Date:10/06/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/06/10/stories/2009061051350300.htm

Other States - Puducherry

Villianur women’s college in need of better facilities

Serena Josephine. M

Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy

Space constraint: A classroom at Villianur College for Women has been bifurcated and used as library owing to lack of sufficient space. —

PUDUCHERRY: Imagine a higher education institution for rural women run in a government school building without sufficient space for library and playground facilities. In dire need of basic infrastructure, four-year-old Villianur College for Women at Villianur was just a step away from losing its affiliation of Pondicherry University, thanks to a long list of deficiencies.

Run by Pondicherry Society for Higher Education of the Directorate of Higher and Technical Education, the government college has been functioning on the premises of Kannagi Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Villianur. Catering to the educational needs of rural girls, it has been offering two undergraduate courses – B.A. in historical studies and social work.

There are 114 students in the college. It has been functioning from a government school building. The building has four rooms, of which two have been allotted for first year students of the two courses, one for staff and another room has been bifurcated for the office staff and principal, official sources said.

Two rooms each in two separate buildings of the school have been allotted for second and third year students. One of the classrooms has been bifurcated to accommodate a library.

In 2008, the government had decided to allot approximately 1.5 acres of land for construction of the college at the southern end of the school premises. But, the proposal has not moved. Funds to the tune of Rs. 27 lakh had been sanctioned from the school education fund for extension of the building. But, the funds have not been given owing to financial constraints, the sources added.

It was due to these deficiencies that the college ran into trouble recently. The Inspection Committee of Pondicherry University, which visited the college in April, was displeased with the condition of the institution. It barred admissions for first year and said that it would not recommend extension of provisional affiliation for the academic year 2009-2010, the officials said.

The committee had pointed out that the college was still functioning on the school premises and had no library. Books were “dumped” in a few cupboards and kept in a corner of a classroom. There was no common room especially in a women’s college, no playground and no effort had been taken to shift the college to its own premises.

Later, the committee agreed to provide conditional affiliation for a year and listed out a few parameters to be fulfilled during the period. The institution immediately requires four rooms including for the library and rest room. The college was planning to introduce shift system from this academic year, but has put its proposal to start evening college on hold.

Public Works Minister M.O.H.F. Shahjahan, who also hold Collegiate Education portfolio, said that essential requirements of the college would be considered.