Jorhat, Oct. 29: Jagannath Barooah College here has received academic autonomy status from the University Grants Commission (UGC).

J.B. College, affiliated to Dibrugarh University, is a premier educational institute established in 1930. It is the oldest college in Upper Assam and second in the state. 

College principal Bimal Barah told The Telegraph today that a letter reached the college yesterday from the joint secretary of the UGC headquarters, New Delhi, Manju Singh, stating that the apex body of higher education institutes in the country has conferred academic autonomy to the college.

The letter said on the basis of the UGC expert committee and the recommendations of the standing committee, the UGC, at its meeting held on October 7, had accepted the college’s proposal sent last year and granted academic autonomy for a period of six years with effect from next academic session (2016-17).  

Barah said in August a four-member UGC team had visited the college for inspection and submitted a report to the commission. According to UGC rules, initially the academic autonomy status is granted for six years after which the commission will send a team for inspection of the college to review the situation.

The college will be able to frame its own course curriculum, restructure and update them as and when required on its own and also introduce new courses. Earlier, it was being done by Dibrugarh University. 

Barah said another important feature is that the college (up to MPhil level) will be able to conduct all examinations on its own, which means preparing question papers, evaluating answer scripts, arranging external teachers for practical examinations and preparing examination routines.

The principal said all certificates of the examinations conducted by the college would, however, be awarded by Dibrugarh University where the name of J.B. College will be mentioned. 

J.B. College is the first non-government college in Assam, set up on land donated by the Barooah family of Jorhat. Chief minister Tarun Gogoi, former Union minister late B.K. Handique and former Dibrugarh University vice-chancellor late Mukunda Madhab Sarmah were students of the college that had teachers like former parliamentarian late Hem Baruah and litterateur late Syed Abdul Malik.

With 20 departments and 90 teachers under three streams, the college runs 20 undergraduate courses, two post-graduate courses and one post-graduate diploma course. The college also has research centres for four subjects.