Eye on autonomy, Scottish Church College plans new courses, curriculum, exam system from 2027: Principal

KOLKATA: Scottish Church College, Kolkata, is on track to become autonomous well before it turns 200 in 2030. It has applied to the University Grants Commission (UGC) and Calcutta University, to which it is affiliated, has already cleared the proposal.

Once autonomy is secured, it plans to introduce new BA and BSc honours programmes, while also seeking restoration of the historic Duff College building. Principal Madhumanjari Mandal speaks to Academia360 about the institution's academic roadmap, bicentenary plans – which include a museum with records related to Subhash Chandra Bose and Swami Vivekananda and digitising its centuries-old books – as well as skill development initiatives. Edited excerpts below:

Scottish Church College has applied for autonomy. What prompted the decision?

The decision was not taken overnight. During our third NAAC accreditation cycle, when we received an A grade, the peer team made a clear recommendation that after nearly two centuries of existence, Scottish Church College should move towards academic autonomy [NAAC is the National Assessment and Accreditation Council]. The governing body accepted that recommendation and we subsequently applied to the UGC.

The University of Calcutta has already issued its no objection certificate (NOC) and we are now in the process of furnishing some additional documents sought by the UGC. If everything proceeds as planned, we hope to introduce our own curriculum and examination system from the 2027 academic session.

What exactly will autonomy change for SSC?

The autonomy we are seeking is purely academic. It will allow us to design our own curriculum, introduce new programmes more quickly and conduct examinations independently.

However, the college will continue to remain a government-aided institution. Salaries, funding and administrative support from the state government will remain unchanged. Academic autonomy will simply provide us with the flexibility to respond to emerging educational needs while maintaining our affiliation framework.

What new academic programmes are you introducing once autonomy is granted?

Several proposals are already ready.

We have also proposed introducing journalism and mass communication. We had applied to the higher education council for many of these courses after the NAAC visit in 2023, but approval has not yet come. Academic autonomy will allow us to move ahead with these plans much more effectively.

Academic autonomy will require additional infrastructure. How is the college preparing for that transition?

Infrastructure development is one of our immediate priorities. Since the college is a heritage campus, we cannot construct new permanent buildings within the premises.

Therefore, we have planned temporary rooftop extensions to create additional office and examination spaces required for an autonomous institution. The proposal has already been approved, tenders have been completed, and construction is expected to begin shortly. We are also expanding classroom facilities to support the four-year undergraduate programme and future academic growth.

The college recently introduced management education.

It is a major step for us. Along with commerce, we have introduced management education, for which we have obtained AICTE approval, as mandated [AICTE is the All India Council for Technical Education]. Other than that, the teacher’s education programmes continue to have NCTE approval, while our other academic programmes remain under the UGC framework. [NCTE is the National Council for Teacher Education] Every year we also obtain our affiliation certificate from the University of Calcutta.

Several colleges have said implementing multidisciplinary learning under the National Education Policy (NEP) has been challenging due to infrastructure and faculty constraints. How is Scottish Church College managing?

Fortunately, we have not faced those difficulties. Since Scottish Church College has been offering 22 subjects for many years, we already have the faculty strength and infrastructure needed to support interdisciplinary learning. Students are free to choose interdisciplinary courses across departments. The multidisciplinary model has therefore worked smoothly for us.

Have you noticed any changes in students' subject preferences over the years?

Yes, the trend has changed considerably. English honours continues to be the most sought-after programme, while microbiology has seen a sharp rise in demand this year. Commerce and business administration are also attracting a large numbers of applicants because of their employment prospects.

At the same time, admissions to Bengali, Sanskrit and philosophy have been declining for several years. We continuously monitor these trends so that infrastructure and academic resources can be aligned with student demand. We are planning to increase the intake in microbiology because of growing interest.

SSC is also trying to reclaim the historic Duff College building. Why is this so important?

That building is part of our institutional history and the history of the country. During the freedom movement, freedom fighters were interrogated and tortured there. The prison cells still exist, although the structure is in poor condition. It was later converted into a police station, which was never the purpose for which Alexander Duff established it.

After a bomb blast during the Naxalite period, the police station shifted to another building, but the original heritage structure has remained neglected. We have approached the Heritage Commission requesting that the building be handed over to us. We have also discussed the matter with the higher education minister, who has advised us to submit a representation to the chief minister. We believe restoring it as an educational institution would honour its legacy and Alexander Duff's vision.

How would the restoration benefit the college?

It would significantly strengthen our infrastructure. With the implementation of the four-year undergraduate programme under the NEP, the demand for classrooms has increased substantially. In fact, we have already converted one of our boys' hostels into an academic building to create additional teaching space. If the Duff building is restored and handed over to us, it can function as an additional academic campus while preserving an important heritage landmark.

Scottish Church College, University of Calcutta

You said Scottish Church College has also focused on skill development. How has that evolved in recent years?

Over the past few years, we have consciously expanded beyond conventional classroom teaching. We now offer certificate courses, internships, service-learning initiatives and several skill development programmes. One of our most successful initiatives is the batik and kantha stitch [types of resist dyeing and embroidery] training programme, conducted in collaboration with Amar Kutir, Santiniketan. It is open not only for our students but also for learners from other colleges, schools and even members of the public. The response has been overwhelming, and many participants have gone on to create products of their own.

We have recently become an approved training partner under the Paschim Banga Society for Skill Development (PBSSD) after undergoing the required inspection and evaluation. At present, we are offering two government-supported programmes — data entry operator with introduction to desktop publishing (DTP), and news reading and anchoring. These courses are open to candidates who have completed Class 12, with an upper age limit of around 40 years. Importantly, students do not pay any fees. The government bears the training cost, so these programmes are accessible to a much wider section of learners.

Do you also encourage and support entrepreneurship?

Yes, we realised that participants who learnt batik and kantha stitch were beginning to produce marketable products. To support them, we established an outlet within the college campus where they can display and sell their creations. The initiative functions under our entrepreneurship centre and has become an important platform for encouraging self-employment and creative enterprise.

Why open the skill development courses to the wider community?

The way we look at education has changed. Today, learning is a lifelong process and should not be confined to young students alone. That is why many of our skill development programmes are open to everyone, irrespective of age, provided they meet the eligibility criteria where applicable.

We believe institutions must serve society beyond their enrolled students. If there is a willingness to learn, the college should be able to provide that opportunity. Higher education institutions must become centres of continuous learning rather than places where education ends with a degree.

Scottish Church College is known for its rich legacy. How are you preserving the institution's historical archives?

Scottish Church College has always valued its history and we are now working towards preserving it in a more systematic manner.

At present, our library houses a heritage gallery where we have displayed several rare artefacts associated with the college and the country's freedom movement.

Among them are Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's signature, in both Bengali and English, from his visit to the college after the Haripura Congress, along with a rare copy of a book that he first published in England in 1929. The book contains corrections made in Netaji's own handwriting with a French pencil, making it an invaluable historical document. It was donated to the college by our distinguished alumna, Professor Purabi Roy, a noted Netaji scholar and a member of the Justice Mukherjee Commission.

We also preserve records related to Swami Vivekananda's academic performance, which form an important part of the college's heritage. These collections are treasures for us and reflect the institution's long association with some of India's greatest personalities.

Are there plans to establish a full-fledged museum?

Yes. As part of our bicentenary plans, we want to establish a proper museum and archival centre within the college. Our vision is to create a professionally-curated space where rare documents, historical records, furniture, laboratory instruments and other artefacts associated with the college can be preserved for future generations.

We have sought the guidance of Sayan Bhattacharya, director of the Indian Museum and an alumnus of our history department, to help us develop the project. We also hope to secure financial support from the central government, as developing such a museum requires considerable resources. The museum will not only preserve the college's history but also make its remarkable legacy accessible to students, researchers and visitors.

Our focus is not only on preserving these collections physically but also on making them accessible digitally. The library has been modernised with Radio Frequency Identification) RFID technology, and more than 30,000 books have already been tagged. We have a dedicated ‘Old and Rare Books Section’, which houses books dating back to the fifteenth century that were originally brought from Scotland. We have begun digitising these collections, starting with rare philosophy texts through our digital repository, Darshan Eshana, and will gradually expand the initiative to other departments, including Sanskrit. This is an important step towards preserving our academic heritage for future generations.

As Scottish Church College approaches its bicentenary, what is your vision for the institution?

Our vision is to build on our legacy while preparing for the future. Academic autonomy, expansion of interdisciplinary programmes, strengthening skill development, promoting entrepreneurship and restoring our historic heritage are all part of the same larger objective. Scottish Church College has a distinguished history spanning nearly 200 years. The next phase should ensure that we remain equally relevant for the next century by combining academic excellence with innovation and social responsibility.