Shyama Prasad Mukherji College For Women, New Delhi

About Shyama Prasad Mukherji College For Women, New Delhi

SPM College is a well-known women’s college of University of Delhi. It was established in 1969 in the memory of distinguished academician and statesman Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherji. It has no affiliation with any sect, religion, political group, or thinking. The college motto "tejasvi naa vadhi mastu" in Sanskrit has a profound meaning. It is derived from the Taittiriya Upanisad. It means - Let our efforts at learning be luminous (Tejasvi) and filled with joy, and endowed with the force of purpose (Vadhi Mastu).

Dr. Kamala Sanghi was the founder Principal of the college. Initially, the college had only six courses with a meagre strength of 500 students and a few teachers and administrative staff. Within a short span of four years, the college produced its first topper (Miss. Ila Saxena, a students of Hindi Honours) in the University of Delhi. The Principal tirelessly worked to visualise a spacious and vibrant campus, large student strength, well- qualified faculty and variety of options in courses of study. After years of long wait, Delhi Government had allotted 10 acres of land at its present location, Punjabi Bagh West.

Today, Shyama Prasad Mukherji College has 112+ well-furnished classrooms, 7 seminar halls, a fully air-conditioned state of the art Auditorium with a nice ambiance, well equipped & fully computerized Library, well equipped Gym, laboratories such as Computer labs, Psychology lab, Food & Technology lab etc. The Campus is equipped with Internet Wi-fi Facility. All the labs, 6 seminar halls and 32 classrooms are equipped with projectors. Today, our college has evolved into one of the most progressive and dynamic institutions of the University of Delhi. The institution takes great pride in the supportive and stimulating environment that it provides for its students. From B.A. Pass with six optional subjects, namely, Hindi, English, Political Science, History, Economics and Sanskrit, the college has grown to cater 3000 students with 18 different disciplines.

SPMC offers various undergraduate courses in Humanities and Commerce along with post-graduate courses in Humanities streams. The College also offers professional courses- B.Ed & B.El.Ed. We are proud to say that SPM is among the few colleges of University of Delhi to have a B.Ed. course outside the Central Institute of Education (CIE), University of Delhi. Keeping in mind the demands of industry and corporate houses, Applied Psychology was also added in 2006 to the growing list of courses that were being offered in the college. In 2018, we have also introduced Geography Honours to enable students to explore yet another avenue. The aim was to prepare a professionally qualified workforce to meet the demands of a changing economy.

Besides offering full-time courses, the college also runs centres for the Non-Collegiate Women’s Education Board and the School of Open Learning. The college also has a Family Counselling Centre for students established by the Social Welfare Board, Delhi.

The student demography of SPM is heterogeneous. Government norms for the reserved categories are duly followed in the admission process. Students from the length and breadth of India are enrolled in the institution. Special provisions are in place for differently-abled students and staff members. The college provides adequate infrastructural support such as ramps, wheel chairs, washrooms, special pavements for their movement within the college premises.

Vision
Educationists have visualised education as contributing towards building a society that is characterized by honest, vigilant and responsible citizens. In keeping with this belief, SPMC is deeply committed to the goal of creating an educational ethos that fosters the growth of educated, vigilant and socially responsible citizens. Each teacher of SPMC works tirelessly for creating an environment of learning, and fostering self–expression, while expanding intellectual capacities through deliberation and reflection. The college faculty focuses on bringing in criticality of thought and action in the students who we teach. The day-to-day functioning of our institution upholds these principles which are the cornerstone of democratic functioning. Moreover, we are firm believers in the uniqueness of each individual and that each of our students is special and has something to offer to the college, society and our nation at large. Consequently, a great deal of emphasis is placed on developing the abilities of our students, guiding, facilitating and nurturing them to become independent and self-reliant citizens. We spare no efforts in providing education and life skills to realize ‘a billion dreams’. As an institution we are very proud to say that we are able to meet the expectations of our students by infusing in them the life skills which are essential to lead a meaningful life.

As the name indicates Shyama Prasad Mukherji College for Women, is a college for women and consequently is committed in creating and nurturing young women who are equipped to be effective citizens in a continually evolving world order. They are encouraged to become socially sensitive individuals who celebrate diversity of language and culture, which is the hallmark of our nation. The democratic and liberating space of the college, and its vibrant educational ethos help to nurture the growth of our students in multiple ways. Moreover, the core philosophy of our institution is built on the belief that the qualities of independence and self-reliance are important in a woman’s life, and equally important for the future of this nation. We visualize our students as women who can accept challenges as opportunities rather than limitations, understanding and accepting the power of knowledge and the responsibility that comes with it. Our students are given space and a forum to realize that it is not in opposition but through acceptance and negotiation with self and others that the world becomes a better place. If a woman is strong, independent and reflective, then the future of our nation is just, bright and secure.