BEST PRACTICS

 

BEST PRACTICE - I

Sound and Sustainable Ecological Practices

OBJECTIVE OF THE PRACTICE

The commitment of our institution to the ‘Environment’ encompasses both the Physical and the Human aspect in its totality.

• Optimum utilization of resources, conservation and sustainability are the three major concerns for the physical environment.
• Human aspects involve providing the students, faculty and the staff, a wholesome environment for their educational, physical, mental, spiritual and cultural growth, thus enabling them to be true global citizens contributing to the development of our society and nation.

Our institution strives to achieve Sound and Sustainable Ecological Practices through promotion of environmental consciousness and providing a healthy, safe and friendly environment.

THE CONTEXT

• Environmental consciousness and sensitivity has always been a part of our institutional ethos. However, keeping in mind the flux of faculty and students, this pledge has to be renewed with vigor every year. Incorporation of the five Rs (Refuse, Reduce, Repurpose, Reuse and Recycle) and inculcation of Green Habits (reducing water, electricity and paper consumption), requires that all activities of the college, within and outside the campus, are consciously directed to reaffirm this purpose on an annual basis. This poses a major challenge to incorporate novel ideas.
• Also, a large proportion of our students come from the rural belt of Ajmer and Nagaur district. The regional diversity, along with gender, caste, class and other disparities pose a hindrance for the inculcation of environmental-sensitivity and responses.
• Additionally, the Covid-19 pandemic posed an obstacle in overcoming technical hesitancy both in the students and faculty to combat the unprecedented teaching environment.

THE PRACTICE

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

• Clean-Campus-Drive organized regularly.
• Annual Plantation-Drive followed by round-the-year tending of saplings.
• Annual Flower Show organized by Botany Department to display rich flora, open
  to schools/colleges and citizens.
• Compost-pits: Production of lingo-cellulosic biomass by dumping all organic
  waste in it
• Minimization of Carbon footprint by recycling old broken wooden furniture by making cots, doors and almirahs of newly revamped Girls’ Hostel.
• Water Harvesting leading to zero wastage of water.
• Reuse of waste water from ACs, water purifiers, drain water etc, for watering plants and groundwater recharge
• Solid waste management: Using segregated dustbins for glass, chemicals and reusable/recyclable material.
• Reuse of damaged wash basins and sinks as planters
• Reuse of computer, electronic and laboratory instrument parts
• Conservation of biodiversity by adopting Virtual-reality.
• Reducing electricity consumption by using solar-energy, LED/light sensitive
  lamps, following the age-old dictum of well-ventilated work-space
• Paperless and less-Paper work-environment by following:
  * Online admission- e-verification of admission and scholarship documents
  * Online Prospectus, admission policy and Syllabus
  * Examination-Invigilation duties conveyed through Whatsapp.
  * College-notices/circulars to staff and students circulated in their Mentor and Departmental Whatsapp-groups
  * E-transactions- of Salary, Fees, Scholarship etc.

HUMAN ENVIRONMENT

• The institution provides free wi-fi in the campus
• To ensure a safe campus free from ragging and sexual harassment, the entire
  institution is covered by constantly monitored CCTV cameras at strategic locations.
• The institution has been declared a Tobacco-free and Plastic-free zone to raise
  awareness of these issues among students.
• The institution regularly organizes rallies (as part of extension activities) for
  Sensitization and Awareness Generation by observing Special Days on a regular basis.
• Academic and extra-curricular standards are elevated by providing a plethora of
  platforms.
• Catering to girls hailing from rural and economically backward-areas who may be
  ignorant or who cannot afford hygienic sanitary products, the institution has installed sanitary-pad dispenser and incinerator machines at Girls’ Common Rooms and Hostels.
• The institution has two functional, well equipped, Girls’ Hostels with congenial human and physical environment
• Sound Mentor-mentee system, well-connected via Whatsapp Groups through which students may communicate and are notified on a regular basis. Mentors act as guide, counsellor and advisor for all academic and mental health related issues.

BEST PRACTICE - II

Expanding societal impact by acting as a quality Beacon and Resource pool for spoke nodes

OBJECTIVE OF THE PRACTICE

• Fostering social responsibility and community engagement proficiency in our youth
• Achieve the objectives of socio economic development of New India through active community engagement.
• Development of our institution as a source/ means to perform social responsibility by optimum utilisation of the available resources.
• Serve as the hub for various other institutions of higher education in the District.

Our organisation toils towards building a two-way partnership with the wider community, including local administration and making the most of the available resources:

• A talent-pool with well qualified and educated work-force along with the human resource of organised, trained and motivated youth with ideals of selfless service.
• The magnificent infrastructure fostered at the heart of Ajmer-city

Practice

The endeavours in the direction can be outlined as those:

• Through platforms at institutional level:
• On personal level.by the intelligentsia serving at the institution

Practises in the first category, i.e. Through platforms at institutional level, includes:

• Facilities in the institution for the society
  – Open Gym
  – Primary health centre
  – Lush green campus with sprawling grounds serves as a haven for the morning walkers and residents of the locality
• The grounds and auditorium are made available to the local administration for official purposes
• The infrastructure along with man-power made available for smooth conduction of various PSC and other agency examinations.
• The College is ‘Nodal’ for DRAC (RACE) and DLQAC; District coordinator for NSS activities to assess, assist and monitor the mobilisation of resources and know-how in sister institutions of the district.
• Aid to local authorities in times of need. (SVEEP/ ELC; Conduction / training of Elections; Covid – Quarantine Centre, Man-power for Covid-War Room etc.)
• NSS and NCC platforms (Four NSS and Four NCC Wings) are available for the students to take part in various community service activities & programmes and provide a hands-on experience to young students in delivering community service.
• Aanandam course, compulsory across all faculties, to inspire college students to contribute towards society and to instil values like “Joy of Giving”

On personal level.by the intelligentsia serving at the institution:

The intelligentsia serving at our institution as faculty in various streams also serve as role models and encourage, nurture and harness the natural idealism of youth by contributing to the society in their own little ways, for example:

• Social Missions to galvanise awareness towards various contemporary issues like gender sensitization, environment-related, physical and mental health-hygiene-nourishment, etc.
• Outreaching through Subject-specific as well as Motivational talks at various platforms like All India Radio,
• Disseminating knowledge and understanding to society at large through print-media as well as YouTube

The modus operandi for plethora of activities conducted by the institution under the broad categories enumerated above can be encapsulated as under:

• Focus on a particular issue in the community and various methods to address that
• Educate the community on that issue and enable them to tackle it on their own.
• Work for means and resources to achieve the target: government provisions, local administration and faculty to volunteer or donate

NOTE : In confirmation with the declaration from the second UNESCO conference on higher education held in Paris in July 2009 which stated explicitly that higher education has the social responsibility to advance our understanding of multifaceted issues and the ability to respond to them…. And in order to contribute towards the making of ‘Unnat Bharat’ such best practice should become an inseparable component of the very skeleton of Higher Education.