INSTITUTION IN FOCUS
For the cause of the rural mass
At a time when education was confined to city limits, it was universally felt that the needs of the under-privileged lot, especially those living in rural areas, should be catered to. Probably this had a telling effect on a group of people living on the outskirts of the city, which led to the formation of `Yadava Kalvi Nidhi,' an education endowment of people belonging to Yadava community, that started mobilising funds to establish an educational institution for those from rural areas. And thus Yadava College came into being with a motto, `Arivey Selvam' (knowledge is wealth).
Established in 1969, Yadava College initially offered pre-university courses from a building situated in the city. With the help of Tiruppalai panchayat and the then State Government grant of 40 acres of land, Yadava College shifted its base to its present premises, 12 km away from Madurai, in 1971. Along with that it introduced a string of under-graduate and post-graduate courses.
Still the college and the people of Tiruppalai remember with gratitude, C. Govindarajan, E. Rengasamy and D. Nagendiran for their initiative in establishing this institution.
In all, the college offers 14 UG and 6 PG courses. The departments of Commerce, Tamil and Zoology are higher research centres offering both part-time and full-time M. Phil. and Ph. D. courses. The college takes much pride in offering 17 job-oriented certificate and diploma courses, including those on Herbal Medicine, Computer Applications and Food Processing. "All our courses are supported by the University Grants Commission. The Post Graduate Diploma in e-Commerce has been made compulsory for all PG students of Commerce. Now their services are much in demand in the employment market. Besides, we have also made certificate course in Spoken English compulsory for all II year UG students at the Spoken English Lab, which has done a world of good for them," says G. Thiruvasagam, Principal.
Moreover the college also offers certificate courses in Rationalistic Thought, Marxian Thought and Gandhian Thought. "We send our students for on-the-spot training to big hotels and other industries. The students of History are sent to the hospitality industry for learning tourism and travel management; the computer science students go to leading software companies," he says.
The students also enjoy the fruits of `Earn while you learn' programme, which offers them an opportunity to work and earn. "We are proud to see some of our students employed outside as part-time workers. The management has to be thanked for its good support for the successful conduct of the programme," says Dr. Thiruvasagam.
The college has various student support services, including a herbal garden, maintained by Department of Botany, mineral water plant, health centre, gymnasium, bank and STD facilities.
The library and computer centre is kept open up to 7.30 p.m. The good thing about the library is that it entertains membership from local residents. Moreover, during holidays and vacation, the college permits school students from surrounding villages to get hands-on experience of the latest lab equipment and training at the Spoken English Lab.
The feedback services at the college are very effective. The Green Box system, which redresses the grievances of students, has been well received. Besides, the Green Card system, now in practice at the college, serves as a progress report of the student. "The college has applied for autonomous status and has planned to raise the level to that of a deemed university. We are also negotiating with foreign universities for course tie-ups. We have entered into a memorandum of understanding with Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu in organising training camps for rural youths," adds Dr. Thiruvasagam.
The `A' grade accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council has given enough impetus to the college to aim high. From a modest beginning with 172 students, the college has grown in strength and stature to reach this status.
T.Saravanan.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Education Plus
Karnataka
Chennai
Coimbatore
Hyderabad
Madurai
Tiruchirapalli
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
