In absence of donors, the historical Kanya Gurukul Mahavidyalaya (KGM), Dehradun administration is facing a major financial crisis.
The administration is finding it hard to pay salaries to the teaching and non teaching staff. In the current academic session, more than 150 students belonging to financially weaker section of the society are studying in Classes I-XII, various professional courses, bachelor and post graduation degree courses in the Mahavidyalaya, said KGM, Dehradun Principal Savita Anand on Monday.
Kanya Gurukul Mahavidyalaya is a girl’s boarding school, founded on 8th November, 1923 at Delhi by Acharya Ramdev, one of the pioneers of Arya Samaj, as a campus of women's education, which was shifted to Dehradun on May 1, 1927. The Mahavidyalaya offers a wide range of extra curricular activities from traditional to the contemporary to enable the students achieve their full potential by organising cultural events, sports and religious programmes. KGM, Dehradun is the part of Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, and offers courses of bachelor and master degrees in humanity, technology and management studies, she added.
The principal KGM aims to provide modern, affordable, quality education with traditional and ancient ‘Sanskaras’ giving due importance to Vedic education and yoga, a proper development of their personalities, health and character building, encouraging students to adopt simple living and high thinking, promoting positive attitude and creating awareness among them about culture and society. It encompasses classes from class I to XII. It also offers Bachelors and Masters programmes for various arts and science stream subjects apart from professional post graduate courses including MBA and others. Girl students are provided free education but charged Rs 2,000 per month for food and lodging.
The college has a library, science laboratories and a computer laboratory. The admission starts in the month of May and classes start in the month of July. The Mahavidyalaya has established campus placement cell in order to place its students in various multinational companies. Students are taught computer education since its class 1. There are 17 teaching staff out of which eight are permanent teachers while nine are part-time teachers. Some professionals are also invited for teaching the students in the Mahavidyalaya.
The Principal said that she had approached several political executives; persons belonging to various fields including industry and others seeking funds, but few of them have donated money to the Mahavidyalaya. This Mahavidyalaya needs regular funding so that administration can pay salaries to the teaching and non teaching staff regularly and provide quality education.
She further said that the basic task before the Mahavidyalaya is to enhance the physical, moral and intellectual strength of girls and make them ideal citizens by educating them on ancient and modern subjects, without discrimination on the pattern of Gurukul system of education which emphasises healthy and harmonious teacher-student relationship.
The student body comprises of students of diverse cultural, linguistic and ethnic backgrounds from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Bihar, MP, Punjab, Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir and Assam as well as from countries outside India like Nepal and other places. According to Anand, its foundation is based on principles advocated by Arya Samaj, which has been advocating women’s education since the day it was founded as part of its policies for the upliftment of women in the country. The Mahavidyalaya was founded Acharya Ramdev who helped facilitate 21 acres land in 1922 with a strength of five students.