Institutional Distinctive
Institutional Distinctiveness
In a world where education is widely recognized as the key to success, access to quality higher education becomes paramount. For Sitalkuchi College, one area distinctive to its priority and thrust has been to provide higher education at the undergraduate level to the aspiring students of an educationally backward region. Over the years, this college has embarked on this transformative journey, empowering countless individuals and catalysing positive change in the region.
Creating Opportunities:
The college began its journey in the 1999-2000 academic session with a modest enrolment of 70 students in the general course. Over the years, it has witnessed remarkable growth, with the enrolment strength soaring to 3,934 students in the 2022-2023 academic session. Currently, the institution offers 10 Honours courses and general courses in 12 subjects. Despite operating within a rural setting, the college has established a strong reputation as a provider of quality education, which remains its core strength.
Quality Education:
Ensuring the delivery of quality education has been a cornerstone of Sitalkuchi College’s performance. From its humble beginnings in a three-roomed tin shed house, the college has made significant strides in developing its infrastructure to support quality education. Today, it boasts of a three-winged, three-storied building that houses 31 classrooms, laboratories, a gymnasium, and a spacious library with a reading room. Additionally, each department has its own dedicated space with departmental libraries and computer facilities, totalling 12 departments. The campus is equipped with modern amenities such as Wi-Fi, CCTV surveillance system and smart classrooms. Students also benefit from a canteen, separate common rooms for boys and girls, and uninterrupted power supply through a generator and solar energy system. Over the years, the college has transformed its campus into a thriving green environment with a beautifully decorated playground. It has successfully integrated digital systems with traditional teaching methods, adapting to the changing times. Particularly during the pandemic, these advancements have proven to be highly effective. The college’s official Face book page, YouTube channel, and G-suite account for live Google Meet classes have served as invaluable tools for teaching and learning. The availability of access to INFLIBNET has further enhanced the learning experience in this digital age.
Student Support and Holistic Development:
To instil values of empathy and community among students, the college organizes community outreach programs and blood donation camps. The institution actively engages with the local community through its NSS Units, forging strong partnerships and addressing societal challenges. Respect for diversity is a core value of the college, which is reflected in the observance of various events such as Milad-un-Nabi and Saraswati Puja, as well as the observance of Human Rights Day, Constitution Day, International Women’s Day, and International Mother Language Day. The college also serves the community through its two Learner Support Centres for distance education, which provide opportunities for college graduates to pursue postgraduate studies in six subjects under the Directorate of Distance Education, Rabindra Bharati University (RBU), and Netaji Subhas Open University (NSOU).
In order to ensure the holistic development of students, the college complements the curricular framework of the affiliating university with a range of extracurricular activities. These activities include games and sports, cultural programs, debates, group discussions, seminars, workshops, field visits, and project works. Special attention is given to promoting local culture and sports. The institution also offers a whole range of student support services, including counselling, mentoring, career guidance, and extracurricular activities. These initiatives help students build confidence, develop leadership skills, and foster a sense of community and belonging.
Additional Facilities:
Additionally, skill-based courses on subjects such as Computer Applications, Functional English, language development, soft skills, and accounting have been introduced to prepare students for the job market. The college also organizes awareness programs for career building in collaboration with BOPT(ER) and has formed collaborations with Anudip Foundation, ICA, and a local industry.
Academic Excellence:
Approximately 68% of the college’s students come from marginalized sections of society and face economic challenges. The institution takes proactive steps to process their applications for different stipends, scholarships and free ships to ensure they can continue and complete their studies. The college has achieved rewarding results, with 44 students securing university ranks in UG final Honours examinations over the past five academic sessions. The average results of both Honours and General courses have been satisfactory. Many alumni members have also qualified in NET/SET examinations and secured positions as Assistant Professors in different colleges. Besides these, many are pursuing Ph.D and M.Phil from reputed universities across India.
Creating a positive milieu:
For providing quality education inputs from the management, teachers and non-teaching staff are very critical. The transparent leadership provided by the management has been very encouraging to the Principal, teachers and supporting staff of the office. Thus the College liberally supported the teachers in their academic development with leaves and other facilities. The welfare schemes for teachers and non-teaching staff have been very helpful. The Internal Quality Assurance Cell has attempted to develop a quality culture in all spheres of activities of the college. All these have been congenial to creating a vibrant corporate life of the College which is very important for a vibrant student community.
The college remains steadfast in its commitment to its vision of becoming an excellent higher education institution that provides high-quality education to students in its educationally backward hinterland. While the vision is yet to be fully realized, the college takes pride in its progress over the past two decades. It strives to help its students succeed across all four pillars of education: learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together, and learning to be.
Future Outlook:
Looking ahead, Sitalkuchi College remains committed to its priority and thrust, continuously striving for excellence and expanding its outreach. It aims to enhance its academic programmes in line with NEP and seeks to create a ripple effect that transcends generations, breaking the cycle of educational backwardness and propelling the region towards prosperity.