Scottish Church College has written to Calcutta University vice-chancellor Ashutosh Ghosh, seeking the reinstatement of the autonomous status previously granted to the college’s postgraduate department.

The letter, dated December 4, was also copied to CU registrar Debasish Das, who is a member of the college’s governing body.

In her letter, principal Madhumanjari Mandal wrote: “We are confident that the reinstatement of autonomy will further strengthen our commitment toward academic innovation, student development and institutional growth.”

She noted that Scottish Church College — a minority institution — held autonomous status from 2005 to 2018.

Mandal described the college as delivering stellar performance in NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) over the past three cycles, committed to quality teaching, research and student development.

“Such an institution must be allowed to exercise autonomy at the postgraduate level,” she told Metro.

Scottish Church College currently runs PG courses in chemistry and botany.

Several other colleges, including Lady Brabourne and Asutosh College, have also demanded restoration of PG autonomy, stating that without it, maintaining academic excellence would be challenging.

Principal Mandal, who teaches botany, said that autonomy allows for curricular innovation, essential to attract bright students in an environment increasingly dominated by private colleges with flexible and modern
approaches.

“Had there been autonomy, I would have liked to bring in experiential learning more and more in botany, as recommended by the UGC. We can also focus more on research,” she said.

A teacher at Scottish Church said that autonomy previously allowed them to frame their own syllabus through a dedicated board of studies, incorporating new-age content and research opportunities. After CU’s 2018 decision to take complete control over PG exams and syllabi, colleges argued, academic standards were diluted.