The Women`s Christian College is a religious minority Institution and recognized by the Government of West Bengal and University of Calcutta. The College was founded on July 19, 1945. It had a humble beginning with three teachers and four students from which it has seven hundred students in the Degree Course. The college has a scarcity for space but still the curricular and extra-curricular activities are carried out with a great enthusiasm of both teachers and students. Women`s Christian College was born under the aegis of Bengal Christian Council. The college did not have any foreign missionary grants but it started with the generous contribution from Indian personnel who tried hard to promote education with Christian nurture. The objective of the college is to serve God and the country through a band of educated and cultured women. The Founder Principal of the College Miss Stella Bose and the Founder Secretary Miss Niroj Basini Shome are the two persons who have great contribution to the establishment of this educational institute. The College is situated at 6, Greek Church Row, Kalighat, Kolkata-700026.
The Women`s Christian College prepares young women to meet the challenges of the new era and equip them to take their rightful place in the society with confidence. The College is unique in the sense that most of the members in Governing Body and Staffs are women. The College aims at touching the entire life of the students through their intellectual, moral as well as physical well being in a healthy and happy Christian atmosphere. In this College the students are always encouraged and supported so that they can get the most benefit from their studies and from the wider life of the college. The students are provided with excellent facilities so that they can develop their full potential. The College believes that education is most effective when it is mixed with good measure of extra-curricular and extension activities. The Womens` Christian College is the center for cultural, recreational and creative activities of the students. The Students` Union is totally non political. Women`s Christian College offers hostel facility to the students who live far away from the city or don`t have easy access to the college. The hostel is situated in the college building so that the students can be provided with care and security by the management.
There is a proper Governing body in the college, which is responsible for all the decision-making processes. It also takes decision regarding budgeting and fund allotment. The subjects offered in Honours in the arts stream are Bengali, English, Philosophy, History, Sanskrit and political Science. Education and Sociology are offered in general courses only. For B.Sc honours there are Economics and Geography, while Mathematics is offered in B.Sc general only.
The library of Womens` Christian College was started along with the college in the same year to facilitate the study procedure. The college has a General Library along with Seminar Libraries.
The General Library gives facility to all types of members and ex-students of the college to borrow books. The college library has a Book Bank. There is a reading room attached to the General library. This library is interconnected with American Information Center for inter library borrowing. Apart from this, each department has Seminar libraries. The general library remain closed on Sundays and other college Holidays. The total number of books in this library is nearly twenty thousand. The College library subscribes sixteen journals, among which eight are periodicals. The membership of the general library is open to teachers, students, non-teaching staffs, members of the governing body of the college etc. The reading room facility is provided to the ex-students on all weekdays after 2 pm. Career Guidance books are also available in the general library and it has also a question paper section. The library has a provision to make everything computerized.
The only laboratory of the college is situated in the Geography department since the other subjects are non-laboratory based. The laboratory is the most essential part of the Geography department. It is well-equipped with adequate number of Geographical instruments for surveying like Dumpy Level, weather and metrological instruments like Barometer and Hygrometer, instruments for air photo interpretation like Protect and Mirror Stereoscope. The students also get chance to see different types of Maps like Topographical Map, Weather Map, Satellite Imageries and Air photos. The laboratory also has a huge collection of different types of rocks and mineral specimens. Two computers are installed in the laboratory. The computers are loaded with the software of GIS. In addition to this the laboratory has a good collection of wall maps, charts and light tracing tables.
The Womens` Christian College also has conventional offline methods of teaching of computer education with help of highly qualified faculty members as their teachers. The college believes in quality of teaching and so there is own faculty training program to the new recruits who have high educational background. The College offers Certificate Course in Computer Education in association with Interface 4U. There is an Overhead Projector in this College in the seminar room, which is being used in all departments and for teaching of environmental studies. There is also an audiovisual room in this College, where almost all the departments of the college arrange for Educational Film shows. The college common room has a table-tennis board, a carom board and a chessboard as well as ample space so that students can spend their leisure hours there.
The hostel is attached to the College. Students from different parts of the state as well as from the country stay in the hostel. They represent different creeds; still they stay together as friends. The Secretary is the in charge of the hostel, who pays personal attention to every boarder. There are also three residential matrons who look after the domestic need of the boarders. The Hosteliers are not usually allowed to leave the hostel within the session i.e. from July to June. Under special circumstances only, the boarders are permitted to leave the hostel before the term is completed.
There are many extra-curricular activities by the college students. Seminars, workshops, special lectures, Students` seminar, Guest lecture seminars, UGC sponsored seminars and seminars sponsored by Peerless, special lectures with audio-visual aid etc. are arranged regularly. Women`s Christian College also has a Debate Club, which was formed in September 28,2000. The students of the college performed brilliantly in many inter-college debate competitions. The students are also encouraged to explore their talents in music, dance, art, craft, creative writing etc. Every year, Talent Search Contest is organized by the Student`s Union of the College. Excursions are arranged by the college as well as various departments. The annual excursion of the college improves teacher-student relationship as well as increases the closeness between the interdisciplinary students.
The college magazine named as Srijan is published annually. The college journal is named as Image, while Udita is the name for the wall magazine of Women`s Christian College. Apart from this, several departments publish journal, magazines, working paper series, which are the joint efforts of the staff, students and alumnae.
The College does not have its own playground. Still the college used to arrange sports in the local playground. During the last few years due to unavailability of the sports ground the college arranges championship in the indoor games. However, the rowing team of the college performed brilliantly in the State-level and inter-college rowing meet.
Students of Women`s Christian College participated in the Youth Parliament Competition conducted by the Department of Parliamentary Affairs, Government of West Bengal for the consecutive years 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 and 2002-2003.
The Faculty Development Program regularly organizes lecture series. The program motivates the faculty members to participate regularly in the in-house seminars. The members of the particular department deliver the lecture on a topic. After the seminars there is lively interactive session, where the students and teachers actively participate.
The Women`s Christian College celebrates many occasions. At the end of the year the students unite in a milieu of joy and happiness to celebrate the Christmas. Under the guidance of the teachers the students enthusiastically present the drama to represent the birth of Jesus Christ. Light refreshments including a piece of Christmas cake are served to all students. The Women`s Christian College also celebrates International Women`s Day, the Sanskrit Day, and World Environment Day etc. The world Book Day is organized by the Department of English.
The Women`s Christian College organized many Medical programs like medical awareness program, health awareness program, medical camp for determination of blood group of students, self-defence program, eye-care awareness program.
The department of Sanskrit organized a program of social work with the intension to help flood affected people. Students of Philosophy Honours are attached to an orphanage of Kolkata, where they help a lot to bring them in the mainstream life. The students of Political Science department participate regularly in the awareness program for the scheduled caste women. The students and the teachers of the department of History assisted in Bharat Sevasram Sangha.
The College has an actively functioning non-formal literacy and education center, named as `Vikasini`, which was inaugurated in 1990. The institute started only with 20-30 women from the nearby slum area. The project was sponsored by AIACHE (All India Association for Christian Higher Education`s Center for Women `s development) but now the project runs by the College and Students Union. Vikasini arranges evening classes for the women and children of slum area. They are taught by teachers and students under the observation of a teaching staff. The students of Vikasini are provided with books and stationeries and are given different types of prizes at the completion of every year. The Center observes Women`s Day (8th March) with a great importance. The Vikasini promotes non-formal and functional education. It raises social, legal and political awareness. It makes aware about hygiene and cleanliness. Vikasini provides publicity to women`s problems and situation through media. Vikasini also works in collaboration with some of the NGOs, which change the present attitude and values in Society regarding women`s roles and rights.
