Shri Shikshayatan College Review & Verdict by CollegeDekho

Campus at Glimpse

Established in 1955, Shri Shikshayatan College (SSC) is a leading institute based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Affiliated to the University of Calcutta and accredited Grade A by NAAC, the college is popularly known for offering Certificate, B.Ed, BBA, B.A., B.Sc., B.Com, M.Com, M.A., and B.Com (Hons) programmes. It is a girls college housing around 4200 students and 206 faculty members. SSC has a student-to-teacher ratio of 20:1, which ensures that students receive proper attention from their teachers. The teachers are well-trained and encourage students to participate in various group activities. The infrastructure of Shri Shikshayatan College is remarkable with Digital classrooms, fully equipped Wi-Fi connectivity, state-of-the-art laboratories, a cafeteria, a playground, an AC auditorium, seminar rooms, etc. However, there are no accommodation facilities. Therefore, students must make an effort to find an affordable PG near their college campus. Shri Shikshayatan College's placement numbers are almost zero for undergraduate courses and below average for postgraduate courses. It will be difficult for students to secure a place on campus or even participate in an internship.

Shri Shikshayatan College NIRF Ranking

Shri Shikshayatan College did not receive any NIRF ranking in 2023 despite submitting the report for it. However, in the year 2020, the Times of India ranked Shri Shikshayatan College 29th in India and 4th in Kolkata under the overall category.

Our Take

Being one of the leading colleges in a city like Kolkata, Shri Shikshayatan College should aim towards improving its overall stature to feature in the NIRF rankings. Despite offering excellent classroom training and scope for extra-curricular activities, some drawbacks might have kept SSC from ranking in the NIRF reports. The college campus is quite small and lacks hostel accommodation. SSC needs a lot of improvement in its course delivery, placements, campus life, research, innovation, etc. to make a name for itself. The administration should focus on collaborating with industries that will provide students with practical knowledge and experience, to improve its overall ranking. 

Shri Shikshayatan College Academia and Batch Size

Shri Shikshayatan College incorporates the CBCS system in all of its UG and PG courses. As per the CBCS (Choice-Based Credit System), students are evaluated continuously in the theoretical subjects. This evaluation includes 10 marks for internal assessment and 10 marks for classroom attendance. The college conducts the internal assessment according to a specific schedule. Over the past five years, students have achieved a pass percentage of 98.14%, as per the self-study report published by the college in 2022. Maintaining attendance is important at Shri Shikshayatan College. Failure to do so will result in students being penalized.

Faculty members have to document and submit information about the syllabus covered by them to the principal at the end of each month. The six monthly semesters conclude with an internal evaluation and tutorial done as per university standards, followed by the university examination. Students have highlighted that regular lessons and high-quality laboratories guarantee a positive educational experience. However, the course curriculum is not as per industry standards, which is a major setback for the college.

Our Take

Shri Shikshayatan College has a well-outlined course structure with tests conducted at regular intervals. This ensures that students are thorough with their studies and are in constant touch with books. This also can be beneficial as students develop the habit of preparing for the exams throughout the year instead of mugging up everything at once before the yearly exams. The mandatory attendance and hefty penalty make it compulsory for students to attend classes and be regular in their studies. We believe that there is a gap between industry and academia, which is mainly because the curriculum has not been revised and updated for a long time. Special focus must be given to updating the curriculum as per industry standards and requirements so that students acquire quality knowledge and are career-ready. The fact that the teachers have to submit monthly updates related to the course coverage indicates that the SSC administration closely monitors the performance of the faculty as well, and keeps tabs on how far the course curriculum has progressed. The management of Shri Shikshayatan College should consider introducing allied, emerging subjects and integrated courses in addition to more PG, certificate and vocational courses. Studying allied subjects during the course will open up many work opportunities for students. 

Shri Shikshayatan College Infrastructure 

The infrastructure of Shri Shikshayatan College is quite impressive as it features some state-of-the-art amenities that are worth mentioning. 

• Classroom: The college has a modern classroom that is fully air-conditioned. The classrooms have interactive smart boards and projectors. They also have enough PCs and laptops for teaching purposes. The seating arrangement is proper, with desks and benches.

• Auditorium/ Seminar Halls/ Labs:There is an air-conditioned theatre with modern amenities where cultural events and student-teacher activities are held. The college also has a seminar hall with a seating capacity of 105 people. The laboratories are well-equipped with modern technologies. The institution has two completely air-conditioned computer labs with 82 HP workstations to run the most recent multimedia and programming applications.

• Library: The college boasts of an air-conditioned, computerized open-access library with a collection of over 42,000 volumes from numerous periodicals, magazines, and newspapers. There is a seminar library for each Honours department. A book bank is also accessible to the college's underprivileged students.

• Internet: The college classrooms, staffrooms, and office all have roughly 220 LAN points for connection. The Shri Shikshayatan College library has an internet connection that can be accessed by the students. The institution has an exclusive internet room with HP workstations for students to utilize for academic purposes and to access online publications.

• Hostel: The college does not offer any hostel facilities for students. So, students who are from different cities or states have to look out for PGs on their own. The PGs, which are located near the college, have a rent of INR 10,000 per month.

• Activities:The college provides its students with various sporting facilities to help them improve their physical, mental, social, and emotional abilities. The sports centre offers both indoor and outdoor activities. The institute features both badminton and basketball courts. Aside from regular sports, students at this college participate in inter-college badminton competitions, basketball tournaments, and a variety of other sporting activities.

• Cafe/ Hang-out Places: The college has a canteen that serves hygienic food.

Our take 

Overall, the infrastructure at Shri Shikshayatan College is quite good.The institute has all the basic facilities and infrastructure required by students and staff members. Apart from academics, Shri Shikshayatan College also focuses on the holistic development of its students. The college encourages participation in various extracurricular activities, including cultural events, sports, seminars, workshops, and social service initiatives. These activities help students develop their leadership, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills, fostering their personal growth and self-confidence. The college also provides a platform for students to showcase their talents and skills through annual events and festivals. These events include cultural festivals, debates, quizzes, and sports tournaments, which contribute to the overall development of the students and provide opportunities for them to interact with their peers from different backgrounds. Students and teachers can get nutritious and hygienic meals and beverages from the college cafeteria. 

However, one major drawback is the absence of hostel facilities. This is a problem that students travelling from far away districts or outside the state face. Although there are local PGs available nearby, the cost of accommodation comes as an added expense. This may also be a reason why many students choose not to enrol for admission and opt for other reputable colleges when given a chance. The college administration must work on providing hostel facilities for students. Some students have claimed on Quora that the college restroom should be cleaned more frequently. In this aspect, the college staff must increase the frequency of washroom sanitation. Some students are not okay with the college’s library rule of a two-day return or fine policy. The college administration can increase the lending period of library books to a maximum of 6 days so that students get enough time to study and read the books. 

Shri Shikshayatan College Internships and Placements

Shri Shikshayatan College Internship

Shri Shikshayatan College offers a few internship opportunities to students. The scope for B.Com students is higher than any other department. 

Shri Shikshayatan College Placement

As per the college data submitted for NIRF ranking 2023, the college offered only 1% of placements, which is extremely poor. The Shri Shikshayatan College placements are almost nil. Those who got placements were offered around an INR 3.5 LPA salary package in companies like Wipro, Deloitte, TCS etc., which again, is quite low as per industry standards. 

UG 3 Years Placement

PG 2 Years Placements

Shri Shikshayatan College placements for PG 2 years courses are average. However, if we compare the 2021 placements with 2019 and 2018 the placement percentage has improved. 

Our Take

Despite having a Career Counselling & Placement Committee, Shri Shikshayatan College is performing poorly in terms of placements. The undergraduate course placements are almost nil. The postgraduate placements are, however, better than the UG placements, but still, they are just below average. To improve Shri Shikshayatan College placements, the college’s administration has a lot of work to do in terms of training students for interviews, bringing top recruiters to campus, and providing students with practical skills and industry-relevant knowledge. There is scope for enhanced career guidance and student placement facilities. The Committee must continue conducting workshops, seminars and special events to assist students in Career Planning. Increased interaction with industry through student internships and similar activities will also promote the industry-academia interface. Recognition of more departmental journals with ISSN and college publications with ISBN is desirable for the betterment of the college. The management should motivate faculty to go beyond their teaching responsibilities and participate in publications of journals and sponsored research projects. 

Shri Shikshayatan College Diversity and Representation

Shri Shikshayatan College is a girls' college where only female students can apply for admission. However, the college faculty includes both female and male professors and staff members. There were a total of 4379 female students in Shri Shikshayatan College, as per the college's data submitted for the NIRF ranking in 2023.

Shri Shikshayatan College State and Within-State Intake

Our Take

It is evident from the data above that the majority of the seats are taken by students from within the state. This may be due to the college's poor internship and placement opportunities and the inability to make it to the NIRF rankings. It is not as widely known outside of the state as it should be. Another reason why students from other states may not be keen on joining the academic programmes at SSC could be the lack of hostel accommodation. If the management succeeds in improving its placement rates at both UG and PG levels, especially for core specializations, like Management and Business Administration, Media, Mass Communication and Journalism, then the number of students enrolling for the academic year will see a major growth. Likewise, if the college administration manages to inaugurate hostel facilitation within the campus or an annexe building, then many students from adjacent districts and states will apply for admission.

Shri Shikshayatan College Faculty/College Administration & Management

Shri Shikshayatan College has around 206 faculty members. The college professors are well-educated and hold high academic qualifications. The lecturers are excellent; they use PowerPoint presentations and deliver PDFs, which reduces the amount of written work in class. The student-faculty ratio at Shri Shikshayatan College is roughly 20:1, which is good. Faculty members have attended CBCS orientation sessions, special lectures, and workshops given by colleges around the city to become acquainted with the new CBCS system and curriculum. The college has an operational Anti-Ragging Cell that takes strict actions to deal with serious offences. 

Our Take

The Shri Shikshayatan College administration is doing a good job of hiring well-qualified teachers. The university's excellent teacher-student ratio means that all students receive appropriate attention from their teachers. SSC has a non-political student council that serves as the apex student body and aims to conduct various student welfare programmes to encourage broader participation. This indicates that students have a voice and can bring issues to the college management and administration freely. With the presence of an anti-ragging cell, the administration can keep a continuous watch and vigil over ragging to prevent its occurrence and recurrence. This ensures that all students feel safe and secure on the college campus and that they have an easy mechanism to report any instance of ragging without fear. Another aspect that the Shri Shikshayatan College administration should consider is the Exchange programme. Establishing student and faculty exchange programmes with other reputed institutions will also help enhance the overall ranking. 

Shri Shikshayatan College Location

Shri Shikshayatan College is situated at 11 Lord Sinha Road, Elgin, Kolkata, West Bengal 700071. The college is located in the heart of the city, which makes students' lives easy. Shri Shikshayatan College does not offer any transportation services to students. However, students can also get easy access to transportation facilities like buses, rickshaws, autos, Ola, Uber, etc. The nearest metro station to the SSC campus located only 6 minutes away is Rabindra Sadan Metro Station. There are medical stores, grocery stores, departmental stores, and stationery shops situated nearby. In addition, students can also find eatery shops, restaurants and cafes within a few kilometres of the college campus where they can eat and hang out with friends during break time. 

Our Take

Shri Shikshayatan College's location is prime. Since the college does not provide transportation, it would be beneficial to the students if the administration could consider starting some bus facilities within the city to make it simpler for students to attend college. Also, since the existing college campus is of decent size, the administration should consider building a second campus equipped with infrastructural facilities like a hostel, gymnasium, amphitheatre, art gallery and sports stadium. This will further encourage more students to seek admission and also motivate them to engage in extra-curricular activities. 

Expectation vs Reality CollegeDekho Verdict

Shri Shikshayatan College in Kolkata is a well-respected institution with a strong academic reputation. It is best known for its Certificate, BBA, B. Ed, B.A., B.Com, B.Sc., B.Com (Hons), M.Com, and M.A. courses. Students can choose from these programmes to pursue higher studies and a rewarding career. Apart from an excellent classroom-learning environment and great support from the faculties, you will get enough opportunities for co-curricular activities. Coming to the setbacks, the Shri Shikshayatan College internship and placement records are not good enough as far as industry exposure is concerned. Moreover, students applying from neighbouring districts or outside West Bengal may have to face inconveniences due to the lack of hostel accommodation within the college premises. However, the 'goodness' of a college is subjective and depends on individual preferences, academic goals, and career aspirations. It is important to research and consider various factors such as faculty, facilities, campus life, and alumni success when evaluating the suitability of Shri Shikshayatan College for your educational needs.

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