S.L.U. ARTS AND H. & P. THAKORE COMMERCE COLLEGE FOR WOMEN Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad – 380006 Estd. : 1920 Managed by Gujarat Stree Kelavani Mandal RE-ACCREDITATION REPORT (CYCLE-2) Submitted to NATIONAL ASSESSMENT AND ACCREDITATION COUNCIL BANGALORE - 560072. Address: S.L.U. ARTS AND H. & P. THAKORE COMMERCE COLLEGE FOR WOMEN Nr. Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad – 380 006. Ph. 079 - 26576197 SSR of S.L.U. Arts and H. & P. Thakore Commerce College for Women 1 RE-ACCREDITATION REPORT CONTENTS Particulars Page Nos. A Preface 3 – 4 Executive Summary 5 – 7 B Profile of the Affiliated college 8 - 18 C Criteria-wise inputs 19 Criterion I Curricular Aspects 20 – 33 Criterion II Teaching-Learning and Evaluation 34 – 59 Criterion III Research, Consultancy and Extension 60 – 82 Criterion IV Infrastructure and Learning Resources 83 – 96 Criterion V Student Support and Progression 97 – 131 Criterion VI Governance, Leadership and Management 132 – 156 Criterion VII Innovation and Best Practices 157 – 162 Evaluative Reports of the Departments 163 Department of Sociology 164 – 186 Department of Home Science 187 – 203 Department of Economics 204 – 212 Department of Geography 213 – 218 Department of Commerce 219 – 229 Department of Hindi 230 – 234 Department of History 235 – 239 Department of Gujarati 240 – 245 Department of English 246 – 252 Declaration by the Head of the Institution 253 D Annexures to the Report 254 Certificates of Recognition U/s 2(f) and 12 (B) 255 – 258 Copy of accreditation certificate and peer team report of 2008 259 – 273 Quality Profile 274 Certificate of Accreditation 275 UGC Grant 12th Plan 276 – 277 Affiliation of Gujarat University 278 Certificate of Registration 279 E CD in MS Word Format - SSR of S.L.U. Arts and H. & P. Thakore Commerce College for Women 2 PREFACE Shree Lalshankar Umiyashankar Arts and Harivadan and Padmaben Thakore Commerce College for Women, known popularly in Ahmedabad as SLU college for Women, is a college with an illustrious past and a vibrant present. It was founded in 1920, by eminent social reformers of Gujarat, with the inspiration of Mahatma Gandhiji. The college is run by Gujarat Stree Kelavani Mandal, whose first President was Maharani Chimnabai Gaekwad of Baroda. Many famous names of Gujarat are linked with the college, as, in the early days of its inception, it was an important social cause and the setting up of the first institution of higher education especially for women was a landmark event in Gujarat to set. (Please refer to the History of the college on the website) The trust that runs the college is also predominantly composed of women with social commitment and most of the members have played an important role in the development of women in society. Our Chairperson, Vasuben, an octogenarian, is a well-known champion of women‘s causes and has received many National and state awards. Our President, Devikaben Patel is a known social worker and Gandhian. We, the present generation, are proud of this legacy of committed work and make our attempts to follow in the footsteps of these dedicated women. Over the years, the college has grown manifold in terms of student strength, number of programmes offered and diverse opportunities for development created for girls. The vision and mission of the college and its focus on empowerment of women, have always been firmly underlined in every aspect of the college that is planned and executed. VISION To provide the education that enables women to achieve all round development of their personality, to become self – reliant and socially responsible citizens and to make their individual contribution to the local as well as global scenario. MISSION STATEMENT ‗Empowerment of women through education.‘ All the activities of the college have the objective of empowering women. Special efforts are made to strengthen those elements of the curriculum that enable enhancement of abilities, confidence and skills of girls. An attempt is made to prepare them for life ahead by giving them a strong academic base supported by life skills. Being a women‘s college, awareness of social roles, gender issues and social responsibility are specifically highlighted. Preparing women for a greater and important role in modern society, we emphasize career awareness and advancement. Guidance and opportunities for placement are given. Building skills for self-employment through myriad courses such as Human Resource Management, Fashion Design, Hospital Nutrition and Dietetics is emphasized. A variety of Computer and IT courses prepare the students for the current job market. The academic calendar is made keeping the above in frame. The curricula and teaching learning methods are regularly updated. Our teachers are encouraged to keep upgrading their knowledge by attending national and international seminars, workshops and conferences. Their contributions in terms of paper presentations, publications, and SSR of S.L.U. Arts and H. & P. Thakore Commerce College for Women 3 knowledge sharing have increased. Their research inputs have increased and academic qualifications have been augmented. Infrastructure and library resources are continuously being enhanced. Addition of IT resources in the classrooms, library, staff room and IT centre and their maintenance is an on-going process. The principle of ‗kaizen‘ – continuous improvement – is adopted in teaching and administration. Co-curricular activities, sports, NCC, NSS and cultural activities are pursued with enthusiasm. These have been important inputs for the all-round development of students. Many of our activities have gone beyond the curriculum in developing the personality and perspective of the student. We have also had the opportunity to host a number of academic events – conferences, symposiums, seminars, workshops, sports events and cultural events such as the Youth Festival of our zone. The spirit of excellence promoted by IQAC and the involvement of all our stakeholders has enabled the healthy learning and caring environment in the college. I take this opportunity to thank all the stakeholders. Each of them has added to the richness of the learning experience of the college and friendly, family like closeness within the institution. I particularly thank the Co-ordinator of our NAAC team, Dr. Madhusudan Mukherjee and Co-coordinator Dr. Rashmi Soni for their efforts in putting together this report. The Management has always been a strong backbone to all our endeavors. We remain grateful for their support and encouragement. Excellence is a daily exercise in improvement. We, as a team, are striving to reach for the best and are determined to make it happen. 14th October, 2014 Dr. Sirali Mehta Ahmedabad Principal SSR of S.L.U. Arts and H. & P. Thakore Commerce College for Women 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY With the mission of empowerment of women firmly etched on the drawing board of all of our ideas, plans and projects, our college has sought to fulfill certain goals through all of its day to day activities. The stated objectives of our college have been: 1) To impart the knowledge and skills for competence in the modern world. 2) To give women access to training that enables them to be self-supportive and economically independent. 3) To develop the all-round personality of the student. 4) To provide value – based education to enable the students to make a meaningful contribution to society and the community. 5) To create awareness of contemporary issues and the rights and duties of every individual so as to make them more assertive in the face of crisis or injustice. We believe that we have been able to make notable progress in achieving these goals and have been able to continue on this path with full enthusiasm. We have been steadily reaching out for new horizons and new dreams to fulfill. I attempt to arrive at a brief SWOC analysis: Our Strengths: We impart the knowledge and skills that are the requirement of modern times to our students so as to make them competent in whichever field they wish to pursue. For this, we have been able to provide the right kind of learning environment. We have provided students the opportunity to choose from a mix of various programmes that can enable them to build their careers. We offer 8 degree programmes, one PG programme, UGC approved Add on Courses, skill based training, ICT courses – and have added to these as per the demands from the students. (refer 1.2, 1.2.3) A number of our faculty are members of Boards of Studies at the University and have contributed to framing of new curricula with the Choice-based credit system. We have arranged and hosted Workshops for curriculum development in subjects of Home Science, Economics, Sociology, and Geography. The University prescribed syllabus is enriched by our faculty and made live by field trips, workshops, interactions with experts, showing films and hands- on experiences. Teaching is augmented by the use of Interactive panels, audio visual presentations, ICT, material from the net and self-learning at the library computers with net access. Seminars and presentations by students are a regular practice. All the departments arrange guest lectures and innovative interactions with eminent persons, professionals (even global personalities) and students from other countries. An inclusive environment is created with economic support by scholarships, book banks, remedial classes for slow learners or those who wish to improve SSR of S.L.U. Arts and H. & P. Thakore Commerce College for Women 5 themselves. A significant number of students who belong to various backward classes prefer this college for its nurturing environment. Evaluation is as per University rules but due weightage is given to direct student interaction in terms of seminars, assignments and attendance. Students are guided to improve their performance. Sensitization towards important aspects of a holistic life forms an important goal. Hence we try to fit into our academic calendar numerous awareness programmes in areas such as health, nutrition, environment, gender, legal awareness, social causes and value based programmes.