Arguably one of the most economical higher education providers in the city with over four decades of operational experience, Dr BR Ambedkar College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Hyderabad stands tall as a leading institution of learning for students, especially from under privileged classes. The college is affiliated to Osmania University and is accredited with ‘A’ grade by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).
The college was founded by former Union Minister G Venkat Swamy in 1973. Located in the Baghlingampally locality of the city, the college has expanded over the years with add-ons like a high school, junior college, PG college, College of Technology and Management and College of Law in the same campus. “At a time, when the youth of disadvantaged sections were groping in the dark with no hope of getting educated, our founding father G Venkat Swamy championed the cause of socially deprived people and started this college,” says P Ashok Kumar, Correspondent, Dr BR Ambedkar Educational Society.
Courses offered
The college offers BA (Economics, Political Science, Public Administration), BCom (general and Computers) and BSc (Maths, Physics, Chemistry alone or with Computer Science). While BSc courses and BCom Computers are self-financing, the average fee is relatively low at `12,000. The college charges as low as `6,000 for aided courses per year.
Faculty
There are about 40 aided faculty and several unaided teaching staff in departments like Commerce, Economics, Political Science, Public Administration, English, Hindi, Telugu, Sanskrit, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Computers and Physical Education. “All our faculty members are learned and well-read persons. Teachers understand the students well and do not pressure them with unnecessary burden. They come from disadvantaged backgrounds and we are committed to their overall development,” says Thresiamma UL, Administrative Officer. There are about 1,500 students on campus.
Infrastructure
The college boasts of a lush green campus, spacious classrooms and corridors, state-of-the-art science laboratories, computer labs, auditorium and an indoor games facility. The college library comprises a huge collection of nearly 50,000 books and also has a reading-room facility. A book bank operates for the benefit of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students who cannot afford to purchase all text books. They can keep the books throughout the year and return them after exams.
An English Language Training Cell provides Spoken English classes for first and second-year students for a minimal fee. “To ensure better employability for our students who are weak in communicating in English, we offer special classes. This helps boost their confidence,” says Kumar.
Extracurricular activites
The college conducts regular literary and cultural competitions and also participates in various inter-college events. For exposure students are taken for annual industrial and educational tours. The college has facilities for games like Kabaddi, Tennikoit, Volleyball and Cricket. Many students participate in national-level Kabaddi and Swimming competitions every year.
NCC and NSS
The college has one of the largest enrolment of 266 cadets in National Cadet Corps (NCC) and functions very actively. The college also has three National Service Scheme (NSS) units out of which one is exclusively for girls. Activities like adult education programmes, literacy campaign, blood donation camps and national integration camps are carried out.
Alumni
Former students of the college are spread throughout India and many parts of the world in different fields. They have become civil servants, lawyers, educationists, politicians, social workers, bank officers and businessmen. “B Venkatesham , the former district collector of Medak who is currently secretary to the Telangana government (Housing Development) was our alumnus. Ex-minister M Narsimhulu was also our student. The alumni always try to introduce endowments in all possible ways for the overall development of students,” says Kalyan Chakravarthi, Placement Officer and an alumnus of the
college himself.Placements
The college has had a low placement record owing to multiple reasons. However, students are being given special soft skills training for better employability. “Our students are not adept at communicating in English due to the background they hail from. But, they have shown inclination towards Government jobs and civil services, which we encourage,” says Chakravarthi. Although education here may not be a sure path to securing a job, the students have good words for their alma mater. “We love this college because they are not very strict about attendance. Teachers understand our problems. Along with studies, most of us have to pursue some part-time jobs as well,” said A Jagdish, a second-year BCom student.
rahul.v@newindianexpress.com