Accredited with an A+ by NAAC, Digboi College on its road to autonomy

CORRESPONDENT

DIGBOI: “Accredited recently by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with A+, Digboi College -one of the premier centres of academic excellence among the rural colleges in the entire North-eastern region of the country, is now on the road to autonomy, said Dr Dip Saikia the principal of Digboi college here on Monday.

Dr Saikia was addressing the college fraternity including the staff and faculty, student alumni and invited guests while sharing the success of the college after it was able to snatch the much-coveted status of A+ grade in its 3rd cycle of assessment with the topmost CGPA of 3.49 in NE.

“I feel immensely proud to make the report and recommendations of the NAAC public,” said Saikia adding the excellence of the institution has been twice confirmed by the topmost national assessment body for Higher Educational Institutions called the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). The apex assessing body has accredited Digboi College with an A+ grade (CGPA 3.49 on a scale of 4 points) as per the results declared on April 11, 2023 on the NAAC website and communicated to the college.

“I take the privilege to congratulate all the stakeholders and urge further to continue their support in the days to come,” said Dr Saikia. The first NAAC Peer Team was led by chairperson, Dr Mohd. Iqbal Ali, former & founder Vice-chancellor, of Satavahana University, Telangana, visited the college on January 23 and January 24, 2023 and assessed the college strictly adhering to the guidelines given by NAAC.

“Ironically, the NAAC in lieu of furnishing the result had informed that the college would be revisited by a different Peer Team but withheld to disclose the reason for revisit,” said one of the faculties of the college.

Subsequently, the second peer team headed by chairperson Dr N. V. Kalyankar (Former Vice-Chancellor, Gondwana University, Maharastra), revisited the college on March 28 and March 29 and rigorously took account of the various activities and initiatives of the college.

Digboi College has performed excellently in all the criteria of the NAAC assessment conducted in seven broad areas comprising both qualitative and quantitative metrics. The Peer Team was reportedly satisfied with the diverse curricula from general UG programmes to PG Programmes as well as from B.Voc. to add-on programmes being successfully conducted at the college. It is worth mentioning that the college has designed and developed the syllabi for B.Voc. programmes on Small Tea Garden Management and Tourism & Hospitality Management and the add-on certificate programmes such as Human Rights Education, Yoga and Meditation, Aptitude and soft skills, Computer Application, Manufacturing and Repairing of LED bulbs, Advanced Computational Mathematics, Mushroom farming, Acting and Dramatics etc.

According to the observations of the NAAC, with a participation of 65% of students in extension activities, and 30 awards including 3 NSS national volunteer awards, Digboi College NSS has proved its uniqueness time and again. The college has state-of-the-art infrastructure for both academic and co-curricular activities – ICT-enabled classrooms to smart classrooms, well-equipped labs to Instrumentation Centre, Tissue culture lab to the orchidarium, Herbarium and Botanical garden as well as Indoor Stadium to the auditorium.

A fully-automated library with around forty thousand books facilitates open access and digital record of daily users. The healthy student support system eases the problems of disadvantaged students not only in availing of scholarships but also in advancing their careers, states the report disclosed officially by the college authority.

Further, the Alumni have contributed both academically and financially. The college has very dedicatedly worked to develop its position through its long-term perspective plan tuned to its vision and mission. The college has 10 KV solar panels, several solar street lights and sensor-based lights and solar energy is connected to 50% of the general classrooms.

The various best practices such as developing livelihood skills in the adopted village, and orienting students for nature conservation have earned applause. The eco-friendly, biodiversity-rich ashram-like milieu contributes to the propagation and inculcation of knowledge, cultural potentialities and human values. With participative management under the able leadership of the head of the Institution Dr Dip Saikia and the quality assurance strategies institutionalized by the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) with Dr JayantaHandique as the coordinator, the college has become successful in making a quantum leap from NAAC B grade to A+ Grade during the last seven years.

The Peer Teams have identified the lush green campus of the college as a major feature along with its educational facilities to the disadvantaged rural folks and the dynamic leadership and supportive management. Having observed the potentialities, the Peer Team suggests the college strive for autonomous status.

The first batch of UG CBCS appeared in the final examinations in 2022 and in this examination, 120 students of Arts, 77 students of Science and 60 students of Commerce achieved first class with a total of 257 first-class holders. Stream-wise pass percentages in the last final examination are 86.71% in Arts, 85.57% in Science and 83.56% in Commerce. In four subjects –Assamese, Physics, Mathematics and Electronics, students of Digboi College achieved first class first positions.

A total of 28 students achieved the first ten top positions in the last final examinations. 71 students from Science, 28 from Arts and 23 from Commerce in total 122 students got above 80% in this examination. The marks achieved by the best graduates of Science, Arts and Commerce of the college are 95.80%, 93.20% and 91.10% respectively. Several of the pass-outs have been successful in all India entrances and have been admitted in top reputed institutions for higher education.

“Moreover, Digboi has not embarked upon its journey towards the road to its autonomy upon the suggestions of the NAAC but the college management advocating the NEP strongly expresses its willingness to go the New Education Policy with the required parameters already met to a great extent,” Dr Saikia said.