KG Joshi College of Arts and NG Bedekar College of Commerce Thane College

Thane College

When it comes to innovation, KG Joshi College of Arts and NG Bedekar College of Commerce come first. These colleges, started in 1969 by Dr VN Bedekar at his Vidya Prasarak Mandal, were the first institutions of higher learning to be established in Thane in a single campus. The colleges have arts, commerce, science, law, polytechnic and management studies. The colleges are spread over 13 acres of land and have Wi-Fi campus and law, commerce, arts, BMS, accounts/finance, banking, BMM, BLC, MLIC, Mcom faculties for its 7,000 students who are taught by over 80 competent teachers. "Before we started there were no educational institutions for Thane students and they had to travel to other places for education. Our College has grown enormously over these years. We have received tremendous response from students, educationists and celebrities over the years," says Shubhash Shinde, VC, Joshi college. The college, under its present chairman Dr Vijay Bedekar, received its first standing in 2003 when it went for NAAC accreditation and got B grade. Seven years later, in 2010, during re-accreditation it received an 'A' grade which has put the college on the top. According to the college authorities, the management in past few years has set up several academies including a sports academy, talent academy and a scholar academy. "We want an all round development of students and to encourage their academic excellence we have set up scholar's academy, where scholars and academicians across the country are invited for interaction with our students. We also make our students attend lectures and discussions on different subjects, pursue academic interests to help them develop their personality," Shinde says and adds that the college is in the process of establishing a speakers' academy for students who are keen to develop their oratory skills. The colleges' Research and Reference section is unique. The section is equipped with 73,500 books and 161 academic journals. The library subscribes to 146 academic journals, receives 15 complimentary journals and has a database of the Library OPAC-Online Public Access Catalogue for the students and teachers. The section provides online access to reputed databases like JSTOR, EBSCO, HOST, CMIE, ERIC, which students can refer to for their research work. "The students can research on subjects available on the site with the click of a mouse," says Shinde. KG Joshi and NG Bedekar have also been designated as 'community college' by Mumbai University through its novel scheme in collaboration with HCCB (Hindustan Coca Cola Beverage) this year. Community college is an alternative system of education which aims to empower the disadvantaged and the under-privileged through an appropriate skill development process that helps them get employment in collaboration with the local industry.