College of the Week: Manovikas IGNOU Community College

Gone are the days when alternative education was the only recourse available to special children.

With things changing in the higher education segment for the differently-abled, new vistas are opening up, allowing them to take advantage of mainstream education.

Leading this change is the Manovikas-Ignou Community College (MCC), where inclusive education is being redefined every day.

The college offers programmes for people from the disadvantaged sections of society, including schooldropouts, economically backward, differently-abled and so on.

Unlike the formal system of education, studies and programmes here are devised according to the needs of the students. Elaborates Dr Alok Kumar Bhuwan of MCC, “Since our students are an integral part of our community, everything from the curriculum to teaching pedagogy is devised to suit their needs.“ The focus is also on helping them get jobs. Also, “If a certain need is felt by the student, we try to fulfill it to the best of our ability. Recently, a group of students were to miss out on a special lecture because they could not travel to the college. So, the college arranged for video-conferencing,“ Dr Bhuwan says.

USP: It's a one-of-its-kind initiative in the country for the differently-abled, offering recognised degrees to its students.

Faculty: There are 23 faculty members

Programmes: MCC offers courses in three broad categories: associate degree programmes, diplomas and certificate courses. After completing the associate degree programmes, the students can enroll directly in the third year of any degree programme for an honours course. The four certificate programmes are career-specific for the target group basic business skills, retail assistant, hospitality training and office attendant. The programmes are also offered for professionals working with people with disability.

Check their website for more details on the curriculum, eligibility criteria, and programme details.

IT quotient and infrastructure: The campus is smart and quite colourful. Though quite small, it has a multi-sensory room, a speech therapy room, classrooms and a training laboratory.

MCC also has an audio-visual room with a projector and screen for its students. The college website will give you all the details about programmes and facilities offered. The college website also serves as an interface for students to access e-learning material right from the comfort of their homes.

Clubs and societies: Since the class strength is quite small, MCC doesn't have clubs and societies of its own.

However, students actively participate in extra-curricular activities. They perform at various events held throughout the year.

Source: HT Education