Why this girls college,40 km from North Campus,is drawing crowds
Forty kilometres from the North Campus,where freshly out-of-school applicants are busy registering for admission to DUs under-graduate courses,is Bhagini Nivedita College.
Forty kilometres from the North Campus,where freshly out-of-school applicants are busy registering for admission to DU’s under-graduate courses,is Bhagini Nivedita College.
Located in the village of Mitraon in southwest Delhi,Bhagini Nivedita caters to a crowd of students very different from those who walk the corridors of North and South Campus. “Our students come from 30 villages in the Najafgarh area,” says Dr Purabi Saikia,principal of Bhagini Nivedita.
“Many of our students help their parents in farms in the morning,come to college and after classes again help out in household chores,” she says.
Established in 1993,this women’s college is fully funded by the Delhi government and offers four courses — BA (Programme),B Com (Pass),
BA (H) Hindi and BSc Applied Physical Sciences. Most courses are taught in Hindi and they are structured as per the preference of the girls of the village,with vocational courses in fashion designing and office management.
An English language proficiency course was started last year with the help of the Institute of Lifelong Learning,Delhi University. “At least 22 students enrolled for the course at the beginner’s level. I can see the change in them — their confidence has grown tremendously,” Saikia says.
Most students of the college are first-generation learners. One of them is Aarti,a second-year student of BA (Programme) and the first girl in her family to receive college education. “I created a scene at home when my parents refused to let me go to college,” she says.
Things were a little easy for 20-year-old Poonam,a resident of Pandwala Kalan village near Najafgarh,since her family wanted her to study. Trouble,however,came from other quarters as her neighbours objected to her plans. “My neighbours wanted me to marry after school. A compromise was reached when I took admission in this college because it is very close to my village.”
Ask her about her future plans and her smile fades. “I want to study further,may be,do a B Ed,but it isn’t in my hands. My parents would want me to marry.”
Talking about her college experience,Puja Gulia (22),a final year student of BSc Applied Physical Sciences,says,“Owing to the location of the college,I was a little sceptical of the college standards at first. However,I soon realised that the teachers here were quite good. The science result of BNC has been on par with that of many main campus colleges.”
Principal Saikia says,“Our college topper got 74 per cent,just 3 per cent less than what the university topper got.” Students come to this college with around 60 per cent marks in Class XII,while North Campus colleges have a 90 per cent cut-off,but they graduate with higher marks,she adds.
The college,however,faces a peculiar problem — about 70 per cent of the students get married in the second year and have to deal with family issues,Saikia says. “We devote a lot of time to counselling students as well as their parents.”
Situated almost two kilometres from the main road,the college has transportation problems. There are only three buses to provide shuttle services.
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