Best Practice I - Social Conscience

Objective

To instil a spirit of social service in the young minds, the teachers encourage the students to apply their acquired knowledge and skills for the upliftment of life of downtrodden and marginalised strata of the society so that the latter also “receive beautiful things as ideas, openness, joy, healing and inclusion.” In reaching out to society in this manner, the analytic, intellectual, innovative and creative capabilities are enhanced to bring constructive and positive change in the society. Teachers also fulfil their social responsibility by helping the needy stakeholders.

Context

• Illegal cultivation of cannabis in various pockets of Kullu is on the rise and more vulnerable targets are being roped in. The problem has become a highly challenging issue in the state and is being dealt with at various levels.
• Due to poor socio-economic conditions, some migrant families have illegally settled in the Sarvari area of Kullu town. These slum dwellers need to be made aware of the importance of educating their children about health and hygiene.
• Teachers collectively help the needy students by donating money to bear academic expenses like fees, purchasing books, hostel dues etc. The teachers also contribute money to help any staff members and their families in the college whenever the dire need arises.

Practice

The local administration including the Health Dept., Police Dept. and NGOs, Mahila Mandals and educational institutions of the state are actively trying their best to curtail the problem of substance abuse. Our college has the strength of above 5000 students who fall in the bracket of the most prone category to fall prey to this menace. We have been making various efforts to make our students awareof the perils of drug abuse and we joined hands with the Administration in massive awareness campaigns. Many programs were organized in collaboration with De-addiction Centre Regional Hospital Kullu Like Street plays, lectures, rallies with the motto ‘Say No to Drugs’ in Dhalpur ground, hospital premises and community service programs in nearby villages. Our Rovers & Rangers also actively participated in the campaign Vyapak Nashamukti Abhiyan under the project Sehbhagita –Hamari Aur Aapki started by the S.P. Kullu in 2017-18 and through street plays, rallies and awareness campaigns in various villages and the town to sensitize the community about the ill effects of drugs and to keep them vigilant against the spread of the menace.
To bridge the gap between different sections of society, the students and teachers of the college took the initiative to educate children in slum areas and provide assistance in various ways. In a project Samarth initiated by the Rover leader Mr Jyoti Charan (Assistant Professor) in the session 2021, the Rovers & Rangers have been constantly working for the underprivileged children of the slum area of Kullu every Saturday. Under this project, school-going children are taught in a fun-learning manner, are told about the necessity of cleanliness and hygiene, as well as trained in basic behaviour and etiquette, and assisted in preparing for their exams. By engaging the children in various activities like games and cultural competitions etc. efforts are being made to bring them into the mainstream. The students are rewarded for further motivation and encouragement. Donated articles are also distributed to them at intervals.

Evidence of Success

Due to the active participation of the students in the project Sehbhagita Hamari Aur Aapki, positive outcomes were observed as the active involvement of Mahila Mandals, villagers etc. to uproot this menace of drug abuse from the society. In 2019, the institution received a letter of appreciation from S.P. Kullu in this regard.
As the children living in a slum area of Sarwari are regularly engaged in various activities like games and cultural competitions etc. a drastic change has been observed in their overall behaviour and personality. Their regular attendance in the classes taken by the Rovers & Rangers in the slum area also proves that the children are motivated and enthusiastic about learning. One of the slum dwellers got so motivated by the Rovers & Rangers activities in his area that he decided to join college and also became a member of CSCA for the session 2022-23 as a Ranger and also acted as the leader of the group visiting the slum.
Many students due to lack of funds have to reluctantly leave their studies, but some of them who received financial assistance from the staff continued their pursuit of education and completed their degree. Financial assistance was also given to the families of the deceased.

Problems Encountered and Resources Required

All the students who take part in these social outreach programs are unable to balance academics and co-curricular activities. As the students have to devote extra time to such activities they find it difficult to focus on their studies. It also takes a lot of effort and time on the part of the people to accept and change.
Insufficient funds from the govt. agencies for carrying out extension activities like Project Samarth in the slum of Sarwari posed a challenge as books and stationery had to be distributed among the children. The parents of the children in the slum are reluctant to send their wards to attend the activities. It was a difficult task to convince and encourage the parents as well as the children. The children had to be given some incentives for participation and motivation.

Best Practice 2 – Clean and eco-friendly campus for environmental sustainability

Objective

Stakeholders must understand their responsibility in taking care of the natural resources available in the best possible manner, for themselves as well as conserving and preserving resources for future generations. Our objective is to make the stakeholders aware of issues related to the environment as well as health and hygiene so that they acquire the required set of values and concerns for the environment. The teachers of our college actively engage students in various activities encourage and motivate them to develop a mindset towards creating a clean, eco-friendly campus and thus positively contribute to environmental sustainability.

Context

The Stockholm Declaration states that man bears a solemn responsibility to protect and improve the environment for present and future generations so that a favourable living and conducive environment is ensured for quality of life on earth.
In this modern age, environmental degradation has taken alarming proportions due to various factors like pollution of air, water and land due to industrialisation, overpopulation, consumerism, materialism and un-mindful use of our natural resources. Ecological crisis is threatening the existence of species of flora and fauna including mankind. Man who can think, discriminate and choose, has himself become the greatest enemy of nature. Our hilly state which is a national and international tourist destination is also not untouched by the problem of environmental degradation. If we don’t take corrective and preventive measures to protect our environment, we will have to bear the brunt of our negligence.

The Practice

The following measures have been taken by the institution to make the campus eco-friendly, clean and hygienic thereby promoting environmental sustainability.
A cleanliness drive is undertaken every Saturday by students and teachers. All departments are responsible for keeping their departments clean and the remaining areas of different blocks are assigned to different groups of students and units on a rotational basis the teachers also are actively involved in these cleanliness drives. Plantation drives are also carried out from time to time.
For environmental sustainability, the college is increasingly relying on the use of non-conventional sources of energy by installing Solar Photovoltaic Panels. Solar panels have been installed on the rooftops of different buildings i.e. Arts Block, Library Building, Boys Hostel and Science Block having a capacity of 28kw, 6kw, 5kw and another 5kw respectively. Other energy-saving measures taken include switching off electric equipment/lights when not in use and use of energy-efficient LED bulbs. Students are regularly sensitized about energy conservation by organising lectures by HPSEB personnel that serve the objective of encouraging our youth to understand the importance of energy conservation and more use of green energy.
The drainage system of the college has been linked to the Rainwater harvesting tank and the water collected is used to irrigate the plants thus contributing to the conservation of water. The tank is also linked to the fire extinguishing system so that the water can be used in case of emergency. The college has a biodegradable waste management system, the biodegradable waste from the hostel messes and the canteen along with the dried leaves collected during cleaning of the campus are dumped in the biodegradable waste pit. For the decomposition, some earthworms are regularly added to the pit and it is monitored to check the dampness and the compost is used in the flower beds and pots. The segregated waste material collected in separate dustbins is handed over to the municipality garbage collectors for its proper disposal. There is a proper disposal of Lab waste and a separate pit has been made for collection of liquid waste from the Chemistry Lab. Another plan was made in 2021-22 to utilize the plastic packing material waste to make eco-bricks which could be used in different manners to reduce the hazards caused by this waste material. In 2022-23 constant efforts are being made to encourage the students and other stakeholders to implement this idea so that they not only get involved in it but also sensitise their family and community.

Evidence of Success

The solar energy generation by the Solar Power System installed on the rooftop, the usage and the resultant decrease in the monthly electricity bills is evidence that we have successfully conserved energy.
The participation of students along with college staff in regular cleanliness drives undertaken every Saturday has contributed to keeping the campus clean. Students have also learnt about the dignity of labour by participating regularly in the Swachta Abhiyan.
Proper waste disposal management which includes proper garbage segregation has resulted in safe disposal of the waste which is picked up by the municipality garbage collectors in a segregated manner. On the other hand, the production of organic manure by the biodegradable waste material from the canteen and the hostel messes is being utilised in nourishing plants in the college.
Harvested rainwater is utilised for irrigating the plants. The tank is also linked to the fire extinguishing system so that the water can be used in case of emergency.
Eco bricks made by the students have resulted in a decrease in plastic waste especially wrappers scattered in the college campus and these bricks have been utilised in the campus.

Problems Encountered and resources required

The college has about more than 5000 students on its rolls. Keeping in view the strength of the college the campus is relatively small and for maintaining cleanliness in the campus there are no regular Safai Karamcharis and part-time Safai Karamcharis have been engaged through PTA fund. Therefore, it is always a challenge to keep the college campus clean. Though the students participate enthusiastically in the cleanliness drives yet they cannot spare time during their exams. Therefore permanent staff is needed.
More solar panels can be installed on the Girls’ hostel’s roof and the under-construction building of the administrative block as and when the funds are available.
The rain-water harvesting tank needs to be regularly cleaned due to silt and other waste material that chokes the inlets/outlets of the tank.