Ramjas College: The Social Hub

RAMJAS COLLEGE IS one of the first three colleges to be established under the University of Delhi. Over the years, eminent alumni have immensely benefited from quality education delivered by a distinguished faculty, sport facilities and modern infrastructure. Many of our alumni today are part of the top tier of administration, founders of corpo­rate houses and contribute to research in various fields.

The foundation stone of the college was laid by Mahatma Gandhi in 1917. Lala Rai Kedarnath, an educationist and philanthropist, was the founder of the college and named it in memory of his father, Lala Ramjas Mal. BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, was one of the members of the govern­ing body of the college. The students of Ramjas College took part in the freedom struggle and actively participated in the Quit India Movement of 1942.

The college provides multiple op­portunities to students through vari­ous clubs and societies in order to en­hance their knowledge and skills. Its facilities are supported by advanced technology that makes it a premier in­stitute of learning. Also, with “Sport for All” as its motto, Ramjas maintains a tradition of contributing to the nation by producing many national and inter­national players. During the last three years, the college has churned out five international players and 63 national-level sportspeople.

The college library has over 1,50,000 titles, which are all bar-coded. In addi­tion, it has more than two lakh e-books, more than 30,000 e-journals and over 150 digital databases. The computer­ised cataloguing at the library helps lo­cating the books and their availability.

Classrooms with LCD projec­tors and science and computer labs equipped with the latest facilities en­able students to gain hands-on experi­ence and develop a practical approach. Besides, the green campus also houses hostels for boys and girls, an audito­rium with modern facilities, sport grounds, a gymnasium, a canteen, a stationery shop and other amenities. The college manages and disseminates information through the web-based Student Information System, which also helps in maintaining the record of classes, courses, timetables, assign­ments, projects, attendance, events, etc, facilitating an efficient work en­vironment. The School of Foreign and Indian Languages (SFIL), functioning at Ramjas College since 2003, provides opportunities to students for acquiring skills in seven languages—Korean, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Japanese and Italian. A landmark ini­tiative of the college is the establish­ment of a knowledge centre that serves as a hub for knowledge exchange at various levels. The centre works as a knowledge integration system that facilitates multidisciplinary ideation among students to enhance their skills.

Currently, the college offers 18 courses through its 16 departments at the undergraduate level, and 15 post­graduate courses. All departments are actively involved in various academic and extra-curricular activities through­out the year. The faculty strength of the college is 226, and the total number of enrolled students at present is 5,668. The student-teacher ratio of 25:1 in the college facilitates an effective teaching-learning process.

The college is known for its social science courses and ranks among the top colleges in India for these streams. It borrows heavily on technology to make the teaching-learning process in these disciplines interactive. Visits to museums and archives are arranged for the students of history. Students of political science and economics are trained to conduct surveys and do field­work that teaches them to collect data for analytical observations. Literature is made interesting through participatory approaches, such as discussion forums and other platforms. Besides, numer­ous lectures, seminars, workshops, and movie screenings are organised regularly to get a grip on the subject at hand. Each department has a society run by students that organises events, along with cultural festivals. Heritage walks and educational tours also enable students to gain firsthand experience on any subject.

The recent addition of the Harsh Malhotra Research Centre to the in­stitution is aimed at providing a space for research and innovation, both for teachers as well as students.

The faculty members at the college have made significant contributions to the field of teaching and research. Many of our teachers have been fe­licitated by the University of Delhi. In the academic year 2020-21, teachers of the college have authored numerous books and as many as 71 research pa­pers; secured grants for four research projects; filed a patent; organised three conferences and 41 seminars; and de­livered several presentations. The Department of Economics publishes an annual journal, Ramjas Economic Review, which is the only undergradu­ate journal with an international stan­dard serial number (ISSN).

Ramjas College is committed to nurturing talent, encouraging intel­lectual growth, inculcating values, promoting inclusive education and cultivating professional ethics.

About The Author

Manoj Khanna

Manoj Khanna is Principal, Ramjas College, University of Delhi