First women’s college on west coast turns coed

By Thomas Scaria

Mangaluru, April 21, 2022: Come September, the first women’s college on India’s western coast will admit young men as students.

The Apostolic Carmel congregation started St Agnes College in Mangaluru more than a century ago to exclusively educate women.

After its centenary celebrations in 2021, the college decided to start co-education, says principal Apostolic Carmel Sister M Venissa.

“The college wished to extend its legacy of a century to male students at the undergraduate level. Finally, we are able to make it and admissions will commence from next academic year,” she told reporters.

The principal also said they would admit about 30 percent male students in the first year. The number will be increased according to the demand. She also said the college will strike a balance between the number of male and female students while ensuring equality.

The college has about 1,000 available seats. The autonomous college has recently received approval from the government to become co-ed. The college offers arts, commerce, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Compute Applications, and Bachelor of Science courses, the principal said.

Sister M Lydia, joint secretary of St Agnes Institutions, told Matters India they have received positive response from parents about the college’s new plan. The college had conducted meeting of the Parent Teacher Association. “The parents are happy about it,” she said.

Sister Lydia said the college will reopen for the new academic year only in September because of the delay caused by the pandemic. Normally, the academic year begins in June.

“Although our original vision was women’s education for their empowerment, we realized even men have a role to play in women empowerment,” Sister Lydia said. What is needed is both men and women grow up with a sense of equality, she added.

The Jesuit-managed St Aloysius College in Mangaluru, which was started exclusively for male students, had turned coed two decades ago.