The institution sets quite a high standard as its cut off mark for admission to some of its departments. A couple of departments have also been resorting to Entry-Point Questionnaires to assess basic learning ability like language skills, critical approach etc of the new entrants. Summer Schools conducted by some departments have been rather useful in assessing the skills and competencies of those students wishing to enroll in certain academic programmes offered by the college. After the commencement of the course, the process of counselling continues and the students are provided with the opportunity to change their stream of study in case of their inability to cope with or lack of interest in the subject previously chosen.
2.2.3 What are the strategies drawn and deployed by the institution to bridge the knowledge gap of the enrolled students to enable them to cope with the programme of their choice? (Bridge/Remedial/Add-on/Enrichment Courses, etc.
Remedial courses are in place as a measure to aid in any difficulty that the students may face in coping with the syllabus. Remedial classes are usually conducted at the end of each session, in between the test and final university examinations so that the students are able to make up whatever deficiencies they experience and take specific and targeted help from their teachers in the penultimate phase of their course. Usually, the students who have not fared well in the Test examination are identified by their Departmental faculty to be a part of these remedial classes where they can freely approach their teachers with topics difficult to comprehend. They are provided with necessary books and study materials and offered thorough guidance regarding the techniques of answering the broad and short questions set in the university examinations and thereby enabling them to overcome their shortcomings to a large extent and be prepared for the finals.
2.2.4 How does the college sensitize its staff and students on issues such as gender, inclusion, environment etc.?
Gender sensitizing workshops conducted by The Women‘s Study Cell which works in tandem with various NGOs feature regularly in the college schedule.
The Women‘s Study Cell of the college is a body which works towards the development of consciousness among the young students regarding their rights and privileges. It attempts to instill confidence in them to stand up to gender discrimination and sexual harassment faced by women in the contemporary society.
In 2007 the Women‘s Study cell of the college conducted an interactive session on ‗Women and Disability‘ jointly with the Society for the Welfare of the Blind, Narendrapur and Vikashini to celebrate the International Women‘s Day. In the same year, the Women‘s Study Cell conducted a quiz contest based on the campaign ‗WE CAN‘, organized by the Thoughtshop Foundation.
In 2008, the Women‘s Study Cell and the Cine Club of the college jointly organized the screening of a film on Women‘s Rights entitled ‗The Day I Became a Woman‘. In the same year, a workshop which was a part of the ‗WE CAN‘ Programme was jointly organized by Sanhita and this cell addressing important issues like socialization of women, violence against women and the means to combat them. `A Women‘s Health Awareness Programme on HIV/AIDS‘ was organized by Pepsico India Holdings Pvt. Ltd. (Fritolay Division Kolkata) under the joint banners of Vikashini and the Women‘s Study Cell.
Thoughtshop Foundation , a social communication organization conducted a gender sensitization workshop in the college focusing on the bill on The Right to Education and the Girl Child in India as part of the We Can Campaign. Another half day workshop on gender sensitization ―Bill on Right to Education‖: Imparting Quality and Compulsory Education to Girl Child – How Can You Ensure Enrolment and Retention of Girls was conducted on 12.2.2009 by Education International, Canadian Teachers‘ Federation and AIACHE was held at WCC. In August 2010, Sanhita conducted a programme on Gender and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights with the students of the college.
On December 15, 2010, the Women‘s Study Cell hosted the Gender Shadow project, performed and conducted by students from the Shristi School of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore. This institution collaborated with Peace Works, an initiative of the Seagull Foundation for the Arts which interacts with young minds through the medium of the arts to foster the notions of peaceful coexistence, mutual respect and equality.
The centenary year of International Women‘s Day was observed in 2011 by a seminar on the Domestic Violence Act conducted by Durbar Samanwaya Samiti, an NGO which is active among sex workers in the city. The speakers, Dr Smarajit Jana a well known physician gave a captivating talk on his experiences regarding the position of women today in India and Bangladesh while Sri Habibur Rahman, a lawyer apprised the audience of the of the finer points of the Domestic Violence Act.
The college follows an inclusive policy so far as giving access to students from the disadvantaged sections of society is concerned. Students from all communities and classes are admitted on the basis of merit. However priority is give to Christian minorities, SC/ST/OBC students during admission. Students with diabilities are also accommodated in their subjects of choice. Many of our students are first generation learners. They are given extra attention and greater access to study material by their teachers who try to eliminate any disparity that these students may experience in the course of their studies. Economically disadvantaged students are also guided towards the various scholarships and student financial aid schemes available within the college and from governmental agencies as well as from NGOs.
The institution has also been immensely inspiring in sensitizing its staff and students on issues such as environment.
Several students of the college accompanied by their teacher, Tulika Bhattacharya, Department of Sociology, attended a Youth Summit organized by the Environmentalist Foundation of India held on 30th August, 2012 at the IPER Institution, Kolkata. The seminar was presided over by Mr. Arun Krishnamurthy, a renowned environmentalist from Chennai, who has represented India abroad in various International Conferences on environment. In this Summit it was decided to organize a clean-up programme of the Kalighat Temple, which happens to be one of the most important and holiest Shakti Peethas of Bengal.
On 23rd September, 2012, a clean-up programme of the Kalighat Temple was organized by
―Active Citizens‖ and‖ International Climate Champions‖ of the British Council, Environmentalist Foundation. The programme was conducted with the help of the Solid Waste Management Department, Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
Apart from the students from the Lady Brabourne College, Ballygaunge Science College, Jadavpur University , University of Health Sciences and others, about 50 of our college students participated in the programme. A pre-clean-up workshop was conducted beforehand in the college campus in planning up the strategies for cleaning up the area in and around the Temple. The cleaning-up campaign started in the temple premises at about 8am. The students carrying brooms, disposable bags, gloves and bottles of disinfectants cleaned up the mess and litter in and around the temple premises. Sri Mudar Patherya, social activist and well known journalist, carried out a workshop on environmental awareness within the college.
On 18th March 2013 environmental activism received a fillip through an awareness programme conducted by Greenpeace within the college which apprised the students of issues such as Climate Change, Energy Revolution, Sustainable Agriculture and so on and
THE TIMES OF INDIA – Kolkata
Kalighat temple mess cleaned up by college girls TNN | Sep 24, 2012, 04.40 AM IST
KOLKATA: Kalighat, one of the 51 Shakti Peethas, is considered to be one the holiest of shrines. But a devotee, before he reaches the sanctum sanctorum, is made to go through a lane full of litter - tobacco stains, polybags, kitchen waste, paper plates, rotten flowers and what not. The condition of the temple has remained such for years and was unlikely to change in near future, if not a group of students from Women's Christian College had taken the burden to clean the mess hands on.The students, led by their sociology teacher TulikaBhattacharjee, on Sunday took up the cause and armed with brooms, disposal bags, gloves and even bottles of disinfectant, launched a clean-up drive at the temple precincts at 8am.
On 22nd April, the college organized ―Earth Day Inter-College Event- 2013‖. The Chief Guest‘s (Dr. Lakshminarayan Sathpathi, Professor of the Geography Department, University of Calcutta) thought provoking speech on the effect of technological advancement on the natural environment/ earth was followed by Mr. Arijit Chatterjee‘s (Lecturer at the Environmental Science, P.G. department of the Asutosh College), presentation titled ‗The earth is not to conquer but to live in’. This was followed by Poster Presentation and Screening of two shortlisted Films by students of different colleges, which were judged by the Chief Guest Dr. Sathpathi. The event was covered by representatives from
‗earthsmiles.net‘
Projecting issues regarding the Seminar on Environmental Awareness Environment
Activities of the Eco Club
2.2.5 How does the institution identify and respond to special educational/learning needs of advanced learners?
Advanced learners are provided with an unprecedented level of support and motivation by the Departmental Faculty to increase their knowledge beyond the basic course offered on a specific subject. The teachers are available at all times to answer their specific queries.
Advanced learners are projected by their respective departments when selecting students for inter-college seminars. They are provided with additional reading material and journals which might elude the grasp of slow learners. They are encouraged to set their targets high
and strive for outstanding results in the university examinations.
2.2.6 How does the institute collect, analyze and use the data and information on the academic performance (through the programme duration) of the students at risk of drop out (students from the disadvantaged sections of society, physically challenged, slow learners, economically weaker sections etc.)?
The Institution tries to keep itself well versed about the specific needs and capabilities of the students from the disadvantaged sections of the society, physically challenged, slow learners, economically weaker sections. The academic grasp of these students is guaged through class interaction and performance in class tests, mid-term and selection tests. If found slipping they are counseled by the faculty members who devote a considerable amount of time reiterating and explaining over again the topics which are difficult for them to negotiate. They are also given books, xeroxes and even personal reading material of the teachers in order to enable them overcome their difficulties. Since many of the students are first generation learners with sparing intellectual and financial support from their families,
and also belong to the SC and the ST categories, they are encouraged to avail of financial aid from the college and apply for scholarships offered by The Foundation for Excellence and Access (FAEA), sponsored by the Confederation of Indian Industries( CII). They are also informed of the Udayan Shalini Scholarship and encouraged to compete for them. Dropouts are thus considerably stalled by such endeavours.
Patience and compassion in dealing with the less-abled students in coping with the rest of the class define the attitude of the teachers. Special attention is given to slow learners for whom remedial clsses are of particular import. Many of them are ultimately able to overcome their deficiencies due to such efforts.
The visually challenged students are again given special importance and help. The teachers ensure that they are escorted in and out of classrooms by other students. They are allowed to take the help of writers of their choice from outside the institution during the examinations and every possible assistance is extended to them.
All these efforts on the part of the institution have served as a deterrent to drop out
tendencies on the part of the students providing them the incentive to complete the course of their choice.