,TVs, VCRs and a video camera and the trainees have access to these facilities. The library has a computer and 12500 books. The college has  the physical education facilities for in-door games like table tennis, carrom, chess etc.

 

The institution offers residential facilities to B.Ed. trainees. 108 trainees reside in the hostel. Their needs  are taken care of by the superintendent-in-charge. Staff are also accommodated in a separate hostel.

The college is making efforts to establish a Language Laboratory. Expensive on these facilities is met from the UGC autonomy grant.

 

Criterion V: Student Support and Progression

The college consistently maintains very good results. The college calendar provides all the necessary information about the working days, fee structure, scholarships, rules and regulations of the college; details of faculty members and various committees.  Endowments under various heads are also shown in the calendar. The tutorial system is intended to provide support and guidance to those students in need.  Counselling is offered to students in both academic and non-academic areas.

 

The college has an alumnae association with 102 life members.  They meet two or three times every year to plan and chalk out programmes. Information about placement of students is obtained and publicised on the notice board. An endowment has been created by the alumnae to help a needy trainee every year. Financial aid is provided to the needy students in the form of scholarships. Apart from scholarships, students receive financial assistance from various endowments created to help the under privileged students. Photocopying and lamination facilities are made available to both faculty and students on payment. Student attendance, discipline and performance are strictly monitored by the institution. The college has computerised all the data related to students, teachers and staff.

 

Criterion VI: Organization and Management

The Sri Sarada college of Education(Autonomous) is governed by a Trust. The periodic Trust Board Meetings analyse the working of the institution and provide directions for the long and short term activities of the college.

 

Internal co-ordinating and monitoring is done by the Principal, the staff Council who meet regularly. Two senior-most teachers are included in the college Management committee to participate in decision making. There is a special committee for preparing the academic calendar. Staff members are put in charge of various responsibilities pertaining to the day to day functioning of the institution. 

Non-teaching staff are recruited from the list provided  by the employment exchange and according to the communal roster.

 

Criterion VII: Healthy Practices

The Peer Team identified a few unique features which enhance the academic ambience of the institution. They are as follows:

·       The courses are designed and transacted with value orientation

·       The maintenance of the library, the laboratory and classrooms in a meticulous way and the overall discipline is a healthy practice

·       Providing placement service

·       A healthy practice of maintaining friendly and good relationship among alumnae, parents, teachers (faculty) and the Management is commendable

 

Section 3: Overall Analysis

The Peer Team, after going through the self-study report, and after its visit to various academic and physical facilities, is very impressed by the progress of the Sri Sarada college of Education (Autonomous) in transacting the empowerment of women which is the goal of the institution. The college has earned a reputation for imparting quality education and a sense of discipline to the younger generation.

 

The Peer Team considers that there are a number of features of Sri Sarada college of Education (Autonomous) approach to quality assurance  and standards which it would wish to commend. Also, the Peer Team would like to bring to the attention of the college certain concerns for its consideration. The Peer Team would like to commend the institution for the following:

1.      Value based training

2.      Personality development

3.      Academic Counselling

4.      Selection of students with aptitude for teaching

 

Keeping in view the future plans of the institution which is autonomous at present, the Peer Team would suggest the following to the institution to consider:

1.      Strengthening the faculty

2.      Focus on professional growth of the teaching staff

3.      Upgradation of the syllabus

4.      Strengthen the in service programmes and institutional research

 

The Peer Team is of the opinion that this exercise will be useful to the institution to initiate the quality enhancement strategies towards further growth and development.

 

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