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X'TIAN HIGHER EDUCATION TOPS INDIA'S BEST-COLLEGES LIST...
Christian colleges feature in the list of top Indian educational
institutions within the country. But their presence is mainly concentrated
in fields like Arts and Science and Medicine, while showing a low presence
in fields like engineering and law.
Jesuit-run Loyola College in Chennai tops the list of Science colleges in
India, while Christian Medical College of Vellore stands a clear first among
a list of 'Top 10 Colleges' emerging from a "survey of academic excellence"
put out by newsmagazine 'India Today' in its issue dated May 13, 2002.
"Knowledge today is an international commodity. As the world becomes
frenetically competitive, nations realise the value of good quality higher
education. India can only stand on a par with the rest of the world if its
education system is strong," says the national newsmagazine.
India has a total of 10,000 colleges, 250 universities and five million
students. This, says India Today, "offers bewildering choices to parents and
children".
India Today began its surveys in 1997, and says this year it gave weightage
to facilities available in a college, student-teacher ratios, accessibility
of job placements from a college and other factors, while deciding on the
list of 'top colleges' in the country.
"The combination of these new criteria has brought us new winners while some
old ones have dropped off," said 'India Today'. It said in the past, it used
interviews with some 450 leading experts in order to arrive at the ranking,
based on "peer review and perception".
Commented India Today: "In arts, Presidency College, Chennai, which was
rated fourth last year, took the top spot, shoving aside St Xavier's
College, Kolkata. But in science, the new weightage saw Presidency College,
Chennai, tumbled from its pedestal giving way to its neighbour down the road
-- (Jesuit-run) Loyola College."
It also added, later in its analysis: "But it was medicine that produced the
biggest upset. Christian Medical College, Vellore, which was rated seventh
last year, moved rapidly upwards and ousted the All India Institute of
Medical Sciences, Delhi, from the top slot."
But, without getting carried away by the positive achievements, the fact
remains that Christian institutions have a poor presence in fields like
engineering, and law. Management, a field where Christian educators
particularly the Jesuits are known to run only a few, but top ranking
institutions, was not rated.
Besides, the number of students getting education in top Christian colleges
seems to be smaller than in other prestigious institutions. This could imply
that only few students could benefit from such quality institutions, leading
to charges of elitism.
On the Arts front, St Xavier's College in Kolkata is ranked second, Madras
Christian College of Chennai is third, St Xavier's of Mumbai if fourth,
while Loyola College of Chennai is seventh, and St Stephen's of Delhi is
eighth.
Commented India Today: "St Xavier's College, Kolkata, retained its No.2
position in Arts this year thanks to its increasingly competitive academic
content. The days when it was dismissed as a brick-and-mortar recreation of
a Bollywood institution are over. A fully-equipped computer lab, an
audio-visual room and a professional studio with an editing room have helped
cast the college in a new mould."
It adds: "The most creditable surge this year has been that of Madras
Christian College. From last year's 9th place, it has moved up to 3rd.
Academics apart, the 365-acre campus with a cricket ground with Australian
turf, athletics track and football field continue to be a major draw."
Loyola College in Madras tops the Science stream. In the year 2000 it was
ranked fourth nationwide, and in 2001, second.
This ranking attributes much of Loyola's success to the college
administration's "futuristic approach". It says: "While drawing from its
76-year-old tradition, Loyola has made a conscious effort to blend academic
excellence and history. Its restructured syllabus, in effect from 2000-01,
is something many educational institutions are trying to emulate."
Besides streamlining the academic schedule, the syllabus includes topics such
as world religion, heritage, personality development, social analysis,
computer literacy, arts for science, science for arts and skill-based
training in the last semester.
"Nobody disagrees with Loyola's hallmark assets like excellent faculty,
enviable infrastructure and focussed learning. And Loyola is proud to be a
trend-setter in developing the student beyond the knowledge of text books,"
it quotes Principal Father V. Joseph Xavier as saying.
Recently, science education was taken to an "all-new dimension" with the
formation of the Loyola Institute of Frontier Energy (LIFE), an
inter-disciplinary group working on projects involving the basic sciences
department. With more than 80 published works since its inception in 1995,
LIFE "enables even undergraduate students to participate in
research-oriented projects", adds India Today.
It says, for instance, the chemistry department has a patent on a low-cost
method for coating lead with chromium for application in India's major power
reactors.
In th fields of Commerce, St Xavier's of Kolkata was second, followed by St
Xavier's of Mumbai at third. Loyola's was fourth and Madras Christian
College, seventh.
Engineering and law saw the total absence of any Christian-run colleges.
In the field of medicine, however, Christian Medical College of Vellore stop
a clear tops, out-shining prestigious institutions like the AIIMS run out of
Delhi.
"This year Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, has up-staged AIIMS that
had maintained a comfortable supremacy in the last five surveys. CMC's
social commitment combined with a research-oriented academics has give it a
fine edge," said India Today. CMC was founded in 1918 as a medical school by
Dr Ida Sophia Scudder, the daughter of a missionary. From this small centre
in South India, it has grown to "become a credible centre for medical care",
says India Today.
"As an institution run by a council of churches, 45 of the 60 meritorious
students admitted each year are selected from among the members of different
churches," says India Today. It quotes principal Dr Ravi Jacob Korula
saying, "The entrance test is framed to ensure we get the cream of
students."
CMC reserves for seats for students from the economically disadvantaged
sectors. The cost of education too is comparatively low. While the tuition
fees is Rs 3,000 per year, the total expense adds up to just Rs 18,000.
Students are not taxed as "CMC is flush with funds coming from more than 50
institutions", says India Today. The rich pool of the college comprises 550
doctors, 122 professors, 56 associated professors and 156 lecturers.
Students emerge different too. India Today quotes final year MBBS student
Pravesh Kumar Chalotra: "You can't pass out of CMC without becoming a caring
doctor." His own long-term plans are to serve the poor in one of the
peripheral hospitals in his home state, Jammu and Kashmir.
India Today also lists are number of other 'top colleges' of India. These
include Christ College at Bangalore ("journalism and commerce courses are a
major draw"), Christian College in Lucknow ("exchange programmes with
European universities are a plus"), Jesus and Mary College of Delhi
("academics and cultural activities are the pluses"), Jyoti Nivas College of
Bangalore ("sports and cultural activities are also given weightage").
Other colleges that gain positive mention are Loreto College of Kolkata
("there's room for all-round growth in a disciplined milieu"), Madras
Christian College ("has a big campus with an Australian turf cricket
pitch"), Mount Carmel College in Bangalore ("the college is seeking a deemed
university status"), Sophia College for Women ("focuses on empowering women
and has a need-based admission policy"), St Ann's College for Women in
Hyderabad ("stresses on overall development of students"), St Francis'
College for Women ("the first autonomous college of Osmania University, it
aims at 'holistic' education), St Joseph's College of Arts & Sciences at
Bangalore ("offers several innovative degree courses"), St Joseph's College
of Commerce at Bangalore ("it has tie-ups with NIIT, Santa Clara
University"), St Paul's Hyderabad, St Paul's Kolkata, Stella Maris in
Chennai, and the Women's Christian College ("known to offer the best arts
course in Chennai"). ENDS
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