Best Practices
A.Y. 2020-21
A.Y. 2021-22
7.2.1 Best Practice of Institution (1500 words)
Best Practice 1
1. Title: Eco-friendly and Green Campus
2. Objectives: Eco campus by planting more trees, Conservation as well as generation energy, Efficient use of available water and Proper waste management
3. Context: Pollution becoming a serious problem due to urbanization and deforestation. Parner is draught prone region receiving scanty rainfall. It was necessary to look forward to make the efficient use of all available resources. HEI decided to work in the areas of conservation of energy and water, plantation and waste to develop clean and healthy environment that aids effective teaching-learning and provides a conducive learning ambience. The stakeholders work to develop an eco-friendly, sustainable campus and to disseminate the concept of eco-friendly culture.
4.Practice: HEI resolved to work with stakeholders to foster a culture of self-sustainability and eco-friendly campus. The time bound strategies are developed to implement green campus initiatives. The initiatives for making eco-friendly campus are
a) Plantation: During last 10 years, college has grown hundreds of new plants and trees. A unique cactus garden with more than 150 saplings, a nursery and botanical garden with medicinal plants are the outcomes of our sincere efforts. The HEI initiated “QR Coding of Plants” to avail the information easily. The bird feeders and wooden bird nesting boxes attracts the sparrows and birds.
b) Conservation of energy: Solar panels of 61kW capacity and Solar water heaters are installed in periodic manner to minimize the expenditure of energy. The energy generated through solar panel is wheeled to power grid. Tube lights and bulbs have been replaced with CFL and LED lamps. The use of power efficient equipment’s is encouraged. Signage board about energy conservation and environments sustenance are displayed on premises for awareness of stakeholders. College encourages the use of public transport and battery-operated vehicles and e-Bikes.
c) Water conservation: Rainwater harvesting system, Drip irrigation for watering the plants, recycling of wastewater with STP plant, regular maintenance of water tanks, AMC for maintenance, etc. are the initiatives to conserve the water. Safe and clean drinking water is provided using water purifying system.
d) Waste management: Biogas plant is used for generating cooking gas from food waste. AMC for framed to manage electric/electronic scrape and waste items with a certified external agency in order to ensure their safe recycling. The burning of litter is prohibited. Collected litter is used for composting and also as Mulch for plants. The wet waste and dry leaves of plants is subjected to vermicomposting. The composting helps to reduces greenhouse gas emissions and to enrich soil with nutrients. The organic manure so formed is used to plants and greenery.
e) Quality Audits: HEI conducts green, environment, energy and electrical safety audit periodically. College practiced conducting Institutional Energy Audit also.
5. Evidence of Success:
a) Greener and beautiful campus
b) Minimized expenditure on electricity
c) Incremental growth in % energy consumption from non-conventional energy sources
d) Increased ground water table.
e) e-Waste and Solid Waste Management.
f)Learning Ambience.
g) Feedbacks and SSS.
6. Problems Encountered and Resources Required:
a) Support by Earn and Learn scheme students
b) Seasonal Water shortage problem.
c) Complete ban on plastic
Best Practice 2
1. Title of the Practice: Student Mentoring System
2. Objectives: HEI plays an important role in holistic development of students but also to make them capable of sustaining society and ultimately to develop a strong nation. A large cohort of students with different backgrounds, thoughts and preparation experienced more difficulties and challenges to pursue higher education. Probably students also fail to recognize the goals of higher education. They should have a sense of belongingness and an awareness of their rights and responsibilities. Therefore, HEI has taken initiatives to avail the facility of mentoring to students with following objectives:
- Develop healthy relationship between students and teachers
- Ensure academic and professional performance of the students
- Sensitize towards various issues of social relevance
- Inculcate the human values among the students
- Establish learner friendly and inclusive environment.
3. Context: College provides quality education to needy and socioeconomically deprived masses to develop the society. Students at HEI need support to explore oneself, to experience the joy of learning, to stand up to peer pressure, take decisions with courage, to inculcate the human values and in many aspects. But students while persuing higher education come across with various problems like difficulties in learning, financial issues, peer pressure, health and well-being, lack of motivation, skills and guidance, etc. Therefore, Student Mentoring Cell (SMC) is constituted with sole purpose to build the healthy relationship between the staff and students and to sort their difficulties in the context of academic as well as professional development and to build the universal human values. The institute has practiced it as student-centric approach in all possible ways for all round development.
4. The Practice: The SMC meets regularly to plan the Student/Staff Induction Programme and allotment of Mentor-Mentee, Staff Orientation, Review of Methodology of SMC and Annual reports. A well-defined methodology of mentoring is followed with periodical review as per the policy mandate. “Deeksharambh”–A Student Induction Programme is organized every year for 5-7 days that consist of guidance talks of faculties/invited guests to develop the skills and competencies among students. Literary activities conducted helps to develop the thought process, creativity and self-exploration. Documentaries especially “RAMRAJYA” based on developments and good things in the world are shown to students. This has helped to channelize their potential to lay foundation of a strong nation.
Mentor conducts periodical meetings and discuss on any problem such as academic, financial, psychological, etc. These open ended discussions are thought provoking and giving exposure, guiding thoughts, and realizing values. Student progress is continuously reviewed in terms of attendance, academic matters, health, etc. and details in the mentoring sessions are maintained. Mentor Teacher identifies the poor learners and interacts with them to resolve the cause with the active involvement Parents, Head and Principal in development of student.
5. Evidence of Success: With advent of mentoring, HEI could achieve the targeted objectives:
a)Improvement in attendance and involvement in activities.
b)Academic success leading to ranks, higher progression and placements.
c)Encouragement of advanced learners.
d)Improvements in academic and professional development.
e)Boost in moral and human values, social commitments.
f)Strong teacher-student relationship.
6. Problems Encountered and Resources Required:
a) Nation-wide lockdown and restriction for effective implementation of mentoring system during COVID pandemic
b) High ratio Mentor: Mentee