Best Practice I
1. Title:
Help Desk for Scholarship Assistance
2. Objectives
To provide assistance to students in getting scholarships
To make sure that all the eligible students shall get scholarship benefits To provide help in filling up scholarship forms correctly
To monitor the process of scholarship to avoid future problems
3. The Context
Most of the students in the institution are from educationally, socially and economically backward classes. Some of them are also not aware of the scholarship benefits available at the higher education level. They have not even prepared with the essential documents needed for feeling up the scholarship form. Many of them commits mistakes while filling up the forms or uploading it online during the process. To avoid these problems and to ensure that no eligible student shall be deprived from getting the benefits of scholarships a Help Desk for scholarship assistance is constituted in the institution.
4. The Practice
The Help Desk informs regarding different scholarships students can avail while studying in the institution. The names of the Help Desk members and information regarding the scholarship is also uploaded in the institutional website, printed in the prospectus of the institution and displayed on the notice board. Help Desk provides every kind of assistance to students such as: 1. submitting the online scholarship forms in Maha-DBT portal of Govt. of Maharashtra 2. verification of the hard copies of the forms 3. verification of all relevant documents before the final submission etc. The Help Desk ensures that the scholarship forms should be error free. The Help Desk also remains in constant touch with the students and inspire them to go for the benefits of scholarship so that no eligible students shall be deprived from getting the benefits of the scholarship.
5. Evidence of Success
Practice of Help Desk for Scholarship assistance has proved beneficial to the students eligible for getting scholarships. The students are able to fill and submit their scholarship forms in correct way with the proper assistance and guidance from the Help Desk. Students are approaching to the Help Desk to seek help regarding their scholarship related problems. All the eligible students are getting benefits of scholarships in the institution.
6. Problems Encountered and Resources Required
The institution has also encountered few problems while implementing this practice. Because of the irregularity of the students many of the eligible students were not able to fill scholarship forms within due date. The Help Desk has to do some extra efforts to contact these students and make them fill the forms within stipulated time. Another problem encountered was of getting the required documents needed for scholarship within time from the Tahasil and other govt. offices. There should be a separate window or Help Desk for students in Govt. offices so that they can get desirable documents within time.
Best Practice II
1. Title:
Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule Women Studies Center, Employment and Guidance Cell
2. Objectives
To aware students with the various opportunities of employment To search hidden talent in tribal and rural students
To motivate students to appear in competitive exams To train and guide them to face the competitive exams
3. The Context
The institution is situated in a tribal area. Most of the students are the first generation learners. They belong to very poor economic and educational background. They are not known with various career opportunities those can be grabbed through appearing for competitive exams. Besides being talented they lack confidence and proper guidance to face competitive exams. ‘Krantijyoti Savitibaai Phule Women Studies Center and Employment and Guidance Cell’ was established to provide proper guidance to the talented students and motivate them to appear for various competitive exams.
4. The Practice
A general knowledge test is conducted for the students and top twenty students are selected as “Super Twenty” for getting special coaching under this scheme. This batch of “Super Twenty” students is given one hour coaching related to competitive exams preparations after their regular classes. A separate batch of next hundred students qualified in the general knowledge tests is also provided coaching as per their academic abilities. The students are provided with the required study material. Regular tests are also conducted to assess their knowledge. All possible efforts are made to give them maximum exposure to the field of competitive exams. These students are also informed with the competitive exams schedule during the year and it is ensured that they should appear for these examinations.
5. Evidence of Success
Many of the students who were guided under this scheme fill the forms of various competitive exams such as Maharashtra Public Service Examination, Bank Exams, Police services, Railway services etc. But due to Corona pandemic many of the exams were postponed this year. The students are waiting to appear for these examinations. At institutional level we can say that ‘Krantijyoti Savitibaai Phule Women Studies Center and Employment and Guidance Cell’ has become successful in motivating rural and tribal students to appear in various competitive exams.
6. Problems Encountered and Resources Required
Though this practice has been a successful exercise for the students, there were some problems that we encountered. Initially we faced the problem of lack of confidence and interest among the students for competitive exams. The co-ordinator has to take some extra efforts to motivate them to see employment opportunities after becoming successful in competitive exams. At the same time the coaching classes were arranged after regular classes so some of the students could not attend the classes regularly because they have to manage time with their bus timings. But still it was a fruitful practice for students.