IQAC

Best Practices

1. A Biome within the Campus
Going green and being in nature has been a consistent practice of our campus. To be a pro- active partner of eco-system is what our institution aims, inspiring our students to become environment stewards. Sustainability in theory and practice has always been the motto of the campus. ‘Cleanliness is Godliness’, a centre of learning, nothing less than the abode of God needs to be kept clean. Every month clean campus drive is done in mission mode and special care is taken to collect, discard and discourage the use of plastics. Our campus is home to beautiful varieties of trees like Terminalia Bellirica(thanni), Saraca asoca(asoka), Red sandalwood(rakthachandhanam), Sandalwood(chandanam), Jackfruit tree(plav), Mango tree(mavu), Mahagony, Tamarind tree (valan puli), Malabar tamarind(kodampuli), Bamboo, Pongamia Pinnata(ungu), Neem tree(aryavepu), Jambul tree (njaval), Gul mohar(vaga), Peacock flower(rajamalli), Arjun tree(maruthu), Indian mast tree (arana maram), etc. Despite giving an earthly ambience to the campus, the array of trees also provide shade and is an oxygen hub, where students hang out and study. The organisations like NSS, Bhoomitra sena have been in the forefront in the distribution, planting and maintenance of saplings. Virgin forest(kanyavanam) has bloomed into a natural grove(nakshatravanam), harbouring birds like Bulbul,JungleBabbler(kariyilakili),Parrots, Pigeons and a plethora of butterflies like Bluebottle, Crow, Bluetiger,Bluepancy etc. Another attraction is a herbal garden with diverse medicinal plants like Coleus barbatus (panikoorka,Tulsi, Aloevera(katarvazha),Hibiscus(chembarathi),Leucas aspera(thumbapoo),Jungle geranium(chethi),Citrus sinensis(naarakam),etc. Giving thrust to pesticide free cultivation, organic farming practice is adopted and vegetables bitter gourd, yam and snake-gourd are sold in the market, improving the entrepreneurial skills of the students. Invited talks and discussions were organised to make students aware about the need for the prudent use of natural resources. Creating ‘a biome within the campus’ is not a momentary thought but a vision that needs to be persevered; a futuristic and progressive goal the entire college aspires to.

2.Knowledge Spin-off/Knowledge Innovation-Application
We conceive education as a holistic process embracing realms beyond classrooms, with a spill-over effect on the community. To inculcate research aptitude, the curiosity of the students is given a natural prodding by the teachers. Knowledge is what knowledge does. Keeping this in mind, the college endeavoured to apply theoretical knowledge for the goodness of the community. The research projects at Post Graduate and Undergraduate level, under the guidance of teachers made area-based studies in diverse areas. The title of the research projects was carefully calibrated to understand, analyse, assess and solve socio-economic and political problems. The studies done by the Department of Economics, Commerce and Political Science have been focused, relevant and varied, covering topics like consumer satisfaction, labour welfare measures, banking sector, employee satisfaction, environment issues, development profile of panchayaths, problems of cultivators, nutrition level of children, problems of old age pensioners, economic empowerment of rural women, socio-economic profile of unorganised workers, resource allocation of Panchayaths, investment preference, deposit mobilisation, rural development, decentralised planning, waste management, democracy, constitutional questions, etc. This academic practice brought a sea change in the perceptions of both the students as well as the teachers. Familiarization with cutting edge knowledge in their respective disciplines made the students inquisitive and to seriously think about research after post-graduation. The synergy of erudition and pragmatism reflected in these projects helped to get in touch with community, revealed the real reason behind the problem and provided suggestions to tackle social, cultural, political and logistic hindrances. The student-teachers in alliance acts as a knowledge- bridge, building and changing the lives of community.

Institutional Distinctiveness.
Panampilly Memorial Government College, a campus of the students, by the students and for the students is unique for its democratic credentials. The administrative system as well as the academic structure of our college is democratic and decentralised. The internal evaluation system is streamlined in such a way that the college has three structured grievance redressal mechanism for the students at teacher, department and institution levels, headed by the Principal. The highlight of our campus is that grievances, if any, is cleared at the teacher level itself. The rapport between teachers and students are strong that few complaints have gone to higher level. From academics to non- academics, scholastic to non-scholastic areas, it is the students who lead and coordinate. The freedom enjoyed by the students make them progressive, creative and confident. The programmes like SSP, WWS, ASAP help to identify the faculties of the students and train them accordingly. Special counselling sessions were organised to bust out exam stress and student volunteers identify vulnerable students who are in need of psychological support. The titles of the research projects, assignments and seminars are decided mutually by the teacher and the concerned student on democratic basis. The mode of class is discussion than lecture method where diverse ideas are encouraged. Teachers engage with students, instigate their questioning mind and acknowledge their work. Such small moments have a big impact. To keep students on track, in spite of a formal internal evaluation system, other methods like viva, end of unit test, etc are also used. Feedback is collected to know about the individual needs. Though we set deadlines, empathetic, flexible and student-centric approach is followed. Case by case sensitivity is shown and a second chance is given for the deserved. Teachers are accessible and the students are encouraged to give out their opinions boldly. In cocurricular activities too, students take the lead and have the freedom to discuss, express, interact, learn, unlearn, relearn and use their creative ideas. Teachers believe in their student’s talent and the programmes are stage managed completely by them. The observation of the teachers are valued by the students. The combined strength of accumulated wisdom of teachers and the energy of the students did wonders by bagging prizes in Dzone and our mime team got selected in a Malayalam movie(poomaram) to perform. The students are in their teens, an age of turbulent emotions and teachers in our college are well trained to deal them with empathy and maturity. Without any fear or guilt, our students, think, express and act confidently. In every activity, committees, clubs, discussions, meetings the student community is well represented and their voice is echoed. Teachers, shoulder to shoulder with students could build a positive and friendly atmosphere in the campus, where the students feel the warmth of home and the strength of an institution, sharpening their academic and socio-emotional skills.