About the College

The Gramodaya Degree College and Research Institute was founded in 1995 and in the same year, received full affiliation with M J P Rohilkhand University, Bareilly. The college is unusual in being situated in a small village which is the centre of a well-established rural development project serving a large number of villages in the surrounding area and offering education, health, income-generating and agricultural services to local people.

In its first year, the college had just 39 students in B.A. Part 1. They all passed at the end of the year and the 100% pass rate meant that the college topped the results for the entire district. Since then, although the college now has over 800 students, this remarkable achievement has been steadily maintained with the college’s examination results regularly surpassing those of much bigger and better-known colleges in nearby towns and cities.  Indeed, in the very first year, the quality of both the teaching and the campus environment impressed the Vice Chancellor of M J P Rohilkhand University so much that he recommended the college for a special award of Rs 20,000 and a citation shield which were presented by the Governor of U.P. and the Chancellor of the university.

The college has become increasingly popular, attracting pupils from over 100 km away with its beautiful campus and gardens, peaceful atmosphere, good facilities, easy accessibility and safe environment. 39% of the students are girls and the number is growing. Fields of wheat and sugar cane provide a wonderful backdrop and there are none of the distractions of urban areas to divert students from their studies. On the other hand, the nearest town is only 5 km away and the large city of Moradabad with its lively markets and busy railway station providing links to major attractions lall over India is just a 30km bus ride away.

The college offers a variety of courses including a B.A. in a range of subjects: English, English Literature, Hindi, Hindi Literature, Sanskrit, History, Geography, Political Science, Economics and Sociology. In 2003, a B.Ed. was offered for the first time and is now the most popular course. The pass rate for the first batch of graduates was 100% of whom 45% achieved first division. There are also plans for a new post-graduate diploma course in Media Resource Management to begin in the near future.

The PGRRM course began in 2002, offering a highly innovative and practical opportunity to study rural resource management at first hand. Students not only learn about rural economics, resources and problems but they also go out into the field, working with selected village families to formulate feasible proposals to help solve their difficulties. Now in its third year, this course has had outstanding successes both in results and in work placements. A few graduates have gone on to further studies but the majority are now working for NGOs and gaining valuable experience with a view to eventually setting up their own development projects.

The college is not an isolated entity at Amarpurkashi. Rather, it is part of a vibrant development project, established in 1970 and highly respected throughout the region. The Amarpurkashi Project includes DRIVE (www.ivcs.org.uk) a scheme which gives westerners the chance to live in a rural setting for from three weeks to six months, learning about village life and development works;  SGSY, the self-help group scheme operated under the government’s micro-credit programme; a spice unit to generate income for women; free eye camps; an annual science fair; agricultural extension with support and demonstration for new seeds, fertilizers and improved farm practices; a mother and children’s clinic; and primary, secondary and tertiary education with a scholarship scheme to enable even the poorest to educate their children. It is also the main India office for INTAF (International Task Force for the Rural Poor), an international network of people working for or supporting the development of the rural poor throughout the world. INTAF has just held its Sixth World Assembly in London. Amarpurkashi is also the editorial office for the IJRS (International Journal of Rural Studies), a bi-annual journal that publishes articles on education, development work and rural issues.

FACILITIES

The facilities available in this rural college are impressive. As well as a good supply of mains electricity, there are two generators to make up any shortfall. Three large tanks supply piped water to most of the toilets and bathrooms while five hand pumps are available for those who prefer the relatively warm water pumped up from 130 feet underground. The water is sweet and safe to drink.

The college boasts a computer room and well-stocked library with ample table space for keen students to work at. The lecture rooms are airy and spacious and all have ceiling fans. Four regional daily newspapers arrive early every morning as well as an English national paper. There is a landline telephone and two mobiles, a fax machine, large colour television, bank and a twice-weekly market selling a range of fresh fruit, vegetables and household items. There are numerous shops on the roadside selling everything from medicine to sewing thread seven days a week.  Amarpurkashi has its own bus stop just outside the village, connecting it to Chandausi, a market town 8 miles away, Bilari, just 3 miles north and the noisy, bustling city of Moradabad, 20 miles further on. The nearest railway station is just 4 miles away while Chandausi and Moradabad stations have computerized booking facilities where you can book a journey to anywhere in India.

The project canteen provides friendly service and plentiful vegetarian meals freshly cooked from local produce.