Best Practices: I

1)Title: Skill development courses sponsored by UGC.

2)Goal: To enable students develop their skills simultaneously with their UG program. To get sponsorship from UGC for the certificate, diploma and degree courses.

3) Context:Students are academically competent but skill wise they need more coaching and training. UGC has launched special schemes under NSQF for skill development courses. The college desires to forward proposals to UGC and to avail the courses to college students.

4) The Practice:As the college is situated in utter rural area, students are lacking various skills. Academically they are good enough but skill wise they need more guidance. UGC has launched special skill courses under NSQF. To avail these courses to Students College has send proposal to UGC through university. Two of the courses were sanctioned by UGC, Automobile Technology and Accounting & Taxation. Students willing to seek admission to said courses were admitted. Dr. M.K. Shirsat, the coordinator designed a plan and schedule for the courses. Staff was appointed for the courses. Students who have sought admission are communicated separately as well as commonly. Course wise modules are programs are prepared.

5) Evidence of success:Out of 100 students admitted to skill courses, 16 students were placed in different companies in the last year. This year due to corona pandemic scheduled exams were postponed. We are looking forward for placements this year too. Placements or self-employment is just means but the competent students with developed skills itself we take as an evidence of success.

6) Problems encountered and resources required:Skill development is the urgent and necessary need in the present scenario in higher education. The traditional education policy is as good as outdated. Students and parents in rural area need more counseling for the same.Due to Corona pandemic and the worldwide lockdowns that followed, students scheduled for examination in April 2020, could not appear for examination. Hence examinations will be rescheduled.For online teaching and examination, technology and technical instruments are not enough. In an attempt to conduct online exams, more competent staff and instruments are required.

7) Notes: With changing times, educational policies too need charges and reformation, skillful education is the need of the day.

Best Practice: II

 1) Title: Water Harvesting policies in adopted village Karanjee

2) Goal:To implement policies of ground water harvesting in adopted village Karanjee so as to make the villages self-sufficient and face the draught situations.

3) Context: Ashtitaluka and Beed district is a draught prone area of Maharashtra state. Every year too much fund is utilized facing draught. Every year college adopts a village to implement policies like water harvesting, sanitization, cleanliness and villager’s orientation. This year the village Karanjee, 10 kilometers from College was adopted to implement water harvesting policy.

4) The Practice:All the water in rain was going waste every year. The college decided to implement water harvesting policies in an adopted village Karanjee. NSS volunteers, staff and the villagers got gathered in the village at scheduled time on the particular day. Looking at the gathering, more villagers joined to share hand in the collective work. Rain water of rivers and brooks was going waste. This water needed to be stopped and percolated in the land. 125 students, 40 staff members and 37 villagers made human chain to collect stones and sand bags to put into the river. A wide and strong dyke was ready. It was expected to stop the rain water and raise the water level of wells and bore wells in the village.

5) Evidence of success: Adopted village Karanjee could show the results very next year.Water level in the wells and bore wells raised to a remarkable height. It gave good effect to irrigation and yield. Farmers were happy to get better crops. Village Karanjee received third prize in taluka level water cup competition organized by Pani Foundation. Greenery of the village added to the overall beauty and the lifestyles of farmers became better than before.

6) Problems encountered and the resources required:Initially villagers were not ready to participate in the project. They were not ready to allow NSS unit of college to implement water harvesting policies in the village. There wards who were learning in the college participated as volunteers. Later villages also got ready to implement the idea of putting stones in the river. Government schemes need more publicity and village orientation. UGC and the University should shoulder the responsibility of water harvesting policies and hand it over to colleges.

7) Notes:Water harvesting policy definitely brings expected results. All the policies on paper if implemented rigorously get success. Higher education institutes should contribute to such type of activity as an extension activity.