Equal Oppertunity Cell
One of the foundational objectives of Jadavpur University was to help those less fortunate than one; this still forms part of the oath that all students who graduate from Jadavpur University have to pledge. In keeping with this tradition and in order to foster a spirit of inclusivity in the realm of higher education, one of the "best practice" that has been selected for emphasis is providing critical support and equal opportunities to differently-abled individuals. Jadavpur University has already done much for integrating such differently-abled students into the mainstream of education within the university (e.g. creating a library of Talking Books; constructing ramps in all buildings), although much still remains to be done.
Student Mentoring
Student mentoring has been considerably improved as have facilities for students (e.g. wi-fi connections in hostels; remote access to library facilities; creation of a separate fund by the university to support needy students, over and above scholarships and freeships; the creation of a Talking Book library for visually-challenged students). The tutorial system exists in some departments; there are provisions for remedial coaching and training in soft skills for students. Add-on courses, at the certificate or diploma level, such as foreign languages, or journalism and mass communication, or radio production, are also offered, at a nominal cost, to all interested students of the university. These courses are conducted beyond regular university hours, to enable students to attend them after class. The universitys School of Counselling Studies & Self-Development offers free counselling to students who need it.
Facilities for Demographic Sections
The university has adopted several strategies to increase / improve access for students belonging to the following categories:
- SC/ST
- OBC
- Women
- Persons with varied disabilities
- Economically weaker sections
- Outstanding achievers in sports and other extracurricular activities
The university adheres strictly to government regulations regarding admission of students from SC/ST and other disadvantaged backgrounds. There are provisions for remedial coaching of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The university has a separate unit, the Special Education & HEPSN (Higher Education for Persons with Special Needs) Cell to increase/improve access for students with disabilities. There is provision for admission of outstanding achievers in sports under the sports quota in all faculties.
Number of students admitted in university departments in the last four academic years:
| Categories | Year 1 (2008-2009) |
Year 2 (2009-2010) |
Year 3 (2010-2011) |
Year 4 (2011-2012) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female | |
| SC | 1423 | 543 | 1461 | 551 | 1536 | 552 | 1539 | 645 |
| ST | 222 | 88 | 262 | 103 | 296 | 109 | 308 | 132 |
| OBC | 23 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 17 | 25 | 53 | 50 |
| General | 4665 | 2396 | 4590 | 2475 | 4652 | 2402 | 4718 | 2508 |
| Others | 238 | 38 | 144 | 43 | 161 | 30 | 160 | 23 |
Facilities for Persons with Disabilities
Apart from provision of ramps, talking lifts and so on, Jadavpur University also has a Special Education & HEPSN Cell, which was started in 2004 as a service centre for the visually challenged and other differently-abled students of Jadavpur University. Now the Cell is expanding through two different wings: the Social Service Wing and the Disability Studies Wing.
Social Service Wing
"Talking Book Library" instead of Braille books, is being used as a modern technique by the students with visual impairment. They can lend the study material from the library and may use the Cell Lab for reading & Internet browsing purpose. The Cell has a small audio recording & editing unit, the Book-readers and Voice-editors are working there. At present the library has 720 cassettes & 75 CD/DVDs on the undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Bengali and History. "Job-Oriented Training Programme" four certificate courses - Certificate in Fundamentals in Computer Applications (CFCA), as well as the same course for the students with visual impairment (CFCA-VH-I, CFCA-VH-II), Certificate in Communicative languages (CCL) have been offered for the students with physical and social disabilities. Technically sound teachers are engaged for the courses.
Disability Studies Wing
An ongoing research project has been started on February 2011 with the fulltime engagement of a Research Assistant on "Preparation of Critical Directory on Disabilities". A database of the differently-abled students of Jadavpur University for the period 2008-2012 is nearing completion.
