Matters India reporter

Darjeeling: In an effort to recover lost days in the Gorkhaland agitation that had shut down life in the hills, a college in Darjeeling conducted three academic programs in a week.

The 104-day agitation ended in September end.

Salesian College Sonada, which entered 80th year, organized held programs for college principals of northeastern India as well as for young faculty members of the region.

It hosted three programs held between November 27 and December 2.

The programs were held in association with United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia. Former Campus Minister of Madras Christian College and United Board representative for South Asia based in Chennai Dr Maher Spurgeon participated in the sessions on all six days.

On the first day, principals of some 25 colleges under North Bengal University participated the program titled, “Towards Choice Based Credit System (CBCS).

The second program was entitled Principals’ Training & Consultation Forum (PTCF). It was held on November 28 for 30 plus college principals from east and northeastern India as well as Ranchi in Jharkhand.

The third program christened Faculty Orientation in Research & Teaching Excellence (FORTE) had some 30 participants from East and Northeast India.

“Orienting the faculty toward research is a sure way of improving the academic capability of young faculty members,” asserted Principal of Salesian College Sonada and Siliguri Dr George Thadathil giving reason for the training facilitation.

Father Thadathil also said, “This enhanced knowledge can be shared with the peers as well as students.”

Topics covered during FORTE included: The Role of Values in Social Science Research; Holism Versus Methodological Individualism; Pedagogy to Mathetics; Andragogy: Assumptions and Promises; The ‘Scientific’ Status of Social Science Knowledge; Some Unresolved Issues in Qualitative Research in Social Sciences; Whole Person Education; and Sampling Fundamentals, Testing Hypothesis and Analysis of Variance.

Salesian College one of the pioneering Christian Colleges of the region, through its Salesian Research Centre, in association with the United Board attempted to enhance new skills, tools, and new approaches and methodology in teaching and learning among its faculty members.