NELLORE: Even though it is not an official task for them, lecturers of a government junior college in Kovur of Nellore district are putting all their efforts for strengthening the institution. A group of 18 lecturers, led by Principal Shaik Sikindar of Talla Narayana Setty Government Junior College, even meet the parents of SSC students in the area every year urging them to send their children to the college.
Moreover, each lecturer adopts 12-13 students from various groups and monitors their academic performance and interest in other activities. They also support the students from poor families by providing them books and other items. Thanks to their efforts, the strength of college has increased to 360 in the current academic year. Earlier, the strength had not crossed 200.
The junior college, which was started in 1972, offers five courses — MPC, BiPC, CEC and vocational courses such as Electronics and Electrical Technology, Construction Technology and Automobile Engineering Technology. “We will ask the passed out students to join as apprentice workers in local industries for getting skill in their streams. Now, we are planning to introduce a website, probably the first in the history of the government colleges, aimed at communicating the details of the students to their parents. The students will get their timetable and other details of the academic session from the website,” Shaik Sikindar, who joined the college as principal in 2019, said.
“The college obtained a 47 per cent pass percentage last year. We are trying hard to increase the pass percentage,” Sikindar added. Just like the corporate institutions, the staff of the college conduct a campaign every year for getting admission. Lecturers of the college visit every high school in the area and collect details of the SSC students and contact them in January. They will start the door-to-door campaign in March.
“We will explain the facilities in the college to the students and their parents after collecting their address from the concerned high schools. Our aim is to provide quality education to the students,” said DV Sateesh Kumar, Telugu lecturer of the college.The principal has introduced career guidance and soft skills programmes, and classes on those programmes will be held once in every month.
“The lecturers of our college motivate us. They have been supporting some of the students with books and other needs with their own funds,” said Supriya, a student from II year MPC. The Principal has appealed to the Commissionerate for Intermediate Education to allot Dairy Science Technology course to the college.