STRATEGIC PLAN

The college has chosen to focus on five areas as part of its Strategic Plan for the five years starting from June 2015. These include:

• Optimal use of Resources on Campus

• Upgradation of Classroom Infrastructure

• Enhancing Inclusion on Campus

• Introduction of a Discipline-Centric Social Involvement Programme

• Cultivating Wellness on Campus

These plans are to be implemented in a Phased Manner over the five years.

OPTIMAL USE OF RESOURCES ON CAMPUS

1. Conducting audits in the following areas:

I) Space Usage: so as to better utilize space for the various activities on Campus. Spaces could be identified for the ECC, Malhar Committee, Students’ Council.

II) Environmental Audit:

i) Electricity: so as to cut down on this expenditure, as well as to become a more environment-friendly campus. Switching over to less energy consuming bulbs and tube lights could be undertaken. Maps of the electrical appliances per classroom could be created, so those specific appliances could be switched on without resorting to the trial-and-error method.

ii) Water: so that this precious resource is saved/recycled in order to reduce the campus’ ecological damage. Leakages would be regularly checked for, and faucets would be changed so that water cannot be kept running by any user. Greywater would be channelled towards the gardens on the campus.

iii) Solid waste generated: so that it can be segregated and biodegradable matter can be converted into compost. Again, the exorbitantly large amount of used paper generated every year would be sold to Green NGOs in exchange for recycled paper.

2. Donating library books that are not likely to be used by the current and future set of students, e.g., the Latin and Urdu books. These books would be donated to appropriate Institutions with the understanding that our students could access them as and when the need ever arises. By shedding these books, space would be created on the Library shelves for more current books/journals.

3. Inviting students from schools and Mofussil area colleges to engage with our campus through visits, lectures in the campus as well as with even our lecturers going as resource persons to other colleges. Students from rural colleges could come to our campus and use our laboratory facilities through the signing of MoUs.

UPGRADATION OF CLASSROOM INFRASTRUCTURE

To give our stakeholders a better teaching-learning experience as well as to keep up with the times, the college finds it necessary to upgrade the academic facilities in the classrooms. The College intends to approach donors to financially support us (through their CSR commitment) in this cause. The following activities have been planned:

1. Ensure that every classroom in the college is AV enabled. Both inter-active, as well as non-inter-active projectors, will be purchased. The type of projector fixed in a classroom would be determined by the size as well as the frequency of AV requirement per classroom. Depending on the type of projector installed, appropriate screens would be affixed in the classrooms – the simpler projectors have a pull-down screen and the interactive projectors would have sliding and hard material white screens.

2. Old as well as worn out boards (black, green and white) would be replaced. Dustless chalk would be circulated in the classrooms. Whiteboard markers would also be made available through the departments.

3. Fixing AV cabinets in every classroom. Each cabinet would have an amplifier for controlling volume of the sound, a mike, a computer (for projection) and the requisite accessories needed to optimize the AV facility. Staff and a few students (e.g., the CR) would be trained on how to handle the AV facilities. Staff would be encouraged to use mike (hand-held or lapel) during the lecture. By enhancing the classroom’s AV technology, there would be less pressure on the MMR and the SCAVI (AV rooms with a technician) and they would be used more optimally.

4. Upgrading the facilities in the College Gymkhana, improving the facilities in the basket-ball court

5. Ensuring a better work load sharing among the technical staff employed by the college.

6. Upgrading the computers or the computer programmes in the Language Lab as well as the Knowledge Centre.

7. Increasing classroom movement space by pruning the size of the teacher’s platform in some of the classrooms.

8. Switching to the electronic mode of recording the attendance during the lectures.

INTRODUCTION OF A DISCIPLINE-CENTRIC SIP (2016-17 PLAN)

In order to ensure that our students are not just learning, performing and then moving on in life, it has been decided that every department will have to connect their discipline with the social reality in our country and the world. For this, the SIP time that students have to put in, would be divided between working with an NGO (for 45 hours) and working on social issues with a chosen college department. Hence, every department and even college associations are expected to curate at least 5 hours of discipline-centric activity and invite students (mainly from their own departments or even from other departments to experience the connection between the concerned discipline and social reality). The department is expected to appoint a lecturer to oversee the running of this 5-hour programme, record the students attendance, participation and growth and then send a report to the SIP Office at the appointed time. The aim of this SIP-tweak is to work towards making our students community assets in the real world, because they have engaged with a discipline academically as well as socially. The hope is that the seed of Action-Research would be sown in our students.

To further the spirit of being socially relevant and conscious, every student run fest that is conducted in the college would have to leave a legacy for either the college or for the concerned department. The legacy would have to be in the form of a tangible gift to the college or department (as per the need of the college / department). Fest organizers are expected to factor in the cost of the gifted legacy into their budget right from when they start planning for the fest. The hope is that this would inculcate in students the spirit of giving back to society even through non-curricular activities and furthermore, all students (not just the FYs) would have to be a part of the gratuitous activity.

ENHANCING INCLUSION ON CAMPUS

As the college has always been open to serving students across all forms of capabilities, this year the college has decided to focus on enhancing this inclusive spirit through the following ways:

1. Constructing ramps at appropriate points around the campus to help physically challenged students to access various facilities across the campus.

2. Dedicating toilet space (with all the requisite setups) that are handicap-friendly – separately toilets for ladies and gents.

3. Ensuring that classrooms are as close as possible to the elevators or on the ground floor so that physically challenged students can access them easily for their lectures.

4. Fixing tactile tiles on the corridor floors and at key regions of the campus so as to help visually challenged students navigate around the campus freely and safely.

5. Widening the social reach of the XRCVC so as to be on assistance to all kinds of disabilities and not just visual disability.

6. The examination department would be asked to get ready to conduct examinations as per the requirement of the SWD. Special classrooms would be dedicated for such exams.

7. SWDs who register with the Support Centre would be given the appropriate accommodation letters (signed by the Principal) and these letters would be given to the lecturers at the start of the academic year as well as attached to the examination answer booklets, so as to inform the accessors of the accommodation that the student can avail of.

8. A Student Support Cell would be formed, wherein students can voluntarily offer their support services to SWD.

9. All fests would be asked to ensure that they organize some event for SWD in their programme’s schedule.

CULTIVATING WELLNESS ON CAMPUS (2018-19 PLAN)

There are three areas of concern regarding the wellness of students. One, some students have psychological problems like depression, anxiety attacks, etc. Two, there is a widespread acceptance of mediocrity as against the college motto “challenging to fly.” Three, many feel confused about choosing their career path. Hence , the college will set up a Wellness Centre (in place of the existing Counselling Centre) where wellness is seen as thriving rather than just surviving problems; it is being vibrantly alive, using more and more of one’s abilities, discovering one’s passion, and living a life of love and compassion.

The Centre will help students in the three major areas listed earlier. First, professional counselling for students with psychological problems. Second, career counselling based on aptitude tests for students confused about their career path. Third, life coaching for students who are psychologically OK, but are far from using all of their potential, and would like to “fly”.

To achieve its goals, the wellness centre would have to:

1. Run the centre in a very professional manner with at least one Counsellor on call to assist students / staff with psychological problems, during the prime college time.

2. Conduct workshops to help students understand why they have a self image much below their actual ability and how to rise to what they can be.

3. Offer support to freshers on the campus and make them feel comfortable.

4. Organize sessions (open mike programmes) on weekends on the college campus (after college hours = early evening), for the students to freely interact, make friends, showcase their talents etc.

REVIEW IN JUNE 2020

Several audits (Academic, Administrative, Accessibility of Campus, Documentation, Environmental, Electrical, Fire, Structural) have been conducted, conservation and waste management measures have been adopted, books have been gifted to create more space in the library and the faculty and students were considered an intellectual resource that could be shared with other organizations along with the academic facilities on campus.

All classrooms were AV enabled, additional labs were set up, computers and software were purchased, faculty were trained in the use of newer technology and attendance was recorded electronically.

The number of SIP hours with the NGOs was reduced to 45 hours. Every department and even college associations organized discipline-centric SIP activities which have now become a good practice. Several student run festivals gave a legacy to the college.

An accessibility audit of the campus was conducted and ramps were built, tactile tiles fixed on the corridors and elsewhere on campus and specially dedicated toilets were constructed. Examination norms, options, space and supervision were modified. A Student Support Cell was created and the XRCVC extended its umbrella to include all SWD. Finally, a fully motorized wheelchair was purchased.

The Wellness Centre was created with three Counsellors, with at least one on call every day during college time. Several activities were conducted by the centre for the students over the course of each academic year and the ‘Open Music Evenings’ was initiated to showcase their musical talents.