Self Study Report of AMAL COLLEGE OF ADVANCED STUDIES SELF STUDY REPORT FOR 1st CYCLE OF ACCREDITATION AMAL COLLEGE OF ADVANCED STUDIES SANTHIGRAMAM, MYLADI, ERANHIMANGAD P.O., NIALMBUR, MALAPPURAM DISTRICT, 679329 www.amalcollege.ac.in Submitted To NATIONAL ASSESSMENT AND ACCREDITATION COUNCIL BANGALORE February 2019 Page 1/113 06-04-2019 12:04:53 Self Study Report of AMAL COLLEGE OF ADVANCED STUDIES 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 INTRODUCTION Established in 2005, Amal College of Advanced Studies stands as the tower of hope to all sections of the society in fulfilling their dream of Higher Education vindicating the word of Persian origin ‘Amal’ which means ‘hope’.The college is run by Nilambur Muslim Orphanage Committee which ,since its inception in 1969, has pioneered the cause of serving the orphans ,destitute and the marginalised providing them with succor and education. Imbibing this missionary zeal of its parent organization to its heart ,the college spearheads the historic mission forward with uncompromising professional integrity and unrelenting commitment to the cause of empowering generations through quality based equity oriented higher education which is corroborated by its affirmative gesture in reserving 20% seat for the orphans along with 20 % reservations to the SCs and STs that is deemed to be an unprecedented initiative at least in the state of Kerala if not in the entire country. The College is co-educational and is aided by Govt.of Kerala and affiliated to University of Calicut. The college has been included in the 2(f) and 12(B) category of UGC since in 2012. It has also been recognized as an Institution with Minority Status by the Ministry of Minority Affairs ,Govt. of India. At present, the college offers 1 PG and 7 UG programmes which cater to the diverse interest to students , industry and society at large .Located in a remote, under developed rural area in Chaliyar Grama Panchayath, the college campus spreads over 25 acre hillock, on a lovely and quaint greenbelt on the slopes of the Western Ghats and semi circled by Chaliyar river that lends a serene and tranquil ambience conducive for the curricular and co-curricular activities.The College has left an indelible mark in the academic map of the state for its excellence ,innovation and on integrity . The college through its triangulated network of teachers, parents and students college strive to expand the innate capabilities of students through various platforms nourishing curricular and extra-curricular skills, molding them to be responsible citizens and future leaders and thus contribute substantially in nation building. Vision Amal College is envisioned to be an advanced learning centre that transforms lives, spearheads social empowerment, and inspires individuals to excellence. Academic Excellence and Success , civic awareness, Collegiallity and Professionalism,Diversity and Inclusion , Environment sustainability are the core values which uphold the vision of the college. Goals of the college also uphold the vision ; 1.Equipping the learners with life skills and knowledge to enable them to lead a balanced life 2.To sensitise the leaners and community about issues of exploitation , gender and social equity and prompt affirmative action 3.Toacquire employability skills in order that the learners will land in enticing career options reinforcing their financial and cultural capitals 4.Education will inculcate noble values of love, compassion , tolerance and patriotism fostering national Page 2/113 06-04-2019 12:04:54 Self Study Report of AMAL COLLEGE OF ADVANCED STUDIES integration and contributing towards nation building 5.Education received at Amal will ignite critical and creative thoughts and ideas prompting them to explore the unbeaten paths of knowledge and information. 6.The insight , experience and expertise gained from the college will empower the learners to become global leaders . Mission We dedicate ourselves to provide opportunities for academic, professional, and lifelong learning in an environment of compassion and inclusivity. College is keen on instilling patriotic fervour coupled with global competitiveness. We uphold the motto of ‘education for emancipation and empowerment with mutual and continuous efforts of Management and Faculty Members of the College taking cognizance of the fact that education is the most powerful tool for social empowerment emancipating the community from the labyrinth of ignorance and the historical baggage of backwardness. The college is a beacon of light that disseminates knowledge and impart skills to the students from all sections of people irrespective of their caste , creed and gender. 1.2 Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Challenges(SWOC) Institutional Strength Highly supportive management with a sublime vision and noble mission, dedicated and vibrant young pool of faculty and administrative staff , exposure to the call of the society, consistent academia-industry interface with moorings in cultural and social ethos , coupled with an unwavering commitment to realise its motto of ‘Education for Empowerment and Emancipation’ , the college is poised to make a giant leap in progress . Serene, ecofriendly and lush campus make the teaching learning exercises more fruitful and hassle free. The various platforms available in the campus and the channels to connect to the avenues outside the campus with individual attention through mentor-mentee guiding process invariably add to the strength of the college .The constant innovations in the methodologies and techniques of transacting the curriculum in accordance with the needs of the diverse and heterogeneous student community are obviously the hallmarks worth mentioning. Facilities for extension activities, field trips, computer labs, health and fitness centre, yoga centre, r ICT enabled class rooms and ICT based teaching learning process are the strength of our college. Active students union and Parents and Teachers Association and supportive Alumni lend great courage and conviction in its the efforts for providing holistic educational environment in the campus. Amiable yet firm and matured relationship among the faculty members and students of the college makes the task of attaining the objectives of the college easier ,more fascinating and rewarding. Institutional Weakness The college being located in a remote , economically and socially backward region, updating to a more advanced technology in teaching learning process outside the campus hours is a herculean task. Though some of students are exposed to the various platforms of online classes in office hours ,a considerable chunk of them Page 3/113 06-04-2019 12:04:54 Self Study Report of AMAL COLLEGE OF ADVANCED STUDIES have less access to the various platforms for virtual learning at home . Paucity of funds for the aided college for the maintenance of infrastructure also brings handicaps in the smooth gallop in proving best in class infrastructure in the campus. On discerning this lacunae in implementing the ICT enabled teaching –learning process , the College Governing body has taken initiatives to make free Wifi available in the campus , upgrading all final year classes into smart classrooms with necessary gadgets and converting all second year classes in to ICT enabled classrooms apart from giving provisions for accessing online content in the Digital Section of the Library . Institutional Opportunity Both the student and teaching community in the college are with good potential to grow as they possess high credentials in their academic and co academic activities. The faculty members in the college are youngsters possessing the good attributes of sincerity, motivation and hardwork. Young and vibrant faculty members are always set to equip students to face the competitive world and ,at the same time, to mould their wards as the tolerant and responsible citizens. The different platforms like innovation and entrepreneurship cell, research and publication cell, field visits and internships , training and coaching facilities provide ample opportunities and exposure to grow for both the students and faculty members in the college.The college with unparalleled human and infrastructure resources can channelize further studies on sustainable development and offer courses which are globally relevant. The dense and remote areas in Nilambur region is also known for the presence of the most ancient tribes of cave dwellers called as ‘Cholanaikars’ who have been reckoned as a unique specimen of mankind . It offers potential opportunities for the studies and researches in anthropology and ethnography that the college can spearhead with its position, status and resources. The hilly areas in the region are vulnerable to landslides and flash flood causing human causalities in high magnitude. Hence the possibilities of running customized courses in Disaster Management especially in the context of the flood related calamities in the state of Kerala last year may also be explored . Institutional Challenge Student dropouts especially of girls has been found to be a institutional challenge both in terms of resource and opportunity. Through the effective intervention of the college through sensitaisation of parents regarding the importance of higher education and counseling the truant students , the level of drop outs has subsided substantially.As majority of students hail from poor socio economic background ,running self-financing academic programmes are understably non-viable since it may keep them aloof further from the