Fakir Chand College
 | |
| Type | Public (Govt. Aided, UGC recognized & NAAC accredited) |
|---|---|
| Established | 1948 |
Academic affiliation | Calcutta University |
| Principal | Dr. Subires Bhattacharyya |
| Location | Diamond Harbour, South 24 Parganas |
| Website | http://fccollege.net |
Fakir Chand College its mainly an undergraduate liberal arts, science & commerce college near Kolkata, India. It is affiliated with the University of Calcutta. It has almost 100 teaching faculty (50 full-time & 50 part-time/guest/ visiting faculty),40 support staff and 4500 students. It is the oldest and largest college in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. (new website: www.fakirchandcollege.org)
There are 3 streams of study in the college, namely, Arts, Science and Commerce. The college is a study centre of IGNOU and Netaji Subhas Open University. The College has one N.C.C. and two N.S.S. units. It also has B. Ed and Post Graduate sections.
History
The college was founded by Jagadish Chandra Halder in memoriam of his father Fakir Chand Halder. It started with Intermediate Courses in Arts and Science. Undergraduate courses in Arts were introduced in the year 1955-56. Undergraduate courses in Science and Commerce, and the B.Ed. course were introduced in the years 1958-66. Fakir Chand College stands today in Diamond Harbour (45 km from Kolkata), in the southern part of West Bengal. It is the culmination of the vision of one man to bring higher education facilities to the people of this area. About 100 km from south to north, there was no college before independence. The academically inclined would have to travel to Kolkata. This was a difficult proposition – physically and financially – for many. The setting up of the college was envisioned as far back as 1925, but it was possible to set it up only in 1948, when Calcutta University planned a decentralisation of higher education. Jagadish Chandra Halder, a local businessman, set up Fakir Chand College in the memory of his father. The beginning was with Intermediate Courses in Arts and Science. In the 1955-56 academic year, undergraduate courses in Arts were introduced. The years from 1958 to 1966 were vital years when undergraduate courses in Science and Commerce, and the B.Ed. course were introduced during the tenure of Principal A.C.Roy. In 1969, Prof. Hari Rakhal Biswas took over as Principal and he introduced a sound system of administration, heralding a new era in the history of the college. Understanding and co-operation among all –college administration, faculty, non-teaching staff and students – led to highly efficient running of the institution. Goals were set and reached in planned time and the developmental apur then started has never slowed down. Under the able leadership of the present principal Dr.Subires Bhattacharyya (joined April,2005),the college was accredited by the NAAC & the NCTE and four Post-Graduate Courses had been introduced. Several UGC sponsored seminars had also been organized. The College now has 19 pass+honours (Under-Graduate) courses in Arts, Science & Commerce, a Teacher-Training course (B. Ed) and four Post-Graduate (M.A./ M.Sc / M.Com) courses in Bengali, History, Education and Commerce. An eye remains on the economic and social exigencies in the introduction and conduct of courses. University results in different streams are quite satisfactory and a good number of students are getting admitted regularly in the various post-graduate courses under Calcutta University and other institutions of higher learning. Students of this college also excelled in various extra-curricular activities. Educational excursions and field-trips are arranged on regular basis. At F.C.College, academics is not just books and examination. It is about developing the correct attitude to life.
Library
The enriched library of Fakir Chand College, Diamond Harbour was established by Jagadish Chandra Halder, in memory of his father Late Fakir Chand Halder in 1948 at Diamond Harbour Boys School. Later in the year 1952 it was shifted to the ground floor of the present main campus of Fakir Chand College. Initially it only had collection of books of arts subjects. At present it encapsulated a huge collection of reading books, reference materials and various journals of arts, science and commerce subjects and photocopying facility for helping the young mind and the teachers. The later enough space was allotted to accomonadate the library in the second floor of the college.[1]
The Library of Fakir Chand College has a collection of more than 52,191 volumes. The library is divided into three broad sections – the UG, PG and the B.Ed sections.
An online public access catalog (OPAC) is available and can be accessed at http://fakirchand-opac.l2c2.co.in/ [2]