A few words on Post Graduate (M.A.) Courses Available in Bidhan Chandra College as Study Centre of D.D.E (39 & 055), under Rabindra Bharati University and Vidyasagar University
Bidhan Chandra College, Rishra, Hooghly, affiliated to the University of Calcutta has started its journey since 1957. The initial objective of the college was to carter light of higher education among the aspiring learners from the middle and lower-middle class families of the locality and also the working class families related to the surround industries, chiefly the jute industry. Achieving B.A. degree with a few core subjects like Bengali, English, History etc was the earliest objective of the learners. But with the passage of time, the need and demand of the neighbouring citizen were duly endorsed time to time by the concerned college authorities, university and the respective Government. Consequently, the college has been enjoying the full fledged status with B.A., B.Sc., B.Com having honours in twelve subjects. Moreover, the college possesses an extended full-fledged Evening Department for the students ( both Honours And General) in Accounting and Finance. To top it, all the total number of strength of student surpasses over three thousand.
Despite the colourful facts noted above regarding the growth of the college, there remained a sorry plight on the part of the students at the end of three years of successful academic exercise in the college. Only a very few students could crack the scope of joining the vistas of Post graduation in the university obviously for two concrete causes. The chief among those is the financial limitation of the said families. They hardly could afford a huge amount of expenses to be incurred for their wards to obtain P.G. degree from any university situated at a rather remote distance. The other practical cause is the stringent bar of marks in the examination imposed by the University for getting admission in the PG courses. Therefore, despite cherishing substantial craving to undergo PG courses, the high hopes of the successful graduates of this college as well as the neighbouring colleges were compelled to be thwarted.
Sensing and realizing the crying need of the hour for the academically thirsty students, come forward the Hon’ble President of the Governing Body of the College, Dr Sudipto Roy who is also serving as a member of Legislative Assembly (Serampore Constituancy). To quench their adequate thirst, Dr Roy made an outstanding and laudable effort, the result of which is the (genesis) of P.G. courses in five subjects, (viz. Bengali, English, History, Geography and Education) in the premises of Bidhan Chandra College. The college becomes a study centre of Directorate of Distance Education (39) under Rabindra Bharati University since the academic session 2012-13. It may further be informed that two more subjects (M.A. in Political Science and Sanskrit) are to be introduced from the forthcoming academic session (2016-17), again due to the direct patronization of Dr S. Roy. There is no denying that the hearty cooperation of the Governing Body, Teaching and Non-teaching Staff of this college in this regard deserves to be mentioned. We may proclaim with pride that Bidhan Chandra College, Rishra is the first higher education study centre in the Hooghly district to run the M.A. courses having affiliation with Rabindra Bharati University.
So far as the aim and objectives of the study center (DDE-39) in the college is concerned, it can emphatically be claimed that since its inception, the center has been catering immensely the needs of the students who are mostly first generation learners coming from the backward areas and from financially challenged families. The college has been serving as a light house to the learners who are otherwise deprived of higher education. Some of the aspirants are employed in different shifts of the surrounding factories. The suppressed desire of a few among them to be acquinted with the world of Post graduation becomes materialized, the moment the study centre in the college comes closer to their door. It is, as it were, a dream coming into reality.
To facilitate the courses for the aspirants, Rabindra Bharati University provides a Prospectus every year for the concerned academic session where one may get information on (a) Programme of study (b) Admission eligibility (c) Fees structure and mode of Payment of fees (d) Study Material (e) Personal Contact Programme (PCP) (f) Students’ Response Sheets (SRS) (g) Examination Rules etc. The study center (DDE-39) has to play various roles regarding all those noted items but the chief among these are PCP and SRS. Students of every subject are provided with study materials in the form of Modules / Units, prepared by the learned professors engaged by the University (RBU). Modules are delivered to the students after admission or during PCP. Those PCP(s) are usually conducted by adequately educated, experienced and sincere teachers who try their level best with intense care to serve and support the causes of academic interest of the students.
One more important information for the aspiring candidates of Commerce and Geography must have to be maintained. Following the directives of U.G.C. Rabindra Bharati University suspended the admission of M.A. in geography in all its centers of DDE except its own since 2016. But the recurring demands of the Local aspiring candidates of both Geography and Commerce moved the college-authority to a large extent. Consequently, an additional endeavor was taken by way of persuading the authority of DDE, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore for permitting the college to conduct the two courses viz M.Com and M.Sc. in Geography through Distance Mode of educations. An inspection in this respect was administered by the said University, the fruition of which the admission in M.Com and M.Sc. in Geography becomes possible from 2017. Truly speaking, two universities (R, B, U. & V.U.) have been fused with C.U. under the academic canopy of Bidhan Chandra College. In fine, another feather is thus added to the educational cap of Bidhan Chandra College during its scintillating Diamond Jubilee Year.
Moreover, the results of the examinations of all the P.G. subjects are indeed impressive during the recent years. Quite a good number of students in Geography, Education, and English have got first class. In the previous year (2017), a student of this center has obtained the highest marks in M.A. in English (First Class First) under Rabindra Bharati University (DDE), that is undeniably a glorious achievement of the College Study Centre.
