VOLUME I Submitted to NATIONAL ASSESSMENT AND ACCREDITATION COUNCIL (NAAC), BANGALORE HOLY MOTHER SRI SARADA DEVI CERTIFICATE This is to certify that the Self-Study Report for Assesment and Accreditation by NAAC has been prepared by the Steering Committee of our Institution based on facts and figures provided by the teaching and office staff of the college as per the available records submission to NAAC, Bangalore for the purpose of Accreditation of our Institution. V. RAJARAJESWARI, R. MUTHULAKSHMI, Co-ordinator Vice-Principal M. MALARVIZHI, Principal & Chairman NAAC Steering Committee ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We have a great pleasure to present the “Self-Study Report” of our College to the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) for assessment and accreditation. We have made sincere efforts and honest retrospection in preparing this Self-Study Report as per the guidelines formulated by NAAC. We believe that Self-Analysis is always to be confirmed by some autonomous, well-reputed, authentic body like NAAC. We assure NAAC, that we have honestly gone through the process of introspection & self- evaluation of each and every aspect while preparing the Self-Study Report. All encouragements were given by our Management in this endeavour for which we are extremely thankful. Our humble pranams to the holy feet of our Sanyasins and our Administrator, Srimath Swami Sankarananda Maharaj who always inspire us and our Secretary, the leading luminary of our institution Yatiswari Saravanabhavapriya Amba for her consistent encouragement. We record our gratitude to Dr. K. Subramaniam, our Chief Academic Advisor, Dr. R. Ilango and Prof. C.R. Anantharaman, Vivekananda College, Tiruvedakam West, Madurai for their blessings and dynamic guidance as well as their untiring help. We thank our Principal, Smt. M. Malarvizhi for her encouragement. Our wholehearted thanks to Steering Committee members for their genuine hard work through out the preparation of NAAC Report. We are grateful to our Teaching and Non-teaching staff members for their enthusiastic participation. We also thank Smt. V. Latha and Smt. S. Chidambaravadivoo for tireless work in typing and computerizing the whole report. We also thank Corundum Offset Printers, Maharajanagar, Tirunelveli for their timely help. SMT. N. KAMALA SMT. V. RAJARAJESWARI Advisor Coordinator STEERING COMMITTEE – NAAC ACCREDITATION FOLLOWING ARE THE MEMBERS 1. Smt. M. Malarvizhi Principal - Chairman 2. Smt. R. Muthulakshmi Vice-Principal - Vice Chairman 3. Smt. V. Rajarajeswari Co-ordinator 4. Smt. N. Kamala Advisor & IQAC Co-ordinator 5. Smt. V. Vallinayagi ICT Co-ordinator 6. Smt. U. Latha @ Venkateswari Member 7. Smt. J. Umaiparvathiy Member 8. Smt. G. Ramani Member 9. Smt. T. Kalavathy Member 10. Smt. P. Anusha Member 11. Smt. S. Manonmani Member 12. Selvi S. Dhanalakshmi Member 13. Smt. S. Viji Member 14. Smt. M. Sivakala Member 15. Selvi A. Aruna Devi Member 16. Smt. V. Latha Assistant 17. Smt. S. Chidambaravadivoo Assistant OUR EMBLEM The educational ideals of this institution are symbolized in the college emblem. The veena stands for the development of the Hand for the enrichment of life. The waxing moon suggests the steady expansion of the Heart in love of God and of His creation. The blazing sun is expressive of knowledge that reveals things in their true light. A harmonious development of the Hand, the Heart and the Head is what is wanted for a fully educated young generation of women, each of whom will be a Kamadhenu, the milch cow of plenty and plentitude. SRI SARADA INSTITUTIONS, TIRUNELVELI A Brief Introduction Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam was founded by Srimat Swami Chidbhavananda in 1942 with the object of propagating moral and spiritual values and promoting education. In fulfillment of this noble goal the Tapovanam runs 9 colleges and 37 schools through its 14 branches. Of these 14 branches of the Tapovanam, that at Tirunelveli was started in 1986 in a campus of 82 acres. The following educational institutions are functioning in the campus: • Sri Sarada College for Women • Sri Sarada Matriculation Higher Secondary School • Sri Sarada Vidyalaya High School • Sri Sarada College of Education for Women Sri Sarada Vidyalaya High School and Sri Sarada Matriculation Higher Secondary School Also started in 1986 along with the college, with 360 students, the schools have now on their rolls about 900 students, studying right from LKG to XII Standard. The schools are recognized by the Government of Tamil Nadu. As in the college, in the schools also value-based education, devoted not only to the acquisition of knowledge but mainly to character-formation, is imparted to the students. Sri Sarada College of Education for Women By the requisition of the parents our management was urged to start sri sarada college of education for women with total strength of 100 students for the sake of Hindu students during the year 2008-2009. But all the religions students are admitted in our educational institution. Swami Chidbhavananda Memorial Poor Students’ Fund Since the scholarships provided to the students by the State Government are meagre and do not support many deserving students, the Management, under its own scheme, provides financial assistance to some economically backward but meritorious students to cover the fees payable by them. Students of both the schools and the colleges avail themselves of this financial assistance through “Swami Chidbhavananda Memorial Poor Students Fund”. Other Service Activities Swami Chidbhavananda Centenary Memorial Health Care Centre Started in 1998, the Centenary year of the revered Founder, the Health Care Centre offers free health care to the villagers. Students and staff of the educational institutions also make use of the medical facility available in the centre. Dairy Farm and Agriculture Believing in the principle of self-sufficiency, the Management has set up its own dairy for meeting the requirements of the School and College hostel students. Agricultural work is also going on and the produce, in the form of paddy, coconut and vegetables, is used mainly in the hostel. The dairy and agricultural products are also offered at concessional rates to the teaching and non-teaching staff of the schools and colleges. There is also a small bakery. It products are also offered at a concessional rate . Expansion of Service Activities The Yatiswaris and brahmacharinis residing in the campus go to the villages every week, creating awareness in them about health and hygiene, self-help, and values in life. They conduct Deepa Poojas for the women and teach bhajans and tell stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata to the children of these villages. The Tapovanam has started a tailoring unit for the young women of the villages and a Tuition Centre for the school-going village children. It is also felt that there is an urgent need to start a Home for the Aged. The soul of Mother Bharat is to be found in spirituality and true spirituality lies in wiping the tears of the suffering neighbour. Sri Sarada Institutions, Tirunelveli aim at a steady devotion to the actualization of true spirituality by serving women and the poor villagers. May the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi bless us all to work ceaselessly not only for self-realisation but also for the betterment of our brethren. ♣♣♣♣♣ 1 SRI RAMAKRISHNA TAPOVANAM Our Educational Agency Sri Sarada College for Women, Tirunelveli is a premier institution of higher education for women in the southern district of Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu. It is one among the vast network of fifty-two educational institutions managed by Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam, Tirupparaithurai. Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam is a monastic order devoted to spiritual, cultural and educational service of Tamil Nadu. Founded by Swami Chidbhavananda in 1942 at Tirupparaithurai near Tiruchirapalli on the southern bank of the holy river Cauvery, the Tapovanam trains men and women to lead a life of renunciation and service on the basis of the ideal set out by Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda namely, “Atmano Mokshartham, Jagat Hitaya Cha” (i.e.) “For one’s own salvation and for the service of humanity”. Accepting as its life-members young men and women who give up home and hearth for a life of renunciation and service, the Tapovanam initiates them into sanyasa after a period of spiritual training and engages them in service activities. “The only service to be done for our lower classes is to give them education, to develop their lost individuality…that education by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded and by which one can stand on one’s own feet” - so goes the emphatic message of Swami Vivekananda. Hence the main field of service of the Tapovanam sanyasis is education, spiritual and secular. Spiritual education of the people of Tamil Nadu is imparted by the sanyasins of the Tapovanam through Antaryogam and 2 celebration of Sakthi Pooja, Special Pooja, Jayanthi celebrations of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi & Swami Vivekananda and special training programme for youth. The brainchild of the Revered Founder Swami Chidbhavananda, Antaryogam is a unique spiritual retreat programme, comprising of bhajan, Namajapam, dhyanam, spiritual discourse, question answer session and observance of silence. Usually of one – day duration, it is also held for 3 days, or even 2 months at a stretch. The Tapovanam seeks to transform the youth and reorient them to the cultural and spiritual tradition of Bharat through its institutions of formal education like schools and colleges. There are ten branches of the Tapovanam managed by its sanyasins or monks and five by its sanyasinis or nuns, each branch having its own educational complex of schools and / or colleges. Notable in this regard are the Vivekananda Vidyavanam Boys High School, Tirupparaithurai, Vivekananda Higher Secondary School for Boys and Vivekananda College for men in Tiruvedakam, Madurai, all of which are run on the ancient Gurukula pattern.